CHAPTER 12

Their new home was a two-story building with a large courtyard.

On the first floor, there was a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a bathroom. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms, one of which had its own private bathroom.

The whole place had been cleaned up nicely.

In the bedroom, Lu Zhi pushed open the window and looked outside. She could hear the sound of waves and see a sky full of glittering stars.

Zhou Cheng’an said, “There’s a big rooftop terrace upstairs too.”

Lu Zhi’s eyes lit up with surprise. It had been too dark when they arrived, so she hadn’t noticed there was a terrace upstairs.

She imagined herself sitting up there, sipping tea and enjoying the sea breeze—it sounded wonderfully relaxing.

Zhou Cheng’an checked his watch. There were still thirty minutes before lights-out. They needed to get washed up and ready for bed.

Lu Zhi said eagerly, “Let’s go check out the rooftop!”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Zhou Cheng’an picked up the flashlight. “Alright.”

Standing on the rooftop, the wind made Lu Zhi’s skirt and hair swirl in the air. She stepped forward a few paces and pointed, “Zhou Cheng’an, you can see the sea from here!”

Out at sea, some boats were still lit up.

Although their house wasn’t right by the beach, there were no tall buildings in front of them. From the rooftop, they could clearly see the distant shore.

Lu Zhi liked this terrace even more now!

She said, “We should put a table and chairs here, and plant some flowers too—it would look so nice.”

Zhou Cheng’an took note and nodded.

Suddenly, they heard a bugle call, and Lu Zhi looked puzzled.

Zhou Jun proudly raised his chubby little hand, “Sister-in-law, I know what that is! That’s the lights-out bugle. It means the power’s going to be cut and everyone has to sleep!”

Zhou Cheng’an turned on the flashlight to light Lu Zhi’s way. “Sorry, I forgot.”

Two adults and one little kid all relied on one flashlight. They washed up simply, then got ready for bed.

Lu Zhi hugged Zhou Jun. “It’s our first night here—why don’t you sleep with us?”

Zhou Jun firmly shook his head. “Sister-in-law, I’m a little man. I have to sleep by myself!”

Back in their room, Lu Zhi lay down and realized she felt a little tired. With her head on the pillow, she fell asleep quickly.

When Zhou Cheng’an returned, he heard her steady breathing. He gently placed the fan he’d brought down beside the bed, and carefully climbed in without waking her.

….

At night, there was a bugle for lights out. In the morning, there was one for wake-up.

Lu Zhi woke up almost at the same time as Zhou Cheng’an.

“Morning,” she said.

“Morning,” he replied. “I’ll go to the cafeteria and get breakfast. I’ll be back soon. You can wash up while I’m gone.”

Since their kitchen supplies weren’t complete yet, they had no choice but to eat at the cafeteria for now.

Their bicycles had already been delivered. Zhou Cheng’an rode off to get breakfast while Lu Zhi finished washing up, and he returned soon after.

Breakfast was plain congee and vegetable buns—stuffed with cabbage and vermicelli. Lu Zhi also took out some pickled long beans that Grandma Zhou had given them.

They were extra crispy!

Lu Zhi ate her pickled beans happily, finished a full bowl of congee, and one and a half buns. She gave the remaining half to Zhou Cheng’an.

After the meal, Zhou Cheng’an cleaned the table and washed out the aluminum food containers.

Today would be a busy day—they needed to unpack their belongings and see what else the house might need.

They started with Lu Zhi’s clothes, which she hung neatly in the bedroom closet. Once she was done, it was Zhou Cheng’an’s turn.

He didn’t have many clothes—most were military uniforms.

In the end, both their clothes were hung together in the same wardrobe.

Looking at Zhou Cheng’an’s military uniforms, Lu Zhi couldn’t help imagining what he looked like wearing them.

He’d probably look even more handsome, right?

Once they finished organizing the closet, Lu Zhi and Zhou Cheng’an went to the supply store.

Zhou Cheng’an gave her a ride on his bicycle. The trees along the way were lush and green, and the breeze carried a salty tang from the sea.

Lu Zhi said, “We need to buy cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, rice, white flour, and some coarse grains too.”

Thinking about the shopping, she suddenly remembered the red envelope her second sister gave her yesterday.

It was still in her pocket. She pulled it out and opened it—inside were twenty “Big Unity” bills.

Two hundred yuan!

Lu Zhi said happily, “Zhou Cheng’an, my second sister gave me two hundred yuan!”

Even her voice carried a bit of cheer.

Zhou Cheng’an said, “We’re getting paid today too—salary and allowance.”

Lu Zhi tugged on the hem of his jacket, excited. “You’re getting your pay and allowance today?”

Looked like today was her lucky money day.

“In that case,” Lu Zhi said, “let’s buy more while we’re at it.”

Zhou Cheng’an replied with a smile, “Alright.”

As he pedaled, he pointed out the different places to Lu Zhi. “That’s the cafeteria. Go a bit further and it’s the supply store. To the left of the store is the state-run restaurant. To the right is the elementary school. Keep going past that and it’s the middle school.”

Lu Zhi asked, “Where’s the kindergarten?”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “Once you leave the house, it’s to the right.”

Lu Zhi memorized the directions.

Very good—Zhou Cheng’an hadn’t used cardinal directions, or she wouldn’t have understood.

Lu Zhi asked curiously, “Why didn’t you say north, south, east, or west?”

Zhou Cheng’an said, “My mom doesn’t know directions like that. My dad just tells her left or right, and she understands.”

Indeed, Comrade Chen Jiaojiao couldn’t tell directions.

Lu Zhi hadn’t expected Zhou Cheng’an to be this considerate.

Lu Zhi said, “I don’t know them either. If you told me east or west, I probably wouldn’t get it.”

As she spoke, she gently swung her legs.

Lu Zhi asked, “So after turning right from the house, it’s the kindergarten. Then what?”

Zhou Cheng’an replied, “After that is the market—lots of seafood there. In front of the market is a plaza. A lot of people usually hang out at the plaza.”

Lu Zhi nodded as she took mental notes.

Realizing she was still sitting on the back of the bicycle, she said, “Got it.”

The bicycle came to a stop outside the supply and marketing cooperative.

The co-op on the island was large.

But the supplies were still the usual:

Rice, white flour, oil, soy sauce, salt, coarse grains.

Lu Zhi added, “And brown sugar.”

Zhou Cheng’an said, “Comrade, please weigh us some brown sugar too.” Then he asked, “There are some wafer biscuits over there—want some?”

Lu Zhi nodded, “Yes!”

There weren’t many snacks available during this time, but you could still find a few.

Lu Zhi added, “Also some red date cakes.”

Zhou Cheng’an: “Alright.”

The shop assistant at the co-op watched the two of them walk out and couldn’t help whispering among themselves.

“She’s so pretty!”

“She’s Deputy Commander Zhou’s wife. I know her. My sister came home yesterday and said the deputy commander’s wife was really beautiful. I laughed at her—how pretty could she be? But wow, she’s really pretty!”

“I heard about her. If the deputy commander weren’t standing next to her, a bunch of the guys would probably be making a move.”

….

After dropping the groceries off at home, Zhou Cheng’an took Lu Zhi to pick up her wages. Then the two of them went to the market, passing by the kindergarten on the way.

The market was bustling—just one glance showed an abundance of seafood.

Seafood didn’t require ration coupons.

Lu Zhi hadn’t had enough of the steamed mantis shrimp last night, so the two of them bought some more, along with some swimming crabs. They planned to steam them together that evening.

They also planned to stir-fry some cabbage with vinegar and lots of spice.

Before they even got home, they could see Zhou Jun standing at the door waiting for them.

As Lu Zhi got off the bike, she pinched Zhou Jun’s cheek. The little man blushed and said, “Sister-in-law.”

Zhou Cheng’an said, “You two go rest. I’ll cook.” Then he asked, “Steamed mantis shrimp and swimming crab, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar—anything else you want?”

Lu Zhi replied, “That’s enough.”

Inside the house, Lu Zhi took out Zhou Cheng’an’s wages. She also had the two hundred yuan her second sister had given her.

They had spent a bit on groceries today, so Lu Zhi counted what was left.

Altogether, they had 303 yuan and 96 cents left, plus all the ration tickets Zhou Cheng’an had received.

Zhou Jun stared at Lu Zhi eagerly from the side.

Lu Zhi took out the wafer biscuits they had bought and handed them to him. “Finish these and we’ll buy more.”

Zhou Jun said, “Sister-in-law!”

Lu Zhi replied, “Hmm?”

Zhou Jun looked very serious. “You just smiled. When I grow up and make money, I’ll give it all to you!”

Aaaahhh! What kind of sweet little gratitude bomb was this?

Just hearing that made Lu Zhi incredibly happy.

When Zhou Jun had money, he really would give it to her.

He jumped off the bed, ran to his room, and came back holding a da tuanjie (a big denomination bill).

“Sister-in-law, this is for you!”

Lu Zhi asked, “Is this your New Year money?”

Zhou Jun: “Yup!”

Lu Zhi: “I don’t want it. Give it to me when you’re grown up and making money. You should keep your New Year money for yourself.”

The little chubby boy wiggled his toes in his slippers. “You can hold on to it for me, Sister-in-law!”

Under Zhou Jun’s insistence, Lu Zhi helped him keep his New Year money safe.

….

Political Commissar Li Changyuan and his wife Chen Chunni carried a plate of dumplings over to Zhou Cheng’an’s place.

Li Changyuan said, “You know how Cheng’an is. We need to talk to him together. You can’t keep a cold face around your wife—how can you live like that?”

Chen Chunni replied, “Don’t worry.”

When Zhou Cheng’an had been assigned housing, Li Changyuan had been involved, even helping to choose the location.

Soon, the two of them arrived outside Zhou Cheng’an’s courtyard.

The tangy, spicy aroma of the vinegar stir-fry wafted through the air—it smelled really appetizing.

It was only their second day after moving to the island, and they were already cooking?

Li Changyuan had heard Zhou Cheng’an’s wife was pretty. He’d assumed Zhou Cheng’an had married someone pampered and delicate. But apparently, while she was delicate, she was also very capable.

With a wife like this, Zhou Cheng’an definitely couldn’t go around cold-facing her every day.

Lu Zhi came out with Zhou Jun and said, “Hello, are you here to see Zhou Cheng’an?”

Whoa!

She wasn’t just pretty—she was stunning.

Li Changyuan said, “Yes, we’re here to see Zhou Cheng’an. We figured you just moved in and wouldn’t have a chance to cook yet. We made some dumplings and brought them over—shrimp filling.”

Chen Chunni was increasingly drawn in by the aroma of the vinegar stir-fry and nudged Li Changyuan gently.

Li Changyuan finally realized—

Wait a minute. Zhou Cheng’an’s wife is here…

Then who’s cooking!?