Chapter 23 Accompanying the Army: This is probably a case of matching the pot with the lid.
Qin Xiangxiang cut the wonton wrappers into pieces. The meat filling was made by the man, who chopped the mustard greens and minced pork. She marinated it with a lot of seasonings.
Her hands were often used to play the piano. She worked as a spinning machine operator in the spinning workshop, where quick eyes and hands were required. Therefore, she was also particularly fast at wrapping wontons. One after another, thin wontons took shape under her hands, leaving Li Jianzhi, who offered to help, in awe.
Captain Li: "!" My wife is so virtuous!
This is definitely a skill that can be used to open a wonton shop.
Qin Xiangxiang cooked wontons and also made braised dried pufferfish. She soaked the dried pufferfish in water until soft, then put it in a pot with pork belly and stewed it with soy sauce, sugar, wine and other spices. She simmered it over low heat and then reduced the sauce over high heat.
The remaining braising sauce in the pot was full of the aroma of fish and pork belly. Qin Xiangxiang used it to mix with some wild vegetables. At noon, the family of three ate wontons, braised pork belly and dried fish, and wild vegetables drizzled with the braising sauce.
"Wife, your cooking is so delicious!" Li Jianzhi ate wontons and braised dried fish with gusto. Compared to the crucian carp and tofu he had just eaten, the crucian carp he was eating now seemed like pig swill.
However, his crucian carp tofu is all-natural and fresh, without any random seasonings, making it very healthy, rich in nutritious protein, and perfect for children!
Li Jianzhi: "The dishes I cook are healthy!"
Qin Xiangxiang swallowed her words; she truly couldn't refute them.
The chubby boy next to me rubbed his belly. He had eaten the crucian carp and a couple of bites of wontons. He was a little full, but the dried fish and wild vegetables his mother made were delicious!
He watched Li Jianzhi devour the meat, his face filled with jealousy, yet he dared not say anything more.
The chubby boy questioned, "Dad, why does the fish you made taste a little bitter?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
"Is it bitter? I can't taste it." Li Jianzhi's expression remained unchanged. "The fish is delicate and tender, very delicious, but the tofu doesn't seem fresh. It's probably the tofu's influence."
"Next time I'll cut the tofu into smaller pieces."
The chubby boy responded.
Qin Xiangxiang put down her bowl: "I'm done eating. You can wash the dishes and pots later."
"Leave it there, I'll go wash it." Li Jianzhi took the task for granted, quickly finished the plate, and under the envious gaze of his son, took him to the kitchen to wash the pots and dishes.
Qin Xiangxiang: "?"
She was completely taken aback when the man didn't utter a single complaint and actually went to wash the dishes obediently. She had thought she was going to argue with him.
Qin Xiangxiang went downstairs to Aunt Ding's house and traded some dried fish for some dried radish shreds. Aunt Ding also gave her first-grade Chinese and math textbooks. "Your husband came to ask me about them this morning, and I found them for him."
Qin Xiangxiang, suspicious, took her textbook and dried radish shreds upstairs.
"Elementary school textbooks? You found them? Perfect, I'll teach him to read this afternoon."
Li Qingfeng tugged at his father's trouser leg: "Dad, I want to go to kindergarten."
Li Jianzhi picked him up and said, "With your dad here, it's okay if you don't go to kindergarten. I'll be your first teacher."
“Mom…” The chubby boy turned his gaze to Qin Xiangxiang.
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Listen to your father. I'm going to sleep later, so please keep your voices down."
Qin Xiangxiang made a detachable collar with a sewing machine. Seeing that the coat Li Jianzhi brought back had come undone, she helped him mend it.
Standing at the door, Li Jianzhi heard the whirring of the sewing machine inside, and a warm feeling welled up inside him, along with endless guilt. His wife, Qin Xiangxiang, despite her limited education, was a rare and virtuous wife and loving mother.
She can cook and sew. This frail woman lives with her son in an old apartment, enduring bullying and gossip from those around her. She is always busy and doesn't want to rest. She also takes on sewing jobs to supplement her family's income.
Compared to her, I am such an incompetent man, and I have let her down so much.
He would regret it for the rest of his life if he missed out on such a wonderful woman.
From that moment on, Li Jianzhi made up his mind not to divorce her. He could not abandon Qin Xiangxiang; he wanted her to be a happy woman.
Meanwhile, Qin Xiangxiang happily threw away the rag in her hand and decided to lie on the bed and sleep for two or three hours. She was full of calculations. After the divorce, she would get a new one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and bathroom. Her aunt would give her twenty yuan, and her dead husband, no, her dead ex-husband, would give her fifty yuan. She would drink sweet soy milk every day. If the food in the canteen was good, she would eat at the workers' canteen. If the food was not good, she would reluctantly cook for herself.
Eating well, drinking well, and sleeping soundly—that's the kind of life she envisions.
The most pressing need is for a separate room. Qin Xiangxiang is fed up with sharing the toilet and kitchen with others. The toilet is one thing, but the kitchen and the shared water tap are the most unbearable. The Xu family next door is stingy and will nag if they use a little more water. It's really annoying.
Another issue is job transfer. Working all night is tough, but being a spinning machine operator is even tougher. Her mother, Zhou Aodong, thinks too highly of her. The spinning machine operator in the fine yarn workshop is the highest-paid skilled job, but also the most difficult. It's so hard and tiring that she can't take it anymore.
When will that damn man finally bring up divorce?
Divorce is also troublesome for soldiers. They need to submit reports and applications, and leaders on both sides, as well as female cadres, have to persuade them. At that time, she should try to act pitiful on her side. Think about it, it's all for the sake of the new house!
After cleaning the kitchen, Li Jianzhi took his son to learn to read. The chubby boy managed to recognize a few characters. The father and son took a nap on the bed. Li Jianzhi woke up early, locked the door, and used the street's public phone to call Political Commissar Wang.
Political Commissar Wang asked with concern, "How were things between you and your wife after you went back yesterday? Did you have a fight? Do you need me to help you talk things out?"
Yesterday, he went to chat, talk, visit and discuss at the invitation of Director Zhao, allowing the young couple to reunite. Today, when he received a call from Li Jianzhi, his gossipy nature immediately arose.
Judging from yesterday's events, Li Jianzhi's wife in the city is no pushover. I hope the two of them don't fight when they get back.
...Could it be that they're going to get a divorce?
"No need. I should be free tomorrow. I'll go to the shipyard during the day. Political Commissar Wang, you can contact the person in charge there and let us know in advance."
Commissar Wang clicked his tongue in amazement. "You're a workaholic! We finally gave you a chance to go on a business trip and take a vacation. Even though it's just this one trip, you promised to help a lot of your comrades and neighbors buy things in Shanghai."
Political Commissar Wang: "No rush, you should focus on appeasing your wife."
“I’m lucky, my wife doesn’t need to be coaxed. I feel guilty now, I’m sorry for her and her child, for letting them be bullied as an orphan and a widow… I really had no conscience before, I’m not a good man.”
Political Commissar Wang: "..."
"Right now, I just want to do my job well, strive for a promotion as soon as possible, and let my wife and children live a better life."
Political Commissar Wang's lips twitched twice: "Xiao Li, Comrade Li, your thinking is very correct, but doesn't your wife have any objections to you?"
He chatted with Director Zhao for a while yesterday and also met many other employees of the textile factory. Many of them had watched Li Jianzhi's wife, Qin Xiangxiang, grow up. He heard that Qin Xiangxiang... although she was a good woman who was brave and righteous, it seemed that she was a bit lazy, had a bad personality, was particularly pretentious, and was both demanding and troublesome.
After guessing Li Jianzhi's wife's personality, Political Commissar Wang finally understood why Comrade Li hadn't gone home to visit his family for four years. It turned out his wife was quite the drama queen!
These two are sure to argue when they get home.
However, judging from the tone of Comrade Li's voice on the phone today, he seemed to feel guilty and remorseful. He felt sorry for his wife and thought that his wife and children had been bullied.
"I wish she had a problem with me. She didn't say anything harsh to me, but I said some heartless things. I feel terrible now and I feel like I've let her down." Li Jianzhi regretted talking to her about divorce last night. He thought to himself, how could his wife be so understanding?
His wife not only didn't slap him, but also made him breakfast and lunch, and even mended his clothes.
I slept with someone last night—how awful of me!
Li Jianzhi silently despised himself, wishing he could be a little better to his wife.
Political Commissar Wang was dumbfounded: "..."
Well, so it turns out you two are no pushovers! Comrade Li, you're really something, you even managed to scare your fussy wife. Well, Li Jianzhi's cold face is indeed intimidating.
This is probably what happens when you match a pot with a lid.
"Then you should treat your wife better in the future."
"This is what I should do."
“With your circumstances, living apart from your wife, you are entitled to a month of leave to visit your family every year. You haven’t taken it in the past few years, so we can’t make up for it. At most, we can try to help you get a month or two in leave.”
Political Commissar Wang: "This business trip doesn't count as your vacation. We have plenty of time in Shanghai this time, so you should make it up to your wife and kids."
Li Jianzhi: "I know."
"However, living apart like this is not a long-term solution. Why don't you discuss having your wife come with you to the military base? Of course, your wife will most likely not agree, as the conditions are better in the big city... But if you can persuade your wife, you can quickly submit a report to apply for housing. There is a newly built family housing building this year, all with two bedrooms and a living room, a separate kitchen and bathroom. We will reserve one for you."
The island is heavily garrisoned, consisting of two armies and four divisions, with troops from the army, navy, and air force. The army has the largest number of personnel, numbering 30,000 to 40,000, and shares a primary school for children of soldiers with the navy, as well as a military hospital.
The military family housing they are currently in consists of about a dozen buildings. The old bungalows and tile-roofed houses are being gradually replaced with three-story row houses. Because of the typhoons on the island, only two or three-story buildings can be built. Battalion-level and deputy battalion-level officers can be allocated a one-bedroom apartment of about 40 to 50 square meters with a kitchen. There is a public toilet at the bottom of each building.
A deputy regimental-level cadre's residence is roughly a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, about 70 square meters.
The newly built apartment building for family members consists entirely of two-bedroom, one-living room units with separate bathrooms and kitchens. Many people are eager to move in, but those who were allocated apartments before can only wait for a promotion if they want to move again.
For example, last year a newly promoted regimental-level officer was in a hurry to be allocated housing. At that time, there was simply not enough housing, so they could only combine two one-bedroom apartments in the battalion-level family housing and allocate them to him. At that time, he wanted to move to a new house, but there was no way to do so because the houses had already been allocated and could not be changed unless his position was transferred.
This year, when the new staff housing was completed, there were actually some empty rooms, and each room even had a private bathroom.
"Let me think about it..." Li Jianzhi really didn't dare to think about letting Qin Xiangxiang go with the army. It was a bit selfish for a man. Staying in Shanghai meant not only staying in a big city, but also staying with her parents.
Political Commissar Wang: "Just ask yourself if you want to."
Li Jianzhi: "..."
Who wouldn't want a warm home with their wife and kids? But if she were to go there, the conditions wouldn't be as good as here, so it's too much of a hassle to force her.
Does he, a grown man, really need to resort to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide to force his wife to join him in the military?
...
Why don't you give it a try?
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