Chapter 1 Arguing
Battalion Commander Xu and his wife came and went in a hurry, and the only change they brought to Building 18 was that Yu Xiuhong had a new topic of conversation.
In the afternoon, while Lin Qingqing was tending to the flowers and plants in the yard, Yu Xiuhong sat in the yard knitting and said, "You don't know what kind of person Battalion Commander Xu's wife is. Every time she comes to the family compound, she complains about everything. She complains that the compound is in a remote location, that the yard is dirty and no one sweeps it, and when we plant some vegetables, she says we've made the yard stink..."
While listening to the first half, Lin Qingqing thought that if what Yu Xiuhong said was true, then Battalion Commander Xu's wife would be quite difficult to get along with. But when she heard the latter part, she couldn't help but say, "There's no need to fertilize the garden with manure, is there? Otherwise, it'll easily become smelly."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiuhong's eyes widened, hardly believing that Lin Qingqing had said such a thing: "Sister-in-law, I don't like hearing what you're saying. Aren't the vegetables planted in the yard vegetables? Since they are vegetables, they definitely need fertilizer, otherwise how can they grow well?"
She felt that Lin Qingqing had become confused after moving to the city and learning to grow flowers, forgetting that her roots were in the countryside! She sternly lectured Lin Qingqing: "Sister-in-law, let me tell you, although we moved to the city with the army, we can't forget our origins! Growing vegetables and watering them with manure is common sense, you can't forget that!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing put down her work and said, "Of course I know common sense, but the residential compound is not like my hometown. The houses are big and spacious, so even if you plant vegetables in front of or behind the house, the smell will dissipate quickly. In our residential compound, the houses are connected, so the ventilation is not as good as at home. After watering with manure, the smell will not dissipate for several days. I won't even talk about how it smells to us, but for the neighbors living in front, they couldn't open their back windows for several days. It must have been so uncomfortable for them."
Honestly, Lin Qingqing didn't want to plant vegetables and apply manure to the yard next year. Winter and spring were a bit better; the smell wasn't as strong when it was cold, and she could just close the door when she got home. But it was unbearable when it got hot; the stench was everywhere, and she couldn't even enjoy her food.
However, since the vegetables in the yard had already grown when she moved in, and no one was watering the fields with manure anymore, Lin Qingqing didn't mention it. It wasn't until Yu Xiuhong brought it up today that she voiced her opinion, and felt that what she said was quite appropriate and not excessive.
But her opinion doesn't represent Yu Xiuhong's opinion. She thinks Lin Qingqing is so bad at learning good things, but she perfectly imitates Qiao Yu's nitpicking and awkwardness. After living in the city for a few days, she really thinks she's a city person?
Thinking of Chen Aiguo's words, Yu Xiuhong didn't want to have a big conflict with Lin Qingqing. She just said, "I've been with the army for so long and have been growing vegetables for several seasons. I haven't heard Sister Zhang say that I shouldn't water the plants with manure. Besides, it's not like we're the only ones growing vegetables in the family compound. Other compounds also grow vegetables, and I haven't heard anyone say anything about watering them with manure!"
Actually, it's a bit of a shameful thing to say this. Every year, there are arguments in the residential compound about planting vegetables and watering them with manure, and some people even stop talking to each other! But at this time, Yu Xiuhong wouldn't expose her own shortcomings.
Yu Xiuhong was shouting so loudly that Xie Wei, who was playing chess with Xie Baoshan in the living room, heard her and came out to ask, "What's wrong?"
Xie Wei was asking Lin Qingqing, but Yu Xiuhong interrupted him, saying, "Commander Xie, tell me, isn't it right to water vegetables with manure? How can we stop watering them just because we live in the family compound? Wouldn't the vegetables grow wilted and rotten? If you ask me, sister-in-law, you're too young and haven't experienced hardship. During the famine, we'd be happy to water vegetables every day, even if it was just occasionally!
Hearing Yu Xiuhong's words, Xie Wei didn't rush to speak, but looked at Lin Qingqing and asked, "Why did you bring up this issue?"
Lin Qingqing opened her mouth to answer, but Yu Xiuhong interrupted her, saying, "Isn't it your sister-in-law? I told her that Battalion Commander Xu's wife complained that we planted vegetables in the yard and made it stink, and she actually thought that Battalion Commander Xu's wife was right! She really doesn't know the hardships of life!"
Seeing Lin Qingqing's tense expression, Xie Wei walked over to her and patted her shoulder, saying, "There's nothing wrong with growing vegetables, but it's really not right to make the yard stink. After all, not one family lives in the same yard. Some people can stand the smell, but others can't. If you want your neighbors to get along well, someone has to compromise."
Yu Xiuhong rolled her eyes. So, she was going to refuse to compromise on planting vegetables and watering them with manure next year, and didn't want to live in harmony with her neighbors? She thought the two people in front of her were indeed a couple, only knowing how to side with their own people.
Looking at Chen Aiguo who came out of the house, he could only nod and say, "Commander Xie is right. Now let's all take a step back and not talk about this anymore."
Yu Xiuhong, who was about to retort, was furious!
...
Yu Xiuhong was angry and turned to go inside. Chen Aiguo, afraid he wouldn't be able to get into the house that night, didn't bother talking to Xie Wei and quickly followed her in to coax his wife.
Xie Wei took the small shovel from Lin Qingqing and asked, "How do I do it?"
"I just wanted to turn over the soil, that's about it," Lin Qingqing said.
The clivia and chrysanthemum plants in the yard were moved from Shen Yufen's colleague's house a few days ago. Although Shen Yufen said these two types of flowers were easy to grow, Lin Qingqing had never grown flowers before and was a little apprehensive. Unexpectedly, the flowers grew very well, just as Shen Yufen had said.
Lin Qingqing had been too busy with work to take care of the chrysanthemums lately, but today, when she had some free time and saw that they were about to bloom, she decided to turn over the soil in the yard. Thinking that Xie Baoshan was waiting for Xie Wei to play chess, Lin Qingqing said, "I'll take care of this. You go inside and play chess."
"It's alright, you guys go about your business, don't worry about me." Xie Baoshan also came out of the house, and smiled when he heard Lin Qingqing's words.
Lin Qingqing said helplessly, "Alright then," and gave up her seat for Xie Wei.
There wasn't much work to begin with, and Xie Wei, being strong, worked quickly, finishing the soil in less than half an hour. After washing his hands, he went back to play chess with Xie Baoshan. Lin Qingqing, having nothing to do, just watched from the sidelines.
Seeing her watching intently, Xie Baoshan asked, "Do you know how to play chess?"
"Not really," Lin Qingqing said, shaking her head.
Although she had a roommate in college who was a chess enthusiast and would occasionally ask her to play a game, she was heavily in debt at the time, busy with part-time jobs and studies, and couldn't concentrate on playing chess. She would lose nine out of ten games with her roommate, so her skill level was really not high.
However, despite her poor skill level, she could tell that Xie Wei played chess very well, while Xie Baoshan was a little worse, but still better than her.
Xie Baoshan had lost ten games in a row and was looking for a change of opponent to boost his confidence, so he immediately said, "Let's play a game between the two of us."
"Isn't it inappropriate for you to bully my wife?" Xie Wei joked.
Xie Baoshan, having served as a brigade leader for several years, showed no embarrassment when Xie Wei exposed his intentions. He said calmly, "How can this be called bullying your wife? I was just playing around with her; we weren't gambling anything."
Lin Qingqing thought that Xie Baoshan rarely came to visit, and she didn't want to spoil his mood, so she smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll play a game with my brother."
"See, your sister-in-law is the most sensible." Xie Baoshan gave Xie Wei a look that said, "A married brother is like water spilled from a bowl."
Xie Wei: "..."
Xie Wei eventually switched places with Lin Qingqing, allowing her to play against Xie Baoshan.
However, Lin Qingqing's skill level was far inferior to Xie Baoshan's, and she was quickly overwhelmed and forced to surrender. After losing ten games in a row, Xie Baoshan won one. Although his opponent had changed, he was still refreshed and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, are you coming again?"
"Let's play another round," Lin Qingqing said. Although she lost, she wasn't upset and even had a smile on her face.
So the two played another game. This time, Xie Baoshan's attack was not as fierce as in the previous game, and he even let Lin Qingqing win by a small margin.
Although Lin Qingqing wasn't good at chess, and Xie Baoshan had subtly let her win, she hadn't even had a chance to turn the tide after giving it her all, yet she had won this game. A little thought told her something was amiss. But she didn't expose Xie Baoshan and happily said, "I won."
"Yeah, you win." Xie Baoshan played the victim with Xie Wei, "You said I bullied my sister-in-law, but it's more like I was bullied by you two."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing excused herself to Xie Wei by saying she needed to cook, and before leaving, she nudged Xie Wei's arm and said, "Don't bully Big Brother."
Xie Wei's face was stiff: "..."
Xie Baoshan laughed heartily: "My sister-in-law is so polite."
With Xie Baoshan and Lin Qingqing working in tandem, Xie Wei didn't play as aggressively in the next few games, subtly letting Xie Baoshan win a few rounds. Xie Baoshan, however, took advantage of the situation and complained, telling Xie Wei not to hold back and to compete based on skill. Annoyed, Xie Wei retaliated by utterly defeating him.
When Lin Qingqing brought the stir-fried dishes to the table, she casually asked, "Who won just now?"
"I won," Xie Wei said.
Xie Baoshan seized the opportunity to complain: "Sister-in-law, you should also do something about him. He agrees to things in front of you, but then forgets about them as soon as he turns his back. He doesn't give me, his older brother, any face at all."
Lin Qingqing said with a smile, "If anyone should be in charge, it should be you, as the eldest brother, who should be in charge. I can't control him."
Hearing the two of them singing in unison, Xie Wei had no choice but to speak up and defend himself: "I went easy on them."
When he explained, Xie Baoshan and Lin Qingqing laughed even harder, and Xie Wei had to tap the table to remind them, "That's enough."
After laughing, Xie Baoshan said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Then he said to Lin Qingqing, "You've always been a quiet person, not easily amused."
Lin Qingqing glanced at Xie Wei and said, "It's not that boring."
Xie Baoshan was taken aback. Thinking about it, he realized that he was different in front of outsiders than in front of his wife. He raised his glass and said, "Mother was always worried that you weren't eating or dressing well at home, and that you would quarrel and no one would take care of you. Now that I see you are doing well, I will tell her when I get back, and she will definitely be at ease."
Besides handling some business, he also wanted to see how Xie Wei and his wife were doing here.
After observing things these past few days, I'm certain we won't have to worry about food, drink, or shelter. Although our relationship with the neighbors isn't entirely harmonious, the couple is both reliable and won't be bullied. As for their relationship, they're each other's partners, and they've only been married a few months, so naturally they're very much in love.
Upon hearing Xie Baoshan's words, Lin Qingqing quickly asked Xie Wei, "Why don't you have a drink with your older brother?"
"No need, no need, don't worry about me." Xie Baoshan quickly finished the liquor in his glass and said, "If you're going to quit drinking, don't touch a drop. You're still young, your future is important."
Xie Wei wasn't a particularly sentimental person, but he was somewhat moved by Xie Baoshan's words. He poured himself a glass of water and said, "Then I'll toast you with water instead of wine, brother." After saying that, Xie Wei drank the water in the glass in one gulp.
Author's Note: Second update
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