Chapter 18

Outside the courtyard stood three women. When Ye Zhi got a clear look at them, she realized she didn’t recognize any of them.

They weren’t the same as the neighbor, Sister He, from the night before.

One military wife in a blue floral blouse stared at Ye Zhi’s delicate features in a daze, then turned to Lu Wei and forced a smile. “Oh, it’s just the commander.”

Lu Wei replied coldly with a grunt, “Mm.”

The military wives were all a bit embarrassed by Lu Wei’s attitude. Everyone in the base knew Lu Wei was not to be messed with—even with female comrades, he never gave face and could scold people like they were kids.

The women exchanged looks and nudged one another, signaling that it was time to leave.

However, Li Shufen turned to Ye Zhi and asked, “You must be Commander Lu’s wife, right? Comrade, where are you from?”

Ye Zhi looked gentle and refined, like someone easy to manipulate.

Unlike Lu Wei, who always wore a stern expression that even made children turn and run.

Everyone had specifically come to see this childhood fiancée. The compound was small, and whenever a new family member arrived, everyone wanted to gossip.

Especially since it was Lu Wei—someone infamous in the camp—getting married. They’d heard the old man had forced him into this marriage.

How could people not be curious?

But no one expected this supposedly plain-looking old maid to turn out to be so… Delicate!

“Yes, exactly—delicate.”

“Delicate like a pampered doll.”

They had lived in the family compound for so long, yet had never seen any female comrade as fair and tender as Ye Zhi. She looked exactly like the daughter of a capitalist.

Wasn’t she supposed to be an old spinster from the countryside?

Ridiculous!

Ye Zhi gently replied, “I’m from the Jiangnan region.”

Li Shufen raised her eyebrows. “Ohhh, no wonder you look so fresh and radiant. People always say Jiangnan girls are like paintings—turns out it’s true.”

The other two military wives couldn’t help but curl their lips.

They secretly muttered that Li Shufen sure knew how to sweet-talk whoever she was facing.

Just earlier, she was gleefully gossiping that Lu Wei had married an old, ugly girl.

Everyone knew that a few years ago, Li Shufen had her eye on Lu Wei and even tried to get the political commissar to arrange a match.

Who would’ve thought Lu Wei completely ignored her?

And now, she had dragged them here under the pretense of checking out Lu Wei’s childhood fiancée—clearly just to see if that girl was prettier than her.

Now that she saw Ye Zhi wasn’t ugly at all, suddenly she was full of compliments.

Ye Zhi gave a soft smile and said, “Not at all, Sister-in-law, you’re the one who’s really beautiful.”

Li Shufen smiled and said, “I live in the courtyard up front. I’m the wife of the 4th Battalion Commander. My name’s Li Shufen.”

Ye Zhi kept smiling gently and replied, “I’m Ye Zhi—‘Zhi’ as in the Chinese herb Angelica dahurica.”

Though she was a bit anxious to head to the supply and marketing cooperative, now that neighbors had come to visit, she had no choice but to make small talk.

Although her house was a standalone courtyard, the family compound wasn’t that big. You see people every day—she didn’t want to ruin the neighborly relationship on her first day.

“Such a lovely name.” Li Shufen’s smile was radiant.

Truthfully, the girl was quite beautiful too.

But Li Shufen really didn’t want to admit that.

At that moment, Lu Wei beside Ye Zhi interrupted their chatting. “Don’t you ladies need to go grocery shopping?”

“We were just about to head to the co-op to buy a few things.”

With one sentence, Lu Wei left the three military wives looking awkward.

As if he were saying they were being a nuisance.

But no one dared to go head-to-head with Lu Wei. After exchanging a few quick goodbyes, they hurried off.

As soon as they left, Li Shufen sneered sarcastically, “That Ye Zhi doesn’t look ugly at all. Who said she was? Though she does look a bit frail.”

The other two military wives laughed along. “Yeah, looks so delicate—do you think she can even cook?”

“Who knows. Before morning reveille, I saw Commander Lu already at the cafeteria getting buns. Probably not looking good.”

Li Shufen just smiled without replying.

Someone else added, “Pretty is one thing—but can pretty fill your stomach? With that delicate skin, one gust of wind would blow her away.”

With that, they all chuckled and returned to their homes.

Ye Zhi didn’t take the encounter to heart.

As she followed Lu Wei toward the co-op, she took in the surrounding scenery.

It was early in the morning, cool and breezy. The sea breeze was gentle, giving a pleasant and indescribable sense of comfort.

The path was lined with tall coconut trees and royal palms (which don’t bear coconuts). The two trees looked similar, but the royal palm had a much thicker trunk. Rows of lush green trees, the sea, and the sandy beach painted a beautiful scene together.

So the seaside was actually very close—just not visible from the courtyard because it was blocked by trees.

If she climbed to the rooftop at home, she’d probably be able to see it.

Once they returned from shopping, Ye Zhi decided she’d go up and take a look. She was curious to see what the beach looked like in this era—was it especially beautiful?

“What are you looking at?” Lu Wei had walked a fair bit ahead, but when he turned back, he realized Ye Zhi had fallen behind, so he waited with Ye Xiaoding.

But Ye Zhi didn’t seem to notice how far behind she’d gotten.

She withdrew her gaze from the beach, and Lu Wei asked, “Want to go to the beach later?”

Ye Zhi quietly replied, “No need. There’s a lot to do today. There’ll be plenty of chances later.”

Lu Wei slowed his pace and didn’t say anything more.

After a while, Ye Zhi asked softly, “Why does everyone we pass seem to avoid you?”

Although it was still early, quite a few soldiers were already out jogging.

Ye Zhi had noticed earlier, while admiring the scenery, that every time someone saw Lu Wei, their faces turned serious. After neatly greeting “Commander Lu!” they immediately sped up their running.

Even among the female comrades—many stared curiously at them, but the moment Lu Wei glanced their way, they instantly looked away, as if Lu Wei were terrifying.

But in Ye Zhi’s impression, Lu Wei was polite and patient.

Back on the train, she had asked a lot about island life, and Lu Wei told her many things about the army and even shared stories from his school days.

Lu Wei glanced at Ye Zhi’s smiling face and said blandly, “I don’t really know.”

Ye Zhi looked at his expression as if to say: “I didn’t do anything.”

Completely innocent.

Lu Wei didn’t continue the topic. As they walked, he pointed out nearby buildings and explained which areas were off-limits.

Ye Zhi had a good memory and remembered most of what he said.

And the path to the co-op was easy to recognize.

There were only two main roads here—one leading to the supply and marketing cooperative, the other to the seaside.

It was just a bit far.

Ye Zhi, Lu Wei, and the little guy Ye Xiaoding walked for over twenty minutes before finally arriving at the co-op.

There was only one cooperative in the area, a red-brick building with a blue-tile roof. It wasn’t very big.

The entire supply and marketing cooperative was divided into three sections:
One sold daily necessities—pots, bowls, basins, and the like;
One sold staple foods—rice, flour, and other grains;
And one sold non-staples—cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, candies, and snacks.

Each section had two shop assistants, and Ye Zhi guessed they were probably all military wives from the compound.

Ye Zhi had already bought cooking condiments back in Yangcheng,
But she hadn’t bought any staple foods yet.
If she was to start cooking today, she needed to buy some rice.

She wasn’t willing to use the national grain coupons that Lu Wei’s mother had given her.
If she bought food on the island, it could be deducted directly from Lu Wei’s ration booklet.
She needed to save her coupons for emergencies.

Ye Xiaoding, who was standing nearby, asked,
“Auntie, weren’t we going to buy a pot? The pots are over there!”
He pointed toward a shelf.

Ye Zhi replied,
“Later, pots are too heavy—we’ll buy them last.”

Pots were sturdy and long-lasting items that could be used for many years.
So they weren’t usually in short supply.
There were still two large iron pots on the shelf;
They could get one at the end.

Otherwise, they’d have to carry it around the whole time—it was too heavy.

Lu Wei had come along specifically to help carry things,
So he said nothing—whatever Ye Zhi wanted to buy, he simply helped carry it.

Since Lu Wei didn’t speak, Ye Zhi walked over to the grain section.

There, she saw the older sister who had come to her house the night before standing at the glass counter,
Chatting with a younger girl beside her.

Ye Zhi smiled and called out,
“Sister He! I didn’t know you were a shop assistant at the co-op!”

He Jinfeng heard Ye Zhi’s voice and smiled back,
“Oh, Comrade Ye, what brings you to the co-op so early?
What do you want to buy? I’ll help you get it.”

Ye Zhi replied,
“I need to buy some rice, pots, bowls—everything really. I haven’t prepared anything at home yet.”

He Jinfeng said,
“Alright, just tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you. No need to walk around.”

Last night when He Jinfeng visited Ye Zhi’s house at dusk,
She already thought she was quite pretty.

Now that it was brighter, she realized Ye Zhi was even more beautiful—so beautiful it made people want to keep looking.

What a lovely young lady.

Ye Zhi didn’t stand on ceremony and directly rattled off a list:
“Five jin of rice, eight bowls, six cups, one iron kettle,
One large iron wok for stir-frying, one kitchen knife…”

Ye Zhi listed everything she needed in one go,
Not even checking if Sister He could remember it all.

But after hearing her list, He Jinfeng simply said,
“Got it. Wait here—I’ll go get them now.”

When He Jinfeng walked away, Lu Wei asked,
“How do you know the brigade commander’s wife?”

They seemed quite familiar.

Hadn’t she only arrived last night?

Ye Zhi smiled and said,
“Sister He lives next door. She came over last night while you were out.”

“She was really friendly. As soon as she heard we moved in, she came by to say hello.”

So she was the brigade commander’s wife—Ye Zhi hadn’t known that before.

Ye Zhi glanced around and asked,
“Where’s Xiaoding? Weren’t you watching him?”

Lu Wei raised his chin, motioning to the other side:
“Over there.”

Ye Zhi looked and saw Ye Xiaoding with another little boy,
Both of them gathered around a toy shelf that held two slingshots.

The two boys had their heads together, whispering about something.

Ye Zhi recognized the boy—he was the one who had hung an enamel cup from the ship and scooped seawater for Ye Xiaoding to drink.

She hadn’t expected to run into him again here.

After all, Qiongzhou Island had over a hundred regiments spread across different areas.

The island was actually very big.
If people weren’t in the same division, they could be over a hundred kilometers apart.

Ye Zhi wasn’t worried about losing the child.
Seeing that Ye Xiaoding had someone to play with made her happy.

Kids should play with other kids, after all.

While Ye Zhi and Lu Wei were talking,
He Jinfeng had already brought out everything Ye Zhi had asked for and placed it all neatly on the glass counter.

She said,
“Take a look—see if it’s all here.”

Ye Zhi looked at the pile of items and couldn’t help but be impressed by He Jinfeng’s incredible memory.

She had named at least ten things, only once,
Yet Sister He remembered everything and brought it all out.

She had even secretly added in two sections of pork spine and a chunk of semi-fat pork belly.

He Jinfeng said,
“It’s still early, so there’s pork available. If you’d come any later, it would’ve been gone.”

Ye Zhi was honestly speechless—Sister He was truly a good person.

“Thank you so much, Sister He.”

If she had gone from counter to counter by herself,
It probably would’ve taken twice as long.

Especially the meat stall—it already had a long queue.

And on this island, pork was more precious than seafood.

Being able to buy pork meant you had good luck.

Ye Zhi felt that her luck had been pretty good since arriving on the island.

He Jinfeng smiled and said,
“No need to thank me—we’re neighbors now. This is how it should be.
Besides, you just moved into a new home and need so many things.
It’s a long trip to the co-op, so it’s best to buy everything at once if you can.”

Ye Zhi gave her a sweet smile.
“Sister He, you’re so kind.”

“Stop with the compliments!” He Jinfeng then turned to Lu Wei and said with a laugh:
“Oh my, Commander Lu, you’re so lucky to have married such a beautiful wife.”

Lu Wei nodded, “Mm, I am.”

He looked slowly over at Ye Zhi, and truly felt fortunate.

The other shop assistants nearby, upon hearing Lu Wei’s words,
All started to envy Ye Zhi.

Since when did Commander Lu become so gentle?

He’s nothing like he used to be!

Ye Zhi met Lu Wei’s burning gaze and quickly looked away.

Then she turned to Sister He and said,
“Sister He, could you please total everything up for me?”

After checking off everything they wanted to buy, He Jinfeng calculated the total price—it came to 53.68 yuan.

The main cost came from the two pots and the water bucket and kettle, which were relatively expensive.

Ye Zhi pulled out a few large-denomination bills and some loose change, handed them over, and also took out Lu Wei’s grain and oil booklet for Sister He to register the purchase.

Lu Wei, standing nearby, packed their purchases into the bucket, holding the larger items separately.

Very quickly, he had everything in order. When he turned to look at Ye Zhi and saw her still glancing at the shelves, he asked,
“Is there anything else you want to buy?”

“Let’s stick with this for now. I can’t think of anything else we’re missing.” Ye Zhi put away the money and ration book.

He Jinfeng asked,
“Can you carry all of this?”

Ye Zhi smiled,
“We’ll manage. I still have a nephew—he’s over there playing.”
Then she waved to Ye Xiaoding,
“Xiaoding, come here and help carry some things.”

Ye Xiaoding heard Ye Zhi’s voice and immediately turned to the boy beside him, Chen Zhi’an, saying,
“My aunt finished shopping—I need to go back now.”

Chen Zhi’an’s face dropped as he asked,
“Where do you live? I’ll come find you to play later.”

Ye Xiaoding hesitated—he didn’t know how to answer.
He didn’t even know where he lived!

Chen Zhi’an saw him so clueless and gave a salute,
“Alright then, we’re destined to meet again. Goodbye, comrade!”

Ye Xiaoding copied his adult-like gesture and returned the salute,
“Goodbye, comrade!”

He Jinfeng glanced in their direction and said,
“So that’s your nephew? The boy next to him is my nephew.”

Ye Zhi’s eyes lit up, marveling at the coincidence.
“Really? My nephew played with your nephew on the boat yesterday. They had a great time.”

He Jinfeng said,
“So that’s who Anzi was talking about! Last night when he got home, he told me he met a little kid on the boat who said seawater was sweet. What a coincidence.”

“Tell you what, why not let Anzi help carry something too? He’s bored here anyway. Let him tag along and play at your place for a while—he seems to get along well with your nephew.”

Though honestly, it was a mystery how those two even communicated.
They didn’t speak the same dialect.

Ye Zhi thought it was a good idea too.
After all, when Xiaoding got home, he wouldn’t have anyone to play with.
Chen Zhi’an was the first friend he’d made on the island.
If they could hang out more, he wouldn’t feel so lonely.

The adults made the arrangements, and then Chen Zhi’an and Ye Xiaoding were each assigned to carry a bucket together.
Inside the bucket were meat and other non-breakable goods.

The two little ones were thrilled to be together again, carrying the bucket and dashing out of the co-op like the wind.

The people in the store had been watching Ye Zhi and Lu Wei the whole time.
Once they left, a young shop assistant whispered,
“So that’s Commander Lu’s childhood fiancée? She’s so pretty! Who was it that called her ugly?”

He Jinfeng scoffed and said sharply,
“Probably someone who couldn’t have her and decided to call the grapes sour.”

Ye Zhi watched as Ye Xiaoding and Chen Zhi’an ran ahead with such enthusiasm that they quickly disappeared from sight.

Since she would start cooking today, Ye Zhi went over to the vegetable stand and bought some baby bok choy and water spinach.
These vegetables looked like they were locally grown by the island residents.

After she finished buying the greens, Lu Wei—who she wasn’t sure why—also grabbed some clams, oysters, and shrimp.

After eating seafood last night, Ye Zhi still felt like she hadn’t had enough, so she didn’t object.

The vendor weighed everything and told Lu Wei the price.

Lu Wei didn’t have a cent on him—he’d given all his money to Ye Zhi last night.
So now, he had to ask her.

“One yuan and thirty cents. Can you pay?”

Ye Zhi froze.
Why is it this expensive?!

She had assumed seafood on the island would be dirt cheap.
Turned out it wasn’t.
Resigned, she dug into her pocket and handed over the money.

The vendor looked at Lu Wei needing to ask his wife for money just to buy some seafood and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Lu Wei ignored him and, after paying, carried the things and started heading home.

Ye Zhi looked at his back and asked,
“Did you buy so much because you plan to invite guests over?”

After all, they had just moved into their new home, and Lu Wei was a battalion-level officer.
Even if he didn’t want to, others might stir things up.

But Lu Wei replied,
“Invite guests? For what?”

Oh—so that wasn’t it.

Ye Zhi simply followed him without saying anything more, slowly walking home.

Lu Wei carried all the heavy items—five jin of rice, the bowls, and more were packed in the bucket.
In his other hand, he held a large iron wok.

Ye Zhi only carried a kettle for boiling water, which had two jin of flour inside.

Walking beside Ye Zhi, Lu Wei’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

Back then, he often saw others bringing their wives to join the army, buying this and that together.
He used to think it was all so troublesome.

For years, he’d lived in a dorm and eaten in the cafeteria, with hardly any domestic worries.

But now that he was experiencing it himself—it was kind of fun.
Especially watching his wife pick out things to buy—he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

From now on, this wife of his would be using these pots to cook for him.

Come to think of it, Lu Wei hadn’t yet eaten anything cooked by Ye Zhi.

He remembered when they were in Yangcheng, she bought a lot of condiments.
Yangcheng had a huge variety of goods—things that the island didn’t have.

Logically speaking, if his wife didn’t know how to cook, she wouldn’t have bought all that stuff.

Suddenly, Ye Zhi reached out and tapped Lu Wei’s arm.
“Comrade Lu, I’m talking to you—what are you thinking about?”

Lu Wei turned to look at her.
“Hm? Oh, I was thinking about what to eat for lunch.”

Ye Zhi gave him a suspicious glance but didn’t press further.
She said calmly,
“Let’s just eat something simple for now. The kitchen hasn’t even been cleaned yet.”