There were cabbages in the yard, and Song Yan picked two, along with some scallions.
After washing the pots and pans, Song Yan started washing the vegetables.
"Are you all home?" a woman's voice asked.
Song Yan immediately put down the vegetables he was holding and saw that it was a middle-aged woman. "Hello!"
"Young lady, my husband's surname is He, he's Commander He. He said you're new here and can't find us anywhere, so he sent me to check." The woman had a round, chubby face and looked quite friendly.
"Sister-in-law, I really don't know where this is. If you could tell me, it would make things much easier for me." Song Yan warmly and politely ushered her into the house.
Sister-in-law He didn't go inside. Knowing that Song Yan was working in the kitchen, she simply went in herself, saying nicely that they could talk without interrupting the work. But what she didn't expect was that Song Yan wanted to make dumplings.
Song Yan was also a considerate person in his dealings with others. "Comrade Xiang helped deliver some things today, so I'm inviting him to stay for dinner. Besides, I was thinking that Commander He found us a place to stay and prepared everything we needed, so I'm very grateful. Let's all come and have a meal together! And the Deputy Commander..."
The two women were friendly and chatted enthusiastically.
Wei Aiguo listened to them talking while resting on the bed.
Song Yan hadn't initially planned to invite anyone to dinner, but Commander He's wife happened to show up. Song Yan's words were pleasant, as if he had planned it all along.
As they chatted, Sister He lent out coal briquettes, helped them find people, and even suggested that Song Yan bring Political Commissar Qin along.
Sister He went home and got some coal briquettes, plus a lit one. She put them in the stove and said she would go tell Old He and the others that she would come back to help in a bit…
While boiling water to cook the bowls and chopsticks, Song Yan also helped knead the dough in the available space, chopping half of the meat filling inside and half outside. They could start wrapping the dumplings when Sister He returned.
Sister-in-law He was a considerate person. She noticed that Song Yan didn't have ginger or garlic planted in his yard. So when she came, she brought ginger and garlic, and also brought a table and stools borrowed from Song Yan's neighbor.
When Xiang Zhoushan returned, he had already wrapped half of the dumplings.
In these times of food shortage, it's rare to host a dinner party. Wei Aiguo's hosting today, with its simple white flour dumplings, surprised Commander He and the others.
Before Song Yan could explain, Sister He said, "It was brought by Xiao Wei's comrade-in-arms. You got a good deal."
The local custom is to eat steamed dumplings. Song Yan likes boiled dumplings, and Sister He, being from the north, also likes boiled dumplings. The cook just makes whatever they like.
There were white flour dumplings with meat filling; whether they were boiled or steamed, everyone enjoyed them. At first, fearing that Song Yan hadn't prepared enough, the men didn't eat as much as they wanted.
The pot on the coal stove wasn't big, but it cooked several pots. Sister He said these people were rough around the edges, no need for formalities. The dumplings were served in basins. With so many dumplings, everyone ate as much as they wanted.
Commander He's two children are in elementary school, and Song Yan invited them over for dumplings. He's wife refused, saying the neighbors were getting their food from the canteen and it was alright.
Is Song Yan a stingy person? He scooped a bowl of dumplings into He's hand and pushed her out the door. "Go home and take care of the kids, I can handle the rest myself."
Which mother doesn't want her child to eat well? We're already at their place, how could we let the kids go too? We didn't expect Song Yan to give us so many dumplings. The kids can finally have a good meal.
As she walked, Sister He pondered. Her husband had told her to be more careful. This person wouldn't be staying long. Someone Fan Jianjun valued must be capable. Having the opportunity to befriend him meant gaining another friend. Today, Old He said even the division commander was here; Wei Aiguo was no ordinary person.
It was just a small favor, and she didn't have to do anything herself, so Sister He went. She never expected to receive so many dumplings.
Sister He quickened her pace home. The sudden arrival of a new family member had piqued the curiosity of the other military dependents, who were bound to inquire about her. She didn't want the dumplings in her hand to draw too much attention.
In the end, Sister He was cornered by Wang Cuixiang, the wife of Deputy Regiment Commander Xing.
Wang Cuixiang: "Sister He, the newcomer has brought you some food." Her eyes went straight to the basin that Sister He was holding.
At this moment, Sister He felt even more that Song Yan was capable. She put a lid on her basin so that no one could see what was inside. "You saw it too, right? Someone came to the empty room. The man was a wounded soldier surnamed Wei. His wife gave me some things."
"What is this thing? And it's covered up." Wang Cuixiang's eyes were practically glued to the basin.
What they ate at Xiao Wei's house, Deputy Regiment Commander Xing would tell them when he got home; there was no need to hide it. The basin was covered, so Wang Cuixiang couldn't see how many dumplings were inside. "Xiao Wei's wife is called Song Yan. She gave the kids some dumplings. I have to hurry back, or the two kids will be full."
Sister-in-law He walked away quickly. She was incredibly annoyed. Old He always told her to be mindful of unity; Wang Cuixiang was the deputy regimental commander's wife, and if the two of them didn't get along, how could the men work together? But Wang Cuixiang was shameless and always wanted to take advantage of everyone. She was someone who only took and never gave; who would want to do anything with her!
Aunt He has a son and a daughter; her son is in fifth grade and her daughter is in first grade. Eating delicious dumplings with her children helped ease her discomfort.
Wei Aiguo was injured and had just come from the hospital, so he definitely needed to rest. Commander He and his men ate dumplings but didn't stay long.
Xiang Zhoushan and the young soldier who came with him quickly helped clean up the mess. After they finished cleaning up, Xiang Zhoushan and the young soldier went to rest in the car.
Song Yan also took a short rest before going to see Bai Shuang in the afternoon.
When Regiment Commander He got home, his wife was nagging about running into Wang Cuixiang. "...If I hadn't been holding the basin, she would have lifted it up to take a look."
If it weren't for the sake of your group's reputation, I don't know how many times I would have slapped her.
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