Chen Xu said, “This isn’t something that can be rushed. I’ll also inquire around in the army.”

He threw another stone, looked at Wen Nan, who was still drooping her head and writing on the ground with a twig, and called her name, “Wen Nan.”

Wen Nan was startled and looked up at him.

Chen Xu’s lips curled into a reassuring smile. “It’s fine to stay here. Don’t feel like you need to be careful, pressured, or burdened. Since I’ve acknowledged you as my sister, I won’t treat you like an outsider. If you really feel bad about it, just treat me to a meal at the state-run restaurant once I find your match, how about that?”

Wen Nan’s heart felt warm, her eyes even a little teary.

She lowered her head, suppressing the tears welling up.

Chen Xu’s observation and comforting gentleness eased Wen Nan’s guilt about freeloading. She calmed herself, raised her head and smiled, “Okay, no problem.”

Wen Nan threw away the twig, patted the water off her hands, and continued, “You can order whatever you want then, I won’t be stingy.”

Chen Xu smiled, “I definitely won’t be polite then.”

The rain continued until evening before stopping.

The Kang family’s courtyard was lit by an old-fashioned warm yellow bulb. Three people sat at the kitchen table eating. Lin Meizhen looked like a wronged little wife, holding her bowl and burying her head, not daring to utter a sound. Even when Niu Laihua scolded her, she didn’t dare to retort. Commander Kang ate with his head down, his face also unpleasant.

Niu Laihua said, “If I don’t hold a grandson this year, you get out and go back to your family!”

Lin Meizhen gritted her teeth, looked up at Kang Jin, who was impatiently frowning, then at Niu Laihua, and said, “Mother, don’t worry, I will definitely let you hold a grandson this year.”

The two fights were ostensibly because she caused Wen Nan to be scolded by Hua Fengzhen, but the main reason was her inability to bear children. Her mother-in-law constantly found fault with her. Once she got pregnant, she could stand tall in the family!

Niu Laihua scoffed disdainfully.

Commander Kang frowned, looked up at Lin Meizhen, and Lin Meizhen met her husband’s gaze, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be able to have a child.”

Commander Kang: …

She couldn’t have a child for three years, and now she could have one this year?

It didn’t rain all night, and the next day, as Grandma Chen said, was a beautiful sunny day.

Because of the heavy rain yesterday, the grass was muddy and couldn’t be pulled. It had to wait until the sun dried it out. Wen Nan was idle at home. When she woke up the next day, her stomach didn’t hurt anymore. She got up early, washed up, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Just as she lit the stove, Grandma Chen and Chen Xu got up one after another.

Grandma Chen smiled, “Your stomach doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Wen Nan looked out of the window, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

After Grandma Chen washed up, she went to clean the chicken coop. Chen Xu went into the kitchen and sat in front of the stove to stoke the fire. Wen Nan had already cut the potatoes and peppers; she planned to make spicy shredded potatoes, a dumpling soup, and pancakes. The dough was already ready. Wen Nan went to the stove and cooked the pancakes one by one. She caught sight of Chen Xu at the stove. The man was wearing summer military uniform, his eyes downcast as he added firewood to the stove, controlling the heat. The orange flames reflected on the man’s cold and handsome face.

The flickering light made his deep eyes even more unreadable.

Chen Xu noticed Wen Nan’s gaze and looked up at her. Wen Nan smiled, “Brother, can you and Grandma eat spicy food?”

Chen Xu said, “We both can.”

That’s good.

The aroma of pancakes filled the kitchen, appetizing and fragrant. After making the pancakes, Wen Nan stir-fried the spicy shredded potatoes, first frying the peppers in hot oil. The spicy and fragrant aroma filled the air. Wen Nan didn’t use much oil; in this era, oil needed oil coupons, so cooking had to be economical.

Grandma Chen smelled the fragrance from the chicken coop, sniffed, and after cleaning the chicken coop and washing her hands, she ran into the kitchen, “Nannan, what are you cooking? It smells so good! It’s making your aunt drool.”

Wen Nan turned and smiled, “Spicy shredded potatoes, pancakes, and dumpling soup.”

Her smile revealed two cute dimples, making Grandma Chen like her even more. She walked over, took a pancake and took a bite. The pancake was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the aroma of scallions and just the right amount of salt. The aroma stimulated the taste buds, making people salivate. Grandma Chen took another bite, “Nannan, who did you learn this skill from?”

Chen Xu sat by the stove, also holding a pancake.

The man lowered his head to eat the pancake, his jaw moving slightly. Hearing Grandma Chen’s words, he also looked up at Wen Nan. Wen Nan stirred the dumpling soup, lying without blushing, “I’ve been cooking since I was little, I just learned it by myself.”

The original owner did cook at her aunt’s house since she was a child.

But in the new century, she also cooked since she was a child, until she went to university and graduated, she always cooked by herself. In order to eat better, she searched online for many kinds of cooking methods and taught herself.

After breakfast was ready, Chen Xu carried the steaming dumpling soup to a small table outside the kitchen. Grandma Chen carried a plate of pancakes, still chewing on one. Wen Nan took three pairs of chopsticks. Just as she sat down, a head popped up from the next wall. Zhang Xiaoe sniffed, her eyes wide, “Aunt Hou, what did you cook this morning? It smells so good?!”

In the next courtyard, Commander Du and Du Jianming smelled the fragrance from Chief Chen’s house, and the food in their mouths tasted bland.

Zhang Xiaoe had eaten a few bites of rice and was really tempted, so she wanted to peek over the wall.

Grandma Chen smiled, “I didn’t make it, Nannan did. She made dumpling soup, pancakes, and shredded potatoes.”

Zhang Xiaoe exclaimed, “Aunt Hou, Chief Chen, now that Wen Nan is here, you’re in for a treat.”

Grandma Chen said, “That’s right, since Nannan came, my meals have become more delicious.”

After breakfast, Chen Xu and Commander Du went to the army. Wen Nan didn’t need to cut grass today and stayed at home to clean the yard with Grandma Chen. After a while, Zhang Xiaoe rushed over. Grandma Chen was busy with the chickens in the chicken coop. Hearing Zhang Xiaoe’s noisy voice, she was startled, stood up, turned her head, and said, “Keep your voice down, I’m not deaf.”

“Oh, what are you still doing with the chickens? Didn’t you hear the loudspeaker in front of our family quarters? The army has allocated the private plots to you. Those who haven’t got one should go to Xinghua Village to register quickly, or you won’t get a good spot.”

Zhang Xiaoe pushed open the chicken coop door and pulled Grandma Chen out. Grandma Chen was an old woman, and there was a lot of muddy water on the ground. She slipped after a few steps. She patted Zhang Xiaoe’s hand, “Don’t bother this old woman, I’ll let Nannan go with you.” Then she supported her waist, “Ouch, you almost pulled my waist.”

Grandma Chen shouted into the house, “Nannan, go with Aunt Zhang to see our private plot.”

“Okay.”

Wen Nan responded, folded her clothes, and went out with the impatient Zhang Xiaoe. On the way, she heard the loudspeaker in front of the family quarters calling for those who hadn’t received private plots to register quickly in Xinghua Village. Wen Nan asked, “Aunt Zhang, where are the private plots?”

“At the foot of the mountain in Xinghua Village.”

Zhang Xiaoe said, then pulled Wen Nan and walked very fast, afraid that they would be late and get a bad spot. On the way, Zhang Xiaoe told Wen Nan about the private plots, and Wen Nan finally understood.

There was a lot of land behind the family quarters, allocated by the army to the military wives. Each family got three points of land. The newly transferred soldiers and their wives only got houses, not private plots. Many soldiers had been transferred in recent years, and the family quarters had expanded. The army leveled a hillside near Xinghua Village and made it into private plots. Today, the army was there, allocating the land according to the registration order.

Those who registered early got the best spots. Those who registered late got the spots near the foot of the mountain, with less sunlight.

So Zhang Xiaoe heard the loudspeaker at the stone bridge and hurried to tell Grandma Chen. Chief Chen and Chen Zhou had been transferred for three years. Grandma Chen was amiable and could talk to anyone. Zhang Xiaoe was a loudmouth and didn’t have many friends in the family quarters, so she was close to Grandma Chen.

The walk from the family quarters to the foot of the mountain in Xinghua Village was not short.

It had rained heavily yesterday, and some places were full of potholes and puddles. Even though Wen Nan carefully avoided the puddles, her shoes still got wet, and the edges were covered in mud. The wet and heavy shoes made walking very difficult, and her feet felt cold and icy.

Wen Nan touched her lower abdomen, and the pain returned.

Waves of pain.

Zhang Xiaoe kept talking all the way, talking about the private plots and then about Commander Kang and Lin Meizhen’s fights, “Hey, Wen Nan, I guess Lin Meizhen must resent you. I heard from my old Du that yesterday Lin Meizhen fought with Mrs. Niu. It was because of you. Mrs. Niu cares most about her son’s future. Lin Meizhen bullying you is like slapping Chief Chen’s face. Mrs. Niu was afraid that Chief Chen would make things difficult for her son, so she took her anger out on Lin Meizhen.”

Seeing no reaction from the person beside her, Zhang Xiaoe turned her head and saw that Wen Nan’s face was pale, and she was drooping her head without speaking.

She thought Wen Nan was scared and patted her shoulder, “What’s wrong? Are you still afraid of Lin Meizhen?”

Zhang Xiaoe had been doing farm work for many years, and her hands were strong. Although she didn’t use much force, Wen Nan felt like her shoulder had been hit by a huge stone.

A dull ache.

It seemed to be a chain reaction, and her stomach seemed to hurt even more.

She shook her head, “I’m not afraid of her.”

She didn’t care about Lin Meizhen at all, and Lin Meizhen had stopped coming to work, so they were unlikely to have any interaction.