Chapter 44

It was a ridiculous night. When Jian Lu woke up the next day, she felt her face burning when she thought about what happened last night.

It was unknown whether Cheng Zheng was really drunk after drinking. Jian Lu felt that this man was somewhat out of control. He kept pestering her until dawn. After several rounds of torture, she even forgot whether she used a condom or not. She just kept begging for mercy.

In the end, she had to beg him for a long time before she was able to save her life.

When I woke up, my waist and legs were sore, but this man was full of energy and packed up, ready to go to the army for duty.

When he was leaving, he came to disturb me.

"I'm going to the army, Lulu, come back for lunch at noon." There is not much to do on duty during the New Year period, and Cheng Zheng used to have lunch in the army cafeteria, but now it is different, he must go home for lunch.

The word "home" is truly beautiful.

Jian Lu opened her eyes in confusion, stared at him fiercely, and said something fierce, but her voice was a little hoarse and lacked killing power, "Don't come back to eat, there is no food for you at home."

She still remembers the grudge from last night.

Cheng Zheng showed no displeasure at all. He smiled and leaned over to kiss his wife on the lips, and whispered, "Then I'll be back at noon to eat the northwest wind. I'm leaving now."

Jian Lu turned over and continued to sleep, not wanting to pay attention to him...

The Spring Festival passed in such a lively atmosphere.

After New Year's Eve, 1971 finally arrived. The days were bustling and lively, but ripples appeared in the tranquility.

After Zheng Shuyun and Dongdong experienced a dangerous experience with the army, they gradually recovered and integrated into the life of the family courtyard.

In order to cooperate with the county police station in interrogating the kidnappers, Zheng Shuyun went to the county again to be questioned, and once again identified the three kidnappers who attempted to kidnap her and her son.

More than half a month later, Jian Lu was chatting with her mother-in-law and military families in the empty courtyard of the family compound when she heard the latest news.

It turns out that there were more than three kidnappers last time, but a huge gang behind them. From finding targets, approaching them, kidnapping, hiding targets, transporting them out of the city and selling people, it was almost a huge transaction chain with dozens of people involved, and their main activities were in four or five provinces across the country.

"Oh my god, how could these heartless things cause such a big trouble!" Cheng Hehua broke out in a cold sweat just by listening to Aunt Wang's story about what happened at the train station that day.

If it were her, she would feel like she was being cheated.

“There’s no way to prevent this.”

"Can they be put in jail?" Aunt Wang was sewing the soles of her son's shoes, with the shiny needles working their way up. She became even more concerned when she heard this.

Zheng Shuyun had just gone to the police station last time and actually asked around, "Of course I can. I asked the police, and they said that those who were caught will go to jail!"

Hearing this, everyone laughed, that's good.

The kidnapper may get the punishment he deserves, but everyone is still scared when they think of what happened to Zheng Shuyun. Many people feel that they may not be able to see the same thing if it happens to them.

"If I encountered this, I might be deceived."

"I won't do that. If I meet him, I'll give him a slap in the face!"

"Mrs. Hu, you are just talking so much here, but if you really meet him, can you beat that kidnapper?"

"Why can't I beat them? I used to work in the fields every day in the countryside. There are many men and women in our team who are not as strong as me."

Watching the adults arguing, Jian Lu suddenly had an idea. She decided to see if the children had any awareness of being deceived.

The main reason is that children are easier to deceive. Many people were led away by a piece of candy, so it is more difficult for them to escape.

When Feng Xiuhui heard this, she immediately asked her to try Dunzi, "Our Dunzi is very smart, he will definitely not be fooled."

Jian Lu waved her hand, called Dunzi over, took out a candy and asked him, "Dunzi, someone you don't know gives you a candy, are you willing to follow her?"

"Where are you going?" Dunzi asked casually, looking at Tang.

"Just go outside our yard, where your mother can't see you."

"That's fine!"

Dunzi nodded happily and raised his hand to take the candy.

Feng Xiuhui dug the potatoes in her hand and just wanted to hold her forehead. She had just told me a few days ago that I was not allowed to follow anyone. "I really don't remember."

"Children are easily coaxed away by something to eat or drink." Jian Lu felt that this was indeed a problem, so she asked Dunzi to call all the children in the yard, and the group of adults gave them some instructions.

However, there are more than 20 children in the orphanage. The older ones are around ten years old and can understand things, but the younger ones need to be told repeatedly.

Only four children are missing.

"Xiaodong and the other two won't come!" On the first day Dunzi arrived at the family compound, he was hit with marbles by the kids led by Xiaodong. After that, the kids on both sides refused to give in to each other.

Even if Dunzi wanted to call someone over this time to let bygones be bygones, they would ignore him.

"What about the other one?" asked Jian Lu.

"There's also Wu Xiangchen, he's at home, his mom said he doesn't want to come out."

Hearing this, Cui Yuhe sighed, "I have never seen a child more boring than Wu Xiangchen. Look at all the children in this courtyard, which one is not very naughty? Our Hengheng is more reserved, but he still goes crazy when he needs to. Only the son of Chief of Staff Wu really loves to be boring at home."

"If you ask me, Chief of Staff Wu should let the child go out and play with Dunzi and the others. If the child doesn't move around, he will suffer when he grows up."

Mrs. Liu replied, "Chief Staff Officer Wu is very busy with work, so he has no time to take care of this matter. His wife should take care of it."

"In the final analysis, it's because the stepmother didn't care enough. I think the child she gave birth to is quite lively."

Cheng Hehua didn't think so. "Mrs. Liu, isn't Mrs. Chen a good person? Isn't it said that stepmothers are the best? They treat stepmothers the same as their biological children."

"Who knows?"

Jian Lu glanced towards the home of Chief of Staff Wu of the Fourth Regiment on the first floor, but the door was closed and she could not see anything.

In the family compound, because of the rampant human kidnapping, all parents educated their children well, especially Jian Lu. She recalled the various sophisticated deceptions used by human traffickers in later generations and simply told everyone about it, which made everyone amazed.

For a while, there was a trend of preventing kidnapping.

——

After the Chinese New Year, busy life began again. Jian Lu finally met Comrade Qian Jingjing again after a long time.

Qian Jingjing finished her cultural performance at the end of the year and went home for the New Year on a family visit leave. She just came back not long ago.

When I went to Jian Lu's house, I saw a middle-aged lady sitting in the house and almost thought I had come to the wrong place.

"Auntie, is this Jian Lu's house?"

Aunt Wang was making clothes in the house. She nodded and said, "Yes, are you looking for Lulu? Come in quickly."

Qian Jingjing wasn't sure whether this person was Cheng Zheng or Jian Lu's mother, or a relative from somewhere else.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Aunt Wang speak, "I'm Cheng Zheng's mother, my last name is Wang, you can just call me Aunt Wang. Please sit for a while, Lulu went downstairs and will be back soon."

"Oh, hello, Aunt Wang." Qian Jingjing looked at the person. She had always wanted to pursue Cheng Zheng, but she didn't expect that today she would be sitting and talking with his mother. It was really magical.

At this time, Jian Lu was delivering egg coupons to people at Cui Yuhe's house on the second floor. Cui Yuhe had given birth to a child a few months ago, and it was the time for her to recuperate. The family did not have enough egg coupons, so she had discussed with the Liang and Cheng families to borrow egg coupons first and return them later.

Everyone does this. If anyone needs something urgently, they will borrow from each other and return it easily.

After delivering the egg tickets, Jian Lu took the opportunity to tease the little guy. Cui Yuhe gave birth to her second child smoothly and recovered well. Her son is growing up well and is changing every day.

"Oh, Sister Yuhe, look, he's still smiling at me."

As long as the baby doesn't cry or make a fuss, he seems like a little angel, small and chubby, with cute hands and feet, and especially bright eyes, whose black pupils are looking at Jian Lu with a grin.

Cui Yuhe had just fed the baby and was holding him to burp him. "Do you like it? If you like it, go have a baby yourself."

Jian Lu didn't answer this question. She always felt that she was not ready to be a mother.

"You've been married for more than half a year, and there's still no news?" Cui Yuhe's words were true. Many married couples would have news within a few months of marriage.

People like Jian Lu and Cheng Zheng are common, but they also attract attention.

"How can you get pregnant easily?" Jian Lu didn't tell her that they both used birth control products almost every time.

If this matter were to be made public, Cui Yuhe would probably think that the two of them were crazy.

The newly married couple doesn’t want children?

"That's true." Cui Yuhe thought Jian Lu was worried about this. After all, being married without having children is stressful. "Don't think too much. You will get it if you work hard."

Jian Lu: “…”

Forget it, we can’t talk about this topic. Jian Lu stood up and found an excuse to leave, "Sister Yuhe, I’m leaving first. My mother-in-law is still at home."

"Hey, walk slowly."

Jian Lu walked slowly up the ten steps from the second floor to the third floor. Thinking about the cute little angel she had just seen, she couldn't help but wonder, maybe it would be better to have a baby sooner?

It is impossible not to have children in this era. Of course, she is not opposed to it. She has always liked children, but she always felt that she was not ready to be a mother before.

But during this time, seeing how Zheng Shuyun was protecting her child and watching Cui Yuhe busying herself with a newborn child, she seemed to have truly experienced what it was like to be a mother.

Just as she reached the front door of her house, Jian Lu suddenly heard a conversation coming from the room where only her mother-in-law was.

Are there guests at home?

When I got closer, I saw that it was Qian Jingjing.

“Lulu!”

Qian Jingjing was chatting with Aunt Wang about the marriage of Cheng Zheng and Jian Lu. Neither of them saw it with their own eyes, so they couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

Jian Lu was surprised to see an acquaintance, "Jingjing, is your performance over?"

"It's over. I've gone home to visit my relatives." Qian Jingjing walked forward, took Jian Lu's hand and went back to the house.

Jian Lu put the potato cakes that Cui Yuhe's mother-in-law had given her on the table and explained to her, "These are made by Yuhe's family. Let's try them."

Aunt Wang took one look at the potato pancake and found it delicious. The three of them ate one each and put the remaining two in the kitchen for her son. She then went back to making clothes so as not to delay the two men's reminiscing.

Thinking that Qian Jingjing wanted to talk about something on her mind, Jian Lu took her to her bedroom.

The door was not closed, otherwise it would seem like I was on guard against my mother-in-law.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Jian Lu got to the point first, "Jingjing, how are you and Comrade Qian Hongzhuo doing now?"

When talking about the person she had a crush on recently, Qian Jingjing was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "It's OK, we're still communicating, but we haven't seen each other in person since."

"Still communicating?" Thinking that Qian Hongzhuo might be instigated to rebel in the future, Jian Lu was worried that these letters would become evidence of Qian Jingjing's involvement. If nothing else, she would probably be investigated.

"Actually, I think you two might not be a good match."

"Why?" Qian Jingjing was puzzled.

"Think about it. You are not in the same military region. It is difficult for you to meet each other. It will be inconvenient for you to communicate with each other in the future. Besides, don't blame me for being nosy. I think you shouldn't find someone with such a personality. You are simple by nature. It would be better to find someone who is down-to-earth. Don't find someone who is too cunning."

Originally, if a friend said this, it would most likely destroy the friendship. It is dangerous for a friend to persuade a couple to break up. Maybe you said something unpleasant, and the other person would get back together or reconcile, and you would be in trouble. But Jian Lu had no choice. She had to break up this relationship.

"But I think he's fine."

Qian Jingjing is a girl with her own ideas. She hates it most when her family gives her too many things to do. "Anyway, I don't want to listen to my parents' arrangements. You don't know, they actually want to arrange a blind date for me. It's with my dad's old subordinate, who is said to be a young and promising deputy head of a group. I won't agree. I want to love freely."

This poor kid, Jian Lu looked at Qian Jingjing who was sincere and determined in pursuing love, and was ready to persuade her again.

"Lulu, you are the best example! You came here by train from such a far place, didn't you, just to pursue true love? At that time, you had never even met Director Cheng, but you were so brave just by seeing a photo. I want to learn from you! In fact, I was planning to go and look for him before my family leave was over."

Jian Lu: “…?”

I have foreseen the plot and know what kind of situation Cheng Zheng is in. Don't follow my example!

However, she couldn't say that.

Clearing her throat, Jian Lu grabbed her hand and said earnestly, "Jingjing, you can't look at this matter like that. In fact, I am now regretting it. You said that the photo is a photo, and the real person is the real person. If I meet Comrade Cheng Zheng and find that he is old, blunt, ugly and short, I won't be able to run away. Obviously, we can't be impulsive!"

Qian Jingjing felt that Comrade Jian Lu had changed. Why wasn't she brave anymore? She was no longer the brave girl.

Besides, could Captain Cheng be old, flabby, ugly and short?

"If you were given another chance, would you still take such a long train ride to come and marry Captain Cheng?" Qian Jingjing looked at Jian Lu and asked seriously.

The two were chatting so earnestly that they didn't notice the footsteps coming from not far away.

Jian Lu took a deep breath, and in order to save the most love-minded female supporting character in the original book, and to prevent this unlucky child from being used by the rebellious villain, she answered firmly:

"will not!"

Cheng Zheng, who had just walked to the door and was about to call his wife: ???

Are these two words "no" too firm and powerful?

"Captain Cheng...?"

Qian Jingjing suddenly felt a strong sense of pressure at the door. When she looked up, it was Cheng Zheng!

After a long time, she found that when she saw this person again, she had indeed let it go. At this moment, she only felt guilty and deeply worried about Comrade Jian Lu.

After all, she had said it so loudly and firmly just now.

Jian Lu heard the noise and turned around to see, wow, Cheng Zheng came back suddenly! This is not his usual time to go home!

"What?" Qian Jingjing's few danger radars began to alert, "I have something else to do, so I'll leave first. I'll think about what you said again."

"Hey!" Jian Lu watched Qian Jingjing leave without looking back.

Aunt Wang was sewing clothes at the sewing loom in the living room. She asked Qian Jingjing to stay for dinner, but she was determined to leave and left quickly.

Jian Lu sat on the edge of the bed and glanced at Cheng Zheng who was standing at the door. He seemed to have a peaceful expression and a stable mood.

Maybe people didn't hear anything at all.

However, the next second, Cheng Zheng broke Jian Lu's fantasy as soon as he opened his mouth.

"will not?"

Cheng Zheng looked at his wife deeply, turned around and left, leaving a sentence, "It's time to eat. I brought back your favorite food."

It's a nice thing to say, but why does it sound so cold?

It’s over, it’s really worth hearing!

Jian Lu dawdled her way to the living room, where on the square table lay an aluminum lunch box containing four crab roe buns.

This is the signature dish of the state-owned bun shop on the island. The bun chef is a local and is very good at making crab roe buns, which taste great. Jian Lu has loved eating them since she worked at the supply and marketing cooperative. However, the crab roe buns in the bun shop sell out quickly, with one round in the morning and one in the afternoon. If you go too late, you won’t be able to buy any.

Jian Lu bit into the crab bun with thin skin and thick filling. She felt a little guilty, "Brother Cheng, did you go out of your way to buy this?"

Cheng Zheng didn't eat any of the four crab roe buns, but gave two each to his mother and daughter-in-law.

He was out on a mission today and came back early, so he took a detour to queue up for the crab roe buns and waited until the last four.

As a result, when I returned to the house, I heard two cruel words - No.

Captain Cheng felt as if something had stabbed his heart.

"No, just passing by."

Aunt Wang didn't notice the undercurrents between her son and daughter-in-law. It was her first time eating crab roe buns. The fresh aroma of crab meat and crab roe hit her taste buds, which was a completely different experience from pork buns.

"This bun is interesting and tastes good."

Jian Lu nodded. She was so cute. "Yes, Mom, I made it at home, but it didn't taste as good as the ones in the bun shop."

"That must be an old craft passed down from our ancestors. It's impossible to learn it."

Aunt Wang finished two first and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving her son and daughter-in-law in the living room.

Seeing her mother-in-law leave, Jian Lu held the bun in her hand, stood up and sat next to Cheng Zheng, showing a flattering smile, "You should eat something too."

Cheng Zheng had a cold face, his whole body showing his unhappiness, but he didn't get angry, he just said calmly, "I don't want to eat."

"Take a bite, just one bite!" Jian Lu put the bun she hadn't finished yet to his mouth. Seeing that he still didn't open his mouth, she said, "Are you dissatisfied with me for eating half of it? Then I'll give you the ones you haven't eaten yet."

As he said this, he was about to reach out and grab the tail of the bun that was unable to move.

Cheng Zheng was amused by his wife. He really didn't know what she was talking about. His originally tense face suddenly broke down. "I've kissed you so many times, and I still complain?"

"Since you don't mind, have a bite! It will get cold and taste bad soon." Jian Lu seemed to be waiting for this sentence. She pushed the bun to his mouth again. She was satisfied when he finally opened his mouth. "I was just trying to persuade Jingjing. She is not in a clear mind now. She insisted on looking for a man from another place. You tell me, the other party may not be reliable, so what I said just now was to persuade her, not the truth."

Cheng Zheng chewed a bun and raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this. "But I heard you answer without any hesitation."

"That's just to make her look more realistic." Jian Lu raised her eyebrows at the man and smiled smugly, "It's just that my acting is too realistic."

Jian Lu smiled as she spoke, looking at Cheng Zheng proudly with her palm-sized face, as if she had forgotten everything that happened before. The corners of her lips raised in a smile, as if the whole world was lit up.

Cheng Zheng had no choice but to ask, "Then let me ask you..."

"Yes! I will take the train over to marry you!" Jian Lu didn't expect that the old Captain Cheng was still so naive.

Cheng Zheng looked at his wife's sweet smile and was filled with joy. Finally, he couldn't help himself and went over to give her a kiss on the face.

Just as their lips touched cheeks, they heard footsteps from the kitchen. They both suddenly separated and turned to look at their mother/mother-in-law who suddenly came out.

Cheng Zheng put his hand to his lips and coughed lightly. Jian Lu brushed her hair and they looked at each other. Fortunately, they dodged quickly, otherwise they would have been embarrassed in front of their old mother!

——

Aunt Wang stayed at her eldest son and his wife's home for more than two months, and only packed up and left when the spring plowing season was approaching.

We avoided the coldest season in the north, so we only wore light clothes this time. We put on a thin cotton jacket when we were about to get off the train.

Cheng Zheng and Jian Lu continued to see people off and sent their old mother to the platform.

The green train arrived. Cheng Zheng picked up the things he had brought back for his mother and turned to his wife, "Lulu, there are too many people on the train to walk through. I'll take Mom up, and you just stand here and wait for me."

"good."

Jian Lu had been living with her mother-in-law for nearly three months, and their relationship was harmonious and stable, without any conflicts. It was a bit hard for her to see her leave so suddenly.

"Mom, be careful on the road. When you arrive, give Brother Cheng a call to let us know."

"Hey, mom knows." Aunt Wang grabbed her daughter-in-law's hand and gave her a few instructions, telling them to just live a good life and not worry about the family. "Then I'm leaving!"

Aunt Wang came in a hurry but left in a relaxed manner. Her son Cheng Zheng squeezed through the passengers on the train, found her seat, and put her luggage away.

Looking at Aunt Wang sitting on the berth and arranging the bedding, she said, "Mom, be careful on the road. I'll come back to see you when I'm free."

"Don't worry, don't worry about me!" Aunt Wang glanced at her son. It's like this when a family member is a soldier. They are often apart from each other. It's not easy. "Be careful when you go on a mission by yourself. Don't get hurt. You used to be alone. You were not afraid of fighting outside. Now it's different. You have a wife and a family. You have to think about your wife at home in everything you do. Don't you understand?"

Cheng Zheng accepted the advice and just nodded, "Mom, I know what I am doing, don't worry about it."

"Hey, how much more can I worry about you three brothers? I won't be able to worry about anything even if you want me to."

"Mom, what are you saying?" Cheng Zhengjian frowned slightly, thinking that the words were unpleasant.

"Come on, let's not talk about that." Aunt Wang urged her son to get off the bus quickly. "Lulu is still waiting alone at the platform. Get off quickly. There are so many people abducting women and children nowadays. I am worried."

Cheng Zheng took a deep look at his mother, and saw that there were a few strands of silver in her black hair by her ears, and her face was full of wrinkles, but she was smiling.

At this glance, he seemed to suddenly realize that his mother was really old.

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Mom, take care of yourself and don't skimp on what you need to eat, drink and use."

"I know!" Aunt Wang said angrily, "You are just as nagging as your father! Get off the car and go find your wife!"

Cheng Zheng said goodbye to his mother, looked at her, and then turned and left.

"Stone!"

He had just taken a few steps when his mother called him again.

Cheng Zheng looked back and heard his mother say.

"Hold on tight, mom is still waiting to hold her grandson."

"knew."

Cheng Zheng struggled to squeeze through the crowded crowd and finally got off the train. The crowd was surging and passengers who had not yet boarded the train continued to run over.

Among the people in black and gray clothes coming and going, Cheng Zheng saw the figure in a yellow short-sleeved jacket who was waiting for him.

"Brother Cheng!"

When Jian Lu saw her man appear, she waved at him and walked quickly towards him.

"Is mom settled down?"

"Yeah." Cheng Zheng and his wife stood face to face and heard the whistle of the green train, carrying his mother on another long journey.

Clank Clank Clank

Cheng Zheng had some inexplicable emotions surging up his chest for the first time. In the past, whenever he went back to his hometown to visit his relatives, his mother would see him off. But this time, he realized that seeing someone off seemed to add to his sadness.

Jian Lu was very sensitive to Cheng Zheng's depressed mood. She was surprised. She always thought that this man had cultivated himself to not show his emotions and always presented himself as a strong person. But anyone would feel bad after seeing his mother leave.

The two left the train station. Since Cheng Zheng had only taken half a day off today and had to go back to the army in the afternoon, the two did not delay at all and prepared to go to the pier to take a boat back to the island.

When passing through a deserted alley, Jian Lu quietly reached out and gently swept Cheng Zheng's palm.

"What's wrong?" Cheng Zheng was feeling a little down, and suddenly his wife pinched his hand. He tilted his head and looked at her, smiling.

"It's okay." Jian Lu took the opportunity to hold the man's hand and clasped his fingers tightly. "Let's go back to visit our relatives and mother next time. It shouldn't take long."

Cheng Zheng nodded, "Okay, but..."

Jian Lu knew what he was going to say, this old-fashioned guy, "There's no one here, what's wrong with holding hands? Besides, I didn't hold another man's hand, so is it not okay to hold my own man's hand? This isn't a problem with my mindset, is it?!"

Cheng Zheng was stunned by his wife's rapid-fire output. His depressed mood gradually recovered and he curled his lips, "Just lead it to the entrance of the alley, be careful of the impact."

=

After seeing off Aunt Wang, Jian Lu and Cheng Zheng returned to the island and had a simple lunch. After being accustomed to having their mother/mother-in-law at home for more than two months, it was quite uncomfortable to suddenly have no one at the meal.

After dinner, Cheng Zheng went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Jian Lu looked at the tall back of the man, thinking of her own life experience, and how Cheng Zheng's father died early, and that it was all up to her mother-in-law to support the family. She looked at the house that suddenly seemed empty, as if she had made a decision.

She wanted a child, a baby that belonged to her and Cheng Zheng.

"I'm going to the army. I'll come back from the canteen to get food tonight. We won't open fire today."

"Okay." Jian Lu was going to discuss it with him in the evening. They had been using birth control products almost all the time during their sexual intercourse. If they wanted a cute baby, they had to tell him in advance. "Come back soon."

"I know." Cheng Zheng touched his wife's head, turned and left.

After having the idea of ​​having a child, Jian Lu found that she could not stop thinking about it. Whenever she saw a child in the family compound, she could not help but think about what her and Cheng Zheng's child would look like. If it was a boy, he would definitely be as handsome as his father, and if it was a girl, she would be as beautiful as herself.

The more I think about it, the softer my heart becomes.

However, before Jian Lu could even say anything when Cheng Zheng returned home, this man suddenly said he had to go on a mission.

Jian Lu, who was eating, was stunned. Cheng Zheng had not been out to sea on any missions in the past three months. She almost forgot that if this man was busy, he would really be away for a long time.

"It's the same as before. You wait at home, I'll be back soon." Cheng Zheng was going to set off tonight. He would simply pack up and go to the troops to gather.

"Oh." Jian Lu felt depressed and reluctant. Why did this person suddenly leave like that?

Going back to the house to pack clothes, Jian Lu followed behind Cheng Zheng, looking at his broad back, opened her arms, hugged him from behind, leaned her whole body on his back, pressed her little face against his, and said nothing.

Cheng Zheng froze. He had never thought that going out to sea to carry out a mission as usual would make him so reluctant. "If you are bored at home, go talk to Sister Feng or Sister Cui. If not, practice calligraphy with Dunzi."

Jian Lu's muffled voice came from behind, "I won't be bored. If you leave, I'll be the only one at home. I can do whatever I want."

Although he said so, there was no joy in his words. Cheng Zheng smiled when he heard it, turned around and held his wife in his arms, "Then you stay here and wait for me to come back."

"Okay." Jian Lu buried her head in the man's chest, her hands on his waist, reluctant to leave. When she raised her head again, her eyes were full of reluctance, "Remember to come back early."

"Cheng Zheng, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 9th Division, 625th Force, promise to complete the mission and come back soon."

Jian Lu was amused by the man's hardcore assurance and eagerly walked him to the door.

Cheng Zheng didn't let her see him off. Before leaving, he told her to go back to her room and sleep and lock the door before going downstairs.

It was late at night and Jian Lu was lying alone on the bed. She felt uncomfortable for a moment. The pillow was not a pillow, the quilt was not a quilt, and there was a lack of a large human-shaped "pillow"!

+++++

On the first day of Cheng Zheng's mission, I missed him.

The day after Cheng Zheng left for his mission, I missed him.

......

On the tenth day of Cheng Zheng's mission, Jian Lu had already adapted to the new life. She happily went to Feng Xiuhui's house after get off work to chat, as if she had returned to the days before their marriage.

You know what, I'm actually quite happy.

For dinner tonight, Feng Xiuhui asked Jian Lu to come over to her house for dinner. Jian Lu was home alone, and neither she nor Liang Haisheng could let her eat alone at home.

At the dinner table, Dunzi asked when Uncle Cheng would be back. Jian Lu ate her food and said casually, "I don't know. It will probably be a while."

Feng Xiuhui could understand Jian Lu's feelings very well, but she was used to it. Liang Haisheng had gone to sea, so she and Dunzi still lived their lives as usual.

"They should be back soon. Actually, you are used to them going out to sea for ten days or half a month. You are used to it too." Feng Xiuhui ate scrambled eggs with Chinese toon and kept talking. "If our Lao Liang didn't go out on a mission every few months, I would not be used to it."

"Hey!" Liang Haisheng frowned, thinking that his wife's idea was wrong, "Did I cause trouble for you at home?"

"No, they are both causing trouble for me."

Jian Lu watched the couple joking with each other and suddenly thought of Cheng Zheng. Well, it turned out that people cannot eat dog food, otherwise they will easily miss people.

The temperature has been rising recently, and Jian Lu's appetite is not very good. She could not eat more after eating half a steamed bun and some vegetables. Feng Xiuhui looked at her and said, "Why is your appetite almost the same as Dunzi's? Eat a little more."

"Sister Xiuhui, I ate a lot at noon and haven't digested it yet. I'm already full now."

"Aunt Lulu, I'm full too." Dunzi ate quickly. He got off the table and pulled Aunt Lulu to play in the corridor outside.

Dunzi and his study partner Aunt Lulu had not exchanged their learning experiences for a long time. Of course, the main reason was that Dunzi wanted to show off that he had learned a few more words. However, as he was showing off, the voices of a few military wives talking downstairs came and attracted Aunt Lulu's attention.

"Have the fishermen returned with a good catch?"

"Yes, they said there were fish weighing seven or eight kilograms, lots of fish, shrimps, and crabs."

It turned out that nearby fishermen organized a fishing trip and just returned at noon today. A boatload of seafood was bought up by the seafood station of the non-staple food station and prepared to be sold at a unified price.

"It has been taken away by the seafood station. The fishermen are packing up their boats and there are still some unwanted items. The ball full of thorns got caught in one of their fishing nets. Several fishermen are so angry that they are shouting that they want to throw it away."

"Aunt Lulu, Aunt Lulu." Dunzi saw Aunt Lulu looking down and called her hurriedly.

Jian Lu listened to the noise downstairs and thought carefully. It was a ball full of thorns. Could it be a sea urchin?

"Come on, Dunzi, let's go to the beach and take a look!"

Jian Lu took Dunzi to the beach. The boy also helped Aunt Lulu carry a small metal bucket. When they arrived, the seafood on the fishing boat had been unloaded, and only a few fishermen were left cleaning.

There were a lot of sea urchins hanging on the fishing net nearby, which were being pulled down with curses and thrown into the cloth bag.

"It's full of thorns. It's really a problem. Take it back to fertile soil."

"Comrade!" Jian Lu walked forward with Dunzi, pointed at the sea urchin on the bag and asked, "Can this be... exchanged?"

Unable to buy or sell, she could only ask in a different way.

"This thing? You want it?"

"Yes! I can exchange something with you." Jian Lu had never eaten sea urchin since she came here. She wondered why she had never seen it sold before. It turned out that no one cared about it at all. Even if they picked it up, they would take it back to fertilize the soil.

"What's so valuable about this? Take it all if you want. It will take a lot of effort for me to take it back."

"Oh, thank you! I'm welcome then."

The fishermen helped to throw more than ten sea urchins on the fishing net into the bucket brought by Jian Lu. No one knew what this female comrade was going to do with them, but she turned around and set her eyes on the skinned fish that no one wanted.

"You want this too? No one would like it." The fishermen were surprised and felt that this female comrade had bad taste.

"right."

“You’re taking the fertile soil back?”

"No, I took it back to eat."

When Jian Lu left with a small metal bucket of sea urchins and peeled fish, the fishermen were still wondering why such a beautiful comrade had such a weird taste.

I actually want to eat that thing.

——

Back in the house, Jian Lu washed four purple sea urchins with black thorns, cut open the sea urchin shells with scissors while wearing gloves, washed the dirty insides, then took out two eggs, beat them, mixed them with warm water, and sprinkled a little salt.

Pour the egg liquid into the sea urchin with yellow bile, and steam it in a pot for ten minutes.

After being steamed, the sea urchin with black bones is filled with fresh egg custard, which makes people's appetite at first sight.

Feng Xiuhui looked at the other appearances and felt only freshness.

Not only her, Liang Haisheng and Dunzi also kept looking at it. They didn't expect that the steamed egg custard could be in such a strange-looking thing, without even needing a bowl.

After taking a bite, Liang Haisheng was full of praise for the fresh and tender eggs and the soft and creamy sea urchin with a sweet taste.

"This thing looks scary, but I didn't expect it to taste so good."

Jian Lu took a spoon and prepared her own sea urchin. "Yeah, but no one wants to eat it, so I got it for free."

She scooped a piece of sea urchin meat and put it into her mouth. It tasted sweet... Ugh! Before Jian Lu even chewed it, she felt her stomach churning and a little uncomfortable.