"Zhuang Mingcheng!"

Xiao Ting's heart skipped a beat when she saw the bedding he was carrying on his back.

"Zhuang Mingcheng, you...you're going to live with her? Do you really like her? A woman from the countryside?"

Zhuang Mingcheng frowned and stopped in his tracks.

Looking back at Xiao Ting, he was a little angry. "Comrade Xiao Ting, I feel insulted every time you ask me this. I'll say it one last time: I'm sure I like her!"

Having known each other for so many years, Zhuang Mingcheng sincerely advised, "Also, don't say things like that anymore, it's bad for you."

The workers, peasants, and army are one family, but Xiao Ting's words revealed a disdain for farmers, which is really dangerous.

Based on those few words of hers, if someone with ulterior motives were to report her to higher authorities, even her superiors might be implicated.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhuang Mingcheng remembered something and said solemnly:

"Comrade Xiao Ting, Lu Fangfang is now my fiancée and will be my revolutionary partner in the future. Please don't say anything like 'get rid of her' anymore. With me here, no one can drive her away!"

Having made himself clear enough, Zhuang Mingcheng, carrying his bedding, turned and walked into the family compound.

"Zhuang Mingcheng! You'll regret this, you'll regret this!" Xiao Ting shouted unwillingly.

It's a joke that her three years of affection couldn't compare to that of a peasant woman.

"You'll regret it, you'll regret it, you'll definitely regret it..."

Xiao Ting kept repeating this sentence. She was determined to make Zhuang Mingcheng regret it and to drive that bitch surnamed Lu away!

After a while, seeing someone walking this way, Xiao Ting walked away filled with hatred.

If I can't go to the new province, then so be it.

"Pah! She's too lazy to go that far," Xiao Ting said resentfully. "Zhuang Mingcheng, you can suffer by yourself!"

...

Family compound.

Lu Fangfang had already made a table full of raw sugar pancakes; all that was left was to bake them.

The fire in the coal stove is already burning.

She sat on the frying pan and then placed the sugar cakes into the pan one by one.

Before long, a sweet and savory aroma wafted from the pot.

Looking outside, Lu Fangfang noticed that Zhuang Mingcheng hadn't returned yet. She touched her stomach, feeling a bit hungry.

She was so angry with Xiao Ting that she didn't eat anything in the morning or at noon.

Now, smelling the aroma of the sugar cakes, she couldn't resist them at all.

"Huff... huff..."

She took a sugar pancake out of the pan, blew on it, and took a small bite while it was still hot.

"Hmm!"

A sweet taste filled her mouth, accompanied by the aroma of pork fat, and Lu Fangfang was instantly satisfied.

To be honest, if the sugar cakes she made were made in later generations, they would definitely be too sweet.

But in this era, it's just right.

Lu Fangfang felt every cell in her body craving sugar, lard, and flatbread. She didn't care about the heat and chewed quickly in small bites.

These sugar pancakes are fresh out of the pan; they're so fragrant and delicious, it's simply a treat.

It's a pity that Zhuang Mingcheng hasn't returned yet.

Lu Fangfang finished the last bit of food in one bite, then said with a satisfied look, "I don't know where that person went. He said he would be back in a while. What a waste of his good fortune."

She shook her head, then chopped some pork, intending to stew another dish.

Looking through the vegetables Zhuang Mingcheng bought, there were only three kinds: radishes, cabbage, and potatoes, and they were all wrinkled and looked like they had lost their moisture.

There's no other way; unlike later generations, we don't have greenhouses to grow out-of-season vegetables now.

In these days, it's good enough to have radishes and cabbages to eat.

"By the way, we could try growing some greenhouse vegetables."

Lu Fangfang seemed to be deep in thought.

She doesn't plan to make it too big, after all, one should keep a low profile in this day and age.

With a piece of plastic sheeting, you can set up a small shed in the yard and grow your own food; otherwise, the long winter is just too unbearable.

Lu Fangfang peeled a cabbage and had just put it in the pot to stew when Zhuang Mingcheng returned.

She hurried over to meet him, and when she saw that the man was carrying something on his back, she suddenly felt her face getting hot.

"What are you doing...?"

"The bedding in my dormitory is fairly clean, you can use it for now. After I leave, you can stay in the family compound. If there's anything you can't resolve, go to the regimental commander and political commissar. I've already spoken to them."

"oh."

Lu Fangfang suddenly realized she was overthinking things.

Her face flushed even more, and she quickly lowered her head.

Zhuang Mingcheng: "..."

He had a bit of a toothache. His fiancée, though young, had a lot of ideas.

"Don't overthink it. We'll get married when I get back. There'll be plenty of time then."

"Pah, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Lu Fangfang spat and hurriedly went back into the house, embarrassed.

Zhuang Mingcheng smiled and followed.

He placed the bedding on the newly bought double bed, knelt down to smooth it out, and then went back to the outer room.

"I could smell the delicious aroma from right outside the residential compound! What did you make that's so tasty?"

Lu Fangfang squatted next to the frying pan and waved to Zhuang Mingcheng.

Lifting the lid, the sugar pancakes inside were still hot.

She glanced at them, picked out one that was cooked perfectly, and handed it to Zhuang Mingcheng.

"Hmm!"

"How about it?"

Lu Fangfang looked at him expectantly.

"Um……"

Zhuang Mingcheng frowned and took another bite.

After chewing for a while, under Lu Fangfang's anxious gaze, he slowly said, "I have never eaten such a delicious pancake before."

Lu Fangfang rolled her eyes at Zhuang Mingcheng, thinking that she had wasted her time.

She got up, took a rectangular enamel plate from the cupboard, and put the sugar pancakes from the frying pan into it.

"I'm glad you like it. I still have some left to cook. I'll cook them later, and you can take them with you on the way."

As she spoke, her mood darkened again.

Zhuang Mingcheng gently patted her back. "Comrade Lu Fangfang, have you ever heard of a poem?"

"Poetry? What poetry?"

Lu Fangfang turned her head and looked at him curiously.

"If love between two people is meant to last, why should they be together every day and night?"

"Alas!"

Lu Fangfang shivered, feeling goosebumps rise on her skin.

This guy actually started reciting love poems, which really caught her off guard.

She rolled her eyes at the man, put the sugar cake on the table, and then gestured for Zhuang Mingcheng to sit down.

The stewed cabbage in the pot was ready, so she ladled out a bowl and put it on the table.

She hadn't eaten the food from her lunchbox that morning, so she heated it up and put it back on the table.

Sugar cakes, pork stew with cabbage, and stir-fried shredded potatoes were considered a fairly plentiful meal in those days.

However, Lu Fangfang was still not entirely satisfied.

In her opinion, it was still too rudimentary, which strengthened her resolve to start a side business.

"Mingcheng, I wish you a safe journey."

Under the table, Zhuang Mingcheng silently took his fiancée's hand, his heart filled with reluctance.

"Fangfang, wait for me to come back, and then we'll register our marriage!"

"Um!"

Lu Fangfang nodded vigorously, her heart filled with anticipation.

…………

Only one chapter today. Happy Labor Day everyone!