Chapter 151
Yue Xiulan stopped kneading the dough and turned around in surprise, her eyes wide. "Really? That's great! Sister Chen is pretty, kind, and can heal people. She and Captain Wen are a perfect match!" As she spoke, she habitually rubbed her hands on her apron, leaving a few white marks. "It's just that the date seems a bit rushed. Are you ready?"
"Of course I am. Commander Wen came to me personally today and asked me to help with the arrangements." Bai Jiang walked to the basin to wash his hands. "I'll take care of the arrangements for the auditorium and the banquet. But Xiao Shen's wedding dress, dowry, and other small things for the new house—I guess she'll have to prepare them herself, right? I don't understand these things."
When Yue Xiulan heard this, she immediately pressed the dough in her hand into the basin and took off her apron: “What are you talking about? It’s not like you don’t know what the situation is at Sister Shen’s home!”
Yue Xiulan's tone was filled with anxiety. "We need to prepare bedding, pillows, pillowcases, wash basins, thermoses, and other daily necessities for the new house. And a girl must have a decent outfit when she gets married. It's impossible for her to go to the city and buy a few feet of cloth by herself!"
The more Yue Xiulan spoke, the more she felt that there was no time to lose, and she was about to leave in a hurry: "No, I have to go ask Sister Shen! She is shy and embarrassed to speak, we can't just stand by and watch!"
Bai Jiang quickly grabbed her and said, "Hey, you're so impatient! It's getting dark already. It's not too late to go tomorrow! The couple might be discussing something right now. What's the point of running over there so rashly?"
Yue Xiulan was pulled back by him and stopped. Looking at the darkening sky outside, she finally gave up and kept muttering, "Captain Wen should have done it long ago. Why has it been delayed until now? I'll go tomorrow morning! What does a little girl like her know about the art of marrying a girl?"
The next evening, after Yue Xiulan finished her meal at home, she asked Bai Jiang to do the dishes, put down her chopsticks and left.
The door of Wen Yanxi's house was closed. Yue Xiulan knocked on the door, but before anyone entered, she raised her voice: "Sister Chen! Are you home?"
The lights were on in the room. Chen Zhaoyue was sitting sideways on the edge of the bed, holding a thin silver needle in his hand, concentrating on gently twisting a certain acupoint on the back of Wen Yanxi, who was lying on the bed.
The light was a warm yellow, framing her focused profile and the slightly tense wrist. The end of the silver needle reflected a faint light, trembling imperceptibly as she twisted it with her fingertips.
Wen Yanxi was lying on the bed with his upper body naked. He had broad shoulders and well-defined muscles, but at this moment he was obedient and motionless, like a silent mountain.
Hearing Yue Xiulan's loud voice, Wen Yanxi frowned slightly. He obviously didn't like being caught in this "exposed" state, but his body was restrained by needles and he couldn't move.
Chen Zhaoyue looked up when she heard the voice, and a smile immediately broke out on her face, with a little surprise at being interrupted, "Why is Sister Xiulan here?"
Wen Yanxi thought for a moment and said, "Maybe he's here to help you prepare things for your wedding."
Chen Zhaoyue took the bed sheet and covered Wen Yanxi's exposed back, "Then I'll go open the door for Sister Xiulan."
Wen Yanxi reluctantly said "hmm", and Chen Zhaoyue opened the door for Yue Xiulan and welcomed her in.
Yue Xiulan took a few steps into the room and first glanced at Wen Yanxi, who was lying on the sofa and could only turn half of his face to look at her. There was a hint of mischief in her eyes, as if to say, "You little boy, you have come to this day too." Then her eyes fell eagerly on Chen Zhaoyue.
"Hey, Captain Wen," she said, her voice still resonant, with the crispness of a seasoned veteran looking at a younger generation, "you're blessed with such good fortune you'd be hard to find even with a lantern! Look at our sister Chen, she's incredibly beautiful, has a good temper, and even knows how to give acupuncture and diagnose illnesses! Tell me, how much virtue did you accumulate in your past life?"
Yue Xiulan looked at the trembling silver needles on Wen Yanxi's back without any hesitation, clicking her tongue.
Wen Yanxi felt a little uncomfortable with what she said. He rested his chin on the pillow and muffled "hmm" in response. The voice was low and no emotion could be heard, but if you looked closely, he seemed to relax a little bit.
"Sister Xiulan, you keep praising me. Drink some water." Chen Zhaoyue handed a cup of warm water to Yue Xiulan, her cheeks slightly flushed and with a shy smile.
Yue Xiulan took the cup of water, took a big gulp, and then got to the point.
"I heard from our old man Jiang that you've set a date for your wedding? I figured it's coming up soon, and since you two are young and don't know a lot, I came to ask you if you've decided on your wedding dress. A bride only gets one chance in her life, so you can't be careless about your wedding dress! I'm an experienced person, so I have experience! I'll take you into the city on one of your days off to visit that time-honored tailor shop. I guarantee you'll find the one that suits you best!"
Chen Zhaoyue's eyes lit up, and she was obviously very tempted by this proposal. She subconsciously glanced at Wen Yanxi lying on the bed. She had originally agreed with Wen Yanxi that they would go shopping together.
Although Wen Yanxi was lying down, his ears were perked up. He immediately replied in a muffled voice, "Listen to Sister Xiulan. She has good taste." There was a hint of eagerness and approval in his tone that he himself might not have noticed.
Chen Zhaoyue pursed her lips and smiled, then turned to Yue Xiulan and said, "Then I'll trouble Sister Xiulan. I... am free this weekend."
"Okay! It's settled then! This weekend! Sister-in-law will come to see you early in the morning!" Yue Xiulan made the final decision. She looked at Chen Zhaoyue's gentle smile, and then looked at Wen Yanxi on the bed, who was usually as cold and hard as a stone but seemed particularly "docile" at this moment. She felt that the saying "one thing subdues another" was indeed true.
Yue Xiulan couldn't help but tease again: "Look, someone is even more impatient than the bride!"
As soon as these words came out, the tips of Wen Yanxi's ears turned red at a visible speed. Chen Zhaoyue also pursed her lips, lowered her head, and unconsciously twisted her sleeves with her fingers.
Yue Xiulan gave a few more hurried instructions before leaving, leaving behind a warm and slightly sweet and awkward atmosphere in the cabin.
Chen Zhaoyue sat back down beside Wen Yanxi and continued to carefully twist the silver needle. Wen Yanxi lay down, burying his face deeper into the pillow, but the slightly raised corners of his mouth could not be hidden.
…
The news that Wen Yanxi was getting married spread throughout the entire base overnight as if it had wings.
It would be hard not to know about the marriage that the commander personally inquired about and supervised.
The most intuitive change brought about by this news is the personal experience of the veteran soldiers on the training ground of the Fourth Regiment.
"Hey, what do you mean by inch? I didn't clean my quarters properly this morning, and the regimental commander caught me red-handed," a new recruit said during a break, leaning over to the squad leader. His voice was low, his face a look of relief at having escaped a disaster. "I was ready to run ten kilometers, but guess what? The regimental commander just frowned, said 'Be more careful next time,' and actually let me go."
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