Hearing this, Lu Xinran suddenly became interested.
She would be living here from now on, so getting to know more about the people in the family compound could only benefit her.
Besides, their home probably wasn’t very far away. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to hear the arguments so clearly at night.
“Sisters, can you tell me about it?”
“Of course. That’s exactly why I’m telling you. From now on, keep your distance when you run into his wife.”
“They were transferred here from Beijing. I heard they were sent here because they made some kind of mistake. Otherwise, with all the better conditions and opportunities in Beijing, who would willingly transfer here? That’s the capital!” Xu Aihua lowered her voice as she spoke.
Lu Xinran nodded. That did make sense.
“Although the two of them argue all the time, they act especially loving in front of outsiders. Once, one of the wives told them that if they couldn’t get along, they might as well separate for a while. It would be less exhausting than arguing every single day.”
“She meant well, but the vice division commander’s wife immediately accused her of having bad intentions and trying to drive a wedge between them.”
“She even insisted that they had never argued at all and asked whether the person claiming to have heard them arguing had been hiding under their bed. She said they were all talking nonsense.”
Lu Xinran was astonished.
They could actually be like that?
“Remember this: don’t get involved in anything concerning that couple, and don’t ask questions either. It’s better not to get yourself dragged into their mess,” Xu Aihua advised earnestly.
Lu Xinran nodded. “Okay, I understand. Thank you for warning me, Sister-in-law.”
“Oh, no need to thank me.”
Just then, the rumbling sound of a vehicle came from outside.
A tractor loaded with soil and wooden planks stopped at the courtyard gate.
“Oh, Yanfeng is back! He brought back an entire load of soil!”
“Marriage really does make a difference. He listens to his wife now.”
Zhou Meifang and Xu Aihua joked as they walked outside.
Lu Xinran’s face grew a little warm.
So far, Li Yanfeng really had done whatever she asked.
“Shall we help you set up the vegetable garden?” Xu Aihua offered.
“No need, Sister-in-law. Yanfeng and I can handle it. You two can go back and take care of your own things.”
It was noon, so they had probably come over during their lunch break.
“If that’s the case, all right. We’ll come back and take a look tonight when we have some free time.”
“Okay.”
Lu Xinran smiled and saw them out.
Li Yanfeng had borrowed a handcart and, together with his guard, Xiao Chen, began hauling the soil into the courtyard load by load.
Lu Xinran wanted to help, but Li Yanfeng stopped her.
“You don’t need to help. Just watch.”
Her clothes were so clean, and Li Yanfeng couldn’t bear to let mud get on her.
Besides, she looked so delicate. How could she possibly have the strength to do such heavy work?
Lu Xinran didn’t want to just stand around doing nothing. She wanted to contribute somehow too.
With that thought, she said, “Then I’ll make lunch. You can eat when you’re done.”
Li Yanfeng still looked doubtful. He wasn’t entirely reassured.
“Can you cook by yourself?”
“Of course. Don’t underestimate me. You taught me last night, and I already know how.”
Lu Xinran spoke with complete confidence.
“All right. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
Lu Xinran washed the rice and put it in the pot, preparing to steam some rice.
She had it all planned out. There were two stove burners, so she could use one to cook the rice and the other to stir-fry the dishes. That way, everything would be ready much faster.
Besides the lamb he had bought that morning, Li Yanfeng had also bought a jin of pork.
She could make stir-fried potatoes with pork, stir-fried Chinese cabbage, stir-fried pumpkin, and some wild greens.
With Xiao Chen included, there would be three people. Four dishes should be just right.
There were also the pickled vegetables Sister Xu had given them the night before.
Following the method Li Yanfeng had taught her, she successfully started the fire.
At the time, she had even thought that something this simple could hardly stump her.
Who would have thought things wouldn’t go according to plan?
Li Yanfeng and Xiao Chen were working in the courtyard.
They were completely focused on the task. Besides spreading the soil, they also had to turn over the existing earth in the courtyard and mix it together so the vegetables would grow properly.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen looked at Li Yanfeng in confusion.
“Commander, I think something’s burning…”
Li Yanfeng instinctively looked toward the kitchen.
All he could see was thick smoke pouring out of the kitchen window.
He immediately dropped the hoe in his hand and rushed toward the kitchen.
Then he suddenly heard a scream from inside.
By then, several neighbors had also come out after hearing the commotion. They quickly realized that something had happened at Colonel Li’s house.
When Li Yanfeng entered, he saw Lu Xinran standing in the middle of the smoke.
The back of her hand seemed to be injured, the skin bright red.
The fire in the stove was burning fiercely, with pieces of firewood scattered all over the place. Some of the fallen wood had caught the fire beside the stove.
“Xinran, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?” Li Yanfeng’s voice was low and tense.
“I’m fine. I just got burned a little—”
Li Yanfeng grabbed her hand.
Her hands had originally been so fair and soft, but now the skin was bright red from the burn. It looked painful.
There was also soot all over her face.
His heart ached at the sight.
He reached out to wipe it off and found that there was quite a lot of soot.
A gentle wipe wasn’t enough, so he applied a little more pressure.
Immediately, the imprint of her hand appeared on his face.
“Use a damp towel to wipe yourself down later. Go outside first. I’ll take care of the kitchen.”
“Okay.”
Lu Xinran felt a little guilty and embarrassed.
There would be no lunch now, and she had only ended up causing Li Yanfeng more trouble.
Several wives hurried over after hearing what happened.
“Xinran, what happened?” Xu Aihua asked worriedly.
“Oh my, what happened to your hand and face?”
“Don’t cry. Does it hurt?”
A wife Lu Xinran didn’t recognize said, “What else could have happened? She just doesn’t know how to cook and ended up setting the kitchen on fire, didn’t she?”
“You can tell she’s a spoiled girl from a big city. How would she know how to cook?”
“Sister-in-law, I’m fine. The oil in the pan caught fire just now, and I’m still not used to using an earthen stove. I couldn’t handle everything at once, and some firewood fell out of the stove.”
Lu Xinran explained it to her.
She actually hadn’t been crying. The smoke had just irritated her eyes, making them water, and she had also been coughing from inhaling it.
Xu Aihua patted the back of her hand and comforted her kindly.
“It’s fine. You’ll get used to it after using it a few more times. I was the same way when I first arrived.”
“The skin on her face is red, and there’s a handprint too. Could it be that Colonel Li hit her?”
“Hu Lijuan, stop talking nonsense!”
“Yanfeng would never hit anyone!” Xu Aihua immediately shot back.
Lu Xinran noticed that Sister Xu from the Women’s Federation was also among the crowd.
When she had first arrived, she had spent quite a while in the Women’s Federation office, where that woman had scrutinized her for a long time.
She stepped forward and looked at Lu Xinran sternly.
“Comrade Lu, I know you came from a big city and were spoiled from childhood. You’ve probably never done this kind of work before.”
“But now that you’ve come here to join your husband, as a wife, the whole purpose of joining him is to take good care of your husband.”
“You can’t even cook a meal, so why did you come here to join him? Are you expecting Colonel Li to come home after a hard day’s work and still have to wait on you? Does that make any sense?”
Lu Xinran looked at her.
Why did she feel that this Sister-in-law also seemed to have some inexplicable hostility toward her?
Xu Aihua immediately became displeased.
“Director Xu, it’s not that serious. It’s just cooking. Who knows how to do everything from the very beginning?”
Just then, Li Yanfeng finished dealing with the kitchen and came out.
His expression was stern and dark.
He already had an intimidating face, and now he looked even more frightening.
He walked over to Lu Xinran.
The other wives instinctively took a step backward.
They quietly retreated toward the doorway, thinking to themselves—
Surely he wasn’t going to hit her right in front of them?