At exactly noon, the military bugle sounded across the sky.
Li Guozheng hurried home with his lunchbox, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Guozheng, you’re always the most eager one. What’s for lunch today?”
“Stir-fried cabbage and braised pork.”
“Braised pork? I’d better hurry.”
Li Guozheng had been the first in line. By the time he carried his lunchbox back, others were just beginning to surge toward the cafeteria.
It took him only a few minutes to get home from the cafeteria.
“Brother-in-law?” Lian Qiao had just finished filling the water vat, sweat on her forehead, still holding the carrying pole as she prepared to lean it against the wall.
“You don’t need to do these things. I’ll fetch water at noon when I come back. Go eat with your sister.” Li Guozheng felt a bit embarrassed and took the pole from her hands, passing her the lunchbox instead.
“I was just sitting around anyway. Brother-in-law, wash your hands and let’s eat together.”
Yang Chunmei had already set up the small table. The three of them sat around it. After the meal, Lian Qiao took the child out for a walk so the couple could rest at noon.
“Guozheng, I want to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?”
“I want to find a match for my sister.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean, ‘huh’?”
Li Guozheng scratched the back of his head, confused.
Yang Chunmei nestled against his side. “I want my sister to stay here.”
Li Guozheng had heard this many times and understood her thoughts, but hadn’t this cousin just gotten divorced?
“Is she really sure about this?”
“Of course she is!”
“I’ll ask around for you, but I don’t know if Lian Qiao will like anyone…”
“Someone with similar circumstances. Age doesn’t matter much, but it would be best if he doesn’t have children.”
Yang Chunmei had already considered this. Her cousin hadn’t given birth yet, and being a stepmother to someone else’s child wouldn’t be easy.
Li Guozheng nodded. “She’s only twenty, still young, but the younger soldiers in the army haven’t been married before.”
It really wasn’t easy to find someone.
“Just hurry up and look. With Qiao’er’s looks, if she hadn’t been divorced, they wouldn’t even have a chance to compete—she’d have been taken long ago.”
Lian Qiao had been pretty since childhood, taking after her aunt—big eyes, a small face, fair skin, and a tall figure. Though she dressed plainly, her figure was still evident.
Thinking of her aunt, Yang Chunmei felt a pang of sorrow.
Her aunt had passed away so suddenly, leaving Lian Qiao to suffer.
She sat up, turning Li Guozheng’s face toward her, her expression serious.
“I have to take care of this sister of mine, no matter what! Start looking today, understand?”
Li Guozheng pulled her into his arms, murmuring in response.
“I know, you don’t have to tell me.”
His large hand slid down from her shoulder, and Yang Chunmei’s body grew warm under his touch.
“In broad daylight…”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m just checking if you’ve lost weight…”
Being suddenly separated from the person he spent every day with had made Li Guozheng miss her deeply.
They had restrained themselves since she became pregnant, eagerly awaiting the birth, then came the postpartum confinement. As soon as that ended, her cousin arrived. Counting it up, it had been nearly a year.
He was at an age full of vigor, and with no outlet for his energy, he could only throw himself into training. But at night, listening to his comrades snoring, he still found it hard to sleep alone.
Not just for his cousin’s future, but for himself as well, he needed to hurry and find a brother-in-law.
The courtyard was quiet at noon, the wind so gentle it made no sound. Only the chirping birds in the trees continued to stir.
Everyone had finished lunch and was resting. Lian Qiao walked slowly along the road, holding her little niece.
The compound was divided into several sections. She lived in the ordinary family quarters, where neat rows of single-story houses stood, each row housing only two families. The water room and toilets were shared.
Having familiarized herself with her own section over the past few days, she now strolled toward the martyrs’ family quarters at the other end.
This area was relatively quiet, situated a bit farther from the military camp and adjacent to the cadres’ quarters.
Tall poplar trees lined both sides of the road, rustling softly in the wind. Walking under their shade provided relief from the sun.
Just as she rounded a corner, a tall, upright figure collided with her.
Both were caught off guard. Lian Qiao, holding the child, nearly stumbled, but fortunately, the man reacted quickly and grabbed her arm to steady her. Once she regained her balance, he released her as if his hand had been scalded.
Lian Qiao looked up, glaring at the man who had suddenly bumped into her with clear displeasure.
He had evidently just rushed back from the military camp. His military cap was in his hand, the strands of hair on his forehead damp with sweat. His white shirt was soaked through, clinging to his chest and revealing well-defined pectoral muscles.
As for why Lian Qiao could see this so clearly—it was because he was at least six feet tall, and her gaze happened to be level with his slightly heaving chest.
“Sorry,” he nodded slightly, his voice low, restrained, and apologetic.
Lian Qiao’s eyes lingered on his face for a moment, genuinely taken aback.
He carried the cold, rigid aura of a soldier, yet his face was strikingly handsome—deep-set eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a sharply defined jawline.
He was truly good-looking.
There were few men Lian Qiao would describe as handsome, and this stranger before her undoubtedly topped the list.
She tightened her hold on her little niece in her arms and shook her head. “It’s fine.”
For the sake of his face, she’d let it slide.
After apologizing, the man’s gaze quickly swept over the sleeping child in her arms. Confirming the child hadn’t been disturbed, he wasted no more time and hurried off with long strides.
His steps were large, and Lian Qiao watched as he walked away urgently until his tall, upright figure disappeared completely. Only then did she turn around.
She wondered what could be so urgent. Glancing at the sun, she estimated the time before turning back and walking slowly home.
By the time she returned, her brother-in-law had already left.
Lian Qiao set the child down and began mixing water to prepare formula. Yang Chunmei took the baby, her tone excited. “I talked to your brother-in-law. He said he’ll bring someone over tonight for you to meet.”
“So soon?” Lian Qiao finished preparing the bottle and handed it to her cousin.
“We only have a month left. We can’t afford to waste time.”
“You’re in charge.”
Lian Qiao smiled, her eyes curving, then suddenly remembered something. “Has Niu Aixiang returned the soy sauce yet?”
“No. I’ll go get the soy sauce pot back in a bit.”
“I’ll go.”
Yang Chunmei knew her cousin’s fiery temper and quickly placed the child in her arms.
“No need, no need. I’ll go.”
They saw each other every day, and if they offended Niu Aixiang, her tantrums could be truly frightening.
When Yang Chunmei returned with the soy sauce pot, she found Lian Qiao standing at the door with a dark expression.
“What’s wrong?”
Lian Qiao pursed her lips and gestured. Yang Chunmei looked toward the shared clothesline between their homes. Their own washed clothes and diapers had been pushed into a corner, and the line was now filled with colorful, patterned diapers.
Yang Chunmei sighed and pulled Lian Qiao inside.
“We’ll hang ours after she takes hers down.”
“You really are patient.”
Lian Qiao felt this neighbor was truly pushing her luck.
Every day, she either came to borrow soy sauce or salt. On more exaggerated occasions, she even asked to borrow rice, not to mention needles, thread, and other small items. Yet, she had never seen her return anything.
The chives and cilantro under the eaves had been picked so haphazardly they looked as if they’d been gnawed by a dog—people never touched their own, always going for the neighbors’ instead.
No sooner had the two entered the house than uninvited guests arrived.
A little girl of about five or six was holding the hand of a boy around three or four.
They were clearly siblings, their matching filth a dead giveaway.
Seeing the children, Yang Chunmei stood up to fetch the biscuit tin from the cupboard.
Lian Qiao bent down with a smile, looking at them. “Who told you to come?”