Chapter 6: Visiting the Neighbors

At the mention of this person, the group perked up, eager to discuss.

“I saw her going to the Division Commander’s house again yesterday. The day before, she was at the political commissar’s place. Just look at how many times she’s been making rounds in just a month, always bringing something with her. Who doesn’t know what she’s after? She just wants to become a teacher at the elementary school.”

“As if! There are so many people in the family compounds still unemployed. Why should she get the job first?”

“Well, she is educated. When she first arrived, I ran into her on the road and kindly greeted her, but she didn’t even acknowledge me.”

“She’s just a high school graduate, isn’t she? Jianhong’s aunt is also a high school graduate, but she’s always polite when she sees us. She’s nothing like that woman.”

“Exactly! Speaking of which, Jianhong, your aunt doesn’t have a job either, right? I think she’d be a better fit for that teaching position.”

The “aunt” they were referring to was actually Han Jianhong’s stepmother, who was well-known in the family compounds for being a kind stepmother.

Han Jianhong did her best to conceal her disgust and replied calmly, “My aunt went to inquire at the logistics office a few days ago. They said the leadership hasn’t made a decision yet and told her to wait for further notice.”

“I wonder what kind of education that Regiment Commander Xia’s wife has. If she’s just a high school graduate too, this could be interesting to watch.”

Unaware that she was already the topic of gossip upon moving in, Meng Yufei was busy unpacking her luggage. She neatly folded her clothes and placed them into the wardrobe.

She arranged her snow cream, lipstick, comb, and hair ties on the vanity, while her toothpaste and toothbrush were also taken out.

The day before, Xia Junshan had already cleaned the house thoroughly. He wiped down all the furniture with a damp cloth, bought new porcelain basins and kettles, and mopped the floor several times.

His strict military hygiene habits were carried over into their home—tidy, clean, and well-organized.

The clothes they wore yesterday weren’t convenient to wash at the guesthouse, so Xia Junshan took them outside to the faucet in the courtyard, placing them in a newly bought wooden basin.

The weather in Haishi was still chilly in February. When Meng Yufei and Xia Qinqin had set out, they had been bundled up in thick coats and sweaters, but those were obviously unnecessary here.

The climate here was humid, and unwashed clothes would quickly grow moldy. Without hesitation, Xia Junshan lathered up the soap and began scrubbing.

Xia Qinqin, wearing her little slippers, ran in and out of the house, occasionally handing things to her mother or watching her father do the laundry.

Since they didn’t bring much luggage, Meng Yufei quickly finished unpacking. She picked up Xia Qinqin’s muddy shoes and took them to the faucet.

“Do we have a shoe brush at home?”

Xia Junshan replied, “I forgot about that. I’ll buy one from the supply store later. Just leave the shoes there for now.”

Looking at the faucet, Meng Yufei asked, “This faucet and pipe look new. Were they just replaced?”

Xia Junshan chuckled. “Our tap water was only connected last month.”

“Huh?” Meng Yufei was surprised. Her family had always had tap water for as long as she could remember. “Then how did people get water before?”

“There’s a well at the front of the family compounds. Everyone used to fetch water from there.”

As he spoke, he wrung out the sweater in his hands and set it aside. “Fortunately, when Division Commander Li was transferred over before the New Year, he noticed how difficult it was for everyone to get water and quickly arranged for the tap water system to be installed.”

Meng Yufei said, “We really have to thank Division Commander Li for that.”

Otherwise, having to fetch water every day would be such an inconvenience.

“By the way, since we just moved in, should we go greet the neighbors?”

Back home, it was customary to visit neighbors with a small housewarming gift after moving in. But with so many families in the compound, it would be impossible to visit every single one.

Xia Junshan replied, “It’s not that formal. Just greeting the few families along our row is enough. Hmm, I remember the family next door belongs to Commander Ma from the Third Regiment, then there’s Deputy Regiment Commander Chen from the Second Regiment, and Regiment Commander Han from the Fifth Regiment. The first house in the row also belongs to the Second Regiment—Deputy Regiment Commander Jin’s family—but his family hasn’t arrived yet, so there’s probably no one home.”

Meng Yufei said, “Then let’s go together after you finish washing the clothes. We can stop by the supply store too—I couldn’t find a rinsing cup earlier.”

“Alright,” Xia Junshan quickened his pace.

Meng Yufei went inside and took out a large bag of candies—Haishi’s famous White Rabbit milk candies. She divided them into four smaller portions and then, after some thought, called out to the courtyard,

“Junshan, is it okay if I just bring some candies when we visit?”

She remembered that when her family moved houses back then, her mother had brought homemade pastries to the neighbors.

“That’s fine. Candy is a great gift these days, no matter where you go.”

In times of scarcity, food was the most valuable commodity, and sweets were practically a luxury.

Before heading out, Meng Yufei changed Xia Qinqin into a pair of breathable leather sandals. They were soft lambskin, bought from the department store a few days ago for over twenty yuan.

Considering that a good pair of adult cowhide shoes cost only around a dozen yuan, spending over twenty yuan on children’s shoes seemed extravagant. But Meng Yufei’s mother couldn’t resist spoiling her granddaughter and insisted on buying them.

Wearing her comfortable new sandals, Xia Qinqin held onto both her parents’ hands, sucking on a piece of candy she had coaxed from her mother, and happily walked down the family compound’s path.

Since today wasn’t a rest day, most of the men were at the army, leaving only the women at home.

Their first visit was to Regiment Commander Ma’s house next door. As the family of three approached the gate, they saw someone weeding in the small vegetable garden through the waist-high fence.

“Sister-in-law, keeping busy?” Xia Junshan called out.

The woman looked up. She was dressed in a navy blue, front-buttoned short jacket, her hair neatly coiled into a traditional bun. Her skin was dark and rough, with deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead.

Seeing a man and a woman standing at the gate, she immediately recognized the man as Regiment Commander Xia from next door. She quickly put down the weeds in her hands, wiped her palms on her pants, and hurried over to open the gate.

“Regiment Commander Xia, what brings you here?”

Xia Junshan gestured to the woman beside him and introduced, “Sister Zhang, this is my wife, Meng Yufei. She just arrived at the family compound today, so we came to say hello.”

Meng Yufei smiled. “Hello, Sister. I’m Meng Yufei. We’ll be neighbors from now on—please take care of us.”

Sister Zhang finally took a good look at Regiment Commander Xia’s wife and was momentarily dazzled. Wow, such a beautiful woman!

She quickly smiled and said, “Oh, welcome, welcome! It’s great to have you here.”

Meng Yufei bent down and said to her daughter, “Qinqin, this is Aunt Zhang. Say hello.”

Xia Qinqin tilted her head up and said crisply, “Hello, Aunt Zhang! My name is Xia Qinqin, and this is a gift for you.” As she spoke, she handed over the small bag of candy in her hands.

Only then did Sister-in-law Zhang lower her head and notice the child. “Oh my, what a good-looking kid!” She waved her hand and said, “Sweetheart, you keep the candy for yourself. No need to be so polite.”

Meng Yufei smiled and handed the candy to Sister-in-law Zhang. “Don’t be shy. This candy is a specialty from my hometown—please give it a try.”

Sister-in-law Zhang hesitated for a moment before accepting it with a bit of embarrassment. Then she pointed to the house and said, “Come in and have some water.”

Xia Junshan replied, “No need, Sister-in-law. We still have to visit the neighbors next door. We’ll drop by another time.”

After saying goodbye to Sister-in-law Zhang, Meng Yufei whispered, “She sounds like she’s from Shanhe Province.”

Xia Junshan nodded. “Yes, when I first arrived, she even brought me some steamed buns. They were absolutely delicious.”

Remembering that Xia Junshan’s hometown was in the north and that he preferred wheat-based foods, Meng Yufei thought to herself that she should learn how to make steamed buns from Sister-in-law Zhang if she got the chance.

A few steps ahead was Deputy Regiment Commander Chen’s house. Unlike Sister-in-law Zhang’s yard, which was filled with vegetables, this one was completely bare and empty.

The door was opened by a young woman in her early twenties. She wore a pink floral dress with shoulder-length hair left loose, and a green headband on top.

The moment her gaze landed on Meng Yufei, she scrutinized her from head to toe with a critical expression, frowned slightly, and unconsciously lifted her chin.

“What do you want?” Her tone was completely unfriendly.

Xia Junshan’s face immediately darkened. He had already heard that Deputy Regiment Commander Chen’s family was arrogant and difficult to get along with. Although he hadn’t interacted with them before, today’s encounter confirmed the rumors.

After handing over the candy, they didn’t bother saying much and quickly left.

Xia Junshan turned to Meng Yufei and said, “That woman is exactly as the rumors say—odd and difficult. Best to avoid dealing with her in the future.”

Meng Yufei nodded. “Got it. People like that are best ignored.”

When they arrived at Regiment Commander Han’s house, they happened to run into Han Jianhong returning home.

Xia Junshan called out to her, “Jianhong, is your aunt at home?”

Han Jianhong shook her head. “Aunt Fang took my little brother to the city.”

Xia Junshan said, “This is your Aunt Meng.” He handed her the bag of candy. “They just moved in today. Come visit when you have time. This candy is from Aunt Meng’s hometown—give it a try.”

Since Xia Junshan and Regiment Commander Han were of the same generation, he naturally took the role of an elder when speaking to his daughter.

Han Jianhong accepted the candy and said, “Thank you, Uncle Xia, Aunt Meng.”

“Alright, you go home. We still have things to do, so we’ll be off.”

Leaving the Han household, the family of three headed toward the supply and marketing cooperative. Catching Meng Yufei’s questioning gaze, Xia Junshan explained, “That girl just now is Regiment Commander Han’s daughter. The ‘Aunt Fang’ she mentioned is her stepmother—Regiment Commander Han remarried.”

“Oh, I see.” Meng Yufei nodded.

Han Jianhong stood at the doorway, watching the family of three walk away. She thought to herself, Who would have guessed that such a happy-looking family would end up like that in the future?

Xia Qinqin playfully swung her parents’ hands back and forth as they walked. Suddenly, she stopped, looked up curiously, and asked, “Mom, what does ‘ending’ mean?”

“Hmm?”

“‘Ending’—what does it mean?”

Meng Yufei wasn’t sure why her daughter suddenly asked this, but after thinking for a moment, she explained, “Well, it’s like the story of the race between the tortoise and the hare. In the end, the tortoise won—that’s the ending.”

Xia Qinqin tilted her head and asked again, “Then what’s the ending for our family of three?”

Xia Junshan picked up his daughter and said, “It’s living happily together.” He then turned to Meng Yufei, his gaze gentle. “Right?”

Looking into his deep eyes, Meng Yufei smiled slightly. “Yes.”

Xia Qinqin glanced at her dad, then at her mom, thinking to herself, That big sister just now spoke so softly—only I heard her. Dad and Mom didn’t hear it at all.