Chapter 182: Entering the Troops Guesthouse

We soon arrived at the military guesthouse, filled out the information, and got the room key smoothly.

In fact, it is just a big yard with about 10 rooms. There are many clotheslines hanging in the yard, and all kinds of clothes are everywhere.

There were also a few women washing clothes by the well, chatting and laughing, looking very happy.

Most of the doors were open, and there were children running around. There was a number plate on the key, and they came to No. 5 and used the key to open the door. I first saw a simple stove, and there was a cupboard not far away next to it. I walked inside and lifted the curtain, and what came to me was a medium-sized earthen kang. Not far away was another cupboard with a hot water kettle and a washbasin on it, but no other furnishings.

There wasn't even a quilt or a pillow. The kang was covered with a relatively clean straw mat, and at first glance there didn't seem to be much dust.

"It's pretty clean." Su Jinxia put the bag on the kang.

"Why are there no quilts and bedding?" Bai Yang said.

Zhao Yue put the luggage bag on the ground and said, "I'll go and ask what's going on."

Just as I was about to go out, I heard someone shouting outside.

"Zhao Yue's family, go to the front and get the quilts and pillows!"

“Got it!” Zhao Yue replied and then no one else spoke.

"I'll go get the quilt and pillow."

"Okay." Su Jinxia took out an old towel from her bag and prepared to get some water to wipe the kang. She had a slight obsession with cleanliness, so she had to clean it up so that she could sleep more comfortably.

Zhao Yue went to the front to get the quilt and pillow, and saw someone taking them out of the cupboard, and then locking it again.

"Why aren't there any pillows and quilts in the room?"

"Oh, you don't know this. If the things are placed in the house, I won't know when they use them. After it happened a few times, I could only lock the quilt and pillow in the closet. This way, if the higher-ups ask about it, I can still give an explanation. Otherwise, if the things are lost, I will have to pay for it!" The woman kept talking, "How many days will your lover stay here?"

"Probably three or four days!" Zhao Yue was not sure about the time, but it was better to say more than less.

The woman nodded to show that she understood, and then wrote down the time in her notebook, which was about 3 to 4 days.

"Okay, you can take the things. They are all clean! They are just a little damp. You can take them outside to dry them. But remember, keep an eye on them! If you lose the quilt, you will have to pay for it!"

Zhao Yue nodded to indicate that he understood, then took his things and left. It seemed that this bustling courtyard was not as harmonious as he saw it on the surface, otherwise how could something be lost?

He knew that most of the women who came to visit their relatives came from remote rural areas, and some liked to stay here, but because they were not allocated houses, they had to stay here for a long time. Fortunately, a batch of houses were planned to be built this year, which should solve many problems.

Su Jinxia was about to go out to fetch water with a basin, when she saw Zhao Yue coming back, she quickly took the quilt and pillow from his hand, lowered her head and smelled them, but there was no smell. After opening it, she saw that there were patches on the quilt, so it was conceivable how many years this quilt had been used.

But there's nothing to complain about in such an environment. At most, you can just take out your own bedding from the space at night. You still have to do some superficial work so that outsiders won't notice anything.

Zhao Yue went to the well outside to fetch water. The women who were talking stopped talking and glanced at him from time to time.

"Are you Captain Zhao?" Wu Guixiang couldn't help asking.

"It's me. Whose family are you from?"

"My man is Zhou Zhu, he's tall and strong! He speaks with a Shanxi accent!"

"Now that you say that, I know who it is."

"Was it your wife you sent in just now?"

"Yes."

"He's quite handsome! But a little thin."

"She can't be compared with my elder sister." Zhao Yue's words hinted at something. The woman's sturdy figure was particularly eye-catching.

"Haha, I can't help it because I gave birth to a child. Okay, you can get the water!"

She moved aside to make room, and glanced at the other people, seeing that she was also a related person, and casually tidied the hair around her ears.

Zhao Yue rinsed the basin with water, then filled it with water and left.

The woman next to her asked Wu Guixiang, "Your husband, this leader, is quite handsome!"

"Of course not! I think he's quite upright! What a pity, he already has a boyfriend, otherwise I would marry him!" Wu Guixiang had this plan before, but her husband was incompetent and never invited the leader to dinner.

"Forget it!" The woman curled her lips, "Judging from the girl's appearance, I guess your sister is not that good-looking either!"

"My sister is pretty!" Wu Guixiang was very unconvinced. "I'm so fat because of giving birth. If I don't eat the children, there will be no nutrition. If I eat meat, it will grow on my body. I gave birth to three children in eight years, all boys. Can you compare with me?"

"There's no comparison. I'm going back now. You wash the clothes yourself!"

The woman was angry because she was sent here by her mother-in-law because she did not give birth to a boy.

Life in this place is dull, there are only a few people around, and the water in the well is limited, so it is difficult to use more water.

What's more, most of her husband's allowance was sent back home, so she could only barely survive here.

All I can do is get pregnant as soon as possible and leave this crappy place.

Wu Guixiang rubbed her clothes in her hands and wondered whether she should call her sister over. She definitely couldn't get close to the leader, so she could only consider other people.

After all, the military allowance here is much higher than that of ordinary soldiers, and there are employment policies after retirement, which is better than marrying a village peasant!

…

Su Jinxia and Zhao Yue quickly cleaned the room and then sat on the kang together.

"The kang is a little damp. I'll go light a fire." Zhao Yue knew that if the kang was damp, it would be uncomfortable to sleep on at night.

Su Jinxia touched the kang and found it was indeed cold. It was estimated that no one had lived there for a long time.

Those guys went back to the dormitory, not wanting to stay and be a third wheel. Although this house is small, it feels okay.

Zhao Yue went outside to get the firewood and quickly lit the stove. The smoke coming out of it was very stinging.

He could only open the door to let the smoke out.

The mist was coming out from the edge of the kang. This is what would happen if the kang was heated up again after not being heated for a long time.

Su Jinxia quickly opened the window at the back so that ventilation could flow from front to back and the smoke would not be so heavy.

The weather on the island is cool in the morning and evening, so almost every house has a kang.

We were busy until dark, and the earthen kang finally stopped emitting so much smoke.

Su Jinxia saw people walking outside from time to time, so she lowered the curtains.

Zhao Yue opened the curtain and came in. "I've boiled some water in the pot. Put it in the thermos. You can use it to wash your face tomorrow!"

"Okay!" Su Jinxia wanted to take something out of the space, so she said to him, "Go and lock the door outside!"

"Okay!" Zhao Yue turned around and locked the door.

Su Jinxia took out a set of bedding from the space and put the old bedding she had received before on the head of the kang to use the heat to dry it out to reduce the moisture.