Chapter 103: The Perfect Duo

Wu Xiaohe smiled sweetly, her face beaming as she looked at Auntie Sunoutside the fence.

“Yes, yes, Xiaohe, when did you arrive?”

“I haven’t seen you in ages! You’re still so cultured and understanding!”

Granny Sun, who had been a little angry, immediately broke into a smile.

She knew Wu Xiaohe had received a good education and deliberately said that.

Last night, she heard her son mention that Captain Chen’s child was already four years old and had recently joined the army.

Young people, full of vigor, would have long met the conditions for joining the army. Who would be willing to leave their young and delicate wives at home alone?

Yet, Captain Chen was willing. What did that mean?

It meant that Captain Chen’s wife wasn’t very much to his liking.

Auntie Sun became more convinced as she thought about it.

Last year, when Wu Weiguo’s wife joined the army, Wu Xiaohe had sent her off.

At that time, she stayed in this house for over a month and became quite familiar with Auntie Sun.

“I arrived yesterday. How have you been, Auntie?”

“I’m fine, fine. I heard your sister-in-law is about to give birth. Are you here to help?”

“Yes, yes. There’s a lot going on at home, and my mother is too busy. I’m planning to stay here and help my second sister-in-law.”

“Oh, you’re such a helpful girl!”

“Your sister-in-law is so lucky to have a good sister-in-law like you. It must be a blessing from a past life!”

The two of them, one flattering the other, soon engaged in a lively conversation…

Li Xinyue rolled her eyes and glanced at the fence in the backyard: No gate, what a nuisance!

All sorts of cats and dogs could just wander in.

On her way back, Li Xinyue decided to modify the backyard first.

She didn’t want to grow vegetables.

Everyone in the neighborhood grew vegetables. It was easy to get them.

She wanted to turn the yard into a place to dry medicinal herbs. Currently, the pharmaceutical factory wasn’t buying fresh herbs.

But they would definitely buy processed medicinal herbs.

Huang Shengli had given her a phone number and address. After settling in, she planned to visit him.

Processing medicinal herbs was a skilled craft. Li Xinyue was a master in this area, having studied both Western and Chinese medicine.

As she left, Auntie Sun curled her lips.

“Captain Chen is so outstanding. How could he marry someone so rude?”

“He should have married a cultured girl like you! What a waste!”

Hearing this, Wu Xiaohe immediately blushed. “Granny, what are you saying!”

“Marriage is arranged by parents. We country folk don’t have a say in these matters.”

“As for education, it depends on the family’s circumstances. There aren’t many people in the countryside who have finished high school.”

“Especially for girls. In our three production teams, I’m the only one.”

What’s the point of a girl getting an education? She’ll just end up married off anyway!

Auntie Sun scoffed internally but smiled on the surface.

“Don’t just say it’s your village. Even among the families of the a-division, not many have finished high school.”

“Xiaohe, you’re a female scholar!”

“Hahaha… I’m flattered, Auntie!”

Even though junior high and high school were only two years each in this era, it was still quite rare for girls in the countryside to graduate from high school.

Wu Xiaohe beamed with pride, laughing out loud.

The two chatted for a while longer before Wu Xiaohe returned to the house.

“Sister-in-law, has Mingchuan come back from work yet?”

“My mother asked me to invite you to dinner at my brother’s house tonight.”

Li Xinyue disliked this kind of pointless socializing and even more so disliked interacting with this mother and daughter.

“Thank you, but we just arrived, and the house is still a mess. We won’t be able to go tonight.”

“Tell Auntie we appreciate the invitation.”

Suit yourself!

Wu Xiaohe really didn’t want Li Xinyue to go, she would have preferred Chen Mingchuan to go alone.

“Sister-in-law, maybe we should wait for Brother Mingchuan to come back before making a decision. He and my brother are very close comrades.”

Brother Mingchuan…

This Wu  Xiaohe really had no self-awareness!

An unmarried woman, calling a married man so affectionately, where was her face?

Li Xinyue rolled her eyes: “No need, I can make the decision.”

“He’s not free tonight, we have a lot of things to pack.”

“Sorry, the house is too messy, there’s no room to step, and the water isn’t boiled, so I won’t keep you!”

Wu Xiaohe: “…”

This person is so arrogant! She actually kicked me out?

Not going, huh? I’ll have my brother call you at the camp, let’s see if you can still make the decision!

Wu Xiaohe ran away, Chen Yiheng pouted: “Mom, I don’t like this aunt.”

Li Xinyue touched the little guy’s head, her face full of tenderness.

“If you don’t like her, then don’t like her. There’s no need to force yourself to like someone you don’t like.”

“But, we just keep our dislike in our hearts, don’t show it on the surface.”

“Okay, I understand!”

Chen Yiheng nodded obediently.

The child’s life hadn’t even begun, she couldn’t raise him to be someone who argued with everyone.

How he would treat the people he interacted with in the future, he would have to judge for himself.

Her son’s obedience made Li Xinyue smile happily.

“Okay, you play by yourself, Mom will clean up the house, your dad will be here to make the wardrobe later.”

“Okay, I’ll fold paper airplanes.”

“Okay.”

Because there was no place to put them, everything was spread out on the floor.

Li Xinyue put them away, preparing to put them on the table in the living room, as someone would be coming to work here later.

After re-tying the bundle, she carried it out and put it away, then went to the backyard to prepare to wash clothes.

But when she got to the backyard, she found that even the basins for soaking clothes and quilts were gone…

“Mom, Dad is back!”

Just as she was about to go out to look for clothes, Yiheng, who was playing with paper airplanes in the living room, ran in.

“What are you doing in the backyard?”

As she came out, Chen Mingchuan had already put down his handcart, and behind him was a string of soldiers.

These people were carrying things, some carrying, some carrying, it was exactly what she wanted.

Li Xinyue: “…”

Did he hire help?

“Chen Mingchuan, the backyard is ours, right?”

Chen Mingchuan didn’t understand, but he still nodded.

“Of course, every house has a small backyard, you can tell Xiao Zhang if you want to clean it up.”

“Xiao Zhang is from the camp housing department, he’s the best at doing this.”

With a professional, that’s the best.

Specialization is the key to success.

Li Xinyue was very happy: “But, you should go to the backyard and take a look first?”

“What’s wrong?”

Chen Mingchuan was a little puzzled.

Li Xinyue just wouldn’t say: “You go and take a look, then you’ll see. You haven’t seen this backyard before, right?”

How could he have seen it?

This house, along with the backyard, was just allocated to them, and he went on a special mission outside.

In recent years, he had been out almost all the time.

He would come back for a few days every month, and he would basically eat and sleep in the camp, he had never lived here for a day.

Sometimes, the families of young cadres in the camp would visit relatives and have nowhere to stay, so he would lend them his place.

Now, it had been months since anyone had lived here.

Chen Mingchuan immediately went to the backyard, and soon came out again.

“Liu Qiang!”

“Here!”

“Go to the backyard and take a look first, then go to the motor pool and tell Camp Commander Xiao about the backyard.”

“Yes!”