Chapter 31

The courtyard of the military district is different from the small courtyard in Lujiacun. It’s a low, fenced courtyard with three small rooms, and the kitchen and bathroom are also made of red brick and tile. Lujiacun’s courtyard has high, blue brick walls, with a sturdy wooden gate. This courtyard, on the other hand, has a low wooden gate. However, since this is a military district, the security should be good, and there’s no need for high walls.

Jiang Chunzao walked around the courtyard, thinking it was quite nice. It occupies a large area, at least half an acre. From what Lu Lin said, the military district gets a lot of rain, and the soil is fertile. She planned to tidy up the yard and plant some melons, fruits, and vegetables, so they wouldn’t have to worry about produce for the family.

After walking around the yard, Jiang Chunzao’s mischievous younger brother, Jiang Chunyu, came back with his two kids, shouting that they were hungry. She then realized it was already noon. Luckily, they had gone to the county earlier that day, and there was plenty of rice, flour, and oil. The three members of the Jiang family had already eaten lunch in the county, so they weren’t hungry. She quickly made a simple lunch for her three kids at home.

Jiang Chunyu and the kids ate their lunch ravenously, and then, like monkeys that couldn’t be held back, they ran out to play. The three members of the Jiang family spent the afternoon cleaning and tidying up, and before they knew it, the day had passed.

By the time it was evening and getting dark, when Lu Lin came back from the army, the originally empty courtyard of Lujiacun was now filled with items. There were quilts, bed sheets drying in the yard, and several pots of thriving roses in the corners, giving the whole house a lively, homely atmosphere.

When Lu Lin entered the house, he saw his little wife busy in the kitchen and heard the laughter of the children. His heart was full of sweetness and happiness.

In the kitchen, Jiang Chunzao waved the spoon and called the family to eat. As she came out, she saw Lu Lin standing in the yard, looking at her with affectionate eyes, like a silly goose.

Perhaps because it was too dark, Jiang Chunzao, being careless, didn’t see anything clearly. She just saw Lu Lin standing there like a big fool and casually said:

“You’re back! Dinner is ready, why don’t you go wash your hands and eat? Why are you standing there like a silly goose?”

After saying this, Jiang Chunzao rushed into the living room, where her grandmother seemed to ask who she had been talking to earlier. Jiang Chunzao muttered that Lu Lin was standing there like a silly goose, not knowing what he was doing.

Lu Lin, gazing affectionately: …

Tonight’s dinner was homemade meat sauce, served with fresh cornmeal pancakes, and a pot of mung bean soup. After the family ate dinner and cleaned up, they all went to bed, feeling clean and refreshed.

During dinner, Jiang Chunyu complained about the mosquitoes in the room. Lu Lin set up the mosquito net that had been washed and dried during the day, and the three kids were delighted, flipping somersaults on the kang bed.

Jiang Chunyu, along with his two children, made a lot of noise for a while before finally falling asleep.

In the house, Jiang Chunzao had finished cleaning up, and with rare free time, she pulled out the novels she used to read back in school and started reading. When Lu Lin returned to the room, he saw his little wife lying on the bed with her fair, delicate feet propped up, reading her novel.

Lu Lin’s dark eyes deepened, and he immediately blew out the light and carried his little wife off to the bed for some “playtime.”

The next morning, as expected, Jiang Chunzao was once again late, much to the curious gazes of her two children. However, as a mother, she had already developed an invincible thick skin, and facing the inquisitive stares of her children, she wasn’t at all embarrassed.

Even though she said that, when Jiang Chunzao was out making lunch and fetching water at noon, she overheard her two little ones, Shitou and Molixi, whispering to each other. They were wondering if mom and dad had fought again like “fairies” last night. It seemed like dad had won his fight with the little fairy, and mom, who had fought the big fairy, had lost. Otherwise, dad would have been tired in the morning, but he was full of energy, while mom seemed sluggish…

Jiang Chunzao turned red and felt embarrassed hearing this. That evening, she became a “mother tiger,” kicked Lu Lin to the ground, and made him sleep on the floor.

Lu Lin, feeling aggrieved, spent the whole night on the floor, and the next day, he went to the army looking dispirited. That evening, after a few busy days in the army, Jiang Chunlin finally came to his sister and brother-in-law’s house, bringing some things with him.

Jiang Chunzao’s parents, who hadn’t seen their eldest son in a long time, had been preparing many dishes early in the morning. When Jiang Chunlin, in his military uniform, arrived, Mother Jiang, who had promised not to cry, immediately burst into tears, and even her usually quiet father had red eyes. Lu Lin thought to himself that he should comfort his in-laws, but when he turned around, he saw that his little wife was crying the hardest in the family.

Jiang Chunyu, still as carefree as ever, jumped up excitedly upon seeing his handsome older brother, shouting that he too would join the army and serve the country like his brother. Shitou and Molixi also said that they would join the army when they grew up, just like their big uncle.

The sight of the three kids happily chattering made the whole Jiang family smile through their tears. Jiang Chunlin stayed at his sister and brother-in-law’s house for one night, then quickly returned to the army the next day.

Jiang Chunzao’s parents stayed in the military district for a week, helping their daughter tidy up the house and spending time with their eldest son. After seeing him off, with all the work at home still on their minds, they soon took the train back. The family parted with another tearful farewell.

After her parents and brother left, Jiang Chunzao had trouble adjusting for several days. There were times when Lu Lin came home to find his little wife, while picking vegetables in the empty yard, gazing at it with a melancholic expression, as if she had lost something.

Lu Lin pressed his thin lips together, and the next day, he started bringing home a little flock of chicks. Jiang Chunzao, overjoyed, watched the little chicks chirping and walking around the yard. She asked Lu Lin where he had gotten them from, as she had wanted to bring home a batch of chicks to raise for a while but hadn’t found the right opportunity.

Now that Lu Lin had brought them home, she was extremely happy. Not just Jiang Chunzao, but also Shitou and Molixi were delighted. After Lu Lin finished washing his face in the yard, he explained that he had bought them from a local villager during a mission.

No matter where they came from, Jiang Chunzao was thrilled. Her mood improved instantly, and she energetically prepared food for the chicks. Shitou and Molixi also helped by her side.

While the three of them were chatting in the yard, Lu Lin glanced over at his wife, and the smile at the corner of his lips deepened.

Since the chicks had arrived, Jiang Chunzao’s spirits had lifted, and she was busy taking care of the little birds with the children, moving around the house.

As the chicks grew bigger, Jiang Chunzao gradually adapted to life in the military district. She also grew closer to the other wives in the area.

One morning, Jiang Chunzao woke up early, chopped up some feed for the chickens, and sprinkled it in their coop. Then, she took a water bucket to the yard to fetch water for washing clothes. When she arrived in the yard, she saw that the large water barrel was already full. It seemed that before leaving for the army, Lu Lin had filled it up.

Jiang Chunzao felt sweet inside. She quickly washed and hung out all the dirty clothes, then sat down on the rattan chair in the yard to take a break. Just then, Sister Zhao from next door came over with a basket of vegetables.

Jiang Chunzao quickly brought out another rattan chair, poured hot tea, and served some homemade snacks to Sister Zhao. Sister Zhao set down the basket and sat on the chair, sipping her tea and sighing, “Chunzao, you’ve really kept this yard spotless. This chair is so comfortable—did Xiao Lu buy it?”

Jiang Chunzao smiled and nodded. “These chairs come in pairs; Lu Lin got them from the second-hand market.”

Sister Zhao laughed, “Ah, this is why you married so well! Look at us—out of the ten or so families in the military district, which husband is as considerate as Xiao Lu? He helps with the chores and looks after the children. You really married the right man.”

Jiang Chunzao felt pleased in her heart but kept a modest expression on her face.

“Sister-in-law, why don’t you mention that Captain Zhao spends his days either helping you cook or helping you with the laundry? Such a considerate man like Captain Zhao, your life is quite good too.”

Sister Zhao thought of her own husband, took a bite of the snack, and smiled, but then sighed.

“My husband isn’t bad, though he’s a bit lacking compared to Xiao Lu. Sigh, our life, compared to Sister Fang’s, is still pretty good. You know, that Sister Fang, I don’t even know what kind of fate she has. After all these years at the old Fang’s place, she finally managed to chase away that annoying Fang Man. Now, there’s another troublesome old mother-in-law. What kind of life is that?”

Jiang Chunzao blinked, and it dawned on her. The “Fang Man” Sister Zhao was talking about must be the same woman who had been obsessed with Lu Lin for decades in her past life. After Jiang Chunzao and Lu Lin had divorced in the past, Fang Man had been like a grasshopper, hopping around Lu Lin, hoping to marry into the Lu family and become his wife.

However, in her past life, Fang Man had persisted for decades but never succeeded. Now that Jiang Chunzao had been reborn and was happily married to Lu Lin, things were better than ever, and she didn’t give Fang Man a second thought.

Moreover, Fang Man was about to get married herself, so Jiang Chunzao had even less reason to worry about her.

What puzzled Jiang Chunzao was why, in this life, Fang Man, who had once relentlessly pursued Lu Lin, was now so easily getting married.

She thought about this question for several days, and eventually, the answer came from Sister Zhao.

“Chunzao, you don’t know this, but I heard that Fang Man from the old Fang family only decided to marry when she found out she was pregnant.”

Sister Zhao spoke mysteriously. Jiang Chunzao, who was eating a snack, nearly choked. “Pregnant before getting married?”

“That’s right. People say that Fang Man, I don’t know how, but one night back when she was in school, she got drunk and ended up spending the night with one of the male teachers. Now, Fang Man is pregnant, and the male teacher, who’s in his thirties, is from a poor family but is a decent man. He had always wanted to settle down, and when he found out that Fang Man was pregnant, he hurried over to Colonel Fang’s house to propose. At first, Fang Man didn’t want to agree, but when her belly got too big to hide, she had no choice but to nod.”

Sister Zhao went on, detailing the entire situation, leaving Jiang Chunzao stunned. She hadn’t expected things to unfold like this.