Chapter 29

The crowd on the train was bustling, and the Jiang family was pushing their way through with large and small bags. Father Jiang and father and son Jiang Chunyu were leading the way, carrying bags in their hands, while Mother Jiang and mother Jiang Chunzao followed behind, holding the two little children.

Because there were so many people on the train, the little siblings, Shitou and Moli, had never seen so many people in their lives. The two children, with their big watery eyes, were curiously looking around in their mother’s and grandmother’s arms. Their cute expressions made the people around them laugh.

An old man spoke up:

“These two little siblings are so cute, just like the lucky children from traditional New Year paintings.”

“The children are good-looking, they must take after their mother. Just look at how beautiful their mother is, the kids can’t be bad-looking either.”

The old man’s wife casually added.

“Exactly, exactly.”

Everyone on the train agreed.

Hearing the compliments from the strangers, Jiang Chunzao and Mother Jiang smiled politely, then fell silent. With so many people coming and going on the train, you never know who might be good or bad, so it’s better to keep quiet.

Father Jiang had been leading the way for a while, and after some time, the family finally found their compartment. After squeezing through like sardines for a while, they finally reached the train car. The family quickly squeezed inside, put their luggage down, and sat on their berths to rest.

Because the Jiang family was large, and they would be traveling for a full day and night, when Father Jiang bought the tickets, the ticket seller was surprised. “Wow, this family has six people, old and young, and they take up a whole compartment.”

At this point, the compartment was filled only with the Jiang family. Jiang Chunyu felt more at ease and yawned as he took off his shoes and climbed up to the upper berth to catch up on sleep. He had woken up very early that morning, and now he was extremely tired. Before long, he was snoring away on the upper berth.

On the lower berth, little Moli was sitting obediently in her mother’s arms. Hearing her little uncle snoring above her, she blinked her big watery eyes and asked her brother:

“Brother, little uncle snores just like the pig at home. Does that mean little uncle is a pig?”

Xiao Shitou scratched his head: “Little uncle is little uncle, not a pig.”

“But why does uncle snore like a pig, both are snoring like that?”

Xiao Shitou patiently replied: “Little uncle is tired, and when he falls asleep, he turns into a snoring pig.”

“Oh, I see now.” Xiao Moli’s face lit up with understanding, and in a sweet, babyish voice, she continued:

“Moli understands now. Little uncle is little uncle during the day, but when he gets tired and falls asleep at night, he turns into a snoring pig.”

Xiao Shitou: …….

Jiang Chunzao and Mother Jiang, who had been listening to the children’s conversation, were both amused. Jiang Chunzao patted the little heads of the two children and smiled: “Little uncle is little uncle, not a pig. Moli, Shitou, are you two tired? Do you want to take a nap?”

Xiao Shitou, full of energy, shook his head. He had gone to bed around eight last night and had slept well. Xiao Moli, although she had gone to bed quite early too, was now yawning. Mother Jiang took a small floral blanket from the bundle and spread it on the lower berth for Xiao Moli.

The little girl closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Father Jiang came back with hot water. The family had a few sips of water, and by noon, Jiang Chunyu and Xiao Moli had woken up, just in time for lunch.

Jiang Chunzao took out the boiled eggs that Sister Lu and Sister Changshan had given them, along with some food she had prepared herself. She gave the children two beef patties, two eggs, and some water. Once the children were full, the adults finally had time to eat.

The green train clattered along the tracks for a full day and night, finally arriving at its destination just as dawn broke the next morning. The sound of the train arriving echoed, and the family hurriedly packed up and disembarked.

As they exited the train station, they spotted Lu Lin, dressed in military uniform, waiting for them.

“Dad! Dad!”

The children spotted their long-missed father in the crowd and excitedly shouted as they ran toward him, their little legs moving fast. They jumped into Lu Lin’s arms.

Lu Lin smiled and lifted the two children into the air, one after the other, making them giggle with delight. People nearby turned to look at the cheerful scene.

Seeing the children happily with their father, Jiang Chunzao’s eyes turned red, like a rabbit’s eyes. Mother Jiang, noticing this, thought to herself, Silly girl, why are you crying here? Hurry and go to your husband!

That silly girl!

In her anxiousness, Mother Jiang hopped around, but it was Lu Lin who, after teasing the children, walked over with his long legs. He first greeted Father Jiang’s family, and then Jiang Chunyu excitedly asked, “Where’s my brother? Why haven’t I seen him?”

Lu Lin replied, “Chunlin is on a mission with the army, so he couldn’t come.”

Finally, his dark eyes rested on his little wife. Warmth flowed from his chest as he reached out and took Jiang Chunzao’s hand: “Let’s go home.”

“Home, home,” 

Mother Jiang and Father Jiang looked at their daughter and son-in-law holding hands and said happily. 

The young guard, Xiao Zhao, who had been standing by, jumped down from the car and saluted Jiang Chunzao. “Hello, Sister-in-law. I’m Captain Lu’s bodyguard.” 

Jiang Chunzao blushed and quickly greeted Xiao Zhao. Xiao Zhao had a baby face, and along the way, he had been helping carry the luggage, speaking sweetly to everyone. By the time they arrived, he had already become familiar with the Jiang family. 

The jeep bumped along the mountain roads for more than an hour. By the time they reached the military district, the Jiang family had all dozed off in the car. 

The jeep finally stopped in front of a small red-brick house on the side of the mountain. Lu Lin got out of the car, holding the two children, and told the family: 

“This is the house assigned by the army. From now on, this will be our home.” 

Jiang Chunzao got out of the car and looked at the valley ahead, filled with blooming flowers, and she could still hear the sound of a babbling stream. She was thrilled: “Where’s that sound of water coming from?” 

Lu Lin, carrying a bag, walked toward the house: “There’s a small river in the valley, and the house is close to it.” 

Xiao Zhao, carrying his bag, walked behind them and spoke up: 

“Sister-in-law, this house used to belong to Captain Chen. When Captain Chen was transferred, his family moved with him, so the house was left vacant. When Captain Lu came to see the house, he immediately liked it. Captain Lu said this house was great; it has a small yard, a little garden inside, and a river outside. He was sure you’d like it. Sister-in-law, have you seen the flowers in the garden? These were all planted by Captain Lu, little by little, at night. Captain Lu said you love gardening!” 

Jiang Chunzao glanced at the garden, where flowers were blooming brightly, and with a smile, she said to Lu Lin: 

“Then I’ll thank Captain Lu.” 

Lu Lin’s tanned, handsome face flushed slightly. He cleared his throat, turned his head away, and didn’t respond, but his lips curled into a smile. 

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang walked around the yard, looked inside the house, and nodded in satisfaction. 

“This yard is nice, all red brick and tiled. The yard and the house are clean, and the furniture is well-equipped. It’s really nice.”

“There’s even a well in the yard. We won’t have to worry about water anymore,” 

Mother Jiang said with a satisfied smile, her eyes narrowing into slits as she looked at the well in the yard. 

Jiang Chunyu, with the two children, was running around the yard, sometimes looking at the furnishings in the house, sometimes picking flowers from the garden. He was only stopped when Jiang Chunzao playfully tapped him on the head. 

Xiao Zhao noticed how satisfied the Jiang family was and was about to speak up, wanting to mention that everything had been tidied up by Captain Lu and his men. But when Lu Lin shot him a glance, Xiao Zhao immediately kept quiet. 

Though it was a new home, and Lu Lin had already tidied it up with the help of his men, the army was mostly composed of tough, big men, and their work was often rough and not very meticulous. So, Mother Jiang led the family in tidying up the house once again. 

Jiang Chunzao didn’t sit idle either. Together with Lu Lin, she took out the quilts and mattresses to air them in the yard, then grabbed a cloth and wiped down the furniture. Xiao Zhao, having nothing to do, also came over to help. After everyone had worked hard, the entire house was clean and neat. 

Jiang Chunzao, exhausted with a sore back, didn’t rest. Glancing at the time, she saw it was already past one in the afternoon, so she quickly went to the kitchen to prepare a meal for the family. 

But since they had just moved in, there wasn’t much in the house to work with. Luckily, there were a few tomatoes growing in the yard, and there was firewood in the stove. The family had also brought some flour from their old home. Jiang Chunzao picked the tomatoes and made noodles from the flour. 

Mother Jiang helped with the fire, and the two of them worked together for a while. They boiled a large pot of noodles, took out some shrimp paste from their supplies, and served the freshly made hand-pulled noodles with the shrimp paste. The whole family dug in and ate heartily. 

Xiao Zhao, sitting at the side, was enjoying the food so much that he couldn’t stop complimenting the noodles. His praise made Jiang Chunzao blush with modesty. Lu Lin, eating beside her, didn’t say much, but from the look on his face, it was clear he was pleased. 

The Jiang family quickly finished their lunch. Lu Lin took the initiative to wash the dishes. Father Jiang, hands behind his back, walked around the yard, and after a while, he came back, suggesting that they lay a stone path in the yard. “If it rains one day, this yard will turn to mud, and the house will get all dirty.” 

Xiao Zhao immediately chimed in, “There are many river stones by the small river in the valley. We could use those stones to make a path in the yard.” 

“This is how the families in the military district used to do it.” 

Father Jiang’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. He quickly changed into his work clothes, picked up a shoulder pole, and was about to head to the river to collect stones. Xiao Zhao would lead the way, and Jiang Chunyu followed behind with the two children.

Mother Jiang couldn’t stop them and ended up following along as well. 

By the time Lu Lin finished washing the dishes, only the couple was left in the house. 

Jiang Chunzao was working hard in the yard, hauling water. After much effort, she finally managed to fill a bucket, but when Lu Lin walked over to take a look, he couldn’t help but laugh. The wooden bucket only had half its capacity filled, and most of the water had spilled out. 

Seeing her deflated expression, Lu Lin, ever so thoughtful, promised that from now on, he would be the one to fetch water. Jiang Chunzao was deeply moved and immediately promised to cook him a special meal that evening. 

When Lu Lin, who had been fetching water, heard this, he paused for a moment, then vaguely replied that he was planning to invite some comrades over to help in the evening, so he’d probably be busy. He added that he would take care of the dishes for that night. 

Jiang Chunzao, still touched, gently asked Lu Lin what they had to eat at home. The house had rice and flour, but no vegetables or meat. What could she prepare to treat their guests? 

Lu Lin’s handsome face flushed slightly. He disappeared into the house for a while, and when he returned, he was holding a piece of pork and two large fat fish. His pant legs were wet, indicating that the fish had just been caught from the river, although the meat was a mystery to her. 

Lu Lin didn’t explain, and she didn’t ask. She just took the fish and pork and went to the kitchen. Lu Lin noticed that the kitchen was stocked with salt, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar that they had brought from their hometown, but there wasn’t much firewood left. So, he picked up an axe and went up the mountain to chop more. 

Jiang Chunzao busied herself in the kitchen. When Lu Lin returned, she asked him to kill and prepare the fish—one to be steamed and the other to be braised, clearly laying out her plans. 

Lu Lin, like a helpful young man, cooked the rice, started the fire, and helped with everything. By the time Father Jiang and the others returned, the sky had darkened. 

The families of the military district had been working in the fields all day, carrying hoes as they came back. When they saw that the lights in Lu Lin’s yard were on, they were surprised.  “Is the light on at that house? Did Xiao Lu’s family move in?”