After dinner, Chen Xu took the basket and went out with Wen Nan. Zhao Xiaomai chased after them from behind, quietly following Wen Nan. At the three-way intersection, Chen Xu handed the basket to Wen Nan: “After you finish cutting the grass this afternoon, wait for me there, and I’ll come over to help you send the grass.”

Wen Nan reached out to take the basket and quickly shook her head: “No need, I can do it myself.”

She didn’t want to trouble him again. This work was originally hers, but it ended up being done by others.

Wen Nan put the basket on her back and was about to go to the grassland with Xiaomai when she heard Chen Xu say: “I’ll go see you tonight.”

“Chief Chen.”

“Oh, is this Chief Chen’s cousin?”

Two voices came from a distance. Wen Nan turned her head and saw two people in military uniforms, unfamiliar faces. She didn’t recognize them.

Chen Xu introduced them: “The one on the left is Chief Du, and the one on the right is Chief Kang.”

Oh.

So one was the husband of the loudmouth, and the other was the husband of the black-hearted thief.

Wen Nan smiled sweetly, revealing two small dimples: “Chief Du, Chief Kang.”

The little girl looked especially beautiful when she smiled. Looking around the family quarters, there really wasn’t a girl who could compare to Chief Chen’s cousin in terms of beauty. After Zhang Xiaoe’s publicity, everyone knew that Chief Chen’s cousin came to the army ostensibly to visit relatives, but actually to find a soldier to marry. However, she was beautiful, and her two cousins were a chief and a platoon leader, so she could easily find a suitable person.

To be honest, she probably didn’t even need to look. In just one day, the news spread throughout their regiment that Chief Chen’s cousin had arrived, that she was fair and beautiful, and many unmarried young men wanted to come to the family quarters to take a look.

Chief Du saw that she was carrying a basket and asked, “Are you going to cut grass with Xiaomai?”

Wen Nan nodded: “Yes, after cutting it, I’ll send it to the cattle farm.”

Chief Du was quite surprised. After all, Chief Chen’s cousin looked delicate and tender, not like someone who would do manual labor. Chief Kang also took a few more glances at Wen Nan. At noon, his wife came back and kept nagging, saying that Chief Chen’s cousin was clumsy and stupid, and couldn’t even cut grass, and that Zhao Xiaomai helped her cut the grass, and Chief Chen helped her send the grass. She wasn’t working, she was playing. After saying that, she kept rubbing her fingers, and finally got scolded by her mother before shutting up.

This was Kang’s first time seeing Wen Nan, and she was indeed as his wife said, with fair skin and beautiful features. At first glance, she didn’t look like someone who would do manual labor.

However, that was Chief Chen’s business, and it wasn’t up to outsiders like them to comment.

After a while, Chief Zhao and several others also came over. They walked towards the army together. Wen Nan and Zhao Xiaomai went to cut grass. When they arrived, Wen Nan saw that Lin Meizhen had already cut half a basket of grass. She also saw Wen Nan, stood up, stretched her hand behind her to rub her sore lower back, and glared angrily at Wen Nan.

Thinking about being scolded by her mother-in-law again at noon, Lin Meizhen was filled with anger.

It was all because her belly wasn’t working. If she could give birth to a fat son for the Kang family, her mother-in-law would definitely not treat her like this, picking on her and scolding her from time to time.

Wen Nan ignored her and started cutting grass.

With the experience from the morning, cutting grass in the afternoon was easier, but the blisters on her hands were a bit painful.

As dusk fell, Zhao Xiaomai came over again, went to Wen Nan’s side to cut grass, and her speed was exceptionally fast, leaving Wen Nan far behind.

Wen Nan: …

She thought she had already gotten the hang of it, but compared to Xiaomai, she was far behind.

In a short while, Wen Nan had stacked two large piles of grass, surpassing Lin Meizhen. Lin Meizhen’s face turned livid, and she scolded Zhao Xiaomai: “You are such a bitch!”

Zhao Xiaomai didn’t speak, she was used to Lin Meizhen’s insults.

Wen Nan walked to Zhao Xiaomai’s side, looked up at Lin Meizhen, and sneered: “Then what are you? A black-hearted thief?”

Lin Meizhen was speechless, before she could retort, she was blocked by Wen Nan’s words again: “You didn’t succeed in stealing the chicken, but you lost the rice.”

If this wasn’t mentioned, it would be fine, but as soon as it was mentioned, Lin Meizhen felt the pain in her fingers. She couldn’t argue with Wen Nan, and she couldn’t scold her. If she angered her, this little vixen would complain to Chief Chen, and in the end, she would be the one who suffered. Finally, she turned her head angrily and fiercely cut the grass, as if she were cutting Wen Nan’s head.

Wen Nan continued: “Xiaomai is not helping me, she is earning work points for herself. No matter how many work points I have each day, I will give half to Xiaomai. If you are jealous, just say it. If I hear you scolding people again, I will report you to the women’s director for bullying female comrades! I will also report Kang’s wife to the regiment leadership for insulting women!”

Wen Nan, having suffered a lot and seen a lot of faces in her life, had learned a lot of tricks. She knew best to strike at the seven inches of a snake, and to deal with others, one must strike at their weakness.

Lin Meizhen cared about her status as a platoon leader’s wife, and she couldn’t have children, so she was already unhappy at home. If she caused any trouble again and implicated Chief Kang, her mother-in-law would definitely make her life miserable.

Sure enough, Lin Meizhen straightened her back and glared fiercely at Wen Nan.

This was nothing in the family quarters. Which family didn’t quarrel? Everyone was used to it and turned a blind eye. But if it got to the women’s director and the regiment leadership, it would be a different matter. The leaders would make a show of it and ask her husband Kang for an explanation. Her life at home was already difficult, and if Wen Nan really reported her, her life would be even harder.

Wen Nan said to Zhao Xiaomai: “Don’t take her words to heart.”

Zhao Xiaomai looked gratefully at Wen Nan, cut a handful of grass and put it on the ground, and whispered: “Wen Nan, thank you.”

Wen Nan smiled faintly: “You’re welcome.”

Dusk fell.

The dampness from the ground rose, dispelling the heat of the day. Zhao Xiaomai finished cutting the grass and went to send the pigweed. Wen Nan put the sickle on the ground, hugged a large pile of grass and put it in the basket, and was about to carry the basket to send the grass when she heard steady footsteps not far away. Then, as she looked up, the basket behind her was lifted away by a man.

Chen Xu added a large pile of grass to the basket and said to Wen Nan: “Wait for me here, I’ll be right back.”

The man had run all the way, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his military uniform collar and back were wet. He filled the basket with grass and left, very quickly. If Wen Nan wanted to catch up with him, she would have to run. She looked at the receding figure and continued cutting grass with her sickle. Before Chen Xu came back, she would cut as much as she could.

Chen Xu was fast, and he was back in a short while.

He put the remaining grass into the basket and said to Wen Nan: “Go back first, I’ll send the grass and then go back to the family quarters.”

Wen Nan jogged behind Chen Xu, looking at the man’s tall and slender figure, and smiled with her eyes curved: “Brother, thank you.”

Chen Xu raised his shoulder to wipe the sweat from his eyelids, looked back at Wen Nan, and smiled slightly: “You at least call me brother, no need to be polite with me.”

At the intersection, Chen Xu went towards the cattle farm, and Wen Nan went towards the stone bridge. It was getting dark, and the small courtyards in the family quarters were lit up with warm yellow light bulbs. When she got home, she saw Grandma Chen making noodles in the kitchen, and sweetly called out: “Auntie, I’m back.”

Grandma Chen poked her head out of the window: “The meal is ready, wash your face and eat.” She then asked: “Where’s your brother?”

Wen Nan said: “He helped me send the grass to the cattle farm, he’ll be back soon.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Xu came back. Wen Nan didn’t expect him to be so fast. It was a long way from the cattle farm to here. Grandma Chen also heard the footsteps, threw the rolled noodles into the pot, and shouted towards the kitchen: “Xiao Xu, wash your face and eat.”

Chen Xu responded: “Okay.”

Wen Nan stood by the well, holding the iron rod of the well and pressing half a basin of water: “Brother, I’ve pressed the washing water for you.”

Then she pressed half a basin of water for herself.

Chen Xu squatted down and washed his face, and also washed his hair. When he got up to get the towel, he saw Wen Nan squatting beside him, washing her hands and blowing on the blisters on her palms. After blowing one hand, she blew the other.

Her palms were delicate, and her skin was white, making the red marks on the wounds look a bit shocking.

After wiping his hair, Chen Xu hung the towel on the rope and took a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to her. Seeing Wen Nan looking up in confusion, he said: “I bought this medicine at the clinic this afternoon. Apply it to the wound before going to bed tonight, and keep applying it for a few days, and it will be fine.”

Wen Nan was startled, and looked down at the small bottle in her hand.

It was very small, and the medicine inside was purplish-red.

She felt a little guilty and pursed her lips: “Thank you.”

She hadn’t earned any money yet, but Chief Chen had already spent money on her.

“Let’s eat.”

Grandma Chen came out with two bowls of rice. Chen Xu said it was nothing to Wen Nan, turned around to help serve the rice and get chopsticks. Wen Nan put the medicine bottle on the table in the room, turned around and ran out to sit at the small table to eat with Grandma Chen and Chief Chen. Grandma Chen asked Wen Nan: “How was the work this afternoon?”

Wen Nan smiled: “It was pretty good.”

After dinner, Wen Nan wanted to wash the dishes, but Grandma Chen chased her away.

After Grandma Chen washed the pots and bowls, she boiled a pot of hot water for Wen Nan and Chen Xu. Wen Nan took half a basin of water to wash her hair first. In this era, there was no shampoo, only soap nuts. Wen Nan’s hair was long, braided in braids. She sat on a small stool, unbraided her hair, and buried her head in the basin of hot water. The water was a little hot, and it stung the wounds on her palms.

After the first wash, Wen Nan heard footsteps in the yard and called out: “Brother.”

She blinked, her eyes were a little sore from the soap nuts. She rubbed her hair into a ball and pressed it on top of her head, turned around and smiled at Chen Xu, who had just come out of the room. The man was wearing a worker’s vest and army green trousers, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and well-proportioned and firm arm muscles. The worker’s vest was close-fitting, and the abdominal muscle lines under the clothes were faintly visible.

This figure was much better than the pictures on the internet in the new century.

The man stood in the yard looking at her, holding an enamel basin with his changed military uniform in it. Seeing Wen Nan with a head full of foam, he knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth.