Chapter 82

The Pei family’s courtyard was not small, with the front and back yards totaling about two hundred square meters. Excluding the newly built flush toilet and the newly constructed firewood room and bathroom, there was still a lot of unused land.

Lu Nong stayed up late to finish the design drawings and began transforming the garden according to the plans.

The first step was to create a path from the gate to the back door. Currently, it was just a dirt path. Recently, the weeds in the yard had been pulled, and the soil was refreshed. If they didn’t make a stone path, it would be muddy on rainy days, and shoes would be covered in dirt.

To protect her shoes, Lu Nong sent Pei Ji’an outside to find flat stones, and she designed a curved path. She dug into the soil along the path and buried the irregular stones.

After placing the stones and refilling the soil, she scattered ground cover plant seeds into the gaps between the stones.

The old farmer selling flower seeds told her that this bag of seeds contained a mix of thyme, sunflowers, and clover. During the blooming season, there would be large patches of purple, white, pink, and red ground cover flowers, which would help stabilize the soil while also being beautiful.

On either side of the path, she scattered seeds for lavender, hydrangeas, and white chrysanthemums. These three plants grew taller than the ground cover plants and would bloom in a staggered manner, creating a perfect effect.

The lavender seeds were brought from the capital. They were hard to find as they were only introduced to China a few years ago and had not been widely planted yet.

After finishing the path, Lu Nong asked Pei Ji’an to set up a swing near the house. Next to the swing, she planted a grape arbor and a wisteria trellis, sowing grape seeds.

As for the wisteria, Lu Nong loved the flowers in her uncle’s garden and had collected many seeds when she came here. Unfortunately, the wisteria roots were too large to carry, so she had to leave them out for now, planning to plant them later when the opportunity arose. She repurposed the wisteria trellis as a rose trellis.

At the end of the small path leading to the main hall, Lu Nong set up a small terrace with wooden boards. During the summer, she could move a bamboo mat outside and lie on the terrace, gazing at the stars.

The yard gate and the surrounding walls were made of wooden fences. Lu Nong planted climbing roses and seasonal flowers next to the gate and walls. Once the rose branches grew lush and covered the fences, they would serve as a natural barrier.

When the flowers bloomed, clusters of pink and white petals adorned the vibrant green branches, resembling a cascading waterfall of blossoms.

In one corner, she planted lemon trees, peach trees, and apricot trees, all of which she had dug up from the mountains. She also found wild lilies and gardenia bushes, as well as large patches of butterfly orchids.

No secret garden would be complete without roses, so she filled both the front and back gardens with expansive rose bushes.

Near the firewood shed, she fenced off an oval vegetable garden, surrounded by fruit trees and seeds for strawberries and watermelons, replicating the layout of Li Garden’s backyard.

Lu Nong buried the night-blooming cereus seeds in a shaded area. In her childhood, she had waited with her cousins for the cereus to bloom, which left her with a magical experience. She wanted her own children to enjoy that wonderful feeling as well.

Unfortunately, night-blooming cereus is not suitable for growing from seeds, so it was a matter of luck to see if they would sprout.

After planting the flower seeds, the garden needs watering. Pei Ji’an used bamboo tubes to channel mountain spring water to Lu Nong’s secret garden, which also made it easier for the family to access water. This way, even when Pei Ji’an was away, Lu Nong and Aunt Wu wouldn’t have to fetch water from the river.

When the garden was finally taking shape, it was time for the army to deploy.

At three in the morning, Pei Ji’an dressed in his military uniform and approached the bed, but couldn’t bring himself to wake the sleeping Lu Nong. He gently brushed aside the stray hairs on her cheek and kissed her smooth, pale forehead before leaning over the crib to kiss little Pei Xia.

To his surprise, Xiao Xia woke up, her dark, grape-like eyes fixed on Pei Ji’an. She yawned widely, and Pei Ji’an pointed a finger at her. “Be good, Mama is still sleeping.”

Xiao Xia tilted her head, staring silently at her father. After a few seconds of boredom from the silent gaze, she yawned again, turned her head away, and fell asleep again.

Pei Ji’an tucked the corner of the blanket for his daughter, stood up to adjust his uniform, put on his hat, and left the bedroom.

At five o’clock, Lu Nong awoke and realized she was alone. She pulled back the blanket and got out of bed, noticing the luggage was also gone.

Pei Ji’an didn’t wake her up when he left.

As Lu Nong brushed her hair and went downstairs, Aunt Wu, knowing Pei Ji’an was leaving that day, had gotten up early to prepare breakfast and set the table. Seeing Lu Nong come down, she quietly asked, “Where’s the son-in-law? I made noodles, especially since I knew he was leaving today.”

Lu Nong replied, “He’s gone.”

“What?” Aunt Wu’s eyes widened.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Lu Nong lowered her gaze. “I didn’t know when he left. It’s likely the army had an early assembly time, and he didn’t want to wake us.”

Aunt Wu sighed, “What a pity for these noodles. Should we eat them ourselves?”

With all the soldiers gone, the entire mountain seemed to fall silent. Even the military wives, usually chatty and lively, became quiet, their faces marked by worry.

At first, Lu Nong felt just a little sad, but by nighttime, as she lay in bed, she instinctively rolled to the side, only to find empty space instead of the warm, solid chest she had grown accustomed to.

Habits can be quite frightening. The longing and loneliness that come with them can unexpectedly strike one’s mind.

A month after Pei Ji’an left, the custom-made furniture was finally finished. Before his departure, Pei Ji’an had coordinated with the logistics department, and Lu Nong borrowed a vehicle to bring the furniture back. The soldiers at the logistics department were incredibly helpful, even assisting Lu Nong in moving the furniture into place in her home.

Xie Laosan’s craftsmanship was excellent, with each piece meeting Lu Nong’s expectations and even exceeding them in a few instances, which really amazed Lu Nong.

It’s worth noting that these pieces of furniture were handcrafted, and they would be even more valuable in modern times.

After adding the new furniture, the home felt refreshed.

The living room was divided into a sofa area for guests and a dining area. She fitted the sofa with cushions and covers, arranging the throw pillows just right, creating a soft and comfortable seating area.

The dining table was replaced with a rectangular one to accommodate more diners. After setting up the chairs, she could recreate the seating arrangement of her family back in Beijing.

The old square table was taken apart and moved into the kitchen against the wall to serve as a shelf for Aunt Wu to organize spices and utensils.

What delighted Lu Nong the most were two lofted beds with desks underneath. Without any sketches from Lu Nong, Xie Laosan took the liberty of modifying the side near the stairs into storage cabinets and added extra shelves for the desk.

In addition to the lofted beds, each of them had a wardrobe, placed symmetrically, effectively dividing Xiaohuai and Pei Zheng’s room into two clean and tidy spaces, maximizing the use of the area.

With the newly decorated Pei family home, several military wives who were familiar with Lu Nong came to visit. Director Leng was the most enthusiastic one. She had accompanied Lu Nong to Xie Laosan’s place before and had been eager to see what kind of furniture Lu Nong had designed to make the stingy Xie Laosan willing to spend money on blueprints.

From the moment they entered the front door, the chatter never ceased.

“Oh my goodness, you have grape trellises and swing sets. Did you really make these yourself?” Director Leng teased Lu Nong.

Ever since Pei Ji’an picked up Lu Nong from the market, his reputation for pampering his wife had spread throughout the military district, drawing even more attention to the Pei family. This visit was eye-opening.

Goodness, it turned out that picking up his wife was just a small part of Pei Ji’an’s capabilities.

Fetching water, chopping wood, washing diapers, fixing the toilet for his wife…

All the dirty and heavy work fell on Pei Ji’an’s shoulders, while the women of the Pei family stayed completely out of it.

“What’s a swing set compared to that? Don’t forget the running water, Sister Leng. Our Deputy Commander Pei was afraid that Lu Comrade would tire from carrying water, so he brought the spring water directly from the mountain to the house.”

Liu Erniu sighed with emotion and continued, “Don’t be fooled by Deputy Commander Pei’s cold demeanor; he does more than he says. If my old Zhao was half as considerate as him, I would be utterly satisfied.”

Director Leng chimed in, “Speaking of spring water, we should thank Xiao Pei. If it weren’t for him leading the troops up and down the mountain to find the spring and digging the channel to bring the water down, we would still be carrying water from the river every day.”

“Right, thank you, Deputy Commander Pei,” Wang Xiuzhi quickly replied.

Lu Nong felt her face flush from the teasing while a bead of sweat formed on her forehead. In her eyes, what Pei Ji’an had done was simply what a husband should do. Why did it seem so exaggerated to Director Leng and the others?

“Let’s hurry inside,” Lu Nong suggested, worried that if she stayed out any longer, the stories would become even more exaggerated.

Once inside, Liu Erniu stopped in her tracks. The floor in the Pei household was so smooth and clean that it made her hesitate to walk around. As soon as Lu Nong entered, she changed into slippers, confirming Liu Erniu’s thoughts.

“Wow, Comrade Lu, your family is really particular. Do we have to change our shoes too?” Liu Erniu asked.

“There’s no need for that. You can just come in,” Lu Nong replied.

Liu Erniu was amazed. She considered herself a clean person and kept her home tidy, but compared to the Pei household, her place seemed shabby.

Moreover, the Pei home was not just clean; it was exquisite. Liu Erniu had never seen anyone as refined as Lu Nong or the Pei family, not even Director Leng.

Director Leng herself was astonished. Coming from a scholarly family, she was used to the simple military lifestyle where most military wives were from peasant backgrounds and had risen with their husbands.

While Director Leng’s home was elegantly decorated, compared to Lu Nong’s, it felt plain.

She was completely impressed. The decoration was simply beautiful. No wonder Xie Laosan insisted on buying Lu Nong’s designs. Even she was tempted to redecorate her own home.

“What is this?” Wang Xiuzhi asked, poking the sofa and looking up at Lu Nong. “It’s so soft, is it a bed?”

Director Leng explained, “This is called a sofa, similar to our chairs. You should sit and try it.”

Wang Xiuzhi, Hu Mei, and Liu Erniu quickly took a seat.

“It’s really comfortable,” Liu Erniu said, shifting in her seat. “I don’t want to get up.”

“Why are there cups on your cabinet? Isn’t that a waste of space?” Hu Mei curiously asked, looking at the cups in the dining area.

“I like collecting cups. I didn’t have space to display them, so I had to put them on the cabinet,” Lu Nong laughed, thinking that her cups were much more important than the cabinet.

“I noticed you moved in two beds. Where are they? I want to see,” Director Leng asked Lu Nong.

“They’re upstairs. I had them custom-made for my sons. It’s called a loft bed with a desk underneath,” Lu Nong explained as she led everyone to Pei Zheng and Xiao Huai’s room. As soon as she opened the door, Director Leng, Liu Erniu, and Wang Xiuzhi exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, this bed is fantastic and space-saving!”

Both Liu Erniu and Wang Xiuzhi had multiple children sharing a room, which often led to arguments over space. It was quite crowded, but they couldn’t blame the children. The home simply didn’t have enough room.

If they could have a bed like the one in Comrade Lu’s home, they could fit not just three people but even four beds for four people without a problem.

Liu Erniu’s mind raced. “Comrade Lu, can we have a few beds like yours? I want my children to have beds like that.”

“Of course. Just tell Xie Laosan that you want the Pei family’s loft beds. He’ll know what you mean,” Lu Nong replied.

“Great!” Liu Erniu and Wang Xiuzhi beamed with joy.

While every piece of furniture in Lu Nong’s house was beautiful, asking them to redecorate like Lu Nong and buy all new furniture would be too costly. They couldn’t afford it.

“Is this for your eldest son and Xiao Huai? Is your eldest son coming over?”

Director Leng knew that Pei Ji’an and Lu Nong were both remarried and that Pei Ji’an had the eldest son studying in the capital, whose name was Pei Zheng.

Seeing that Lu Nong had not forgotten about her stepson Pei Zheng in her home arrangements, Director Leng silently approved. Lu Nong was a considerate person, which matched her established image.