Chapter 11

In front of him were his wife and children, and seeing them suffer made Pei Songbai feel terrible too.

“The train should arrive in a little over two hours,” he answered Xia Wenhua’s question.
But she didn’t relax, especially when he added,
“Once we arrive in the city, we’ll still need to transfer. It’ll take another three to four hours to get to the garrison.”

Xia Wenhua stared blankly at the rising sun outside the window.
“So basically, this whole day will be gone… and we won’t reach the garrison until evening?”

Once Pei Songbai confirmed this, she immediately curled up into a ball on the sleeper bunk.

The convenience that technology had brought her in her previous life was now far out of reach, and realizing that she’d have to keep enduring in this era meant her mental fortitude still had a long way to go.

Noticing her low spirits, Pei Songbai moved about more cautiously than usual.

He had finally convinced his wife to accompany him on assignment. A happy life was just around the corner, and he didn’t want anything to jeopardize it.

Xia Wenhua simply wasn’t used to the kind of hardship that came with going out in this era.
Even though Pei Songbai had already done so much to make things easier, there were still limits to what could be done under the constraints of the time.

Still, she didn’t blame him. Gaining a healthy young body again was already a blessing—she would just have to power through the rest.

Clenching her fists, she cheered herself on and gently encouraged the two little ones:
“Chenchen, Guangguang, hang in there. We’re almost home. Once we get there, Mama will cook something delicious for you!”

Her worries about the kids were actually unnecessary—children rarely understood what “tired” meant.
Even though they had been listless on the train, the moment they got off, they were full of energy again, looking around curiously in all directions.

Xia Wenhua had to focus all her attention to keep hold of these two wild little ponies. She didn’t even notice someone approaching.

“Commander Pei!”

Wang Weiguo, Pei Songbai’s orderly, had already received a call that his commander would be arriving with his wife to join the military family quarters.
Estimating the arrival time, he came to pick them up.

All along the way, people teased him nonstop—especially the military wives. His ears practically developed calluses from hearing it.

But no one could blame them. Pei Songbai was young, handsome, and since his promotion to regimental commander the previous year, countless women—older ladies and wives alike—had tried to set him up with someone.

Then word came out that he was already married.

Once an officer gets married, their spouse is allowed to live with them. And in the military compound, unless there were elders at home needing care or other special reasons, wives always joined their husbands.

Pei Songbai wasn’t an only child, so there was no need to leave his wife behind to care for elders. With kids, she could just bring them and come live on base.
If a couple was married but not living together, people would start to suspect something fishy.

Since Pei Songbai had officially joined the ranks of the elite young officers at the garrison, his situation had long since been investigated thoroughly.

Eventually, people drew one conclusion:
Commander Pei’s wife must be some plain, rural girl with a bad relationship with him—and probably scared of not getting along with the other wives, so she avoided joining the military household.

No one even remembered who started this rumor—it had simply become the accepted explanation.

Even Wang Weiguo, who usually stayed out of the gossip circles, became curious after hearing so much. He wanted to see for himself just how “ugly” the commander’s wife could be.
But when Xia Wenhua appeared, she hit him with a critical strike right out of the gate.

Who on earth said the commander’s wife was ugly?

She looked like a goddess!
If this was considered unattractive, then the rest of humanity might as well give up.

Pei Songbai, being a straightforward man, never paid attention to the gossip in the family compound.
He had no idea people were slandering his wife behind his back, calling her plain-looking and too timid to live on base.

Now, seeing Wang Weiguo approach, he didn’t notice the odd expression on his face.
Instead, he let out a breath of relief and waved him over.

“Xiao Wang, come here!”

Wang Weiguo stepped forward, picked up the luggage that had been set on the ground, and grinned as he greeted Xia Wenhua.

“Hello, ma’am! I’m the commander’s orderly, Wang Weiguo. If you ever need anything while living on base, feel free to come find me!”

Wang Weiguo was only nineteen—a rookie soldier with the boundless energy of youth.

Xia Wenhua naturally returned the greeting. Then the whole family followed Wang Weiguo to the car.

Their garrison had only one regiment, and just two or three vehicles total. Usually, those cars were only available by chance or for official errands.

But Wang Weiguo knew how to get things done.
Ever since Pei Songbai called to say he’d be bringing his wife to live on base, he had been reporting in daily to the logistics department, putting in the groundwork ahead of time. Eventually, he managed to get a car dispatched.

Pei Songbai hadn’t expected the kid to actually show up with a car, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He turned to explain to Xia Wenhua:

“We’re pretty far from the county seat. Usually, if you’re not hitching a ride with the logistics truck, you either bike or walk. But with this car, we’ll get there in just over an hour instead of three or four.”

Xia Wenhua had heard how remote the garrison was, so she had mentally prepared herself. But now that Wang Weiguo showed up with a car, saving them half the journey time, she suddenly felt hopeful again. Looking at the small vehicle in front of her, she let out a sigh of relief.

Back in the 1960s, cars were still rare, especially in a smaller garrison like this with limited resources.
Things would probably improve in a few more years.

Xia Wenhua had been exhausted, but seeing the car made her feel like she could finally breathe—and even think about something other than just surviving.

“Pei Songbai, did you already prepare the household essentials at home?”

“Household essentials?” Pei Songbai looked confused, then quickly replied,
“I got the bed and bedding ready. The place is livable.”

Xia Wenhua facepalmed.
“Just the bed and bedding? What about the rest—rice, flour, oil, vegetables, and kitchenware? Do you have all that?”

The answer, of course, was no.

Rice, flour, oil, and vegetables could be bought from a small supply store near the garrison.
But kitchen utensils had to be purchased from the city.

Even though Pei Songbai had long dreamed of building a home, and had already applied for housing right after marrying the original Xia Wenhua—hoping she might one day come live there—he hadn’t actually prepared the daily necessities.

Thankfully, Xia Wenhua asked in advance, so there was no need to rush back to the base immediately.
If they wanted to live comfortably as a family of four, they’d definitely need to buy quite a few things first.