Chapter 31

The breakfast at Captain Zhao's house is good. This morning they had corn cakes.

I didn't expect that his niece from the countryside was good at eating. She actually put white flour and sugar in the corn cakes. It didn't taste like cakes at all. The texture and taste were several levels higher.

Captain Zhao put two cakes in a lunch box. Lin Xixi saw it and asked, "Isn't it enough?"

She was a little proud.

The cakes now are traditional cakes, which are rough and unpalatable. There is no concept of "fine processing of coarse grains" later. She showed this skill and really surprised her uncle.

Captain Zhao said, "This is delicious. I'll bring some to others so they can have a taste."

The "others" Captain Zhao was referring to were his comrades.

Lin Xixi needed a good reputation to find a partner. She was a diligent girl, and the fact that she cooked delicious food was a bonus. As an uncle, he had to promote it.

Lin Xixi heard it, but she took "others" as referring to Yan Lei.

She rolled her eyes and said sweetly, "Then you have to brag about me to others, and let them know that I did it."

Captain Zhao laughed, "Yes, yes."

Putting aside his previous suspicion that she had some secret thoughts about Yan Lei, Captain Zhao still loved his niece very much. Even his wife couldn't help but praise her as a diligent lady. She is also handsome, so she won't have trouble finding a good partner.

He said, holding the lunch box, "The bathhouse is open today, and the whole family will go take a bath tonight."

After washing her cleanly, he will change her into a beautiful dress tomorrow so that she can show off.

Lin Xixi lives in the family area, an old area at that, and the only people who have seen her are the neighbors nearby. The young men in the military camp only heard that a fair and beautiful niece came to Captain Zhao's house, but they haven't had the chance to meet her yet.

Captain Zhao wants to arrange for everyone to meet her.

He left with the lunch box, and when he arrived at the intersection, he saw Yan Lei first. Yan Lei was the tallest, and he wore the most straight uniform, a standard clothes rack. Everyone saw him first in the crowd.

"Have you eaten yet?" Captain Zhao came over to greet everyone, "Come, come, try the cakes made by my niece. Taste, taste, they are different from the ones you make at home."

They were all people of high rank, and their families could not only eat enough, but also eat fine grains. Originally, they were not very interested in cakes, after all, they were coarse grains. But after hearing what Captain Zhao said, everyone gave him face, broke the two cakes into several pieces, and everyone tasted one piece.

"Hey, delicious!"

After eating, everyone praised, and the hand reached out again. But Captain Zhao grabbed the lunch box: "That's all, you have to leave some for others!"

Everyone laughed and scolded him for being a thief.

"Go, go, go aside!" Captain Zhao called to driver Zhang, "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Zhang, don't drive in a hurry, come and try a piece!"

Driver Zhang also got a piece, and his eyes lit up as soon as he ate it: "Oh my God! This is the first time I've eaten such delicious pastries, how are they made?"

"How should I know. I'm a grown man, do I still touch pots and pans?" Captain Zhao nudged Yan Lei with his elbow, frowned, "Really, Yan? Hey, Yan, are you eating in the cafeteria again today?"

This is too accustomed to his wife. What kind of serious illness is it that he hasn't cooked for two days in a row.

Yan Lei knew that Sister Yang saw him washing dishes yesterday, and she must have gone back to tell Captain Zhao.

The man who had just cooked this morning calmly shook the net bag containing the lunch box in his hand: "It's so much easier to eat in the cafeteria, no need to wash the pots."

Captain Zhao laughed.

Today is Aunt Qiao Wei's third day. The situation is much better. She is not so scared when she stands up from the stool with the paper towel as a cushion. She can basically move normally.

After Yan Xiang finished breakfast, she said: "Man, come and help."

Since she had the idea of ​​tidying up the yard, she didn't have to wait for Yan Lei to come home and let him do it alone. She and Yan Xiang could do what they could.

Yan Xiang wiped her mouth: "Here we come!"

The mother and son first moved the scattered debris in the yard to the back of the house.

It took a whole morning to almost clean up the yard. There were a few particularly heavy things that were left untouched.

"Leave it to your dad to move it when he comes back." Qiao Wei said, "He is strong."

Yan Xiang twisted her body in the same way: "I am strong too, I am strong!"

"Okay, okay, Xiangxiang is also strong." Qiao Wei laughed, "Dad is an adult with great strength, Xiangxiang is a child with little strength."

Yan Xiang was satisfied.

Qiao Wei asked Yan Xiang to wash his hands and go play, while she put her hands on her hips and looked at the whole yard. After the debris was moved away, the yard seemed wider.

She roughly measured the length-to-width ratio with her feet, went back to the study to get paper and pen, and began to draw and plan.

First, there must be a vegetable plot.

Then, make a sand pit for the children.

From the gate to the door, there are several sandpaper evenly placed on the mud ground. Qiao Wei guessed that they should be used as footrests on rainy days. After all, it is a dirt yard, and it will turn into mud when it rains.

Qiao Wei drew a path.

Let's see what materials can be found, and build a path in the yard, leading directly from the courtyard gate to the front door. The details still need to be discussed with Yan Lei, and whatever materials can be found will be used.

The material conditions are limited, there is no other way.

Oh, and there is her "manpowered washing machine". Yan Lei has already asked someone to do it, and he said it will be ready in a few days.

Qiao Wei drew a circle next to the water well in the yard, leaving space for the manual washing machine.

After planning the yard, she looked up at the roof.

The places in the house that she could reach were cleaned very cleanly. In fact, it was not dirty when she came back. The original owner was a very clean person, and the hygiene of the whole house was very good.

But good hygiene does not mean the house is in good condition.

The wall is not in good condition anymore. Especially Yan Xiang's house.

Qiao Wei knew why. Because this house was originally shared with others. Only

family members with a certain rank can follow the army. Yan Lei got married after reaching a certain rank.

Because they were a young couple and had no children, when the house was allocated, they were put together with another couple with only two children.

At that time, only families with as many people as Captain Zhao's family could occupy a courtyard alone.

It was not until the new military compound was completed that the couple happily moved in, and the old family area became more spacious that Yan Lei and the original owner were finally able to occupy a courtyard alone and no longer had to live together.

Yan Xiang's room was originally occupied by the couple. That family did not pay much attention to hygiene, and the walls in the house were one level dirtier than the walls on Yan Lei's side.

When the room was vacant and Yan Xiang moved in, Yan Lei and the original owner pasted calendar paper on the walls.

Pasting calendar paper on the walls looks very good to people nowadays. It is clean and decorative. But Qiao Wei certainly didn't think it was okay.

She wrote "paint the wall" on the paper.

And the facade of this house.

This house is neither a brick house nor an adobe house, but a stone house with special local characteristics.

But it was destroyed in the early years, and the reason for the repair later must be that the materials were limited, or it was repaired more than once. In short, the materials used for the repair were not uniform. There are places with green bricks, and there are places with red bricks.

It looks like a piece of clothing with incoherent patches of various colors.

Qiao Wei wrote "facade" on the paper.

Yan Lei also asked someone to help her find a job, but this matter is not something that can be done in a few days. Maybe she has to use connections at all levels, and there must be quotas and indicators in the place she wants to go.

Then she can do a lot of things on days when she doesn't have to work.

She also has a lot of things she wants to do.

In the past, she was lying on the hospital bed, watching those transformation videos, dreaming that one day she would have a down-to-earth yard to transform as she pleased. Isn't this the opportunity in front of her?

The bathhouse in the compound is open twice a week, once on Tuesday and once on Friday.

On the days when the bathhouse is open, the men will come back a little earlier. Yan Lei came home with a lunch box and saw that the yard had become empty as soon as he entered.

"Huh!" He exclaimed.

Yan Xiang heard the voice and immediately turned around and shouted to the house: "Mom! Dad is back!"

After shouting, he ran over to report: "Dad, Dad! Mom and I cleaned up the yard today! We cleaned it together!"

"Not bad, not bad." Yan Lei rubbed Yan Xiang's head with his big hand, "Little comrade, you have worked hard, I will give you a big red flower in the future! Come, salute."

Yan Xiang immediately stood up with his legs together, chest and belly sticking out, and saluted.

Yan Lei smiled and saluted him back.

Qiao Wei came out of the house.

The houses in the countryside are tall and deep, and down-to-earth, unlike the high-rise buildings that are easily stuffy. When it's not so hot or windy during the day, she likes to sit under the eaves or in the shade of a tree, which is cooler. But in the afternoon when the sun is high, the house is cooler.

She went over to take the net bag for the lunch box.

Yan Lei said, "Are you getting started now?"

In the morning, she drank pimple soup while thinking about how to clean up the yard. When she came back in the afternoon, she had already taken the first step. This is very efficient and has strong action.

Qiao Wei said, "Since you have thought about it, just do it. Otherwise, put it off until next year?"

She asked, "Are you going to eat now?"

Yan Lei came back early today and didn't feel too hungry.

Yan Lei unbuttoned his uniform and took off his clothes: "How about taking a shower first? The bathhouse is open today. By the way, can you take a shower? You 'that', just 'that'..."

Old-fashioned traditional men are obviously embarrassed to talk about menstruation or period, and using 'that' to refer to it gives people a sense of sneakiness and embarrassment.

Funny.

Qiao Wei said: "I won't go, it's not convenient. You take Xiangxiang with you." With

her aunt around, it's okay to take a shower at home, but it's not a good idea to go to a public bathhouse.

"I'll boil water for you, you can wash at home." Yan Lei said hurriedly.

She complained about the inconvenience of using water last night, and her body was full of his smell. But there was nothing she could do, and she couldn't boil water to take a shower in the middle of the night.

"I've already boiled it, and I'm waiting for you to come back and make me some cool water. "Qiao Wei took out her lunch box, "I'll keep it warm on the stove. Come back after you take a shower and we'll eat together."

"Okay!" Yan Lei threw his uniform on the stool and turned to fetch a bucket of cool water.

After getting the water for Qiao Wei, he took a basin and led Yan Xiang to the bathhouse in the compound to take a bath.

Qiao Wei washed herself at home.

It was a common sight in the town for people from the hometown area to go to the compound to take a bath on Tuesday and Friday evenings.

People in the town were envious.

On the way, Yan Lei met Captain Zhao and his family. Captain Zhao asked, "Where is your sister-in-law?"

Yan Lei said, "She's not feeling well. "

How could Qiao Wei, such a particular city lady, not take a bath when she gets two opportunities to do so a week? There could only be one possibility.

Captain Zhao got married when he was sixteen or seventeen, and he already had five children. He was very understanding. Hearing this, she stopped asking questions.

Lin Xixi really had no chance to get close to Yan Lei. He was not at home during the day, but at the battalion headquarters. When he came back at night, her uncle also came back. He had a wife and children at home, so she couldn't just go to their house.

After noticing that Yan Lei was alone, Lin Xixi got excited and wanted to go over to him to grab the opportunity to talk to him and leave an impression on him.

Who knew that Sister Yang happened to take a sideways step and blocked her way. Sister

Yang turned around and called Yingzi, "Yingzi, hold your sister and don't run around."

Yingzi was puzzled, "I'm already 11 years old. "

Besides, it's so hot, why don't you hold me by the hand? Isn't it uncomfortable?"

But Sister Yang glared at her. As a mother, she has her own prestige. Yingzi shrank her neck, took two steps reluctantly, and walked side by side with Lin Xixi.

Sister Yang said to Lin Xixi, "I'll watch Wu Ni'er, you watch Yingzi."

Yingzi stiffened her neck, "I'm already 11!"

Sister Yang ignored her, and said to Gangzi and Huazi, "Watch Junjun."

It would have been better if she hadn't said it. As soon as she said it, Junzi ran away, giggling.

Gangzi was annoyed, "Stop right there!"

He was the eldest brother, with responsibilities on his shoulders, and ran after him.

Huazi has always been his follower, so he followed him to chase.

Sister Yang shouted, "Wait for us at the door of the bathhouse--"

Captain Zhao turned his head and glanced at his wife, and Sister Yang also glanced at him.

The old couple has a tacit understanding, and they understand each other with just a glance. Captain Zhao glanced at Lin Xixi who was blocked, and moved closer to Yan Lei, talking to him while walking side by side with him.

In this way, everyone changed from being scattered and casually distributed to Captain Zhao and Yan Lei with Yan Xiang walking in the front in the first row, Sister Yang and Wu Ni'er blocking in the middle in the second row, blocking Lin Xixi at the back, and Yingzi hanging next to her.

If she dares to move closer to Yan Lei again, everyone in the military region will know tomorrow that she is coveting a married man.

Lin Xixi almost suffocated to death.