Chapter 5

Letting Yan Xiang play on his own, Qiao Wei couldn’t find Yan Lei in the main room. Stepping out of the hall, she noticed an aluminum kettle on the coal stove under the eaves at the entrance, boiling water.

Qiao Wei, accustomed to various small appliances and personal items, found the aluminum kettle unusually large. Glancing around, she heard movement from the side room to the west.

Entering, she found that the windows and doors were open, and a figure passed by the window. Going inside, the side room turned out to be the kitchen with a square stove, a traditional wood-burning stove with a bellows, a cast-iron pot on the stove, and various jars and bottles.

Yan Lei had already taken off his green army uniform, wearing only a white undershirt. He held a white iron bucket, pouring water into a large metal basin inside the room.

Upon entering, Qiao Wei saw the muscles on the man’s arms bulging, giving a powerful impression. His body’s muscles stretched the undershirt, broad shoulders, a well-defined waist, and possibly even a six-pack, if not an eight-pack. His legs were also long.

Such a physique could easily earn money in the future by participating in semi-revealing or non-revealing videos.

Qiao Wei asked, “What are you doing?”

She took a glance, and everything seemed large—the bucket, the basin.

In this era, all household items were prepared for “the family,” unlike in the future, where many things were for individual use. Thus, everything looked large.

Especially the basin on the floor; Qiao Wei knew it was a bathing basin.

There were memories of bathing Yan Xiang in this basin in her mind.

Yan Lei turned to look at her; today, he had been repeatedly surprised by Qiao Wei’s actions.

In the past, his wife had been very cold to him, hardly talking to him for almost a year. But today, she had initiated conversation more than once, even reminding him to give cigarettes to the driver.

Experiencing the incident with the technician had transformed her temperament as if she were a different person.

Yan Lei withdrew his gaze, pouring all the water from the iron bucket into the basin and turning to leave. “The bathhouse is closed today. If you insist on washing, go tomorrow. Today, you’ll have to wash at home.”

A basin bath wasn’t as good as a shower.

The new military family compound had tap water and a communal bathhouse with a boiler. Dependents only needed a bathing ticket; there was no need to pay.

But coming from the old family quarters required a considerable walk. Living in the new compound eliminated this inconvenience, with a bathhouse right outside the door and a small square. An open-air movie was held every month, making it lively.

The new compound still consisted of red brick houses, which looked particularly impressive. Unlike the old area, which consisted of renovated old rural houses, it was far inferior.

His wife had held a grudge against him for the new compound allocation. Now she was blocking him; if it wasn’t about continuing the divorce, was she angry again because of this matter?

Yan Lei’s words reactivated Qiao Wei’s memories of specific events. However, she wasn’t concerned about those things.

Looking at Yan Lei, who was so close, the man she was going to live with from now on. But in reality, she had very little cognitive information about him, all seemingly covered in a cold gray filter.

Those subjective pieces of information meant nothing to her; she had to get to know Yan Lei herself.

The male lead.

The male lead was indeed the male lead. Looking at him from such a close distance, his thick eyebrows, straight nose, well-built body, and muscles were impeccable.

Qiao Wei placed her hand on Yan Lei’s chest, very hard, then touched his arm, also very hard.

Yan Lei looked at her with a strange expression, suspecting she had suffered too much shock and was not in the right state of mind.

Qiao Wei withdrew her hand and sighed, “So healthy.”

She said, “I envy you.”

Yan Lei suspected that she was mocking him. She had always despised his lack of education. So now, when she said inexplicable things, he suspected she was insulting him in a way he couldn’t understand.

“Just like those letters the technician writes to her, they are all incomprehensible and inexplicable words.

Thinking about this, his temper flared up again, and he snorted, “Crazy.”

Forced himself out.

Now only the new area has running water, and the old area does not. The town doesn’t even have a hand-pumped well; the townspeople have to go to the pond to fetch water. Some industrious people go to the river a bit farther away; the river water tastes a little better than the pond water. Some households also have traditional well sweeps.

The old military family area used the army’s equipment, and each family in the yard dug their own hand-pumped well.

Every time the man pumped, you could see the muscles bulging on his back and arms, pleasing to the eye.

Qiao Wei leaned against the kitchen door, watching.

Yan Lei brought another bucket of water.

She picked up her collar and sniffed, asking, “Do I smell?”

Yan Lei stopped and asked, “Did you take a shower in the provincial capital?”

He stared at her sharply.

Qiao Wei looked straight at him, her eyes not avoiding him, and said, “I haven’t even changed my clothes.”

The atmosphere seemed to change slightly.

Yan Lei’s gaze was a bit different from before. He didn’t say anything more and went into the kitchen.

This time, Qiao Wei stepped aside and didn’t let him squeeze her again.

The sound of water pouring came from the kitchen.

The male lead is indeed the male lead. He can be described as having a poor background and no education, but he is definitely not unintelligent.

So, since your wife has not had any improper relationships with other men, feel relieved.

The kettle on the coal stove gurgled with steam.

Qiao Wei walked over. There was information on how to use these things in her memory, but it was like watching a movie or video; the eyes learned it.

Facing it for real, she was a bit at a loss.

Suddenly, Yan Lei reached over from behind, picked up a piece of cloth folded several times from the windowsill, lifted the kettle with it, and covered the stove with an iron hook.

He took the hot water to the kitchen.

Qiao Wei went to the bedroom and took clean underwear, outerwear, and towels, then went to the kitchen.

In the summer, the water doesn’t need to be too hot; as long as it’s not cold, it’s fine.

Although the big iron basin for bathing was specially made, it couldn’t compare to the bathtubs in the future. Sitting in the basin, the water only reached the waist.

There is definitely no shampoo or shower gel. The soap box contains a cut piece of soap.

The military issues Lighthouse-brand soap every month. It’s especially large, just a little smaller than a brick. For convenience, it’s cut into pieces for household use.

In this era, it’s considered a good thing, and many families are reluctant to use it for bathing and washing hair. But for Qiao Wei, it’s a bad experience.

Soap is not good for the skin.

Halfway through the bath, Yan Lei came in again.

Qiao Wei instinctively used her arm to cover her chest and turned her head to look at him.

But Yan Lei didn’t look at her at all. He put a kettle of just-boiled hot water on the ground next to the bath and said, “Mix it yourself when it cools down.”

After saying that, he went out without even looking at her.

Okay, Qiao Wei suddenly went from a terminally ill patient to painlessly being a mother, and now she has become an old couple, touching her left hand with her right.

Qiao Wei smiled and shook her head.

After washing, Yan Xiang was scooping water to wash her feet beside the hand-pumped well. The child’s feet were white and tender, looking cute.

Qiao Wei asked, “Do you want to take a bath?”

Yan Xiang said, “No need; Sister Lin washed me yesterday.”

“Oh,” Qiao Wei said, “what about your dad?”

“He went to get food.”

“Where? In the compound?”

The military camp has a military canteen. The military family compound also has a canteen.

“No, Auntie Yang’s house. Sister Lin cooks for us.”

“Oh.”

After Qiao Wei said “Oh,” she was about to enter the main room when something flashed in her mind, and she turned back and asked, “Sister Lin?”

She asked, “Who is Sister Lin?”

“I don’t know. Auntie Yang asked me to call her sister,” Yan Xiang said, adding, “Sister Lin calls Uncle Zhao ‘uncle’ and Aunt Yang ‘aunt.'”

Qiao Wei was surprised at Yan Xiang’s intelligence. Since he couldn’t confirm the identity of “Sister Lin,” he provided all the information he knew to Qiao Wei.

With the information he provided, Qiao Wei already knew who “Sister Lin” was.

How could the female lead have a surname like Niu or Ma? Of course, she had to have a romantic big surname like Lin Su and Shen Gu.

Lin Xixi, the reborn female lead in this story, Yan Lei’s remarried wife, and Yan Xiang’s stepmother with a good reputation.

It turns out she appeared so early.

As Qiao Wei thought about this, oh, did the male lead go to meet the female lead?

Just as she thought about it, there was movement at the gate. Yan Lei came in with two lunch boxes, followed by a young girl.

The girl carried an enamel basin, her eyes rolling, suspiciously and uncertainly sizing up Qiao Wei. “Did your sister-in-law really come back?”