Qin Yao had embroidered a little penguin handkerchief for Chen Baozhen, with a cross-embroider of a round, plump penguin, looking cute and rounded.

“So cute! Yaoyao, you’re so capable!” Chen Baozhen had never seen a penguin before, but she knew about them from the book “One Hundred Thousand Whys,” which mentioned species from Antarctica.

Cross-embroidering was simple, and Chen Baozhen, eager to try, asked, “Yaoyao, teach me too. I’ll embroider you a little penguin!”

Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen sat in the yard, working on their cross-embroider.

Cross-embroider had been all the rage back in the early 2000s. Many shops in malls sold cross-embroider kits, and there were even rumors that a single piece could sell for over ten thousand yuan.

Some of the aunts Qin Yao knew had tried cross-embroidering, and she had learned a bit herself. Now, relying on her memories, she taught Chen Baozhen several embroidering techniques.

In the yard, the two friends were busy with their cross-embroidering, while Gu Cheng and Gao Jianguo stayed inside the house, the two men exchanging glances.

“Commander Gu, it’s really not easy for me,” Gao Jianguo sighed dramatically, sitting on a low stool with a clothes basket beside him. In his hand, he was mending his own clothes.

He sighed again for effect. “Baozhen doesn’t know how to do anything, not even patching up clothes. I have to do it myself.”

Since there were no outsiders in the room, Gao Jianguo wasn’t shy about complaining. Back when he didn’t have a wife, wasn’t it normal for a man to mend his own clothes? Which man hadn’t done that?

“Your Xiao Qin is so good at needlework, everyone in the compound knows about it. I don’t have that kind of luck.”

Gao Jianguo shook his head and then, in a playful tone, added, “But Zhenzhen says she’s very happy being married to me because I personally help her mend her clothes… Tsk, you probably won’t understand, Commander Gu.”

Gu Cheng straightened his sleeves: “…” 

He understood.

Gao Jianguo hummed a little war song as he continued mending clothes. Now that he had come to terms with things, as a man, enduring a little hardship at home wasn’t a big deal. The most important thing was to keep his wife Chen Baozhen emotionally stable.

With Qin Yao as her friend for comparison, Baozhen should be grateful she married such a good husband!

Looking at someone like Commander Gu, aside from his handsome face, good family background, and excellent work ability, what advantages did he have with women? He was always wearing a cold expression, never spoke sweet words, and wasn’t considerate.

If Qin Yao had chosen Doctor He, would he still have a good life?

In the past, Chen Baozhen would either praise Doctor He or Zhao Mingjin, but since marrying Commander Gu, she hadn’t said much in praise of him.

Which man would like hearing his wife praise another man?

The more Gao Jianguo looked at Commander Gu, the more he found him likable. He even thought of him as a sworn brother, ready to form a blood pact.

Qin Yao yawned, having strained her eyes from too much sewing. She nudged Chen Baozhen, “Get up and rest for a bit.”

Chen Baozhen put down her needlework, smiling as she nodded.

The two stood in the yard, and Chen Baozhen’s yard looked very different from before. The flowers and plants were in full bloom, with the loofah vines and tomato vines growing thickly. What Chen Baozhen was most proud of, however, was the bitter melon in the yard.

“I didn’t put much effort into the bitter melon, but it turned out to be the best one,” Chen Baozhen said with a proud smile.

She had been growing vegetables and flowers for some time now, and had to admit that some plants were naturally more robust. No matter how roughly they were treated, they just grew better, resistant to pests and disease.

“Next time you come to my house, I’ll treat you to some bitter melon,” Chen Baozhen said, looking happily at the vine.

Qin Yao: “…”

First, she was treated to cabbage filled with wormholes, and now it was a bunch of bitter melon.

“Teacher Chen—” A timid voice came from outside the yard. Afraid that they wouldn’t hear, it called out again, “Teacher Chen, you’re at home, right?”

Qin Yao looked outside and saw a young woman standing there in a floral dress and blue pants. She had a bamboo basket hanging on her arm, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen. Her chin was slightly lowered, revealing her sharp, oval face, and her chest was noticeably rounded.

The woman had a good figure and an innocent, attractive look. Standing there shyly, she had a pitiable air about her.

“It’s Sister Wang,” Chen Baozhen’s expression changed, revealing a complicated look that was hard to place.

Wang Chunlan’s husband had tragically drowned in the sea, leaving her a widow with three children. Besides the survivor’s benefits, some comrades had given her family some money.

Wang Chunlan didn’t take her children back to her hometown. She continued living in the house assigned to her husband, and her children went to school there.

Life was difficult for her. It was said that her mother-in-law had been ill and spent a lot of money, and her younger brother was getting married and needed money. Her parents’ family was also in trouble. She had to raise three children on her own, and her life was very frugal.

Gao Jianguo was generous and, knowing her situation, had lent her more than 100 yuan, which was roughly the amount of his monthly stipend.

At the time, Gao Jianguo hadn’t thought much about it. He and Chen Baozhen had just gotten married, and they both had jobs and earned salaries. Unlike other officers who were burdened with multiple children and responsibilities back home, Chen Baozhen’s parents even sent her allowances.

Compared to other families, their life was quite comfortable, so lending her a couple of hundred yuan wasn’t a big deal.

Chen Baozhen, being from the city, knew about Wang Chunlan’s situation and that her husband had lent her the money. Unlike those petty women, she didn’t complain about it and simply let it go.

Since then, Wang Chunlan often came over, expressing her gratitude.

At first, Chen Baozhen felt a sense of pride for doing a good deed, but over time, she began to sense something off. It started to make her uncomfortable, but after all, Wang Chunlan was a widow, and how could she argue with her?

Today, Wang Chunlan came again. She entered the yard and took out two pairs of insoles from her basket. “Teacher Chen, is Jianguo at home?” she asked.

“He’s at home,” Chen Baozhen’s face darkened as she introduced, “This is Sister Wang. Her husband passed away.”

“Hello, Sister Wang,” Qin Yao greeted her.

Wang Chunlan nodded. “Hello, Comrade Qin. Are you two outside? Is Jianguo inside? I heard he’s in the family compound today.”

Qin Yao sized her up. Wang Chunlan was blunt with her words. Chen Baozhen never called him “Jianguo” so casually, always using “Old Gao” or “Comrade Gao,” but this woman seemed to have no problem with it.

“It’s good that Jianguo’s home. I made these two pairs of insoles by hand, thinking of giving them to him. You know, men really go through insoles quickly. I also made soles and thought I’d make him two pairs of shoes.”

Chen Baozhen’s face instantly darkened. This woman really annoyed her. If she hadn’t kept her composure, she would have spat on Wang Chunlan. How could this woman run over to make insoles and soles for her husband?

“We don’t need these things. Take them back. I bought a new pair of leather shoes for Old Gao. He won’t use the insoles you made,” Chen Baozhen said coldly, crossing her arms in a dismissive manner.

Wang Chunlan pulled back her hand in shock, as if she had heard something terrifying. “Teacher Chen, please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean anything by it. Jianguo and my late husband are from the same village. They both miss the cloth shoes with layered soles. I originally made them for my husband, but after finishing, I realized he… well, I decided to give them to Jianguo instead. My husband would have been happy knowing Jianguo wore them.”

“Please, just help me out. Seeing the soles left at home, it just feels wrong,” she pleaded.

Chen Baozhen scoffed silently, rolling her eyes. She could throw the old soles away or bury them. She didn’t need to see them. If Wang Chunlan was so attached, she could burn them and send them to her husband in the sea! Let Gao Jianguo wear them and feel pleased? Wasn’t she afraid her husband might come back from the sea and strangle her.

Is this woman completely shameless?

The more Chen Baozhen thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “If you feel uncomfortable seeing it, imagine how I feel!”

Her temper was bad, easily irritated, and she couldn’t control herself at this moment. She grabbed the insole from Wang Chunlan’s hand and threw it on the ground.

Chen Baozhen thought she was justified. It was ridiculous for a widow to show up and deliver insoles to a married man—how shameless!

Wang Chunlan’s eyes flickered. She stepped back a little, looking like she had been insulted.

“Zhenzhen, apologize to Sister Wang,” Qin Yao said, picking up the two insoles from the ground. “She went to the trouble of bringing these, so we should accept them.”

Chen Baozhen looked at her in disbelief.

Qin Yao continued, “Sister Wang, you should stay. We’ll burn these for your husband later.”

Chen Baozhen was stunned. She blinked her eyes. Burn?

Wang Chunlan was also stunned.

Qin Yao smiled and explained, “This is a thoughtful gesture you made for your husband. We should make sure he knows your feelings. We’ll burn it so that Brother Xu knows, and I’m sure he’ll be very happy. In the next life, he’ll want to be your husband again.”

Wang Chunlan turned pale. “This… this isn’t right… It’s against the old customs…”

“No, no, no,” Qin Yao quickly reassured her. “This isn’t superstition or anything like breaking the old customs. We’re just collectively remembering a good comrade who passed away.”

“It’s not like we’re burning money or believing in ghosts. These insoles are your heartfelt thoughts, your remembrance of him.”

“Some people may be gone, but they still live in your heart. That’s why you think of them when you eat, when you sleep, and wherever you go—you never forget them.”

“Zhenzhen, you should be understanding of Sister Wang.”

Wang Chunlan’s face was filled with panic as she looked at Qin Yao. Qin Yao kept referring to “him,” and the image of Old Xu’s face seemed to flash in her mind, as if someone was choking her.

“Yes, yes, Sister Wang, I apologize. Yaoyao is right. I misunderstood. You came here to have us help you remember your husband.”

Wang Chunlan’s face drained of color. “No, that’s not it.”

At that moment, Gu Cheng and Gao Jianguo walked out from the house. They heard the commotion and the unfamiliar voice of a woman in the courtyard and came out to see what was going on.

Both Gu Cheng and Gao Jianguo knew Wang Chunlan.

“Sister Wang, what brings you here?”

Wang Chunlan hesitated, “I came to deliver some insoles.”

Chen Baozhen immediately spoke up, “She wants us to help her remember her late husband. She made these insoles for Old Xu, but no one’s wearing them now. We’ll burn them later so that Old Xu knows how she feels.”

Gu Cheng and Gao Jianguo exchanged a glance and then bowed their heads for three minutes of silent mourning.

Wang Chunlan was left speechless upon seeing this.

“Burning them… isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” 

Gao Jianguo expressed his understanding: “Burn it, sister-in-law, this is your token of appreciation.”

Qin Yao glanced at the bamboo basket Wang Chunlan was holding, covered with a white cloth, and asked, “Sister Wang, do you have anything else you’d like to burn?”

She stepped forward, pretending to inspect the basket.

Wang Chunlan, startled, quickly responded, “No, no, nothing else.”

Qin Yao felt her reaction was strange and secretly used her “x-ray vision” skill. It wasn’t until she looked inside the basket that she saw it was filled with three hundred yuan wrapped in cloth.

Three hundred yuan was a large sum. Wang Chunlan was wealthy—far wealthier than she was.