Hu Tao and He Yinhua have already taken Dian Dian Fan Xing out to play.

Lu Shengye was not home either.

There was a note on the table saying that he had to go to the military region temporarily.

Jiang Xuan went to the kitchen, intending to find something to eat.

Ma Xiaolan is kneading dough.

On the stove in Jiang Xuan's house, there was a clay pot with chicken soup simmering inside.

"You just got up?"

Jiang Xuan was a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I was too tired yesterday."

"I heard you taking a shower in the middle of the night. You must have gone to bed very late last night."

Jiang Xuan blushed and covered up, saying, "I didn't get back until after midnight last night, and I was covered in sweat."

"How was the wedding night pranks last night? Did they bully you?"

Jiang Xuan scooped up some chicken soup and said, "No, I taught them how to play cards, and we didn't make a ruckus in the bridal chamber."

Ma Xiaolan stopped what she was doing, utterly astonished. "No wedding night pranks? So they agreed to it?"

“Agreed. I taught them a new way to play, which they had never played before. They played until midnight and didn’t go home, so Shengye kicked them out. I heard one of them say that they wanted to go to their house to continue playing.”

As she spoke, Jiang Xuan laughed.

Back in her university days, she also had the experience of playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) all night long.

"You're so smart. When I got married, I was so scared by the wedding night pranks that I couldn't sleep for days."

“I heard them say that things are better in the city, and people don’t cause as much trouble as they do in the countryside.”

“We held the wedding banquet at Sun Jianjun’s hometown. The people making a ruckus in the bridal chamber were all old bachelors. I was particularly cowardly at the time and didn’t dare to resist. If I hadn’t tied a few straps to my pants, they would have ripped my pants off. Don’t laugh, it’s not an exaggeration.”

“I know that these bad habits exist in rural areas.”

"By the way, Jiang Xuan, I saw Auntie this morning, and she looked really unwell. I asked her if she wasn't feeling well, but she didn't say anything. Do you want to take her to see a doctor?"

Jiang Xuan sighed and said, "I've seen doctors, but it can't be cured."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's breast cancer, and it's already in the late stage. The doctors have said there's no point in treating it anymore."

Ma Xiaolan was shocked. "Oh my god, no way, how could this be? Your mother is so young! Which hospital did you see her at? Could it be a misdiagnosis?"

"The diagnosis was made by a professor at the Affiliated Hospital of Ningzhou University, so it can't be wrong."

"What should we do? Does Auntie know?"

“I know, my mom is pretty open-minded. She had a check-up in our county before, and I guess she came to Ningzhou to see me because she knew she didn’t have much time left. Shengye and I were thinking of either being hospitalized for chemotherapy, but my mom disagreed.”

"Why? Are you afraid of spending money?"

Jiang Xuan nodded: "That should be part of the reason. My mother told me: life and death are predestined, wealth and honor are determined by fate. I respect her and want to spend as much time with her as possible during this period."

“White Pagoda Mountain, Jiang Xuan,” Ma Xiaolan said, pulling Jiang Xuan’s arm. “Let’s go to White Pagoda Mountain to burn incense and pray for Auntie’s well-being on the fifteenth. Do you remember? We went there before when Platoon Leader Lu was on a mission and you were so scared.”

"Okay. By the way, how's Brother Sun treating you these days?"

“I drove away his dear baby and sister, do you think he can treat me well? But I’m more open-minded now. If he wants to continue the marriage, he can; if he doesn’t, we can get a divorce. His only identity is Xiuxiu’s father.”

"That's great, Sister Lan. That's how you should be. Stand up for yourself."

Ma Xiaolan sighed, "My supervisor talked to me today and said that the factory is not doing well and some people will be laid off soon. He told me to be prepared."

"Huh? Why should I tell you to prepare yourself? Aren't you a model employee?"

"It's not certain, but it's possible. A batch of machines in our sewing workshop are severely outdated and have high repair costs, so they plan to find a factory to manufacture them in the future."

"You should definitely think about your future. But you have a skill, so don't worry. If you really lose your job, you can set up a clothing stall and you'll definitely make money."

As the two were chatting, Zhou Dongmei came in carrying a basket and speaking loudly.

"Xuanxuan, are you home?"

"Wow, so many '囍' characters! Does this mean they're getting married?"

Zhou Dongmei knew that Jiang Xuan had already registered their marriage, and Jiang Xuan had given her a bag of wedding candy at the time.

However, I still prefer to refer to holding a banquet as getting married.

Jiang Xuan hadn't seen her for quite some time.

"Oh right, Sister Mei, where have you been lately since the banquet yesterday?"

“My mom is burning paper money for me. I went back to my hometown and brought some apricots with me. You can try them.”

The apricots were all green, and Jiang Xuan swallowed hard because they looked so sour.

“I love eating these big green apricots. There used to be a tree planted in front of my parents’ house, but it never grew this big before the kids took them all.”

Ma Xiaolan picked up a piece, wiped it on her clothes, put it in her mouth, and took a bite.

Ma Xiaolan squinted, took a bite, and nodded: "Mmm, this is the taste."

Just the sound of biting into an apricot made Jiang Xuan swallow hard again.

"Hey girl, you should eat too."

"No, Sister Mei, my teeth aren't very good, and I can't eat sour food."

"Then leave it for a few days until it softens before eating. By the way, girl," Zhou Dongmei lowered her voice, "your man is getting promoted to battalion commander, did you know?"

This sounds like a joke.

Lu Shengye is a platoon leader; even if he gets promoted, he'll only be promoted to company commander.

Jiang Xuan didn't take it to heart and said with a smile, "Nothing of the sort. Where did you hear that from, Sister Mei?"

“My husband said that last time, didn’t Platoon Leader Lu go on that bandit suppression mission with my husband? Your husband made a great contribution and it seems like he’s going to be promoted ahead of schedule.”

"But my husband is not bad either. He has also made meritorious contributions and is about to be promoted to company commander." Zhou Dongmei spoke of her husband with considerable pride.

Jiang Xuan only knew that the last bandit-suppression mission was extremely dangerous, and Lu Shengye had been injured in the arm.

As for the rest, she didn't know.

She doesn't usually ask about things in the military region.

"I don't know about that, and Shengye didn't mention it either."

Ma Xiaolan said, "Platoon Leader Lu is very capable, so it's possible for him to be promoted exceptionally."

Unlike Sun Jianjun, who spent half his life working in a machinery factory doing repairs and is still just a general worker.

My salary hasn't increased by a single penny.

Zhou Dongmei ate an apricot: "What do you mean 'possible'? It's true! My husband said the documents have already been submitted and the process has begun. We should have results in about ten days to two weeks. We must celebrate properly when that happens."

The three chatted for a while longer before Zhou Dongmei went home.

Jiang Xuan drank the chicken soup and planned to go to Xiguan Road to check on the renovation progress.

For others, holidays are a time to relax, but for her, holidays only mean being busier.

She needs to take advantage of the National Day holiday to quickly settle the matter of renting out the shop.

There are also houses.

As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw Yang Shuying and her family of three carrying large and small bags.