Chapter 16: A Visit

**“I’ve never had this before, but Old Meng loves salty pickles like these.

Please, sit. I’ll pour you some water.”**

She brought out bowls of sugar water for the two of them. Momo took a sip; it was so sweet, almost cloying.

But this was the custom. Serving sugar water was the highest form of hospitality; the sweeter it was, the warmer the welcome.

“Thank you, Sister. I’ve only just arrived here, and I know I’ll be needing your help in the future. I hope you won’t mind lending me a hand when the time comes.”

**“Don’t be polite. If there’s something you need, just say it. If I can help, I will.

And Momo, you really are beautiful. They say the women of Jiangnan are the most delicate and pretty, but I think you outshine them all.”**

“Thank you, Sister. I can only thank my parents for giving me this face.”

She had heard compliments often enough that she no longer felt awkward responding.

“Sister, Commander, our place still isn’t set up properly. Hosting a meal will have to wait another couple of weeks, maybe half a month. By then, the evenings will be cooler, we’ll gather in the courtyard and make it lively.”

“No rush at all. Just let me know when, and I’ll come help you cook.”

After chatting with Commander Meng and his wife a little longer, the couple excused themselves. Today’s visit was mostly about introductions anyway, after all, Commander Meng was Xingchen’s direct superior.

When they had gone, Sister Meng closed the door and smiled.

“Vice-Commander Lin really found himself a beauty. Like someone from a painting. All those phrases I learned in school to describe beautiful women, they turn out to be true.”

“Don’t underestimate her. She’s Commander Su’s sister, and her younger brother, Su Tinghao, is the most outstanding recruit in the new battalion. A family that can raise three such exceptional children isn’t ordinary.”

Commander Meng didn’t know the brothers’ background in detail; after all, the Su family deliberately kept it hidden to toughen their younger generation. But anyone with sharp eyes could tell the siblings carried the bearing of a great family.

“People really are different. Did you see the aura that girl carried? No wonder she married Vice-Commander Lin, an orphan. With her background, she doesn’t need her husband’s family to support her.”

“And what’s wrong with being an orphan? Young Lin is only twenty-three. Give him five more years, and you’ll see. Things will look very different then.”

Commander Meng sighed. He was already nearing forty, too old to go on missions. He could only rely on seniority and wait for promotion. But Lin Xingchen, just twenty-three, only half a rank below him, inevitably, there was comparison, though it was better left unsaid.

Meanwhile, Momo and Xingchen had returned home. Xingchen took his bicycle and rode out toward Chen Village.

Back at the house, her brothers were still working.

“Brother, Hao, drink some mung bean water first. The heat’s terrible today; you’ll get heatstroke.”

“Ah, refreshing! Chilled in the well; it’s perfect.”

Tinghao wiped his mouth after gulping it down. Both brothers were drenched with sweat from turning the soil.

“Momo, we’ll come again tomorrow evening. Xingchen found people to build the bathhouse and toilet. They’ll be done by tomorrow night, guaranteed.”

“Mm. Then I’ll cook something extra good tomorrow. I’ll go buy meat in the morning. Brother, I’ll make your favorite pork trotters stewed with soybeans.”

“Great! You’re working so hard, Momo. Here, take this.”

Su Tingjie pulled a roll of bills from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Brother, why are you giving me so much money?”

“This is your dowry. The ration coupons inside, I saved them myself. Buy whatever you want.”

It looked to be close to a thousand yuan, an enormous sum. He hadn’t been a battalion commander long; this was basically his life savings.

“Sis, I haven’t been in the army long, but this hundred yuan is everything I’ve saved. Take it too,  for your dowry.”

Tinghao had been enlisted for less than half a year. His monthly pay was just a few yuan. Once you became a soldier, you didn’t rely on family support; being a man meant standing on your own.

“Thank you, Brother, thank you, Hao. I’ll keep it safe.”

There was no need for formality between family. Later, when her brothers found women they loved, she would help them in return. After all, all of the Su family’s savings, tens of thousands, were in her keeping.

Seeing her accept it, both brothers smiled in relief. Their sister was married now, but she hadn’t distanced herself from them. They would always be one family.

“Keep your dowry safe. Don’t let Xingchen know about it. His salary is enough for your household. Don’t give him too much; men with too much money in hand can go astray.”

Su Tingjie’s words were steady and serious—the way of an elder brother, like a father. Only three years older, but already with the authority of a family head.

Momo didn’t mind the lecture. She nodded again and again, warmed by their concern, until Xingchen returned.

“Wife, Carpenter Liu finished two storage shelves. He asked me to bring them over for you.”

“Exactly what we needed! His workmanship is excellent. Put them in the kitchen for now, I’ll arrange things.”

Custom-made furniture was solid; these shelves would last ten years easily. In later days, they’d cost at least a hundred or two.

Momo busied herself in the kitchen, carefully arranging everything: spices on the top shelf, jars of pickles on the bottom, vegetables in the middle. The other shelf held bowls and eggs at the top, more vegetables in the middle, and the bottom was left empty for now.

When she was done, she nodded in satisfaction. Clean, neat, and pleasant to look at.

“Ah-Chen, don’t forget to drink your mung bean soup.”

The words Ah-Chen on her lips sent a shiver down Xingchen’s spine. No one had ever called him that. To others, he was always “Little Lin” or “Vice-Commander Lin.”

“Wife, that’s the first time anyone’s called me that.”

(And it sounds wonderful, he thought privately, his heart leaping like a child’s.)

“Then I’ll always call you that.. Ah-Chen.”

“Good. I’ll go help your brothers plant the vegetables now.”

Even his back as he walked away radiated joy. Watching him, Momo couldn’t help smiling silently.

The small plot, just an acre and a bit, was quickly planted according to Xingchen’s plan. The remaining space was reserved for next month’s cabbage and potatoes.

By the time they finished, it was already half past eight.

“Ah-Chen, when’s your next day off?”

“End of the month. I’ll go to the hospital, then to collect family-planning supplies.”

“Who asked about that? I meant, on your day off, let’s go to the supply co-op to buy more meat. I can’t carry much on my own, and we need plenty for when we host the meal.”

Riding a bicycle alone all that way was dull; she wanted someone to chat with on the road.

“Alright. We’ll go together then. As for grain, no need to buy; it can be ordered from logistics if we pay. Easier than going all the way to the co-op.”

That was one of the benefits—convenient and reliable.

“Rice and flour, we don’t need yet; we have enough. Let’s stock up on cornmeal instead. We can use it for steamed buns, dumplings, noodles, everything.”

Eating coarse grains was healthier. Even in later years, when Momo cooked for herself, she always mixed rice with coarse grains.