Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Dare you impersonate my idol?
After Qingmei finished speaking, four or five young military wives surrounded Mrs. Liang and started to speak in a sarcastic manner.
We all came here to visit relatives, and before coming, we all knew that we should live in harmony in the army, not offend others easily, and be united and friendly.
It would be fine if we ignored those who had lived here with Mrs. Liang for a short time, but there were several people who came from other provinces to visit relatives, taking trains and boats. They always stayed for three or four months each time, and some even stayed for a year or two.
Mrs. Liang thought she was the oldest and had been there the longest, so she always tried to put people in a bad light and brought bad practices into the army.
Seeing that Qingmei was kind and good-looking, she thought it was easy to say, but that's how she got hurt. She also didn't expect that Qingmei's boyfriend would give her so much face.
Mrs. Liang was too embarrassed to bear it, so she pushed through the people surrounding her, ran into the house and slammed the door.
Qingmei said quietly outside the door: "It's broad daylight, why are you closing the door?"
Xiaojuan was truly impressed. If only she had come over on the first day and quickly understood the situation like Qingmei and rebuked Mrs. Liang, it would have been great. This would have saved her partner from nagging and arguing with her again.
Qingmei brought a lot of fruits from her own garden when she came over. She wanted to get along well with them, so she took out the fruits and gave three or four to each of them.
Qingmei was generous and soon introduced herself to everyone and made friends with them.
Gu Qingzhou was going back to his single dormitory to get his personal belongings. After he left, Qingmei invited Xiaojuan, Lu Lu and Wang Jiayuan to come into the house and sit down and talk.
They all lived on the third floor and were about the same age, making them suitable friends. The other sisters-in-law and aunts were much older and had little in common.
Qingmei mixed the freshly cooked autumn pear paste with sugar and made a cup of sweet pear water for each of them. Lu Lu asked a few questions about how it was made, and Qingmei taught them one by one.
Seeing Qingmei with the cloth she was sewing, and the beautiful stitches on it, Xiaojuan asked, "What are you going to do with such a large piece of cloth?"
Qingmei pointed at the pole that Gu Qingzhou had set up and said, "I want to make a curtain between the door and the bed to prevent people from standing at the door and looking inside."
Xiaojuan sympathetically said, "Who knows, he might be leaning against the wall right now, listening to us. But such a large piece of cloth is quite expensive, isn't it? How many cotton cloth coupons does your family get per month?"
This question was asked in a tactful way, and all family members who came to visit asked this question.
Each officer's rank was given different items. Although some family members couldn't read the rank on their shoulders, they could tell their position by the items they were given.
Qingmei didn't hide anything and told the truth: "Five cotton cloth tickets a month."
After she finished speaking, Wang Jiayuan exclaimed, "Here we only get three at most a month, and that's already company commander. What rank would you get if you got five?"
Xiaojuan didn't know. She said honestly, "My boyfriend gets two a month. He's a platoon leader. But he's getting a promotion at the end of the year."
Qingmei congratulated him, "Congratulations! Platoon leader is just the beginning. You will definitely be promoted step by step."
Wang Jiayuan lowered his head and calculated for a long time before saying, "Five cotton cloth tickets, your family must be at least a battalion commander... No, no, it should be a regimental commander."
Lu Lu comes to visit her family every year and knows more about the army's situation than they do.
So he said, "Leader? Maybe you miscalculated? We only have three leaders here, and they're all married. One of them even just got married."
Qingmei smiled and said, "Yes, we just got married."
Lu Lu was a teacher in the village, having previously been an educated youth. She had short, shoulder-length pigtails and a rather stocky figure. She didn't think Qingmei was lying, but she just couldn't believe it.
She said in surprise: "Then I think your boyfriend is too young and handsome to be the leader."
After saying this, Wang Jiayuan and Xiaojuan looked at Qingmei at the same time. Qingmei smiled slightly and said nothing else.
Wang Jiayuan has many sisters and holds urban household registration. Her husband is also quite accomplished, having already become a deputy company commander at the age of 23. They have a good relationship and plan to have children. They should apply for permanent residency with the army by the end of the year.
"I'm the leader of the Third Regiment, right?" She was very good at reading people's expressions and said quickly, "I heard that the leader of the Third Regiment is very young. I just didn't expect that his wife would appear before me."
Qingmei smiled and said, "Please don't call me that. Just call me Qingmei. I'm not used to being called anything else."
Lu Lu also realized that what she had just said could easily be misunderstood, and wanted to take this opportunity to explain.
Qingmei added some water to her teacup with a smile, secretly indicating that she didn't take it to heart.
Lu Lu nodded apologetically to Qingmei, thinking that it was all thanks to Qingmei's easygoing nature. If she had met any other sister-in-law, she would have been indifferent.
They talked for a while and saw Gu Qingzhou coming over with a basin and personal belongings, followed by two signalmen helping to carry the military uniform and information bag that he would wear tomorrow.
Now that Gu Qingzhou's identity was confirmed, everyone in the room became restrained.
When Xiaojuan looked at Gu Qingzhou, she only thought he was handsome and tall, but then she felt a sense of oppression from having been in a high position for many years.
She winked at the other sisters, and all three of them stood up.
Xiaojuan was small and thin, reminding Qingmei of her own daughter, Xiaoyan. However, she was better at taking care of herself than Xiaoyan, had a healthy complexion, dressed simply and elegantly, and was thoughtful in her actions and words.
"You two still have a lot of things to pack. Once you're done, we can talk about it tomorrow. I'll bring you some pancakes from my house to try, and I'll take the fruit."
Lu Lu glanced at Gu Qingzhou and saw him looking at Qingmei with a gentle expression. She could instantly feel that they had a good relationship. She also whispered, "I'm leaving too. Let's talk tomorrow."
Wang Jiayuan held up the teacup and said, "I drink slowly, and there's still half a cup of sweet pear juice left. I'll give it to my partner. I'll bring the cup to you tomorrow when I have time."
She had saved half a cup for her boyfriend, who had recently returned from a business trip and was feeling sick with a sore throat. She went to the hospital, and the doctor diagnosed it as pharyngitis.
Qingmei had walked to the door, but she turned back, took out a can of autumn pear paste, stuffed it into her hand and said:
"It's not a very expensive thing, just take it and drink it. I have a pear tree in my hometown that's made specifically for this, it's quite good. If you can't finish the tea after soaking it in water, just throw it away overnight and don't drink it. If you don't want to soak it in water, scoop a small spoonful of it with a spoon and put it in your throat to nourish your throat."
Wang Jiayuan looked at Qingmei gratefully and said, "Thank you very much. I'm not in a hurry to say goodbye to you. Our friendship will surely last forever."
Thinking of this, Qingmei curled her lips. Many people even wished her and Chen Lili a long-lasting friendship.
By the time they left, it was already late.
Bao Mi and Xiao Jin also left.
Qingmei took out the thermos and wanted to go to the water room to get some water.
After closing the door, Gu Qingzhou became spoiled again, and said to Qingmei with her little finger raised: "I'll go and beat it, you take out the big basin from under the bed."
Qingmei asked, "What are you doing with the big basin?"
Gu Qingzhou waved her little finger in front of Qingmei and said, "Help your man bathe and change his clothes."
Qingmei smiled and said, "I'm the boss here."
Gu Qingzhou pointed at the basin and said, "Can I use it here?"
Qingmei found it funny, but also felt sorry for him because his little finger was injured and it was so inconvenient to wrap it tightly. "Okay."
Gu Qingzhou went to fetch water with two thermoses in one hand. Qingmei took out the large basin, wiped it, and put it aside. Then she went out to get a pot of cold water, ready to light a small stove and add more water when it cooled down.
Gu Qingzhou came back with some water, poured the hot water, and then went out to get more hot water.
After returning, he closed the door, took off his vest and hung it on the hanger: "Why is the curtain closed?"
Qingmei sat on a small stool with a curtain behind her.
On the left is a double bed, and next to the bed is a table and chairs facing the window.
She placed the basin in the open space beside the bed.
"Aren't you injured? I'm worried you'll catch a cold."
November is almost here, and the long winter in the north is about to begin. The temperature difference between morning and evening is huge. Qingmei estimates that it is only ten degrees Celsius outside now.
Gu Qingzhou walked into the curtain with his bare chest and saw his young wife bending down to test the water temperature for him.
The red marks hidden under the collar and hair during the day made Gu Qingzhou's eyes hot, and he kissed Qingmei's neck in the same way.
Qingmei shrank her neck and was about to ask Gu Qingzhou to get ready for a bath when she was caught off guard by Gu Qingzhou who picked her up in a squatting position and gently placed her in a large basin.
"Just kidding, I don't need you to wash me, just rinse with cold water later."
Gu Qingzhou sat on the small stool Qingmei had just sat on, and poured warm water on Qingmei's soaked clothes with a scoop of water. He lowered his voice and said, "I'll help the master take a bath."
This night was so unbearable.
Qingmei kept thinking about what Xiaojuan said about Mrs. Liang next door lying on the wall and eavesdropping, which made her grit her teeth and dare not make a sound.
Gu Qingzhou gradually realized this and tortured him deliberately. It was only after he was hit hard on the shoulder that he stopped.
In the morning, Qingmei was still sleeping.
Gu Qingzhou got up with renewed energy. Seeing that it was still early, he threw Qingmei's shirt and red socks that were hanging beside the bed into the basin.
I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, then started washing clothes.
He has to be careful today. He has been working hard in the fields for two nights in a row. His wife has been scolding him in her sleep.
Mrs. Liang didn't hear any noise, and she was so angry that she finally fell asleep in the middle of the night.
Her husband will be back in a few days, so she hurried to wash all the sheets and quilt covers in the house. Being a virtuous woman is good, but it is really tiring.
She took advantage of the fact that there were few people around to go to the bathroom to wash large items, and when she came in, she almost popped her eyes out.
The new officer next door was actually holding a pair of ladies' socks and washing them while laughing, which Mrs. Liang found both weird and infuriating.
Gu Qingzhou's smile was not actually weird, but he felt that his childhood sweetheart was petite, not taller than him, and her socks were just that big.
At night, the sole of his foot was held in his palm, not even as big as his palm. Today, the socks on his feet were also very cute. Thinking of him, he wanted to kiss him again.
"Oh, I've never seen a man washing a woman's socks. Don't you think it's unlucky?"
Mrs. Liang placed the washboard opposite Gu Qingzhou, pulled out the sheets and quilts stuffed in the basin, and said, "It's just that I have a miserable life and don't know how to enjoy life—"
Gu Qingzhou said happily: "The main reason is that I won't be reincarnated. If I were prettier, this wouldn't have happened."
Mrs. Liang: "...You called me ugly?"
Gu Qingzhou said: "I didn't mention this word."
Mrs. Liang said angrily: "Neither of you two are good people."
Gu Qingzhou twisted his orchid fingers, wrung out the socks, threw them into the basin and said, "Then stay away from them."
When I returned to the room, Qingmei was still sleeping.
I was so tired yesterday that I slept with my arms and legs spread out, feeling completely carefree. There were kiss marks on my exposed belly.
Gu Qingzhou smiled and put a thin blanket on her stomach, then put a pillow under her head, kissed her forehead, changed into his military uniform, and tidied up his appearance before going out.
When Qingmei got up, she was completely confused.
When did she fall asleep?
What time is it now?
***
On the table were steamed buns, pickles and salted duck eggs that Gu Qingzhou brought back.
The steamed bun was probably not made by Tong Zhenzhen. It was soft and chewy, and the taste of the dough became sweeter the more you chewed it.
When the salted duck eggs are almost done, it would be better if they were buttery like at home.
Qingmei lazily stayed in the house all morning. At noon, Gu Qingzhou made an appointment with her to have lunch in the family canteen, and then go to visit Commander Wang's house after lunch.
She picked up their lunch boxes and strolled to the family canteen.
When she got there, she could see the tall figure at the bottom of the stairs at a glance.
"Stir-fried bean sprouts with soy sauce and twice-cooked pork with green peppers."
Qingmei walked with Gu Qingzhou, found a seat in the middle, sat down, looked at the small blackboard hanging on the window and said, "I don't want anything else, you can order whatever you want."
Gu Qingzhou took the lunch box and said, "Would you like tomato and egg?"
Qingmei compromised immediately: "Okay, add more soup to the rice."
Gu Qingzhou smiled and took the lunch box to get food.
Gu Qingzhou rarely came to the family quarters cafeteria, and even when he did, there were never any female comrades around him. Today was a rare occasion, and many people secretly glanced over.
After waiting for five minutes, Qingmei heard some noise nearby and thought Gu Qingzhou had returned so soon. She saw an acquaintance, Tong Zhenzhen, and said, "Comrade Qingmei, it's really you! Why didn't you come in and see me when you came?"
Qingmei looked past her and saw Gu Qingzhou standing in line. She pointed and said, "My boyfriend and I came here to eat, but I thought you were busy so I didn't say hello. Is your master here today?"
Tong Zhenzhen asked in surprise: "How did you know my master was here?"
Qingmei smiled and said, "I ate the steamed buns from this morning. They were delicious, better than anything I made."
Tong Zhenzhen said, "How come you two are saying the same thing? My master even said your steamed buns are better than hers. Is this just a mutual admiration between masters?"
Qingmei felt a little more favorable towards the steamed bun master she had never met, and replied, "That should be the case. No ordinary person can be your master, right?"
Tong Zhenzhen said happily, "That's right. Anyone who wants to be my master has to queue up. Wait, I'm almost at Captain Gu's window. I'll call you."
Qingmei wanted to call her, but she ran to the kitchen.
He went to the window where Gu Qingzhou was queuing, took his lunch box, asked him what dishes he wanted, and forced the food to stick out.
Gu Qingzhou couldn't help but say, "Comrade, this is too much of a waste."
Tong Zhenzhen said: "If you can't finish it, save it for dinner. Everyone does this."
Spend one meal ticket to order a dish at noon, and eat it in two meals, lunch and dinner. This way you can save a lot of meal tickets in a month.
But Gu Qingzhou never did that. He could not finish his meal tickets every month. One reason was that he was often on missions, and the other was that his subsidies were high.
But he still thanked Tong Zhenzhen. Tong Zhenzhen handed him the lunch box and said, "It's nothing. Your wife helped me make steamed buns. This is a thank you gift."
Back at his seat, Gu Qingzhou handed the bowl of tomato and eggs to Qingmei. Qingmei found that it was full of eggs, with only a tiny bit of tomato as a garnish.
The rice was also packed very tightly, and according to Qingmei's appetite, it would take two meals.
Gu Qingzhou played a key role on the other side. He ate in a very polite manner, quietly finishing all the food in the lunch box, and even finishing the remaining half bowl of green plums.
After eating, I take the lunch box to wash it myself, even if I raise my little finger, I am not afraid of being laughed at. Who dares to do that?
Tong Zhenzhen happily watched them get along from the window, and said with emotion: "I wish I could find a partner like this. He washes the lunch box for his wife even when he's injured, and she doesn't like it when she wants to do it. Look at how fair and rosy he has made her. It's really great."
Her master is forty years old, named Chu Aihua. He has been a chef for a long time and is also plump and fair-skinned, just like a steamed white flour bun. Everyone who sees him feels friendly.
"It's great to be young. You can still daydream."
Chu Aihua teased Tong Zhenzhen and said, "Forget about washing dishes. Wouldn't it be even better if you could find someone to steam buns for you?"
Tong Zhenzhen heard that the master was teasing her, so she snorted, picked up the bucket full of potatoes at her feet, and found a corner to peel potatoes.
After lunch, Gu Qingzhou took Qingmei back to get the gifts and strolled to Commander Wang's house to pay his respects.
It's autumn now, and it's a good time to go outside and get some fresh air.
After dinner, before taking a nap, the family members gathered in the low building in front were talking to each other. Someone mentioned that Commander Gu finally decided to bring his newlywed wife to the army.
"I saw them yesterday. They seem to be very close. No wonder Captain Gu is so close to her. The girl is very pretty, with big, bright eyes. Not only Captain Gu, I like her too."
"I heard he's won a lot of awards and even been in the newspapers. He's a decent person despite his young age."
"Hey Mai, why do I remember she was married before? Is she the widow who made so much noise last time? How come she is so capable?"
"A widow? Who said she was a widow? Is that true?"
"It was a blind date. I heard that Captain Gu took the initiative to pursue her. For this girl, he even had an affair with the girl from Political Commissar Chen's family—"
A woman in the middle, who rarely spoke, whispered, "Don't spread those unreliable rumors. This isn't your village. If you want to gossip, go back to your village. Where's the ideological work you've been doing?"
She was none other than Commander Wang's wife, Qin Sizheng, the chairperson of the Women's Committee.
Among the family members, she was the most forceful. Since she stopped everyone from saying such things, no one dared to continue.
Qin Sizheng knew that even if they didn't say anything to his face, who knew if they would talk about it behind his back. So he scolded them a few more times.
As soon as the words were spoken, Gu Qingzhou came over with Qingmei, holding fruits and gifts in his hands, and came to visit.
This was the second time Qin Sizheng met Qingmei, the first time was on their wedding day.
Gu Qingzhou respected Qin Sizheng very much. Aunt Qin had taken good care of him when he first joined the army. Otherwise, Qingmei wouldn't have come to visit the next day.
"Hello, Aunt Qin. I'm Qingmei. I came to take care of him yesterday, but it was too late, so I didn't come over. Today, I took advantage of his lunch break to quickly say hello to you."
Qingmei stood in front of a group of women, her back straight, her words confident and confident, and she smiled at everyone she met. She was extremely beautiful.
Aunt Qin took Qingmei's hand and said affectionately, "Next time, if he's busy, just come by yourself. Don't be polite to me. Your mother-in-law and I have a good relationship. We are good sisters. Xiao Gu treats my home as her own, so you should treat it as your own too."
Qingmei didn't know that Aunt Qin was actually saying this to the others present, letting them know that Qingmei was the one she was taking care of in the family quarters. This behavior, along with the beating just now, was enough to quiet the people in the family quarters.
Qingmei thought Aunt Qin was so kind. She and Gu Qingzhou had hurried over at noon and hadn't been able to greet her in advance, but she didn't mind and spoke so kindly and gently.
Aunt Qin's house was on the first floor and had a small courtyard. Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou followed her into the house and talked for a while.
Gu Qingzhou's rest time was limited, and when the time was almost up, Qingmei came out with him, but this time she had two more dresses in her hands.
"Don't be disgusted, it was made for me by a friend in Beijing. I thought the pattern was too youthful and not suitable for me, so I never wore it."
Aunt Qin patted her skirt and said very knowledgeably, "It's not made of the Dacron you young people like. It's made of a less sturdy satin surface. I don't know if you like it."
Satin is so comfortable, like silk, it doesn't stick to your skin in hot weather, and it doesn't make your skin cold in cold weather. Qingmei once had a silk slip dress that she would put on after taking a bath at home. It was so comfortable against her skin.
"Thank you, Aunt Qin. I don't really like Dacron either. I find cotton to be very comfortable. And this satin is so rare. I'll definitely cherish it."
Aunt Qin smiled and said, "My dear girl, your personality is just like mine when I was young. I didn't like new fabrics either, I just thought cotton was the most comfortable. I was even laughed at back then. Now that I'm older, I'm still the same, no improvement at all."
Qingmei said sincerely, "Why haven't you made any progress? Qingzhou also asked me to learn more from you. I hope you won't be annoyed if I come here often in the future."
Qingmei has a very pleasant smile and speaks sincerely, which makes people feel comfortable listening to her.
Aunt Qin knew that Qingmei was not a girl who spoke nonsense to flatter others, and she also knew some of the past. She patted Qingmei's shoulders and said repeatedly: "Okay, I will bother Xiao Gu but not you."
Gu Qingzhou pretended to be unhappy and said, "Then I will never come here again."
Aunt Qin said, "You should go with your Uncle Wang. I'll finally have company. It's a pity that my stay was so short. Try to join the army in the future so that you can keep me company."
Qingmei smiled and said, "Okay, if I have this plan, I will definitely discuss it with you."
After saying goodbye to Aunt Qin and holding the new dress, Qingmei was in a good mood.
This good mood lasted until I went to the library to borrow books in the afternoon.
She confessed to Gu Qingzhou about her rebirth and traveling through a book, and naturally told him that she knew the college entrance examination would be relaxed soon.
Gu Qingzhou found the textbooks he had used for study and gave them to Qingmei. Since she still needed some study materials, Qingmei went to the library to try her luck.
Xiaojuan happened to have nothing to do at home, so she went along too.
A temporary library card is valid for one month. Qingmei got one with the help of Xiaojuan.
She really didn't realize that Xiaojuan was actually in junior high school.
At this time, she learned everything thoroughly. Although she stopped studying later, Xiaojuan still maintained an attitude of continuing to learn. It can be seen that she likes learning.
Qingmei stood between the bookshelves looking for article materials. The way students wrote essays at that time was different from when she was in school. They had to learn the word choice and article structure from scratch.
It can be seen that the entire learning system was greatly influenced by the Soviet Union. Many of the articles I read were Soviet classics, and my own articles also quoted a lot from Soviet literature.
Xiaojuan followed behind Qingmei, holding her newly issued library card. "Qingmei, Qingmei. So you're called Qingmei. No wonder your name sounded familiar. Could it be that you were the hero who saved over a hundred people in one go during the flood relief efforts a while ago?"
Xiaojuan just said it casually, and she never expected that she would come true.
"Yes, that's me."
Qingmei had a loose single braid, wore a plaid dress, black cloth shoes with white socks, and her every move looked like that of a schoolgirl. Who could believe that she was the one who did such a heroic deed?
Xiaojuan certainly knew that Qingmei would not lie to her. She had seen Captain Gu's military rank with her own eyes and had asked her husband what kind of cadre he was.
She didn't tell her husband, she just happened to meet him on the street, and from then on she had complete confidence in Qingmei's identity.
However, her trust was one thing. A female soldier who was putting books in the bookcase opposite said coldly: "Do you know what the consequences are if you are caught as an imposter?"
She saw Qingmei's thin arms and legs, how could she possibly wade through a flood and drive a heavy truck? She had only heard about her on the radio, where they described her as "Comrade Qingmei's figure, tall and radiant."
She felt that first of all, she had to be so petite, half a head shorter than her.
Qingmei is her idol. If it were someone else, it would be fine, but she really can't tolerate someone pretending to be her idol.
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