Not long after Lu Lin went to the cafeteria to get food, Gu Mingyue felt thirsty and got up from the sofa to boil some water. She had been tired all morning and hadn't even had a sip of water.
Gu Mingyue had used this kind of earthen stove during field training, so starting a fire was not difficult for her.
After placing a handful of dry firewood, light it with a match and add some small twigs, then slowly fill in the larger pieces of wood.
We don't have much firewood at home, but it's enough to boil a kettle of water.
She had only been burning up for a short time when she heard a knocking sound at the door.
Gu Mingyue wiped her hands and went to open the door. Standing outside was a woman in her thirties, holding a steaming bowl of soup.
Qin Hongmei's eyes lit up when she looked at the girl in front of her.
No one in the family compound knew anything about Comrade Lu's wife. Everyone just guessed that she was a country girl from the countryside, who was probably unkempt, didn't know how to dress up, and looked sloppy.
But the girl in front of me was not only not rustic, but also extremely beautiful.
She had willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and bright, intelligent eyes. Her long, black hair was simply braided into two braids that hung over her shoulders, which accentuated her slender neck and fair complexion.
Qin Hongmei said with a smile, "My name is Qin Hongmei. I'm from the Fu family next door. I heard you just arrived today, so I brought you some fish soup. You must have had a long journey."
Gu Mingyue quickly took the soup and said gratefully, "Thank you, sister-in-law. My name is Gu Mingyue. You're too kind. Please come in and have a seat."
"You're welcome. We're neighbors, so let's look out for each other in the future."
Qin Hongmei guessed they were still busy packing, so she waved her hand and said, "I won't go in. My home is right next door. Call me anytime if you need anything."
After seeing Qin Hongmei off, Gu Mingyue carried the fish soup back to the kitchen, where the water had just boiled.
She poured herself a cup of hot water, then smelled the aroma of the fish soup, and a warm feeling welled up inside her.
Lu Lin returned home carrying a lunchbox and saw a bowl of steaming fish soup on the table. He raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Where did this come from?"
Gu Mingyue was tidying up the kitchen when she heard this. She turned around and smiled, "It was a gift from Aunt Qin next door. She said it was to welcome us. I thought I shouldn't accept it for nothing, so I'll find some things from home to give back to her later."
They brought some local specialties from Beijing with them, intending to share them with their neighbors, since they were newcomers and didn't have much to give away.
Lu Lin nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, we need to get along well with our neighbors since we've just arrived."
He opened the lunchbox. "The cafeteria made your favorite stir-fried pork today, which is perfect to eat with the fish soup."
The food in the cafeteria was good, with meat and vegetables, a balanced diet. Lu Lin even brought back two large boxes of rice.
Gu Mingyue looked at the food on the table, worried that the two of them wouldn't be able to finish it, but a few tens of minutes later, she saw that the food was completely empty.
She had clearly underestimated Lu Lin's appetite; his appetite was steadily growing.
When did you eat so much?
Gu Mingyue had been eating with him for a while now, and she knew he had a big appetite, but she didn't expect him to have an appetite this big.
"Maybe I was too tired today and ate too much."
Lu Lin was too embarrassed to admit that he only ate until he was 80% full in front of her, for fear of being criticized for eating too much.
The two discussed returning the favor while eating.
Gu Mingyue remembered that she had brought some local specialties from Beijing, so she decided to give some to Qin Hongmei.
After dinner, Lu Lin carried the things and knocked on the neighbor's door with Gu Mingyue.
Qin Hongmei was overjoyed to see them return the courtesy politely and thanked them repeatedly.
Through this back-and-forth interaction, the distance between neighbors was thus shortened.
After lunch, both of them felt sleepy, so they went back to their rooms for a nap.
When I woke up, the sunlight was already streaming into the room at an angle.
Gu Mingyue rubbed her eyes, walked to the window and stretched, and suddenly noticed that Lu Lin was standing in the yard, holding a wooden stick and gesturing something on the ground.
She went downstairs and saw that he was planning the layout of the open space in the yard.
"What are you doing?" Gu Mingyue asked with a smile.
“Let’s design our little courtyard.” Lu Lin used a wooden stick to mark out a spot on the ground.
"We'll plant your favorite tomatoes here, and build a grape trellis over there so we can enjoy the shade there in the summer."
Gu Mingyue felt a warm glow in her heart as she looked at his earnest expression.
She squatted down and drew a small circle on the ground. "Let's plant a few sunflowers here. I like watching them turn with the sun."
Lu Lin smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
However, the couple's plan was clearly not suitable for this season, so they could only temporarily plant some vegetables to resist the harsh winter cold, depending on the local conditions.
"It's alright, let's leave these places for now and plant more when spring comes."
Lu Mingyue was open-minded; the island had all four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
It's July now, not the right season for planting grapes, but it's a good time to plant some vegetables.
According to regulations, Lu Lin was required to visit the military camp upon his return.
Gu Mingyue felt a bit bored at home, so she decided to look around the neighborhood and buy some things at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Not long after I left home, I came across a group of people sitting under a tree enjoying the shade.
Some people were shelling peanuts, some were sewing shoe soles, and some were holding babies in their arms.
When they saw unfamiliar faces in the family compound, they all looked up curiously.
"Whose young wife is this?" someone asked in a low voice.
"Judging from her appearance, she seems to be new here." Another person squinted at her.
Gu Mingyue smiled somewhat awkwardly, hesitating whether to go over, when she heard a familiar voice call out to her: "Mingyue, over here!"
She turned her head and saw that it was Sister-in-law Qin waving at her.
"Come, sit here." Aunt Qin took her hand and led her to the middle of the crowd.
"Let me introduce you all. This is Lu Lin's wife, Gu Mingyue. She just arrived on the island today."
"She's Lu Lin's wife?" someone exclaimed in surprise.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes were immediately focused on Gu Mingyue, and their eyes widened involuntarily.
In the sunset, her skin was fair, her features delicate, and a faint smile played on her lips; she looked like someone who had stepped out of a painting.
Although she was only wearing a simple light blue shirt, her clean and gentle temperament was refreshing.
"No wonder Comrade Lu was in such a hurry to submit his marriage application; it turns out he married such a beautiful wife!" someone couldn't help but exclaim.
"She's even prettier than the girls in the performing arts troupe!" another aunt nodded repeatedly.
Gu Mingyue felt a little embarrassed by everyone's stares, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
Seeing this, Sister-in-law Qin smiled and came to her rescue: "Alright, alright, don't scare people. Let's all look out for each other in the future."
Everyone immediately greeted her warmly, with some offering her a handful of sunflower seeds and others asking her where she came from.
Gu Mingyue answered each question one by one, gradually relaxing.
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