Qian Duoduo was quite surprised to hear this. Perhaps it was because she grew up in the fertile black soil of Northeast China that she had the impression that all land should be like that.
Even later, in Jiangxi or Xinjiang provinces, I never imagined that I would have to carry mud from other places to grow some land. You know, it takes an hour to get here from Hainan Island by boat.
Thinking about it, it really was hard work! While Qian Duoduo was lost in thought, Qian Feng had already tidied up the room where his younger sister slept.
Qian Duoduo and Qian Feng had a meal and then rested for the night. When they woke up, Qian Feng was no longer home. Seeing the note left by Qian Feng, Qian Duoduo went to the kitchen. Although there were no traces of Ling Yun's life there, it still gave the feeling that there was a female head of the household.
Just as she was eating, there was a knock on the front door. Qian Duoduo didn't want to answer it, but the person outside seemed persistent, so she reluctantly stood up, walked to the door, and opened it. Standing there was a woman who looked gentle and kind. Seeing Qian Duoduo open the door, she smiled and said, "Hello, sister-in-law, I'm the wife of the battalion commander. My name is Chen Jiao, and I'm right behind you."
Qian Duoduo looked at her and said with a smile, "Is there something you need?"
Chen Jiao said, "I'm going to our military wives' vegetable garden, do you want to come?"
Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up: "Can I go?"
Chen Jiao nodded: "This morning, I ran into Commander Qian, and he asked me to take you there."
Qian Duoduo immediately smiled and said, "Well, sister-in-law, wait for me a moment, I'm going to get a bag." After saying that, she quickly ran back to her room, took out her small backpack, and returned to the door. Seeing that Chen Jiao was also carrying a basket, she said somewhat apologetically, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Chen Jiao smiled and walked to the side, saying, "Let's go!"
Qian Duoduo followed behind Chen Jiao, and the two chatted as they walked. Only then did Chen Jiao realize that she had made a mistake. This was Commander Qian's sister, not his lover. She immediately said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Duoduo, I thought you were Commander Qian's lover."
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "It's okay. We didn't know each other before, so it's inevitable that we'd make a mistake."
Chen Jiao said, "Actually, each family compound here has a small vegetable garden, so that everyone can have something to do and vegetables to eat on this island."
Qian Duoduo asked, "Does my brother have one too?"
Chen Jiao nodded and said, "Yes, it's actually right next to my family's vegetable garden, but now it's been planted by the Erlian family."
Qian Duoduo asked curiously, "Why?"
Chen Jiao said, "Commander Qian has always lived alone here and usually eats in the canteen. Even if this vegetable garden is allocated to him, he doesn't have time to plant it. Besides, the Second Company Commander's mother is quite formidable, and no one wants to stoop to her level."
Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "I came here this time to see if I can solve the problem of growing vegetables and food on our island."
Chen Jiao said in surprise, "You know how to do these things?"
Qian Duoduo said, "This is what I studied in college, and this island is also my research area."
Chen Jiao was even more surprised: "You're a college student?"
Qian Duoduo nodded: "In my family, my eldest brother, my second brother, my third brother, and I are all college students."
Chen Jiao looked at Qian Duoduo with envy and said, "Is your family a scholarly family?"
Qian Duoduo shook her head and said, "My parents are farmers who toil in the fields for a living. They would rather go hungry than not send us to school. During the most difficult years, we had to divide every penny into eight parts to spend." As she said this, Qian Duoduo had a lot of bitter memories to cherish.
Chen Jiao thought about how her own family had once lived a similar life, but she didn't have parents like the Qian family. The envy in her voice was palpable: "Your parents are really wonderful." Then she whispered, "Why don't I have parents like that?"
Even though her voice was soft, Qian Duoduo still caught it. She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, if I want to get my brother's land back, how difficult do you think it will be?"
Chen Jiao sighed, "It's extremely difficult. You have no idea. That old lady is incredibly difficult to deal with. Even the wife of the company commander of the Second Company is suffocated by her. When she starts cursing, she can go on and on without repeating herself. Just because the company commander's wife had a daughter as her first child, she cursed at her right in front of her, almost reaching out to her daughter-in-law's nose. As a result, the daughter-in-law got angry and her milk dried up. The baby cried loudly from hunger, but the old lady pretended not to hear it. It wasn't until the political commissar's wife passed by, couldn't bear to see it, and gave the baby a bowl of rice porridge that the matter was resolved."
Qian Duoduo thought for a moment. This old lady was comparable to Old Lady Liu from her village. No, Old Lady Liu was a little better than her in that she cared more about the children. She nodded and said, "Didn't the Second Company Commander say anything?"
Chen Jiao shook her head and said, "No, the second company commander listens to his mother very much."
Qian Duoduo asked, "Does the Second Company Commander want to leave?"
Chen Jiao smiled and said, "How did you know?"
Qian Duoduo shrugged: "Just a guess!"
Chen Jiao: "How could I not have thought about it? But it's impossible for him to be transferred out at the same level. He doesn't have any status or background. It's quite remarkable that he has reached the position of company commander. Ever since his mother came to live with him, she has offended all the family members of his rank in the compound. He can only apologize to each and every one of them, and he is stingy with his money. Now no one wants to have anything to do with his family."
Qian Duoduo nodded. "A mama's boy? No fun!"
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