Chapter 37

Cheng Jingmo said, “This should be its twin brother.”

Yu Xiangnian asked again, “How do you know they are twins?”

Cheng Jingmo held the rabbit up and turned it around in front of Yu Xiangnian. “Look, they both have some gray on their left sides, their tails are gray too, and their ears are equally pointy.”

Cheng Jingmo seriously pointed out the similarities between the two rabbits, and Yu Xiangnian couldn’t help but feel amused.

She held back her laughter and asked, “Did you check their blood type? Or did you ask them if they are twins?”

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

Seeing Cheng Jingmo’s confused look, Yu Xiangnian couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. “Cheng Jingmo, you’re such a fool.”

Cheng Jingmo realized Yu Xiangnian was teasing him. His ears turned red, but he also felt relieved.

Yu Xiangnian wasn’t angry anymore!

He tied up the rabbit and the chicken, put on his backpack, and said, “I’m going to pick some bayberries.”

“I want to go too!” Yu Xiangnian got up from the ground.

The two of them walked towards the bayberry trees.

Wang Hongxiang nudged Dong Minghao. “Look at those two, they’re getting along well.”

Dong Minghao scoffed, “I’ve never seen a woman so picky that she even cares about the appearance of the rabbit she eats!”

Yu Xiangnian insisted on climbing the tree herself to pick bayberries, asking Cheng Jingmo to hold the basket below.

The branches were quite high above the ground, and Yu Xiangnian tried several times but couldn’t climb up.

“Come over and lift me up,” she said.

Cheng Jingmo didn’t think much of it and went over to hold her. It wasn’t until he lifted her from behind that he realized how close they were.

Yu Xiangnian was light, and with a little effort, Cheng Jingmo easily lifted her. She was soft and fragrant, making Cheng Jingmo feel a bit flustered.

Once lifted, Yu Xiangnian grabbed onto a branch, pushed against the trunk with her feet, and climbed up the tree.

Feeling the lightness in his hands, Cheng Jingmo looked up to see Yu Xiangnian smiling down at him. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Cheng Jingmo awkwardly lowered his head.

Most of the bayberries were ripe. Yu Xiangnian picked them and tossed them into Cheng Jingmo’s basket, occasionally popping one into her mouth.

After about twenty minutes, she decided she was done.

To get down from the tree, she asked Cheng Jingmo to come over and catch her.

Cheng Jingmo stood below, arms outstretched, and Yu Xiangnian jumped into his arms, pressing her entire body against his chest.

Yu Xiangnian’s hands clung to Cheng Jingmo’s shoulders, and one of his hands supported her back while the other wrapped around her waist.

Their bodies were tightly pressed together, their faces only ten centimeters apart. Cheng Jingmo could clearly see that her face was flawless, like a peeled egg, smooth and white.

Her faint fragrance filled his senses, and the softness of her chest against his made him reluctant to let go.

Yu Xiangnian also caught a whiff of Cheng Jingmo’s scent, a mix of soap and something distinctly male, which she found quite comforting.

Their eyes met, filled with unspoken feelings.

Yu Xiangnian felt a sudden urge to kiss his thin lips.

However, before she could act on it, Cheng Jingmo looked away and gently placed her on the ground.

He picked up the basket and climbed the tree to pick more bayberries.

Yu Xiangnian sat below, looking up at him.

Handsome, well-built, capable, cultured, emotionally stable—he was truly a rare find. No wonder his ex-girlfriend still longed for him despite him being married.

Her parents had chosen a great man for her, but his heart was already occupied by another woman.

Should she drive that woman away, or should she step aside?

Wait! Why was she even thinking about driving Wu Xiaomin away? She used to want to bring them together!

Yu Xiangnian patted her forehead.

She must have been too idle since arriving here to have such random thoughts!

Cheng Jingmo filled most of his basket with bayberries, and the two of them returned to the camp.

Everyone called the children over to prepare for lunch.

The white cloth was spread out with the food everyone had brought.

Wang Hongxiang had made vegetable buns, fried rabbit meat, and pickled radishes. Liu Zhen had prepared steamed cakes, crispy eggplants, and pickled sauerkraut.

Everyone sat on the ground, eating and chatting happily.

Yu Xiangnian learned that Dong Minghao and Wang Hongxiang were childhood sweethearts. After two years of military service, Dong Minghao kept his promise, returned to his hometown, married Wang Hongxiang, and brought her to Nancheng.

Xiao Tuanjie and Liu Zhen’s marriage had been arranged by their families. When Xiao Tuanjie went home on leave, they met twice before getting married.

Wang Hongxiang was twenty-five this year and already a mother of two children, the eldest being seven and the youngest five.

Liu Zhen was thirty, with three children. The eldest daughter was eleven, the second son was eight, and the youngest, Fangzi, was the one Yu Xiangnian had saved.

Yu Xiangnian found Liu Zhen’s pickled sauerkraut particularly delicious and asked Liu Zhen to teach her how to make it.

She also mentioned that Xiao Jie liked buns, so she asked Wang Hongxiang to teach her how to make them.

Cheng Jingmo found the person beside him both familiar and strange, finding it hard to believe that Yu Xiangnian was getting along so well with the other wives.

Before, Yu Xiangnian always looked down on them, thinking they were uncultured and inexperienced because they came from the countryside.

As Yu Xiangnian took another big bite of sauerkraut, Liu Zhen couldn’t help but ask, “Comrade Yu, I heard you were pregnant, then I heard you weren’t. Are you or aren’t you?”

Yu Xiangnian chewed her sauerkraut and said vaguely, “Ask him,” nodding toward Cheng Jingmo.

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

Seeing everyone’s expectant eyes, Cheng Jingmo finally said, “She’s not.”

Everyone nodded with mixed feelings of understanding and slight disappointment.

Dong Minghao chuckled, and Wang Hongxiang glared at him, “What are you laughing at?”

It seemed as if he was happy that the Cheng Jingmo couple didn’t have children!

Cheng Jingmo knew what Dong Minghao found funny.

Every morning after exercises, Dong Minghao would pat his shoulder and look him up and down with sympathetic eyes, saying, “Judging by your pace, you must’ve held it in all night.”

After lunch, Yu Xiangnian quietly asked Cheng Jingmo, “Didn’t you suspect I was having an affair? How come you believe I’m not pregnant now?”

Cheng Jingmo countered, “So, did you have an affair?”

“I did!”

Cheng Jingmo: “···”

For a moment, he felt like a heavy stone was crushing his chest, unable to speak or even breathe.

Yu Xiangnian suddenly smiled, “If you cheat, I’ll cheat too!”

Then she patted his shoulder, “Try it!” and ran off to find Liu Zhen, who was cutting mugwort.

Watching her cheerful figure, Cheng Jingmo realized he’d been teased again!

“Sister-in-law Liu Zhen, what are you cutting this for?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

Liu Zhen replied while cutting, “This is mugwort. Once dried and placed in the house, it keeps mosquitoes away.”

Yu Xiangnian had heard of mugwort but had never seen it. She picked one and smelled it—a fragrant scent.

“I’ll cut some too; the mosquitoes are getting more and more.”

Liu Zhen said, “You don’t know how to cut grass. I’ll cut more and dry some for you.”

“Thanks a lot, sister-in-law!”

Wang Hongxiang was out with a bunch of kids looking for wild vegetables, so Yu Xiangnian ran over to them.

The three men sat under a tree resting, and Dong Minghao, watching the group searching for wild vegetables, said, “Cheng Jingmo, why do I feel like this Yu Xiangnian isn’t your wife?”