The hot pot meal was lively, with several families gathered around, chopsticks clinking against enamel bowls, and conversations never ceasing.
They talked about everything from what the women ate every day to the year-end military skills competition, as well as Xianghai's math class and Zhouzhou's art class.
Xiangyang sat by the boat eating the whole time, and Deng Cuixiang, who was in a rare good mood today, didn't scold him.
The meal lasted until eight o'clock.
With lights out at nine o'clock, everyone quickly packed up and went their separate ways.
Once home, Zhou Qiqi rushed to the kitchen and boiled a pot of water.
As she put the pot on the stove, she remembered something else, and while taking off her apron, she shouted out loud.
"Huaichuan, come and check on the stove first. I'm going to visit Sister Cuixiang!"
Shen Huaichuan was talking to Zhouzhou when he heard the sound and strode into the kitchen.
"What's the rush?"
He frowned slightly. "It's almost lights out. How about I run it for you?"
Zhou Qiqi quickly waved her hand.
"No, no, no, I'll go. It's a woman's job. It's not appropriate for you to go."
As she spoke, she went back into the house and brought out a large bag. Before Shen Huaichuan could ask any further questions, she hurriedly left.
Deng Cuixiang is all alone at home right now.
Since her family didn't have a bathroom, Battalion Commander Jiang took Xianghai and Xiangyang to the military region's public bathhouse to take a bath.
She rarely had a moment of leisure, but she couldn't stay idle. She was checking the kimchi jars in the yard to see how they were fermenting.
Seeing Zhou Qiqi arrive, she was a little surprised, "What happened?"
Zhou Qiqi shook her head and walked inside, stuffing the cloth bag in her hand into her arms.
Last month, when she had her period, she asked Zhang Guoqiang to bring her some sanitary napkins.
However, by the time it arrived, her period had already ended, so she recommended it to Deng Cuixiang and Zhu Yingying.
Both of them thought it was good and asked Zhang Guoqiang to buy some for them.
It was only mailed over this afternoon, but it was addressed to Zhou Qiqi. Yingying's copy was given to her when she got it back, but Deng Cuixiang's copy was only just remembered to be brought over.
Deng Cuixiang breathed a sigh of relief, took the things, and patted her chest with a smile.
"Hey, I thought something had happened, I was so scared. We're not in a hurry to use this, it's the same if you send it over tomorrow."
They've known each other for over two months; who doesn't know the other's personality?
Zhou Qiqi is the type of person who would rather sit than stand, and rather lie down than sit. The fact that she made a special trip so late at night must mean more than just delivering a pack of sanitary napkins.
Deng Cuixiang pulled her into the room, lowered her voice, and looked at her with bright eyes: "You little rascal, there must be something else going on, right?"
Zhou Qiqi wasn't one to be pretentious, and she didn't hold back, speaking directly.
"Sister Cuixiang, I wanted to ask if you have any...family planning supplies here?"
Deng Cuixiang blinked first, not quite reacting, then her eyes widened in surprise.
"You mean that stuff? Yes, yes, yes! Now everyone's promoting family planning, and Director Zhou has the clinic give it to us military wives with kids every month. I've saved up quite a bit."
She had barely finished speaking when she suddenly realized what she was saying, and raised her voice again.
"But you've only been married a short time, why are you asking this? You...you need it?"
Zhou Qiqi readily admitted it.
"Well, I need to use... I don't want to have children so early."
She had that kind of childhood, and even now, in the middle of the night, she still dreams of her parents arguing, with herself curled up on one side.
Therefore, she didn't want to get pregnant and have a child without thinking, and be irresponsible to everyone.
"you..."
Seeing that she had a furrowed brow but didn't say much, Deng Cuixiang didn't ask any more questions, but instead patted her on the shoulder.
"I'll go get it for you, you wait here."
She quickly brought over a bag, saying, "I haven't used any of these, so I just grabbed a bag for you. Take it home and use it."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Cuixiang."
Zhou Qiqi took the bag and left. When she returned, the bathroom light was on, so Shen Huaichuan was probably taking a shower.
Zhouzhou was sitting on a small stool, struggling to dry her hair with a dry towel.
She casually placed the bag on the bed, went to the kitchen, and then went to dry Zhouzhou's hair.
The little girl's hair grows quickly; three months ago it was just a bunch of withered, yellow weeds, but now, thanks to Zhou Qiqi's use of Bee & Flower shampoo, it's jet black and shiny.
A warm towel wrapped around her soft hair, Zhou Qiqi's movements were gentle and tender, as if afraid of hurting her.
Zhouzhou's hair was soft and smooth, and after drying it, it still had a sweet fragrance. Her face was rosy from washing, like a freshly steamed white steamed bun.
Zhou Qiqi liked her more and more as she looked at her, and couldn't help but give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
The little girl was startled by the sudden movement, her shoulders shrank, her eyes widened, but she didn't flinch. Her eyelashes fluttered, making her look even cuter.
"Go to sleep,"
Zhou Qiqi pinched her cheek and softened her voice, "I'll make you milk and red bean porridge tomorrow morning. I've already soaked the red beans in the bowl."
When Zhouzhou heard there was sweet porridge, his eyes lit up immediately. He turned around and quickly kissed her on the cheek, then blushed and ran into his room.
Zhou Qiqi touched the lingering warmth on her face, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.
Before she knew it, she and Zhouzhou had gotten along so well.
It's a pity that Zhouzhou is so talented at drawing, but I haven't been able to draw a single picture for her in all this time.
However, she didn't force it and just let things take their course.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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