Chapter 77

When Lu Nong walked out of the door, a pretty young woman, well-dressed, was standing at the door looking inside.

The woman looked to be in her late twenties, clearly older than Lu Nong, yet she called Lu Nong “sister-in-law” Lu Nong now understood the earlier military wives’ awkwardness. It was quite embarrassing.

“May I ask who you are?” Lu Nong inquired.

The young woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. “Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Cheng Hua, and I am the wife of the Second Regiment Commander Zhang Dali. I heard you moved here today and wanted to see if there was anything I could help with.”

Lu Nong replied, “You don’t need to call me sister-in-law. My name is Lu Nong. You can call me Lu Nong or Comrade Lu Nong.”

Cheng Hua smiled bashfully and agreed to Lu Nong’s suggestion, no longer feeling shy. “Alright, I’ll call you Comrade Lu Nong from now on. It sounds friendly, and you can call me Comrade Cheng Hua.”

Cheng Hua’s voice was clear and pleasant, reminiscent of water flowing over rocks in a mountain stream, which won Lu Nong’s admiration as a sound enthusiast. Cheng Hua naturally calling her “sister-in-law” made Lu Nong question if she was overreacting.

However, despite her fondness for Cheng Hua’s voice, Lu Nong remained composed. Until she understood the situation better, she had to maintain her boundaries.

“Thank you, Comrade Cheng Hua. Old Pei has packed all the big things at home. There is still some luggage left. My mother and I can handle it. I won’t bother you today. When there is something going on at home someday, I will definitely ask for your help.”

Though she was declining the offer, Lu Nong’s tone was warm and friendly, devoid of the aloofness that Cheng Hua had anticipated. This eased Cheng Hua’s anxiety, and her smile became even more sincere.

“Okay, Comrade Lu Nong, don’t worry. I’ll definitely come to help when you need it. Oh, by the way, these are homemade salted duck eggs. If you don’t mind, please take some home to try.”

Cheng Hua picked up the basket from the ground and handed it to Lu Nong.

“Oh, I can’t accept this.” Lu Nong initially wanted to decline, but realizing that refusing again might be impolite, she finally said, “Then I will graciously accept it.”

“Huh?” Cheng Hua thought Lu Nong was rejecting her offer and quickly explained, “Sister, these duck eggs are really delicious and quite oily. Once you try them, you’ll want more.”

Lu Nong was taken aback but soon understood that Cheng Hua didn’t grasp her earlier comment about graciously accepting the gift. Once Cheng Hua finished explaining, Lu Nong maintained her composure and replied, “Since you say they’re so tasty, I must give them a try. Thank you, Comrade Cheng Hua. Let’s not stand at the door, let’s go inside and talk.”

Cheng Hua waved her hand, saying, “No, no, I saw smoke coming out of the chimney of my sister-in-law’s house, so you must be having a meal. I don’t want to disturb you. You should head back inside, and I’ll be on my way.”

In the end, Cheng Hua returned to calling Lu Nong “sister-in-law.”

Before Lu Nong could stop her, Cheng Hua jogged away as if someone were chasing her. When she turned back and saw Lu Nong still standing there, she gestured for Lu Nong to hurry home.

Once Cheng Hua was out of sight, Lu Nong turned back into the house, carrying the duck eggs.

“What happened? Did someone need something?” Aunt Wu asked while feeding Xiao Xia her milk.

“Nothing much. A military wife was worried we might not have enough help since we just arrived, and she offered assistance. I turned her down, but she still gave me a basket of salted duck eggs,” Lu Nong explained as she placed the eggs on the floor and returned to the table to eat.

Aunt Wu praised her, saying, “Oh, that’s great. She knows how to handle things.”

Lu Nong didn’t comment further and continued eating.

After their meal, Aunt Wu boiled water, and the two of them enjoyed a refreshing hot bath. The only inconvenience was the lack of a shower. They had to make do with a large wooden tub.

After a short nap, Lu Nong and Aunt Wu began organizing the luggage piled on the floor, arranging the various items they brought from home. They also discussed what they still needed.

Needless to say, the yard was just a bare patch of freshly turned soil, and Lu Nong was determined to create a  “secret garden.” Aunt Wu didn’t express her opinion on this.

The living room felt too empty, containing only a table for meals. Lu Nong and Aunt Wu agreed that they needed a sofa set, a coffee table, tall and short cabinets, and a shoe cabinet.

There were no ready-made sofas in this remote mountain area, so they planned to make their own cushions and pillows and have Pei Ji’an build the furniture.

This meant they needed to buy a lot of fabric and cotton.

Additionally, both the bedroom and the living room had bare windows, allowing anyone outside to see what was happening inside. For someone like Lu Nong, who valued her privacy, this was stifling. The curtains she brought were only enough for the three bedrooms, and the living room windows were large, requiring new fabric.

The kitchen was currently the most equipped space, but it still had many shortcomings. When it came to Aunt Wu’s territory, she started listing everything that needed to be stocked.

First, there wasn’t enough firewood. There was only a small pile of dry grass, enough for one more meal.

Aunt Wu suggested building a small shed outside the kitchen without a door to store firewood, which would keep it dry and protected from the rain.

Secondly, they were low on various food items and seasonings. Aunt Wu hadn’t bought much due to their rushed arrival, and their supplies were running low.

The toilet was a dry toilet, which Lu Nong found most uncomfortable. She insisted that Pei Ji’an resolve this issue tonight, no matter what.

On the first and second floors, the three bedrooms needed attention. Aunt Wu’s room had only a large bed and a trunk, lacking even a place for clothes. They needed to get a wardrobe and a bedside table.

On the second floor, the empty bedroom was obviously reserved for Pei Zheng, who would be arriving soon. It would be troublesome to set up a bed for him later, so they decided to make one now and arrange his room as well.

This room was spacious, and Lu Nong thought it would be best to build two slightly lower beds with a desk underneath. Identical cabinets and desks could be symmetrically placed, allowing Gu Huai and Pei Zheng to share a room as they grew older.

For the attic, Lu Nong planned to convert it into a study. The most she and Pei Ji’an brought with them were books, which were now piled in the living room. It was inconvenient without a dedicated study, but unfortunately, the attic was small, making it impractical for both of them.

To address this, Lu Nong even drew a design sketch. She envisioned putting wooden shelves along the walls to store the books, placing a desk under the skylight in the center, and using a hollow shelving unit as a divider. She also planned to include a small daybed for a temporary guest room.

Finally, her bedroom was complete with a wardrobe, vanity, and bedside table. Although not identical, it was almost a one-to-one replica of her setup in the capital, even down to the rattan chair by the bed.

Lu Nong was satisfied and hung her pure white curtains. She opened the window to take in the fresh mountain air.

The gentle breeze moved the curtains, revealing Lu Nong in her white clothes, her dark hair cascading down, and her fair complexion glowing. Standing by the window, she admired the view outside, capturing the attention of onlookers.

“Oh my goodness, is that an angel?” exclaimed a petite military wife, her eyes wide in disbelief.

The stout military wife next to her said, “She’s stunning! How can I call her sister-in-law? I can’t be as bold as Cheng Dahua.”

“What are you saying?” the only one among them who had regained her composure, a military wife with short hair named Hu Mei, interrupted. “Watch your mouth.”

“I’m not wrong,” the stout military wife, Liu Erniu, pouted. “Just look at how young the new deputy commander’s wife is. Cheng Dahua is at least seven or eight years older than her, and she doesn’t even stumble when calling her sister. We can’t compare.”

Speaking of Cheng Dahua, Liu Erniu was filled with dissatisfaction. “She’s so eager. The deputy division commander’s wife just arrived, and she’s already trying to win her over, putting us all to shame. What is she trying to pull? If I hadn’t seen it, what would we have turned into?”

“Could you tone it down a bit?” the petite Wang Xiuzhi frowned.

Liu Erniu was still fuming. “I won’t keep quiet about it. What does Cheng Dahua think she is? She looks down on this and that all the time. Just because Teacher Sun changed her name to Cheng Hua, she thinks she’s a cultured person? Bah, she’s just as illiterate as I am. She’s like a pig with a scallion, trying to act impressive right in front of me. One day, I’ll make sure to strip her of that facade.”

“You’ll end up getting in trouble with that mouth of yours,” Hu Mei lightly scolded Liu Erniu from a distance. “Cheng Hua hasn’t bothered you, so why are you so fixated on her?”

Liu Erniu wasn’t convinced but knew Hu Mei was right. She decided to let it go, saying, “Alright, enough about her. It’s bad luck. I need to greet ‘Sister-in-law’ now, so don’t say anything.”

Hu Mei/Wang Xiuzhi: “…”

Hu Mei and Wang Xiuzhi exchanged looks, thinking that if Liu Erniu was calling Cheng Hua thick-skinned, she wasn’t much better herself, especially how easily she called someone ‘Sister-in-law.’

“Sister-in-law!” Liu Erniu called loudly from the door to attract Lu Nong’s attention at the window on the second floor. When Lu Nong looked over, Liu Erniu, Hu Mei, and Wang Xiuzhi all waved.

Lu Nong responded, “Wait, I’ll be right down.”

After a moment, Aunt Wu came out to open the door for the three of them. “Come in. Nong Nong is in the back. Let me open the door first.”

“Ah, are you the Deputy Division Commander Pei’s mother?” Liu Erniu asked.

The family had discussed this issue before it came up. Aunt Wu smiled and replied, “I’m his mother-in-law. My surname is Wu.”

Following Aunt Wu inside, Liu Erniu and the others quickly said, “Hello, Aunt Wu. We came to see if you need any help. Just let us know. We’re here to lend a hand.”

“Thank you so much,” Aunt Wu replied with a smile, leading them into the house. “We just moved in and our home is very simple. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality.”

Liu Erniu was taken aback, surprised that this little old lady could say such eloquent things. She exchanged glances with Hu Mei and Wang Xiuzhi, not knowing how to respond.

Lu Nong came down from upstairs, and the three of them were once again stunned. Hu Mei quickly reacted, saying, “Little sister-in-law is really beautiful. We’ve been struck dumb twice now.”

Lu Nong, already familiar with this kind of attention because of Cheng Hua, calmly said, “Please don’t call me sister-in-law. I’m younger than the three of you. You can call me Lu Nong or Comrade Lu Nong.”

Realizing Lu Nong wasn’t being formal, they all breathed a sigh of relief. If she had insisted on being called sister-in-law, it would have been awkward, but now that she said it wasn’t necessary, everyone felt more at ease.

Liu Erniu readily agreed, “Comrade Lu Nong, I’m Liu Erniu. You can call me Erniu or Comrade Erniu.”

She then introduced Hu Mei and Wang Xiuzhi to Lu Nong, saying, “This is Comrade Hu Mei and Comrade Wang Xiuzhi.”

After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them repeated a similar set of statements about Cheng Hua, but after Lu Nong politely declined, they didn’t stay long before taking their leave.

In the evening, as the sun began to set, the mountains had no electricity, so the family lit oil lamps. While it was still light, Aunt Wu prepared dinner and waited for Pei Ji’an to come home.

After nearly two hours, Pei Ji’an arrived just as the last bit of daylight faded. Lu Nong, propped up on the table, was dozing off. “You’re back?”

Xiao Xia, Xiao Huai, and the little white dog had finished their meals and were already asleep.

“Eat quickly. You’ve worked hard all day. After dinner, go back to your room and sleep,” Aunt Wu said, bringing out the reheated dishes. Pei Ji’an, seeing this, helped Aunt Wu serve the food.

“You don’t have to wait for me in the future. I came back early today, but I probably won’t be back this early again,” Pei Ji’an said.

The family finished their meal quietly. After washing up, Pei Ji’an and Lu Nong returned to their bedroom to rest.

Once in bed, Lu Nong felt more awake and handed Pei Ji’an the family renovation list she had recorded during the day.

“What’s this?” Pei Ji’an flipped through the pages of Lu Nong’s notes. The first item listed was the toilet, which had its own dedicated page with a design plan and explanations of its necessity and importance.

Seeing how thorough Lu Nong was impressed Pei Ji’an.

“Please take a good look. These are essential for the house, especially the flushing toilet. It is the most important. Without it, I would really struggle,” Lu Nong said, pressing her hands together in a sincere request.

“Struggle?” Pei Ji’an raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Lu Nong nodded seriously. “Like a flower wilting.”

Pei Ji’an could only smile and remain silent.

Lu Nong blinked, climbed into Pei Ji’an’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a quick kiss, and then leaned closer to whisper in his ear, “Brother, I’m counting on you.”

Pei Ji’an tensed up, his gaze darkening, his voice husky as he wrapped an arm around Lu Nong’s waist and pulled her closer. “You kissed the wrong spot.”

As he spoke,  Pei Ji’an leaned down and pressed Lu Nong back onto the bed.

For a moment, a delicate hand, pale as jade, hung over the side of the bed. The moonlight, reluctant to leave, secretly kissed the dangling hand. Unfortunately, the man on the bed was domineering and didn’t want the moonlight to witness his lover’s passionate expressions.

The next moment, he reached out to grasp her slender hand. Their hands, each adorned with matching rings, intertwined gently, caressing each other before retreating together.

The moonlight was just right, and the night was deepening. The room was filled with a spring-like atmosphere, yet the night was still young.