Chapter 27: Captain He, you are treating your sister-in-law’s preferences as military rules...

He Chengze's statement about going for training was not entirely a lie to Captain Zhao and the others.

Their regiment always starts training an hour earlier than other regiments. After all, they are the first regiment, and if they are to be the first, they must be prepared to take the lead.

The scorching sun scorched the training ground, and twisted heat waves rose from the sand.

He Chengze stood in the shade of a tree, his arms folded. His gaze swept over the soldiers doing the obstacle course like a hawk: "Speed up! The last three will do five more laps!"

Someone shouted, "Captain, is there any reward for first place?"

He Chengze raised his eyebrows: "What reward do you want?"

The other man winked, his eyes fixed on the military canteen in his arms. "What do you think, Captain?" he added, "I heard from Xiao Sun that this canteen is filled with lemonade made by my sister-in-law. I heard that Captains Zhao and Qi are going crazy over it. Give it to us to try, too."

He Chengze laughed and scolded, "You little bastards, news spreads really fast."

"Captain, just tell me whether you will give it to me or not!"

He Chengze shook his military canteen. "That's fine, but there aren't many left." He added, "Everyone gets one. Anyone who runs five kilometers with a load in under twenty minutes will get a glass of lemonade."

“Wuhu!”

“Yay!!”

"Just wait and see, the first place will definitely be mine!"

The dusk dyed the training ground dark red, and the soldiers were sweating on the track.

The clanging sound of the backpack hitting the tactical vest and the rustling sound of camouflage shoes rubbing against the ground intertwined into a unique rhythm.

Veins bulged on the frontline soldier's neck, the steel gun left deep red marks on his shoulder, and beads of sweat fell in strings along the brim of his hat.

He Chengze shouted, "Everyone, cheer up and catch your breath. There's only one kilometer left to the finish line." He added, "Don't forget, there's a reward for running under 20 minutes."

The moment they crossed the finish line, the soldiers in the front row almost simultaneously bent over and supported their knees, breathing heavily from their throats.

Some people trembled as they tore off their wet training caps, letting the sweat drip down their crew cuts; some people slumped on the ground, staring at their rubbed palms in a daze.

He Chengze came over with a military canteen: "Who ran into the twenty-minute mark?"

"Report to the commander!" A thin, dark-skinned soldier with a crew cut stood up, straightened his back, and saluted. "I ran in nineteen minutes and twenty seconds!"

"And me!"

"Me too!"

"Good job." He Chengze praised, called for cups, and poured a cup for each person, "I promised you lemonade, I didn't break my promise."

"Of course, our captain is a man of his word." The young soldier said with a smile.

He Chengze laughed and scolded: "You are everywhere, drink it quickly, it won't taste good if you keep it for too long."

"Hey." The dark and thin soldier responded and stared at the lemonade in the glass.

Just by getting close, you can smell a fresh lemon scent, and white fruit pulp fibers are floating in the cup.

He couldn't help swallowing: "Then I'll drink it."

"Drink it quickly!" someone urged.

Several soldiers who received lemonade as a reward raised their glasses at the same time.

The soldiers who didn't get the lemonade reward stared at the few who got lemonade without blinking.

Watching them put the cup to their mouths, everyone couldn't help swallowing, "Gudong——"

The skinny soldier took a sip and his eyes lit up: "It's sour, sweet, and delicious. It tastes even better than the Arctic Ocean soda sold at the supply and marketing cooperative."

"Is this true?" someone said. "I won't believe it unless you let me try it."

As he said that, he was about to take it.

"Go away," the skinny little soldier retorted. "Want a drink? Wait until you can run a five-kilometer weighted run in under twenty minutes."

"You think I'm you? It's easy for you to say that. I don't know how your legs grew. You look dark and skinny, but you run so fast. You must have sprinting legs."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, the young soldier cautiously took a sip of the lemonade. The moment the sour and sweet taste exploded on his tongue, he felt as if even the sound of the bugle coming from afar had become refreshing.

The next day, He Chengze returned from the military camp.

He opened the door and didn't see anyone in the living room. He went around the bedroom and finally saw Jiang Xueyi holding a small sickle on the balcony. Xiaomi was lying obediently at her feet.

"You're back." Jiang Xueyi wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with a smile.

The sunlight shone on her face, making her skin look like soaked mutton-fat jade, and even the fine hairs were coated with a pearly luster.

"Yeah." He Chengze said, "What are you busy with?"

Jiang Xueyi: "I'm busy picking chives. They grow so fast that they become old if I don't pay attention to them in a few days. I was originally planning to make scrambled eggs with chives, but now it seems that chive boxes are more suitable."

She placed the picked chives in a basket and gestured to the chive roots in the flowerpot, saying, "Wait until the new chives grow, then cover them with cotton cloth. Half of them will turn into chive greens, which are delicious. Use them to stir-fry vermicelli and mung bean sprouts, and they're very refreshing."

He Chengze listened to her talking about these trivial things about food, and the corners of his mouth kept rising.

The morning sunshine, the pregnant wife, the lush vegetable seedlings on the balcony...this is the beauty of life.

At noon, there was indeed a dish of leek dumplings on the table.

When you take a bite, the crispy outer skin makes a crisp sound, followed by the hot and delicious filling. The freshness of the leek, the softness of the egg, and the salty and fresh taste of the dried shrimp explode on the tip of your tongue. It is so hot that you gasp, but you can't bear to put it down. You just want to taste this home-cooked delicacy as soon as possible.

He Chengze ate a few leek boxes in a row and glanced at Jiang Xueyi's face secretly: "I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "I choose to hear the bad news first and save the good news for last, as dessert."

"Let me make it clear first, don't be angry." He Chengze took out the envelope from his pocket slowly, "Your father and stepmother sent you another letter. I opened it and took a look on the way, but I didn't say anything good..."

Jiang Xueyi: "It would be strange if they could say anything nice. You can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth. Tell me, what's in the letter?"

He Chengze: "I didn't say anything, but your stepmother threatened that you will give birth soon, and then you will have to beg her to take care of the child. She advised..." He glanced at Jiang Xueyi's face, "I advise you to be sensible and send some money back quickly. If you send too little, she won't come."

Jiang Xueyi almost laughed out loud, what a shame.

However, she underestimated Huang Xiufen. She didn't expect that this woman was still counting her fingers at home to calculate her due date, thinking of taking advantage of her.

Isn’t a woman’s most vulnerable time after giving birth?

"What else?" Jiang Xueyi asked, "What else did you say?"

He Chengze put his hand to his mouth and coughed lightly. "He also said that we should introduce a girl to Jiang Yaozu, preferably a female soldier from the art troupe, and she has to be well-behaved. It's best if her family has some background that can promote him."

Those are the female soldiers in the art troupe, and they are all very arrogant.

He doesn't even look down on ordinary soldiers, so why would he be interested in Jiang Yaozu, a useless guy who has accomplished nothing?

He Chengze felt that Jiang Aiguo and Huang Xiufen must have a fever, which was why they were talking nonsense.

Jiang Xueyi: "Just like before, burn it. Out of sight, out of mind."

He Chengze nodded, he thought so too.

He felt it was cheap to pay attention to them.

Jiang Xueyi continued, "By the way, where is Jiang Xueqian? Did she send any letters?"

He Chengze shook his head: "No, the person in the mail room only gave me a letter."

That's strange.

With Jiang Xueqin's personality, she would definitely complain in a quiet tone that she had climbed up the social ladder and become rich, and that they no longer cared about her. After all, she was still her biological sister who shared half the same blood with her.

How come there is no news at all?

Jiang Xueyi didn't think too much about it and asked, "What about the good news?"

He Chengze smiled without any burden: "The good news is that the lemonade you made is very popular. Many people asked me when I can bring them the lemonade you made again."

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "It's not worth it. The recipe is very simple, just lemon and sugar. Let them make it at home. If you have mint, you can also add a little bit, it tastes better."

"What's mint?"

Jiang Xueyi thought for a moment and said, "Mint is a small green grass with small leaves." She gestured, "About this size, with jagged edges. It's very refreshing to drink when soaked in water."

He Chengze nodded: "I'll go to the vegetable market to see if they sell it."

Jiang Xueyi's eyes lit up: "I must get it. Planting mint in a flowerpot on the balcony can also prevent mosquitoes."

She has a physique that attracts mosquitoes. I wonder if Xiao He will inherit her physique.

She is an adult, so a few mosquito bites are no big deal.

When a child is bitten by a mosquito, each bite will leave a red bump and may also cause a fever.

She explained the stakes to He Chengze, and He Chengze nodded: "Leave it to me." He added, "If it really doesn't work, I'll ask my fellow villagers to pick it in the mountains. There will always be some."

After saying that, he put away the dishes and went into the kitchen.

Jiang Xueyi held her waist and followed him in to help him.

The bowls are easy to wash. Just rinse them with cold water and place them on the windowsill to drain.

The plate that holds the chive boxes is stained with oil and is difficult to clean.

He Chengze wiped it several times with a rag, but it was still not clean.

Jiang Xueyi looked at it and suddenly remembered the dishwashing tools from her previous life: the steel wool and sponge.

Not knowing whether this would happen, she described it to He Chengze.

He Chengze shook his head: "The supply and marketing cooperative doesn't sell this stuff, but... you can make some loofah."

"Luffa?"

He Chengze hummed, "As the name suggests, it's the flesh of the loofah, or the loofah sponge. Loofah is cheap, and it's soft and doesn't damage the pot when washed. Many families keep one at home."

As someone who ate takeout every day before the apocalypse and canned food every day after the apocalypse, Jiang Xueyi really found it hard to imagine what it would be like to use loofah sponge to wash dishes.

It is probably something from my mother or grandmother's generation.

But it didn't hinder her curiosity at all.

Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Then let's make one. Let's keep up with the trend and have one at home to wash dishes."

The next day, the two went to the vegetable market.

Jiang Xueyi hadn't been to the vegetable market for a while, so she found everything new.

She reached out to touch the vegetables: "How about some stir-fried vegetables?"

He Chengze quickly grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't take that bundle. The ones with muddy roots are fresher."

As soon as the words fell, Aunt Wang, the vegetable seller, laughed out loud and put the tenderest bunch on the scale: "Captain He, you now know how to choose vegetables better than all of us vegetable sellers."

He Chengze raised the corner of his mouth: "It's always good to have many skills."

Walking to the aquatic area, he squatted down to pick out live shrimps.

He also commented: "Comrade Shrimp, your jumping ability is not up to standard. Even the new recruits are more energetic than you in their morning jogs."

Jiang Xueyi was so amused that she doubled over and took the net bag handed to her by the fishmonger: "Are you using the same training method to pick shrimp?"

The fishmonger smiled and said, "Captain He, you told me last time that your wife doesn't like fishy food, which made me kill the fish and remove the line. What treasure do you want today?"

He Chengze said without even looking up, "I don't want any treasures, I just want a few lively prawns so I can make my wife a dish of braised prawns that she likes."

The tofu seller laughed so hard that he dropped all the tofu. "Oh my god, Captain He is taking my sister-in-law's preferences as military regulations."

The old lady picking mussels nearby straightened up. "Look at that! She's quite considerate! My husband has never remembered what I like to eat in his life."

Jiang Xueyi looked at He Chengze and saw the mischievous smile in his eyes. Two blushes appeared on her face, and even her earlobes turned frighteningly red.

The fishmonger carefully selected a few large shrimps for He Chengze, each one about the size of a palm. "Captain He, what do you think of these?"

He Chengze weighed it in his hand and said, "Okay, that's all I need."

Pay the money and get the goods.

He Chengze placed the shrimp in the basket and thoughtfully waved towards the remaining shrimp in the tank: "Don't be discouraged if you didn't get selected. Practice harder next time!"

This made the aunties watching laugh so hard they were wiping tears of laughter. The fishmonger shook his head as he weighed the fish: "Captain He, is your kitchen about to become a 'shrimp training camp'?"

The two went to buy loofahs again. Jiang Xueyi picked a big, emerald green one that looked fresh.

He Chengze put the loofah she picked back and asked the stall owner: "Do you have any older loofahs? We want to make loofah pulp."

"Yes, let me get them for you." The stall owner took out two loofahs from under the stall. The loofahs looked very old and had yellowish skin.

Seeing Jiang Xueyi's confusion, He Chengze explained: "To make loofah, you have to use this kind of old loofah, so that it has more fiber inside."

Jiang Xueyi: "Are two enough? How about two more?"

The stall owner smiled and said, "That's enough. The sponge gourd pulp made from these two loofahs will be enough for you to use for several years."

On the way back, He Chengze was carrying vegetables in both hands.

Jiang Xueyi wanted to help him share the burden, but he refused and said, "Just walk."

Jiang Xueyi simply took out a bag of dried longans that her fellow villagers had grown and ate them while walking.

Peel off the shell to reveal the brown dried longan inside. Take a bite, it’s slightly tough at first, then the sweet taste spreads in your mouth, with the unique fermented aroma of preserved fruit.

Not only did she eat it herself, she also peeled one, removed the core, and put it close to He Chengze's mouth: "Try it."

He Chengze swallowed it whole: "It tastes okay, eat more."

The two walked side by side, and the sunlight stretched their shadows long.

After returning home, Jiang Xueyi finally understood what the stall owner meant when he said that the sponge gourd pulp made from these two sponges would be enough for them to use for several years.

He Chengze used a knife to cut the loofah into three even pieces.

He said: "After it dries, peel the outer skin and knock out the loofah seeds inside. The remaining loofah pulp can be used to wash dishes."

So that's how it is. One loofah can make three portions of loofah pulp, and the loofah pulp is very durable, so it's enough for them to use for a long time.

He Chengze strung the loofahs with a rope and hung them on the balcony while saying, "If you find it troublesome, you don't have to cut them. You can just air-dry the whole loofah."

Jiang Xueyi listened, but her hands were not idle either. She kept peeling longans and stuffing them into her mouth.

He Chengze glanced at her and said, "Do you like eating longan?"

"I like it." Jiang Xueyi said, "I like all delicious food."

The longan is sweet, and except that it is a bit difficult to peel, it is simply perfect.

He Chengze thought for a moment and said, "What about dried sweet potatoes?" He then asked, "Or dried persimmons or apricots?"

Jiang Xueyi's eyes lit up when she heard this: "I like it, but I can't find any place to buy it."

She really likes this little snack to kill time.

Just imagine, reading a book in your hand while stuffing dried sweet potatoes into your mouth, how wonderful this life would be.

He Chengze raised his eyebrows: "It's hard to buy for others, but it's a piece of cake for your man."

Jiang Xueyi really wanted to kiss him, but her body became heavier and heavier, and it was difficult for her to stand on tiptoe.

She motioned He Chengze to bend down and hooked her finger: "Put your face closer."

He Chengze didn't hesitate for a second.

The two kissed passionately for a long time, their mouths and tongues blending together.

A few days later, He Chengze brought back the dried fruits that Jiang Xueyi wanted.

In addition to dried sweet potatoes, persimmons, and dried apricots, there are also five-spice melon seeds.

Especially the persimmon cakes, each one is half the size of a palm and covered with white frosting, which looks pleasing to the eye.

Jiang Xueyi was very surprised: "How did you get it?"

He Chengze smiled and said, "I paid a fellow villager to show it off."

"Will they agree so easily?" Jiang Xueyi expressed her doubt.

He Chengze: "I gave two industrial vouchers as wages."

No wonder.

Industrial coupons were much harder to obtain than meat coupons and grain coupons, because they were allocated according to wages, with one industrial coupon allocated for every twenty yuan of wages. If you wanted to buy industrial products, such as thermoses, enamel pots...all pots, pans, and utensils, you had to have an industrial coupon.

The villagers have food, but they lack industrial coupons.

It's a deal where both parties get what they want.

He Chengze: "Try it and see if it tastes good."

Jiang Xueyi pinched a piece of dried sweet potato, which glowed amber in the sunlight, with a hint of sweetness, and became more chewy the more she chewed it.

I tried another piece of persimmon cake. When I bit through the first layer of persimmon frost as thin as rice paper, the first thing I touched was a dense powdery feeling. This layer of white frost is not artificially made, but fructose crystals that naturally precipitate when persimmons are dried in the sun. It melts in the mouth, but leaves a cool sweetness on the tip of the tongue.

Then my teeth sank into the soft and sticky persimmon flesh. The ripe persimmon flesh lost its rawness while drying in the sun and became as smooth as solidified fat. I bit into it without chewing it, and it melted into pulp along the tip of my tongue, sweet as if it had been soaked in honey.

He Chengze also brought back some good news: "The town is organizing an open-air movie screening. Do you want to go and watch it?" He added, "They say they're showing 'Tunnel Warfare'."

"Tunnel Warfare"?

Jiang Xueyi had never heard of it, but since it was released, it must be a good movie.

She has been here for a long time, but this is her first time watching a movie, and it’s an open-air movie.

She nodded: "Yes." Then she asked, "When, now?"

He Chengze smiled and said, "It will be released in the evening."

It was dark and night was falling quietly.

The two of them had a simple dinner, and Jiang Xueyi put some snacks in her pocket and said, "Let's go."

He Chengze glanced around the living room and took two stools: "Okay."

"What are you doing with the stool?"

He Chengze smiled and said, "Open-air movies are not like movie theaters. If there are no seats or stools, you can only stand and watch."

Jiang Xueyi hurriedly said: "Bring two seats with backrests."

As the two were about to go out, Xiaomi came running over with his legs clattering, blocked the door, and barked twice.

Jiang Xueyi smiled: "Xiaomi, do you want to go too?"

Xiaomi's ears moved: "Woof!"

She looked at He Chengze and said, "Can you take Xiaomi with you?" She added, "It will be boring for Xiaomi to be home alone."

"Of course I can." He Chengze squatted down and touched Xiaomi's furry head. "When we get there, don't run around."

Xiaomi: "Woof woof!"

The two people and the dog had just opened the door and were about to go down the stairs when they were stopped.

Liu Lu half-closed the door, looking haggard: "Xueyi, are you guys going to the movies?"

"Yes." Jiang Xueyi said, "Do you want to go with me?"

He Chengze also said: "We have to go early, otherwise there will be too many people and we won't be able to get a seat."

Liu Lu: "I won't go..."

She pushed Zhao Xiaorui out from behind the door and said, "Do me a favor, both of you. Take Xiaorui with you to see it. His father and I have something to do and can't leave."

Zhao Xiaorui lowered her head slightly, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands, her expression unrecognizable.

"Okay." Jiang Xueyi agreed and put her arm around Zhao Xiaorui's shoulders. "Come with Aunt Jiang. Aunt Jiang will take you to the movies."

Zhao Xiaorui whispered: "Thank you, Aunt Jiang."

It seems that it does not have the vitality of the past.

But she was very happy to see Xiaomi. After teasing her for a while, a smile appeared on her face again.

He Chengze went home and got another stool, and then the two adults, one child and one dog set off.

The place where open-air movies are shown is on an open space not far from the gate of the compound, and people can be seen coming from all directions.

Everyone was carrying stools, bamboo chairs, small wooden stools, filling the open space.

Some people who are well-off will bring some food like Jiang Xueyi, such as steamed corn bread, flatbread, etc. Those who are not well-off will also bring a pot of boiled water.

What if I get thirsty? I’ll have to sit for more than two hours.

There were crowds of people everywhere. He Chengze protected Jiang Xueyi. Jiang Xueyi held Zhao Xiaorui's hand tightly and stared at Xiaomi: "Don't run around, be careful that others step on you."

Since there were so many people around, Jiang Xueyi simply picked up Xiaomi with one hand.

Xiaomi was also very obedient. She stayed in her arms quietly and didn't move around.

Jiang Xueyi weighed Xiaomi twice, stared into its small black eyes and said, "Have you gained weight?" Then she said, "It seems I can't call you Xiaomi anymore. I have to change your name to Rice."

Xiaomi let out a grievance.

Jiang Xueyi stopped teasing it and looked around to see if she could find an empty seat.

Then she heard Qian Man calling her: "Xiao Jiang, Captain He, come here, there's a seat available."

He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi hurriedly took their stools and squeezed next to Qian Man. They only breathed a sigh of relief after they settled down.

Jiang Xueyi: "There are too many people coming to watch the movie today."

"That's right," Captain Zhu said. "It's a rare opportunity for the town to organize an open-air movie. Not only did everyone in our compound come, but I heard people from several nearby communes came."

Movie tickets at the cinema cost 20 cents each, but watching open-air movies is free. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of this?

"Squeak--" is the sound of the projector starting up.

Captain Zhu said quickly, "The movie is starting."

Someone—probably a staff member—held a large metal loudspeaker and shouted, "Stop making noise, be quiet, and don't disturb other people watching the movie."

Although there were still rustling sounds around, it gradually quieted down.

As the passionate background music played, the familiar opening scene appeared on the screen.

The children sitting in the front row immediately straightened their backs, and the adults also leaned forward slightly.

No one wants to miss a second of the scene.

In the days without smartphones and streaming media, open-air movies were a rare spiritual feast for people.

That kind of anticipation and excitement is the simplest love for life.