Chapter 4

Yu Xiangnian, Cheng Jingmo, and Xiao Jie returned to their home.

The weather in Nancheng was already over twenty degrees in May, making the body feel sticky after a day. At this moment, Yu Xiangnian was grateful for the original owner’s fussiness. In an era where most people used public bathhouses and toilets, the original owner had Cheng Jingmo build a small room in their courtyard that functioned as a modern bathroom.

Although it lacked amenities like a water heater and a bathtub, it was quite a luxury. Inside the room, there was a water tank that could be pulled to flush the toilet. Bathing involved using a large basin, mixing hot water with cold water.

The house had a honeycomb coal stove that provided a slow, steady heat, suitable for boiling water rather than cooking quickly. There was always a pot of water on the stove, ensuring a constant supply of hot water.

The original owner used the most fashionable items of the era: soap, snow cream, moisturizer, and clam oil. Unfortunately, there was no shampoo yet, so washing hair involved using alkaline water made from wood ash.

After taking a bath, Yu Xiangnian dried her hair with a towel in the bedroom, pondering her situation.

She had originally planned to settle down here, but given the current circumstances:

A husband who was forced to marry her and was indifferent to her, a child who didn’t like her, and neighbors who despised and disliked her… there wasn’t a single person around who looked at her kindly!

Let’s be clear: a husband, child, and neighbors are not indispensable!

Since her husband had a lover, she would let them be together!

Since the child didn’t like her, anyone else could be the stepmother!

As for the neighbors who disliked her, they had nothing to do with her!

However, once divorced, she had no place to stay.

She needed to become self-reliant quickly!

In the other room.

Xiao Jie lay on the bed, excitedly saying, “Uncle, Aunt was so impressive today. I’ve always told Daya and Erya that if their dad hits their mom, they should hit him back hard. Once he gets scared, he won’t dare to hit her again.”

Cheng Jingmo sat by the bed, his mind replaying the scene of Yu Xiangnian smashing a bowl on Captain Zhang’s forehead without hesitation or fear.

She was so fierce!

Cheng Jingmo patted Xiao Jie’s head, saying, “No matter what, hitting people is wrong. Even though your aunt was helping today, it was still wrong.”

After a pause, he asked, “How has your aunt treated you while I was away for the past month?”

Xiao Jie replied, “She ignored me for a while, and I had to eat at Uncle Dong’s house. But in the past two days, she’s been very nice, buying me popsicles, candied hawthorn, and even bringing me meat buns from the restaurant. Those buns are so delicious!”

Xiao Jie swallowed hard. “My aunt said that whenever I want to eat them, she’ll take me.”

So Yu Xiangnian had only started acting strangely in the past two days.

Cheng Jingmo asked, “Have you seen your aunt bring Captain Ding home?”

Xiao Jie pouted, looking troubled. “My aunt asked Captain Ding to help with weeding, digging the garden, repairing furniture, and cleaning the house! But I heard the aunts outside saying she brought a man home to cheat.”

Xiao Jie didn’t understand what cheating meant, but he knew from the word “steal” that it wasn’t a good thing.

Cheng Jingmo’s eyes darkened. “Don’t listen to those people outside. And also, don’t talk about our family’s matters with them.”

Xiao Jie nodded understandingly. “Uncle, I won’t.”

He had already been tricked once and wouldn’t tell outsiders about their family matters again!

That incident happened the day after Cheng Jingmo and Yu Xiangnian got married. Outsiders had coaxed Xiao Jie into revealing that Cheng Jingmo had slept with him the previous night, making Cheng Jingmo a laughingstock in the family courtyard.

Cheng Jingmo tucked Xiao Jie in. “Go to sleep.”

The next morning.

Yu Xiangnian woke up after the third bugle call.

She walked out to the small room to wash up and immediately noticed the clothes hanging on the line in the yard: the dress she had changed out of last night, Xiao Jie’s clothes, and a set of military uniforms.

She had been too tired to wash them last night, but Cheng Jingmo had done it.

The original owner of this body had never let Cheng Jingmo wash her underwear, but everything else was thrown at him.

But that was the original owner!

Having a stranger wash her clothes made Yu Xiangnian feel a bit embarrassed.

Entering the small outbuilding, she saw her underwear still in the laundry basket. She quickly washed them and hung them on the outside line. After taking a few steps, she turned back to hang her underwear under her skirt.

The small courtyard was separated from the neighboring houses by a bamboo fence about one meter high, allowing her to see into the other courtyards from her house.

Just after she finished washing up, Cheng Jingmo returned with two large lunchboxes. His face was sweaty, likely from just finishing his morning exercises. He placed the lunchboxes on the table and said, “I got breakfast,” before going to Xiao Jie’s room to wake him up and then washing his face.

The three of them sat at the table, and Yu Xiangnian broke off half a mantou to eat. This mantou wasn’t made of modern white flour; it had a large portion of cornmeal mixed in, making it hard to swallow.

She struggled to swallow a bite of mantou and said, “Cheng Jingmo, I’ll wash my own clothes from now on.”

Cheng Jingmo didn’t respond, leaving it unclear whether he agreed.

Xiao Jie, also gnawing on a mantou, suddenly asked, “Auntie, you never used to eat this kind of mantou. Why are you eating it today?”

If it weren’t for her helping Daya and Erya yesterday, he wouldn’t even be talking to her!

Yu Xiangnian choked on his question and quickly drank two sips of corn gruel to wash down the mantou.

Looking up, she saw Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie both looking at her with puzzled expressions.

She feigned nonchalance and said, “Auntie just wanted to try the mantou today. It’s pretty good. From now on, I’ll eat whatever you guys eat.”

“You don’t want meat buns anymore?” Xiao Jie asked again.

This kid probably just wanted to eat them himself!

Yu Xiangnian replied, “I think you look like a meat bun!”

Cheng Jingmo lowered his eyes, his confusion deepening.

In the six months they had been married, Yu Xiangnian had always ignored Xiao Jie, never responding when he called her.

After finishing breakfast, the three of them left the house.

On the way, soldiers and family members greeted Cheng Jingmo, but no one spoke to Yu Xiangnian. Everyone just gave her a complex look.

The events of last night had spread throughout the family quarters.

No one expected this “evil woman” to actually help someone, although she was too fierce. And now she was pregnant too. People would definitely keep their distance from her in the future!

Xiao Jie attended the elementary school in the military district, not far from the family quarters, and he ran off with his backpack.

Yu Xiangnian had attended high school, so she was literate and numerate. She worked as an off-staff employee in the logistics department, earning 18 yuan a month.

Cheng Jingmo was the deputy regiment commander of the 9th Military District of the Southern Theater Army. Yu Xiangnian didn’t know his exact salary, but he gave her 80 yuan every month.

After Xiao Jie left, the two of them walked in silence, one behind the other, into the military district gate.