Chapter 49.2

The next morning, the family of three woke up at the same time. The advantage of going to bed early was that they woke up as soon as the sun rose.

And they woke up completely refreshed.

“My story.” Chuchu cried out, looking at Qin Qingman and Wei Ling’s bedding. He had been eagerly awaiting the story the previous night, but as he waited, his eyelids grew heavy. He thought he’d just rest for a couple of minutes, but those few minutes turned out to be much longer than expected. When he opened his eyes again, it was already the next day.

What a loss!

By the time Chuchu spoke, Qin Qingman and Wei Ling had already disentangled their limbs, though they were still in the same blanket, with no unusual signs.

“Sis, no way, you have to make up the story for me today.” Chuchu pouted and scrambled out of his blanket, lunging at Qin Qingman.

“You fell asleep on your own, whose fault is that? Don’t blame me, it has nothing to do with me.” Qin Qingman, experienced in dealing with such antics, rolled away from Chuchu’s attempt, twisting the blanket around herself to avoid him.

The bed was large enough for the siblings to roll around on.

“Sis, you didn’t call me last night.” Not managing to catch Qin Qingman, Chuchu quickly wrapped himself up in his blanket and lunged at her again.

Though the room was warm, it was still a little chilly without the blanket.

Qin Qingman wasn’t about to let Chuchu accuse her. She defended herself, “I called you, but you were sleeping so soundly. Even if I called, it wouldn’t have woken you up.” She had indeed called him softly last night, but after a few attempts, seeing that Chuchu was deep asleep, she had tucked him in instead.

“Really… really?”

Chuchu stopped trying to lunge at Qin Qingman and instead looked at Wei Ling, his eyes full of doubt and insecurity.

“Yes, I’ll vouch for it.” Wei Ling sat up and confirmed, reaching for his clothes on the side to put them on.

“Ah Ling, it’s cold in the morning, put on your sweater.” Qin Qingman looked at Wei Ling’s shirt and immediately felt a chill. She couldn’t help but remind him.

“Got it.” Wei Ling nodded.

“Brother-in-law, you’re in great shape.” Chuchu, wrapped up in his blanket, gazed enviously at Wei Ling’s solid physique under his shirt. His Brother-in-law had a tall, muscular build, and the shirt fit him perfectly, looking great.

Wei Ling, noticing Chuchu’s admiration, patted the boy’s head. “When you’re older, I’ll take you to train. In the future, your body will be as strong and healthy as mine.” He genuinely planned to help the child improve his fitness.

Chuchu had a weaker constitution than most children, so once his nutrition improved and he exercised more, he would be able to grow stronger, just like any normal person.

“Okay, I’ll be as great as Brother-in-law when I grow up.” Chuchu’s little face broke into a big smile.

“Get up, we’re making ice lanterns today.” Qin Qingman looked at the conversation between the two with warmth in her eyes. It was already daylight, and she didn’t plan to stay in bed. To be honest, if Wei Ling weren’t home, she would probably stay in bed for another two hours with Chuchu.

In the middle of winter, waking up early meant getting hungry earlier, and sleeping longer helped conserve energy.

When Chuchu heard that they were going to make ice lanterns, he forgot about the cold and immediately got out of bed.

Wei Ling was the first to get up and go to the main room to start the fire in the stove. While waiting for the room to warm up, he also shoveled out the ash from under the stove. Chuchu took the ash and went to clean out the goose pen.

The ash was useful for many things, including cleaning the goose pen and disinfecting it.

After cleaning the pen, the boy gathered the ash and waste together and carried it out to the backyard garden, where it would be piled up in the corner to be used as fertilizer for the next spring.

The two men, one big and one small, were busy at work. By the time Qin Qingman got up, the hot water in the kettle was already ready.

It was time to wash up.

After washing up, the family worked together to make breakfast.

There was still some fish left over from yesterday’s stew, and this morning, Qin Qingman planned to make noodles. Making noodles was the most convenient, as it didn’t require long hours of proofing. After mixing the dough, she just let it rest by the stove for half an hour.

Chuchu dug out some pickled cabbage from the jar.

Having something sour with the noodles was both appetizing and delicious. For families like theirs, pickled cabbage was an essential part of every meal.

“Sis, when can we make dumplings?”

While washing the pickled cabbage, Chuchu was reminded of the dumplings he had eaten when his mother was still alive. Since their parents had passed, they hadn’t had dumplings for a long time.

“Tonight, we’ll make dumplings.” Qin Qingman immediately agreed, understanding Chuchu’s longing.

It was just a meal of dumplings. She had plenty of grain, enough for the family to eat, so tonight she would make dumplings with plain flour. Since Wei Ling had been at her house for these few days, they hadn’t made dumplings once, so tonight they would indulge a little—enjoying both stewed fish and dumplings.

“Sis, is this the hairy tofu? Why doesn’t it look any different?”

Chuchu couldn’t sit still for long and wasn’t the least bit shy. While Qin Qingman was directing Wei Ling to knead the dough and cut the noodles, Chuchu went over to the stove and lifted the straw mat on the willow basket to look at the tofu inside.

The tofu had fermented overnight, and though it was a bit different from fresh tofu, it hadn’t yet grown mold.

“Probably around ten days or so.” Qin Qingman didn’t stop him. She knew Chuchu had a sense of limit; he was just curious.

“Ten days?!”

Chuchu was a little disappointed. He had thought the hairy tofu would be ready much sooner.

“The cold weather makes it take longer. If it were late autumn, it would take about four to five days.” Qin Qingman replied as she stirred the pickled cabbage in the pan. She was planning to add it to the noodles later. Stir-frying it in lard would make it even more fragrant.

“Sis, it smells so good.”

The sour and fragrant aroma made Chuchu abandon his curiosity about the hairy tofu. He followed Qin Qingman, watching the cabbage sizzling in the pan.

“Chuchu, pass me the plate.”

As she spoke, Qin Qingman tossed a handful of green garlic shoots into the pan, quickly stirring them to release their fragrance.

The scent of garlic sprouts and the sour aroma of pickled cabbage mingled together, tantalizing the taste buds of the small family of three.

Chuchu quickly handed over a plate.

Wei Ling, on his end, had already cut the noodles and was simply waiting for the pickled cabbage to finish in the pan before boiling water to cook the noodles.

“Ah Ling, go to the kitchen and bring the braised fish. In a bit, we’ll make noodle soup with it as the topping.” Qin Qingman instructed Wei Ling while she scooped the pickled cabbage out of the pan.

Having an extra person at home made everything much more convenient.

In the past, she would have had to handle this herself, as Chuchu was still young and could only help so much.

“I’m on it.” Wei Ling replied.

The pickled cabbage Qin Qingman had fried early in the morning was making Wei Ling’s mouth water. Eagerly, he hurried off to the kitchen to get the braised fish.

A few minutes later, the three of them sat by the stove, happily slurping up the chewy noodles.

The noodles Wei Ling kneaded and cut tasted better than those Qin Qingman made herself; they were chewier. Handmade noodles are all the tastier when they have a good chew to them, making them delicious whether served in soup or as dry noodles with sauce.

“Delicious.”

Both Qin Qingman and Chuchu had small appetites, so one bowl of noodles was enough to satisfy them.

But it was different for Wei Ling. As a martial artist, his appetite was larger than most, and being a man, he could eat twice as much as both Qin Qingman and Chuchu combined.

Only after finishing nearly half an enamel basin of noodles did he finally feel full.

Fortunately, he was at the rank of regiment level now, and his job was with the military. If he had an ordinary job, he would probably never feel full on a regular basis, given his appetite.

Qin Qingman and Chuchu looked at Wei Ling with a bit of envy.

Wei Ling, feeling their gaze, became slightly embarrassed, his earlobes turning a bit red.

“Ah Ling, we admire you. As the old saying goes, ‘a good appetite is a blessing,’ it means your body is in good health.” Qin Qingman explained when she noticed Wei Ling’s embarrassment. She truly didn’t mind his large appetite; people in good shape naturally eat more than others.

Chuchu nodded seriously, “Brother-in-law, watching you eat makes everything look so tasty. If my stomach weren’t so small, I’d want another bowl myself.”

The child was telling the truth—Qin Qingman’s cooking skills were exceptional, and the way Wei Ling ate made everything look so appetizing that it triggered Chuchu’s appetite even more.

If it weren’t for Qin Qingman stopping him, he would have eaten even more. Luckily, he hadn’t; Chuchu now felt particularly full.

“Only eat until you’re about seventy percent full.” Qin Qingman explained when she noticed Chuchu’s thoughts. “When people eat, there’s a few-minute delay before the brain registers fullness. So when you feel seventy percent full, your stomach is actually full already. That’s why, after putting down your chopsticks and waiting a few minutes, you suddenly feel completely full.”

“Yes, seventy percent is enough for each meal.” Wei Ling nodded in agreement with his wife.

Although he ate a lot, he was indeed only seventy percent full.

“I… I’ll listen to Sister and Brother-in-law.” Chuchu said quickly, seeing how serious Qin Qingman and Wei Ling looked. He managed to control both his appetite and his thoughts.

“Good boy.” Qin Qingman reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately.

“Hehehe.” the child giggled happily.

He loved these days—there was food at home, his sister was happy, and they had a brother-in-law to protect them. Every day, the family lived in joy and peace, carefree and content.

Life was good.

“Chuchu, I remember Colonel Wang gave you a fountain pen. You should take good care of it, and when you’ve improved your handwriting, you can use it to practice properly.” Qin Qingman reminded him, recalling that Wang Chengping had given Chuchu a pen when they last visited the division headquarters.

After they returned, she hadn’t asked him about it again. Now, she reminded him to keep it safe.

A gift from an elder carries sentimental value, far beyond the gift itself, because it represents their expectations and hopes.

“Sister, I wrapped it in paper and put it in a box.” Chuchu reported dutifully to Qin Qingman.

Qin Qingman remembered that Colonel Wang had taken the pen directly off his desk and handed it to Chuchu, which meant it had already been inked and was in use.

A used fountain pen, if not stored properly, could leak ink.

Qin Qingman and Wei Ling exchanged glances, both feeling a hint of unease.

“Ah Ling, take Chuchu outside to check on the ice blocks and think about what kind of ice lantern to carve.” Qin Qingman suggested, finding an excuse to send Wei Ling and Chuchu outside. She needed to inspect the box; if the fountain pen wasn’t tightly closed, any ink leakage would be a disaster.

Many of their belongings were stored in that box.

Wei Ling understood Qin Qingman’s intention, bundled Chuchu up warmly, and led him out of the hall.

A light snow had fallen the night before, once again blanketing everything in white. Fortunately, it wasn’t heavy, so the roof could bear the weight. Even so, nearly every household in the village was already busy shoveling snow.

People were clearing snow off their roofs and from their courtyards, while Zheng Anguo had organized the militia to clear the village’s roads, with Qin Jianming and his brother along with Liu Sangunzi helping out.

The militia earned work points for clearing roads in the winter, but the three troublemakers—Qin Jianming, his brother, and Liu Sangunzi—weren’t earning any. They were working off their misdeeds.

Days of road clearing in the village and on the path leading to the town had left them exhausted, with frostbite on their hands. When they were working, their fingers stung from the cold, and during breaks, the frostbitten areas itched unbearably. They were utterly miserable.

If given the chance to go back and make a different choice, all three would avoid any thoughts of stealing Qin Qingman’s wild boar meat. The lesson had cut so deep it would stay with them for life.

The mere thought of spring and the back-breaking, grueling labor that awaited them made the Qin brothers and Liu Sangunzi feel hopeless.

How could they have been so foolish as to set themselves up this way?

As Qin Jianming and his companions worked dejectedly behind the militia, Chuchu spotted them.

Pointing to the trio, Chuchu complained to Wei Ling and thanked him for setting up the trap in the courtyard. Without that trap, most of their meat would surely have been stolen. Even now, Chuchu was still greatly annoyed with the three troublemakers.

“They’ve already been punished accordingly. If they leave us alone from now on, we’ll ignore them. But if they dare mess with our family again, Brother-in-law will make sure they regret it.” Wei Ling said, picking up a wooden board meant for clearing snow off the roof and getting to work.

“Alright, I’ll listen to Brother-in-law.”

Chuchu eagerly ran off to fetch a shovel.

After the snow from the roof was cleared, they still needed to clean up the pile below. With the frequent snow this winter, the village often had to shovel; as it was, the snow thickness was manageable. But if left unchecked for two weeks or a month, the snow would pile up higher than a person.

Wei Ling, with his strength and steady movements, quickly cleared the roof. With the sound of snow sliding down, he had the entire roof clean in about ten minutes.

When he reached the west side of the roof, he carefully avoided the three snowmen under the eaves.

“Brother-in-law, here you go.” Chuchu, small as he was, could barely lift the shovel, let alone use it efficiently. He had to drag it over to Wei Ling to pass it on for the second stage of snow clearing.

Wei Ling took the shovel and began the next round of work.

After working for a while, Wei Ling started to sweat. He took off his cotton coat and draped it over Chuchu, then continued shoveling snow.

The long cotton coat draped over the small Chuchu trailed on the ground. But since the ground was icy, the coat stayed clean despite touching it. Chuchu wrapped himself up tightly in the oversized coat, grinning as he followed Wei Ling around.

Draped in the coat, Chuchu looked both amusing and adorable.

—o—o—o—