Chapter 40 Planting Flowers
She spent several days digging up wild flowers and plants from the mountains and planting them in various parts of the yard.
Wait until the seeds in the vegetable garden sprout green shoots.
After the cucumber seedlings stretched out their vines, Nan Zhiyi followed Wang's example and built a simple trellis with thin bamboo poles, and the bean seedlings also climbed up.
The bok choy was a lush, green patch, crowded together, full of vitality.
I get up early in the morning and first go to the field to thin out the vegetable seedlings. Then I take a small bucket and water the flowers.
Mint and mugwort grow the fastest. She plucked the tender leaves, washed and dried them. Some of them were stored in a cloth bag to repel mosquitoes in the summer, and the rest were used to make mint tea, which was refreshing and sweet.
By the time all this is done, the sun is usually high in the sky.
She went back inside, made herself a bowl of clear soup noodles, and poached an egg.
After meals, or sitting on a small stool by the window, they would browse through old magazines and books borrowed from the military club in the warm sunshine.
Or take out paper and pen and write a letter to Aunt Feng and Yueran, describing in detail her little vegetable garden and flower garden.
In the afternoon, if the weather is fine, she will once again sling her bag and shovel over her shoulder and venture into the mountains alone to look for new flowers and plants, or simply stroll around.
The days passed by slowly and painstakingly as she tended to flowers and plants, did housework, learned to cook, and waited for her loved ones to return.
In the stillness of the night.
Nan Zhiyi lay in the cold bedding, the emptiness beside her magnified infinitely.
Fingertips brushed against the pillow.
He said, "If all goes well, it will take ten days to half a month."
But the day she circled in red on the calendar had already been turned over.
One "ten days and half a month" has passed, and another one has passed... Now, the fourth "ten days and half a month" has already passed halfway.
He remains missing.
At first, she could comfort herself with the excuses of "mission confidentiality," "long distance," and "complex borders."
But as time went on, that little bit of self-comfort was slowly overwhelmed by the heavy burden of worry.
When I'm eating, the food loses its flavor when I see an empty chair across from me.
It's fine when tending to the flowers and plants during the day; being fully focused can temporarily dispel distracting thoughts.
But once you stop, that suppressed anxiety will grow wildly.
Will he be in danger?
The border? ...I've heard it's not peaceful.
Will his team be safe?
Why is there absolutely no news? Not even a single word?
She knew there was discipline in the military, especially for the kind of missions he was on, where communication disruptions were commonplace.
Knowing this was one thing, but the anxiety hanging in the air felt like a dull knife cutting into her flesh, grinding at her nerves day after day.
The anxiety gradually took on a tangible form.
I started having trouble sleeping at night, and I would wake up at the slightest sound, straining my ears to hear if it was the sound of a jeep.
Even when reading during the day, I often get distracted, flipping through a page over and over again without really getting into a few words.
When writing to Aunt Feng, the phrase "all is well" became increasingly uneasy.
That afternoon, Nan Zhiyi sat on a small stool by the door, gazing absently at the vegetable leaves swaying in the sunlight.
She suddenly stood up, took out the few remaining snacks, grabbed a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds, and put them in a clean enamel dish.
After that, she picked up the plate and walked towards Sister Wang's house.
Sister-in-law Wang is doing piecework.
Seeing Nan Zhiyi approach, he smiled and said, "Zhiyi, come in and sit down! Oh, you even brought some things! You're too kind!"
Nan Zhiyi placed the plate on the table and forced a smile: "There are still some snacks and melon seeds left at home. Let your sister-in-law have a taste."
Sister-in-law Wang invited Nan Zhiyi to sit down, "Sit down, sit down! Perfect timing, I just steamed some cornbread, I'll take a few home later!"
Nan Zhiyi sat down in the chair.
She was silent for a moment, then looked at Sister Wang who was busy.
"Sister-in-law, I want to ask, how long do they usually take to come back from a mission like this?"
Sister-in-law Wang looked up at Nan Zhiyi, her mind perfectly clear.
This silly girl finally couldn't hold back and asked.
She sighed, stopped what she was doing, and said with the helplessness and frankness of someone who had been through it all: "Well, there's really no sure thing! When soldiers go out, their time is like the clouds in the sky, they just drift wherever they end up!"
She counted on her fingers: "They'll be back in three to five days at the fastest. As for the slowest... ten days to half a month is considered short! Several months is also common! You don't know, last summer, Old Zhang next door to Old Wang went out with a group and went deep into those mountains and forests for almost half a year! There was no news of him at all! In the end, didn't he come back safe and sound? He was just as thin as a stick!"
Seeing Nan Zhiyi's face turn even paler, she realized she had said something too alarming and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Of course, Commander Gu is very capable! The longer it takes is probably because the mission is important and has been delayed! Don't overthink it!"
It turns out that several months is "common"...
It turns out that what I thought was a long wait may have only just begun in the lives of military dependents.
She tried hard to force a smile to show that she wasn't thinking nonsense, but her lips were stiff and unnatural.
She gave a soft "hmm".
Seeing how she was forcing herself to stay upright, Sister Wang felt bad for her. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more comforting, but found that anything she said would be in vain.
Finally, she patted Nan Zhiyi's hand, telling her to relax and that Commander Gu would definitely return safely.
Just then, a commotion broke out at the door. School was over.
The eldest brother, Zheng Weiguo, led his younger brother and sister-in-law in.
"Mom! Let's go to the river to collect duck eggs and dig for wild vegetables!" Zheng Weijun, the second son, shouted, throwing down his schoolbag.
"Go on, go on!" Sister Wang waved her hand, then glanced at the restless Nan Zhiyi, and had a sudden idea. "Sister, why don't you go with them! The air is nice by the river, it'll help you relax! You can't stay cooped up all the time!"
The children often ate snacks given to them by Nan Zhiyi and liked her very much.
Whenever Sister Wang wanted to deliver something to Commander Gu's house, all the children would vie to go.
Wei Jun jumped over: "Auntie, come on! I know which reed bed has the most duck eggs!"
Xiaofang also whispered an invitation: "Auntie, shall we go together?" Xiaoling peeked out from behind her sister.
Looking at the children's vibrant faces, Nan Zhiyi softly hummed in agreement.
The river flows swiftly, and the newly sprouted reeds are taller than a child. When the wind blows, green waves surge and rustle.
Nan Zhiyi followed behind the children, stepping on the soft mud.
The wild scenery was novel to her, but the endless reeds also made her uneasy.
"Walk slowly and watch your step!" she urged, holding Xiaofang and Xiaoling tightly with one hand.
"Don't worry, Auntie, we know this place well!" Zheng Weiguo puffed out his little chest, looking like a little adult.
Before he finished speaking, Wei Jun had already disappeared into the depths of the reeds with a "whoosh".
"Wei Jun!" Nan Zhiyi exclaimed.
"It's alright! He's tough!" Wei Guo said confidently, leading them deeper into the reeds to search for duck eggs.
Nan Zhiyi also let go of Xiaofang and Xiaoling, and the two sisters also crawled into the reeds, their figures appearing and disappearing intermittently.
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