Chapter 31

Captain Zhao’s family breakfast was good; this morning, they had corn pancakes. Surprisingly, his niece, who came from the countryside, was quite skilled at eating. She even added white flour and sugar to the corn pancakes, making them taste nothing like ordinary pancakes. The texture and flavor were elevated to a higher level.

Captain Zhao packed two pancakes in a lunchbox. Lin Xixi saw it and asked, “Is that not enough for you?”

She looked somewhat proud.

The current corn pancakes were the traditional kind, rough, and not very tasty. The concept of “coarse grains and delicate workmanship” hadn’t emerged yet. By showcasing this skill, she truly impressed her uncle.

Captain Zhao said, “These are delicious. I’ll bring two for others to taste.”

By “others,” Captain Zhao meant his comrades.

Lin Xixi was currently seeking a partner and needed a good reputation. Being a hardworking girl and excelling in cooking added extra points. Her uncle could help spread the word.

Hearing this, Lin Xixi misunderstood and directly took “others” to specifically refer to Yan Lei.

With a sweet smile, she said, “Then you have to praise me to them. Let them know it’s my cooking.”

Captain Zhao laughed heartily and said, “Sure, sure.”

Ignoring the suspicion Lin Xixi might have about Yan Lei, Captain Zhao genuinely liked his niece. Even his wife praised her as a diligent girl with excellent cooking skills. She was also good-looking, ensuring she wouldn’t have trouble finding a good partner.

He held the lunchbox and said, “The bathhouse is open today. The whole family will go for a bath tonight.”

She cleaned up, and tomorrow she would put on a nice dress to shine.

Lin Xixi lived in the family area, an old area, and the only people who had seen her were the nearby neighbors. The young people in the military camp had only heard that Captain Zhao had a fair and beautiful niece from the countryside, but they hadn’t had the chance to meet her yet.

Captain Zhao wanted to arrange a meeting for everyone.

As he walked with the lunchbox, he saw Yan Lei at the intersection. Yan Lei was the tallest, wearing his uniform perfectly—the epitome of a clothes hanger. In the crowd, everyone’s eyes were drawn to him first.

“Have you all eaten?” Captain Zhao went over to greet everyone. “Come, come, try the pancakes my niece made. Try them; they’re different from what you’re used to at home.”

They were all people of rank, and not only could they eat their fill at home, but they could also afford to eat refined grains. Initially not very interested in the pancakes as they were coarse grains, upon hearing Captain Zhao’s words, everyone gave face. They split the two pancakes into several pieces, and each person tasted a piece.

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

After eating, they all praised, and their hands reached out for more. However, Captain Zhao withheld the lunchbox, saying, “This is all we have; we have to leave some for others!”

Everyone jokingly scolded him for being stingy.

“Go, go, go, leave me alone!” Captain Zhao called the driver. “Xiao Zhang, Xiao Zhang, don’t rush to drive; come try a piece!”

The driver also took a piece, and after tasting it, his eyes lit up. “Wow, this is delicious! The first time I’ve had such tasty pancakes. How did you make them?”

“I have no idea. I’m a grown man; am I supposed to handle pots and pans?” Captain Zhao nudged Yan Lei with his elbow, winking, “Right, Yan? Oh, Yan, having cafeteria food again today?”

This was really spoiling his wife. She didn’t even cook for two days in a row due to some illness.

Yan Lei knew immediately that Sister Yang must have told Captain Zhao about him doing the dishes yesterday.

The man who had just finished cooking this morning calmly shook the net bag containing the lunchbox in his hand, saying, “Caféteria food is convenient; no need to wash pots.”

Captain Zhao burst into laughter.

Today was the third day for Aunt Qiao Wei, and her condition had improved a lot. When she stood up from the stool, using a knife and paper for support, it wasn’t as horrifying as before; she could basically move normally.

After Yan Xiang also finished breakfast, she said, “A man should help out.”

Since they had the idea of cleaning up the yard, there was no need to wait until Yan Lei came home to do it alone. She and Yan Xiang could do what they could.

Wiping her mouth, Yan Xiang said, “Coming!”

The mother and son first moved the miscellaneous items in the yard to the back of the house.

After spending the morning, the yard was cleared up almost completely. A few particularly heavy items were left untouched.

“Leave these for your dad to move when he comes back,” Qiao Wei said. “He has the strength.”

Yan Xiang twisted his body like a twisty cracker, saying, “I have strength too; I have strength!”

“Alright, alright, Xiang Xiang also has strength.” Qiao Wei laughed heartily. “Dad is an adult with great strength, and Xiang Xiang is a child with small strength.”

Yan Xiang was satisfied.

Qiao Wei asked Yan Xiang to wash his hands and play while she herself stood with hands on her hips, surveying the entire yard. After moving the clutter, the yard looked more spacious.

She roughly measured the length and width with her footsteps, then went to the study to get paper and a pen to start drawing and planning.

First, there should be a vegetable plot.

Then, create a sandbox for the children.

On the stretch of land from the yard gate to the house door, there were several square stones placed on the muddy ground, probably for stepping on during rainy days. After all, it was a dirt yard, and it would turn into mud after rain.

Qiao Wei drew a path.

She would find materials to lay a path in the yard, leading directly from the yard gate to the house door. The specifics would need to be discussed with Yan Lei, using whatever materials they could find.

Unfortunately, resources were limited, and there was no other way.

By the way, there’s also her “manual washing machine.” Yan Lei has already arranged for someone to work on it; he mentioned it would be ready in a few days.

Qiao Wei marked a circle in the yard near the well, reserving a spot for the manual washing machine.

With the yard planned, she looked up at the roof.

The areas she could reach inside the house were cleaned very well. In fact, it wasn’t dirty when she came back; the original owner was a clean person, and the overall hygiene of the house was good.

But good hygiene didn’t mean the house was in good condition.

The wall coverings were not in good shape, especially in Yan Xiang’s room.

Qiao Wei knew why. It was because this house was initially shared with someone else.

Families could only join the military when they reached a certain rank. Yan Lei achieved the rank first and then got married.

As a young couple with no children at the time of house allocation, they were grouped together with another couple who also had only two children.

At that time, only families with a population size similar to Captain Zhao’s could have a whole set of houses for themselves.

It wasn’t until the new compound for the troops was completed and that couple happily moved there that the old family area became more relaxed. Yan Lei and the original owner finally got a set of houses to themselves without the need to share.

Yan Xiang’s room used to be occupied by that couple. They weren’t very particular about cleanliness, and the walls inside were dirtier than the walls on Yan Lei’s side.

When Yan Xiang moved into the room, Yan Lei and the previous owner pasted calendar paper on the walls.

To people at this time, having calendar paper on the walls was considered good. It was both clean and decorative. But Qiao Wei couldn’t accept it.

She wrote “paint walls” on the paper.

And then there was the exterior of the house.

This house wasn’t made of bricks or mud bricks; it was a stone house with distinctive local features.

However, it had been damaged in the early years, and during repairs, materials were probably limited, or perhaps it had been repaired more than once. In any case, the materials used for repairs were not uniform. There were places with blue bricks and others with red bricks.

It looked like a set of clothes patched with mismatched colors.

Qiao Wei wrote “exterior” on the paper.

She also entrusted Yan Lei with the job search, but this wasn’t something that could be done in a few days. It might require navigating through various relationships, and there had to be quotas and openings available at the desired location.

She now had plenty of time on her hands without work.

And she had many things she wanted to do.

While lying in the hospital bed, watching those renovation videos, she dreamed of having a yard with a rustic atmosphere that she could transform according to her wishes. Wasn’t this the opportunity right in front of her?

The communal bathhouse in the compound was open twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

On bathhouse days, the men would come back a bit earlier. When Yan Lei returned home carrying his lunchbox, he immediately noticed that the yard had become spacious.

“Wow!” he exclaimed.

Yan Xiang heard the sound and immediately turned to shout into the house, “Mom! Dad is back!”

After shouting, he skipped over, reporting, “Dad, Dad! Mom and I cleaned up the yard today! We did it together!”

“Not bad, not bad.” Yan Lei ruffled Yan Xiang’s hair. “Little comrade, you’ve worked hard. I’ll give you a big red flower in the future! Come, salute.”

Yan Xiang immediately stood with his legs together, chest out, and belly in, giving a military salute.

Yan Lei smiled and returned the salute.

Qiao Wei came out of the house.

Country houses were tall and deep, close to the ground, which was different from easily overheating apartment buildings. During the day, when it wasn’t too hot or when there was a breeze, she liked to sit under the eaves or in the shade of trees for a cooler spot. But when the sun was high in the afternoon, the house was cooler.

She went to pick up the net bag containing the lunchbox.

Yan Lei said, “Are you getting started already?”

In the morning, while sipping dandan soup and daydreaming about how to tidy up the yard, she had already taken the first step when she returned in the afternoon. The efficiency was quite high, and she showed strong initiative.

Qiao Wei said, “If you want to do something, just do it. Otherwise, wait until next year? Want to eat now?”

Yan Lei returned home early today and didn’t feel very hungry.

Yan Lei unbuttoned his uniform and said, “How about taking a bath first? The bathhouse is open today. Oh, by the way, can you wash? You know, ‘that,’ well, ‘that’…”

Traditional men were evidently hesitant to say menstruation or period, using ‘that’ as a substitute, giving a somewhat furtive and embarrassed vibe.

It was amusing.

Qiao Wei said, “I won’t go. It’s inconvenient. You take Xiang Xiang.”

Having her period at home was fine, but doing so in a public bathhouse was a bit challenging.

“I’ll boil water for you, and you can wash at home,” Yan Lei quickly offered.

She complained yesterday about the inconvenience of using water, and her body was full of his scent. But there was nothing she could do, and she couldn’t bathe in the middle of the night.

“I’ve already boiled it. Just wait for you to come back and help me mix cold water.” Qiao Wei took out the lunchbox. “I’ll keep it warm on the stove. When you finish bathing, we’ll eat together.”

“Alright!” Yan Lei tossed his uniform onto the chair and turned to grab a bucket to fetch cold water.

After preparing the water for Qiao Wei, he carried a basin and led Yan Xiang to the communal bathhouse in the compound.

Qiao Wei cleaned herself up at home.

People from the old family area going to the communal bathhouse on Tuesday and Friday evenings were a scene in the town.

People in town were envious.

On the way, Yan Lei met Captain Zhao’s whole family. Zhao asked, “Where’s my sister?”

Yan Lei replied, “She’s not feeling well.”

With bathing opportunities twice a week, why would a sophisticated city lady like Qiao Wei not go? It could only be one situation.

Captain Zhao got married when he was sixteen or seventeen and already had five children. He understood. Hearing this, he didn’t ask further.

Lin Xixi really didn’t have many chances to get close to Yan Lei. He wasn’t at home during the day but at the camp. In the evening, when he returned, her uncle also came back, and people’s homes had wives and children. She couldn’t just boldly step in.

With great difficulty, Lin Xixi saw that Yan Lei was alone. Her mind racing, she decided to seize the opportunity to strike up a conversation with him and leave an impression.

However, Sister Yang happened to take a step diagonally, blocking her way.

Sister Yang turned her head and called out to Yingzi, “Yingzi, hold onto your sister. Don’t run around.”

Yingzi, confused, said, “I’m already 11.”

How hot could it be to still be held onto? But Sister Yang glared at her. A mother’s authority was not to be trifled with, and Yingzi reluctantly took a couple of steps, walking alongside Lin Xixi.

Sister Yang said to Lin Xixi, “Keep an eye on Yingzi.”

Yingzi protested, “I’m already 11!”

Ignoring her, Sister Yang then said to Gangzi and Huazi, “Keep an eye on Junjun.”

Once mentioned, Junjun giggled and ran off. Annoyed, Gangzi said, “Stop!”

Being the older brother, he had a responsibility, so he ran after Junjun, with Huazi, his loyal follower, in tow.

Sister Yang shouted, “Wait for us at the entrance of the bathhouse!”

Captain Zhao turned his head to glance at his wife, and Sister Yang returned the look.

As an old married couple, they had an unspoken understanding. After a glance, Captain Zhao moved closer to Yan Lei, chatting with him while walking side by side.

In this way, everyone went from being scattered to forming two rows, with Captain Zhao and Yan Lei leading the first row, Sister Yang and Wu Nier blocking the middle in the second row, and Lin Xixi left at the back, with Yingzi hanging around.

If she dared to approach Yan Lei, everyone in the entire military compound would know she had designs on a married man.

Lin Xixi almost choked on her own breath.

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