Chapter 30

“This is obvious, just look at the lights in the yard. It must be that little Lu’s family has moved in,” said a round-faced sister-in-law confidently.

“Ah, that little Lu, really, moving without even letting us know in advance. I must hurry home and pick some cucumbers and greens from the vegetable garden to send to little Lu’s family as a housewarming gift,” said the wife of Captain Zhao, patting her thigh and hurrying home with a hoe.

The other sisters-in-law also remembered that now that little Lu’s family had moved in, they should prepare a housewarming gift. Most of the military wives are from the countryside, home-oriented, and the gifts they give are usually food or daily necessities. Besides, nowadays, there’s not much else one can give.

The sisters-in-law hurried back to their homes, gathered the prepared items, and brought them to Lu’s family.

At this moment, in Lu’s small courtyard, Xiao Zhao and the others were laying a path in the yard using rainstones they had collected. Grandpa Jiang and his family of three were still picking stones by the creek. Several sisters-in-law pushed open the door and startled the two kids. Xiao Zhao often ran around the military district and had long recognized all the sisters-in-law. He jumped up and saluted them:

“Sisters-in-law, hello!”

“Well, well, Xiao Zhao, you really know how to speak,” said the wife of Captain Zhao, smiling. Hearing the noise outside, Lu Lin and his wife, who were in the kitchen, came out. Grandpa Jiang followed Lu Lin, and as soon as they stepped out, the sisters-in-law surrounded them.

“Ah, this must be little Lu’s family, they are really beautiful, so fresh and lively,” said the round-faced sister-in-law warmly, and the others nodded in agreement. Lu Lin smiled and introduced his wife:

“This is the wife of Captain Wang, this is the wife of Captain Zhao, this is the wife of Lieutenant Li, and this is the wife of Colonel Fang. You should call them sisters-in-law from now on.”

“Hello, sisters-in-law, my name is Jiang Chunzao. We just moved here from our hometown to the military district. These are my children, Shitou and Moli.”

After hearing Lu Lin’s introduction, Jiang Chunzao confidently called her children over to introduce them to the sisters-in-law, also instructing the kids to call them ‘aunt’ or ‘auntie.’

Shitou and Moli were very obedient to their mother and, when told to address the people, blinked their big eyes and politely said:

“Auntie, hello.”

“Well, well,” the sisters-in-law from the military district all had children of their own. However, their kids would run around all day, from school to the mountains and back, acting like wild little things, whether they were boys or girls. The sisters-in-law were used to seeing their own kids in such a rambunctious state, so when they saw the two obedient and cute little ones in front of them, they couldn’t help but be very fond of them. Each of them started searching their pockets for something tasty to give the children.

After a long time of rummaging through their pockets, none of them found anything to offer. They could only smile awkwardly and say:

“Look at us, we didn’t prepare anything. We didn’t bring anything tasty for the children.”

Jiang Chunzao smiled and said:

“Sisters-in-law, please don’t say that. You all have something in your hands already. The ones who should feel embarrassed are us. We just moved here and didn’t have time to prepare anything. Please don’t hold it against us.”

“Don’t mention it, don’t mention it. What’s there to hold against you?” The sisters-in-law were all cheerful and straightforward. Seeing that Jiang Chunzao was clever and talkative, they all complimented Lu Lin for being lucky to marry such a beautiful and witty wife. Their praise made Jiang Chunzao’s face flush again. Lu Lin didn’t blush, but even his handsome face seemed a bit warm.

The sisters-in-law chatted with them for a while. At first, they had planned to help tidy up at Lu’s home, but when they entered the house, they saw that everything had already been organized. They then realized that Lu Lin’s wife had brought her entire family along. They all praised Lu Lin’s family for their good fortune—he had a considerate husband, and her parents were so loving. Their hearts toward Jiang Chunzao became warmer and more understanding.

Especially Sister-in-law Fang. Earlier, due to issues with her daughter Fang Man, she had a quarrel with Colonel Fang and took her son back to her parents’ home. Colonel Fang had visited her father-in-law several times, hoping to bring his wife and son back, but he was scolded severely, and her mother didn’t give him a pleasant face. It wasn’t until Colonel Fang had kicked Fang Man out of the house that Sister-in-law Fang returned home with her son. Her father-in-law still wasn’t at ease, worrying that his daughter would suffer after returning to her in-laws.

When Colonel Fang came to pick up his wife and son, her father-in-law sternly lectured him, making him blush with embarrassment. When he got home, he treated his wife and son with extra care, acting all cautious. Even Sister-in-law Fang couldn’t help but laugh when she thought about it.

Before Lu Lin’s family arrived, Sister-in-law Fang only had a neutral impression of Jiang Chunzao. Now, after realizing that Jiang Chunzao, like herself, had been raised with love and care from her parents, she felt a deeper sense of closeness.

The sisters-in-law chatted for a while longer, but as they remembered their own family matters, they said their goodbyes and left to return home.

Jiang Chunzao saw the vegetables and eggs that the sisters-in-law had brought when she returned. She smiled and said to Lu Lin, who had just come out of the kitchen with some firewood:

“Just what we needed! We were short on a few vegetable dishes, and now the veggies the sisters-in-law brought are perfect.”

Lu Lin also smiled and came over to help his wife wash the vegetables. The couple chatted for a while, and from Lu Lin, Jiang Chunzao learned that in the military district, each family is allocated a piece of land. According to the military’s policy, Lu Lin’s family should be receiving about an acre of land.

Jiang Chunzao thought for a moment. Back when they were in Lujiacun Village, the village had a production team, and the land there was collectively farmed by the villagers. But the land allocated by the military district was different. This acre of land would be their own, and when the crops were harvested, everything would belong to them!

This realization excited Jiang Chunzao. She immediately slapped her chest and promised Lu Lin that once they received the land from the military, she would work hard in the fields, never afraid of the hardship or the labor.

Just as they were talking, Jiang Chunzao’s grandfather and grandmother came back, and she excitedly ran out of the house to share the good news with her parents.

Lu Lin followed behind, smiling.

When Jiang’s grandparents heard their daughter talking about how the military was giving land to military families, they were overjoyed. Before, they had been worried. Their daughter’s family had moved to the military district, but they had no land, and everything they needed to eat and drink would have to be bought. How much money would that cost?

Now, things were better. Their daughter’s family would have land, and they would have a guarantee for their food and drink.

It was autumn, and the sky was still bright outside. Jiang’s grandmother washed her hands and joined her daughter and son-in-law in preparing the meal.

Since they were inviting Lu Lin’s comrades to eat, Jiang Chunzao knew that these young men from the military were in their prime and would eat a lot, so she made sure to prepare a big meal. The family had some rice brought from their hometown, as well as a small bag of flour. Jiang Chunzao decided to wash all the rice and steam it in a large pot. Jiang’s grandmother then took out the noodles they had brought, saying that if the rice wasn’t enough, they could cook the noodles.

The vegetables the sisters-in-law had brought were used to make a few dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, spicy-sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried bok choy with vinegar, and braised eggplant. Along with the two fish Lu Lin had caught earlier and a piece of meat for braised pork, they laid out a large table full of food.

As night fell, the quiet Lu family courtyard became lively. Lu Lin’s comrades started arriving one by one, bringing things with them. In total, about ten people came. The family didn’t have enough bowls and chopsticks, so Jiang Chunzao quickly went to Captain Zhao’s house, which was the closest, to borrow some. Captain Zhao was also Lu Lin’s old comrade, and he would be having dinner at Lu’s house that evening.

Sister-in-law Zhao knew that Lu Lin’s family would definitely not have enough bowls and chopsticks, so she had prepared in advance and eagerly helped Jiang Chunzao bring them back to her house.

When Captain Zhao returned home that evening, his face flushed with a happy glow from the meal, Sister-in-law Zhao was in the house washing her feet. She smiled when she saw him.

“Looks like you had a great meal.”

“Yeah, it was really good. Don’t let Lu Lin’s wife’s delicate appearance fool you—she cooks well, and the house is well-kept. She seems quite capable, just like you.”

“Of course. The Chairman said that women can hold up half the sky, so you shouldn’t underestimate us!”

Sister-in-law Zhao raised her head proudly, stood up, and went to pour out the foot bath water.

Captain Zhao laughed heartily and chatted with his wife for a few more moments before heading out to the yard to wash up.

The moonlight was bright, and the autumn night was peaceful. After a long day, Lu Lin was in the kitchen washing the dishes. Jiang Chunzao had washed the children’s little feet and tucked them into bed. She then went to check on her parents, making sure they were asleep.

With everything settled, Jiang Chunzao leisurely washed her hands, feeling the soreness in her back. She lay down on the bed, ready to relax, but before she could take a deep breath, she quickly fell asleep.

After finishing with the dishes, Lu Lin came back to the room. Seeing his wife lying peacefully in bed, her sleeping face serene and beautiful, he smiled. He gently blew out the lamp, crawled into bed, and embraced his wife as they fell asleep together.

After a good night’s sleep, Jiang Chunzao woke up the next morning to find it was already past eight o’clock, according to the wall clock. The house was quiet—Lu Lin had already left for the military.

Yawning, Jiang Chunzao put on her shoes and left the room. In the yard, her grandfather was laying a stone path, while the two children were playing and running around. Her grandmother had already prepared breakfast, reheated it, and when she saw her daughter was awake, she brought the food out.

The white rice and flour they had eaten the night before were nearly gone, but fortunately, there were still some noodles left. This morning, her grandmother had boiled the noodles for Lu Lin to eat, and she had used the remaining rice to cook a pot of porridge. Together with the eggs the sisters-in-law had brought yesterday, they made a hearty breakfast for the family.

Jiang Chunzao ate the warm porridge and two boiled eggs. While eating, she heard her grandmother say that the family had used up most of the rice, flour, and oil, and that they didn’t have much left. So, Jiang Chunzao decided to ask the neighbor, Sister-in-law Zhao, about how to get to the nearby county and figure out the route. She planned to go to the county today to buy some more daily necessities.

Jiang Chunzao agreed with the idea. Since their family now lived deep in the mountains, it wasn’t easy to make a trip to the county. This time, she needed to buy as many supplies as possible.

After finishing her breakfast, Jiang Chunzao tidied up and took some mountain goods to Sister-in-law Zhao’s house. She learned that the nearby county was called Rong County, not far from the military district. It only took about half an hour to get there by bus from the foot of the mountain.

After thanking Sister-in-law Zhao, Jiang Chunzao went with her grandparents to the county, leaving Jiang Chunyu at home to look after the two children.

The family bought quite a few things in the county—rice, flour, coarse grains, and some meat—basically all the essentials for daily life. When they returned home, Jiang Chunzao quickly set to work washing and hanging out the bedding. Once the house was tidied up, she finally took a moment to carefully look around at their new home.