Li Zhan strode into the political commissar’s office and slapped the marriage application down onto the desk.
Political Commissar Zhao was sipping tea. He looked up, grinned, and chuckled.
“Well, well! Has the iron tree finally blossomed? Who are you marrying? The commander’s daughter is coming here next week. She even said she wanted me to introduce the two of you.”
Without changing his expression, Li Zhan replied,
“A comrade’s younger sister—Wen Wan. We’ve already been together.”
“What?!”
Old Zhao sprayed a mouthful of tea across the desk.
He grabbed the application and glanced at the section listing her family background. His face immediately darkened.
“A capitalist’s daughter? Li Zhan, have you lost your mind? This will ruin your career! Forget it. I’m not signing this. You can leave.”
Li Zhan stood his ground.
“Commissar, we’ve already slept together.”
Old Zhao’s hand shook, and the application slipped to the floor.
“What did you just say?”
“She might even be pregnant,” Li Zhan added calmly, as if he were reporting tomorrow’s weather.
Old Zhao’s beard quivered with rage.
He yanked the office door open.
With a loud crash, three soldiers who had been eavesdropping outside tumbled into the room.
Pointing at them with a trembling finger, Old Zhao barked,
“You three! Tell me! Did Li Zhan and that young woman really… really…”
One young soldier blushed crimson.
“Reporting to the Commissar! Yes… yes, they did! At… at the guesthouse!”
Another hurriedly added,
“That’s right! Comrade Wen even put on the commander’s shirt by mistake!”
Old Zhao’s vision went black.
He grabbed the desk to steady himself.
“Li Zhan! You… you…”
Li Zhan calmly bent down, picked up the application, and handed it back to him.
“I respectfully request the organization’s approval.”
Grinding his teeth, Old Zhao slammed the official seal onto the document.
“You’ll regret this one day!”
With the approved marriage application in hand, the corners of Li Zhan’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
He strode out of the commissar’s office and nodded toward the young soldiers who had “testified.”
“Come on. Drinks are on me.”
The soldiers exchanged surprised glances.
They hadn’t expected their regiment commander to be so generous.
Half an hour later, the group was squatting outside the military supply store, sharing a single bottle of the cheapest bulk liquor.
“Commander,” one of the young soldiers asked with a mischievous grin, “did you really… you know… with Comrade Wen?”
Li Zhan took a swig of liquor without changing his expression.
“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t.”
Sooner or later, it would be true anyway.
After finishing the bottle, Li Zhan headed straight to the logistics office and knocked on the housing application window.
Director Liu adjusted his glasses.
“Commander Li? Haven’t you always lived in the barracks? What do you need a house for?”
“I’m married. I’m applying for family housing.”
He placed the approved marriage application on the desk.
Director Liu’s eyes widened.
“That fast? Who’s the bride?”
“Can I get a house today?” Li Zhan interrupted.
Director Liu flipped through his ledger.
“As luck would have it, there’s one unit available. It’s just a bit out of the way.”
“Out of the way is fine. Fewer neighbors mean fewer problems. My wife likes peace and quiet.”
Meanwhile, Wen Wan followed Bai Ge to the family quarters.
Three low adobe houses surrounded a small courtyard where two white poplar trees rustled in the breeze.
Inside, the room was dimly lit. A faded bedsheet covered the kang bed.
“The conditions aren’t great,” Bai Ge said as she tidied the cabinet. “You’ll have to squeeze in with Li Hua tonight. But honestly, Northern Xinjiang has it pretty good. Down in Southern Xinjiang, some people live in earth pit houses—they dig a hole, throw a roof over it, and call it home.”
Li Hua’s eyes widened.
“Then how do people sleep?”
Bai Ge burst into laughter.
“They just lie down and sleep! The worst part is for newlyweds. Sometimes there’s only one brick house in the whole camp, so it’s used as a communal bridal room! Last year a couple from Third Company was spending their wedding night there when a gust of wind blew the roof clean off. The entire company had to search for their blankets with flashlights!”
Wen Wan nearly choked on her water.
Thank goodness Li Zhan wasn’t stationed in Southern Xinjiang!
Otherwise, their fake marriage would have been exposed on the very first night!
Li Hua squeezed beside Wen Wan, her eyes shining with excitement as she wrapped an arm around her.
“Comrade Wen, when you and Commander Li have your wedding banquet, I’ve gotta come crash the bridal chamber! Back in my village, the bride and groom aren’t allowed to sleep until they’ve kissed!”
The enamel mug in Wen Wan’s hand clanged loudly onto the kang.
Her entire face flushed scarlet, right down to the tips of her ears.
When she had married Xu Mingzhe, their so-called wedding night had consisted of sleeping under separate blankets. They hadn’t even touched fingertips.
Now she was supposed to kiss Li Zhan in front of the entire regiment?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a fake marriage?
Bai Ge smacked Li Hua lightly on the back of the head.
“You’re talking too much! Comrade Wen is shy. Do you think everyone is as thick-skinned as you?”
Turning to Wen Wan, she smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t mind her. There are lots of military families here. Nobody actually causes trouble for newlyweds.”
Li Hua rubbed her head and muttered,
“What a waste. I even brought red dates and peanuts.”
Quickly changing the subject, Wen Wan said,
“Sister Bai, let me help you clean.”
Bai Ge smiled.
“My husband outranks yours by seniority. From now on, call me Sister-in-law, just like Li Hua does.”
“Sister-in-law.”
Wen Wan rolled up her sleeves and began helping clean.
She picked up a rag to wipe the table, but clearly wasn’t used to housework. She hadn’t wrung it out enough, and water dripped all over the floor.
Carrying a washbasin past them, Li Hua glanced over and immediately exclaimed,
“Oh my! Comrade Wen, you’ve wrung that rag like a bowl of noodles! The table’s still wet, and you’ve flooded the floor instead!”
Wen Wan’s cheeks reddened.
She quickly crouched down to wipe the floor, but in her haste, her finger scraped against the rough edge of a wooden bucket.
A blister immediately formed.
“Hiss…”
She sucked in a sharp breath.
Before she could even look at it, Li Hua leaned over again.
“That’s not how you mop! You do it like this!”
Snatching the rag away, Li Hua demonstrated briskly while continuing to chatter.
“You city girls are just too delicate. You can’t even manage simple chores.”
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open.
Li Zhan strode inside.
At a glance, he saw Wen Wan crouching on the floor with reddened eyes and a shiny blister swelling on her finger.
His face darkened instantly.
Crossing the courtyard in three quick strides, he grabbed her hand.
“What happened?”
Still oblivious, Li Hua grinned.
“Commander Li! Comrade Wen isn’t very used to doing chores. I was just teaching her.”
Li Zhan cast Bai Ge a cold look.
“She’s only staying here for one night, and you’re already having her do housework? That’s a rather unique way to treat a guest, Sister-in-law.”
Startled, Bai Ge waved both hands frantically.
“No! I didn’t ask Wen Wan to do anything. She insisted on helping.”
Wen Wan quickly tugged at Li Zhan’s sleeve.
“I offered to help on my own. Don’t blame Sister-in-law.”
Living in a new place meant adapting to a new life.
She was no longer the pampered young lady she had once been.
If she wanted to settle here, she had to learn to do these things.
Without another word, Li Zhan picked up her luggage.
“The house has been assigned. Let’s go.”
Wen Wan looked up in surprise.
“So soon?”
He nodded.
“Mm.”
Then he turned to Bai Ge and inclined his head politely.
“Thank you for looking after her.”
After they had walked away, Li Hua finally let out a long breath, pressing a hand to her chest.
“My goodness… Commander Li looked like he was ready to tear me apart alive.”
Watching the pair disappear into the distance, Bai Ge sighed softly.
“You really need to watch what you say from now on. This isn’t your village where you can blurt out whatever comes to mind. You’re bound to offend people. Comrade Wen is kind enough not to take it personally, but if you’d met someone more petty, we’d already have conflicts before even settling in.”
Li Hua lowered her head.
“Oh…”
After a moment, she quietly added,
“Sister-in-law… I wasn’t trying to bully Comrade Wen. I really didn’t mean to.”