Chapter 10: You Don’t Actually Have to Be So Capable

When Qin Ye saw the man, he was momentarily stunned. He quickly shoved Nannan into Ye Qing’s arms and asked: “What’s so urgent?”

The man was panting slightly from running. “The Brigade Commander has been looking for you all morning. He seems pretty anxious. You’d better go check it out.”

After Qin Ye left, Ye Qing carried Nannan and headed toward the hostel. As she passed the family compound, she saw a group of people gathered together. From inside came the sounds of crying and cursing, though she had no idea what was going on.

She didn’t want to get involved in other people’s business, so she had no intention of joining the commotion.

Unexpectedly, just after walking a few steps, someone called out to her.

“Hey? Isn’t this Regiment Commander Qin’s wife? Where are you going?”

Ye Qing had no choice but to stop. A middle-aged woman, probably in her early forties, stood behind her. She had thick eyebrows and large eyes, was a bit chubby, sported a short ear-length haircut, and had a smile on her face.

“Oh my! It really is you! I heard Regiment Commander Qin’s wife had arrived. I was just wondering when I’d go see you. Didn’t expect to run into you here. What was your name again?”

Ye Qing smiled. “Sister-in-law, my name is Ye Qing.”

The woman slapped her thigh. “Right! Right! My husband mentioned it before. Look at me, such a forgetful head. Let me introduce myself. I’m the wife of Political Commissar Zhang—Sun Fang. If you ever need anything, just come to me.”

“Let me tell you, I’ve been here for quite a few years. I know this place better than I know my own hometown! I promise, I won’t let you suffer any losses.”

“And this is Nannan, right? Oh dear! How old is she? Why is she so skinny?”

She seemed like a straightforward and cheerful person, and Ye Qing’s first impression of her was quite good. “Sister-in-law, she’s over two years old, three by nominal age. Nannan, call her ‘auntie.’”

Nannan sweetly called out: “Auntie.” which delighted Sun Fang. She patted Nannan’s head and praised her endlessly.

Then she pointed to the woman in the crowd and said: “Girls really need to be properly raised. Look at her—her daughter started rebelling at sixteen. No matter what her mom said, she did the opposite.”

“Would you believe it? She dropped out of school and ignored her mother’s protests, ran off to the village to chase after some—what was his name—some educated youth! She insisted she had to marry him. Tell me, what kind of nonsense is that?”

“Oh right, that educated youth’s name is Li Qiang. No idea how they even met. They say he’s obsessed with getting into college and going back to the city. And wouldn’t you know it, her daughter got fixated on him.”

Ye Qing remembered reading about this in the book.

It was mentioned that a military wife’s daughter named Zhao Qingmei had a good relationship with the female lead. She had dropped out of middle school and insisted on marrying an educated youth. She claimed he was different from the others—while the rest would either sleep or play cards after work, he always kept two books at his bedside and spent his free time reading and studying.

Later, he really did get into college. Zhao Qingmei worked in a textile factory to support his education, fantasizing that once Li Qiang graduated, he would take her to the city to enjoy a good life.

But unexpectedly, once he graduated, he brought home a city girl, claiming that she was his true love and that he had nothing in common with Zhao Qingmei, who hadn’t even finished middle school.

Zhao Qingmei couldn’t accept it. She made a huge scene, threatening suicide. Her mother was so angered that she fell seriously ill, became bedridden, and died shortly afterward.

In the end, it was someone from the military who testified on her behalf, prompting Zhao Qingmei to write a formal complaint. As a result, Li Qiang was stripped of his post-graduation job placement rights. With no other choice, he was forced to marry her. But even after marriage, Li Qiang treated her poorly.

Whenever he got drunk, he’d bring up the loss of his job assignment, and would either curse or beat her.

Could the woman Ye Qing had encountered today be Zhao Qingmei’s mother?

This woman seemed to be the wife of the Third Regiment’s Regiment Commander. In the book, she had treated Nannan very well. On multiple occasions when Nannan was in danger, it was she who had stepped in and saved her.

Later, Nannan drowned in the lake. It was Zhao Qingmei, who happened to be back visiting family, who discovered and pulled her out. But by then, she was already gone—no one could bring her back.

Ye Qing couldn’t help but look at the woman a few more times, wondering how she could help her avoid this tragic fate.

That disaster had been a fatal blow to their entire family. Considering the kindness they had shown Nannan in the book, Ye Qing was willing to help them if she could.

After chatting a bit more, Ye Qing left with Nannan.

That evening, when Qin Ye returned, he brought good news: their request for a place in the Family Compound had been approved.

As it turned out, Political Commissar Zhang had already been working on the matter ever since Ye Qing arrived at the military base. By the time Qin Ye submitted the official application, the arrangements were basically already settled. That’s why the approval had come through so quickly.

The next day, Ye Qing followed Qin Ye to the Family Compound. Standing in front of the little courtyard, she finally felt a sense of peace settle in her heart.

At her maiden home, she’d never felt like she belonged. Living in the hostel had been even more rootless. Now, at last, she had a real home. Even if it was modest, it was still a place that could shield her from the wind and rain.

Qin Ye pointed at the courtyard. “This batch of houses was specially designed by a military-hired architect. It looks like three rooms from the outside, but there are actually suites inside. Come, let’s go take a look.”

As Ye Qing pushed open the front door of the main house, she was surprised—the layout was almost like a modern apartment!

There were three bedrooms. Two faced the sun, and one was on the shaded side. Next to the shaded bedroom was the kitchen, which had its own separate entrance so one could come and go without passing through the living room. Inside were a stove and cabinets, though bowls and utensils would have to be purchased separately.

Beside the master bedroom was a bathroom, complete with a shower, a flush toilet, and a marble sink.

In the living room was a set of old-fashioned wooden sofas and a clearly handmade, unpainted tea table that doubled as the dining table. Honestly, the conditions were very good!

Not just for the 1970s—even by 1990s standards, this would be considered quite decent.

Qin Ye told her that the water here was drawn from a mountain spring and could be drunk directly, but it was extremely cold. He told Ye Qing to make sure to boil it before drinking.

“Let’s tidy up today.” he said. “Tomorrow’s Wednesday, the day a vehicle goes into town. We can go and buy some things then.”

When they opened the bedroom door, they saw that only the master bedroom had a 1.5-meter-wide double bed. There was no wardrobe, no crib for the child, and no bedding of any kind.

All of that would need to be bought.

Qin Ye said: “Winter comes early here—usually by October. Even September gets pretty cold. And the winters are long, so a lot of people install heated brick beds.”

He pointed to the space next to the kitchen and said: “We can build a big stove here that funnels heat to a kang bed in the bedroom. It’s a bit far, but the local villagers know how to set it up. You can cook and heat the place at the same time.”

“I’ve already asked Gao Hao to find a villager who knows how to build a kang. What do you think, should we install one too?”

Ye Qing had grown up at her grandmother’s place in the Northeast, so she was naturally fond of kang beds. She immediately nodded. “Great! Then let’s clean up this bedroom and the kitchen first, shall we?”

When it came to tidying up her own home, Ye Qing was full of energy.

Watching Ye Qing busily moving about, Qin Ye’s gaze flickered. She was truly a woman suited for building a life—so capable!

“What are you spacing out for? Come help!” Ye Qing called out to Qin Ye.

The two of them lifted the double bed and moved it into the second bedroom.

But in the process, Ye Qing used a bit too much force and strained her waist.

Seeing her rubbing her lower back, Qin Ye opened his mouth and murmured: “Actually… you don’t have to be this capable.”