Chapter 35

“What? You haven’t set your eyes on anyone?” Captain Zhao chuckled. “What kind of person are you looking for then? Your mother entrusted you to me so that I could find you a good husband. I’ve brought the best young men here for you. Tell me, which one do you like? Xiao Li or Xiao Wang? If you like someone, tomorrow, you can start dating him.”

“If you haven’t chosen anyone, I’ll close my eyes and pick one for you. You marry whoever I choose. Or, if you’re not satisfied, I’ll buy you a train ticket, and you can go back home. A grown woman like you staying at her uncle’s place, what would your mother think if something happened and I couldn’t explain it to her?”

Lin Xixi was startled. She couldn’t be sent back; if that happened, she would lose all her opportunities.

She lowered her head in thought and then looked up, saying, “Xiao Zhang, the driver, seems fine.”

Captain Zhao became happy: “So you also think Xiao Zhang is good. Zhang, just like us, is from the north. You won’t argue over food in the future. He really enjoys the pancakes you make; he praised them all day today.”

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow, and you two can start dating.”

Lin Xixi thought, It’s fine; they can date. In any case, she wouldn’t marry him. Her uncle couldn’t genuinely arrange a marriage for her. After all, her uncle was a cadre, and he couldn’t do such things. Otherwise, if she caused a commotion in the unit, he would face criticism.

“After all, if this kind of thing had happened in those ten years, it could have been labeled as feudal remnants, and people might have been paraded in the streets wearing cangues.

Taking it in stride, Lin Xixi seized the opportunity to engage Zhang, the driver, in conversation.

After dealing with Captain Zhao, Lin Xixi came out of the house and saw Gangzi and Yingzi, each carrying a square wooden stool, about to head outside.

She asked, “Where are you going?”

Gangzi said, “Take the stool; it belongs to Uncle Yan.”

Today, Lin Xixi wore a dress from the dream of her teenage years. This dress might not have been popular in the 90s, but in the current era, it is the most fashionable outfit. Yan Lei had only glanced at it today.

Lin Xixi was not satisfied.

Her two greatest assets were being virtuous and beautiful. Tomorrow, her sister-in-law might not allow her to wear it, and she might have to put it away for Yingzi. She needed to make Yan Lei take another look at her.

Men always liked young and beautiful women. Even if the wife at home was beautiful, the wildflowers always had their fragrance.

Opportunities that fall from the sky should not be missed. She immediately went forward and took one stool from her younger siblings, saying, “Alright, I’ll go; you two go play.”

When Yan Lei came back from work today, he hurried home after getting off the Jeep.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw a square area on the ground that had already been turned over.

“I’m back,” Yan Lei shouted into the house, his eyes lighting up. “The soil has been turned over?”

Yan Xiang, as usual, was the first to greet him. Running over, he lifted her up, eager to show off, “Mom and I loosened the soil in the morning. Xiang Xiang also helped! We even caught earthworms! Earthworms don’t give birth, but if you cut one in half, it becomes two earthworms!”

After not seeing Dad for a day, she couldn’t wait to tell him all the new knowledge she had gained that day.

Qiao Wei came out of the house and said, “You came back early today.”

“It’s Saturday,” Yan Lei said.

He observed that Qiao Wei looked much better today, without the listless appearance of the past two days. He said, “You’ve turned the soil, right?”

Yan Xiang once again boasted, “And me, I did it with Mom!”

“Yes, yes, Xiang Xiang is amazing; he can do work.” Yan Lei rubbed Yan Xiang’s head, looked around, and asked, “Are we having lunch now?”

“Today, we’re having noodles. We’ll cook when we’re hungry; it’s a bit early now,” Qiao Wei asked. “If you’re hungry now, I’ll cook for you. We’re not hungry yet.”

Yan Lei immediately said, “I’m not hungry either. Perfect, I’ll go out for a bit, and when I come back, we can cook!”

Qiao Wei: “?”

“Cough, well…” Yan Lei said. “Didn’t we agree that I’ll go to the riverbank to get some mud…”

The mighty captain, speaking with hesitation, still stole glances at Qiao Wei’s expression. It was like a teenager who had finished his homework but was still nervous when caught playing games by his parents.

“…” Qiao Wei crossed her arms.

“Monday!” Yan Lei said. “I told the electrician that he’d come Monday morning to install the light in the bathroom!”

“Tuesday afternoon, the carpenter will come to install that wooden frame for your laundry.”

“I’ve already made arrangements.” Yan Lei tried to puff out his chest.

Look at the tasks she assigned him; he had completed them all. So now…

Qiao Wei chuckled. “Go then.”

Yan Lei was delighted, immediately took off his uniform, found the largest bucket, and grabbed a shovel.

Yan Xiang quickly ran to get her small shovel. “I want to go too, Dad. I want to go!”

Yan Lei joyfully said, “Let’s go; let’s dig mud together!”

Qiao Wei became nervous. “Don’t let him get close to the river.”

“Don’t worry, the riverbank is wide; I’ll keep an eye on him.” Yan Lei assured her. “I’m good in the water; in winter, I can dive under the ice. Don’t worry.”

He was afraid Qiao Wei would regret it and change her mind about letting him and Yan Xiang go. He gave Yan Xiang a signal, and the father and daughter hurriedly left.

Qiao Wei shouted from behind, “How long will it take?”

“Not more than an hour!”

The voice faded, and they were already out of sight.

Once he agreed to cultivate the land, the Chinese blood boiled, right? They couldn’t wait, even for a moment.

The genes for farming were ingrained.

Qiao Wei didn’t misjudge Yan Lei; he was really happy now.

He carried a bucket, shouldered a shovel, and took his son, and the father and son went to the riverbank with high spirits. They hadn’t gone far when they met Captain Zhao and several young men heading energetically towards Captain Zhao’s house.

They exchanged greetings.

“What are you up to?”

“We cleaned up a piece of land at home and plan to plant some vegetables. I’m going to dig some mud from the riverbank.”

“Oh, Xiao Qiao allowed it?”

“How can you speak like that? Of course, she allowed it.”

“Hahaha.”

They greeted each other and continued on their way, with Yan Lei turning back to point at the several young officers younger than him and saying, “Stay spirited! See if you can impress the ladies today!”

Everyone laughed. The officers in proper uniform were proper, sticking to discipline and trying to be “spirited.”

“Especially you two!” Yan Lei specifically pointed at two people. “Get some energy for me!”

These two were under Yan Lei’s command.

They protested, “This depends on the girl’s opinion. It’s not like we can do whatever we want.”

“Enough talk. If she’s not interested, it means you’re not good enough. Go back and do 200 pull-ups for me!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

One group headed towards Captain Zhao’s house, while the other went towards the riverbank.

At the riverbank, Yan Lei instructed Yan Xiang, “Don’t go into the water. Dad will take you swimming another day. Don’t go into the water today.”

Yan Xiang obediently agreed and stayed out of the water, following her dad to dig mud on the riverbank.

The father used a large shovel, and the son used a small one, digging vigorously.

They quickly filled a bucket.

Yan Lei used Yan Xiang’s small shovel to stir in the bucket, trying to remove debris like small stones as much as possible. Once this was done at the riverbank, they wouldn’t need to do it at home.

In fact, Yan Lei had slightly deceived Qiao Wei. Mud, when left to dry for a few days, would lose its smell, but in its freshly dug state, it still had a bit of an odor.

“Oh no, Mom won’t make us bring it back, will she?” The dad looked troubled.

The son, following suit with a troubled expression, asked, “What should we do then?”

Mud is so much fun.

“Well, it’s up to you.” The cunning and shameless dad made the child handle the situation.

A series of whispers and conspiracies ensued.

Sure enough, when they returned home, Qiao Wei pinched her nose and questioned Yan Lei with her eyes.

Yan Lei said, “It’s like this when it’s just dug up. It won’t smell once it’s dried, really; I’m not lying to you.”

Yan Xiang hugged Qiao Wei’s legs and shouted, “Mom, mud is so much fun! Don’t let Dad throw it away!”

That exaggerated tone made it clear that someone had coached him in advance.

Yan Lei chuckled.

Father and son had mud on their faces, legs, and arms, waiting pitifully for Qiao Wei to make a decision.

Qiao Wei was speechless.

“You better make sure it really doesn’t smell when it dries.”

“Really!”

“…Go then; just don’t bring it over here.”

“Thanks, wife!” The two men cheered simultaneously, carrying a bucket of mud with them.

Qiao Wei watched from under the eaves as the father and son squatted there, playing with mud.

At this moment, she could sense Yan Lei’s age.

In his mid-twenties or so, in the modern world, he still had a bit of a boyish nature. Many people his age would still call their parents before making decisions, but Yan Lei always had the appearance of a solid pillar.

Until now, he revealed a slightly different side—a young dad, although already a father, still had a childlike aspect to himself.

Suddenly, he seemed several years younger.

No, it’s not that; it’s just that I used to be too mature.

Qiao Wei smiled and said, “I’ll cook noodles. There are two types: one is spaghetti with tomato meat sauce, and the other is regular cold noodles. Xiang wants the one with tomato sauce. Which one do you want?”

Yan Lei raised his head and said, “I’ll have both!”

Black mud clung to his jaw, but his teeth were very white. His eyes were bright and lively.

He looked so good. Who wouldn’t enjoy living with a handsome guy? Qiao Wei went to cook the noodles in a happy mood.

Yan Lei praised the spaghetti with tomato meat sauce enthusiastically.

Yan Xiang said, “Right? It’s delicious! I told Mom that we’re having it for dinner too!”

Yan Xiang requested to have it for dinner right after finishing lunch.

Qiao Wei usually didn’t accept having the same thing for two consecutive meals, but Yan Xiang said, “How can we get tired of it? It’s impossible! It’s too delicious.”

Considering the scarcity of resources at this time, they probably wouldn’t get tired of it, even if they had it for two meals in a row. So Qiao Wei agreed.

Yan Lei finished the spaghetti with tomato meat sauce and then had the regular cold noodles.

Qiao Wei’s seasoning included scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili sautéed in lard, and then added vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and sugar, all mixed together.

The noodles were soaked in cold water, pressed by hand, and then poured with the seasoning. Eating it in the summer felt exceptionally comfortable.

Yan Lei said, “This is delicious too!”

Yan Lei had four large bowls of noodles and even had a boiled egg, still not feeling satisfied.

After finishing, he washed the bowls and put them away.

Qiao Wei looked out from the window in the study and saw him standing with his hands on his hips in front of the vegetable plot.

The sky was dark, but there was still sunlight, a dark golden color, slanting down, making the muscles on the man’s arms vivid and intense, like a comic.

Was he standing there, envisioning how to manage that small vegetable plot?

He loved farming so much.

Qiao Wei was thinking of going out to tell Yan Lei about digging a sand pit for the kids when suddenly someone spoke in the yard.

Glancing out the window, oh, Lin Xixi had come.

Wearing the dress she had given her.

Qiao Wei didn’t move for the moment, wanting to hear what Lin Xixi planned to do. If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move.

“Haha, Captain Yan, do you think I look good in this?” Lin Xixi smiled brightly.

She was a middle-aged woman.

She wasn’t even a middle-aged person of the future internet era; she was a middle-aged person of the 1990s.

She wasn’t really from the mom generation; she belonged to the grandma generation.

The thoughts of middle-aged and elderly people were already formed and hard to change. Lin Xixi’s body had become younger, but her thoughts wouldn’t change with her body.

She firmly believed that men couldn’t resist the charm of beautiful women.

She still thought that only young girls should dress up, and women who were married and had children should take care of their husbands, educate their children, and be by the stove.

She considered herself a young girl, and Qiao Wei was a woman.

Qiao Wei held her breath, wanting to hear how Yan Lei would respond.

She was actually curious because this was the world of the book; Yan Lei was the male lead, and Lin Xixi was the female lead.

If the two of them collided, would there be involuntary feelings?

Yan Lei always felt that Captain Zhao’s niece wasn’t very bright. Did the girl go on a blind date today? Why is she spinning around him?

She really doesn’t treat him as an outsider, huh? Does she see him as a real uncle?

Since that’s the case, he wouldn’t be polite to her either.