Chapter 17 This was their first night together.
On a summer night on an island, the wind is sticky, blowing in through the window screen and fueling the quietly growing heat inside.
Lu Ye's arms were like pincers, firmly gripping Jiang Suining's waist. With a slight effort, he lifted her up and carried her steadily into the house.
The moment her feet touched the ground, a warm, slightly rough touch pressed against the side of her neck—it was Lu Ye's chin. Like a large canine confirming its territory, he gently rubbed against her delicate neck with undeniable affection.
Although he had shaved in the morning, after a whole day, even though it was barely visible to the naked eye, the stubble still sprouted, with a slightly gritty feel, making Jiang Suining's neck itch and numb, arousing a subtle shiver.
The sound was like pouring hot oil on a dry pile of firewood, instantly reigniting the heat that Lu Ye had managed to suppress with his strong willpower, making his throat feel tight.
The faint scent of soapberry mixed with the unique fragrance of a young girl lingered around his nose, and he felt the cool touch of her skin. His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and an impulse to bite her and leave his own mark burned like wildfire through his body.
No! He snapped his eyes shut, his last shred of reason tightening the reins of desire at the last moment. Lu Ye used almost some force, gripping Jiang Suining's shoulders with both hands and pushing her away from his embrace by a few inches, his voice low and hoarse: "You...you go to the room and wait, I'll go to the kitchen to get you some water to take a bath."
The burning chest abruptly pulled away, and the unsettling, tingling sensation on her waist and neck vanished completely. Jiang Suining felt a sudden emptiness in her heart. Her hand instinctively clenched, her fingertips grasping at the air, trying to hold onto that rapidly dissipating, comforting warmth and scent. But Lu Ye had already turned around, his tall figure carrying a hint of barely perceptible haste, striding out of the room and disappearing into the darkness of the night.
The slight disappointment in her heart was instantly replaced by a secret, shy joy. She pursed her lips, suppressing the upward curve of her mouth, and obediently turned and walked into the bedroom.
She walked to the wardrobe and opened the door. Inside, everything was neatly organized. Her clothes were separated from Lu Ye's military uniform and civilian clothes; hers were even carefully arranged by season. Lu Ye, tall and imposing with a rugged air, seemed surprisingly thoughtful. A warm feeling welled up inside Jiang Suining as her fingers slid among the neatly folded clothes, searching for her pajamas.
After searching through the room, the smile on her lips faded. There were no decent pajamas. In the end, she only found a slightly damp white sleeveless pullover with small floral print and a pair of baggy, knee-length army green shorts.
This outfit is utterly devoid of any aesthetic appeal.
This was their legally recognized "first night"! And they were wearing this? Jiang Suining picked up the "pajamas" and held them up in the mirror. This outfit was just too unflattering for their looks!
When Lu Ye came in carrying the basin, he saw Jiang Suining looking at herself in the mirror with a worried expression.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Are you tired from the boat ride? Or are you not used to the accommodations?" Lu Ye's heart tightened, and he quickly put down the basin and stepped forward, his tone filled with concern and caution.
A barely perceptible hint of embarrassment flashed across Lu Ye's face as he explained, "I'm sorry, we don't have a bathtub at home. I usually just shower with cold water in the yard, and when it gets cold, I go to the military district's public bathhouse. Please make do with this for tonight, and tomorrow, I'll definitely go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy a new bathtub." His tone was sincere, with an air of reconciliation.
Jiang Suining glanced around the bedroom and then remembered the kitchen she had just seen. It was quite large, but its function was limited. She had an idea and said, "I think our kitchen is quite big. Why don't we divide it into two rooms? One can be a kitchen, and the other can be a separate bathroom. We can figure out how to install a shower and a bathtub for soaking in the tub. That would be so convenient."
She paused, then added, "I always use a basin to scrub in the bedroom, making the floor wet and damp. I'm afraid it'll be bad for my health if I live here for a long time." Since she plans to stay here permanently, she hopes the living facilities can be as comfortable and convenient as possible.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ye began to think seriously. Jiang Suining was, after all, a young woman with a delicate constitution, and it wasn't suitable for her to take cold showers like him, regardless of the season. However, if she were to go to a public bathhouse, she might be able to manage in the summer, but in the winter, walking back from the bathhouse against the sea breeze might easily lead to a cold. Having a dedicated bathing area at home would indeed be both convenient and safe.
He immediately nodded: "Okay. I'll go ask the logistics staff tomorrow to see if we can hire someone to do the renovations. As for what kind of renovations you want, you can explain it to them in detail when they arrive."
Jiang Suining's heart skipped a beat, and she seized the opportunity to suggest, "Your classmate, Lü Aiguo, isn't he in the infrastructure engineering business? I heard his unit is also responsible for some of the barracks construction on the island. Why don't we ask him to come and take a look? It's easier to talk to someone you know." She was just worried about not finding a suitable opportunity to have more contact with Lü Aiguo, and this was a ready-made excuse.
Lu Ye frowned almost imperceptibly, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but seeing Jiang Suining's expectant gaze, he finally nodded: "Okay, I'll ask his workplace tomorrow to see if he's free." After saying that, he turned and walked out, seemingly not wanting to linger on this topic any longer.
"Why are you suddenly unhappy?" Jiang Suining sensitively caught the subtle change in his mood in that instant. She stepped forward and gently closed the bedroom door, leaning against the door and muttering softly, "Could I have seen wrong? A man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea."
Inside the main room, Lu Ye casually picked up the pack of Double Happiness cigarettes from the table and went outside.
He didn't actually smoke much, nor was he addicted. The cigarettes were left behind by Li Guodong when he came over for a visit that evening. He shook the cigarette pack, took one out, and put it in his mouth. His rough fingertips rubbed the cigarette, and then he remembered that he hadn't brought any matches.
He sighed, somewhat irritated, and stuffed the cigarette back into the pack. He tossed the pack onto the windowsill, turned, went to the kitchen, filled a basin with cool water, took off his army green polyester shirt, and poured it over his head.
Men always shower faster than women, even with something as simple as a dry shower. Lu Ye had already rinsed himself with three basins of cold water, while Jiang Suining in the bedroom had only just begun to shower.
Lu Ye didn't rush her. He hastily dried himself with a towel, put on a clean vest, sat on the rattan chair in the living room, picked up the People's Liberation Army Daily and Reference News from the past few days, and flipped through them in the dim light. However, he couldn't concentrate at all, and his thoughts kept drifting uncontrollably to the door behind the bedroom.
"No," Jiang Suining poked her head out, her hair loosely tied back with a handkerchief, her temples slightly damp. "I want to wash my hair, there's not enough water."
Lu Ye glanced at the wall clock; the hour hand was already pointing to ten. "It's too late. If you wash your hair now, it won't dry anytime soon. Sleeping with wet hair makes it easy for cold air to enter your body, and you'll have a headache tomorrow. If you wait for your hair to dry naturally, you'll have to stay up until the wee hours, and you're exhausted today. Why don't you wash it tomorrow morning when the sun is higher?"
"Come in," Jiang Suining's voice came from inside, natural and without the slightest hesitation. She put down the comb and went to pick up the basin. Lu Ye quickly stepped forward and took it from her: "It's heavy, I'll pour it."
When he returned with the water, Jiang Suining was already lying on the inside of the bed, covered with the thin quilt printed with mandarin ducks playing in the water. Only her head was showing, and her eyes were shining brightly as she looked at him in the dim light.
Lu Ye's gaze fell on the bed, where there was only a quilt. He stood there, somewhat at a loss, and hesitated as he got into bed.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come up." Jiang Suining's eyelids started to droop, and after waiting for a while without any movement, she couldn't help but urge her, her voice filled with sleepiness.
"Okay." Her words were like a direct invitation, making Lu Ye's heart pound violently. He forced himself to remain calm, walked to the other side of the bed, and stiffly lifted a corner of the blanket. He lay down properly on his side, his body taut and not daring to move.
Jiang Suining quietly moved closer to him, waiting for him to come and hug her. But as she waited, the person beside her seemed to be asleep, even suppressing his breathing, showing no intention of getting closer.
In the darkness, only their soft breathing mingled. Jiang Suining felt a surge of anxiety. What was wrong with this person? Did he really intend to just sleep under the covers like this? She bit her lip, then steeled herself and turned to face him.
By the faint moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains, she could barely make out the sharp lines of his jaw and the silhouette of his high, straight nose.
"Are you asleep?" she asked him softly in a breathy voice, her voice amplified in the silence, carrying a hint of alluring ticklishness.
The two were covered by a thin blanket, facing each other side by side. The distance between them instantly closed, and their warm breaths almost mingled, spraying onto each other's cheeks and necks. The surrounding air seemed to be ignited instantly, hot and ambiguous.
"Sui Sui!" Lu Ye froze, his voice instantly becoming extremely restrained and hoarse, carrying a dangerous sense of impending loss of control.
Control? The arrow is already on the bowstring, why would you need to control it? The small flame in Jiang Suining's heart instantly turned into resentment and doubt. Could he really be...impotent? A strange chill crept into her heart. Was she really going to live a life of celibacy? Although she had indeed prepared herself for the possibility of a marriage in name only before the wedding, Lu Ye's composure and thoughtfulness over the past two days had made her completely forget about that. The secret longing for a real married life in her heart couldn't be hidden from her.
No, we have to get to this tonight!
She struggled for a moment, but instead of backing down, she used the strength of his grip on her wrist to throw herself into his arms, saying, "We're husband and wife! We're legally married! What are you trying to control?"
That incredibly soft touch exploded like a thunderclap in his chaotic mind, instantly freezing him in place, his muscles tensing like iron.
Jiang Suining, oblivious to her own mortality, clumsily and haphazardly rubbed and licked his hard lips, relying on the few short films she had seen in her previous life. She thought she was doing a good job, but in reality, she was as immature as a newly ripe fruit.
Even such an awkward kiss became the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely igniting all of Lu Ye's long-suppressed desires and impulses.
I can't take it anymore! To hell with the three rules! To hell with starting the marriage process as dating!
The passionate, slightly rough, and impatient kiss fell like a sudden summer storm. He instinctively licked and sucked at her lips, his tongue forcefully prying open her teeth and plunging in, greedily sucking and absorbing her sweetness and beauty.
...
After tucking Jiang Suining in, Lu Ye reluctantly got out of bed. Using the moonlight streaming in through the window, he fetched warm water, soaked a clean towel, wrung it out until it was half-dry, and gently and carefully wiped her down. When he saw the wound he had torn open because of his rough handling, even seeing a little blood seeping from it, his heart clenched, and a wave of intense regret and self-reproach washed over him. He had been too hasty and too lacking in self-control!
He quickly cleaned himself up, then took out clean sheets from the wardrobe and changed them before pulling the sleeping woman back into his arms. He inhaled her scent and drifted off to sleep contentedly.
Before dawn, Lu Ye quietly got up, put on his military shirt, and went into the kitchen.
He skillfully measured and washed the rice, added water and started a fire, and put the braised pork buns that he had specially bought from the canteen yesterday into the steamer, placing it on top of the porridge pot to steam together.
The millet porridge bubbled and simmered in the pot, gradually thickening, and the aroma of noodles filled the air. He glanced at the wall clock, estimating that Jiang Suining would wake up soon, so he turned down the heat to keep the porridge and buns warm.
After finishing all this, he turned around to wash up, and without even having breakfast, he went to the regiment.
The next day, Jiang Suining slept until late morning before finally waking up. The bedside was empty. She shifted her body and immediately felt as if she had been run over by a heavy truck, especially her lower back and legs, which were incredibly sore. A certain, embarrassing spot also emitted a series of subtle, slightly stinging sensations.
She propped herself up on her arms, her gaze shifting to Lu Ye's pillow where a folded piece of paper lay. She picked it up and unfolded it; on it was Lu Ye's strong, vigorous handwriting, bearing the distinctively robust style of a soldier:
Sui Sui:
Breakfast is keeping warm in the pot on the kitchen stove: millet porridge and braised pork buns. Remember to reheat them on the stove if they get cold before you eat. I'm going to the regimental headquarters to take care of some urgent matters that have piled up. I'll come back at noon to cook for you.
Lu Ye today
"You worked hard last night..." As Jiang Suining's eyes swept over these words, her cheeks flushed instantly, and even the roots of her ears turned crimson.
Last night's blush-inducing, heart-pounding images flooded her mind uncontrollably: his burning body temperature, his heavy breathing, his forceful demands, and her own incoherent sobs and pleas for mercy... She gasped, abruptly pulled up the thin blanket, and buried herself completely in it again.
Beneath this wave of shyness, deep within her heart, an overwhelming and secret joy surged forth, like vines sprouting from the earth in spring, instantly entangling her entire heart.
She lingered in bed for a while longer until her stomach started growling in protest, at which point she slowly got up. Ignoring her discomfort, she washed up and went to the kitchen, where she found a pot of warm millet porridge and two plump, white steamed buns with braised pork. She touched them; they were still warm. Too lazy to reheat them, she simply picked them up and ate them with some pickled vegetables.
I had just taken a bite of the bun when I heard the sound of the courtyard gate and footsteps approaching.
Lu Ye's tall figure appeared in the kitchen doorway, carrying a military green cloth bag. He stepped forward and touched the bowl of millet porridge; it was cold. His brows immediately furrowed: "Didn't I tell you to heat it up before eating? How can your stomach handle this?"
Jiang Suining doesn't like eating food that's too hot, and when she was caught red-handed, she blinked a little guiltily: "It's okay, it's hot, so it's good to eat something cool to beat the heat. These buns aren't cold, they're still a little warm."
"It's because it's hot that you're more likely to get an upset stomach if you eat something cold." Lu Ye didn't allow her to argue and took the half-eaten bun and millet porridge from her hand to heat them up. "Wait a few minutes, I'll heat them up for you before you eat."
Jiang Suining followed behind him, watching him roll up his sleeves, revealing his tanned, muscular forearms, and busily working with practiced ease. A sweet feeling welled up in her heart, and she changed the subject, asking, "Why are you back so soon? Are you off work?"
"I haven't finished my honeymoon yet, I just went to take care of some urgent matters." Lu Ye put the pot lid on, turned around, and his gaze fell on her still slightly damp hair. He picked up the towel hanging around her neck and helped her dry her hair. "Why are you washing your hair at this time?"
"You took a shower as soon as you woke up, it felt so good." Jiang Suining wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Wash your hair again when the sun is at its best around noon next time. Dry it as soon as you're done, or go out into the yard to sunbathe. The temperature is still quite low in the morning, and it's easy to catch a cold if your hair is wet. You'll also get headaches when you get older." Lu Ye carefully dried her hair while giving her these instructions.
Jiang Suining was speechless. Last night she wanted to wash her hair, but he said it was too late and sleeping with wet hair would give her a headache; this morning she wanted to wash it, but he insisted she wash it again at noon. This man really worries about everything, down to the smallest detail. Would you call him a "dad-like" husband?
"Does it still hurt?" Lu Ye paused slightly as he dried her hair, and suddenly asked in a low voice, his gaze unconsciously sweeping down to her lower body, though he couldn't see anything through her clothes.
Jiang Suining instantly understood what he was asking. Her heart skipped a beat, and the heat that had just subsided on her cheeks returned, even flushing her neck pink. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
"I hurt you last night, didn't I?" Seeing her reaction, Lu Ye became even more certain, his tone filled with obvious annoyance and heartache. "Come on, let me see you inside. I... I went to the hospital to get some medicine." As he spoke, he pulled her wrist and walked towards the bedroom.
"Huh?" Jiang Suining thought she had misheard. She only realized what was happening when he half-pushed and half-pulled her into the bedroom. She suddenly looked up at him incredulously, "You really went to the hospital? For this?"
Lu Ye took out a tube of white ointment from his military green cloth bag: "We've brought the medicine back, how could it be fake?"
"You, you're so embarrassing!" Jiang Suining felt as if something had suddenly struck her heart, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her, a surge of indescribable emotion.
Even in her more open-minded era, few men would have been so attentive and unconcerned about embarrassment in doing something like this. Let alone in the relatively conservative 1970s? This completely overturned her understanding; if he went out, who knew how many people would gossip about him behind his back?
“It’s normal for married life to have a minor injury. What’s so embarrassing about that?” Lu Ye thought back to the morning at the hospital outpatient clinic when the female military doctor asked him questions. He had forced himself to be calm and composed, but his ears were actually burning. However, he still maintained a composed demeanor. “I’ve already checked it out. It’s a small cut, and it’s a bit red and swollen.”
Although it was his first time last night, he knew he had been a bit too rough when he couldn't control himself, and he was thinking about it early this morning, so he went to the hospital specifically for it.
He even checked her over carefully last night? Jiang Suining was utterly speechless. Although such scenes were common in adult films, to see them actually happen to her, and for him to say them so bluntly, was truly unbearable! She was so embarrassed that her toes curled up, wishing she could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground: "It's just a minor injury, really, it doesn't hurt anymore." She tried to make one last attempt to salvage the situation.
“If you don’t take care of a small injury, it can get infected and cause big problems.” Lu Ye was unusually insistent on this matter, with an unquestionable, soldierly stubbornness. He picked her up and placed her on the bed, his tone softening slightly, “You don’t need to be shy. I’m your husband. Last night, when I was helping you wash, I saw everything I needed to see.” He spoke the last few words with some difficulty, but his meaning was very clear.
"Who, who's shy!" Jiang Suining was provoked by his words, and her embarrassment instantly turned into a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
"We can't lose face! We absolutely can't falter at this moment!" She spoke toughly, but her body was a little stiff. However, when Lu Ye actually unscrewed the cap of the ointment and gestured for her to cooperate in applying the medicine, she finally chickened out. She gripped her waistband tightly, her face turning so red it was almost bleeding, and she refused to let him do it no matter what.
Seeing her resigned yet ashamed and indignant expression, Lu Ye ultimately decided not to force her. He sighed, stuffed the ointment into her hand, and said with a helpless indulgence, "Then do it yourself. Make sure you apply the ointment. I'll go bring breakfast in."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the bedroom, considerately closing the door behind him.
Jiang Suining looked at the closed door, let out a long sigh of relief, and felt a mix of emotions: gratitude, embarrassment, and a vague feeling of being cherished.
After she had dawdled over applying the medicine and tidying her clothes, Lu Ye had already placed the heated millet porridge and steamed buns on the small table in the living room, and had also washed a few apples.
“I’ve already discussed the bathroom renovation with Lü Aiguo,” Lu Ye said, peeling an apple with a knife. “He said he’ll come over this afternoon to take a look at the house’s structure.”
"You went to see him this morning?" Jiang Suining washed her hands and came over, picking up a half-eaten bun and continuing to eat.
"Well, I happened to run into their engineering team on my way to the regimental headquarters, so I just asked them. He was just transferred here and is still getting used to the environment, so he's not too busy and has some time to help us out." Lu Ye peeled the apple continuously. "This morning, I ran into Sister Lian next door and she asked us when we're having our wedding banquet so she could help with the arrangements."
"We still have to have a wedding banquet?" Jiang Suining felt a headache coming on. She was a bit troubled by occasions that required socializing and facing a lot of strangers. "We've already got our marriage certificate, so the wedding is just a formality. How about we just skip the banquet? We can just invite a few close comrades for a meal? Or how about we go to a photo studio and take some wedding photos?" She suggested a compromise. She was still a little curious about wedding photos from this era.
Lu Ye paused in his peeling, glanced at her, seemingly a little surprised, but quickly nodded: "Okay, whatever you say. If we don't have a wedding banquet, we don't have to. I'll arrange the photos."
“There’s something else,” Jiang Suining hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak up anyway, “I don’t want to stay at home doing nothing all the time. After resting for a few days and getting familiar with the environment, I want to go out and find a job.” She needs her own income, her own social circle, and a reasonable platform where she can “accidentally” showcase some of her knowledge in the future.
Lu Ye cut the peeled apple in half, handed one half to Jiang Suining, took a bite of the other half himself, and said thoughtfully, "The military region's affiliated garment factory is hiring temporary workers, but that job is hard work. After a day of operating a sewing machine, your eyes and back will be exhausted. Don't worry, I'll first ask if the school for employees' children needs substitute teachers or support staff. You have a high school education, so you should be able to become a primary school teacher, or run a factory or library at the school. It would be easier for you."
“A chemical factory? No.” Lu Ye shook his head firmly. “There are no such factories on the island. However, the military region’s labor protection factory produces some special protective oils, mainly for soldiers to use when they go out to sea for training, to treat sunburn or skin damage caused by seawater immersion.”
"A labor protection factory?" Jiang Suining's eyes lit up. "Are they hiring? Can I get in?"
“I haven’t heard that they’re hiring recently,” Lu Ye said, still hoping she could have an easier and more respectable job. He tried to persuade her again, “Working in a factory is tough, the machines are noisy, and the environment is messy. It’s not as simple as being at school, the job is stable, and there are winter and summer vacations. Don’t you like being a teacher?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Jiang Suining said, unsure how to explain. She couldn’t very well say she wanted to make sunscreen, could she? How would a rural girl with only a high school education know about these things? There was no way to explain it. “I’m just more interested in making those bottles and jars.”
Lu Ye looked at her, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes, but in the end he respected her idea: "Okay, it's good that you're interested. Then I'll ask about the situation at the labor protection factory for you."
"Thank you!" Jiang Suining breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sweetly.
“There’s something else,” Lu Ye said, wiping his hands after finishing his apple. “Guodong submitted his marriage application this morning.”
"Applying for marriage? To whom?" Jiang Suining was taken aback and looked up sharply. "It's not Zhou Xiaomei, is it?!"
“Yes,” Lu Ye said calmly, as if he were talking about something very ordinary, “It’s about Zhou Xiaomei.”
"Holy crap!" Jiang Suining's eyes widened in shock, forgetting to eat the apple in her hand. "Only one night! Zhou Xiaomei got it all sorted out? Li Guodong is so unprincipled." Could it be that she was reborn with a cheat code?
"I don't know the specifics," Lu Ye replied vaguely, his gaze slightly evasive.
Jiang Suining immediately noticed something amiss from his micro-expressions. She understood immediately; it seemed Zhou Xiaomei had indeed used some drastic measures, and Lu Ye probably knew something but was reluctant to say it outright due to their camaraderie or some other reason. She wisely refrained from pressing for details, only remarking, "This Zhou Xiaomei is indeed no pushover."
“If you don’t like her and don’t want to be her neighbor,” Lu Ye said seriously, looking at Jiang Suining’s expression, “I’ll go talk to the regimental commander or political commissar and see if we can get a new house for us, one that’s far away from them.”
Although he didn't know the specifics of the conflict between Jiang Suining and Zhou Xiaomei in Qingshui Village, he could tell that his wife genuinely disliked Zhou Xiaomei. He also instinctively felt disgusted by Zhou Xiaomei's calculating eyes and mannerisms.
"Let's forget about it," Jiang Suining thought for a moment, then shook her head and refused. "We've only just moved in. It would be such a bad thing to move just because we don't like our neighbor's wife. What if the regimental commander asks? What will you say? You can't just tell the truth, can you? Besides, I think you and Company Commander Li have a good relationship. Don't let this cause any rift between you. Anyway, we don't live under the same roof. We're just neighbors. She lives her life, and I live mine. We'll keep to ourselves. If we don't like each other, we won't interact."
Seeing that Jiang Suining was thinking of him, Lu Ye felt even more that she was reasonable and generous. He secretly decided that since they weren't going to change houses, he would protect her even more in the future. If Zhou Xiaomei behaved herself, that would be fine, but if she dared to cause trouble for his wife, even if it meant estrangement from Li Guodong, he would definitely stand by Suining's side without hesitation.
At noon, Lu Ye made tomato and egg noodles, which tasted surprisingly good, and Jiang Suining ate a big bowl.
Not long after dinner, Lü Aiguo arrived. He was disappointed to see Lu Ye at home as well. He had originally thought that if he could be alone with Jiang Suining, he could test whether she was from another world. But with Lu Ye standing there, it was difficult to say certain things.
The couple took Lü Aiguo to see the kitchen. The kitchen was indeed quite large, about twenty square meters, with brick walls that provided good insulation for that era.
Jiang Suining explained her ideas in detail: divide it into two rooms, with the inner room serving as a bathroom. It should have a shower, a bathtub, and ideally a sink.
“Converting it to a dual-purpose shower and bathtub isn’t technically difficult,” Lü Aiguo looked around and knocked on the wall, having already made up his mind. “The key is heating. I’ve checked the data, and the coldest winter temperature on Nan’ao Island is five or six degrees Celsius. If you take a hot shower indoors without heating, it’s easy to catch a cold. It would be better to install a dedicated heating system.”
Jiang Suining was still hesitating about the cost, but seeing her hesitation, Lu Ye made the decision directly: "Since we're going to do it, let's do it right the first time, so we can take a comfortable hot shower in winter. Install the heating equipment."
Since her husband had spoken up, and it was for her comfort, Jiang Suining stopped worrying and nodded in agreement.
"Unfortunately, conditions are limited now, and we don't have anything like a 'bathroom heater'." Lü Aiguo seemingly unintentionally emphasized the word "bathroom heater." In this era, bathroom heaters had not yet appeared. If Jiang Suining were a time traveler, she would definitely have a reaction upon hearing this futuristic term.
Sure enough, he keenly noticed that Jiang Suining's eyes lit up when she heard the words "bathroom heater," showing surprise and approval that she thought, "You actually know this?" But then, upon hearing her say "It's a pity we don't have one," the light quickly dimmed, filled with regret.
Lu Aiguo was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly composed, continuing in a professional tone: "The most feasible solution at present is to use a coal stove for heating, which is economical and practical. However, placing it in the bathroom is not very safe due to poor ventilation and the risk of poisoning. I have an idea: why not make the wall between the small cubicle where the stove is located and the bathroom into a fire wall that also includes the flue, with the hot water pipes running through it? This way, the stove can heat the bath water and also heat the fire wall, providing heating for the bathroom—a win-win situation, and it's safe too. The only downside is that it won't be usable in the summer because the stove gets too hot. How about this: when it's cold, you can use the coal stove system, and I'll figure out a way to install a solar water heater for you to use when it's not cold—energy-saving and convenient."
"Solar water heaters? They already have these now?" Jiang Suining was genuinely surprised this time. This technology should be considered quite cutting-edge for this era, right?
“I’ve got it,” Lü Aiguo nodded and patiently explained, “In many coastal cities, the government and research institutions have already piloted and promoted solar energy technology, but it hasn’t been widely adopted by the general public yet. I know a place where you can buy the core components and assemble it yourself. If you’re not in a hurry, I can ask a friend to buy them and send them to you. It just takes some time to transport them.”
“Money is not a problem,” Lu Ye interrupted her, his tone decisive. “As long as it’s safe and works well, that’s fine. Aiguo, you just contact the suppliers to purchase it according to this plan. Just tell me how much it costs.” He trusted Lu Aiguo’s professional abilities and wanted Jiang Suining to have convenient hot water facilities as soon as possible.
"How about... we reconsider?" Jiang Suining gently tugged at Lu Ye's sleeve and whispered. She knew even with her toes that solar water heaters were definitely a "luxury item" these days. Although Lu Ye was a regimental-level leader with a decent salary and some allowances, he was still on a fixed salary, and there would be many other expenses in the future.
"Do you like the design you created with patriotism?" Lu Ye looked down at her, his gaze calm and gentle, carrying a reassuring strength. "Do you like that solar water heater?"
Looking into his eyes, Jiang Suining felt inexplicably at ease. She nodded and answered honestly, "I like it." Who wouldn't like being able to conveniently take a hot shower every day?
“Alright, let’s do it the way Aiguo says.” Lu Ye made the final decision and said to Lü Aiguo, “Just do whatever you need.”
“Okay, no problem! I’ll call and arrange the purchase of solar water heater parts when I get back this afternoon.” Lu Aiguo agreed, in a good mood. He then looked at Jiang Suining and asked with a meaningful smile, “Sister-in-law, do you have any other ideas for the bathroom? For example… do you need me to design a flush toilet for you?” He was probing again.
"A flush toilet?" Jiang Suining's eyes widened instantly, filled with undisguised longing. "Is that possible?" If she could get rid of that rudimentary squat toilet, her quality of life would be a leap forward!
Seeing her reaction, Lü Aiguo was almost certain of the situation. He smiled and shook his head: "I'm afraid it's not feasible for now. The main problem is the lack of a proper septic tank and sewage system. Even if we installed one, there would be nowhere to discharge the waste. However, if the infrastructure improves in the future, there might be an opportunity."
“Let’s talk about it in the future then.” Jiang Suining smiled as well. She had realized that Lü Aiguo was testing her, so she stopped trying to hide it and went along with the conversation, directly making her request: “By the way, Comrade Lü, there’s something else I’d like to ask you for help with. I don’t know if it will be too much trouble for you.”
"What is it? Sister-in-law, just tell me!" Lü Aiguo immediately perked up and listened attentively. He sensed that the important part was about to begin.
“I want to try making some sunscreen myself,” Jiang Suining said, carefully choosing her words to fit the current understanding, but the terms she used still drew a questioning look from Lu Ye next to her. “I need some raw materials, such as processed zinc oxide or diatomaceous earth. I wonder if you could find a way to buy some for me? I don’t need a lot.”
Lu Aiguo's smile instantly brightened with certainty. Just yesterday, he had inquired with Li Guodong about Lu Ye's new wife. She was a country girl who had returned to her hometown after graduating high school. How could an ordinary country girl possibly know about such a relatively technical concept as "sunscreen"? Even if she had heard of it, how could she know that one of its core ingredients is zinc oxide? And even know about diatomaceous earth as an additive? It seemed that she was most likely a time traveler like himself, and very likely his senior sister, Jiang Mengyao!
“That’s easy!” Lü Aiguo readily agreed, his tone filled with the excitement of finding his people. “Zinc oxide and diatomaceous earth, right? Leave it to me! I’ll get them and send them over as soon as I get them!” He was thrilled; this trip had definitely paid off. Not only had he gotten the job, but he had also found “one of his own”!
"Sunscreen?" Lu Ye frowned slightly, looking at Jiang Suining with puzzlement and curiosity in his eyes. "What is that? To prevent sunburn?"
“Yes, skincare products to prevent sunburn and tanning.” Jiang Suining quickly explained, feeling a little uneasy. “It probably requires some oils, beeswax, zinc oxide… If you can also find plant juices with soothing properties like aloe vera or purslane, the effect might be even better.” She tried to make it sound like a folk remedy.
"How do you know all this?" Lu Ye's eyes were even more confused, with a scrutinizing look in them.
Could there really be such detailed recipes for making handmade skincare products in high school extracurricular books? Lu Ye was skeptical, his gaze shifting between Jiang Suining and Lü Aiguo. He sensed an inexplicable tacit understanding between the two.
"It's a good thing that you like reading, sister-in-law!" Seeing this, Lü Aiguo quickly spoke up to smooth things over and change the subject. "Our military region has its own library with a pretty good collection. You can go in and read with a library card. If you're interested, sister-in-law, you can ask Lu Ye to help you get one. Maybe you can find more content that interests you."
“Great!” Jiang Suining immediately seized the opportunity, looking at Lu Ye with delight. This was indeed a good place; it could both kill time and provide a legitimate source for her “knowledge.”
“Okay,” Lu Ye suppressed his doubts and nodded. “I’ll go to the Political Department later and ask you how to get a library card.”
The renovation was decided. In the following days, Lu Ye found a bricklayer he knew in the barracks department and, based on the simple sketch drawn by Lü Aiguo, began to divide the kitchen in two.
Because a bathtub and shower pipes needed to be built inside, along with water and heating pipes, and a separate partition needed to place the coal stove and coal storage area, the originally spacious kitchen suddenly felt cramped.
Lu Ye looked around and simply had the bricklayers extend a small red brick room on the outer wall of the kitchen, specifically for storing the stove and coal. Installing the stove would also be safer, avoiding the risk of gas leaking into the room.
Lu Ye stayed home with Jiang Suining for two days. Because there were too many things to do at the regiment, and he was a regimental-level cadre, he couldn't keep taking his honeymoon indefinitely. After discussing it with Jiang Suining, he returned to work.
Once the civil engineering work was basically completed, Lü Aiguo came with various installation tools to install the water heater.
He was quick and skillful, and after working for more than a week, he finally got the boiler installed and tested. Although it looked a bit rudimentary and rough, it did produce scalding hot water.
The solar water heater hasn't arrived yet, but the hot water is already hot enough for showering. Jiang Suining looked at the gushing hot water, filled with a sense of accomplishment and anticipation for the convenient life of the future.
Jiang Suining and Lü Aiguo used this bathroom renovation to confirm each other's identities as time travelers.
Lu Aiguo then realized that he had not traveled to a parallel real-world timeline, but rather into a web novel set in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Lu Ye helped inquire about the job at the labor protection factory and quickly received a response.
The labor protection factory is indeed recruiting more employees recently, and there are several vacancies. One of them is for the factory's women's federation, which needs a female comrade who is educated, literate, and capable of doing math, and who will be responsible for women workers' work and publicity. Jiang Suining's high school education just meets the basic requirements. However, she needs to take a unified exam organized by the factory, and the best candidates will be selected.
Although it wasn't the technical R&D position Jiang Suining initially desired, she understood that things had to be done step by step. First, she needed to get into the factory system, establish herself, and familiarize herself with the environment. There was always a chance she could transfer to a technical position later, or use her work to gain access to raw materials. After careful consideration, she decided to register for the exam and try to secure the position.
The competition for the position of Women's Federation officer at the Labor Protection Factory was scheduled for three days later, so time was tight. Lu Ye learned of the news late, but he still went to see Director Song of the Labor Protection Factory.
Factory Director Song was a veteran. He managed to obtain the internally compiled review outline and document compilation by relying on the life-and-death friendship he had forged on the battlefield and the personal connections he usually didn't like to make.
At first, Jiang Suining wasn't too worried when she heard it was an assessment. She still carried some of the mindset she had before transmigrating, thinking that the exam would be nothing more than subject knowledge like Chinese and math. How could a modern soul who had experienced the college entrance examination be stumped by exams in this era? But when she opened the stack of materials that Lu Ye had brought back, she was immediately dumbfounded.
"It's okay, there's always another chance if you don't pass this time." Lu Ye knew that time was tight, only three days, and there was indeed a lot to memorize. "You've only just arrived, so there's no need to rush out to work. I can support you."
Jiang Suining knew, of course, that Lu Ye could support her. She took his hand and said, "I know what you mean. I just want to have something to do. I'm still young, and I want to contribute to my country."
"Don't overwork yourself." Lu Ye touched her temple. "I'll go cook."
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Author's Note: Please add "The Sickly Beauty of the 1960s Goes Wild" to your pre-orders and collections.
"Comrade Gu, your wife is so drunk she's mistaken the groom for her own!"
"Perfect timing, your wife has also wandered into the wrong bridal chamber."
The two newlywed couples looked at each other in bewilderment: Who should be the one to be cuckolded?
The scumbag, a sea turtle, hugged Su Ying with ecstatic joy: Finally, I've gotten rid of that sickly girl!
Gu Minghui touched his still-healing snow blindness and sneered: "We've struck gold."
In her past life, Su Tao was a victim of injustice: she raised her illegitimate child for her scumbag sister, endured her husband's infidelity until she died of depression, and was drained of her last drop of blood by her entire family!
The vast Gobi Desert, with its endless yellow sand.
Su Tao, dressed in a snow-white sheepskin vest, sat around the stove in the warm rammed earth house, sipping mutton and vermicelli soup and eating crispy sesame naan. On the enamel plate on the table was freshly baked tandoor-roasted meat. Eating coarse food and drinking the northwest wind? Absolutely not.
Riding camels to dig for Cistanche deserticola, this desert medicinal herb is selling like hotcakes nationwide.
Forest rangers' mechanized planting of straw checkerboard barriers has astonished the central government, creating a thousand-mile-long windbreak forest.
Tens of thousands of acres of "snowfield cotton fields" were planted in Baihetan, making headlines on the front page of the People's Daily.
Saving Przewalski's horses and raising desert wolf cubs, he became a living bodhisattva in the animal kingdom.
The first thing Gu Minghui saw after regaining his sight was that the girl in the sheepskin coat had a smile that was brighter than the sunshine.
The man who said he would "only focus on his career and not talk about love" is secretly writing poetry in the lab: I have calculated the movement trajectory of the sand dunes, but you are the only variable in my life.
Where did this aloof research machine go?! Who is this man writing love letters with mathematical models?!
Later, Su Ying's husband, who had returned from studying abroad, was completely incompetent and failed at everything he did.
Su Tao and Gu Minghui were both included in textbooks, and the state awarded them the "Desert Control Couple" medal, pampering them as the wildest red roses in the desert.
"Gu Minghui, didn't we agree that we don't talk about romance when we're doing scientific research?"
"To correct you, it means I was doing scientific research while also having a romantic relationship with you."
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