Chapter 27

The next morning.

Despite the wake-up call, Lin Ting didn’t wake up.

Huo Xiao, however, got up feeling refreshed.

Normally, he would get dressed and leave immediately.

But today was different. He had a wife now, and last night, they had truly become a couple.

The overwhelming sense of happiness made him reluctant to leave.

Huo Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his sleeping wife with her flushed cheeks.

The more he looked, the more he liked her. He couldn’t resist taking another small bite before sneaking out with a guilty conscience.

In the main room, Hu Xiu was already up, sweeping the floor.

Huo Xiao coughed lightly. “Mom, let’s eat at the cafeteria today.”

Hu Xiu instinctively wanted to refuse—cafeteria food was bland and more expensive than home-cooked meals.

But when she looked at her son, she immediately understood and nodded. “Alright, we can eat there again today. The cafeteria food is quite good.”

She then happily began rummaging through the kitchen.

Although there weren’t many seasonings available, she had set up the coal stove yesterday.

Hu Xiu was too busy making red bean and candied date soup for her daughter-in-law to even notice when her son left.

Lin Ting woke up at seven.

It was early compared to yesterday, but since she had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative today, she forced herself to get up despite feeling sore.

At first, she didn’t think much about her mother-in-law’s smiling face—Hu Xiu had always been kind.

But when she saw a bowl of red bean and candied date soup in her breakfast, she was mortified.

Her mother-in-law had also made this for Huo Xiao when he returned to the Xiangyang Brigade a month ago.

But back then, she and Huo Xiao hadn’t taken that step yet, so she hadn’t been embarrassed.

Now… after last night, everything had changed.

Hu Xiu wasn’t the type to pry into her son and daughter-in-law’s personal life.

She had no idea they had consummated their marriage last night.

Seeing Lin Ting’s embarrassment, she kindly changed the subject. “By the way, Wenlan came by earlier.”

Lin Ting asked, “Why?”

“She invited us to go to the back hills to dig for shepherd’s purse.” Hu Xiu sighed. “I thought big cities wouldn’t have wild vegetables and that people only ate rationed food, but life here is almost the same as ours.”

Huo Xiao’s military camp was in the southern suburbs. There was a mountain behind it—not very tall, only about a hundred meters high.

But unlike the mountains in her hometown, this one had a temple on it.

Hearing this, Hu Xiu became interested. “There’s a temple? I told Wenlan we have other plans today, but once we get everything ready, we should visit the mountain.”

Not to mention burning incense and worshiping Buddha, just taking the children to see the green mountains can be relaxing.

Lin Ting thought the same, so after hearing her mother-in-law’s suggestion, she agreed immediately.

After dinner.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took their children, each carrying a bamboo basket, and headed out.

Most military supply and marketing cooperatives are near family quarters. In this brigade, besides officers above deputy battalion level and soldiers with 15 years of service, some special technical talents’ families were also allowed to live there. As a result, the family compound was quite large.

Since the children had short legs and walked slowly, they had to stop frequently, making the journey take over half an hour.

Unlike their expectations of a crowded, hectic scene, the supply and marketing cooperative was not too busy, and the items available were more complete than anticipated. At least all the seasonings were available.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law first bought half a pound of biscuits—rectangular, thin, and sprinkled with white sugar. They gave each child one piece before continuing their shopping.

At this moment, Lin Ting realized that her mother-in-law’s careful planning and frugality were actually quite useful. If not for the empty cans her mother-in-law had insisted on bringing, they would have struggled to find containers for soy sauce and vinegar.

Hu Xiu beamed at her daughter-in-law’s approving gaze and proudly said, “Mom has gained this wisdom from years of experience.”

Lin Ting nodded, smiling. “That’s true, you’ve always been very wise.”

Receiving praise from her college-educated daughter-in-law, Hu Xiu couldn’t hide her happiness.

Seeing their unfamiliar faces, the saleswoman asked, “Are you two new to the army? Which family are you from?”

Lin Ting smiled and replied, “Yes, I just arrived. My husband is Huo Xiao from the same regiment. Do you know him, sister?”

“Captain Huo? Of course, I know him!” This was a regiment camp, and apart from the brigade commander and political commissar, Captain Huo had the highest rank.

The saleswoman, who had initially seemed indifferent, immediately smiled and complimented, “My name is Chen Lanhua. My father is Captain Zhu Zhengwei of the Second Regiment. When I saw you come in, I was curious about whose wife you were. You’re so pretty! But now I see that only someone like you is worthy of Captain Huo.”

Though she said this with a smile, Chen Lanhua felt envious. Huo Xiao’s wife looked at least ten years younger than her, and she was also the wife of a captain. Comparison was disheartening.

She also noticed the two chubby children and was surprised to learn they were boy-and-girl twins.

Glancing at the woman beside Lin Ting, Chen Lanhua smirked and said, “Is this your mother? You two seem so close.”

Before Lin Ting could answer, Hu Xiu laughed happily. She didn’t sense any hidden meaning in the words and proudly said, “We are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.”

Chen Lanhua was shocked. “You’re Captain Huo’s mother?”

Hu Xiu nodded.

At that moment, Chen Lanhua lost all her jealousy. It was one thing for the husband to be impressive, but even the mother-in-law was so easygoing.

Unaware of the impact of her words, Hu Xiu smiled and bid farewell to Chen Lanhua before leading her daughter-in-law to the vegetable stall.

The supply and marketing cooperative had limited vegetables, and only eggs were available for protein. If they wanted meat, they would have to wake up early to queue.

However, neither Lin Ting nor Hu Xiu were in a rush, as they had brought plenty of preserved meat from their hometown. It had to be consumed before the weather got too warm.

In the end, they only bought one pound of eggs. As for vegetables, they had received plenty from their neighbors.

Since Huo Xiao had mentioned bringing food from the cafeteria for lunch, they didn’t need to cook.

The main reason, however, was exhaustion.

Carrying children and groceries on the way back left the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law drained. Once home, they collapsed onto the bed to rest.

But their break was short-lived, as Huo Xiao soon arrived with lunch.

As he set the food on the table, he discreetly observed his wife. Only after receiving several cold glances did he smirk and look away in a good mood.

The cafeteria food was average. After a few bites, Hu Xiu said, “Wen Lan sent over some shepherd’s purse. Let’s make dumplings tonight.”

Huo Xiao asked, “Did you get the seasonings?”

Hu Xiu nodded. “Yes, the kitchen is fully stocked now. The cooperative has a good selection. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go early to buy some pork fat and render lard, then we’ll have everything we need.”

She then turned to her daughter-in-law. “Tingting, I won’t be going to the city tomorrow.”

Lin Ting was surprised. “Don’t you want to check out the department store?”