After everyone returned, Li Xianglian had already prepared the meal, just waiting for their arrival.
Of course, the family then happily had a reunion dinner. After the meal, Li Xianglian hurried to clean up the dishes and bowls, making room for her second brother and his wife.
Shen Yunfang found clothes for Li Hongjun, urging him to take a good bath in the bathroom.
Originally, Shen Yunfang had knocked through the wall separating the toilet from the storeroom, then had someone install a wooden bathtub inside. She also had someone rig up a water heater—the kind soon to become popular, named "Essence of Life." The heating coil was quite long and, when placed in the tub, it could warm the bathwater to over forty degrees within about ten minutes.
Of course, such a device wasn't considered very practical at the time because it was a power guzzler; few families could afford such a waste as Shen Yunfang did, using high wattage to heat water.
