Chapter 18 Military Marriage 7
This stuff is really expensive, it costs 11.5 yuan per pound. Five pounds of yarn cost her almost 60 yuan. But you can't blame it for being expensive, since it can be reused. If you don't like the pattern you knitted or the clothes are too small, you can unravel it and knit them again.
In those days, there weren't many entertainment programs, so Ning Yan treated knitting as a pastime.
In addition, she bought Xiao Nian a coat and shoes, and she didn't skimp on herself, buying all the best-looking clothes on the market.
The Xiao family was wealthy. Although the couple did not hold a wedding in the capital, their families all sent money: two thousand to their parents, five hundred each to their older siblings, and the old man was the most generous, giving ten thousand.
Xiao Nian still had more than four thousand in his savings account, plus the two thousand he got back from Zhou Hongjun. Ning Yan asked, "She's so rich now, why is she keeping the money instead of spending it?"
Seeing that Ning Yan, a novice, had turned five pounds of yarn into beautiful sweaters and pants, the man still hadn't returned.
Ning Yan was genuinely worried and wanted to go to the political commissar's house to inquire about the situation, but she was afraid of violating any rules and dragging Xiao Nian down again, so she could only keep her worries to herself and go about her daily life as usual.
It is said that optimistic people are blessed. She is so optimistic, so she must be blessed. God will not let her lose her husband at such a young age.
Time flew by and it was already December.
Bai Moli, the neighbor, often came home to freeload. Since she and Zhou Hongjun were married, Bai Tuan stopped chasing her with a feather duster, but he still cursed at her quite a bit.
Zhou Hongjun would occasionally come to pick people up. That day, Ning Yan happened to be coming back from the cafeteria with a red scarf, wearing the latest coat and a pair of newly bought black leather shoes. The two bumped into each other outside the courtyard, and she clearly saw the jealousy in Bai Moli's eyes.
Even because Zhou Hongjun glanced at her a couple of times, Bai Moli did a spiral eighteen twists around his waist.
Ning Yan was truly unbearable to look at.
That day, Ning Yan was called by Sister-in-law Zhou to go to the countryside to "exchange" supplies.
They have strict regulations here, but there will still be markets at the end of the year to facilitate the exchange of goods for the New Year.
Ning Yan and Sister-in-law Zhou went on a shopping spree at the market. Ning Yan bought more than 20 jin of pork alone, along with 5 jin of mutton, vermicelli, frozen tofu, bean curd slices, cabbage, radishes, potatoes... She wouldn't let go of anything edible that was available at the market.
When she got home, she smelled the aroma of food as soon as she entered the yard.
She was overjoyed, knowing that her man had returned.
Xiao Nian did indeed return today. He had completed his mission perfectly. After reporting to his superiors, he went home, only to find that his wife wasn't there. He asked around among the neighbors and learned that she had gone to the market. He immediately started preparing lunch so that his wife wouldn't be hungry when she got back.
She even washed herself thoroughly, inside and out.
Hearing the noise outside the door, Xiao Nian immediately came out to greet them. He saw his wife pushing a bicycle, which was full of things. He quickly went over to help her take the things. After all the food was put away, the couple went into the east room.
Are you injured?
Xiao Nian smiled and said, "No, I'm fine."
After saying that, he turned around to fetch water, poured some hot water into the basin, and when he felt the temperature was about right, he gestured for Ning Yan to wash her face.
Ning Yan quickly washed herself, "You're not going to keep waiting while I'm still hungry, are you?"
This man is a bit love-struck; he becomes silly whenever it involves her.
"I heard from the political commissar that you and Sister-in-law Zhou went to the market, so I didn't wait for you and just made dinner early." As he spoke, he handed her a fragrant handkerchief, which she took after using it, and then handed her a white towel.
He picked Ning Yan up while she was wiping her face.
Ning Yan smiled, annoyed. This man was really clingy, but she didn't dislike him.
"Behave yourself in broad daylight. You just got back, so some people might come over for a visit."
Xiao Nian's hand was already inside Ning Yan's clothes. They had just gotten married and had been separated for more than two months. Who could resist that?
"I just locked the door. Who would be so blind as to knock on our door when it's locked? Good wife..."
He ran his hand around his wife's lower abdomen. He had been away from home for more than two months, and he hadn't expected his wife to have gained weight. Look, her little belly is showing.
However, driven by lust, he didn't have time to think about that and coaxed and tricked her back into bed.
But my wife wasn't very cooperative.
Lying down doesn't work, so I kick him; pressing him down doesn't work, so I scratch him. He still won't exert any effort, he won't even ride a horse, he can only lie on his side.
She clearly liked him a lot, but something was off about her today.
Half an hour later, Xiao Nian got out of bed and brought hot water to wipe the two of them down.
This time, he truly realized something was wrong.
"Honey, what's wrong with your belly?"
Ning Yan pulled Xiao Nian's hand and placed it on her stomach. "Silly boy, what else could it be? I'm pregnant, and your child is here."
Xiao Nian's hand trembled as if it had been burned, then he grinned widely. If his subordinates saw this, they would probably laugh him to death.
After laughing for a while, he became a little scared and asked, "Did you hurt the child just now?"
Ning Yan raised her hand and slapped his arm. "Don't you think it's too late now that you've only just realized this? Don't worry, it's okay. It's been more than three months already. As long as it's not too intense, it'll be fine."
Xiao Nian breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."
He dared not do anything reckless again. He never expected his wife to get pregnant so quickly. He had been looking forward to a few years of just the two of them.
But it's good that the child is here. His grandfather had been urging him to have a child, saying he would help him raise it. But there's no need for that; his grandfather can just pay for it.
Hehe, squeeze more money out of Grandpa and give it all to my wife.
The next morning, Xiao Nian went out wearing the new sweater and trousers that his wife had knitted for him, which were both beautiful and fit him perfectly. He called home to tell his family that his wife was pregnant, and they knew exactly what to do next.
Secondly, I found a few teammates and we planned to go up the mountain together.
In previous years, the team would also go hunting in the mountains, and sometimes they would be lucky enough to catch a big one.
He has three days off after completing his mission. His wife is pregnant, so he needs to hunt some game to nourish her body.
The group of six, including Qu Muyang, went up the mountain and returned the next afternoon, having hunted a sika deer, two roe deer, and several pheasants and rabbits.
His family's situation was special. In addition to his share, he also bought half a deer from two other people, so he could take home half a deer, half a spore, two pheasants, and two rabbits.
When Xiao Nian brought home his prey, Bai Moli, who was coming home from next door, saw it and told Zhou Hongjun about it.
Zhou Hongjun was still upset that he couldn't participate in the last mission. He even asked the deputy team leader about it. The deputy team leader's answer was that this mission was of great importance and that the candidates were selected after a comprehensive evaluation.
Zhou Hongjun automatically interpreted this as meaning that his overall quality was inferior to Xiao Nian's, and since they couldn't compete in tasks, they could compete in hunting!
He wanted to show everyone in the team that Zhou Hongjun was no less capable than anyone else!
When Ning Yan heard the news, she muttered to her husband, "These days, there's always something to compare. But given his character, I hope he doesn't run into a herd of wild boars!"
Hunting again? Don't get shot by your prey!
Her words turned out to be prophetic.
Special forces also have holidays, a total of eight days before and after the Lunar New Year. Everyone takes turns resting starting from the 24th.
Zhou Hongjun chose to take a leave of absence before the Lunar New Year. He called five comrades-in-arms and entered the mountains on the 26th, planning to stay on the mountain for two days before returning.
As a result, on the night of the 27th, one of the special forces members who had gone up the mountain with them ran back in a disheveled state to report the news.
They encountered a pack of wolves in the deep mountains and got separated while fleeing. The others later reunited, but Zhou Hongjun was nowhere to be found. They went back to look for him and found wild boar hoof prints on the hillside, as well as traces of something rolling down the hillside. After that, they couldn't find him anymore.
Bai Moli cried and begged her father to send soldiers up the mountain to find the person. Xiao Nian, as the leader of several special forces soldiers, naturally went as well.
Ning Yan was on tenterhooks when she heard there was a pack of wolves on the mountain, and Xiao Nian didn't return until almost dawn.
Ning Yan sat up when she heard the noise.
"Silly wife, I told you not to wait for me. With so many of us, how could anything happen to us?"
Ning Yan touched his cold hand. "No, I fell asleep while waiting, so the light was on the whole time. I woke up suddenly half an hour ago, and since it was almost dawn, I decided not to go back to sleep."
I'll get you a glass of hot water.
Xiao Nian quickly pressed her back down and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll pour it myself and start cooking the porridge while I'm at it. You stay put and don't get cold."
It's so cold outside. Even someone as energetic as him, after running around outside all night, must be freezing.
His wife is so delicate, she'll surely freeze.
Soon the porridge was cooked. Because the place was in the north, half of the room was a bed and the other half a kang (a heated brick bed). Once a fire was added to the stove, the kang got warm.
After setting up the firewood, Xiao Nian went inside. "Guess how Zhou Hongjun is doing?"
"They're saved? Was it a broken arm or a broken leg?"
"Dead."
Ning Yan exclaimed in surprise, "What? He's really dead?"
"He was quite unlucky. Judging from the traces, he encountered a pack of wolves and then ran into a wild boar. He accidentally rolled down the hillside. He should have been alive when he rolled down, but a wolf found him and bit him to death."
When they found him, Zhou Hongjun's body was almost completely gone. They still recognized him from his tattered military uniform. Anyway, it was a terrible sight.
But I can't tell my wife this, I can't scare her.
"Bai Moli went up the mountain to look for the person, and when she saw the scene, she fainted on the spot. When she was taken to the hospital for a check-up, she found out that she was pregnant, only one month along."
The two had only been married for a little over a month.
However, none of this concerned her, and Ning Yan simply listened and moved on.
When Zhou's mother learned that her son had been killed by wolves, she rushed to the military hospital. Upon seeing Bai Moli, she immediately began to berate her, "You jinx, you piece of trash, you had a man with you but still tried to seduce my son."
As a result, my son died just over a month after we got married. You are a black widow, you bring misfortune to men!
"You piece of trash, why don't you just die? I wish I could eat your flesh and drink your blood!"
Bai Moli was already weak from the shock that had affected her pregnancy. After being scolded by Zhou's mother, she recalled her past life and began to doubt herself. Could it be that she was truly a jinx, and that everyone she had ever married seemed to have really died?
"No, I'm not a jinx! Everyone's been reborn, who else has my luck? I should be the chosen one!"
Zhou's mother thought she had gone mad and went up to hit her. Bai Moli was pinned to the bed and beaten. Her face, arms, and stomach were all targeted. The screams in the ward never stopped.
The two were making such a commotion that it took the arriving medical staff to subdue them.
"I...I have a stomachache..."
Zhou's mother was still struggling, "You little slut, why don't you die of pain? My son is dead, and you should be buried with him! Ahhh, the Zhou family line is over! I will kill you, even if you die a hundred times, it won't relieve my hatred!"
The head nurse said, "Stop joking around. She's carrying your son's child. If this child really dies, your family line will truly end!"
No matter how much Zhou's mother hated Bai Moli, she finally behaved herself when it came to the Zhou family's descendants. But it was too late!
Bai Moli's baby was lost; she miscarried.
Zhou's mother caused another ruckus, even wanting to go to the military base to make trouble. Commander Bai was afraid of her, so he gave her some money to send her away.
Zhou's mother was carrying her son's ashes back to her hometown when she was hit by a car at the train station. The urn she was carrying shattered, and the ashes scattered all over the ground. Zhou's mother was so shocked that she went insane on the spot, and no one has seen her since.
Bai Moli was taken away for investigation by her superiors because she kept saying that she was the female lead and what her future would be like.
Others may not know what was discovered, but it couldn't be hidden from Xiao Nian. "She said she was reborn and mentioned a few things that would happen in the future. Unfortunately, she really knew too little. The thing she remembered most clearly was that there was a traitor in the mission that Qu Muyang was going to participate in. Now the person has been arrested, so she can be considered to have made a small contribution."
The person is still locked up, and it will be a long wait before they are released.
June arrived in the blink of an eye, and Ning Yan gave birth to twin daughters. The two children inherited their parents' good looks, and it's clear that they will grow up to be beauties.
My mother-in-law came to take care of me during my postpartum period, and she also brought a "cousin" to take care of the two babies.
After the full moon celebration, the mother-in-law reluctantly returned to Kyoto.
My cousin stayed there until the news came that the national college entrance examination had been reinstated, and Ning Yan signed up.
After Ning Yan was admitted to Peking University, she returned to Beijing with her child. Xiao Nian, the doting husband, tried every means to study at a military academy. After graduating from the military academy, he was transferred to the Beijing Military Region.
Ning Yan then used her savings to contract a food factory.
Ham sausages, pickled chicken feet, braised eggs, instant noodles—these are all best-selling products of Ning's Food Factory. She, however, became a hands-off manager, only going over the accounts each month and then ignoring everything else.
She also brought her entire family to Beijing. Some went to work in factories, while others went into business, and the family's life got better and better.
By the early 1990s, Xiao Nian had made outstanding contributions on numerous occasions.
But no matter how high his position, Xiao Nian's affection for Ning Yan remained unchanged; he was a devoted husband for his entire life.
When Bai Moli was released, the outside world had become a place she no longer recognized.
In her previous life, her father retired from the position of division commander. In this life, however, he was unable to get promoted because of her and retired early. He also moved out of the military compound. The couple lived in a three-bedroom house and their life was neither good nor bad.
My younger sister is already married and doesn't treat her, her older sister, very warmly.
What hurt her most was that she learned from people around her that Qu Muyang, whom she had always believed would die young, was transferred to the 23rd Regiment because of Ning Yan's reminder, thus escaping his fate of dying young and even having a happy marriage with a son and a daughter.
Unable to bear the blow, she jumped off the roof and committed suicide. She felt that everything that had happened in this life was a dream, and that if she died again, she could start over.
Then, she died forever.
(End of this chapter)
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