Chapter 39

Huang Wanqing had imagined what Qin Qingman’s home might be like, and it turned out to be exactly as she had pictured—neat and tidy. What surprised her the most, however, was that there were two fierce-looking geese in the hall.

The geese started honking loudly at the two strangers, making unfriendly noises.

It wasn’t until Chuchu went up and played with the geese for a while that they stopped honking at Huang Wanqing and Xiao Shi.

As soon as Wei Ling arrived home, he got busy, first opening the stove that had been closed for the day.

He added some firewood, and the temperature in the hall quickly rose. Only then did Qin Qingman and the others remove their thick winter clothes.

In one corner of the hall, there was a large freestanding coat rack with many branches, capable of holding a lot of clothes. After thinking for a moment, Qin Qingman decided to place the outerwear of her family of three in the closet in the west room, clearing the rack so Huang Wanqing could hang her clothes.

As for Xiao Shi, he casually threw his coat onto a nearby chair.

“Everyone wash your hands, we’ll make dinner soon.” Qin Qingman, used to washing her hands when entering the house, had already prepared the wash water for Wei Ling.

As soon as Huang Wanqing placed her hands into the enamel basin, she let out a small exclamation. “Cold water.”

In such cold weather, shouldn’t she be using hot water to wash her hands?

Seeing that Huang Wanqing didn’t have experience living in the northeast, Qin Qingman quietly explained, “The weather here is especially cold. Even though we just came back by car, our hands and feet have become numb from not moving around, so we can’t wash them with hot water at this point.”

“Why not?” Huang Wanqing asked, very curious.

“Although hot water speeds up our blood circulation, it can also cause problems. In less severe cases, it makes you itch, kind of like ants biting. The itch is on the skin, but feels deep in the palms and makes you itch even inside. This kind of itch won’t go away, not even if you scratch until it bleeds.” Qin Qingman further explained.

Huang Wanqing was so surprised that she couldn’t help but make little exclamations as she focused on washing her hands. “By the way, Qingman, if that’s not considered serious, what would be worse?”

“The more serious situation is when the flesh on your hands starts to cook and rot.” Qin Qingman said, not exaggerating at all.

In the modern age, especially with the information available on the internet, such things really did happen.

Huang Wanqing was frightened and immediately pulled her hands out of the enamel basin, her big eyes full of terror.

Qin Qingman felt that Huang Wanqing was like a delicate flower in a greenhouse—without anyone to protect her, it wouldn’t be good for her survival in such a world. With a serious face, she continued, “Wanqing, so from now on, on snowy days, you absolutely must never wash your hands with hot water.”

Huang Wanqing nodded obediently.

But Qin Qingman felt the need to explain the principle clearly, “When a person is in extremely cold conditions, their hands and feet become numb. After they go numb, the nerve reactions slow down significantly. At this point, if you dip your hands in hot water, you won’t feel the heat, which can cause the brain to misinterpret the water temperature, thinking it’s not warm enough.”

Seeing that Huang Wanqing was listening attentively, Chuchu continued the explanation.

“If you think it’s not warm enough, you’ll add more hot water. The water temperature might rise beyond boiling point, and your hands will easily get burned. Once burned, the flesh will rot. If you leave the hot water and encounter ice or snow, the flesh on your hands could start to peel off in chunks, and in the end, you’ll be left with only bones.”

“I will never wash my hands with hot water on snowy days.” Huang Wanqing said, her voice trembling from the fear.

“Wanqing, don’t be scared. This is common knowledge here. Whenever outsiders come, we always tell them.” Chuchu said, looking up at Huang Wanqing. He quite liked her—she was pretty but a bit timid.

“Th-thank you.”

Huang Wanqing didn’t have the heart to admit how frightened she had been. After thanking them, she engraved the piece of knowledge shared by Qin Qingman and Chuchu deep into her mind.

“By the way, Wanqing, during heavy snow, you not only need to keep your body warm, but you also have to protect your ears and nose from the cold.” Chuchu continued to share more local knowledge, gently pulling Huang Wanqing toward the stove to warm up.

Qin Qingman saw that Chuchu and Huang Wanqing were getting along, so after washing her hands, she went to join Wei Ling to help prepare dinner.

As for Xiao Shi, he had already gone to the well to fetch water and wash his hands. He didn’t just wash his hands but also helped wash the pickled cabbage, potatoes, green onions, and garlic sprouts.

Huang Wanqing felt much more at ease now that she was at Qin Qingman’s home. Even without holding Qin Qingman’s arm, she no longer felt anxious or frightened. As she listened to Chuchu’s words, her mind was completely captivated, and with curiosity, she said, “So, here, we also need to keep our ears and nose warm?”

While speaking, she reached up to touch her ear and nose.

Although there had been no wind on the car before, she could still feel that her ear and nose were both cold to the touch.

“Wanqing Jie, you mustn’t pull your ears hard outside in the future, and don’t twist your nose too forcefully.” Chuchu said with a smile as he looked at Huang Wanqing.

Huang Wanqing felt that the little boy’s smile had a certain hidden meaning. “Why?”

“They’ll freeze off.” Chuchu said as he stretched out his hand and deliberately tugged at his own ear. “When it’s cold, the flesh on your ears freezes and gets brittle. If you pull too hard, you might just pull them off. There was once a group of intellectual youths who came here from outside and didn’t know this, and they ended up pulling their ears off.”

Huang Wanqing’s hand immediately dropped obediently back onto her knee, and she didn’t dare move it again.

“Wanqing Jie, I’m not scaring you. This really happened. When it’s especially cold outside, you can’t twist your nose either. Even if you have a runny nose, don’t twist it. If you twist your nose off, you’ll never get married.” Chuchu said, looking at Huang Wanqing with utmost seriousness.

He was genuinely trying to educate Huang Wanqing about the survival knowledge of this area.

“I… I’ll remember!” Huang Wanqing said, trying to breathe calmly. This was when she once again realized the danger of this extremely cold place.

Meanwhile, Qin Qingman and Wei Ling were cooking in the kitchen.

With more people at home today, and with the small pot on the stove, they decided to use the larger stove in the kitchen.

The big stove had a large pot and strong fire, which allowed them to cook faster.

At this time, whether they made noodles or steamed buns, there wouldn’t be enough time for the dough to rise. Qin Qingman simply decided to make rice.

Earlier, a few of their relatives had given them some rice. When they sent meat to Zheng Anguo’s family, their families had also given a little rice and flour. Combined, they had enough rice for one large meal.

“Add some mixed grains.”

Wei Ling saw that Qin Qingman was only using rice, and she was a little reluctant to use so much of it.

With so many people, they could finish the rice in one meal, and once it was gone, Qin Qingman’s wife and her little brother wouldn’t have any more pure rice to eat.

Feeling that her comment might seem a bit petty, Wei Ling explained, “She’s from Beijing, right? Not just white rice—she probably eats white flour regularly, too. Making her eat just plain rice won’t show the specialty of our area. Let’s make mixed grain rice instead. She can endure hardship, and mixed grain rice is fine for her. If she can’t eat it, she’ll probably go back soon anyway. There’s no need to make plain white rice just for her.”

Qin Qingman thought for a moment and realized that Wei Ling’s words made sense.

Kaoshan Village was poor, and even the brigade leader Zheng Anguo’s family couldn’t eat white rice and white flour every day. For families like the Qin family, they could only have white rice a few times a year. Today, it really wasn’t appropriate to use up all the rice just to entertain guests.

“Sister-in-law, mixed grain rice is really delicious. Our brigade often eats mixed grain rice, and it’s considered a very good meal where we come from.” Little Shi, who was squatting by the stove tending the fire, also chimed in.

“Alright, then we’ll do as you say and make mixed grain rice.” Qin Qingman accepted the suggestion willingly.

After running around the village all day, although she hadn’t done any strenuous physical labor, Qin Qingman still felt tired after the day’s activities. It was probably because her body hadn’t fully recovered.

For dinner, she didn’t make anything too complicated. Wei Ling was strong, and cutting the frozen wild boar meat was no problem for her. She even managed to cut it into slices of uniform thickness with ease.

With so many people, Qin Qingman directly stir-fried a large pot of garlic shoots, sauerkraut, and fatty pork.

The two-finger-wide slices of meat cooked quickly. She heated oil in the pan, stir-fried the dried chili peppers to bring out their fragrance, and then added the meat to stir-fry. She added soy sauce for color, salt to enhance the flavor, followed by the sauerkraut. Finally, before finishing, she added a handful of fresh, green garlic shoots.

Instead of using bowls or plates, Qin Qingman directly served the dish in a small iron pot from the stove.

This was essentially a kind of makeshift hot pot, and once the vegetables in the pot were nearly finished, they could add potatoes or bean sprouts to stir-fry.

After the main dish was ready, Qin Qingman also sliced some braised pig intestines and pig liver, preparing for the meal.

The moment the fatty pork was stir-fried and ready, Little Shi, who had been tending the fire, swallowed hard.

He finally believed the words of Du Hongyi and the others. The wife of the Wei Regiment really knew how to cook.

The dish had been made right in front of him, and the cooking steps were very similar to those of the chefs in their brigade’s dining hall, but the dish that Qin Qingman made wasn’t just delicious in color, aroma, and taste; it also made his stomach growl relentlessly.

It smelled amazing—so amazing.

The smell was so intoxicating that his stomach kept growling loudly.

Little Shi was so tempted by Qin Qingman’s cooking that he felt uncomfortable, and even Huang Wanqing in the hall was stunned by the overpowering aroma of the dish.

Her family had decent conditions, with many people and a good number of workers, and they weren’t lacking in food. They often ate meat, but she had never smelled such an intoxicating fragrance before. The scent was so overwhelming that, as a young lady, she almost wiped the corner of her mouth, worried that her saliva might have dripped.

“Comrades, it’s time to eat.” Qin Qingman said as she carried a pot of sauerkraut, garlic shoots, and fatty pork that was glistening under the light.

Wei Ling followed, carrying the heavy pot of mixed grain rice.

As for Little Shi, he carried a substantial portion of cut potatoes and bean sprouts. These vegetables could be added to the pot when the other dishes were nearly finished, and stir-frying them would allow them to absorb the oils from the other ingredients, making them especially delicious.

“I’ll go get the bowls and chopsticks.”

Chuchu was very quick on his feet and ran toward the kitchen, unable to wait any longer to start eating.

But when he arrived in the kitchen, he saw the cold dishes Qin Qingman had already prepared—braised pig intestines and pig liver. Though they were cold now, once they were placed on the edge of the stove in the hall, the braising sauce in the intestines and liver would gradually melt, and that would be when they tasted the best.

“Chuchu, bring the dishes, I’ll get the bowls and chopsticks.” Wei Ling said as she set down the rice and immediately went back to the kitchen.

Since there were many people eating, Chuchu couldn’t carry all the bowls and chopsticks by himself, and Wei Ling didn’t want him to. It was no big deal if he dropped a bowl, but if he got hurt, it wasn’t worth it.

Chuchu was well-behaved in front of Wei Ling, so he obediently went to bring the plates when told.

Just as he picked up the pig liver with both hands, Wei Ling picked up the braised pig intestines with one hand, while balancing a stack of bowls and chopsticks with the other.

“Brother-in-law, you’re amazing.” Chuchu immediately gave him an admiring look.

“In the future, Chuchu can be as amazing as Brother-in-law.” Wei Ling said, feeling a bit shy at the words “Brother-in-law” coming out of his own mouth.

“Mm-hmm, I’ll definitely be as amazing as Brother-in-law in the future. Then I’ll protect Sister and Brother-in-law.” Chuchu declared with great ambition.

Wei Ling smiled with satisfaction at the child’s determination.

It was rare to see such a spirit in a child, and it deserved encouragement. Wei Ling did just that, which made Chuchu feel excited, with blood rushing to his head. If they hadn’t been about to eat, he probably would have gone out for a little jog.

Wei Ling fell silent.

He usually didn’t give compliments, but he hadn’t expected the effect of praise to be so good.

Qin Qingman was the one who came to join the two of them afterward.

By the time Wei Ling and Chuchu had almost finished bringing everything, Qin Qingman only took the chopsticks from Wei Ling’s hands. As Chuchu cheerfully lifted the curtain to enter the hall, Qin Qingman, a few steps behind, pulled at Wei Ling’s arm.

She hadn’t figured out why Huang Wanqing didn’t recognize Wei Ling, even though they had all tacitly avoided explicitly mentioning his name. Someone who supposedly had seen a photo of a potential marriage partner should not have reacted like that.

If there was no issue on Wei Ling’s side, then there must have been some kind of mistake on Huang Wanqing’s side.

“Is Huang Wanqing your arranged marriage partner?” Qin Qingman asked Wei Ling softly.

Wei Ling honestly shook his head. “I don’t know, but when I left Beijing, I erased all my photos. That means if Huang Wanqing was an arranged match from my family, she couldn’t have had a photo of me.”

Qin Qingman was stunned by this answer.

At the same time, she gained some understanding of the character of Wei Ling’s family in Beijing.

“I’ll go back to the brigade to rest today.” Wei Ling said, trying to ease Qin Qingman’s burden.

Qin Qingman thought back to Huang Wanqing’s subtle fear of Wei Ling and nodded. “Okay, you go back and get ready. I’ll probe Huang Wanqing to see what’s going on. Maybe things aren’t as we think.”

“Mm.” Wei Ling, with his cautious nature, couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more going on.

After all, he had once lived in the heart of power, surrounded by schemes and intrigues. The strange behavior of Huang Wanqing today immediately set off his conspiracy radar.

“Let’s eat first.”

Qin Qingman had already faintly heard Chuchu calling them, so she hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered the hall.

The entire hall was already filled with the aroma of the meal, and the heat from the stove intensified the delicious smell of the fatty pork.

Savoring the tantalizing aroma, the five of them—four adults and one child—enjoyed a wonderful meal, nearly eating their tongues off in the process.

The garlic shoots and sauerkraut with fatty pork were delicious. The sourness was appetizing, and combined with the pork’s flavor, the potato slices, bean sprouts, and the dry fragrance of the chili peppers, the meal was so good that they cleaned their plates, even scraping the last bit of oil and broth from the pot. Little Shi used the last of the broth to soak some rice, finishing every last drop.

“Sister-in-law, your cooking is amazing. I’ve never had such delicious food before.”

Little Shi’s words weren’t an exaggeration at all.

The canteen at their brigade often made mixed grain rice, but every time they cooked it, the texture was disappointing.

The rice, corn, and sorghum all required different amounts of water, and their cooking times varied, making it hard to achieve a balanced result. Often, the rice would be just right, but the corn would be hard, or the sorghum would be too soft. The canteen had never been able to make mixed grain rice with the perfect texture like Qin Qingman did.

Little Shi even felt that, even without any side dishes, he could eat several big bowls of mixed grain rice.

As a chef, Qin Qingman loved hearing such praise. “Little Shi, you can come to my house for meals whenever you have time.” She knew a thing or two about being a military wife, and it was common for military wives to care for unmarried soldiers. They often introduced potential wives to them and would cook or make dumplings to improve their meals.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll leave my ration tickets to you each month.”

Little Shi wasn’t an inconsiderate person. In this era, everyone’s food rations were limited. If he ate one meal from someone else, it meant that person would eat one or two fewer meals.

Qin Qingman understood the special circumstances of this era. She didn’t try to act generous, but smiled and agreed.

After all, she wouldn’t intentionally cook for Wei Ling and his comrades, but if they happened to be there, she’d cook whatever was available.

Huang Wanqing couldn’t help but envy as she listened to Qin Qingman and Little Shi’s conversation.

Although her family’s conditions were good, there was no one who could cook like Qin Qingman.

As the saying goes, a good cook can conquer anyone’s stomach.

Huang Wanqing felt like she had been conquered by Qin Qingman’s cooking. She even found herself regretting in her mind, wondering why she wasn’t a man. If she were, she could pursue Qin Qingman and marry her, having her delicious cooking every day.

Thinking this, Huang Wanqing unconsciously wiped her mouth with her hand.

That was when she noticed Wei Ling’s cold gaze.

Seeing Wei Ling’s indifferent look, Huang Wanqing suddenly realized that Qin Qingman was married, and the man who made her nervous was her husband. Her heart skipped a beat, and Huang Wanqing carefully edged her stool closer to Qin Qingman.

She firmly stayed right next to Qin Qingman.

Wei Ling watched Huang Wanqing’s little movements and almost laughed in anger.

This girl really didn’t care about him at all. She even seemed to be trying to flirt with his wife. If it had been in his past life, he would have wanted to get rid of this clueless girl who had no sense of her place.

Qin Qingman was highly sensitive to Wei Ling’s emotions and immediately noticed that Huang Wanqing had unintentionally provoked him again. Seeing the lack of chemistry between the two, she really wanted to slap her forehead and ask the Wei family how they ended up as a couple—clearly, they were completely incompatible!

“Qingman, will you come with me to the XXX Brigade tomorrow?” Huang Wanqing asked, seeking help from Qin Qingman.

“Sure.” Qin Qingman glanced at Wei Ling.

Having been warned, Wei Ling silently got up to clear the dishes. There was no other way—he had irritated his wife, so he had to work to make up for it.

As Wei Ling stood up, Little Shi and Chuchu followed him to help.

Huang Wanqing wanted to help with the cleanup but hesitated as she watched Wei Ling’s retreating figure. She didn’t know why, but she was genuinely terrified of him. Wei Ling didn’t look fierce at all; in fact, he was quite handsome, but for some reason, she felt deeply afraid of him.

“Wanqing, sit down. They’re all men; let them clean up. We can sit and talk.” Qin Qingman came to Huang Wanqing’s rescue.

“Okay.” Huang Wanqing, feeling relieved, took a seat.

At this point, Qin Qingman didn’t ask Huang Wanqing who she was going to meet at the XXX Brigade. Instead, she started a conversation about Beijing, since Qin Qingman had a large villa in Beijing in the future. However, the Beijing of the future would be completely different from the present one. She was curious to hear what the current Beijing was like.

With Qin Qingman guiding the conversation, Huang Wanqing’s thoughts shifted back to Beijing. She slowly began telling Qin Qingman about the different sides of Beijing, sharing stories that would lay the foundation for Qin Qingman’s future travels to the capital.

Meanwhile, Wei Ling, along with Little Shi and Chuchu, finished clearing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen. It was getting late, and everyone needed to get some rest.

Qin Qingman personally saw Wei Ling off.

On their first day of marriage, the couple had to part ways, and emotionally, both of them were reluctant to leave each other.

In the dark night, their hands were tightly clasped together.

“Get some rest. I’ll come pick you up in the morning.” Wei Ling reminded Qin Qingman.

“Okay.” Qin Qingman, bathed in the distant light, gazed at Wei Ling’s features, feeling a deep longing. She had grown accustomed to having Wei Ling around, and now that he was leaving, she felt an emptiness inside.

“Go back inside, it’s cold out here.” Wei Ling said, not wanting Qin Qingman to suffer in the cold.

Qin Qingman, looking into Wei Ling’s eyes filled with tenderness, quietly stood on tiptoe and gently left her mark on his lips. After kissing him, she quickly turned and disappeared behind the curtain, vanishing in a few seconds.

Wei Ling stood there in a daze, staring at the curtain where Qin Qingman’s figure had disappeared. After a long while, he reached up and touched his lips.

The warmth had long faded, but the sensation lingered clearly in his memory.

Touching his lips, Wei Ling’s mouth curved into a faint smile, and the cold expression on his face softened.

From the Qin family home to the brigade, Wei Ling’s aura was completely restrained, leaving only a silent happiness that was unbreakable by anyone else.

Little Shi, who was driving, secretly glanced at Wei Ling.

He envied Wei Ling and was curious about the change in him. It was truly remarkable that such a cold, hard man could change so much for a girl.

The brigade wasn’t far from Kaoshan Village. Despite the difficulty of driving through the snow, they arrived at their destination in just over twenty minutes.

As soon as Wei Ling entered the dormitory, he was once again surrounded. “Lao Wei, you really got married?!” Du Hongyi and the others looked at Wei Ling with astonishment, as if they had seen a miracle.