Chapter 78.1

Some were joyous while others were sorrowful. The Pei family finished dinner and went to bed early, unaware that their arrival had disturbed the tranquil waters of their home, with the ripples lingering for a long time.

After dinner and settling the children to sleep, Liu Erniu tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Her husband, Captain Zhao Hu, was sound asleep. Liu Erniu, feeling annoyed, pushed Zhao Hu awake.

“Is there a mission?” Zhao Hu jolted up, startled by the sudden push, his eyes wide open. He hadn’t even put on a shirt and was reaching for his belt to go outside.

“Come back! What are you making a fuss about at this hour? The kids are already asleep,” Liu Erniu scolded, both angry and amused.

Zhao Hu, now awake, rubbed his face and said, “You wasteful woman, you’re using all your strength from working in the fields on your husband. Don’t you know how much strength you have?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Liu Erniu slapped Zhao Hu on the back, leaving a red mark on his sun-kissed skin.

Zhao Hu let out a frustrated growl, complaining, “I finally get it. You’ll never know what it means to be gentle. You should learn from the wife of the Second Regiment Commander. Look at her and then look at yourself. You’re always causing a scene.”

Liu Erniu was fine until Zhao Hu mentioned Cheng Dahua. As soon as she heard that name, all her pent-up anger surged forth, and she snapped back, “Every day I wash clothes, cook meals, and serve you well. I’ve given you three kids, and now you want me to be like Cheng Dahua? What should I learn from her? To dress up like a witch and flirt with men? Fine! Starting tomorrow, I won’t cook, wash, or take care of the kids. I’ll just sit on the doorstep gossiping, and let’s see how you handle that!”

Zhao Hu wiped the spit off his face, feeling annoyed. He said, “What did I even say? I just made one comment. You’re waiting for me to say ten more? Fine, it’s all my fault. Wasn’t it you who said we shouldn’t wake the kids? So why are you shouting now?”

“You’re the reason I’m upset,” Zhao Hu admitted. Liu Erniu’s anger finally eased a bit, but she still grumbled, “Come here, let me see your back.”

“That slap you gave was pretty brutal,” Zhao Hu muttered as he turned to show her his back. He then asked, “Did you wake me up in the middle of the night just to slap me and argue?”

“Oh dear,” Liu Erniu exclaimed as she slapped her thigh. “I forgot because you made me angry. I wanted to ask you, how is the new deputy division commander?”

Zhao Hu turned around, eyeing Liu Erniu from head to toe. “Are you okay? You wake me up in the middle of the night to ask about the deputy division commander? Are you planning to drive me crazy and remarry? I’ll tell you, even if he’s handsome, he’s someone else’s man. He has a wife who came to the army today with him. Your man is not dead yet. What are you thinking about?”

Don’t think Zhao Hu didn’t know that Deputy Division Commander Pei had only been here a few days. The military wives were already buzzing, trying to set him up with their daughters, nieces, and relatives. The young women from the cultural troupe were even worse, gathering around him in groups.

Fortunately, Deputy Division Commander Pei is already married. Otherwise, he would have been eaten by these women.

Liu Erniu wished she could slap Zhao Hu again. She shot him a glare and said, “Stop bringing up useless things. I’m asking if the deputy division commander is the kind of person who likes flattery and enjoys being praised.”

“I’ll tell you, Cheng Dahua and her husband are all about sweet-talking. Today, I caught Cheng Dahua leaving everyone else behind to butter up the new deputy division commander’s wife. Luckily, I was smart and alerted everyone so she didn’t get all the benefits…”

“But what if the deputy division commander enjoys flattery? With your clumsy way of speaking, you can’t even manage a compliment. Wouldn’t that just let Cheng Dahua get ahead of you?”

Zhao Hu turned his attention to the deputy division commander’s wife and asked his own wife with great interest: “I heard that the deputy division commander’s wife looks like a fairy. Everyone who has seen her praises her beauty. Is it true?”

“She’s definitely like a fairy! You haven’t seen her yet…”

Liu Erniu realized halfway through her sentence and glared at Zhao Hu with her hands on her hips. “So what if she’s beautiful? No matter how pretty she is, she’s not your wife. You might as well give up on that idea.”

“What are you talking about? I was just curious!” Zhao Hu defended himself.

Liu Erniu continued to glare at him.

“Fine,” Zhao Hu surrendered, thinking that if they kept arguing, he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. He quickly changed the subject, saying, “Don’t worry. Even though Deputy Division Commander Pei looks young, he has more battle experience than I do. He’s not the kind of person you think he is.”

After saying that, he flipped over and went to sleep, snoring loudly just three seconds later, leaving Liu Erniu wondering if he was really asleep or just pretending.

Liu Erniu: “…”

Meanwhile, Hu Mei was having a similar conversation with the fourth Regiment Commander Song Mao. Compared to Liu Erniu’s straightforwardness, Hu Mei’s questions were more subtle.

“What kind of person is the new deputy division commander?”

Song Mao flipped a page in his book and instinctively replied, “He seems like a good person.”

In the army, many soldiers were illiterate. Most came from poor families, and some joined the military because they couldn’t make a living back home. Most of the soldiers could barely read a few characters, and many commanders were also illiterate. Anyone who could read had a chance for promotion.

Song Mao had worked his way up to regimental commander through merit. If he wanted to advance further, he needed to improve his education. He was a determined person, so he studied at night by the oil lamp.

Hu Mei paused her embroidery and glanced up at the focused Song Mao. “You need to pay attention to what I’m saying.”

Song Mao put down his book. “Go ahead.”

“The former commander is retiring soon. The only ones who could take his place are you and the third regiment commander. Now suddenly, there’s Deputy Division Commander Pei, who clearly seems like the successor. When the former commander retires, what will happen to you and the third regiment commander?”

Song Mao disagreed, saying, “Where are you getting that from? The commander is still quite young. He’s far from retirement. Even if Deputy Division Commander Pei is here to fill in for the former commander, I, Old Song, will gladly accept that.”

“In our army, if you’re better than me, I’ll respect you. But you don’t know this, Deputy Division Commander Pei may be young, but his resume is not. Honestly, you wouldn’t understand. Just don’t interfere with this.”

Song Mao waved his hand, signaling his wife not to worry. He then returned to reading his book.

Hu Mei tightened her grip on her crochet hook and fell silent.

The next evening after the drill, Pei Ji’an called a few soldiers to help build a flush toilet and a wood shed.

Lu Nong nodded secretly, thinking that using beauty as a strategy was indeed effective, though it was hard on her waist. She’d need a few days to recover.

Pei Ji’an didn’t slack off either. Early in the morning, he went to the logistics department to get some wooden planks. Following Lu Nong’s design for a study, he started building a bookshelf. He worked on it in the morning and continued in the evening, putting in extra hours to finish it.

As for the other furniture, he would have to find a carpenter to custom-make it. Lu Nong was in the yard discussing where to find a carpenter with Pei Ji’an, who was hammering away. He replied to Lu Nong, “There are two nearby villages downhill. They hold markets on the first and fifteenth of each month. Tomorrow is the fifteenth, so I’ll send Xiao Zhou to ask around.”

“No need to ask around. The carpenter from Yushui Brigade is called Xie Laosan. He is the closest carpenter to our unit. Tomorrow, I’ll take you there,” said a voice from the doorway.

Lu Nong and Pei Ji’an turned to look. At the entrance stood a man and a woman. The man had graying hair and wore a brand-new 65-style military uniform. His expression was serious, and the wrinkles on his forehead told of his experience.

This year, the entire army switched to the 65-style uniform and changed the rank system. The officers’ uniforms had only a couple of extra pockets compared to the regular soldiers’ uniforms. At first glance, the man seemed like an ordinary soldier, but his stern demeanor revealed something extraordinary.

Lu Nong thought that the 65-style uniform was honestly not as good-looking as the previous ones. The color and fit did not compare. She secretly kept the rank-specific military uniform that Pei Ji’an had changed out of, planning to ask him to wear it for her someday at home.

The woman looked younger than the man but also showed signs of wear and tear. She wore the same 65-style military uniform and had a friendly demeanor, her face beaming as she looked at Lu Nong and Pei Ji’an.

“Commander, Director Leng,” Pei Ji’an greeted them.

The soldiers working in the yard paused their tasks to salute and greet the commander. The commander nodded, signaling them to continue their work and not to worry about him.

The soldiers turned back to their tasks.

Pei Ji’an introduced, “This is Commander Li, and this is his wife, Director Leng.”

Lu Nong said, “Hello, Commander Li. Hello, Director Leng.”

“Oh my, look at this couple, they really look like a pair of golden boys and girls standing together, making everyone else look like dirt clods. Xiao Pei got the title of the most handsome man in the army on his first day. I see you, Xiao Lu, are the number one beauty among the military families,” joked Director Leng. It was her first time seeing such a well-matched couple. Ignoring the age difference, they truly looked like a match made in heaven.

“You’re joking,” Pei Ji’an replied modestly.

Director Leng shook her head, “You’re so cold that you can’t take a joke. Can Xiao Lu handle it?”

Lu Nong tried to recall. Since their first meeting, Pei Ji’an indeed had been a cold and aloof person. But was he really that cold to her?

At first, he had been polite, but politeness was mutual. Lu Nong was even more polite to Pei Ji’an, treating him like a roommate.

She didn’t know when Pei Ji’an transitioned from a high-and-mighty figure to a flirty man. If you were to ask her whether she could handle a flirty man, she would honestly say no, her waist couldn’t take it.

Director Leng walked over and took Lu Nong’s hand. “Xiao Lu looks young, just like my daughter. Come over to my house to play sometime. I live right next door. That yard next to yours belongs to me and Old Li.”

Lu Nong readily agreed, “Sure, I’ll definitely come over, Sister-in-law.”

Director Leng was delighted to see this. After staying in the army for a long time, the wives of the soldiers gradually became more like the soldiers in terms of habits and style. They like to hit the ball in a straight line, don’t like to beat around the bush when speaking, and they like people who are generous, straightforward and frank.

Although Lu Nong appeared delicate, her unexpected straightforwardness surprised Director Leng. She was mentally prepared for a different kind of person.

Since Pei Ji’an had been transferred to his role as deputy commander, Director Leng and Lu Nong, as the deputy commander’s wife, would likely interact for many years, possibly a decade or more. If either had a bad temperament, it could lead to significant trouble.

Commander Li said, “Xiao Pei just arrived, so settle in quickly. We have joint exercises in a few days, and you won’t be back for ten days to two weeks. I had planned to host a welcome dinner for you, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until after the exercises.”

“How does that sound? No objections, right?”

Pei Ji’an replied solemnly, “No objections.”

“Good to hear,” Commander Li nodded seriously. A moment later, he changed his expression, turning to Lu Nong with a smile. “What about you, Comrade Lu? Do you have any objections as a family member?”

Lu Nong: “…” Wow, that expression changed faster than a Sichuan face-changing performer.

“No, I don’t have any,” Lu Nong waved her hand.