Lin Dongguo's face was flushed with anger, flecks of saliva spraying from his mouth and tracing arcs in the morning sunlight. Qu Chuning looked at his face as if watching a clown performing farcical antics. What identity was Lin Dongguo using to criticize her now?
"What does it matter to you who he is? And Lin Dongguo, by what right are you standing here lecturing me?" The sarcasm curling Qu Chuning's lips pierced Lin Dongguo's eyes like needles.
Lin Dongguo took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, then said: "Qu Chuning, since I've already given you the money, you should obediently return to your hometown. What are you still doing here? Do you even know what kind of man he is before daring to marry him? Aren't you afraid—"
"Lin Dongguo, have you lost your mind?"
Furious, Qu Chuning threw the weeds in her hand to the ground. She tightened her grip on the knife. In her previous life, they had spent little time together, so she never understood Lin Dongguo well. But since coming to the Garrison, she had witnessed his shamelessness and repulsiveness firsthand. Against such a person, she needed to stay vigilant.
Lin Dongguo pointed at Qu Chuning: "You—you're being ungrateful!"
"Ungrateful? Lin Dongguo, you should be saying that to yourself. I'll stay right here and waste time with you. Only when you publish a clarification in the newspaper to clear my name will our grudges be settled. Otherwise, don't think I'll let you off!"
Lin Dongguo's face turned livid with rage. Gnashing his teeth, he spat out: "Fine, fine, Qu Chuning! I'll wait to see you cry! You're utterly shameless, latching onto anyone you can!"
Only after Lin Dongguo left did Qu Chuning finally release a long, relieved sigh.
After clearing the weeds in the yard, Qu Chuning washed her hands and started preparing dinner.
She had initially worried there would be no vegetables or rice at home, but when she picked up the pot, she discovered how thoughtful Xi Muzhou had been—the house was fully stocked, even containing a block of tofu. The corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily. She rinsed the rice clean, added it to boiling water, stirred briefly, then waited until the grains were half-cooked before straining them. The rice water was precious; Qu Chuning remembered how in the village, when newborn babies had mothers without breast milk, rice water became lifesaving nourishment!
Qu Chuning set aside two large bowls of rice water, transferred the rice to a steamer, and began steaming it.
While the rice steamed, she picked up one bowl of rice water and took small, careful sips. How delicious—she never imagined there would come a day when she could freely enjoy rice water like this.
After finishing the rice water, Qu Chuning began cooking.
She cut the tofu into small cubes, blanched them for about a minute, then scooped them out and rinsed them in cold water before draining. Heating oil in the wok, she fried fermented bean paste, minced garlic, minced ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Since she didn't know if Xi Muzhou could handle spice, she only added a small amount. Then she added the tofu, stir-fried evenly, poured in some water, added a bit more ground Sichuan pepper, adjusted the saltiness to taste, simmered briefly, and finally thickened the sauce with a little starch before serving.
Qu Chuning was skilled at cooking, though she had rarely gotten to enjoy such delicious dishes herself. The single block of tofu yielded a full plate of mapo tofu. She garnished it with a sprinkle of scallions before bringing it to the table.
There were several other vegetables at home: green beans, green and red chili peppers, eggplant, and cucumber. She stir-fried the green beans and made a cold tossed cucumber salad.
At noon, as soon as Xi Muzhou stepped into the courtyard, he caught the aroma of food. He stood frozen in place for a long time without moving a step.
Qu Chuning had been waiting for quite a while. Seeing that the food on the table was nearly cold, she couldn't sit still any longer and decided to check if the nearby households had returned from work. To her surprise, as soon as she stepped out, she saw Xi Muzhou standing motionless at the courtyard gate.
"Time to eat!"
The garrison had a canteen where soldiers usually ate their meals. Xi Muzhou had always eaten there before. However, in their area, military families who were allocated housing with their spouses typically chose to eat at home. Newly arrived family members could eat at the canteen for a few meals, but they generally didn't continue there long-term, as the canteen's food portions were rationed.
Xi Muzhou finally snapped out of his daze. Upon entering the house, he saw two hot dishes, one cold dish, and two bowls of white rice on the table. Even as he sat down, he still seemed somewhat disoriented.
"What are you staring at? Eat!" Qu Chuning handed him a pair of chopsticks, then picked up her own and placed a piece of tofu into his bowl. "It's a specialty dish from my hometown—Mapo Tofu. It's really delicious. Give it a try?"
Xi Muzhou stared at the bright red tofu in his bowl, hesitated for a moment, and then began to eat.
Qu Chuning watched his face eagerly and asked, "How is it? Is it good?"
She was quite confident in her cooking skills—after all, she had spent her previous lifetime doing it. Still, she hoped to glean some reaction from Xi Muzhou's expression.
"Hmm!"
Xi Muzhou ate heartily, his face expressionless. Qu Chuning felt a twinge of disappointment. She knew he was a man of few words and not particularly articulate, but his simple "Hmm" still left her somewhat let down.
However, her disappointment soon vanished as Xi Muzhou ate bite after bite of rice and tofu. By the time he finished, more than half of the three dishes on the table had been consumed, while Qu Chuning still had half a bowl of rice left.
"You've worked hard. Take a rest—I'm heading to work!"
Xi Muzhou left right after the meal. Qu Chuning, holding her bowl, couldn't help but smile as she ate.
That afternoon, Qu Chuning continued tending to her vegetable garden.
When Xi Muzhou arrived at his unit, several people gathered around him and asked, "Captain, what happened to your mouth?"
"Old Xi, your lips… did a mosquito bite you?"
Xi Muzhou remained silent. With one stern look from him, everyone stopped staring at his mouth.
Political Commissar Jiang walked over, patted Xi Muzhou on the shoulder, and said, "Marriage really changes a man, doesn't it?"
Xi Muzhou brushed off Jiang's hand and called out to the group nearby, "Everyone, fall in!"
Political Commissar Jiang rolled his eyes. "I thought marriage might mellow him out, but he's still the same old stick-in-the-mud!"
Qu Chuning had managed to tidy up the small courtyard in just one day. The next morning, as soon as Xi Muzhou stirred, she woke up too. "I want to grow some vegetables in the yard. Where can I buy seeds?"
Xi Muzhou thought for a moment and told her, "The printing factory happens to need a female worker. You can start getting familiar with the job by the end of the month."
The printing factory?
Qu Chuning was instantly wide awake. In her previous life, she had known that military spouses could be assigned jobs based on local circumstances after relocating. After Lin Dongguo was promoted, he had given the originally allocated housing and job to Shi Zhenzhen. She never imagined she would have a job of her own.
Shi Zhenzhen's father held a high position, and even her job had to be provided by Lin Dongguo. Qu Chuning truly never imagined she could also have a job of her own.