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“Let’s go,” Jiang Ning approached.
Shen Mo casually took the bag from her hand.
The two of them got into the jeep and headed towards the family courtyard. Walking there would take more than half an hour, but driving only took less than ten minutes.
When they arrived at the entrance of the family courtyard, Shen Mo parked the car at the gate.
The car could have driven inside, but he chose not to.
Jiang Ning didn’t ask any questions either.
There were soldiers standing guard at the entrance of the family courtyard, and they all recognized Shen Mo.
After saluting Shen Mo, they remained still, but their eyes fell on Jiang Ning, who had gotten out of the car with him.
Shen Mo had always lived in the military dormitory. When he wasn’t training, he was on missions, so the military wives in the family courtyard didn’t know him at all.
However, over the past two days, Shen Mo had been coming and going frequently to the family courtyard, making it hard for the military wives not to notice him.
Moreover, Shen Mo was strikingly handsome and had an impressive demeanor, which made the military wives unable to resist gossiping about him to their husbands.
Upon learning about Shen Mo’s military rank, many were surprised to find out that despite his youthful appearance, he was already a Deputy Regiment Commander.
In the family courtyard, only married men were allowed to apply for housing.
Many people had been eager to see what Shen Mo’s wife looked like.
It was working hours, so there weren’t many people in the family courtyard, but there were still some who were idle at home.
The family courtyard had been expanded, and there was only one road leading in. The newest buildings were near the entrance, and it took a few more minutes of walking to reach the single-story houses with yards that Shen Mo had applied for.
Curious, Jiang Ning looked around at the houses. She had fully accepted the fact that she had been transported into a novel and had entered a new and fascinating world. Like a curious child, she looked around with wide eyes.
The newly built buildings were simple tube-shaped structures, with a straight view from one end to the other. Families placed their coal stoves outside their doors to cook. Such houses were quite rare in this era, but in the modern world, they would be considered slums.
Fortunately, she hadn’t let Shen Mo apply for an apartment. The current buildings didn’t consider soundproofing, and if there was a quarrel at home, the entire building would hear it.
Jiang Ning curiously observed these ‘antiques’. Some of the military wives living in the buildings, upon hearing the gossip, immediately poked their heads out to take a look at Shen Mo and Jiang Ning as they entered the family courtyard.
Some people even came downstairs to watch the commotion. Neighbors always had to get acquainted with each other, and some military wives pretended to pass by to greet them.
“You must be Comrade Shen, who is about to move in,” a passing military family member greeted Shen Mo. “I thought you were a child of a sister-in-law who had joined the army.”
These military family members were not actually interested in Shen Mo. While greeting him, they subtly sized up Jiang Ning standing next to him.
Noticing the other person’s gaze on her, Jiang Ning smiled politely. She really couldn’t bring herself to socialize with strangers.
They encountered a few people along the way and exchanged greetings, finally arriving at the house Shen Mo had applied for.
It was not known how it started, but the rumor spread that an unsophisticated country girl who had never seen the world had suddenly appeared in the family courtyard.
As the rumor spread, almost everyone in the large courtyard knew about it.
*
Jiang Ning looked at the house in front of her. It wasn’t as new as the recently built buildings, but it wasn’t too old either.
Shen Mo took out two keys and handed one to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning smoothly accepted the key, while Shen Mo used his key to unlock the door. The two wooden doors were pushed open simultaneously, revealing everything inside.
The first thing Jiang Ning noticed was a large tree in the left corner. The tree had lush branches and a sturdy base, and the branches that extended out looked very strong. It was clear that this tree had been there for many years.
Two thick ropes were hanging from the extended branches, and below the ropes was a polished wooden plank that could easily seat two people.
When Jiang Ning saw the swing, she was momentarily stunned.
She couldn’t help but recall what she had said two days ago. She had mentioned that she wanted a swing in the yard, and now here it was in front of her.
What surprised her even more was that the path in the middle of the yard was a stone path leading directly to the inner room. On the right side of the stone path, there was a slightly deep pit, lined with red bricks.
Without guessing, Jiang Ning knew what this pit was for.
She had said she wanted a swing, and Shen Mo found a house with a tree to hang it. She had said she wanted to keep fish, and Shen Mo dug a pit in the house to prepare a pond.
This man really took her words to heart.
It was clear that Shen Mo had been busy with the house over the past two days.
It was impossible not to be moved. They would eventually get a divorce, but even during this short period of living together, Shen Mo had taken her words to heart. He was truly a good man.
Shen Mo noticed her bright, shining eyes and felt a surge of happiness. The exhaustion of the past two days instantly vanished.
Seeing her happy made all the effort worthwhile. He had called Qian Feng and Yang Zhengtu to help clean up the yard, set up the swing, and build the pond.
Shen Mo took Jiang Ning on a tour of the entire house. On the left was a large tree and a small room slightly shorter than the main room. The tree was so big that it almost covered the entire left side of the yard, making it a perfect spot for summer shade and flower gardening.
On the right side of the entrance, Shen Mo had converted the corner into a pond. The muddy ground next to the pond looked fertile and loose, suitable for planting flowers and vegetables.
Further ahead was the kitchen, the place for cooking.
Shen Mo led Jiang Ning past the kitchen to the back, where she discovered a small backyard. The toilet was located in the backyard.
After viewing the backyard, they returned to the front yard and entered the main room. The main room was a rectangular space with three rooms. The middle room was the living room, with a door on the right leading to the kitchen and a room on the left.
Entering the room, there were basic pieces of furniture such as a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.
“These are the household supplies provided by the military,” Shen Mo explained. “This room is for you to sleep in, and you can decorate it however you like.”
Although there were basic furnishings, the room still felt a bit empty.
After getting the house in order, Shen Mo brought her to see if there was anything else they needed to add.
Hearing him say this, Jiang Ning understood that he had no intention of sleeping together with her, which secretly relieved her.
Having been single all her life, suddenly having a husband and being asked to sleep with a man still felt a bit awkward.
But despite the awkwardness, she couldn’t help but ask, “Then where will you sleep?”
Shen Mo said, “There’s a small room outside, I’ll sleep there.”
Jiang Ning nodded and then walked into the room. The room was very clean, without a speck of dust.
It was evident that someone had cleaned it beforehand.
Jiang Ning knew that Shen Mo had done this. She said, “You cleaned everything? Why didn’t you call me?”
“The house has been uninhabited for a long time and was very cluttered. It’s not something a young girl like you should have to clean up,” Shen Mo said in a low, hoarse voice. “I called Qian Feng and Yang Zhengtu to help clean it up. It didn’t take much time.”
Jiang Ning nodded and thought for a moment before saying, “Once the house is all set up, I’ll cook a meal to thank them.”
Even though this courtyard might not be hers in the future, she was currently living here and found it quite pleasant.
Hearing her offer to cook a meal for them, Shen Mo knew she was satisfied with the courtyard. For some reason, he didn’t want Jiang Ning to exert herself. After thinking for a moment, he said, “If you don’t like cooking, I can do it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ning looked at him in surprise.
She was amazed that Shen Mo could cook.
In this era, where some feudal ideas of male superiority and female inferiority still persisted, it was common for men to work outside and earn money while women managed the household and prepared meals for their husbands.
In short, very few men in this era knew how to cook.
It was unclear who this man would end up with in the future.