Chapter 106

Lu Manman followed Battalion Commander Li and took the sleeper train, which most people had never even seen before, to his hometown to meet his in-laws.

Qiao Wei and Yan Lei started preparing for the New Year.

The festive atmosphere was really strong at this time. The children couldn’t contain themselves anymore and secretly set off scattered firecrackers on the streets.

Qiao Wei’s family is now very close to Director Lu’s family, and this year’s New Year goods are particularly abundant. Especially the smoked duck and ham brought by Director Lu, Qiao Wei drooled at the sight of the whole large ham and had already thought of a hundred and eight different ways to eat it.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the couple cleaned every nook and cranny of their home.

They washed what needed washing and wiped what needed wiping. Even the debris piled up in the cracks between the house and the backyard wall, Yan Lei tidied up.

They also collected broken bricks and tiles, and Yan Lei repaired his precious vegetable plot… I don’t know what to call it, but in short, he neatly fenced it off, leaving space to walk in and settle down.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, it was time to post spring couplets, but Yan Lei wasn’t at home.

He had already told Qiao Wei earlier that he had to accompany the leader for a household inspection and to comfort the family members. Captain Pan asked him to go with him.

Qiao Wei said, “You go, I’ll do the posting.”

Yan Lei was still worried, “Can you reach?”

Because at this time, every household lived independently, unlike in later generations where they lived in apartment buildings with small doors. At this time, every household had double doors, which were also tall. The spring couplets bought were also particularly large.

Qiao Wei said, “I’ll use a stool!”

Yan Lei wanted to post them in advance, but Qiao Wei wouldn’t allow it.

“Don’t spoil the atmosphere,” Sister Yang had told her, “The afternoon of the 29th is the time to post.”

Qiao Wei loved the New Year too much; the New Year atmosphere, the smell of fireworks, the smell of people—she knew exactly what to do and when, and she wouldn’t let Yan Lei disrupt it.

In the afternoon of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, after lunch, Qiao Wei took Yan Xiang to post the spring couplets. “Look, is it level? Is it level?”

Yan Xiang looked up and down and said, “It’s a bit higher on the left… and higher on the right… Alright, alright! Don’t move!”

Finally, they posted the horizontal scroll as well.

Just as they finished wiping the stool clean, they heard Yan Lei’s voice at the door, “Qiao Wei! Qiao Wei! We have guests!”

A large group of men in military coats surged into the courtyard, which startled Qiao Wei.

Upon closer inspection, she recognized only Captain Pan and Captain Zhao, and a few others were vaguely familiar, but most were unfamiliar.

Canceling military ranks, everyone dressed the same, making it impossible to distinguish ranks, only their ages were apparent.

Walking in the middle were several older men. Captain Pan was walking alongside one of the older men.

Qiao Wei knew this must be a leader, but she didn’t recognize him, so she first greeted those she knew: “Captain, you’re here!”

Captain Pan was particularly kind and friendly, beckoning her over, “Qiao Wei, come here.”

He introduced her to the oldest man in the middle, saying, “Colonel, this is Yan Lei’s wife, Qiao Wei.”

“Qiao Wei, come and meet the Colonel.”

Qiao Wei stepped forward and shook hands, smiling, “Hello, sir, I’m Qiao Wei. I currently work in the County Committee Office, and my superior is Secretary Meng.”

After a whole day of meeting so many military families, Qiao Wei was the first to proactively shake hands. Many of the military wives, when the Colonel extended his hand, were still nervously rubbing their hands on their aprons before daring to shake hands with the leader.

The Colonel shook her hand, kindly and amiably, and said, “I’ve heard about you earlier, a pen wielded by a military family member. I’ve read your articles. Young comrade, your morale is high, very good.”

For a family member to receive a compliment like “very good” from the Colonel, many present envied Yan Lei.

Yan Lei remained calm and composed, accustomed to his wife’s composure in such situations and proud of her.

Qiao Wei invited everyone inside to sit.

Outside was bitterly cold, but inside, a fire was burning in the kang, providing warmth, very comfortable.

However, neither the Colonel nor anyone else rushed to go inside; they all surveyed the courtyard, and finally, their gaze uniformly settled on the outer wall of the house.

The Colonel asked, “Do we still have adobe houses in the resettlement area?”

This was also the first time Captain Pan had come to Yan Lei’s house, and he was puzzled as well.

It shouldn’t be; during the reconstruction of the ruins, adobe walls had long since weathered into clumps of dirt, not worth rebuilding or repairing. The ones that were rebuilt were stone houses.

“It’s a stone house,” Qiao Wei explained, “but I feel cold easily, so we added a layer of yellow clay outside to keep the house warm.”

“And the original house had some repairs done, and the walls didn’t look good, so we decided to plaster them with clay, which also made them neat and beautiful.”

Someone commented, “Then paint it white.”

In the hearts of many, adobe houses were the poorest and meant poverty and hardship. They would say that poverty was honorable, but they would scramble for the red-brick and tiled houses.

But Qiao Wei smiled and said, “The original look of the countryside is beautiful; it doesn’t need to be painted white.”

The Colonel didn’t say anything, just nodded, but his gaze warmed considerably. He led everyone into the house.

The room had white walls and was completely devoid of the scribbles and marks left by children.

On the main wall of the hall hung portraits of great figures, and the furniture was the same as in other houses, allocated according to rank by the government. The company commander had more desks and filing cabinets than the platoon leader, and the battalion commander even more.

Overall, the layout was the same.

But in Qiao Wei’s house, there was an extra kang bed.

When it got cold in autumn, they would bring it in from the courtyard and lean it against the wall. In winter, they would lay a thicker layer of bedding on it for warmth.

The cotton mat leaned against the snow-white wall, simple and clean. On the bed was a collection of the thoughts of great figures, with a corner of the bamboo bookmark sticking out of the pages, silently declaring that the owner was earnestly studying.

With so many people arriving, Qiao Wei and Yan Lei brought out all the chairs, benches, stools, and stools from their home, just enough for everyone to sit on. Several people even squeezed onto the kang bed.

The cast-iron stove was placed in the middle of the room, with a kettle sitting on top, heating water.

Yan Xiang followed his mother’s instructions and brought over a stack of bowls from the kitchen. As soon as he entered, several people quickly stood up and reached out their hands.

Yan Lei laughed, “It’s okay, he can handle it.”

Sure enough, the child confidently handed the bowls to his father.

With so many people, there weren’t enough teapots, so they had to use bowls as a makeshift solution.

Yan Lei lifted the kettle from the cast-iron stove, pouring out golden tea that instantly filled the room with the aroma of wheat.

Each leader received a bowl, taking a sip to warm themselves up.

The Colonel even praised Captain Pan, “These roasted wheat grains are done perfectly. This is the most fragrant time.”

Roasted wheat grains, when brewed with hot water or boiled, were common in the north. It’s like the barley tea of later generations.

After eating meat, having a cup was refreshing, cutting through the greasiness. Coming in from the cold outside in winter, a bowl of it warmed you up.

The room was filled with slurping sounds for a moment.

Qiao Wei laughed, “Yan Lei roasted these. I always can’t get the timing right, and they end up a bit burnt.”

The Colonel said, “You’re from the city; there must be a lot you’re not used to in the town?”

“When I first arrived, there definitely were,” Qiao Wei said, “but habits are cultivated. The children of the working class are the screws of the country, no matter where they go, they should take root. Now I have a big house to live in, I’m not afraid of wind or rain, the state takes care of our food and clothing, there’s a class, and the children have kindergarten care. I often think that I must live happily every day and then work hard, only then can I be worthy of the country.”

Indeed, she was someone whose smile made people feel comfortable just by looking at it.

Her smile came from deep within her eyes.

The Colonel liked her very much, chatting casually with her and asking about her work. Qiao Wei was one of the few family members who could genuinely discuss work and various insights with the Colonel.

The Colonel spent the longest time in Qiao Wei’s house.

But eventually, they couldn’t sit there forever; they had to continue to other houses. They all stood up, and before leaving, they routinely inspected the house.

Every room was very clean, with the kitchen and toilet being particularly impressively clean.

The feeling of a couple working together harmoniously to live a prosperous life was particularly strong.

Now, looking at this adobe house again, with the big red couplets on the door and the straw shoes and hats by the window, it didn’t feel shabby at all, but rather rustic and lively.

The Colonel’s eyes suddenly became a bit moist.

“It’s like my home,” he said, “When I left home with the army, I was only twelve years old. In my memory, my home looked like this.”

Later, when he went back, that home had already been burnt down.

Years had passed, and he had achieved success and fame, yet unexpectedly, it was in the home of a battalion commander that his long-buried memories were stirred.

Yan Lei also followed the Colonel and Captain Pan to the next house. As the crowd left in a rush, Qiao Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Originally, she thought that if Yan Lei followed the entourage, the leaders wouldn’t come to their house at all, so she hadn’t made any preparations.

When Yan Lei returned that evening, she asked, “How come they came to our house again?”

Yan Lei said, “It wasn’t originally planned. Captain Pan suddenly asked which courtyard was ours, and the Colonel said he wanted to come and see you.”

“Heh, then I’m quite honored.”

“But I didn’t see you being surprised,” Yan Lei laughed, “I just saw you being composed.”

This was probably going to start the routine praise for his wife. Qiao Wei was tired of hearing it and interrupted him, “Hurry up and wash your hands to come and wrap dumplings!”

“Alright!”

“Mom, I want to wrap too.”

“Here, this piece of dough is for you to play with.”

On the cast-iron coal stove, a pot was boiling, and on the Eight Immortals table, dough was being rolled and filled with stuffing. The chubby little hands of the children kneaded the dough, happily and harmoniously.

Qiao Wei was still worried, “I wonder what Manman is doing now. I wonder if she’s reluctant to burn fire for warmth in the countryside. Oh, I hope Captain Li takes good care of her. He better not come back home and change his attitude, shouting and yelling.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Yan Lei said, “I’d give him a talking to.”

The atmosphere became even more festive on New Year’s Eve.

Yan Lei, Qiao Wei, and their entire family went to the county. There was a Spring Festival gala at the County Cultural Palace, and Qiao Wei and Secretary Huang’s seats were in the second row, just behind the leaders, a particularly good position.

They even greeted each other.

Yan Lei could also see that after the car accident, Secretary Huang’s interactions with Qiao Wei had changed.

They were now on the same side.

Secretary Huang brought his two children out, each sitting on one of their parents’ laps. The children couldn’t sit still and were a bit noisy.

Yan Xiang sat on his mother’s lap and turned his head, “Sit properly, hands behind your back.”

The two children quieted down and behaved obediently.

Qiao Wei patted Yan Xiang’s little head, “It’s the holiday, not in the classroom. You don’t need to put your hands behind your back.”

“Okay,” Yan Xiang said, “I won’t put my hands behind my back. You’re both very well-behaved, I’ll reward you with chocolate.”

Mom had told him, one stick and one sweet.

He really took out the chocolate from his pocket.

Chocolate was expensive and hard to come by. Many children were reluctant to share it.

Secretary Huang’s children, with chocolate in their mouths, also quieted down, obediently.

Secretary Huang’s wife exclaimed, “Your children, they’re leadership material!”

Yan Lei’s face was solemn, but he felt immensely proud inside.

The internal publication of the military printed out and reported on the leaders’ visits before the New Year.

The Colonel had a paragraph: “When this family member said ‘the original look of the countryside is beautiful; it doesn’t need to be painted white,’ I knew she was a simple and pure-hearted comrade. This city girl has already taken root in the army and, together with her partner, is shining and glowing in different positions. The army needs more female comrades like her; the other halves of soldiers should be like this.”

Yan Lei clipped this out and pasted it into a special hardcover notebook of his.

Qiao Wei had clipped all the articles she had published in the newspaper and pasted them in this notebook.

Yan Lei often read them repeatedly.

Building a harmonious society together as a couple.