Chapter 53.3

Once the door to the west room closed, Qin Qingman poured hot water into the tub. A full kettle of hot water wasn’t enough, so she added the warm water from two additional thermoses to the basin. Testing the temperature with her hand, she found it just right. She refilled the kettle and placed it back on the stove to heat. 

With the water heating over the fire, she could add more as needed while bathing. 

Trusting Wei Ling, Qin Qingman didn’t bother checking the doors and windows again, instead she undressed and stepped into the bath. 

The warm water flowed over her body, providing a sense of comfort that was especially pleasant in the deep winter season. 

As she washed herself, Qin Qingman couldn’t help but reminisce about the hot spring lake on the mountain. The water there was even hotter than the bathwater she was currently using. That intense heat would make anyone who had just entered the lake shiver. 

Longing for the hot spring lake’s water, Qin Qingman quickly finished washing herself. 

Since her hair had already been washed, cleaning her body was a swift task. Within ten minutes, she was done, and she hadn’t even needed to add more hot water. 

After drying herself off and getting dressed, Qin Qingman stared at her soiled undergarments, unsure of what to do. 

It would be best to wash them and hang them up to dry so they would be ready by tomorrow. But if she didn’t wash them now, there would be guests tomorrow, and she couldn’t just hide her dirty clothes. 

Just as she hesitated, a knocking sound came from the west room. 

She froze for a moment, then quickly realized it was Wei Ling. 

Wei Ling must have heard her finishing her bath and come to help. 

Qin Qingman glanced at the deep bath basin and called out, “Ah Ling.” 

The door to the west room opened in response, and Wei Ling, fully dressed, stepped out. 

“Is Chuchu asleep?” Qin Qingman guessed that Chuchu must have fallen asleep, as there had been no sound from him along with the knock on the door. 

“Yes, he’s been asleep for a few minutes.” 

Wei Ling answered and then proceeded to move the bath basin without being asked. 

His tall frame and strength made it easy for him to lift the heavy bath basin, something that would have been difficult for Qin Qingman to move. He carried it effortlessly out of the hall. 

Qin Qingman could only watch in admiration. 

Looking at the kettle on the stove, which was still steaming, she decided to wash her undergarments. She had a dedicated washbasin for laundry at home—neither too big nor too small—and it was within her strength to carry. 

Mixing cold water with hot, Qin Qingman grabbed the soapwort soap and began cleaning her undergarments.

When Wei Ling brought the bathtub back, he saw Qin Qingman washing the undergarments. He originally wanted to offer to wash them himself, but when he remembered that undergarments were personal clothing, he didn’t feel comfortable saying anything.

Wei Ling felt awkward about helping Qin Qingman wash the undergarments, so he glanced at the nearby water barrel and noticed there wasn’t much water left. He then took a bucket and went to fetch more water.

After a few trips back and forth, the water barrel was refilled.

“Wife, it’s cold outside. You just finished bathing, so don’t go out. Pour the dirty water into the foot basin, and I’ll clean up later.” Wei Ling reminded her, worried that Qin Qingman might catch a chill.

Since the water barrel was already full, he didn’t mind how Qin Qingman used it.

Qin Qingman glanced at the gently rippling surface of the water barrel, then nodded and said, “Okay.”

Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do at the moment, Wei Ling turned and left the house. He had washed his and Chuchu’s undergarments earlier in the day, and they should be ready to be taken back in.

Although the weather in the northeast was cold, clothes could still dry outside.

It wasn’t exactly drying, though—it was more like blowing dry.

The cold wind was harsh, but it could pull the moisture out of the clothes.

When Wei Ling went to retrieve the clothes, he felt them stiff and hard, but he knew that if he brought them back and dried them by the stove, they would become soft and dry again.

As soon as Qin Qingman finished washing the clothes and hung them by the stove, Wei Ling returned.

“Give them to me, I’ll dry them.” she said. Qin Qingman had already washed Wei Ling’s clothes once, so she wasn’t being pretentious. Since the dirty water in the foot basin still needed to be dealt with by Wei Ling, she planned to take the clothes he had brought back and dry them.

But Wei Ling froze.

Qin Qingman: ?

After a brief moment of confusion, Qin Qingman suddenly realized that this time might be different. Last time, she had only washed Wei Ling’s undergarments and nothing else.

With a flushed face, Qin Qingman glared at Wei Ling in a mix of embarrassment and anger before rushing back to the west room.

So embarrassing!

Wei Ling was drenched in sweat after being glared at by Qin Qingman. He didn’t know where to put the clothes in his hands. Once he saw Qin Qingman avoid him and retreat to the west room, he sighed in relief and carried the clothes to the stove. The drying rack by the stove had already been set up for hanging the clothes.

One by one, he hung up the clothes.

There were large and small ones, some his, some Chuchu’s.

In the end, all that was left in Wei Ling’s hands was a pair of square, flat-bottomed underpants. His ears turned red as he hung them on the rack, planning to dry them and then put them away.

After dealing with the pants, Wei Ling expressionlessly went to clean the foot basin.

He hadn’t expected Qin Qingman to offer help. He had bathed earlier in the day, so of course, he washed all his clothes, including his undergarments. What else could he do?

Besides, both of them would have to get used to these things eventually. Just like how he had just seen his wife’s small undergarments hanging on the rack.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Qin Qingman blushed for a moment before suddenly recalling something.

She had hung her freshly washed clothes in the living room, as was her habit. Among those clothes were also…

She quickly pulled open the door and peeked her head out.

What she saw was the family’s undergarments all hanging on the rack. There were three pairs of small underpants, not one missing.

It was all very harmonious.

As she looked, Qin Qingman suddenly started to laugh.

Forget it. It was something they’d have to face sooner or later.

After cleaning the foot basin, Wei Ling extinguished the three lamps under the eaves. The candles weren’t especially precious, but there was no need to keep them lit at this time.

He closed the door, checked the stove, and added a few more pieces of firewood before returning to the room.

The clothes hanging in the living room required the warmth from the stove to dry.

When he pushed open the door, Wei Ling saw Qin Qingman leaning against the kang, knitting a sweater. Having mentally prepared herself, Qin Qingman was no longer fixated on the issue of the small undergarments. She didn’t bring it up either but casually said, “Ah Ling, come here. Try these on and see if they fit.”

Qin Qingman had no intention of secretly knitting the sweater.

Nor was she planning any mysterious gifts. She was more practical than that.

Wei Ling had been wondering how to break the awkwardness between them, but upon hearing Qin Qingman’s voice, he immediately realized that his wife had come to terms with it. He sighed in relief and walked over to her. “Did you knit this for me?”

Qin Qingman gave him a look. “Who else would I knit it for if not you?”

Wei Ling smiled.

He liked this side of his wife—so natural, without pretense.

“Stand still, let me check the size.” Qin Qingman held up the nearly finished sweater, which was less than ten centimeters long, and measured it against Wei Ling. She then asked him to take off his sweater and try on the half-finished one. “Is it tight?” This was her first time knitting for a man, and she was unsure about the fit.

Wei Ling carefully felt the fit and shook his head.

“Then take it off and give it to me.” Qin Qingman intended to knit for a while longer since it was still early, and the sooner she finished, the sooner Wei Ling could wear it.

The old sweater was indeed quite worn out.

“Wife, it’s getting dark. Don’t knit anymore, it’s bad for your eyes.” Wei Ling said, knowing that Qin Qingman was doing it for him, but not wanting her to strain her eyes.

“It’s fine. I’ll just knit for a little while. I won’t overdo it.” Qin Qingman knew that Wei Ling was concerned about her, and she felt a warmth in her heart.

“Wife, we can buy a sweater. No need to rush.” Wei Ling said, not wanting her to worry.

“It can be bought, but it’ll be more expensive.”

Qin Qingman knew that sweaters were sold at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Not only at the county Supply and Marketing Cooperative, but even at the town’s could sell them. However, they were quite expensive, and with Wei Ling being the only one earning a salary, they had to be frugal, especially since they needed money for building a house in the spring. Everywhere they looked, there were expenses. She knew when to save.

Wei Ling understood Qin Qingman’s reasoning and didn’t insist any further.

“According to the ranking, our family is eligible to live in the family quarters. The houses there are assigned, but we don’t have a family quarter here yet. I’m not sure if the military will reimburse us for building a house. I’ll ask Uncle Hong in a few days.” Wei Ling said while sitting on the edge of the kang, watching Qin Qingman knit the sweater.

“I don’t know the regulations of the Military Unit, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.” Qin Qingman replied, setting down the bamboo knitting needles she had been working with. She scooted over a little and made space for Wei Ling.

Wei Ling took off his shoes and sat beside Qin Qingman, explaining, “A few years ago, the military district didn’t approve the construction of family quarters here because they were concerned about instability. But that was a long time ago, and I don’t know if the policy has changed. I’ll check with the political commissar when I go back after my leave.”

If they were allowed to build a family quarter, their family wouldn’t have to pay for the construction themselves. If it wasn’t allowed, they might still receive some subsidies.

“Ah Ling, you’re amazing.” Qin Qingman said with a beaming smile, hugging Wei Ling.

Although Wei Ling had given her quite a bit of savings, the thought of paying for the house construction out of their own pocket still made her uneasy.

“Wife.”

Wei Ling, caught off guard by Qin Qingman’s hug, couldn’t help but let his mind wander. A vivid image flashed in his head, and his breath grew slightly heavier.

“Let’s go to bed early. Didn’t you say that the coal will be delivered tomorrow? After the coal comes, we’ll still have work to do.” Qin Qingman said, sensing Wei Ling’s change in demeanor. She quickly pulled away from him.

But even though she pulled away, she couldn’t deny that the closeness between them was something hard to let go of.

Wei Ling, who had already been on edge, extended his long arm and pulled Qin Qingman back into his embrace, holding her tightly.

“Wife.”

His deep voice, husky and magnetic, vibrated through her ears.

Qin Qingman quickly glanced at the sleeping Chuchu beside them. She couldn’t help but think how difficult it must have been for parents when raising young children.

Wei Ling, noticing that Qin Qingman was still concerned about Chuchu, pressed his lips down in a dissatisfied manner.

Eventually, the two of them parted, breathless and struggling to control their panting.

Lying on the bed, both of them felt an intense sense of physical and emotional satisfaction, a feeling that was difficult to describe.

It was as though they were secretly indulging in a moment of passion behind Chuchu’s back.

The more tense and restrained the control, the sharper all the senses became.

After a while, the couple’s breathing finally calmed, and they blew out the lamp before curling up together to sleep.

As soon as the sun rose the next morning, the family of three got up.

Qin Qingman first gathered up the clothes that had been drying in the living room. After a night by the stove, all the clothes were completely dry.

“Ah Ling, put these in the wardrobe. These are your clothes.” Qin Qingman told Wei Ling as she folded the clothes and placed them in the wardrobe.

“Mm, got it.” At that moment, Wei Ling was helping Chuchu with their morning washing routine.

The fire in the stove had burned brightly, and the entire living room was warm and dry.

After breakfast, Wei Ling took Chuchu to tidy up the utility room. Since they would soon have coal, which took up space, they needed a place to store it. The utility room in the yard became the designated spot for storing the coal.

Chuchu was still young and couldn’t handle heavy tasks, but he could help Wei Ling by passing tools.

After some cleaning and organizing, the utility room was neat and tidy, just waiting for the coal to be piled in.

At ten in the morning, the logistics department’s truck arrived. Not only did the truck come, but Du Hongyi and his team also showed up—Du Hongyi, Yuan Xiangyang, Zuo Gaopeng, and Xiao Shi, all of them.

This time, Xiao Shi was driving, but he was behind the wheel of a large truck. The truck was loaded with nearly half a truckload of coal, its dark appearance catching the attention of many.

When the villagers saw the coal in the truck, their envy of Qin Qingman grew even more.

The Qin family’s life was truly getting better—they were even able to use coal now.

With Du Hongyi and the others’ help, Qin Qingman didn’t need to lift a finger. Wei Ling led them in unloading the coal into the utility room. They also brought down a new steel stove from the truck.

This steel stove was specifically designed for burning coal and was warmer and cleaner than the traditional wood stove.

Once it was burning, the entire stove could glow red.

The tightly wrapped steel stove was carried into the west room. A few of the men worked together, and in less than an hour, both the stove and chimney were set up.

Once the coal was burning, the chimney began emitting white smoke, carrying a faint scent of carbon dioxide.