Chapter 98

Jiang Nian rubbed her eyes, turned over and sat on the bunk for a while. Lu Yu took the backpack off the luggage rack and put it on his back. He had eaten a bag of food and another bag of food. He took Jiang Nian's hand, pinched her warm fingers, leaned over and asked: "Are you sober now?"

Jiang Nian nodded.

She got up and followed Lu Yu. When she walked to the exit of the train compartment, she was startled by a gust of cold wind. Jiang Nian shrank her shoulders and hid behind Lu Yu. It was just as Tian's wife said. Xinjiang was much colder than Yuanshi, and it was comparable to Dongshi.

Seeing this, Lu Yu stopped, took out a thick cotton coat from his backpack and handed it to Jiang Nian to put on, then put the backpack on his back: "Is it better?"

Jiang Nian wrapped the cotton coat tightly, her eyelashes fluttering, and smiled: "Much warmer."

With the lesson learned from the last time he went to Dong City, Lu Yu bought a cotton hat for Jiang Nian to wear. The two of them got off the train and were blown by the whistling cold wind. The wind was very strong, and a layer of snow blew over from the ground and hit people. Jiang Nian suddenly felt her face was cold, as if she was sticking to ice.

The snow here was not heavy, but the wind was particularly strong. Jiang Nian felt that if Lu Yu hadn't held her, she would have been blown down by the wind.

"Lu Yu, sister-in-law--"

"Sister-in-law, over here--"

Two voices mixed with the sound of the wind came from not far away. Jiang Nian raised his hand to press down his cotton hat, squinted his eyes and looked outside the train station. Through a wooden fence, two tall men waved at this side. They were a little far away, and it was dim at night. Jiang Nian couldn't see their faces clearly, but he could tell from the voices that they were Song Bai and Tang Ze.

Jiang Nian smiled and said, "It's Song Bai and Tang Ze."

Lu Yu turned his head and saw the smile in Jiang Nian's eyes, held her fingers tightly, and smiled: "Yes, it's them."

The cold wind at night made people's faces stiff and cold. Lu Yu tried his best to stand in the wind outlet to help Jiang Nian block the wind. Song Bai and Tang Ze grabbed the wooden fence with one hand and ran towards them. The two of them hugged Lu Yu tightly, one in front and one behind. Jiang Nian looked at the three of them and bumped their fists with each other, with happy smiles on their faces.

After not seeing each other for a year, Jiang Nian found that Song Bai and Tang Ze had both been tanned, and their wheat-colored skin had turned darker. At one point, the two were wearing military coats. Song Bai was holding a cotton coat and a cotton hat in his hands. He originally wanted to give them to Jiang Nian, but seeing that she already had them, he didn't give them to her. He smiled at Jiang Nian and said, "Sister-in-law, are you tired from the journey?"

When they met again, Song Bai was no longer lonely and desolate as he had been when they parted at the train station. He had turned into the cheerful man that Jiang Nian first met. He was not wearing a hat, his hair was still short, his brows were raised, and when he smiled, his dark eyes were bright and lively.

Jiang Nian raised her little face, her eyes bright and beautiful under the cotton hat: "I'm fine, Lu Yu has been taking care of me all the way."

Song Bai lowered his eyes and smiled: "I'm glad that you're not tired."

Then he took the bag from Lu Yu's hand and said to Lu Yu: "It's windy here, you take care of your sister-in-law. The car is parked in front, and we have to walk for a while."

"Sister-in-law, how are my sister and the others?"

Tang Ze took Lu Yu's backpack and asked.

Jiang Nian said, "Captain Tang and Sister Chen are both very nice. The last time I went back, Sister Chen mentioned you to me, saying that you have worked hard here and she is looking forward to your return to cook a table of delicious food for you."

Tang Ze smiled and said, "I estimate that I will have to wait for two or three years."

Lu Yu hugged Jiang Nian's shoulders and used his tall body to block some of the cold wind for her. Song Bai deliberately walked in front of the left side and blocked the cold wind from this side. Jiang Nian was chatting with Tang Ze and didn't notice these. Lu Yu raised his eyes to glance at Song Bai's profile, pursed his thin lips slightly, and didn't say anything, but tightened his hand around Jiang Nian.

It's been a year, and this kid hasn't given up yet.

The road was very narrow, with drainage ditches on both sides. Not to mention a military jeep, even three people walking side by side would be a bit crowded.

Song Bai and Tang Ze walked in front, Lu Yu carried Jiang Nian behind, and after walking a distance, the road ahead became wider. There was a military jeep parked on the side of the road. Tang Ze ran over first and put his bag in the trunk. Song Bai drove in front, while Lu Yu and Jiang Nian sat in the back seat. It wasn't warm inside the car, but it was much better than the cold wind outside.

Jiang Nian rubbed her frozen face, and her hands were also cold. Lu Yu unbuttoned his coat, grabbed Jiang Nian's hand and stuffed it into his own clothes. His palm was warm, and the warmth spread along his fingertips. Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Lu Yu: "Aren't you cold?"

Lu Yu said: "No."

Through the sweater, Lu Yu held Jiang Nian's hand: "Warm yourself up, and you won't be cold anymore."

Jiang Nian's heart softened, and she couldn't help but lean towards Lu Yu again. From the time they met until now, Lu Yu has been taking care of her and has never let her suffer any grievances or hardships. He is trying his best to be good to her, so good that Jiang Nian sometimes feels that she was a kind person in her previous life, and that is why she met Lu Yu in this life.

Tang Ze turned his head and glanced at him, jokingly saying, "Oh, Captain Lu loves his wife so much?"

Lu Yu smiled and said nothing.

Song Bai held the steering wheel and saw the happy smile on Jiang Nian's face through the rearview mirror. After a while, he also smiled and asked Lu Yu and Jiang Nian: "What do you want to eat in the evening?"

Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian, and Jiang Nian asked: "What is available here?"

She didn't know the difference in food between here and Yuanshi. Song Bai said: "I'll take you there, you can choose."

It takes an hour to get from the train station to the county town. The life and work schedule here is later than that in Yuanshi. At this time in Yuanshi, everyone is almost resting. It is mealtime in Xinjiang. Jiang Nian saw the buildings on both sides of the road through the car window. They were all adobe houses with roofs covered with mud and dry grass. There were pedestrians walking on the road, and their clothes were a little different from those in Yuanshi.

At first glance, the exotic atmosphere is very strong.

The car stopped at the door of the hotel, and Song Bai led them in. On the blackboard at the door was written what food was served today. The house and the outside were two different styles. The walls inside the house were hung with a kind of beautiful cloth, and the dining table was also covered with a different style of oilcloth. There was an iron stove inside, and it felt warm as soon as you entered.

There were several tables of people in the hotel at this time, and the rich and fragrant smell of mutton filled Jiang Nian's nostrils, which was different from the mutton she had eaten in the New Century.

Song Bai chose a compartment. Jiang Nian didn't know what to order, so Song Bai ordered a few dishes.

When the meal was served, Song Bai introduced it to Lu Yu and Jiang Nian: "This is the milk tea here, it's salty and quite delicious--" Before he finished speaking, Tang Ze said: "And this Ku Maqi, I come here to eat once a month, it's made of a layer of steamed buns on the outside and mutton inside, Lu Yu, try it."

"This is Xinjiang grilled fish and grilled lamb leg."

Tang Ze introduced each dish as it came up.

Jiang Nian felt that after not seeing him for more than half a year, Tang Ze's sullen look had faded a little. She looked at the delicacies on the table and was really tempted.

In this era, having grilled lamb leg and grilled fish on the table was really a blessing.

Song Bai stood up and poured a cup of milk tea for Jiang Nian, and another for Lu Yu and Tang Ze. He first glanced at Jiang Nian and then at Lu Yu: "These should be eaten while hot. They won't taste good if they get cold."

Jiang Nian took a sip of the milk tea. It was salty and had the aroma of tea leaves. It was a taste she had never tasted before. Lu Yu saw some milk tea marks on her lips and smiled: "Is it delicious?"

Jiang Nian nodded: "Delicious."

After that, she picked up the bowl and drank half a bowl.

"Eat some of this."

Lu Yushun handed her a piece of mutton. The roasted mutton was very fragrant and had no mutton smell. Jiang Nian ate two more pieces, which was rare. The Ku Maqi was a round roasted thin bag filled with chopped mutton and green onions, cut into twelve portions. Jiang Nian ate one portion, and also had some roasted fish and roasted lamb legs, and drank a bowl and a half of milk tea. This time she was really full.

Seeing that Song Bai was going to pour her milk tea, Jiang Nian quickly waved her hand and said, "I can't drink anymore, I'm full."

Song Bai was stunned for a moment before he reacted. Jiang Nian's appetite has always been small, and tonight she ate more than before. He put down the teapot and smiled, "It's okay as long as you are full."

Lu Yu, Song Bai and Tang Ze talked about the past year, and Jiang Nian sat beside them and listened quietly.

After Song Bai applied for a transfer here, he was promoted from deputy head to head. He was busier than before. Tang Ze was promoted to deputy head and was in the same regiment with Song Bai. The conditions here were difficult, not as good as in the original city, and there might be dangerous missions in the middle. It was

not too late after dinner, so Song Bai drove Lu Yu and the others directly to the base.

When Lu Yu sent a telegram saying he was coming here, Song Bai had already applied for housing, and it was approved in the past two days. The base here is very large, with troops stationed there. Next to it is a family courtyard, and behind it is the large farm of the entire base. The housing Song Bai applied for is next to the family courtyard, and a stove was lit inside in advance, so as soon as you pushed the door open, you could smell a gust of hot air.

Jiang Nian walked into the room and took a look. The room was a suite. There was a table and benches, as well as dishes and chopsticks in the outer room. The stove was closer to the wall, and the chimney was inserted into the wall. There was a door inside. Jiang Nian walked in. There was a bed in the room with a brand new mattress. A circle of clean oilcloth was pasted on the earthen wall. There was a kerosene lamp in the room. The light was dim. Although it was not very bright, it gave off a rare sense of warmth.

Song Bai said, "This is the room that was approved by the higher authorities. You have to live here. The environment here is not as good as the original city."

Lu Yu turned around and smiled, "Very good, Song Bai, Tang Ze, thank you."

Jiang Nian smiled and said, "Thank you."

Song Bai said, "You're welcome."

Jiang Nian touched the wall and found that the walls around this circle were hot. Because of this, the room inside was also very warm.

She was a little curious: "Why is this wall hot?"

Song Bai explained, "This is a fire wall. The chimney emits smoke through here, and the heat will also gather inside."

It was the first time that Jiang Nian saw this. She pressed her hands on the fire wall, and the coolness in her palms was dispelled by the heat seeping out of the wall.

It was warm and comfortable.

Song Bai and the others sat for a while and then left. Lu Yu closed the door and walked behind Jiang Nian. She put her hands on the firewall, and the novelty on her cheeks had not yet faded.

"Lu Yu"

Jiang Nian turned her head happily, and suddenly bumped into Lu Yu's dark eyes. The two were very close, so close that Jiang Nian could see the emotions jumping in Lu Yu's eyes. She blinked, and before she came back from her daze, she was hugged by Lu Yu from behind. The man's chin rested on her neck, his breath was a little heavier than before, and his fingers unbuttoned her clothes. Just as she was about to take another step, there was a knock on the door, followed by Song Bai's voice: "Lu Yu."