After a long and difficult journey, Liu Meiyu finally arrived at the island. When she got off the car and took a look, the only word that came to her mind was "desolate".
All you can see are mountains, rocks and trees. Only by standing on a high place can you see the endless rolling waves.
The jeep drove all the way through the winding jungle to the island and took them directly to the military area.
"Captain Lu, I'll go to the army to return the car first. If you and sister-in-law need help, I'll call someone over." Liu Erzhu was very considerate. He helped them carry all the luggage into the yard, said hello, and went to the main army.
Wu Guifang got off the bus at the military area ahead. She lived in a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment that was just built by the army last year.
The house allocated to Liu Meiyu and her family was at the very back, in a remote square yard. There was an uphill path at the door, and there were no neighbors on either side, so it could be said to be a private house with its own yard.
Liu Meiyu held Liu Bowen in her arms and stood in the yard, looking at the dilapidated earthen-walled courtyard in front of her. She had the illusion that she had gone to the countryside as part of the Work in the Countryside Movement.
"There is no vacancy in the military building at the moment. When I arrived, this yard was the only one left." Lu Changzheng nervously took out the key from his pocket, opened the door, and said to Liu Meiyun with some self-blame: "Don't worry, we are just living here temporarily. I have already informed the military. As soon as there is a vacancy in the building, we will move in."
After walking around and taking a look at the layout of the house, Liu Meiyu said, "Why do you want to move? This place is great!"
She was not being polite. Although the house had earthen walls on the outside, it was surprisingly spacious and bright inside. The living room was right after she entered, the kitchen was on the left, and there were three rooms on the right, one large and two small. The smallest one was at the corner and was probably a storage room. What surprised Liu Meiyu the most was that these rooms were all connected to a fire wall. As long as the fire wall was lit, the winter here would not be so unbearable.
"You don't like living in a building?" Lu Changzheng was surprised, thinking that Liu Meiyu said this on purpose out of consideration for him. After all, everyone wanted to live in a clean and elegant building at that time.
But he kept staring at Liu Meiyu, not missing any expression on her face, and gradually he found that Liu Meiyu seemed to be really satisfied with this mud-wall house.
"How can a high-rise apartment be this spacious?" Liu Meiyu smiled and explained to him: "Mrs. Wu's family has five people, and they only have two bedrooms and a living room in the high-rise apartment. When the boys grow up, they can only sleep on the floor in the living room, not to mention that there will be relatives from their hometown. This place is so good. After cleaning up the corner storage room, we can put in a bunk bed and live in it. There is also such a large main room and a yard. I don't want such a spacious place. Why should I change to a high-rise apartment? Besides, this room can have a kang, but a high-rise apartment can't!"
The more Liu Meiyu looked, the more satisfied she became. Wherever her eyes passed, she was already planning in her mind what kind of furniture to buy.
"You're right!" Lu Changzheng's eyes lit up. "Then I'll go light up the fire wall now, so it won't be so cold later."
Otherwise, how can we say that he found a good wife? Others would refuse to live in a shabby bungalow, but for his wife, it is a rare thing.
Looking at Lu Changzheng's busy back, Liu Meiyu's mouth corners unconsciously raised.
"Bo Wen, do you like it here? From now on, this will be our new home!"
Liu Bowen, who was lying on Liu Meiyu's shoulder, had red eyes, pouted and shook his head.
Knowing that the young man was homesick again, Liu Meiyun was not in a hurry for him to accept this place so quickly. She just smiled and coaxed him, "Our new home is so spacious, but it's still bare. Come down and help me pack my luggage. If you finish it soon, I will reward you with peach cakes and malted milk!"
Liu Bowen's face was twisted for half a minute, and finally he kicked his legs to the ground, ran to the luggage bag, and put his little hands in to grab it.
Most of the luggage they brought were food and daily necessities for the next two days. The house had been unoccupied for a long time, so they couldn't just put everything there. Liu Meiyu just wanted Liu Bowen to feel involved, so she asked him to take out the luggage one by one and put it back in the room. Making two more trips could also help him sweat.
She found a piece of scrap cloth and planned to wait for Lu Changzheng to come back from building the fire wall, then boil some hot water and wipe the kangs in the house.
This house is nice, but apart from two kang beds, there is no other furniture, and of course there is no kettle. I have to go to the supply and marketing cooperative later to buy all the missing things, including pots, bowls, pans, and other things.
The supply and marketing cooperative was not too far from where they lived, only about ten minutes' walk away. It was at the end of the family area, and there was a row of four-room bungalows connected together, looking spacious and bright.
Perhaps considering that there were many family members accompanying the army on the island and it was inconvenient for them to leave the island, the supplies inside were very complete, from pots and pans to food, clothing and daily necessities. Almost everything Liu Meiyun thought of that her family lacked could be found on the shelves.
"Is this the new Captain Lu?"
Behind the counter, a sturdy woman greeted Lu Changzheng with a smile.
"Hello, sister-in-law. I am Lu Changzheng from the first battalion."
"Oh, the boy is so handsome." The woman looked at Lu Changzheng and seemed very satisfied. But when she glanced at Liu Meiyu next to him, her smile faded and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, "Is this your wife?"
Lu Changzheng nodded.
"Hello, sister-in-law." Liu Meiyu also greeted people with a smile.
On the train, she heard from Wu Guifang that one of the sales clerks at the supply and marketing cooperative on the island was the wife of the leader of the third regiment, and judging from her age, she guessed that it was this one.
There were four salespeople in the supply and marketing cooperative, two men and two women. Next to the middle-aged woman was a young girl with two small braids. She looked a bit like the team leader's wife, both with broad foreheads and rough looks, but the young girl was slimmer than the middle-aged woman.
"Hello, comrade." The woman looked at Liu Meiyun, and the smile on her face was less genuine than when she was looking at Lu Changzheng just now. Seeing the child hiding behind Liu Meiyun, she asked in surprise: "Whose child are you taking care of?"
"My brother," Liu Meiyun picked up Liu Bowen, "My parents are not in good health, so I was brought up to the army to take care of them."
Liu Bowen was very shy and he hugged Liu Meiyu's neck with a timid look in his eyes.
Hearing her say this, the middle-aged woman and the young girl next to her were stunned for a moment, and looked at Liu Meiyu with complicated and unintelligible eyes.
Liu Meiyu didn't care. She just stuffed Liu Bowen into Lu Changzheng's arms and started buying things.
There was only one big iron pot on the shelf of the supply and marketing cooperative. It was definitely a bit too big for the three of them, but it was better than nothing. They also needed two hot water kettles. They brought towels and toothbrushes in their bags, but they needed two more for bathing and foot washing. They also needed a kettle, soap, washing powder, food...
Liu Meiyu's mind worked quickly and her mouth was swift. She would point at whatever she needed on the shelf, but she would always take the cheaper ones.
The final sum came to forty-six yuan and eighty cents, and a ticket was required.
Lu Changzheng took out five big reunion tickets and a bunch of coupons without any hesitation. He even asked Liu Meiyu if she wanted to buy anything else. The two women behind the counter had even more complicated expressions on their faces.
"These are enough for now. We'll talk about what else we need." Liu Meiyun took Liu Bowen from Lu Changzheng and held him in her arms. "I'll hold him, and you carry the things."
Without saying a word, Lu Changzheng followed Liu Meiyu closely, carrying a bunch of things. His own hands were already full, and he was worried that it would be difficult for Liu Meiyu to walk while holding the child.
After the two men walked out of the door of the supply and marketing cooperative and walked a long way, the two women behind the counter finally recovered from their shock.
"Aunt!" the young girl called out aggrievedly.
The middle-aged woman frowned and said bluntly: "Don't look at it. No matter how good it is, it's not yours. People don't like people like you!"
Years ago, when Lu Changzheng reported to the army, her niece ran into him once in the supply and marketing cooperative and fell in love with him. However, she didn't expect that he had already reported his marriage. He only stayed on the island for three days, and after that he hurriedly got married.
Honestly, if she were a man, she would also like Liu Meiyun, who is prettier than the girls in the magazines, with skin like a peeled egg. But her niece has rough skin and two patches of highland red. How could she possibly like her since she is from Beijing?
"Don't think about it. I'll show you other guys later. You can't compare to them with your current appearance."
"..." The little girl was so angry that she threw the rag and ignored her aunt for a long time.
The newlywed couple had already returned home, completely unaware of the little episode behind them. As soon as they arrived home, they saw several people standing at the gate of the yard.
"Sister-in-law Wu!"
Wu Guifang was accompanied by three children. The two girls looked about the same height, like twins. They were both yellow and thin, not very tall, and looked to be eight or nine years old at most. There was also a little boy who also looked malnourished, and was probably not much older than Liu Bowen.
"I guess you are going to the supply and marketing cooperative." Wu Guifang carried two hot water kettles, her two daughters held a broom and a dustpan respectively, and the little boy had a red plastic basin on his head.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?"
"No one has lived here for a long time. I guess you city people are particular about things. You must clean up before you can sleep soundly. So, I sat at home for a while, borrowed a pot of hot water from the neighbor, and came to help you clean up. These three children insisted on coming with me."
"Sister-in-law, you are so nice. I'm in a mess!" Liu Meiyu grabbed Wu Guifang's hand in surprise.
A complete mess is of course impossible, but it is absolutely unacceptable to pour cold water on people who come to help so enthusiastically.
"Da Ya, Er Ya, you two take your brother and sweep the yard first, then go and clean the kang."
"These two jugs of water are definitely not enough. No one has lived here for a long time. I'll go and light two more jugs of water. As for the stove, ask your Captain Lu to go to the back and get some dry firewood to light the stove."
With Wu Guifang's help, Liu Meiyu felt much more relaxed. After a short while, the big iron pot on the stove was already on fire.
"I brought you some pickled Chinese cabbage and some cornmeal cakes. If you two don't want to cook tonight, you can still have a meal together."
Wu Guifang came in a hurry, helped to tidy up all the places in Liu Meiyu's house, and left quickly. No matter how Liu Meiyu urged her to eat, she refused.
"My husband is still at home. I won't eat at your place. You don't have anything. I'll go home and cook for myself."
Wu Guifang waved her hand, and her three children quickly gathered together like soldiers.
"Then sister-in-law, take this half bag of candy back and feed it to the child!" Liu Meiyu took out the fruit candy that had been prepared long ago.
The fruit candy is of course not as good as White Rabbit, but giving away half a bag at once is quite generous.
"I don't want it." Wu Guifang refused without thinking and just took her three children and left.
"Not given away?" When Lu Changzheng walked out of the yard, he saw Liu Meiyu still holding the half bag of fruit candy in her hand.
"Yeah," Liu Meiyun nodded, peeled a pill and put it in her mouth, and fed one to Lu Changzheng and Liu Bowen, "After we pack up, let's go to Sister Wu's house in a couple of days. Sister Wu is a nice person."
"It's my duty." Lu Changzheng nodded with a smile, feeling sweet in his mouth and heart.
It was already evening when she finished her work. Liu Meiyu originally wanted to have a meal in the evening, but when the fireplace at home was lit and the indoor temperature was not so cold, her appetite suddenly came up.
"Let's make noodle dumpling soup." Liu Meiyu said enthusiastically.
"I'll listen to you!" Lu Changzheng had no objection at all.
In this way, the two of them were busy boiling water and kneading dough.
Liu Bowen had long been fast asleep on the heated kang, so there were only her and Lu Changzheng in the kitchen. It was quiet all around, and the kitchen was only a small space. While Lu Changzheng was kneading the dough, Liu Meiyun was busy in and out, heating the pot and boiling water, and occasionally saying a few words.
"We need to build a cabinet here, otherwise we won't have anywhere to put the dishes."
"This pot is too big. Go back and see if you can find a smaller one."
"You should also get me a coal stove over there. It's convenient for heating water and cooking. I don't use this stove every day."
Lu Changzheng didn't know why. Although it was a very casual conversation, he felt distracted.
"Meiyun" Lu Changzheng's voice is a little hoarse.
"What's the matter?" Liu Meiyu had just put the soy sauce away and was passing by Lu Changzheng when she suddenly felt a tightness on her waist.
"I'm so happy." Lu Changzheng almost gasped as he whispered in Liu Meiyu's ear.
How could Liu Meiyu not hear that his tone was not right? Her face turned slightly red, her eyes fell on his hands, and she scolded, "Don't waste the flour."
"No," Lu Changzheng whispered these two words, then held the person in his arms with one hand and lowered his head to kiss those seductive pink lips.
The fire in the stove burned brighter and brighter, and the two people's breathing became more and more urgent. Lu Changzheng felt that he had never been so anxious before.
Seeing that the gun was about to go off accidentally, Liu Meiyun regained her senses and pushed the man away ruthlessly, "The water is boiling!"
“…”
The noodle dumpling soup in the evening tasted especially delicious because Liu Meiyun was willing to add oil.
Lu Changzheng ate a large bowl by himself, while Liu Meiyu and Liu Bowen shared a bowl.
After eating, you have to boil water to take a bath.
At this time, Liu Meiyu didn't complain that the pot they just bought today was too big.
She boiled a large pot of hot water, washed Liu Bowen first and threw him onto the kang, then she went to the next room to wash herself, and finally it was Lu Changzheng's turn.
By the time they got to bed after all the trouble, Liu Bowen had already fallen asleep with Liu Meiyu in his arms, drooling. Liu Meiyu was also sleepy, but she still forced herself to keep her eyes open and wait for Lu Changzheng.
"Are you warm?" Lu Changzheng put on a pair of autumn pants, lay down beside Liu Meiyu, and naturally put his arms around her.
The movements are skillful, but my heart is beating very nervously.
"Nuanhe, be quiet and don't wake Bowen up." Liu Meiyu grabbed the man's arm to prevent him from moving.
Lu Changzheng was dry-mouthed. The room was pitch black and quiet. He could only hear the whistling wind outside the window and his own heartbeat.
"Meiyun" Lu Changzheng's voice fell silent again.
How could Liu Meiyu not hear it? She leaned against the man's arms with her back to him, turned her head gently, and whispered, "You've been tired all day, go to bed quickly, and clean up the house in two days, and let Bowen live in the next room."
Liu Meiyu didn't argue about what a couple should do after marriage. After all, they had been married for several days, and this was the first time they slept on the same kang.
But there was a child on the kang, so she was not so careless.
After hearing this, Lu Changzheng felt both happy and depressed.
The depression was only temporary, as he had a fire in his body that he had no place to vent, but the happiness was long-lasting.
He was originally worried that Liu Meiyu would feel sorry for her brother and put him in the same room to watch over him at night. As they were newlyweds, there would definitely be many inconveniences. Now, he doesn't have to worry about it. From now on, his brother-in-law will sleep next door, and he and his wife will have their own independent space, and they can do whatever they want at night!
Thinking of the long-lasting happiness in the future, Lu Changzheng relied on his strong willpower to gradually calm down. Holding the slender body in his arms, with a smile on his lips, he slept the most comfortable sleep he had in a long time.
The next morning, when Liu Meiyu woke up, she found Liu Bowen still sleeping soundly in her arms with a rosy face.
The man next to her had long disappeared. There was a slight movement in the kitchen outside, and she could smell a faint fragrance.
"Bowen, you lazy pig, get up!"
Liu Meiyun woke the boy up, put a thick cotton padded jacket on him, and then kicked him out, "Go find your brother-in-law to wash your face!"
The boy was reluctant at first, but under Liu Meiyun's threat, he had to run out.
As soon as everyone left, Liu Meiyu started to change her clothes. She wore a vest, a cotton jacket and cotton pants, no matter how thick they were. She was not afraid of the heavy clothes, but was afraid of the sharp wind on the island.
She did not forget that Lu Changzheng said yesterday that he would take her to the aboriginal village on the island to ask the villagers to make furniture for her.
The military logistics department can also make furniture, but it is too slow, so most families go to the countryside to find farmers to make it.
Most of the farmers on Hulu Island make a living by fishing. In the winter when they cannot go out to sea, they just stay at home and have nothing to do, so they help to add talents to the construction of the motherland.
So, when Liu Meiyu and her friends rode their bicycles across most of Hulu Island to the aboriginal village on the other side of the military zone, a large group of children rushed out of the village entrance, all of them with red faces from the cold but sparkling eyes.
The bicycle was borrowed by Lu Changzheng from his comrades. Liu Meiyu jumped off from behind holding Liu Bowen, her feet almost numb from the cold.
As they pushed their bicycles into the village, the children followed them, chattering and treating them as novelties.
"Do you know any family that can make furniture?" Lu Changzheng asked an older kid at random.
What answered him was the mixed voices of a group of children.
"My home!"
"Grandpa Zhang's house!"
"My third master's family!"
Lu Changzheng was given a headache by the noise, and he looked at Liu Meiyu.
Liu Meiyun couldn't help laughing. She didn't say anything for a long time. She was too lazy to waste her voice. She just waited for the child to calm down. Then she whispered in the ear of the older child that Lu Changzheng had just picked, "Send them away and take me to the house of the family who can assemble furniture the fastest and best. Sister will reward you with three White Rabbit candies."
The child's eyes lit up and he looked at Liu Meiyu with sharp eyes, then ran away, grabbing a few children of the same age and saying something to them. Anyway, after a while, those children dispersed on their own, leaving only two children of the same age as him who were still there.
Lu Changzheng was so impressed that he simply didn't join in the fun and just followed Liu Meiyu like a lackey.
"In our village, Grandpa Zhang is the best and fastest at making furniture. They can all testify to that!" The boy spoke in a loud voice, his eyes brighter than black gems.
Liu Meiyu couldn't help but look at him twice more. The child was about eleven or twelve years old, very energetic, and even knew to find two friends to testify for him.
"Well, take us there."
The children were chatting on the way and they found out that he was the precious grandson of the old village chief on the island and the leader of the group of children just now. He was already thirteen years old and his full name was Zhang Zhiqiang, but everyone called him Heiwa. Liu Meiyu took a look and found that it was indeed the case. This kid was very dark and it was obvious that he was running around the island all day long.
When they arrived at Grandpa Zhang's house as Heiwa mentioned, Liu Meiyu was generous and gave them three White Rabbit milk candies.
The three children were skeptical at first, but when they saw that they could each get a candy for running errands, they immediately became very happy. They even shouted "Grandpa Zhang" in loud and clear voices at the door, and then ran away again.
Old man Zhang had just finished his meal and was making a fish basket when he suddenly heard the loud voices of several children. He thought they were having fun again, but when he walked into the yard, he saw that they were actually military officers.
"Comrade, come in quickly." Old man Zhang enthusiastically led Lu Changzheng and the others in.
The yard was a bit messy, with wood chips everywhere underfoot. There were also a few ready-made cabinets in the corner. They were not big and did not look very eye-catching. They were somewhat similar to the bedside cabinets used in bedrooms in later generations. As soon as Liu Meiyu saw them, she became interested.
"Master, did you break this cabinet?"
Old man Zhang glanced at it and nodded: "I made it with leftover scrap wood. Others thought it was too small, so it's been there for a long time."
"Can I have these two cabinets?"
"Why not?" Old Man Zhang was very happy when he heard someone wanted these two small cabinets. "As long as you don't mind them being too small, it's fine."
There were two cabinets in her and Lu Changzheng's bedroom, one on each side.
Liu Meiyu and Mr. Zhang agreed on the price of the two cabinets, and also mentioned the requirements for other furniture, including a cupboard, a dining table, a long bench, a low bench, and a foot basin... After all the calculations, it would cost about fifty or sixty yuan.
Private transactions were not allowed at that time, but most of the villagers on Hulu Island made a living by fishing, and the fish they caught were all handed over to the purchasing station. There was not enough land on the island for them to grow food, so life was very difficult in winter. Therefore, most of the villagers on the island would take on some furniture-making work from the army, but they could not do it privately. They had to do it openly, through the village brigade, write a note, and hand the money to the branch secretary and accountant for recording, and then convert it into a certain amount of work points and give it to Lao Zhang.
The ordered furniture could be made in three to five days at the fastest, or ten days at the slowest. Liu Meiyu had an idea in mind, so she went to the village brigade with Lu Changzheng and Zhang Daye to get a note and pay the money. She would pay a part of the deposit first, and pay the rest after all the furniture was made.
It was already afternoon when she returned home from the village. It gets dark early on the island. After eating and cleaning up, Liu Meiyu looked at her watch and it was only 7:30 in the evening.
It’s too early to go to bed at this hour, but if I don’t go to bed, I can only sit on the kang and stare blankly.
"When can our luggage be delivered?"
"Tomorrow," said Lu Changzheng, who had nothing to do after eating. He was playing with his brother-in-law on the kang. "Tomorrow I'll ask someone to go to the dock and take a look."
Liu Meiyu nodded. In the luggage she sent by mail was the wool she bought in Shanghai. If she was really bored, she could knit two sweaters, but she would have to find a teacher to teach her first.
Chatting with Lu Changzheng intermittently, only over an hour had passed, and Liu Bowen was very happy. He felt warm on the kang bed, his sister was guarding him, and there were people playing with him. The little boy was reluctant at first, but soon, he started playing with Lu Changzheng by throwing pillows, his laughter became louder, and he even had the audacity to ride on Lu Changzheng's neck.
Lu Changzheng was really a man without a temper towards his brother-in-law. If Liu Meiyu were to tell him, he would be very used to having to raise a child all by himself.
However, Liu Meiyu rarely saw Liu Bowen so happy. His eyes were narrowed into small crescents due to smiling. Thinking about the patience that Lu Changzheng had spent on Liu Bowen for such a long time, he finally saw some reward today.
When it was time to go to bed at around nine o'clock, the three of them rolled on the same kang as usual, and this time it was Liu Bowen's turn to sleep in the middle.
Liu Meiyu also had good intentions and didn't want him to suffer like this every day.
What could Lu Changzheng say? From having a soft and fragrant body in his arms, he was replaced by a brother-in-law who drooled when he slept. He felt both disgusted and helpless, and only hoped to send his brother-in-law to the next room as soon as possible.
However, this wish never came true.
The vacation of the Long March was only a few days. Before Liu Meiyun could persuade her brother-in-law to sleep alone at night, he had to return to the army to start heavy training. Unfortunately, he was on a field training and was away from home for almost half a month.
During the time when he was training in the field, there were only Liu Meiyu and Liu Bowen at home. Wu Guifang would occasionally bring Da Ya and Xiao Ya to sit with them, or take her for a walk on the island and chat with other military wives.
Whenever she went out, Liu Bowen would always be brought along. Gradually, all the military wives in the family quarters on the island came to know that the new battalion commander Lu had married a woman from Shanghai, who was very pretty and easy to get along with. But, the fact that she married while bringing her younger brother along was quite gossip-inducing.
Speaking of difficulties, who's family doesn't have difficulties these days, but even if I help my mother's family, there is no reason to marry my younger brother with me.
This kind of behavior will cause more gossip than marrying a widow and raising a son for her.
After all, if the widow was married, her son could still call her father, but Lu Changzheng was raising a brother-in-law! He was raising him for nothing for his mother-in-law's family!
Therefore, during these days of going out, apart from Mrs. Wu, Liu Meiyu didn't meet anyone who was friendly to her. Most of them were indifferent to her, and some even mocked her to her face.
Liu Meiyun didn't take it to heart at all. She thought that others had their own mouths, but her life was her own. She and Liu Bowen ate and slept every day, and their life was very comfortable.
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