Chapter 33 Military Life
The next day, Lu Tingxiao got up early and started to renovate the shower room and toilet.
Lu Tingxiao first pried off the old red bricks bit by bit. Although his movements were a little unfamiliar, he was very serious. Sweat slid down his resolute face, and he just wiped it casually with his sleeve.
Then, according to the design he had drawn earlier, he began to lay the newly purchased blue bricks in the bathroom and toilet. This made the floor look much cleaner, and the new blue bricks are also non-slip. During this time, the neighbor's wife, Zhang, passed by the door and curiously poked her head in to ask, "Lu Tuan, what are you doing with all that banging?"
Lu Tingxiao smiled and replied, "Mrs. Zhang, I made this toilet and bathroom more convenient and non-slip. Water often accumulates here, and the bricks are covered with moss. It's easy to slip when taking a shower or going to the toilet at night. I bought new bricks yesterday to re-pave them. I can also use the old bricks to build a small vegetable garden in the yard and grow some vegetables!"
"You two are quite good at managing your life. When you have your vegetable garden ready, go to your sister-in-law's house and get some vegetable seedlings. It's faster than planting seeds, and you can eat them soon!"
"Thank you, sister-in-law. When it's done, I'll go to your house and get some seedlings!"
After finally finishing the blue bricks, he started tinkering with the water pipes. He carefully studied the direction of the water pipes and connected each interface cautiously, fearing that any mistake would cause a water leak.
Jiang Ruoxi got up and saw that Lu Tingxiao was not there. She touched the place where he had slept and it was cold, which meant that Lu Tingxiao had gotten up a long time ago. When Jiang Ruoxi walked out of the room, she heard a series of tinkling sounds coming from the bathroom. She walked over curiously and saw that Lu Tingxiao was concentrating on repairing the bathroom and toilet.
Lu Tingxiao rolled up his sleeves, sweat slightly beading on his forehead, but his eyes were full of seriousness. With tools in hand, he carefully inspected every corner and meticulously dealt with minor flaws. Seeing how focused and devoted he was, Jiang Ruoxi felt touched.
Seeing Lu Tingxiao busy at work, Jiang Ruoxi raised her lips and smiled brilliantly, her eyes full of affirmation and admiration: "Tingxiao, I didn't expect you to have such skills. You have renovated the bathroom and toilet so well, it's amazing!"
Lu Tingxiao scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "I just fixed it casually. I found some minor problems before, so I thought I'd fix them while we were laying the bricks and digging the water pipes, so as not to affect our use."
Jiang Ruoxi walked forward and patted his shoulder gently: "This is not a casual thing, look how perfectly the details are handled. With you here, it feels like any problem can be easily solved."
When Lu Tingxiao heard her affirmation, his heart felt as sweet as honey, and a satisfied smile spread across his originally tired face. In Jiang Ruoxi's trusting and affirmative eyes, he secretly vowed to do his best in everything in life for her in the future.
"Tingxiao, you go ahead and do it. I'll just make some noodles!"
"Okay, let's just have a bite first. When I'm done, we'll go buy some food and cook a proper meal!"
"OK!"
Jiang Ruoxi went to the kitchen and simply cooked some vegetable noodles. She also fried an egg for each person, brought the noodles to the table, and shouted to Lu Tingxiao, "Tingxiao, it's time to eat. Eat first and then work!"
Lu Tingxiao washed his hands, came over and picked up the bowl, and smelled a fragrance: "Wife, these noodles are so delicious!" After saying that, he slurped up the noodles.
"If it tastes good, eat more. There's more in the pot!"
The two of them quickly finished their meal and cleaned up. Lu Tingxiao then went on to renovate the bathroom. After a day of hard work, the originally shabby shower room and bathroom finally looked brand new. Lu Tingxiao stood in the middle, looking at the fruits of his labor, a pleased smile on his dusty face, as if he saw a picture of a comfortable life here in the future.
After half a day of hard work, the shower room and toilet were finally renovated. Now I won't slip when taking a shower or going to the toilet. At this moment, a beautiful figure came into his sight—it turned out to be Jiang Ruoxi standing quietly at the door. Her delicate face looked even more charming under the soft light, and the corners of her mouth raised slightly, revealing a charming smile. This smile was like the warmest sunshine in spring, instantly dispelling Lu Tingxiao's fatigue; it was also like a gentle breeze, gently brushing across the lake of his heart, creating ripples.
The two of them cleaned up the area around the bathroom, washed their hands, and planned to buy some food and vegetables so that they could come back and cook!
"Tingxiao, is there any place selling food nearby?"
"Yes, there is a military service center right at the entrance to the family compound. They sell food, daily necessities, such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, rice, flour, cakes and candies, pots and pans, needles and thread, outerwear and underwear, cigarettes, salt, sugar, tea, detergents, etc. They even sell some toys!"
“It’s quite complete!”
“Basic living can be guaranteed!”
"Then let's go buy some food, seasonings and vegetables. It's so late, there might not be any meat left!" Jiang Ruoxi said to Lu Tingxiao.
"Go take a look and buy whatever you can find. Next time we have a purchasing truck, we can go to the city and buy all the items we need!"
"I just got here and I'm not familiar with anything. I'll listen to you!"
When the two arrived at the military service center, there weren't too many people inside. They went straight to the grain and oil section and bought a bag of rice, a bag of noodles, a small bucket of oil and a small bottle of sesame oil. Then they came to the seasoning area. Jiang Ruoxi carefully selected various seasonings and bought salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Lu Tingxiao helped hold the basket and put the seasonings and sugar that Jiang Ruoxi bought into the basket.
Walking to the vegetable stall, fresh vegetables were neatly arranged. Jiang Ruoxi picked up a handful of green garlic sprouts and a few tomatoes. Just as she was about to leave, the stall owner suddenly said, "We just got a batch of fresh pork today, but the quantity is not much. Would you like some?"
The two looked at each other, surprise in their eyes. Lu Tingxiao quickly said, "Yes, please cut us a pound."
After paying, they returned with a full load. On the way home, Jiang Ruoxi said happily, "I'm so lucky today. I thought I wouldn't have any meat to eat." Lu Tingxiao smiled dotingly, "Looks like I can make a sumptuous dinner today."
After arriving home, Jiang Ruoxi put on an apron and walked into the kitchen. Lu Tingxiao followed her in to help wash vegetables and steam rice. Jiang Ruoxi was in charge of cutting vegetables and cooking. After a short while, the smell of food wafted from the kitchen. After a while, a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a dish of pork with garlic sprouts were placed on the table. As the last dish, a dish of seaweed and egg drop soup, came out of the pot, the two of them served their food and sat at the table, enjoying their first formal and warm dinner in the staff housing complex.
This means that from today on, Jiang Ruoxi will officially start a new chapter of her military life in this family compound! This is of great significance to Jiang Ruoxi. It represents a new starting point, a new lifestyle, and countless unknown challenges and opportunities.
From now on, she will bid farewell to the familiar environment and pace of life in the past and integrate into this family compound full of unique atmosphere. There are people from all over the world here, who gather here because of their partners' military career. Everyone has their own story and dreams, and Jiang Ruoxi is about to become one of them and write her own wonderful life.
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