Zhou Jiuzhen hurriedly asked Xiao Wang to call the army doctor to examine Song Yaoyao, while he and Zhou Shuyao discussed bringing his mother to live on the island as well.
Just as Zhou Jiuzhen finished sending a telegram to the city requesting that someone be sent to pick up Wang Guihua, the military doctor, after completing the examination, exclaimed in surprise, "Commander, the woman inside is probably really pregnant. It's rare for someone to vomit after only twenty days of pregnancy."
"Really...really?"
Zhou Shuyao's lips twitched, forcing a smile.
He should have been happy, but instead he felt inexplicably flustered and uncomfortable.
It was as if the child wasn't his.
Zhou Jiuzhen seemed much happier than him. "I knew that fortune teller was unreliable. He said I would have no descendants. But I had a child right after getting married. Come to my house tonight, and we'll celebrate properly."
As he spoke, he remembered the discord between Ling Huanwu and Song Yaoyao, and changed his words, saying, "Just come over, my sister-in-law and I will have a good celebration for you."
"Okay!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shuyao's mood inexplicably brightened again, and he happily ran inside to see Song Yaoyao.
*
Ling Huanwu rested at home until evening, and the allergies on her mouth and legs finally subsided considerably.
Their lips look so realistic you'd actually feel comfortable kissing them.
She then specially took out a light blue cheongsam from the bottom of her trunk, let down the two braids that were originally hanging down in front of her chest, put her hair up in a bun again, and inserted the white jade hairpin that she usually couldn't bear to use. She looked like a little fox spirit again.
I remember in my previous life, Zhou Shuyao was most obsessed with her Republic of China-era attire.
She still remembered the first time Zhou Shuyao's eyes changed when he looked at her in her previous life.
She was wearing this cheongsam and had her hair styled in this bun, and after that, his gaze never left her.
Presumably, the two brothers have similar tastes.
Ling Huanwu cheered herself up. For the sake of space and dignity, she had to win over Zhou Jiuzhen tonight, no matter what it took.
Seeing that it was almost five o'clock, she quickly got up and went to the door to start a fire and cook.
Without even thinking, she knew that Zhou Jiuzhen would definitely come back to see her early today, no matter what was going on.
She lit the fire, heated the oil in the wok, and took out the taro cake that her neighbor, Li, the platoon leader's wife, had given her. She cut it into small triangular pieces and put them into the oil.
She had never eaten this before, having lived in the north since childhood.
Even though she later went to Hong Kong in her previous life, she never ate it.
Then, while frying the taro cakes, I followed the recipe taught by the aunt next door and simmered peanut soup over a low flame in the small stove in the back.
Deep-fry the taro cakes until golden brown and crispy on both sides, then remove them from the oil.
Soon, the peanut soup behind the small stove began to steam, wafting a fragrant aroma like milk, mixed with the rich, earthy scent of taro cake, making one's mouth water.
Ling Huanwu drained the oil in a large ladle, leaving a little oil in the pan. She then added minced garlic and sautéed it until fragrant. Next, she added the tender sweet potato leaves she had selected and stir-fried them.
Since there are no vegetables available here, she can only stir-fry sweet potato leaves to supplement her vitamins, which is better than nothing.
Thinking that Zhou Jiuzhen would be amazed when he returned next week at how quickly she had adapted to local customs and cooked so many local dishes, she couldn't help but hum a folk opera tune in a cheerful mood.
Several local villagers digging sweet potatoes in the field stopped what they were doing, their hands on their hoes, and listened intently.
Not far away, Zhou Jiuzhen led Zhou Shuyao home one after the other, explaining to him as they walked, "This area has stone houses where soldiers with their families live. You and your sister-in-law can stay in the army dormitory for a few nights. I'll have someone find you a house far away in the next few days, and then you and your sister-in-law can move there."
"Why can't we live near you? Why do we have to live far away? That way, our two families can visit each other more often."
Zhou Shuyao was somewhat unhappy.
But I can't quite put my finger on why I'm unhappy.
"Alright, don't you know that your wife and my wife don't get along? In that case, I think you and your sister-in-law should leave the island next month!"
Zhou Jiuzhen patted his younger brother on the shoulder, deliberately trying to scare him.
Sure enough, Zhou Shuyao immediately backed down and compromised, "No, no, no, if Yao Yao and I run into that crazy guy surnamed Qin again, we'll be in big trouble. I'll go back and talk to Yao Yao properly..."
He was speaking when his words abruptly stopped.
Not far away, in front of a small stone house, a slender figure in light blue stood in front of a dusty stove.
She parted her lips slightly, and a melodious opera tune drifted out.
The sound was like the tinkling of a mountain spring, or like a gentle breeze on your face.
Accompanied by a soft melody, the woman flipped the spatula in her hand, her plump buttocks outlined by her cheongsam swaying left and right along with the twisting of her slender waist.
The men around him were all stunned and dumbfounded.
Zhou Jiuzhen felt dizzy and glared coldly at the men around him who were staring at their wives, which frightened them into lowering their heads.
Then he raised his hand and waved it in front of Zhou Shuyao, who was already in a daze, and said with displeasure, "What are you looking at? If you look at your sister-in-law again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"
"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about?" Zhou Shuyao awkwardly came back to his senses and said with a look of disgust, "Why would I be looking at this capitalist's daughter? I'm looking at what she's cooking, it smells so good?"
Zhou Jiuzhen gave him a meaningful look, said "Show some respect to your sister-in-law," and then walked towards Ling Huanwu.
“Ling…”
Zhou Jiuzhen swallowed the "Comrade Ling" that was on the tip of his tongue and changed his address to "Huanhuan!"
Ling Huanwu's hand, which was frying vegetables, froze. Her eyes widened, and her eyelashes trembled.
Subconsciously, she thought of Zhou Shuyao.
In her previous life, only Zhou Shuyao would call her "Huanhuan".
She turned around in surprise, shovel in hand, and only when she saw Zhou Jiuzhen did she breathe a long sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Why are you back so soon?"
"Oh, I just happened to bring someone over to give you a surprise..."
Zhou Jiuzhen stepped aside, revealing Zhou Shuyao, who was a size smaller than him, standing behind him.
Ling Huanwu turned her gaze, her smile freezing on her face, and the spatula in her hand fell to the ground, but Zhou Jiuzhen caught it with lightning speed.
"Huanhuan, what's wrong? Are you too happy?"
Zhou Jiuzhen teased her with a simple-minded expression.
Ling Huanwu snapped out of her daze, grabbed the spatula, glared at him, and then looked at Zhou Shuyao, saying politely, "Uncle's here. Come in and sit down. The food will be ready soon."
Zhou Shuyao smacked his lips, flicked his hair which he had specially washed and styled to be fluffy when he came over, and replied politely, "Sister-in-law's cooking smells delicious. My brother and I will go inside now."
"Yes, there's wine on the table. You can drink it after you finish eating."
She quickly turned away without looking at the two of them, and busied herself serving the food and washing the pot.
He cursed inwardly, thinking, "Why has this persistent man come to the island? That annoying Song Yaoyao must have followed me here too."
You should know that she came to the island with the army not only to get rid of Qin Jinshen, but also to get rid of the couple. Who knew that she couldn't shake them off no matter what she did.
She brought the dishes into the house and heard Zhou Shuyao, that sharp-tongued man, whispering about crickets behind her.
"My God, brother, your living conditions are too harsh! How can your wife, a capitalist's daughter, stand it?"
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