When the two passed through the village, Wen Nan saw a man and a woman walking out of a somewhat dilapidated house. The man was wearing a black jacket and black trousers, and the woman had short hair and was wearing a red checkered shirt. Her eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Lin Meizhen’s, and it was obvious that she was Lin Meizhen’s younger sister. The man beside her was the same man who had been pulling and tugging at Lin Meizhen in the early morning.

Lin Mexia saw Zhang Xia’e and greeted her in a friendly way, trying to build a relationship.

She then glanced at the woman beside Zhang Xia’e. Her hair was braided into a three-strand braid hanging down in front of her, with wispy bangs falling over her eyebrows. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, her nose was small and delicate, and her lips were a little pale. When she pursed her lips, faint dimples could be seen on either side of her cheeks.

Lin Mexia immediately recognized her as Chen Yingchang’s cousin, Wen Nan.

Her sister had mentioned Wen Nan’s general appearance when she went back to her parents’ home: fair-skinned, double-eyed, with dimples, and as beautiful as a vixen.

She ignored Wen Nan, and Wen Nan ignored her in return.

However, Li Hongping, who was standing nearby, took several glances at Wen Nan. His blatant and malicious gaze made Wen Nan feel disgusted and uncomfortable. Lin Mexia also noticed Li Hongping’s gaze fixed on Wen Nan.  Without hesitation, she grabbed his ear and pulled him back, scolding, “Do you want your eyeballs anymore? I’ll dig them out!”

Li Hongping bent over, groaning in pain.

Watching the couple go back home, Zhang Xia’e grabbed Wen Nan’s arm and said, “That man is a useless son-in-law. Don’t pay attention to them. Let’s go register quickly.”

Pulled by Zhang Xia’e, Wen Nan was forced to run all the way. When they reached a puddle, she didn’t have time to jump over it, and her foot sank into the mud, unable to be pulled out. Her sock-clad foot was stuck in the mud, and the cold air from the ground went straight to her feet.

Zhang Xia’e was laughing. She ran over, pulled out Wen Nan’s shoe, and threw it beside her feet. “Hurry up and put it on and let’s go.”

To Zhang Xia’e, country people weren’t that delicate. Some women had to go to the fields to work the day after giving birth. Stepping in mud was nothing.

But for Wen Nan, it was pure torture.

She endured her abdominal pain and followed Zhang Xia’e around to the back hillside of the village. They ran to the registration point at the foot of the mountain. More than a dozen families were already in line. Zhang Xia’e said, “We’re not too late. We’ll definitely get a good plot of private land.” Then she pointed behind them: “Everyone is rushing over here. If we come any later, we won’t get a good spot.”

Wen Nan looked behind her.

Many people were coming along the narrow mud road, mostly military wives with their children, making a lively scene.

Among them was Lin Meizhen.

There were several scratches on her face. Everyone passing by couldn’t help but look at her. Lin Meizhen was now picking on weaker people. If the military wife’s husband was a battalion commander or above, she would endure it without saying anything. If it was just a company commander, she would glare fiercely and say, “What are you looking at? What’s so interesting?!”

Wen Nan: …

She played the trick of bullying the weak and fearing the strong quite well.

While registration was taking place, people were being led to identify their private plots. When it was Wen Nan’s turn, the soldier who was registering, head bowed, asked, “Whose family member are you?”

Before Wen Nan could speak, Zhang Xia’e quickly said, “The cousin of Battalion Commander Chen from the First Regiment.”

As soon as she said this, the soldier registering looked up at Wen Nan standing at the table. Even the soldiers who were leading the military wives to see their plots turned back to look. Chen Yingchang’s cousin stood quietly there, slender, with snow-white skin. When she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttered, making her look very beautiful.

For the past two days, there had been rumors in the army that Chen Yingchang’s cousin had arrived and was exceptionally beautiful. Many unmarried men in the army were eager to go to the family quarters to see what Chen Yingchang’s cousin looked like. If Chen Yingchang hadn’t warned them not to disturb his cousin, they would have already run out during lunchtime to catch a glimpse of her.

Unexpectedly, they met her here.

Just as the rumors said, she was truly beautiful.

The registering soldier chuckled, quickly wrote down her name, and gestured for someone to take Wen Nan to see her assigned private plot. The plot was on the edge. It was almost noon, and the sun was shining brightly on the land, completely covering it with sunlight, while the plot at the foot of the mountain was still in the shade.

The soldier leading the way pointed ahead: “Comrade Wen, this is the private plot for Chen Yingchang’s family.”

Zhang Xia’e ran over and walked back and forth on the land several times, her shoes covered in a thick layer of mud. She went to the side of the road and stomped the mud off her shoes before saying to Wen Nan, “This plot of land is good. Turn the soil over and let it dry in the sun, and it will be ready to plant vegetables.”

After viewing the private plot, Wen Nan and Zhang Xia’e walked towards the family quarters.

Wen Nan’s stomach ached more and more, her feet were cold and stiff, and her cloth shoes were covered in mud, so heavy she could barely lift her feet. Zhang Xia’e finally noticed that Wen Nan’s complexion was wrong and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why is your face so pale?”

Wen Nan gritted her teeth: “My stomach hurts.”

Zhang Xia’e frowned, thinking Wen Nan was too delicate. It was just a stomachache; why did she look like she had lost half her life?

The two walked out of Xinghua Village. Just after crossing the stone bridge, they heard voices at the three-way intersection. Wen Nan didn’t have the energy to look up; she hung her head, clutching her stomach and walking back. Before she had taken two steps, she heard Zhang Xia’e shouting loudly, “Hey, Wen Nan, Lao Du and the others are back!”

Wen Nan looked up and saw Chen Xu talking to someone in the crowd.

The man also heard Zhang Xia’e’s loud voice and turned his head to look. His gaze swept over Wen Nan’s furrowed brow, then down to her wet trouser legs and shoes covered in thick mud. His brows furrowed, and he said to the battalion commander He beside him, “I’ll go first.”

Chen Xu quickly ran over. Only when he got closer did he realize that Wen Nan’s face was sickly pale.

He frowned and asked, “Why are your shoes all wet?”

Zhang Xia’e said, “We went to see the private plot. Your family’s plot has been allocated. You can turn the soil over in a couple of days and plant vegetables.”

Wen Nan smiled weakly, really not wanting to speak. She turned to walk towards the family quarters, but before she had taken two steps, her wrist tightened. Her arm was lifted high and placed on someone’s shoulder. The man half-squatted in front of her, his strong hands holding Wen Nan’s knees, effortlessly lifting her onto his back and carrying her towards the family quarters.

The sudden lift startled Wen Nan. Her hands instinctively hugged the man’s neck.

He was very warm, especially his broad back against her abdomen. His body temperature was constantly transmitted to her.

Warm, as if the coldness in her abdomen was instantly dispelled.

Wen Nan looked sideways at Chen Xu’s profile. His facial features were sharp and angular.

From the side, his nose was high and straight, his brow bones were delicately deep, and his thin lips were naturally pursed. He was a handsome man no matter how you looked at him.

Wen Nan was uncomfortable all over, and her stomach ached. She didn’t try to walk by herself, so she gratefully said, “Thank you.”

Chen Xu looked ahead, his hands holding her knees without moving. He tried to ignore the strange feeling on his back: “Don’t be polite with me.”

On the stone bridge, Zhang Xia’e was still standing there, stunned. Regiment Commander Du came over and called her before she reacted.

Zhang Xia’e shook her head and clicked her tongue twice. Walking to Regiment Commander Du’s side, she pointed her chin towards Chen Xu and Wen Nan who were walking away: “Look, look, why is this woman so delicate?” Then she turned and glared at Regiment Commander Du, feeling a little uncomfortable and complaining, “How long has it been since you carried me?”

Regiment Commander Du: …

He glared at his wife and retorted angrily, “We’re almost grandparents, don’t act so clingy.”

Zhang Xia’e: …

Battalion Commander He, Battalion Commander Zhao, Company Commander Kang, and a group of others were following behind. Battalion Commander He smiled, “Chen Yingchang really treasures his cousin. I wonder which brother-in-law will be able to win this big brother-in-law’s favor in the future.”

Battalion Commander Zhao laughed a few times and said, “That depends on who the woman likes.”

Zhang Xia’e heard this and turned her head to say, “Chen Yingchang’s cousin is good in every way, and her cooking skills are also good. She’s just too delicate. Whoever marries her will have a hard time.”

“She’s beautiful, and it’s pleasant to look at her every day.”

“That’s right, the soldiers in our regiment even asked me if I had seen Chen Yingchang’s cousin. They haven’t even met the girl, and they’re already thinking of asking Chen Yingchang to arrange a marriage.”

“There are also a few young men in our regiment headquarters who want me to connect with Chen Yingchang.”

The group of people behind them chatted among themselves, talking about Wen Nan and then about the regiment’s affairs. Zhang Xia’e curled her lips. She couldn’t understand what these people were thinking. What’s the use of being beautiful? Can beauty be eaten? Look at her daughter, she’s a little dark, but she can work in the fields as well as a man. She can do everything in her husband’s family, and her in-laws love her.

Grandma Chen was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing the footsteps in the yard, she thought it was Wen Nan who had returned. She looked out of the window and saw Chen Xu carrying Wen Nan straight into the house. She was stunned, quickly put down her cleaver and followed her to Wen Nan’s room, asking as she walked, “What happened to Nan Nan?”

Grandma Chen ran into the room and saw Chen Xu put Wen Nan down by the bed. She then noticed that Wen Nan’s trouser legs were wet and her shoes were covered in mud. She realized what had happened and slapped her forehead, sighing, “Oh, my brain. Nan Nan is not feeling well. It rained yesterday, and there are puddles everywhere on the road. Why did I let Nan Nan go to the private plot.”

“Quickly, quickly, Nan Nan, take off your shoes quickly. Xiaoxu, go get Nan Nan a basin of hot water to soak her feet.”

Grandma Chen gave instructions. The old woman’s wrinkled face was full of distress.

Wen Nan endured the pain in her stomach and looked up at Grandma Chen with a smile: “Grandma, I’m fine. I’ll be fine after soaking my feet in hot water. Don’t worry.”