However, the sister-in-law was actually pregnant—something the battalion commander probably didn’t even know!
It was a shame the battalion commander was away on a mission right now; otherwise, he’d surely be overjoyed.
That old woman seemed suspicious. If she really was from their unit, they’d have to inform the battalion commander and have them investigate thoroughly.
They couldn’t let any bad eggs sneak into their ranks.
After switching buses and boats along the way, they finally arrived smoothly on the island in the afternoon.
Although the journey was a bit bumpy, fortunately, they didn’t run into that grandmother and her two grandchildren again.
Fang Yuan naturally didn’t know that the three of them had deliberately avoided her because of what she’d said earlier, so they ended up behind her.
“Sister-in-law, we’re here. This house is yours and the battalion commander’s. Everything inside was prepared by the battalion commander before he left on his mission.
Our place here can’t compare to the outside world—the sea winds are strong, and sandstorms are common. You’ll need to get used to it slowly!”
Liu Lei led Fang Yuan to the outermost house in a row of Family Compound residences, then placed the luggage in the living room.
The Family Compound here consisted entirely of single-story houses. Most of the ones they passed along the way had two rooms or even large, connected barracks-style dormitories.
But their row of houses had three rooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
In front of the house was a small yard, with walls about a person’s height on either side, making it a standalone unit.
“This is quite nice, much more spacious than my home,” Fang Yuan said with a smile.
She walked around the house. The kitchen and bathroom, though not large, were sufficient. There was also a sink and faucet in the yard, connected to a water pipe.
The only thing that gave her pause was the large Stove in the kitchen. Would she have to burn firewood?
Where on earth would she get that?
Seeing Fang Yuan staring thoughtfully at the firewood Stove, Liu Lei quickly explained, “Firewood is available in the hills behind us. If you find it troublesome, you can use this stove instead. We have plenty of coal here, and it’s delivered regularly every month.”
Although they were on an island, it was quite large, and there were trees in the hills behind them.
If it really was too much trouble, burning coal was also an option.
“It’s fine, I can manage either way!” She had to manage, whether she liked it or not.
Since she was already here, how hard could it be to learn how to light a fire?
She was quite satisfied that a battalion commander could live in a three-room house.
(Note: This house and its interior conditions are purely fictional. The reality of that era was much harsher, so please don’t take it too seriously.)
Watching Fang Yuan turn on the faucet and nod at the flowing water, Liu Lei said with a smile:
“Our place here is much better than other islands. It’s large enough, and there are indigenous residents as well as freshwater sources.”
That’s why the scale here was larger, and the conditions were the best among all the islands.
“Really? Then I’m quite lucky!”
Fang Yuan nodded. She was genuinely quite satisfied with everything here.
Liu Lei then pointed to the neighbors next door:
“Sister-in-law, next door is Battalion Commander He’s family from the first battalion, and next to them is Political Commissar Zhou’s family. They both get along well with our battalion commander.”
Since both neighbors had good relationships with their battalion commander, he felt he should introduce them.
Fang Yuan nodded in understanding. “Alright, I’ll visit the neighbors once I’ve settled in.”
“By the way, Xiao Liu, where do I go to get rice and flour if I want to cook for myself? And where do I buy things like matches and soy sauce?”
Although she had some memory of it, she still needed to ask.
“You can get rice and flour from the logistics department, and buy other things from the small store. Our place is remote, so there’s no supply and marketing cooperative. The logistics department is next to the canteen, and the small store is a bit farther away. I’ll go get the rice and flour for you right now.”
Liu Lei replied with a laugh, having completely forgotten about this matter. If the wife and child went hungry, the battalion commander would surely give him a hard time.
“No need, I know the place. I’ll go pick up the supplies myself later,” Fang Yuan shook her head.
She was only asking for the address, not planning to go collect the items right away.
Although her Space island wasn’t as large as this one, everything inside belonged to her.
She had already seen that the seafood in the sea here was not only abundant but also sizable. If she wanted, she could simply catch some to eat.
There was no way she’d go hungry!
“That won’t do. The battalion commander instructed me to take good care of you, ma’am. I’ll be back soon!” With that, Liu Lei turned and walked out.
The wife was indeed very beautiful—delicate, charming, and exceptionally fair-skinned.
But he had also witnessed her temper at the train station and didn’t dare risk upsetting her.
Seeing Liu Lei go to fetch the rations, Fang Yuan couldn’t bring herself to call him back.
She had no choice but to start unpacking her luggage.
She placed the items she had brought into the room one by one.
The room already had a bed and a wardrobe, but the bedsheet hadn’t been laid out yet, indicating that Zhao Qingzhuo hadn’t had the chance to move in here.
In the original storyline, that guy had returned only to find the original host’s body, and not long after, he died during a mission, allowing his archrival to take his place.
This room had then naturally become the territory of that archrival and Zhang Xiuzhen.
But now that she was here, there was no way she would let these two have the room, even if she didn’t stay in it herself.
Of course, whether those two could be together would depend entirely on whether she allowed it.
Lost in her thoughts, Fang Yuan made the bed and wiped down the wardrobe twice before putting away the clothes she had brought.
Checking her watch, she saw it was almost five o’clock.
She placed some dried meat and vegetables in the kitchen and took out the radio, setting it on the table.
In this era, there weren’t many forms of entertainment, so having a radio to listen to was quite nice.
The original host’s family was well-off, and she herself was a high school graduate, but marrying Zhao Qingzhuo was indeed a step up for her.
Because it was considered a high-status marriage, her parents, fearing she might be looked down upon by her in-laws, had let her bring along the two hundred yuan bride price the groom’s family had given.
Since Zhao Qingzhuo’s family wasn’t from her hometown, the “three rounds and one sound” he had bought were all kept at the original host’s home. Her parents had originally intended for her to bring them to the military base.
At this time, the trend of “three rounds and one sound” hadn’t yet taken off, and bicycles were still quite rare. Yet Zhao Qingzhuo had bought them all, showing that he was quite satisfied with her.
However, the original host had found it too troublesome and stubbornly refused to bring the bicycle and sewing machine, only bringing the watch and radio.
Fang Yuan thought these two items were just right—she could make good use of them.
Just as Fang Yuan finished organizing her things, Liu Lei returned carrying supplies.
“Ma’am, I’ve brought back the rice, flour, and oil. I also bought soy sauce, salt, and matches for you. I’ll put them in the kitchen.”
Carrying two bags, he walked into the small courtyard and headed straight for the kitchen.
He and the battalion commander had tidied up this courtyard together, so he naturally knew where the kitchen was.
“Thank you, Xiao Liu. Once I’ve settled in, come over for dinner later,” Fang Yuan said with a gentle smile as she watched Liu Lei put away the items.
“No need, ma’am. We have meals at the military canteen. I’ll just eat there!” Liu Lei shook his head.
After placing the items, he strode toward the courtyard gate, afraid Fang Yuan might insist on him staying for dinner.
“Wait, if you don’t want to eat, that’s fine, but why run? I wanted to ask—if I need to buy other things, do I have to leave the island to do so?” Fang Yuan called out to stop him and asked again.
From what she remembered, the island only had a small retail shop, not even a supply and marketing cooperative. Everything else had to be bought off the island.
Next year would be 1959. Although this was a parallel Space, the major events in the female lead’s memory were largely unchanged.
The famine years that followed were indeed real.
Now that she had her Space and land to cultivate, she needed to find opportunities to stock up on supplies.
She couldn’t possibly feast on seafood and lavish meals here every day while watching the original family starve, could she?