twenty four
Facing the curious eyes of the crowd, Chen Shengqing said calmly: "What's so strange about this? The conditions in our border defense department are much better now than before. My wife and children will come here to follow the army and will not have to suffer the same hardships as before."
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers and their wives who were watching were shocked and talked a lot: "My goodness, how come this Battalion Commander Chen has changed his temper and is protecting his country wife? Maybe he has been controlled by his wife's crying, making a fuss, and even threatening to commit suicide."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Captain Chen has never said that he dislikes his wife. His wife is from the country, so what? Your idea is not right. All of our ancestors were born in the countryside. You are ungrateful for discriminating against country people. You are still a military wife, and you are not ashamed to say such things. I think you should let your husband Li give you some advice."
"How am I embarrassed? Look at his wife, she is dressed in rustic clothes, has dark skin, and her children are grown up, but she still wears pigtails. How can she compare to the fair and clean girls in our camp?"
"Come on." Someone sneered, "Mr. Li, you can't just look down on other people's family members coming to join the army. Your sister has no chance with Battalion Commander Chen. You can't eat grapes here, so you say the grapes are sour."
"That's right. Everyone knows that Captain Chen is handsome, educated, and capable. He is usually very generous and is a military officer with a bright future. Many unmarried girls are eyeing him."
"Now that the family is here, put away your evil thoughts. I think the sister-in-law is pretty, her skin is a little dark, but judging from her posture, she must be a good worker. She is holding the little boy, he is so handsome, his skin is as white as porcelain, and he looks especially like Captain Chen. Oh, when this boy grows up, he will charm many girls..."
......
The crowd was talking in a low voice, but Yang Qiujin had excellent hearing and heard most of their conversation.
She didn't have any special feelings, she just thought Chen Shengqing was very charming, and so many military wives wanted to be his second marriage matchmaker.
What a pity, he didn't leave and even brought her with him to join the army.
The family compound is quite spacious, just like a military barracks, with many tall trees such as poplar and saxaul planted outside, covering and hiding the rows of family houses inside.
The family houses are all red brick and tile houses that were renovated a few years ago. Some of the houses have half-person-high yards, where fruits and vegetables are planted, the family's clothes are hung to dry, and chickens and ducks are raised. Some have no yards at all, only bare courtyards, where many children are playing happily.
@Infinite good articles, all in t
It was dinner time, and smoke was rising from the roofs of many houses as people were cooking dinner.
The family house that Chen Shengqing applied for is located at the innermost of the third row of the family area, close to the outer high wall. It has been idle for a long time, with two rooms on the left and right, a living room in the middle, a small kitchen and toilet on the right, and a bare yard without walls.
Yang Qiujin led Chen Tianyou into the yard and walked towards the living room, wanting to take a look at the two rooms. As a result, just as they reached the door of the room on the left, a tall and thin young woman with fair skin and thin eyebrows and eyes came out.
Yang Qiujin was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to her senses, turned around and shouted, "Chen Shengqing, come here!"
Chen Shengqing was moving luggage with three soldiers when he heard her voice, which was slightly angry, and walked into the living room carrying a large package. When he saw the thin-eyed woman, he was also stunned for a moment, "Who are you, female comrade? Why are you in my house?"
"Chen, Captain Chen, I am Xiang Yuxiang, don't you remember me?" The girl twirled her clothes and said timidly, "I am the sister of Director Li's wife in the Political Department."
"So it's Comrade Xiang." Chen Shengqing frowned and thought for a long time, and finally remembered this person, "What are you doing in my house?"
"I..." Xiang Yuxiang blushed and glanced at Yang Qiujin, then whispered, "My sister heard from my brother-in-law that you applied for a family housing a few days ago. I thought the family housing you applied for has been vacant for a long time and must be very dirty. I was bored at home and had nothing to do, so I came to help you clean it."
Yang Qiujin was a fool if she couldn't see the target of the attack. She sneered, "An unmarried girl came to a married military officer's house to help him clean. Comrade Xiang, how confident are you that my man is interested in you and will divorce me to marry you? If you come to me to take over my man's nest and protest, I will have a big fight with him, and we will divorce early because of emotional discord?"
She reached out and touched Chen Tianyou's round face, with a hot and arrogant smile on her pretty face, "Remember this, it was your beloved Captain Chen who asked me to come with the army this time, I didn't beg him to let me come. I can't tolerate any grain of sand in my eyes, so let it go this time, but next time if something dirty enters my house without permission, I will peel off her skin! Get out, don't let me see you again!"
"You!" Nothing is more murderous than destroying someone's heart. With just a few words, Yang Qiujin shattered Xiang Yuxiang's dream of becoming the battalion commander's wife.
She looked at Chen Shengqing with shame and anger, her expression was very touching: "Captain Chen, if I had known that my sister-in-law was so fierce, I would never have come to your house to help clean. I just felt that Captain Chen had been working hard outside for many years, and it would be very uncomfortable for him to come back and see a messy and dirty house, so I came to your house."
"Have you said enough?" Chen Shengqing frowned and looked at her, his face frighteningly gloomy: "If you don't introduce yourself, I can't even remember your name. Your sister and brother-in-law are quite capable, and they have even reached out to my house. It seems that Director Li is ambitious enough. A logistics director dares to interfere in the affairs of our military. I have to have a good talk with Commander Zhou about his behavior someday. Didn't you hear what your sister-in-law said? You are not welcome in our family."
The couple sang the same tune, not giving Xiang Yuxiang any face at all, and even causing trouble for her brother-in-law. Xiang Yuxiang really couldn't stand it anymore, so she covered her face and ran out crying.
The three soldiers who were helping to move the luggage in the yard exchanged glances. One of them said to Ruan Xiangming in a daze, "Hey, Sergeant Ruan, isn't that Comrade Xiang that you like? I was wondering why she was so close to you and used the fact that you both had the same name 'Xiang' as a topic to ask about the whereabouts of our battalion commander. It turns out that she was after our battalion commander. Look how angry she made our sister-in-law."
"Stop talking nonsense and do what you should do!" Ruan Xiangming stared at Xiang Yuxiang's departing back, feeling very unhappy.
The young and frivolous boy fell in love with a girl for the first time, but was actually taken advantage of by the girl. His heart had already been broken into seven or eight pieces, and he had no energy to do anything.
There was no furniture in the house except for the earthen kangs in two rooms. Fortunately, Chen Shengqing bought everything he needed in Wushi. With the help of Ruan Xiangming and several soldiers, the furniture was moved into the house and put away. The house was no longer empty and finally had a homely feel.
"Let's eat first." After Ruan Xiangming and the other two soldiers finished moving the furniture and luggage and were about to leave, Yang Qiujin endured the discomfort in her stomach and insisted on keeping them for dinner.
Ruan Xiangming said quickly, "No, sister-in-law, you've been traveling a long way. You've just arrived, so you must be very tired. You should rest more and don't worry about us. This is what we should do."
After saying this, without waiting for Yang Qiujin to say anything, the three guys left quickly.
After they left, the house became quiet. Chen Tianyou walked around the house to look at the new home. Yang Qiujin sat on the newly bought round stool in the living room, watching Chen Shengqing take out the luggage one by one and put it in the master bedroom on the left. She didn't show any intention of helping.
The tiredness from the long journey, the burning sensation of vomiting everything in her stomach, and the dizziness from motion sickness made her feel extremely uncomfortable, and she just wanted to sit there without moving.
Chen Shengqing put away his luggage and put the specialty pickles and vegetables he brought from home into the kitchen. He then walked to the living room, half squatted, and looked up at Yang Qiujin. "Are you feeling very uncomfortable? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
"No, I'll just lie down for a while." The handsome face was magnified in front of her eyes, and the concern in those narrow eyes was real. Yang Qiujin resisted the urge to vomit, lowered her eyes and looked at him and asked, "Don't you have anything to explain to me?"
The woman had a beautiful face, delicate features, and usually walked with a breeze. She worked very neatly, giving people a very vigorous and energetic feeling. At this moment, she looked weak, with a cold gaze, and when she looked down at him, she actually had a kind of aura of majesty without anger.
"There is nothing between me and Xiang Yuxiang." Chen Shengqing faced her pressing gaze without any guilt, and said with deep eyes: "During the seven years when you were away, I was always on missions away from home, surrounded by male comrades, and rarely came into contact with female comrades. It is impossible for me to have any relationship with them. If Xiang Yuxiang hadn't mentioned Director Li of the Political Department, I would not have remembered whether she was a man or a woman."
Yang Qiujin said nothing, just stared at him quietly.
Their eyes met, the atmosphere was tense, and the sound of Chen Tianyou's laughter came from outside the courtyard.
After just a short while, the boy started playing with the two kids from the next yard very smoothly.
After a while, Yang Qiujin couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out laughing, glaring at Chen Shengqing, "You don't even know if Xiang Yuxiang is a man or a woman, do you believe what you said? Remember this, I, Yang Qiujin, have a bad temper and I can't tolerate any grain of sand in my eyes. If you dare to have an affair with other women before we get divorced, I will kill you and your affair even if I have to risk my life, and we will go to hell together! I mean what I say! However, if you really like a girl from a certain family, you can tell me directly, and if you give me enough compensation, I will let you go free and we will part ways in peace. After the divorce, you can marry whoever you want, that is your freedom, and we don't owe each other anything!"
"If I betray you, you don't have to deal with me. God will punish me and let me suffer retribution. I will die on the battlefield and my body will not be intact. Similarly, if one day you don't want to be with me and want to leave me, as long as you are sincere, I will set you free."
Any man would have been unbearable to hear Yang Qiujin's harsh and vicious words, but Chen Shengqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
This kind of fierce and domineering personality is the Yang Qiujin he has known since childhood. Both of them, one is vicious and the other is cruel, but neither of them should despise the other. They are a perfect match made in heaven.
Neither of them was the type to quibble, so after speaking frankly, Chen Shengqing saw that Yang Qiujin was not in a good mood, so he stood up and said, "I'll go make the kang, you go and have a sleep."
Yang Qiujin followed him weakly into the master bedroom and looked around. "No bed?"
As a person from southern Sichuan, she was used to sleeping in a bed since she was a child. She suddenly came to the frontier. Not to mention the problem of acclimatization, she saw that there was not even a bed here, only the earthen kang she had seen in the movies. She always felt it was weird.
"The temperature difference between day and night is huge in the border areas. We are close to the Tianshan Mountains. In winter, the temperature can reach minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. If you don't sleep on a kang, but only on a bed, you will freeze to death."
Chen Shengqing took out a set of newly bought woolen felt from his newly bought wardrobe, spread it on the Kang bed that Xiang Yuxiang had cleaned, and then took out a pink bed sheet embroidered with peony flowers and spread it neatly on top, then took out a set of clean military green bedding, put the pillow in place, and motioned Yang Qiujin to get on the Kang bed, "Try sleeping on it for a while first. If you really can't get used to it, I'll go to the military supply department and rent a bed for you to sleep on."
The Quartermaster Logistics Department has chairs, benches, cabinets, beds, and so on, but they are not new equipment. The military families only need to pay two dollars a month in rental fees to move in a complete set of furniture.
"Okay, I'll try." Yang Qiujin had never slept on a kang before, and looking at the kang made of bricks and mud was a little novel. She lay down on the kang and did not feel any discomfort.
On the contrary, because Chen Shengqing had laid a thick woolen felt underneath, the whole kang bed was soft and had a faint grass scent. It was unknown whether Xiang Yuxiang had deliberately fumigated it before, but Yang Qiujin's eyelids began to droop not long after she lay down on it.
She was getting sleepy, but she didn't forget to remind him, "Go find Tianyou and let him get some sleep. This kid is playful and doesn't talk too much. Don't let him fight with other military children on the first day. If things get unpleasant, he'll blame me for not teaching his child well."
"Got it, just sleep peacefully."
Chen Shengqing left the room and went to the next door to find Chen Tianyou, who was having fun with his partner, Instructor Wang's two children.
Seeing him coming, Wang Jianjun's wife, a 25-year-old beautiful and graceful woman named Liang Xueqing, started talking to him: "Captain Chen, your wife is here. Is she having trouble adapting to the local climate? Is she feeling unwell?"
"It seems not." Chen Shengqing thought carefully, "She is a little carsick and is resting in the house now."
"That's good." Liang Xueqing nodded, "I also said to make a folk remedy and give it to your lover to drink, and she won't feel so uncomfortable."
Liang Xueqing followed Wang Jianjun to the border last year to join the army. At that time, her identity as a lady of a capitalist family was constantly used by the little red soldiers to make trouble for her. Wang Jianjun couldn't bear to see her suffer in Shanghai, so he let her bring her child to join the army.
Because of her identity, the military wives in the entire compound were reluctant to make friends with her. She suffered from severe motion sickness and acclimatization, so Wang Jianjun found a local fellow villager and got a prescription for acclimatization and asked her to drink it. Only then did she feel much better.
Captain Chen finally brought his family to join the army, and the two families were separated by a wall. Liang Xueqing wanted to show her kindness to the new military wife, so she took the initiative to talk to Chen Shengqing so that she would not be isolated and helpless if she encountered any problems in the future.
Not long after Chen Shengqing took the child away, Wang Jianjun, a short man with dark skin and a mouthful of white teeth, came back and asked, "Is the wife of Captain Chen next door here?"
"He's here. He said he was carsick and is lying down at home." Liang Xueqing opened the lunch boxes he brought back one by one and asked the two children to wash their hands and eat.
Before marrying Wang Jianjun, she lived a life of luxury and had no idea how to cook or do housework.
After marrying Wang Jianjun, he did almost all the housework at home, and he also brought meals from the canteen, so she never got angry.
Wang Jianjun dried the two children's hands and gave them clean water. He divided the lunch boxes between them and Liang Xueqing, ate the rest himself and said, "Did you see his lover? How does his temper feel?"
"No, but..." Liang Xueqing smiled faintly, "I overheard what happened in the room. As soon as she came, she scolded Xiang Yuxiang away. It sounded like she had a bad temper. But they didn't quarrel. Her child is pretty like a girl and looks very polite. When I give him candy, he will say thank you. He doesn't look like a rude child raised by an uncultured country woman. I feel that Captain Chen's wife should be a good person. When I have time, I must take the initiative to talk to her."
"That's great. If she can get along with you, you can get closer. Then, when there are activities in the family area, you won't have to endure the anger of other military wives."
Wang Jianjun knew that Xiang Yuxiang was the sister-in-law of Director Li of the Political Department. She was pretty and had high aspirations. Heard that she was jealous of her sister who married into the military and enjoyed a good life every day, so she was determined to marry a military officer. That's why he instigated her sister and brother-in-law to file a report and come to the military to visit relatives. In fact, he was targeting the military officers.
They only had one regiment and three battalions stationed here, and the number of officers was limited. Many officers, including him, had been flirted with by her intentionally or unintentionally. However, he had only Liang Xueqing in his heart since a long time ago, and never paid any attention to Xiang Yuxiang.
He has been working with Chen Shengqing for a long time and knows Chen Shengqing quite well. He knows that although this man looks harmless and easy to get along with, he is actually a ruthless person who is indifferent to everyone. It is harder than climbing to the sky to hook up with him.
At that time, Chen Shengqing was sent to the Soviet Union as a spy. Many exotic beauties tried their best to seduce him, but he remained unmoved. Xiang Yuxiang is also overestimating her own abilities and bringing humiliation upon herself.
"I hope his wife and I can get along well." Liang Xueqing chewed an onion and thought of something: "As long as she is not like the wife of the military doctor, who looks kind but actually looks down on me and throws away the things I give her."
"Don't bother with her anymore. She doesn't like you, but we don't like her either!"
I get angry when I mention Wang Jianjun. Doctor Ji is quite loved and respected in the army, mainly because of his superb medical skills. He can cure any soldier's broken bones or injuries, no matter how serious they are. I don't know how many soldiers' lives he has saved.
He has a good personality and rarely gets angry. Everyone likes him. Unexpectedly, the relative he brought back two days ago during his home visit was very pretty and spoke softly and generously. Liang Xueqing took the initiative to make friends with her. She had a happy smile on her face, but turned around and threw the tea that Liang Xueqing had brought into the trash, which happened to be seen by his children.
Wang Jianjun was so angry that he ran to Ji Junyi and cursed him. He was still angry when he thought about it now: "If Captain Chen's lover is like Shi Fangfang, who looks down on people and only looks at their class background instead of the person, we will cut off all ties with Captain Chen's family!"
"I've caused you trouble..." Liang Xueqing was moved to tears, "If you hadn't married me at all costs, I would have been forced to death or I would have been beaten to death now."
"What do you mean by bringing trouble upon myself? Without you, I wouldn't have two lovely children." Wang Jianjun smiled and put a large piece of braised beef into her bowl. "Eat quickly. After dinner, we'll go for a walk outside."
Not long after Chen Shengqing left, Yang Qiujin fell asleep.
She didn't sleep well that night. The aftereffects of motion sickness were still there. Her head was dizzy and she kept feeling like she was still on the rattling train.
When I woke up, it was still light outside, but the sun had turned into a rosy-red sunset, filling the entire courtyard.
The houses in border areas have very good lighting effects, because the houses built in the stationed areas are better than the local mud houses. The house where Yang Qiujin lived had a glass window on the wall facing the courtyard. The warm red sunset shone through the window onto the kang bed, making people feel warm and comfortable.
Yang Qiujin lay in bed for a while before she remembered where she was. She got up and glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was almost eight o'clock and the sun was still in the sky. The frontier is truly a magical place!
She put on her clothes, combed her hair and walked out of the house. She saw Chen Tianyou squatting in the middle of the yard, playing with the sand in the yard. "Chen Tianyou, you didn't sleep? Where's your dad?"
"Asleep. I just woke up not long ago and my dad seems to be in the kitchen." Chen Tianyou grabbed a handful of mud and sand and threw it into the sky.
A gust of wind blew the sand back onto his head and face. The fair and clean little boy was instantly covered in dust.
"Chen Tianyou!" Yang Qiujin's blood pressure rose and she gritted her teeth. "Do you know how hard it is for me to wash your clothes? Look at your dirty clothes. They are all stained! Wash your hands for me. If you don't, wash your clothes yourself!"
"I won't wash it." Chen Tianyou rubbed the sand in his eyes and made a rebellious face at her, "If you don't wash my clothes, I'll let my dad wash them for me. Anyway, I won't wash my hands! You just like to be picky and make me do things I don't want to do."
"You're a rebel. How dare you talk back to me!" Yang Qiujin rolled up her sleeves and looked around for a stick to beat him.
The yard was barren and there was no place for her to find a stick.
"Ah - help! Huang Shiren is going to bully and exploit the white-haired boy!" When Chen Tianyou saw that her mother was furious, she ran to the kitchen.
Chen Shengqing heard the voice and came out with a dripping rag in his hand. "What's that?"
Chen Tianyou buried his head on his back, sticking out his little head: "Dad, save me, Mom is crazy!"
"Do you think I can't control you just because you hide behind your dad?" Yang Qiujin bypassed Chen Shengqing and twisted his ears. "What do you mean by being picky? You don't wash your hands and make yourself dirty. You can easily get sick, don't you know?"
"Ah, it hurts." Chen Tianyou covered his ears and cried behind Chen Shengqing: "Dad, are you my real dad? I was severely tortured by the enemy and was in dire straits. As a revolutionary fighter, why didn't you save a poor commoner like me?"
Chen Shengqing found it funny and helpless. He reached out and gently held Yang Qiujin's hand. "Don't pull his ears. It's easy to find something wrong with him. To teach a child, you have to convince him with reason and speak slowly."
"Just get used to him!" Yang Qiujin snorted and let go of her hand. "Okay, from now on, you'll be the one washing this naughty kid's clothes. I'll see how you convince him with reason!"
Chen Shengqing looked at the blue clothes that Chen Tianyou had just put on, which were already covered with black and gray mud. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
Why did he say this and ask for trouble?
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