“Uncle, don’t you recognize me? I’m He Weiguo. My dad is He Jianshe, the battalion commander of the First Battalion.”
He Weiguo quickly ran forward, put down the burlap sack he was carrying on his shoulder, and stuck his head out so the guard could see him clearly.
Fang Yuan also stepped forward with her things, showing her face:
“We’re from the Family Compound. I’m Zhao Qingzhuo’s wife, the Third Battalion commander. My name is Fang Yuan. This local villager is helping me deliver saplings. Can we go in?”
“…”
Looking at this strikingly beautiful face that was hard to forget, the guard’s face flushed instantly.
“Sorry, sister-in-law, I didn’t recognize you. Locals aren’t allowed in here. I’ll have someone help carry these in for you.”
The guard saluted, looking a bit embarrassed.
Of course, he knew the Third Battalion commander’s wife.
Everyone in the Camp was talking about how the Third Battalion commander had married a beautiful wife, even prettier than the girls in the Cultural Troupe.
And he had seen that beautiful face just this morning.
“If he can’t go in, that’s fine. No need to send anyone—I can manage on my own.”
As she spoke, Fang Yuan gestured for the villager to put down the saplings, paid him, and sent him on his way.
She then effortlessly picked up the saplings with one hand and walked inside.
The guard stared in astonishment at Fang Yuan’s actions. Not only was this wife beautiful, but she was also this strong?
“Sister-in-law, don’t move. Let me get someone to help you carry them?”
The guard hurriedly spoke up, trying to make amends.
“No need, we can carry them in ourselves. The saplings just have a lot of branches, but they’re not heavy!”
Fang Yuan waved her hand dismissively. For her, these things really weren’t heavy at all.
“Uncle, can we go back now?” He Weidang also looked up and asked seriously.
Auntie had promised to make meat for them when they got back, and he was already hungry.
“You’d better hurry back. Your mom has been looking everywhere for you!”
The guard nodded and stepped back, adding a reminder.
“Oh no, we forgot to tell Mom when we left.” He Weiguo finally remembered what he had forgotten.
“It’s fine. Auntie will explain it to your mom.”
Fang Yuan knew these three were afraid of getting scolded and quickly reassured them.
Leading the three little ones and carrying bags of all sizes, they returned to the Family Compound.
Just as they were nearing the yard, they unexpectedly saw Zhang Xiuzhen walking out of Liu Lan’s house.
Liu Lan was standing at the gate, smiling as she saw her off.
“???”
This woman actually dared to come around here. It seemed she hadn’t given up her schemes.
“Xiao Yuan, what’s all this…?”
Liu Lan looked at Fang Yuan, who was carrying a large bundle of saplings in one hand and two big bags in the other.
She was genuinely shocked.
Was this girl really that strong?
“Sister-in-law, Weiguo and the others took me to a villager’s house today to buy some saplings. I forgot to mention it to you earlier. Have dinner at my place tonight!”
Fang Yuan explained briefly, then carried her things into the small yard.
“That’s right, Mom. Don’t cook tonight. Auntie said she’s going to steam buns for us!” He Weiguo chimed in.
He turned around, holding his bag, and followed Fang Yuan into her yard, with He Weidang trailing behind, also carrying a bag.
“Mom, this is the reward Auntie gave us for helping buy eggs. Keep it safe!”
The youngest, He Weimin, handed the two eggs he was holding to Liu Lan.
Then he, too, turned and entered Fang Yuan’s yard.
“You little rascals, do you even remember where your own home is?”
Liu Lan held the two eggs He Weimin had given her, feeling both amused and exasperated as she scolded them.
She had been looking for these three troublemakers everywhere without success, only to find out they had gone out with Fang Yuan.
“We’re helping Auntie out, and Auntie is giving us a reward. We should finish what we started, right?” He Weiguo said, putting on an air of maturity.
“That’s right. Auntie is paying us for our work, so of course we should do it well,” He Weidang chimed in.
Half a pack of Candy Twist—it was delicious, and he loved it.
Plus, there would be meat buns for dinner. Buns had more meat than dumplings, so he was determined to eat two extra.
“Right!” He Weimin nodded in agreement.
“Little Yuan, you’re really something, getting these brats to listen so well. But we can’t give them money—we don’t want them getting used to it,” Liu Lan replied with a laugh.
These three monkeys usually caused trouble whenever they had nothing to do at home. It was rare for them to listen and actually help out.
“They’re all quite well-behaved, and my reward isn’t money anyway. By the way, Sister-in-law, I specifically brought back these fruit trees. Would you like to plant a couple in your yard?” Fang Yuan pointed to the saplings as she asked.
“Aren’t you growing vegetables in your yard? Why do you want to plant fruit trees now?” Liu Lan said, glancing at Fang Yuan’s vegetable garden and gasping in surprise. “Your vegetable seedlings have grown this tall already?”
These seedlings had only been planted a few days ago, yet they were already nearly three inches tall?
She took a closer look. The vegetables were growing so densely, and every single one had survived?
Was this girl really that good at gardening?
“I’ll keep growing vegetables, but I also want to plant a couple of fruit trees. These are lychee trees. If we plant them this year, they’ll bear fruit next year,” Fang Yuan said with a smile, deftly changing the subject. She picked up a lychee sapling and handed it to Liu Lan.
She wasn’t just giving one to Liu Lan—she also planned to give one to Luo Meihong’s family.
These two families had been so kind to her, and returning the favor would help maintain their good relationship.
“Lychees?” Liu Lan was tempted.
She had only eaten lychees once since moving here.
They didn’t keep well—they lost their freshness quickly and were quite expensive.
She had only tried them once, but they were delicious.
“Mom, let’s plant one. We can eat lychees next year,” He Weidang pleaded, his eyes fixed on Liu Lan. Lychees were so sweet and tasty—he loved them.
“Mom, I want some too,” He Weimin said, hugging Liu Lan’s leg with hopeful eyes.
“Alright, thank you, Little Sister. I’ll take one back and give it a try!” Liu Lan finally agreed, taking the lychee sapling and hurrying home.
She was a woman of action—when she decided to do something, she did it immediately.
Since the saplings had already been dug up, the sooner they were planted, the better. If they were left to dry out and die, it would be a real shame.
“Alright, it’s almost lunchtime. How about you three have noodles with Auntie today?” Fang Yuan asked the three boys.
“Great!” In this era, no one disliked fine grains like noodles.
But just then, Liu Lan’s voice rang out from next door: “Little Sister, don’t make food for them. Lunch is already ready at home. Tell them to come back and eat.”
“You three little rascals, hurry back for lunch! Do I have to come and fetch you?” Hearing their mother’s voice, the three boys instantly wilted.
“Oh? Alright then, we’ll head back now.”
“Auntie, we’re going home!” The three little ones shuffled reluctantly toward the door. They really wanted noodles…
“Wait, take your ‘wages’ with you. Come over tonight for big meat buns,” Fang Yuan said with a smile, handing them the half-pack of Candy Twist from the table.
Candy Twist was a fried pastry coated in a layer of white sugar, crispy and sweet—a rare and delightful snack.
But this stuff is very sweet, and it needs to be sealed tightly, otherwise it won’t stay crispy for long.
Now that she’s pregnant, she can only eat these overly sweet things in moderation.