Chapter 43: Seventh Fu, the Old Ox Eating Young Grass  

Su Ruanruan glanced out the window and could hear the sound of the car gradually fading into the distance.  

“Has he left?”  

Fu Wenjing nodded slightly. “Yes, he has. Wife, you sit for a moment. I’ll fetch a basin of water to wipe down the kang.”  

Su Ruanruan certainly wouldn’t just sit and wait while letting Fu Wenjing do all the work alone. She followed him into the kitchen.  

The water vat was covered with a wooden board. When Fu Wenjing lifted it, he saw that the vat was full of water.  

As he walked out, he said: “There should be some firewood in the courtyard. I’ll bring some in to boil water, so you can freshen up later. But there’s no big basin, so you’ll have to make do for now. I’ll get one tomorrow.”  

Su Ruanruan didn’t stay idle either. She scooped some water into a basin and carried it into the eastern room.  

There was no rag in the house, so she tore a piece from an old, nearly unusable garment to use as a cleaning cloth.  She wiped the kang mat, the small table on the kang, the kang cabinet, then moved on to the square table, the desk, and the bookshelf.  

When Fu Wenjing came back in, he also tore a piece of cloth and joined her in cleaning.  

They changed the water twice before finally making everything spotless.  

By then, the water on the stove had also boiled. Fu Wenjing mixed it with cold water to make a warm basin, carried it inside, and handed it to Su Ruanruan. “You freshen up first.” he said, then turned back to the kitchen to tidy up.  

After more than twenty hours of travel and all the cleaning just now, Su Ruanruan felt sticky and uncomfortable.  

Even though she could only wipe herself down, she had no complaints.  

After cleaning herself and changing into sleepwear, she felt refreshed and relaxed.  

She carried the used water to the kitchen, only to find that Fu Wenjing had already tidied up everything.  

His efficiency was truly impressive, leaving Su Ruanruan in awe.  

“I’m done washing. You should go freshen up too.” Su Ruanruan said to him.  

But Fu Wenjing shook his head. “No rush. It’s already daylight. I’ll go fetch some more water first and fill up the vat.”  

As he spoke, he explained to Su Ruanruan that there was a water tower in the compound, but since the area was large, the pipes weren’t connected to individual households. Each section of the compound had a communal water pool where people could wash clothes and vegetables.  

However, for convenience, every household kept a large vat at home. When the water ran low, they would fetch more from the pool.  

“Is it already morning?”

Su Ruanruan was surprised and turned to look outside. Sure enough, the sky had already brightened.  

Had they really been busy the entire night?  

Fu Wenjing picked up two buckets and went out to fetch water, while Su Ruanruan stood at the doorway, taking in the view of the courtyard.  

A brick path ran through the center of the courtyard, with overgrown land on both sides.  

Judging by the lush growth of weeds, the soil here was quite fertile.  

It would be a shame not to plant some vegetables in such rich soil.  

As Su Ruanruan was contemplating what could be grown, she saw Fu Wenjing returning with two full buckets of water.  

The water vat had been completely emptied, so Fu Wenjing first poured in a little water, scrubbed the vat clean, and then emptied the rest of the water into it.  

The vat was large, and even after pouring in both buckets, it was only one-third full.  

Fu Wenjing made two more trips before finally filling it to the brim.  

By then, it was already past six in the morning. Fu Wenjing retrieved two aluminum lunch boxes and said: “I’ll go get breakfast. Wife, don’t fall asleep before eating.”  

“I know, go and come back quickly.”  

Watching Fu Wenjing walk out the gate, Su Ruanruan turned back into the eastern room, unpacked her belongings, and began organizing.  

The cotton-padded jacket and pants that Wang Maoni had made for Fu Wenjing were tucked away in the deepest part of the kang cabinet. It was still summer, so they wouldn’t be needed for a while.  

There weren’t many clothes in the cabinet—at a glance, everything was either green or white, all military uniforms and shirts.  

Su Ruanruan placed her own clothes beside them and stored the fabric she had brought at the bottom of the cabinet.  

As for the various pickled vegetables, dried vegetables, and mushrooms she had brought, she took them to the kitchen and carefully organized them by type.  

The cupboard was completely empty. Not only were oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar missing, but even bowls, chopsticks, and plates were nowhere to be found.  

Although Fu Wenjing had mentioned before that he always ate at the canteen, Su Ruanruan still couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of such an empty kitchen.  

This was truly the lifestyle of a bachelor.  

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard voices at the front gate.  

“Seventh Fu is back? When did he arrive?”  

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan immediately turned and walked out. Just as she reached the kitchen door, she saw a woman stepping through the front gate.

The woman appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She had short, ear-length hair and wore a white short-sleeved Dacron shirt tucked neatly into a pair of gray trousers, giving her a sharp and capable appearance.  

As Su Ruanruan looked at her, the woman also stared back in surprise.  

After a brief moment, the woman was the first to speak. “And you are?”  

Su Ruanruan smiled slightly. “I am Fu Wenjing’s wife.”  

“Oh my!” the woman exclaimed, her face full of astonishment. “Seventh Fu, huh? After all these years of not coming home, he finally returns and even brings back a wife! And such a young and beautiful one at that! This is truly an old ox eating young grass!”  

Fu Wenjing was seven years older than Su Ruanruan, so the phrase wasn’t entirely inaccurate.  

Before Su Ruanruan could respond, the woman quickly stepped forward. “Little sister, what’s your name? How old are you? I live right next door to you. My surname is Niu, and my fullname is Niu Guifang. My husband is an instructor in the Third Company—he works with Seventh Fu. My husband and I are both older than Seventh Fu, so he calls me Sister-in-law. You can call me that too.”  

Niu Guifang was straightforward and lively, speaking quickly and confidently. Throughout their conversation, she maintained a bright and friendly smile.  

Even though it was their first meeting, Su Ruanruan didn’t feel any discomfort toward her.  

“Hello, Sister-in-law. My name is Su Ruanruan. I’m eighteen this year.”  

“Oh my!” Niu Guifang exclaimed again. “So young! Ruanruan, when did you two arrive?”  

Ruanruan?  

Hearing Niu Guifang call her that, Su Ruanruan nearly burst into laughter but managed to hold it in at the last moment.  

“We arrived a little after three in the morning.” she answered.  

“Goodness, arriving in the middle of the night? That must have been exhausting! Have you even had any rest? Where’s Seventh Fu?”  

“He went to get food. He said we should eat something before resting.”  

Niu Guifang nodded repeatedly. “That’s a good idea. You won’t sleep well on an empty stomach. Since you just got here, take today to rest properly. Tomorrow, I’ll take you around—this place is actually quite lively!”  

She glanced around the courtyard and shook her head. “Seventh Fu’s courtyard is always left empty. Such good land going to waste! Now that he’s married, at least this place will get properly taken care of. You should plant some vegetables, maybe even raise a couple of chickens. That way, you two can cook your own meals.”  

Then, as if suddenly thinking of something, she added: “If you want to raise chickens, I can take you to get some chicks later.”  

Su Ruanruan had already been considering this before coming here. She hadn’t expected Niu Guifang to bring it up first.  

She immediately nodded in gratitude. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Thank you in advance, Sister-in-law!”