Chapter 41
Gu Xi was stunned for a long time.
When she was picked up, she instinctively leaned closer to him, then realized what was happening, her face turning bright red, even a little embarrassed and annoyed.
"How...how could you..."
Shen Mingzheng's expression was calm. Although his expression was gentler than when he was outside, it was still impossible to tell what emotions he had. Only the tips of his ears were slightly red. However, the curtains were drawn inside, and the light was dim, so it was difficult to see clearly.
He reached out and brushed the sweaty hair clinging to her cheek, lowered his head and kissed her rosy face, giving a casual "hmm," it was unclear whether he was agreeing with her or something else.
In the dimly lit and simple room, the two snuggled together on a narrow bed, whispering sweet nothings, their breaths mingling, their hot sweat soaking into each other's skin.
He reluctantly let go of her when her stomach started growling, and got out of bed to find her some clothes.
Gu Xi huddled under the sheets, hiding her flushed face.
She really didn't expect to be in a place like this...
My eyes involuntarily fell on the clothes I was lying on. They were all wrinkled and had suspicious water stains on them... Luckily, they hadn't soiled the sheets, otherwise people would have known what they were doing in the guesthouse.
Shen Mingzheng took out clean clothes from his luggage bag, put them on himself, and then took a set of clothes to give to her.
Seeing her hiding herself under the sheets like an ostrich, a smile appeared in his eyes. He reached out and pulled her out. "Get dressed, let's go out for breakfast."
Gu Xi tugged at the bed sheet, afraid he would dress her, and said sullenly, "Give it to me, I'll dress myself."
Shen Mingzheng was somewhat disappointed, but also worried that too much fuss would upset her stomach, so he didn't do anything more.
The two dressed neatly, washed up, and then left the room.
When I went out, I found that the person guarding the guesthouse was Sister Zhong's daughter, a girl of sixteen or seventeen.
She greeted him, "Brother Shen, are you going out?"
Shen Mingzheng nodded slightly to her, responded, and led Gu Xi away.
Gu Xi could sense that most of the gazes from Sister Zhong's daughter were fixed on Shen Mingzheng, and she understood something in her heart.
Sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls are at the age when they are just beginning to experience romantic feelings, and it is normal for them to develop feelings for good-looking and outstanding men.
Thinking of those two bowls of noodles last night, I knew that although the girl had some thoughts, she knew her limits and would understand when she grew up that it was just a vague crush during her teenage years.
After leaving the guesthouse, Shen Mingzheng took Gu Xi to a nearby state-run restaurant for breakfast.
It was past breakfast time, and there weren't many people in the restaurant. They quickly brought out the shredded pork noodles they ordered.
The noodles were very chewy, and the soup was very delicious, which shows that the chef in the restaurant has real skills.
Although there was a shortage of food and clothing in this era, the ingredients were really good, all of them were all natural, and as long as you cooked with care, it was rare to find something that didn't taste good.
Gu Xi often sees people from the future complaining online that food no longer tastes like it used to. She hasn't tasted food from the future, so she doesn't know if that's true, but eating delicious food certainly makes her feel happy.
After eating noodles, Shen Mingzheng took her to a department store in the city.
He explained to her, "The army has a supply and marketing cooperative, but they don't have many items. You have to buy some things at the department stores in the city..."
"The nearest town to the military base is about a half-hour bike ride away. However, there aren't many things to buy in the town. But there's a market on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. The market is very lively, and people from nearby villages and farms bring their own agricultural products to sell..."
Gu Xi listened silently and realized that the situation in the army was not as bad as she had imagined.
At least it's not the kind of place deep in the mountains where you have to spend a whole day and transfer buses to get to the city to buy things.
Upon arriving at the department store, Shen Mingzheng said, "See if there's anything we're missing, buy some to take back. We can have the military vehicles help transport it back, so don't worry."
Gu Xi gave an "oh," looking somewhat bewildered, "Is there anything missing at home?"
This was the first time in two lifetimes that she had lived alone away from her elders, and she really didn't know what she lacked or what she needed to buy.
Shen Mingzheng had been living alone for over a decade and had more life experience than her. After a moment's thought, he made a list of things she needed to buy and took her to buy a thermos, pots and pans, as well as writing brushes, ink, paper, and other supplies, and things like face cream that women need...
As he bought face cream, Gu Xi's eyes widened, "How come you..."
How come he knows more than a girl like her?
Shen Mingzheng said, "I heard from a comrade that his wife likes to use this. When the weather gets cool, her skin tends to become dry and cracked, and this helps."
Gu Xi gave an "oh" and wondered to herself, "What do you guys usually talk about?"
They don't just talk about women, do they?
Thinking this, she looked up at him and met his cold and serious face. She felt a sense of awe and inviolability and felt that her thoughts were a desecration of his military uniform.
Finally, I also bought a lot of food, including candies, snacks, and some cooking seasonings.
Shen Mingzheng said, "If you don't want to cook, you can eat in the cafeteria, but some of the food there doesn't taste very good."
He couldn't bear to treat her poorly. She usually ate so little; if the food wasn't good, wouldn't she eat even less?
So if you have enough time, it's best to cook at home.
Gu Xi had no objection. She also felt that cooking at home was better, mainly because she could cook whatever she wanted. She was confident in her cooking skills, after all, she had been cooking for five years since returning to the Gu family, and even the picky Gu family members thought she was doing a good job.
Moreover, she also knew how to cook many dishes from later generations. When she was a ghost, she often used other people's internet to watch a lot of food videos, so she could learn to cook them. She couldn't cook the complicated ones, but she could still cook the simple ones.
With this in mind, Gu Xi looked forward to the future even more.
Being alive seems to be a wonderful thing.
They bought so many things that the cloth bags used to carry them were bulging, and Shen Mingzheng was also carrying a large item tied with hemp rope in his other hand.
The two of them went on a shopping spree, buying whatever they saw, and ended up buying so much that they didn't even know what they had bought.
If Gu Xi hadn't stopped him, he probably would have continued buying.
She was a little embarrassed. "Brother, let's stop here for now. We can't carry any more back."
Shen Mingzheng said, "It's okay, we'll buy it all at once, so we don't have to worry about running out of things when we get back, which would be inconvenient."
His idea was to buy everything at once, so she wouldn't have to worry about it.
Finally, the two of them returned to the guesthouse carrying things in their hands, leaving Sister Zhong dumbfounded. She asked, "Why did you buy so much stuff?"
Are they moving?
Shen Mingzheng said, "This is my wife's first time accompanying a soldier to the military base. She will be living there from now on, so I want to make sure she has all the necessary things so we don't have to go out to buy them anymore."
Sister Zhong nodded, "That makes sense. It's not easy to furnish a home, so it's better to buy everything at once."
Back at the guesthouse, it was almost time to leave, so the two packed their things.
After they checked out of the room, Shen Mingzheng gave Sister Zhong a bag of snacks and fruit as a thank you for taking care of them.
Sister Zhong couldn't refuse, so she accepted the gift and asked with concern, "Where do your unit's vehicles park? Do you want me to drive you there? It's not easy to carry all this stuff."
She looked at Gu Xi. It was the first time she had seen such a beautiful girl, like a fairy in an opera. However, she was too thin and frail, giving people a very fragile feeling. She probably worried that she would get tired if she carried a thermos.
Shen Mingzheng said, "No need to trouble yourself."
Sister Zhong didn't think it was a problem and kindly helped to take them there.
She had originally wanted to help carry more, worried that Gu Xi wouldn't be able to carry it all, but to her surprise, she saw Gu Xi carrying a duffel bag in her left hand and a cloth bag filled with food in her right hand, walking out of the guesthouse with them with ease.
Previously, with less luggage, Shen Mingzheng carried it all. Now that they've bought so many things, Shen Mingzheng's hands are full, so Gu Xi naturally wants to help share some of the load.
Shen Mingzheng realized that she seemed to be quite strong, and seeing that she didn't insist, he let her carry it.
Seeing Sister Zhong looking over, Gu Xi looked at her in confusion.
"Wow, your daughter is really strong!" Sister Zhong exclaimed, realizing that this woman was not as fragile as she had imagined, but was actually quite capable.
Gu Xi smiled shyly and said, "I developed it while doing farm work in the countryside." It was indeed something she had developed since childhood, but she was also stronger than the average person. Perhaps the fact that she had been a ghost had some influence on her strength. After her rebirth, she seemed to be even stronger, which was why she could beat Gu Yuanhui so badly.
I don't know if this counts as compensation for being a ghost for decades.
"Oh my, your daughter has done farm work before? I really can't believe it."
Sister Zhong's attitude became increasingly enthusiastic, and she looked at Gu Xi with curiosity, thinking that she and Shen Mingzheng were a perfect match.
As a young and promising officer with outstanding looks, Sister Zhong had considered matchmaking for him. This is something many women like her would do: when they see outstanding young men, they want to play matchmaker for them.
Little did he know that the man already had a fiancée; he was just waiting for her to finish her studies before they would get married.
He had wondered what his fiancée would be like, but after meeting her, he realized she was incredibly beautiful and didn't seem like someone who could do housework. It turned out he had misjudged her.
Sister Zhong's ancestors were farmers for eight generations. She later married into the city, but deep down she still considers herself a farmer. She is a hard worker and acts with great energy.
She liked this kind of capable girl, thinking she was a pampered city girl, but little did she know she was just like her.
This made her feel closer to Gu Xi, as the sense of distance created by Gu Xi's outstanding appearance instantly disappeared.
The three of them went to a street near the guesthouse and waited by the roadside.
When military vehicles come into the city, anyone who needs to take a ride back to the unit can wait here.
After dropping them off here, Sister Zhong left, and Shen Mingzheng and Gu Xi stood under the shade of the tree waiting.
It was already close to noon.
They had eaten breakfast quite late earlier, so neither of them was hungry and didn't go out to eat anything else. They just bought some steamed buns and pastries to keep on hand so they could eat them in the car if they got hungry.
After waiting for about ten minutes, a jeep drove up and stopped on the side of the road.
The car door opened, and a dark-skinned, spirited young soldier jumped out, excitedly calling out, "Commander Shen, you're back!" His gaze fell on Gu Xi, and his eyes widened instantly. He said somewhat shyly, "This...this is your sister-in-law, isn't it?"
This woman is so beautiful and young; she looks like she just turned eighteen.
Everyone in the army knew that Commander Shen had taken leave to go home and get married.
Looking at the young woman standing next to him, one can tell that she must be his newlywed wife.
Shen Mingzheng called out "Xiao Fang" and introduced, "This is my wife, Gu Xi, and this is Fang Yongzhi."
"Comrade Fang," Gu Xi greeted Xiao Fang.
Xiao Fang quickly waved his hand, "Sister-in-law, just call me Xiao Fang."
As Xiao Fang helped carry things into the car, he said, "Commander Shen, we still need to pick up the brigade political commissar later. He's out on business today."
Shen Mingzheng suddenly realized that the vehicle that came to pick them up today was a logistics procurement vehicle from the military. He didn't expect it to be this one, so he knew that an officer was out on business.
After moving their luggage to the trunk, the three of them got into the car.
The car drove to the municipal party committee compound and picked up the brigade's political commissar.
The brigade political commissar was a middle-aged man who looked very energetic. He was wearing a military uniform, was a little overweight, and had a cheerful and approachable demeanor.
They then introduced themselves to each other again.
The brigade political commissar warmly welcomed Gu Xi, saying with a smile, "We've been worried about Commander Shen's marriage, but now that he's finally married, we can rest assured. You two should get along well and live a good life together. If Comrade Gu encounters any problems, you can report them to the organization..."
After a string of polite words, Gu Xi could only respond.
The brigade political commissar, as expected of someone who works in political and ideological work, spoke eloquently, and Gu Xi responded to him obediently.
Along the way, listening to the brigade political commissar and Shen Mingzheng chat, although it was mostly the political commissar talking and Shen Mingzheng just responding, it wasn't boring.
After about three hours, we finally arrived at the military base.
At the military gate, soldiers stood ramrod straight, guns at their sides.
As the car drove in, it was discovered that the place was quite large. The military base was built against the mountain, with the houses arranged in a staggered manner. The family quarters were located at the foot of the mountain, and there was a river not far away.
The houses here are all single-story, arranged in rows, and there are quite a few of them.
The car drove into the residential compound and stopped at a bungalow on the edge.
It was already afternoon, and the car attracted a lot of attention as it drove in.
Near the main gate of the residential compound, there are several lush trees forming a shady area, and a pavilion for people to rest and cool off. It looks like a gathering place, where many women sit and work or chat.
As soon as they saw a car approaching, everyone craned their necks to look and chatted amongst themselves.
"Oh dear, whose family member is here?"
"Are there any battalion commanders or regimental commanders whose family members are planning to accompany them to the military recently?"
The cars that usually drive in are bringing family members, mainly because they have too much luggage and need to be taken to the door.
"It seems that a deputy battalion commander from the Second Brigade has applied for housing."
"The Third Brigade also has a battalion commander applying..."
"It's not easy to apply for a house now; you can only apply for a bungalow. If it were two years ago, you might have been able to apply for a new apartment building over there."
"Yes, apartment buildings are so nice. I also want to live in an apartment building, but unfortunately I didn't get one in the lottery."
Due to the limited number of buildings, the military adopted a lottery system, and only those who were selected could move into the buildings.
"The apartment buildings look nice, but they're actually very inconvenient. I heard that the apartments are quite small, not as big as the bungalows here. There's no place to grow vegetables, and sometimes the water supply is cut off. If you live on a higher floor, the water can't be pumped up."
"It seems that bungalows are indeed good, with a yard, it's convenient to grow some vegetables to eat."
"But the bungalows are so dilapidated, and there are so many mosquitoes. I still prefer to live in a clean apartment building."
"..."
As everyone was chatting, they saw where the car was parked and finally realized which family's relatives had come.
"So it was a family member of Commander Shen."
"I heard he took leave this month to go back home and get married. Is he bringing his sweetheart with him?"
Someone said sourly, "I wonder what his wife looks like. I heard she's from the city. I guess she can't do any work. I wonder if she'll be a burden to Commander Shen? If you ask me, a man should marry a wife who can do the work. That way, they can rest assured when he's on a mission. I was even thinking of introducing my niece to him, but unfortunately, he already has a fiancée."
Someone who didn't get along with her couldn't stand her sour attitude and immediately said, "What's there to introduce! I'm telling you, Wan Cuihua, your niece is so ugly, how dare you introduce her to Commander Shen? Even if Commander Shen doesn't have a fiancée, he wouldn't even look at your niece."
"Nonsense! What's wrong with my niece? She can earn ten work points a day working in the fields, she's even better than a man!"
"I didn't say she was bad. You're just delusional, thinking you can marry your niece to Commander Shen and get a dowry, right? How dare you ask for a thousand yuan as a dowry before the deal is even done? Who would dare to marry her?"
"What's it to you? You talk too much nonsense."
"Oh, are you getting angry because you're embarrassed? You dare to bring it up, are you afraid of what people will say?"
"You... I'll fight you to the death!"
The two women started fighting instantly, which quickly involved others, and soon escalated into a group fight.
"Ahhh—stop fighting!"
-
On the other side, Gu Xi had just gotten out of the car when she looked over there in a daze.
The chaos here is visible even from afar, but we don't know what happened; it seems like a fight has broken out.
The brigade political commissar was still in the car. He had originally wanted to check if Shen Mingzheng needed any help, since it wasn't easy for military spouses to accompany their husbands to the military, and as the political commissar, he should also pay more attention to their needs.
Who would have thought that military spouses would actually get into a fight? Isn't this setting a bad example for newly arrived military wives?
Xiao Fang also looked embarrassed.
He had heard before that some of the women in his wife's family were very fierce and would fight at the slightest disagreement. They were much more aggressive than men when they fought because they would hit where it hurt. Scratching faces and hair was common, and they would even pick at each other's hair...
It's pretty scary anyway.
He glanced at Gu Xi and thought that Commander Shen's wife was gentle and refined, and probably not the type to fight.
But what if someone gets into a conflict with her in the future and hits her?
She's so thin and weak, she definitely can't win.
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