Chapter 27

The next day.

The revelation call failed to wake up Ruiting.

Huo Xiao, however, stood up feeling refreshed.

Normally, when I am alone, I will just dress neatly and go out.

But it’s different now. He has a wife, and they became a real couple last night.

He felt extremely satisfied with the extreme happiness both physically and mentally, and was reluctant to leave.

Huo Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his wife whose cheeks were rosy from sleeping.

Then... the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I took one last bite and then opened the door and walked out with a guilty conscience.

In the main room, Hu Xiu had already gotten up and was sweeping the floor.

Huo Xiao coughed lightly and said in a low voice: "Mom, let's continue to eat in the cafeteria today."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiu subconsciously objected. After all, the big pot of food tasted average and was more expensive than what he made at home.

But when he looked up at his son, he suddenly realized something and nodded repeatedly, lying with his eyes open: "Okay, then we can eat for another day. The food in the cafeteria tastes good too."

Having said that, he happily began to rummage through the drawers.

Although there is no seasoning for cooking now, the coal stove was ready yesterday.

Hu Xiu was so preoccupied with preparing a brown sugar and honey date soup for her daughter-in-law that she didn't even notice when her son went out.

Ruting woke up at seven o'clock.

Compared to yesterday, it is certainly early.

But thinking that she had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things today, she endured the discomfort and got up quickly.

At first, when she saw her smiling mother-in-law, she didn't think much about it. After all, Hu Xiu had always been a good-tempered person.

But when I found that there was a bowl of red bean and candied date soup in her breakfast, I felt extremely embarrassed.

Although a month ago, when Huo Xiao returned to Xiangyang Brigade, my mother-in-law also did this for him.

But at that time, there was no substantial progress between the two of them, so she didn't feel embarrassed.

But...everything that was supposed to happen happened last night.

Hu Xiu is not the kind of old lady who likes to stare at her son and daughter-in-law's room.

So I had no idea that the couple had just consummated their marriage last night.

Seeing the embarrassment on her daughter-in-law's face, she considerately chatted with her about other topics: "...By the way, I just asked if Lan was here."

Tingting: "What are you doing here?"

Hu Xiu: "They asked us to go to the back hill to dig shepherd's purse." Yu Guan sighed again: "I originally thought that there were no wild vegetables in big cities, and everyone ate supplied grains and vegetables. I didn't expect that life was almost the same as ours."

The camp where Huo Xiao served was in the southern suburbs. There was a mountain behind the camp. It was not very high, with the highest point being only about a hundred meters.

But in fact, it is different from the mountains in my hometown. At least there is no temple on the mountain behind Xiangyang Brigade.

After hearing what his daughter-in-law said, Hu Xiu became interested: "There is also a temple? I just told Wenlan that I have other plans today. Let's go to the back mountain to take a look after we have prepared all the family affairs."

Not to mention burning incense and worshipping Buddha, just taking the children to see the green mountains can help you relax.

This was also what Ruiting meant, so after hearing what her mother-in-law said, she agreed immediately.

After dinner.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law carried the child and each carried a bamboo basket and went out.

Most of the military supply and marketing cooperatives serve the military's families, so they are built near the military's families' families.

But throughout the brigade, in addition to officers above the rank of deputy battalion commander and soldiers with 15 years of military service, the families of some special technical talents can also accompany the troops.

So the area of ​​the family compound is not small.

In addition, the kids had short legs and had to stop and start many times, so it took them more than half an hour to reach their destination.

Unlike the crowds and mad competition they had imagined, there were not many people in the supply and marketing cooperative, and the goods were more complete than they had imagined.

At least all the seasonings are available.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law first weighed half a pound of biscuits, which are the rectangular thin crisps sprinkled with white sugar.

Then he gave each of the kids a piece and started buying all kinds of things.

It was also at this time that Li Ting felt that her mother-in-law's previous behavior of being reluctant to let go and taking care of her child was actually quite good.

After all, if I hadn't had the empty cans she insisted on bringing, I would have to go find bottles for soy sauce and vinegar.

Hu Xiu was very happy to be looked at by her daughter-in-law, and couldn't help but say proudly: "Mom, this is all the life wisdom you have gained over the years."

Ruting nodded repeatedly: "That's right, you have always been very wise."

Hu Xiu was so happy to receive the recognition from her college student daughter-in-law that she couldn't stop smiling.

Seeing that the two looked unfamiliar, the saleswoman who was serving soy sauce asked, "You two are new to the army, right? Which restaurant are you from?"

Li Ting smiled and replied, "Yes, I just got here. My husband is a gangster. I don't know if you recognize him, elder sister."

"Captain Huo? How could I not know him?" This was a regiment camp, and apart from the brigade commander and the brigade political commissar, Captain Huo had the highest position.

So, the elder sister, who had a somewhat contemptuous attitude at first, immediately put on a smile and said fluently: "My name is Chen Lanhua, and I am from the family of Captain Zhu Zhengwei of the Second Regiment. When I saw you come in just now, I was very curious, wondering whose daughter-in-law you were. She was so pretty. Now I think that Captain Huo is such a good man, and only you can be worthy of him."

Although Chen Lanhua said this, she felt a little sad in her heart.

Captain Huo's daughter-in-law looks at least ten years younger than me, but she is the captain's wife. It's really true that comparison makes one feel dreadful.

The belly is also doing well. She just heard that the two chubby little babies are actually boy and girl twins.

Thinking of this, she glanced at the woman standing next to her and rolled her eyes: "Is this the eldest sister's mother? You two mother and daughter have a really good relationship." The mother was also brought along with the army.

Before Ruiting could say anything, Hu Xiuxian on the side laughed.

She didn't hear the trap in the other person's words at all. She just thought that she and her daughter-in-law really looked like mother and daughter in the eyes of others, and she was very proud: "We are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."

Chen Lanhua was really surprised: "Are you Captain Huo's mother?"

Hu Xiu: “Yes.”

This... this really makes me lose the energy to even feel jealous. It's okay that the man is powerful, but the mother-in-law is also so easy to get along with.

Hu Xiu didn't realize that she had accidentally hit someone in the face. She said goodbye to Chen Lanhua with a smile and led her daughter-in-law to the vegetable stall.

The supply and marketing cooperatives also sell vegetables, but the variety is very limited, and at this moment there is nothing else to eat except eggs.

If you want meat dishes, you have to get up early and queue up.

However, Hu Xiu and Lu Ting were not in a hurry, after all, they brought a lot of pickled meat from their hometown.

You won’t be able to keep it when the weather gets hot, so you have to eat it quickly.

So the two of them ended up buying only one pound of eggs.

As for vegetables, I really didn't need them, as my neighbors gave me a lot of them.

Because Huo Xiao said in the morning that he would bring back some food from the cafeteria at noon.

So even though the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bought the seasonings, they didn't start the fire.

Of course, the main reason is that I have no strength left.

On the way back, they had to carry the child who couldn't walk and also carry things, which was very tiring for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

After I got home, I collapsed and went to bed to rest.

But we didn't have time to rest for long, as Huo Xiao came back with lunch.

While he was arranging the dishes, he was observing his wife inconspicuously.

Only after getting a few cold stares did he curl the corners of his lips and look away in a good mood.

The food in the cafeteria was the same as usual. Hu Xiu took a few bites and said, "Wen Lan sent some shepherd's purse over. Let's make dumplings tonight."

Huo Xiao: "Have you bought the seasoning?"

Hu Xiu: "I bought it back, and the kitchen is now fully stocked. You have a pretty complete supply and marketing cooperative here. I'll go earlier tomorrow morning to cut a piece of fat meat and make some oil, and then everything will be ready."

After saying that, she looked at her daughter-in-law again and said, "Tingting, I won't go to the market to buy things tomorrow."

Jue Ting was surprised: "Don't you want to go to the department store to have a look?"

Hu Xiuzhi waved his hand: "Next time, when the children go to kindergarten."

Hearing this, thinking of her still sore arms, she no longer forced herself: "Then I won't go tomorrow either, I'll wait for you to come with me, there's nothing we need to buy at home anyway."

After saying this, she asked about her husband's dinner invitation.

Huo Xiao thought for a few seconds before replying, "Everyone has a certain amount of pork in the supply and marketing cooperative. I'll go to the kitchen this afternoon and order some pork and fish... How about the night after tomorrow?"

I have no objection to this. You have to invite him sooner or later, so it’s better to do it sooner.

After dinner.

The young couple cleaned up the dishes together and digested their food at the same time.

When they got back to the room and lay down on the bed, Huo Xiao held his wife in his arms and kissed her for a while before talking about the spring conscription: "...Last time, Li Hong said he wanted to join the army. Should I call home and ask?"

Ruting laughed: "You still want to use the backdoor for your brother-in-law?"

Knowing that she was joking, Huo Xiao also laughed: "Ling Hong has a good physique and has completed high school. The army is in urgent need of educated young people, so he should be selected without any surprises."

Of course, it is possible that someone with connections might take their place.

This is also the reason mentioned by Huo Xiao.

If the brother-in-law really intends to enlist in the army, he should say hello to Lao Hu.

Although she was happy about her husband's thoughtfulness, she still shook her head and said, "Let's talk about recruiting in the fall. We have to wait until he gets his high school diploma."

However: "What do you think about Danier and Furong joining the army?"

Huo Xiao had never thought about this. When he was in the army, his cousins ​​were only a few years old, so he was not familiar with them. "Why did you think of this?"

Ruting then told Danier about her dating experience, and ended by saying, "...I think the two girls are still too young to get married, so it's better for them to wait for opportunities while they are in high school."

Huo Xiao also didn't like his aunt's behavior, but he was separated from his cousins ​​by a layer, so he couldn't extend his hand too far. So he was silent for a while before saying, "I will keep an eye on the recruitment of female soldiers."

Li Ting raised her head and kissed her husband on the chin: "If you can help, then help. If you can't help, there's nothing you can do. Don't be too embarrassed."

Huo Xiao, who was trying hard to behave himself, broke down in a second. He turned over, pressed his wife under him and started kissing her.

In the afternoon, when Ruiting got up by pounding her waist, she secretly swore to bite the greedy man to death that night.

She finally figured it out. How could he come back to rest? He was just thinking about that. She didn't know where he got so much energy...

"Are you up? Come over and help mom put together the patterns." Hu Xiu planned to try to piece together a tablecloth with homespun cloth, but most of the patterns were different.

She is very picky in this regard, and always feels that different patterns, no matter how they are put together, do not look good.

Ruiting tied her long hair loosely behind her head, comforted her daughter and son, promised to come over later to help them do handicrafts, and then went to her mother-in-law's place first.

After spending some time, they finally picked out the two pieces they were most satisfied with. Hu Xiu stopped competing with the twins and said, "Okay, I can handle the rest by myself. Go and do your own thing."

Tingting: "Can I help you cut it?"

"No, just a tablecloth." I'm not very good at making clothes, but I can still sew a tablecloth.

Seeing this, Ruiting stopped forcing herself and got up and went back to the house to get a piece of paper, a ballpoint pen refill, a small candle and a pair of scissors.

When the food was placed on the table, Guoguo couldn't sit still anymore and asked anxiously, "Mom, what kind of craft shall we make today?"

Although Miaomiao didn't say anything, her eyes were sparkling.

"Mommy will make you a little paper snake that can rotate by itself today, okay?" Although it is called handicraft, most of the time, Ting Ting is actually doing some small physics experiments with the children.

I did the same thing today. I first used the pen tip to draw a circular spiral on the paper, and then cut it along the drawn line.

Just as she inserted the pen refill into the candle and hung the spiral paper on it, Tang Wenlan came over again.

Seeing the scraps of paper and scissors on the table, she smiled and said, "Is this paper cutting? Tingting is quite patient. No wonder your child sticks to you."

Before Ruting could explain, Guoguo said anxiously: "It's not a paper-cut, mom said it's a moving little snake."

Miaomiao pursed her lips and said, "Yes, it's a paper snake."

Tang Wenlan was a little confused: "What little snake?"

Ruting smiled and asked everyone to sit down, poured them some tea, and then lit the candles with matches.

Almost instantly, the hanging paper began to rotate automatically.

Tang Wenlan was surprised: "Wow, it really moves?"

The kids cheered excitedly, then hurriedly asked what the reason was.

Ruiting simply explained the principle.

What kind of air is heated? What kind of air molecules? Tang Wenlan was completely confused, but she had a clear understanding: "Tingting, can you read?"

Ruting nodded: "Learn to read."

"It's good to be able to read. If you can read, the organization can arrange easier work for you." Tang Wenlan came here at noon on the orders of her husband. Her husband, Mr. Xing, is the political commissar, and he always has to take care of matters such as arranging work for military dependents.

But after saying this, she added: "Do you want to work? This is not mandatory."

Tang Wenlan had no job, firstly because she had a low level of education and could not get any good job.

Another thing is that her husband, Mr. Xing, is also a regimental-level cadre. His salary plus allowances are more than a thousand yuan a year. Even if he gives his parents-in-law a hundred or two every year, it is enough to support the family comfortably.

Naturally, she wanted to work.

Originally she wanted to wait a little longer, after all, she had just arrived.

Since my sister-in-law had brought it up, I nodded directly: "If there is a suitable one, I still want to participate in the work."

Tang Wenlan pondered the meaning of the words and realized that Tingting must have higher standards.

But there aren't many good jobs, so I asked awkwardly, "What kind of job do you want?"

Of course, Ruiting wanted to be a teacher; after all, it was her profession.

But I didn't know if the school here was short of teachers, so I asked, "Could you please tell me what kind of jobs there are?"

Hu Xiu, who had just come out of the house to get some needlework, only heard the word "work" and subconsciously asked, "What kind of work?"

Li Ting then explained the purpose of asking Mrs. Lan's visit.

There are some things that a daughter-in-law cannot say directly, but Hu Xiu has no scruples. She walked over with a smile and said, "Wen Lan, do you think there is still a need for a junior high school teacher?"

Tang Wenlan twitched his lips and thought to himself, how dare you speak like that.

But she had to consider the face of Captain Huo, so she politely declined: "It's not easy to be a junior high school teacher. At least you have to graduate from high school."

It’s not that Tang Wenlan looked down on Li Ting. In fact, she had a pretty good impression of Li Ting, mainly because she was pretty.

But most of the wives of soldiers from rural areas are illiterate, so all the teachers in junior high schools are wives of soldiers from cities.

Although she knows how to read and write well, the starting point for her to teach in junior high school is too high.

Military middle schools are not like the outside world where you can just read Mao's Selected Works or the Little Red Book and get a diploma.

Military primary schools must rely on real talent.

Hu Xiu seemed not to notice Tang Wenlan's hesitation, and said proudly: "My daughter-in-law is a college student, let alone junior high school students, she can teach high school students!"

Tang Wenlan's eyes widened: "A... a college student?"

Hu Xiu straightened his back: "That's right!"

Ting Ting...so embarrassing.