Zhang Xiaoe looked at Wen Nan. She was pretty, with fair skin and a slender figure. The white shirt with floral print and a fitted waist made her waist look even smaller. Her hair was long and black, braided into three braids hanging down in front. She had rosy lips, white teeth, bright eyes, and charming dimples that appeared when she slightly pursed her lips. She was very beautiful.

From the family quarters to Xinghua Village, you couldn’t find a second girl who could compare to her.

Thinking of her own daughter, whose skin was dark like coal, Zhang Xiaoe envied Wen Nan’s fair skin. She said, “Look at this girl’s skin, so white, just like that big white pig they brought into the pig farm in Xinghua Village the other day.”

Wen Nan: !!!

TMD!

Is that how you describe someone?!

Even Grandma Chen was amused. Seeing Wen Nan’s stiff expression, she scolded Zhang Xiaoe, “How can you compare a person to a pig? If you can’t speak properly, don’t say anything. People will laugh at you.”

Zhang Xiaoe realized she had spoken inappropriately.

Comparing a person to a pig wasn’t a good thing.

Zhang Xiaoe left after a while. Grandma Chen watched her go and said to Wen Nan, “Nannan, she’s a gossip, she can’t keep a secret. You need to be careful when talking to her.”

Wen Nan had already learned this yesterday. On the donkey cart, Zhang Xiaoe had chattered incessantly, gossiping about several military wives and inquiring about recent happenings in Xinghua Village. Her mouth never stopped.

Grandma Chen had been washing clothes all morning. Wen Nan asked her to rest and said she would cook lunch.

There weren’t many vegetables in the garden this season. Wen Nan picked some greens, a few dried red chilies from the string hanging on the kitchen wall, and some corn flour from a bag. She mixed the flour and let it ferment, then chopped the greens and chilies. There were also a few potatoes in the vegetable basket, which Wen Nan peeled and sliced, planning to make plenty for lunch.

Grandma Chen fed the chickens. A couple of hens had recently hatched a brood of chicks, who were chirping and scrambling for food.

After a while, a strong aroma of cooking filled the kitchen. Grandma Chen sniffed and looked towards the kitchen window. Wen Nan was standing by the stove, busy with a spatula. Outside the yard, Camp Commander Zhao’s loud voice could be heard, “Camp Commander Chen, what delicious food is your grandmother making? I smelled it as soon as I got to your door.” He sniffed, “Hey! It smells so good!”

Chen Xu smiled, “I don’t know either.”

Camp Commander Zhao came to Chen Xu’s door and remembered something, “By the way, I have an update on what you asked me to do this morning. We have two men named Chen in the first battalion. One went home to visit his family, and the other is at the company headquarters. I’ll call him out tonight for you to talk to.”

Chen Xu nodded, “Thanks.”

Camp Commander Zhao sniffed the fragrant food again, his mouth watering. In all his years in the family quarters, this was the first time he’d smelled such a delicious aroma coming from Grandma Chen’s house.

It’s quite rare.

Seeing Chen Xu enter the courtyard, Camp Commander Zhao asked, “Camp Commander Chen, why are you looking for someone named Chen? Is something wrong?”

Chen Xu said, “A comrade from the army asked me to find someone; I don’t know the details.”

Camp Commander Zhao didn’t ask further. He smelled the tempting aroma again and almost swallowed his tongue. He hurried home. His own meal was ready, but it didn’t smell as good as Camp Commander Chen’s. Zhao Xiaomai put two bowls of sweet potato noodles on the table, one for her brother, Zhao Xiaodong, with a poached egg on top—only her brother got eggs.

Zhao Xiaodong sat on a stool and started eating as soon as the noodles were placed on the table, slurping despite the heat.

Zhao Xiaodong was eight years old, the precious son Zhao Camp Commander and his wife, Hua Fengzhen, had worked hard to have. He was the apple of their eye.

Zhao Camp Commander ruffled Zhao Xiaodong’s head, “Eat slowly; no one’s going to take it from you. Look at you.”

Zhao Xiaodong didn’t care. He had been playing with his friends all morning and was starving.

Hua Fengzhen and Zhao Xiaomai sat at the table. Hua Fengzhen stirred her noodles and asked Zhao Camp Commander, “Is Camp Commander Chen’s cousin, the girl who came yesterday, planning to find a soldier to marry here and settle down?”

Yesterday at noon, Camp Commander Chen said he didn’t have such a relative. Now, the whole family quarters knew he had a cousin. It must have been Tuan Commander Du’s wife who spread the word. Zhao Camp Commander slurped a large mouthful of noodles, bit into a clove of garlic, and said, “How would I know? Why would I ask Camp Commander Chen why his cousin came? Also,” he picked at his noodles, “next time you cook, add more oil. Look at this bowl; there’s not a single drop of oil.”

Hua Fengzhen guiltily lowered her head to eat her noodles, saying slowly, “We only have two oil coupons left. You’ll get your salary next month; what will we eat then?”

Zhao Camp Commander was startled, looking up at her, “Did you give our oil coupons to your family again?!”

Hua Fengzhen said softly, “My mother gave us some eggs.”

Zhao Camp Commander: …

How did he marry such a spendthrift woman? Anything at home, she’d give to her family!

He angrily said, “How many eggs did your mother give you?”

Hua Fengzhen said, “Ten.”

Zhao Camp Commander: …

Zhao Xiaomai quietly ate her noodles. She had actually gone to her grandmother’s house yesterday to give her oil coupons, and her grandmother had given her five eggs in return.

Not ten.

At Tuan Commander Du’s house, they also smelled the delicious aroma. The two houses were close, and the wind carried the scent over.

Tuan Commander Du took a bite of a corn cake and some dry, tasteless stir-fried cabbage. He sniffed, his mouth watering. His younger son, Du Jianming, sitting next to him, also sniffed hard. He had been working in the fields all day and was so tired he could barely lift his arms and legs. The fragrant food made him extremely hungry.

He nudged Tuan Commander Du’s foot and whispered, “Dad, when did Grandma Chen’s cooking become so fragrant? I don’t smell any meat, but it smells so good.”

Tuan Commander Du took a bite of a corn cake, “How would I know?”

Zhang Xiaoe came out of the kitchen with a bowl, also smelling the aroma. She sniffed, put down her bowl, and wanted to peek over the wall to see what Grandma Chen was cooking that smelled so good. Before she could take two steps, Tuan Commander Du called her back, “Sit down!”

The sudden shout startled Zhang Xiaoe. She glared at Tuan Commander Du, sat down, took a sip of porridge, and looked up at him, “Lao Du, I don’t think that was Auntie Hou who cooked. Could it be Camp Commander Chen’s cousin?”

Tuan Commander Du took a large bite of a corn cake, his speech slurred, “Don’t worry about other people’s business.”

But if it was the girl who had cooked, he envied Chen Xu. The boy would have a good life.

In Chen’s small courtyard, golden-yellow chili and green vegetable cakes were on the small square table, and a large bowl of cornmeal porridge was in front of Chen Xu. The aroma of the food was strong and fragrant.

This was the most delicious meal Chen Xu had ever eaten, even better than the mess hall.

He took a chili and green vegetable cake and took a bite. The slight spiciness and fresh aroma of the greens blended together, with the chewy cornmeal, making it very appetizing.

Chen Xu ate more than usual. Even Grandma Chen ate a little more. Looking at Wen Nan’s fair skin, she felt even more that Wen Nan’s uncle was a terrible person. Such a good niece, capable and a good cook, who had received so much money from her brother, yet treated her niece like that. He deserved retribution.

After lunch, Chen Xu went to the regiment. Wen Nan volunteered to wash the dishes, but Grandma Chen stopped her. Someone came to the house—Zhao Xiaomai, the daughter of Camp Commander Zhao. She carried a large basket, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack, and peeked into Chen’s courtyard. Seeing Wen Nan at the doorway, she smiled, “Wen Nan.”

Grandma Chen looked from the window, curiously asking, “Do you two know each other?”

Wen Nan said, “We rode the same donkey cart back yesterday.”

Grandma Chen smiled, “Alright, don’t stay in the kitchen. Go out for a walk with Xiaomai and get familiar with our family quarters.”

Wen Nan didn’t insist on washing the dishes and went out with Zhao Xiaomai.

This was Wen Nan’s first time openly observing the family quarters in the daytime. Every household’s courtyard was next to each other, separated only by a wall. Military wives and children came and went, bustling with activity. Everyone who met would stop to chat. Zhao Xiaomai looked at Wen Nan, noticing her pretty clothes and fair skin. Looking at her own patched-up clothes and calloused hands, she felt envious.

She had heard her parents talking about Camp Commander Chen’s cousin at the dinner table.

Auntie Zhang had told her mother that Wen Nan’s parents had died early, and she had been living with her grandmother. Her grandmother must have loved her very much to dress her so well and keep her skin so fair. One wouldn’t know she wasn’t from the city.

“What are you carrying that basket for?”

Wen Nan followed Zhao Xiaomai, noticing she was going towards Xinghua Village, and asked.

Zhao Xiaomai came to her senses, smiling, “I’m going to pick pitcher plants. There’s a pig farm in Xinghua Village Commune, and I sometimes pick pitcher plants for the pigs.” She smiled shyly, “My mother wants me to earn some money for my dowry. We’re poor, and she can’t give me much.”

She looked at Zhao Xiaomai, a thin, slightly shorter girl, who didn’t seem very old, but still asked, “Xiaomai, how old are you?”

Zhao Xiaomai said, “Eighteen. My mother said she’ll introduce me to someone in the second half of the year and wants me to get married as soon as possible.”

She lowered her head and stopped talking.

She knew her mother thought she was wasting food at home. Since she wasn’t a boy and couldn’t carry on the Zhao family line, marrying her off would bring some dowry money. In her mother’s words, it was using her to exchange for money, since she had eaten a lot of food growing up.