Chapter 20

Qiao Wei slept very well, and indeed, the massage effectively promoted sleep.

She woke up very early. In the past, when she was healthy and still working, she never woke up this early because there were nighttime entertainments for young people, and how could they not stay up late?

But now, there was almost no entertainment at night. They went to bed early, so naturally, she woke up early.

Yan Lei was still asleep.

Qiao Wei got out of bed quietly, took off her small vest, changed into the daytime underwear, put on an outer shirt, and left the bedroom silently.

In the yard, the morning light spilled onto the ground.

In the future, only wealthy people could have a yard. Ordinary people lived in pigeonhole-like high-rise buildings, detached from the earth.

Qiao Wei had joked with the older sister in the adjacent bed when she was lying in the hospital bed, expressing her hope to live in a house with a yard in the next life. She would sweep the yard with a big broom every day in the morning light, carrying a large watering can to water the flowers.

The older sister in the hospital bed knew that she had no relatives and had sold the house to pay for medical treatment. She nodded with a smile, pretending not to care. However, when she turned around, she secretly wiped away tears, thinking she hadn’t seen it.

Qiao Wei really wanted to tell the older sister not to feel sorry for her. Look, her wish had come true.

Looking at the yard in front of her, Qiao Wei felt that it was a waste not to plant flowers in such a nice yard.

This thought triggered a memory. It turned out that Yan Lei had a strong connection to traditional Chinese culture and had even planted vegetables in the yard. He could even make his own fertilizer.

But how could fertilizer be tasteless? This matter had deeply upset the original owner, making her even more aware that she had married a “countryman.” They had argued about this many times.

After that, they stopped planting vegetables in the yard.

But the original owner didn’t engage in gardening either—such an activity required the mood of living a happy life with a loved one. This marriage lacked passion; the house was rural, and so was the yard. She couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to do those tasteful things.

So, Qiao Wei was left with a yard full of debris, neglected by both husband and wife.

This yard couldn’t even compare to Captain Zhao’s family yard.

Yesterday, Qiao Wei saw Captain Zhao’s family yard, which was well-kept with lush greenery. Although she couldn’t identify the specific crops, her ignorant eyes didn’t prevent her from liking the flourishing scene.

After washing up, Qiao Wei stood in the yard with her hands on her hips, fantasizing about how she would tidy up this little yard in the future.

It seemed so beautiful—a yard granted to her by the god of transmigration.

She turned around and looked at her own house. You could vaguely see that, in the distant past, this had been a traditional, prosperous rural residence. Unfortunately, it had been damaged during the war or over the years, becoming dilapidated.

After the founding of the country, a military district was established here to settle military families. However, at that time, the economy was not good, and there were limitations on resources and materials. Although the repair of the old house could achieve “solidity,” it couldn’t achieve beauty.

If it could be renovated…

In an instant, numerous videos on renovating rural homes, which she had watched while lying in the hospital bed, flashed through her mind.

Thinking too far ahead! She had only been in this world for three days and was still in the adaptation period.

Qiao Wei hooked open the top cover of the coal stove, then peeled open the small window in the hearth. Burning coal had a higher temperature, and it ignited faster. When not in use, the upper and lower ventilation covers were closed. With reduced oxygen, the coal in the stove would burn at an extremely slow speed. When needed, she could open the top cover, pull back the small window, and when the air flowed, the flames would rise rapidly.

Compared to the wood-burning earthen stove, this was already considered a convenient new technology in this era.

Qiao Wei tore a page from the book and used it to ignite the fire.

She had soaked some rice yesterday and planned to cook porridge this morning.

She knew that Comrade Yan Lei could go to the canteen at the barracks for breakfast. However, she had already decided to secure her own big thigh and not let it be snatched away by the original female lead, Lin Xixi. So, she had to maintain this thigh well.

Office workers who had worked knew that any relationship needed maintenance. Especially since the original owner left behind so many marriages and emotional problems, she had to clean up these messes.

Moreover, last night, Comrade Yan Lei actually helped her relax her muscles. He seemed very proficient in how to relax muscles, given the rigorous daily training of his profession. She felt extremely comfortable last night, and she even fell asleep.

Throwing a peach to return a plum, she contemplated what else to make to enrich the breakfast. Of course, the main focus was still on improving Yan Lei’s favorability.

She placed the soaked rice on the small coal stove, ensuring the pot was supported on chopsticks to prevent it from overflowing.

Porridge takes time to cook, and she didn’t plan to waste that time.

The morning was so warm, and the breeze was refreshing. How could she waste such a beautiful time?

Unfortunately, she didn’t have sports shoes.

The original owner had leather shoes and cloth shoes, but no sports shoes. Qiao Wei reluctantly found a pair of flat velvet shoes with a one-strap design.

In the future, such shoes were rarely seen, especially on elderly women.

But when she put them on, they were surprisingly comfortable, serving as a temporary substitute.

Qiao Wei changed into the shoes, drank half a cup of cold water, wiped her mouth, opened the courtyard door, and went out for a run.

Oh, the sunshine, the morning breeze, the earth, and the big locust tree! Qiao Wei wanted to shout loudly while running.

But people might mistake her for a lunatic. Nevertheless, she was truly happy!

Running in the fresh air, basking in the sunlight, it was so joyful!

There is nothing better in the world than being healthy.

Yan Lei had a precise biological clock. Although he slept late due to staying up reading yesterday, he immediately opened his eyes when it was time.

For a man, the early morning was a special time, and even if he stayed up late reading last night, it didn’t affect his physiological condition this morning.

Yan Lei subconsciously turned his head to look around but found that there was no one on the kang. Could it be that Qiao Wei got up earlier than him? It was quite rare.

He left the bedroom and saw porridge bubbling on the small coal stove.

Following that, Qiao Wei came out of the kitchen, holding a vegetable knife with one hand while covering the other.

“Are you up?” She looked excited and spoke cheerfully. “It’ll be ready soon. Just need to blanch the vegetables.”

 There were chopped green vegetables on the vegetable knife, and Qiao Wei scraped them into the porridge pot. She instructed Yan Lei, “Keep an eye on it. Once it’s boiling, take the pot down and let it cool in that basin.”

The large basin was filled with half a basin of water. The water drawn from the well was groundwater, naturally cool, especially in the morning. It could help cool down the porridge.

Yan Lei swiftly finished his morning routine. The porridge was just boiling when he took the pot and immersed it in the cool water basin, emitting a sizzling sound.

After stirring with a long ladle, more steam rose, dissipating heat rapidly. The fragrance of the green vegetables was also discernible.

Qiao Wei brought two bowls and a plate. The bowls contained porridge, and the plate had two pan-fried sunny-side-up eggs with golden edges and a light center. There were also pickled, salty vegetables.

With limited resources, Qiao Wei did her best to prepare breakfast.

“Here.” Qiao Wei handed an aluminum spoon to Yan Lei.

The two sat down at the table with a bowl of porridge each, ready to eat breakfast.

“There’s salt in the porridge?” Yan Lei tasted it. “And ginger too?”

“Is it tasty?” Qiao Wei asked.

Yan Lei didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took another sip, savoring the taste.

The vegetables had been briefly boiled, leaving them fresh with a delightful fragrance. The eggs were pan-fried, crispy at the edges, and had a soft center, exactly how he liked them.

Taking a bite of the pickled vegetables and then a sip of porridge, Qiao Wei asked again, “How is it?”

Yan Lei just made a noncommittal “Hmm.”

What did that “Hmm” mean? This guy!

Clearly, the expression on his face when tasting the porridge just now indicated it was delicious. Moreover, the fact that “the male lead likes runny eggs” was a recurring theme in the story. He couldn’t possibly think it wasn’t tasty.

Was it because, as the male lead, he had to maintain a cool image?

Fine. Qiao Wei bit her lip, holding back a smile.

If he wanted to keep up the image of being the male lead, then let him.

After finishing breakfast, Yan Lei put on his outer coat and hat. “I’m leaving.”

When he reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly stopped. “Or, just leave the bowls; I’ll wash them when I come back.”

Having said that, he pressed down the brim of his hat, turned around, and left in a hurry.

It seemed like he was in a pretty good mood.

Was there something good happening? Qiao Wei pondered, feeling that Yan Lei’s satisfaction couldn’t just be due to this breakfast.

It turned out that Yan Lei’s good mood was indeed because of this breakfast.

Things you couldn’t have would always entangle you.

Qiao Wei felt that this was just an ordinary breakfast, something that Yan Lei had been deprived of due to their marital discord. Of course, breakfast was just a surface representation, a carrier.

What Yan Lei felt from it was that Qiao Wei was genuinely settling down to live with him.

Even yesterday, when she asked him to help her relax her muscles and praised him for doing it well, her voice was soft and sticky.

Yan Lei had never experienced this kind of treatment in his memory.

Although they couldn’t “end things at the foot of the bed” last night, it felt like they were getting closer.

Yan Lei walked out of the yard, lowered his hand, raised his face, and his eyes sparkled.

Just a few steps later, someone called him “Captain Yan!”

Turning his head to look, Yan Lei saw a young girl holding an aluminum lunchbox against the wall. She had a graceful figure, fair skin, and a beautiful face, with a pair of eyes full of tenderness.

It was none other than the beautiful niece from Captain Zhao’s family, who came from the countryside but didn’t look like a country girl at all.

News about her had already spread to the military camp, and several young guys were curious about her.

Even Yan Lei’s subordinates had come to inquire about her.

But during those days when Qiao Wei left, Yan Lei’s mood was extremely bad. He scolded his subordinates, saying, “Can you eat beauty? Can a good-looking face guarantee a good life? Marriage is for a lifetime; what’s the use of just looking at the face? My wife Qiao Weiwei is also beautiful, but we still couldn’t make it. Personal pain, I can’t let the youngsters follow in my footsteps.”

“Xiao Lin?” Seeing Lin Xixi here, Yan Lei was a bit surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Because Yan Lei’s home was not right next to Captain Zhao’s home, there were still several households in between. Why would this young girl block his door early in the morning?

Lin Xixi had even specially applied face oil in the middle of the summer, making her face appear even smoother and fairer. She had ambushed Yan Lei here early in the morning and successfully blocked him.

“My uncle and my aunt told me that Captain Yan didn’t have breakfast at home.” Lin Xixi approached and handed the lunchbox to Yan Lei. “I made this for you!”

After saying that, she ran away.

“Hey—” Yan Lei wanted to call her back, but she had already turned the corner.

Yan Lei was inexplicable. She opened the lunchbox and took a look—it was a scallion pancake she had made.

Not bad; it actually smelled good. However, the vegetable porridge he had for breakfast this morning, along with the soft-centered eggs, was even more fragrant. His stomach and heart were both full of fragrance. Although the scallion pancake was also fragrant, he couldn’t eat anymore now.

The car driven by Zhang, the driver, was responsible for picking up five people at this time, all living on the old side of the area. Although it could stop right at the door, the sound of the car’s tires was too loud. Some family members complained that it disturbed their children’s sleep. Later, they agreed to park it at the intersection, and everyone walked over themselves.

Yan Lei carried the lunchbox and walked towards the intersection.

When Lin Xixi returned to the yard, Sister Yang popped out from the inner room: “I’ve been calling you for half a day; where did you go?”

Lin Xixi hesitated and said, “I seemed to hear some noise. I went out to see, but found no one.”

“Go and call Gangzi, Yingzi, and Huazi to hurry up and eat. After breakfast, go to school,” Sister Yang shouted.

Lin Xixi then went into the house.

Captain Zhao finished the last bite of the pancake and praised, “Xixi, this pancake is well made! Just like my sister used to make! This is truly my mother’s authentic recipe.”

He checked the time and quickly put on his hat: “I’m leaving.”

When Gangzi, Yingzi, and Huazi came over after washing their faces and brushing their teeth to have breakfast, they all smelled a delightful fragrance. “Wow, it smells so good.”

Lin Xixi served them pancakes, saying, “My sister made these; are they delicious?”

The mistrust cannot capture that man’s heart.

Let’s see how Lin Xixi displays her skills, playing through the 1960s!

But first, his wife is not dead. If she wants to be his wife, she has to find a way to make him divorce.

Divorce is not a trivial matter for a cadre; the organization will inquire. This matter must not delay his future promotion.

It must be made to appear as his original wife’s fault.

How can evidence of her affair and elopement be found?