At 5:30 in the morning, Gu Chen got up quietly, afraid of waking the sleeping Lin Yuxi. In the morning light, he saw Lin Yuxi curled up on the bed, with her arms and legs exposed.

He reached out and took the blanket to cover her.

Before the reveille even sounded, he was already dressed and heading to the cafeteria with his lunchbox.

The morning breeze, like a light veil, carries the dew, and even when dressed, one can still feel its slight coolness.

Gu Chen was walking down the street when he happened to run into Political Commissar Wang, who was on his way to the canteen to get his meal.

Political Commissar Wang asked with a smile, "Gu Chen, how's the home decor going?"

Gu Chen nodded slightly and replied softly, "The basic arrangements are complete."

Political Commissar Wang walked alongside him and casually remarked, "You can let your wife go out more often later. Anyway, there are plenty of women in the compound. She'll get to know them better after a while, and she won't be afraid of not having anyone to talk to."

Gu Chen nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

The two chatted as they walked, and arrived at the cafeteria entrance in just a few minutes.

By this time, quite a few people were already queuing up for food. Steam was rising from the canteen. Gu Chen queued up next to Political Commissar Wang and ran into many acquaintances. When it was his turn, he took two coarse flour buns, one white flour bun, a bowl of millet porridge and a boiled egg, and finally ordered a side of pickled vegetable shreds.

When he returned to the courtyard, Gu Chen put the lunchbox into the iron pot in the kitchen, boiled water to keep it warm, and finally extinguished the firewood. Before leaving, he stood by the window to look at Lin Yuxi, then drew the curtains for her, opened the window a crack to let in some air, and then tiptoed out.

When Lin Yuxi woke up, sunlight was already filtering through the patterned curtains, casting dappled shadows on the window. She stretched and reached for her Shanghai brand watch on the bedside table—it was already 10:30.

"I wonder how long Gu Chen has been gone." Lin Yuxi touched the top of her head, the side of her head was already cold. She sat up in bed, opened the door, and saw the Double Happiness enamel basin on the shelf, the water inside already cold.

There was breakfast left by Gu Chen on the kitchen stove, and a note under the lunchbox: "I'll bring you lunch when I come back at noon. There's breakfast in the pot. I'll clean it up when I get back."

Lin Yuxi ate her white porridge and a steamed bun, adding shredded pickled vegetables to her porridge. She realized that she had been away from Qinghe Village for several days and it was time to write a letter home.

After finishing her meal, she washed the dishes and chopsticks, turned them upside down in the kitchen to drain, and then dried her hands.

He took out paper and pen from the space, the pen tip made a rustling sound as it fell on the paper. Halfway through writing, there was a sudden "knock knock" at the door.

"Yuxi, are you home?"

“I am He Cuiping, the wife of Political Commissar Wang, who lives next door to you.”

Lin Yuxi quickly put down her pen, got up, and opened the door.

He Cuiping stood at the entrance of the courtyard, a basket hanging from her wrist, inside which lay several bright red apples.

“These are grown in our hometown. I only moved here a few days ago, so the apples are still fresh. You probably haven’t bought everything you need yet, so I brought you a few to quench your thirst.” He Cuiping handed the basket forward.

Lin Yuxi quickly declined, "Sister-in-law, you can keep the apple for yourself..."

"You're already calling me sister-in-law, why are you being so polite with me?" He Cuiping shoved the apple into her hand without saying a word. "Get a basket, I'll put it in your basket."

Lin Yuxi invited her into her home, but He Cuiping's eyes caught sight of the letter on the table. "Are you writing a letter home?"

"Just arrived, let your family know." Lin Yuxi replied.

He Cuiping smiled and said, "I also wrote a letter home, but I haven't mailed it yet. If you finish writing it, we can mail it together."

"Okay, sister-in-law."