Chapter 29: Borrowing Clothes Isn’t Appropriate, Right?

Zhang Xiangnan and the others exchanged glances, understanding immediately. Just then, Hua Yuanyuan came out, so they changed the subject.

She had heard her younger brother’s words earlier. That stinky boy could be quite clueless sometimes.

There were four of them, so she didn’t call them individually; she simply ignored their names.

“Shall we go and have a look at the greenhouse?”

“Great!”

Several people enthusiastically responded, eager to see if their hard work had actually yielded vegetables.

They lifted the curtain at the greenhouse entrance. As soon as the door opened, a wave of warm air rushed out; the temperature inside was higher than outside.

Hua Yuanyuan led the way in. The first thing that caught their eye was row after row of lush green seedlings.

A vibrant, energetic feeling filled the air; they stood as straight and alert as sentries.

“Girl, did it work?”

“They’re growing so well!”

“It’s only been a few days, they’ve grown so fast.”

“This vegetable growing technique is really amazing!”

They showered the plants with praise, each person adding their own comment.

The brother and sister smiled happily, enjoying the compliments.

Their eyebrows and eyes were similar; as they smiled at each other, it was as if they were saying, “Give us more compliments.”

Both felt the praise was directed at them, but in reality, it was for their father.

Hua Youcai returned to hear Xiao Zhang and the others praising his vegetables. “You guys came over? The vegetables are pretty good, aren’t they?”

“Uncle, we never expected your vegetable-growing skills to be so good.”

“Exactly, we wouldn’t have guessed you used to grow vegetables professionally.”

“Uncle, your yard back home has all kinds of vegetables, and you don’t spend a cent…”

Some of the seeds for the seedlings were saved from their own harvest, kept year after year. Hua Youcai preferred to save more rather than less; Hua Yuanyuan even bought a lot more during the mountain fair.

Amid Hua Youcai’s unreserved boasting, a busy day began.

Hua Fangfang was the flexible one, working in the field for a while and then going home to see if his sister needed his help with cooking.

Hua Yuanyuan, as the head chef, made large steamed buns for lunch.

She prepared the dough and the filling, making sure to add plenty of meat.

The pig they slaughtered before the New Year had truly served them well. This year, they would raise a few more pigs; there was still plenty of space in the greenhouse.

Last Saturday, Hua Youcai had specifically gone to the market to buy vegetables, purchasing a large block of tofu, as well as dandelion and fragrant tree sprouts freshly picked by nearby villagers.

The first month of the lunar calendar was almost over. After the sun came out, working in the field for a while made them sweat.

It was still cold in the mornings and evenings, but noticeably warmer at noon.

The proximity of the field to their home had many advantages. For example, during the busy farming season, they didn’t have to deliver meals to the field; they could simply go home to eat.

The hot buns, paired with cold shredded cabbage and radish soup, were a perfect meal.

The Hua family’s food was both substantial and delicious; Zhang Xiangnan and the others felt their hard work was well rewarded.

Compared to the usual food in the army, or even occasional home-cooked meals, nothing could compare to the Hua family’s cooking.

Hao Li arrived at the Hua family’s gate just as it was time for lunch. “Uncle, I’m here…”

They had just finished washing their hands and were about to start eating.

“Hao Li, you came at just the right time.”

“Exactly, you’re right on time.”

“Yeah, we’ve been working all morning, and you haven’t done anything and you’re here to eat.”

“Who says you have to work to eat? You can come over to Uncle’s place anytime you want to eat. Xiao Hao, come on!”

…

Hua Yuanyuan and her younger brother carried a basin of buns to deliver to their sisters-in-law. Three buns per family; the large buns were enough for the sisters-in-law and their children.

Hua Youcai told Zhang Xiangnan and the others to have their families come over for dinner, but they didn’t come, so Hua Yuanyuan and her brother came to deliver the buns.

Hua Youcai meant that compared to this food, the help Zhang Xiangnan and the others provided was much greater; the three of them would need ten or fifteen days to finish the two greenhouses.

Yang Jing welcomed them into the house. This was her first time meeting Hua Yuanyuan, and she was surprised by her beauty. She didn’t look like a country girl at all.

Captain Wang must have been blind; what kind of eyesight was that? Such a beautiful wife, and he got divorced.

Especially when she smiled, her whole person seemed to glow, her eyes warm and welcoming, making you feel her kindness.

“Sister-in-law, I made these buns. Please try them and see what you think.”

“Girl, I don’t need to try them to know how delicious they are. Sister-in-law won’t be polite.”

“Don’t be polite. Sister-in-law, if you want to eat anything, just tell me.”

Hua Yuanyuan had heard from her father that Zhang Xiangnan’s wife didn’t seem to be in good health and couldn’t eat much. At a glance, she could see that she was too thin.

Although people at this time were generally undernourished and thin, the sister-in-law was even thinner than average.

The other three families all had children, all thin and small, their eyes glued to the buns, their mouths watering.

Hua Yuanyuan had seen these three sisters-in-law at the mountain fair; they had exchanged a few words before leaving.

Hua Yuanyuan arrived home to see her father and the others already working in the field. They ate like they were racing, finishing in a few minutes.

In the field, the men worked and talked at the same time.

Every time Hao Li went on a blind date, he would be lectured by his brothers beforehand.

It wasn’t very effective; he remained single, but he still enjoyed it.

Before the blind date, he was lectured on how to behave.

After the blind date, they would continue to advise him on how to proceed with future meetings.

Zhang Xiangnan and the others had been married for many years. When Hao Li first started going on blind dates, they didn’t say much. It was only after his repeated failures that they started lecturing him.

Their so-called lectures had no theoretical basis; they couldn’t help but worry.

His brothers kept urging him to talk, talk, talk, even Uncle Hua wouldn’t leave his side, clearly wanting to hear…

“I’ve listened to all of you; all the girls took the initiative to talk to me…”

Zhang Xiangnan: “…All the girls? What’s going on with you? First, identify your target, then…”

“Stop, Lao Zhang, don’t give your opinion yet. Let’s wait until Hao Li finishes speaking.”

Liu Jianye quickly stopped him. This had happened before. Last time, this stinky boy Hao Li got annoyed by their nagging and stopped talking halfway through, no matter how much they asked.

“Okay, okay, you go first.”

“Uncle, stay away from me, don’t let the bamboo stick hit you.”

He chuckled and stepped back a couple of steps. “It’s okay, it won’t hit me. You continue.”

The interrupted Hao Li just started talking about whatever came to mind. “Oh, right, I didn’t wear my uniform; I wore my own clothes.”

Liu Fugui looked at Hao Li’s clothes, his brows furrowed tightly.

The expressions on the others’ faces were also wrong. No way? It shouldn’t be, right?

“I wore these clothes. Why are you making such a fuss? You know I have several sets of clothes, right?”

“You could have just told me, you could have worn my clothes!”

Zhang Xiangnan couldn’t help but flare up again.

“Should I tell the girl that these clothes aren’t mine, that I borrowed them from a comrade? Isn’t that inappropriate?”

…

This blind date was jointly organized by several units in the army and local areas to help single men and women find partners.

It gave both sides a chance to get to know each other, and if they hit it off, they could develop a relationship freely.

The success rate was so-so; a few couples would usually get together.

Compared to one-on-one blind dates, it had its advantages and disadvantages.

For these events, the girls all had jobs, and officers were relatively popular locally.

Another advantage was that there was no problem of separation after marriage.

In the same city, even if they didn’t follow the military, it would be easy to see each other.

Unlike those who lived far apart, the travel expenses and time spent traveling back and forth were both time-consuming and expensive.