Chapter 21.2

As soon as Yin Xiaoman stepped outside, they saw a woman in her twenties standing near the kitchen area, smiling and talking to Da Bao.

The woman had a long face, short hair at ear length, and wore a dark gray round-neck coat, looking both energetic and competent.

She was squatting down, chatting happily with Da Bao. On the bench beside her was a basket of vegetables, half-filled with greens and other items.

When she saw Yin Xiaoman come out, the woman stood up and took the initiative to greet her.

“You must be Little Yin, right? I’m Cui Yan, Qi Feng’s wife.”

After speaking, she affectionately ruffled Da Bao’s hair, then looked at Yin Xiaoman with a grateful expression. “This morning, I heard Qi Feng say Da Bao can talk now, and I didn’t believe it… Little Yin, you’re really amazing! You’ve taken such good care of the two kids!”

What was going on?

Who was this person?

How come, upon meeting for the first time, she acted so familiar?

Seeing Yin Xiaoman’s confused expression, Cui Yan paused for a moment.

After a while, she tentatively asked, “Didn’t Xiao Shen mention it to you? Qi Feng is the instructor in the camp, and he works alongside him.”

Upon hearing the word “instructor,” Yin Xiaoman suddenly realized.

And then she was struck with a shock!

She suddenly realized that the woman in front of her was the wife of the high-ranking official that Shen Qingyun had mentioned!

Yin Xiaoman immediately felt a little nervous.

She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to call her at that moment.

She wanted to bow, but she was afraid it might be inappropriate and attract unwanted attention.

After a long pause, she finally gave Cui Yan an awkward smile.

Seeing her face suddenly flush red, Cui Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.

This girl looked young and had clearly been raised delicately.

Nowadays, people were all talking about “women can hold up half the sky,” promoting the image of the “Iron Lady” hero, but it was rare to see someone like her who was so easily shy.

Looking at Yin Xiaoman in this state, Cui Yan suddenly felt that she had been a bit too brash and unconsciously lowered her voice a few notches.

She spoke gently, “Little Yin, don’t be afraid. We’re neighbors, I live right next door to you. I know Xiao Shen, Da Bao, and Erniu. Xiao Shen usually calls me Sister-in-law, so you can just call me that too.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Xiaoman felt a little more at ease. She realized that this official’s wife wasn’t as spoiled as she had imagined, and her perception of her immediately improved.

She quickly agreed with a gesture, inviting Cui Yan inside, “Sister-in-law, please come in.”

“I won’t go in.” Cui Yan shook her hand.

Then she raised the vegetable basket in front of Yin Xiaoman and smiled, “I came today to bring you some vegetables. This morning, I ran into Xiao Shen, and he told me you’re cooking at home now. This man, he doesn’t know anything, just knows about food. He keeps asking you to cook, but he definitely doesn’t remember to prepare the ingredients for you. With him eating at the canteen all the time, there’s probably not a single vegetable in his house!”

Hearing Cui Yan speak so humorously, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but smile a little.

She quickly declined, “Thank you, but you really don’t have to.”

“What do you mean, ‘don’t have to’?!”

Seeing her shy and embarrassed, Cui Yan purposely gave her a stern look, “How are you going to make lunch without any vegetables?”

After saying this, she casually picked up the vegetable basket and walked straight into the kitchen, still mumbling, “Don’t be so polite with Sister-in-law, we’re neighbors, no need for that.”

Cui Yan took out the contents of the basket and placed them on the stove. It was then that Yin Xiaoman saw, aside from the vegetables and a bundle of seaweed, there was also a small bowl containing four seabird eggs.

She knew that these weren’t easy to come by and were likely quite valuable in these times.

Yin Xiaoman was truly panicked now.

“Sister-in-law, you really must take these eggs back…”

“Take them back? These were specially picked by Qiangzi and his brothers for Da Bao and Erniu. Adults shouldn’t meddle in children’s matters.”

At this, Yin Xiaoman could no longer say anything.

Seeing that she had stopped refusing, Cui Yan was even more satisfied.

She affectionately reached out and hooked her arm around Yin Xiaoman’s, saying, “Do you have anything to do this afternoon? If not, I’ll take you out for a walk, help you get familiar with the area?”

Suddenly having her arm taken by someone who was still somewhat unfamiliar made Yin Xiaoman feel quite uncomfortable.

But she still forced herself not to pull away.

Though she still felt it was important to maintain a proper distance, especially with someone she didn’t know well, she could also sense the goodwill Cui Yan was offering.

What mattered most, though, was that the offer had really struck a chord with her.

After realizing that the items in the small warehouse might never be accessible again, Yin Xiaoman was eager to find out where she could buy food.

She didn’t lack money, but the supplies at home were running low.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be troubling you, Sister-in-law?” she hesitated, carefully confirming again.

Cui Yan looked at the girl in front of her, taking in her delicate face, her soft, smooth skin, the fine features of her brows and eyes, and her shy, meek way of speaking. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration!

She had been born into a working-class family in Capital City, and her background was that of a typical urban poor.

She was the only girl in her family, with two older brothers and two younger ones.

She had grown up surrounded by boys, always interacting with rough, tough men. Even her own children were both boys.

When had she ever seen such a delicate, soft-spoken girl?

Looking at Yin Xiaoman, Cui Yan suddenly thought of a cloth doll she had seen when she was very young in a picture magazine her parents had somehow found.

This Yin Xiaoman was just like that doll!

The more she looked, the more she liked her. For a moment, she even began to doubt whether this girl was really the eighteen years old Shen Qingyun had mentioned.

Could it be that guy secretly married a child bride?

“No trouble at all, no trouble at all, Xiaoman! Wherever you want to go, Sister-in-law will go with you!” 

In front of Yin Xiaoman, Cui Yan even changed how she addressed her, eager to offer her full support.

After agreeing to go for a casual walk around the area together in the afternoon, Cui Yan took her leave.

Before she left, despite Yin Xiaoman’s insistence, Cui Yan ended up accepting a bowl of fine cornmeal that Yin Xiaoman had ground herself and a few pieces of homemade sweet potato candy.

Sweet potato candy was a rare treat in these times.

Although it was a common snack for children during the New Year, especially in families with similar conditions, Cui Yan had never seen it made into solid pieces with crushed peanuts inside!

This must have used up so many sweet potatoes and peanuts!

There was no doubt that this candy was made for her own kids, and surely, she couldn’t have made too much.

Looking at the several pieces of candy in the basket, Cui Yan suddenly realized—

Could it be that Xiaoman had given her all the leftover candy from her home?

The thought immediately made her feel uneasy, and she couldn’t help but feel that the things she brought this morning were a bit too few.

“She really is a straightforward person!”

She silently sighed and made up her mind to get along well with Yin Xiaoman from now on.

Cui Yan’s musings were unknown to Yin Xiaoman, who had already begun preparing lunch.

Though the thought of the small warehouse’s situation weighed heavily on her, Yin Xiaoman was never someone easily overwhelmed.

She had always believed that things could be solved if there was a will, and that every problem had a solution as long as it happened.

So, even though she worried about the limited supplies at home, she wasn’t about to skimp on making a proper meal.

She steamed a pot of two-grain rice with brown rice and millet, soaked some dried bamboo shoots from the storage, and stir-fried them with pickled pork to make a dish of braised bamboo shoots with meat. Then she took the seaweed that Cui Yan had brought, washed it, shredded it, and made a soup with it, adding the vegetables she had sent. Just before finishing, she drizzled in beaten seabird eggs to form egg flowers…

Because the spring competition was about to begin in the troupe, the entire Vanguard Camp was in a tense state of preparation.

After crawling and practicing with the soldiers for the entire morning, both Shen Qingyun and Qi Feng were exhausted and hungry.

In the past, at this time, Shen Qingyun would usually head to the canteen with the soldiers, but today, he was walking back to the family compound with Qi Feng.

Qi Feng glanced at his partner, whose steps were quick and light as though his feet were spring-loaded. He couldn’t resist teasing him, “What did your sister-in-law feed you? After a whole morning of hard work, you’re still full of energy? Tell me, I’ll have your sister-in-law teach me. I’m getting old, can’t handle this much exertion. I’ll ask her to make me some of that.”

“Well, I don’t think sister-in-law could make it,” Shen Qingyun answered without thinking.

Then he couldn’t help but remember the wild herb dumplings he had eaten in the morning, so fragrant, and the crispy yet soft pancakes. He unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

Before his wife arrived, he hadn’t even seen such delicious things, let alone eaten them.

Although the ingredients were common enough.

Both the wild herbs and the dried bamboo shoots could be found on the mountain behind the village, and many diligent families would dig them up, dry them, and store them for the winter.

But Shen Qingyun never knew that after his wife’s touch, those simple ingredients could be transformed into such delicious dishes!

“Well, well.”

Hearing him, Qi Feng stopped in his tracks and looked at his partner, unsure whether to be angry or amused.

“You brat, after your wife came, your tone really changed. Wasn’t it you who always shamelessly tagged along to my place for food and drinks? No, I’m going with you now to see. I still don’t believe your little Yin can cook up something amazing.”

After all, the variety of food available nowadays was quite limited.