At the military unit’s dormitory.
Several soldiers from the first squad were sitting upright in the dormitory. Huo Guangji sat at the front with a frown, his voice stern.
“First Squad, listen up. Today’s meeting topic is this: What kind of gift can make your wife happy? You have ten minutes for free discussion. After that, divide into three groups and report your ideas to me. Understood?”
“Understood!”
After their synchronized response, the soldiers split into three groups. But when they actually started discussing, all of them were stumped.
“The captain needs to figure out how to make Sister-in-law happy?”
“Obviously! Who else would he be trying to make happy?”
“But what are we supposed to give Sister-in-law? How would I know? Even the cow I have back home is a bull!”
“Get lost! Ask Brother Fushui. He has a wife. He has experience!”
Several young soldiers immediately turned toward Liu Fushui with hopeful expressions.
Liu Fushui scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well… I don’t really know either! My wife and I were married because our families arranged it. I… I haven’t really given her any gifts.”
“Brother Fushui, if even you don’t know, then we’re even more clueless! At least give us some advice!”
Liu Fushui scratched his head and thought for a while before saying,
“If you really ask me, I think it’s better to give her something useful. Once, I bought my wife some hair oil. She said she worked all day and had no use for something like that, so she made me return it!”
As soon as he finished, someone immediately agreed.
“Exactly! My second brother once bought my mother some fancy pastries from the city. She said they were useless and that he should’ve bought her a bamboo hat instead because we happened to be short of one at home! Captain, just think about what Sister-in-law needs and buy her that!”
What does Qin Yue’e need?
Huo Guangji frowned and thought for a long time.
In the end, he felt that she needed everything.
She was currently staying at the guesthouse, and almost everything they had was cobbled together from whatever they could find.
Even the washbasin that the mother and two children used didn’t have a proper stand.
The comb Qin Yue’e used was one someone else had discarded. One of its teeth was even missing.
He thought for a long time.
Meanwhile, everyone below stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to come up with an answer.
In the end, Huo Guangji still frowned.
“Discuss it again.”
“Ahhh!”
The group of grown men was completely stumped. They nearly scratched their heads bald.
If even their captain didn’t know what his wife needed, how were they supposed to know?
Finally, Liu Fushui came up with an idea.
“Captain! Why don’t you just buy her some fabric for clothes? At the market down the mountain, I’ve seen lots of young women buying clothes. There are all kinds of floral fabrics. You can buy some cloth, pay someone to sew it into clothes, and then bring it back and give it to Sister-in-law. It’s convenient, and it’ll show that you put some thought into it!”
The several unmarried men beside him immediately praised him.
“That’s why you’re Brother Fushui! You’re different from us bachelors. Everything you say makes sense!”
“Captain, listen to Brother Fushui!”
“Fine!”
Huo Guangji nodded.
“I’ll go down the mountain and buy her some clothes!”
Aunt Liu and Qin Yue’e each carried one of the children as they chatted and laughed while walking down the mountain.
Unlike the last time Qin Yue’e had come down, this time they had a military-unit horse cart taking them all the way.
The rocking motion of the cart soon lulled the two little ones to sleep.
The little girl, Xiaozhuyue, whom Aunt Liu was holding, was still mumbling in her sleep.
“Little rabbit… little rabbit…”
Qin Yue’e couldn’t help laughing.
“This child really loves those two little rabbits. She practically wants to sleep while holding them every day!”
Looking at the little girl’s chubby face, Aunt Liu couldn’t resist kissing her several times.
She couldn’t help saying,
“Speaking of Captain Huo, he’s actually not a bad man. There’s no need to mention how brave he was when he went into the mountains to hunt that bear. And he even knew to bring rabbits back for the children. At least he clearly has his children in his heart.”
“Xiao Qin, it’s not easy for a woman to live in this world. Just look at how attached the children are to Captain Huo. Children can see through things better than anyone.”
Aunt Liu was obviously trying to persuade Qin Yue’e to give Huo Guangji another chance.
Qin Yue’e merely smiled without saying anything.
I’m just the cannon-fodder original wife. What would forgiveness even get me?
Seeing her expression, Aunt Liu lowered her head and didn’t dare say anything more.
Even though she wanted to help, this was ultimately a matter between husband and wife. She had already said enough.
She sighed and quickly changed the subject.
“Xiao Qin, we’re almost there. The market is just ahead!”
Qin Yue’e looked up.
In the distance, she could already see a small village at the foot of the mountain.
Quite a few villagers had gathered at the entrance, and colorful silk ribbons had been hung around the area. It looked like people from many nearby villages had gathered here.
The two women quickened their pace, and Qin Yue’e woke the two children.
“Xiaofeng, Xiaoyue, wake up! We’re going to the market!”
The two little ones jolted awake.
As soon as they saw the bustling market in the distance, they became excited and cried out.
“Mom! So many people! So many people!”
“Mm! And not only are there lots of people, there are also lots of delicious things! I’ll buy you something tasty later.”
Qin Yue’e lovingly rubbed her daughter’s head.
She had brought quite a bit of money with her today.
There were still many things missing at the guesthouse, and she planned to buy some supplies.
The children also needed clothes. What they were wearing now had mostly been altered from adult clothing, so some parts didn’t fit properly.
She also wanted to buy various kinds of thread, needles, and sewing tools.
Qin Yue’e had already been thinking about setting up a small sewing and laundry-repair stall at the military unit. She could mend the soldiers’ clothes for them. It probably wouldn’t earn much, but at least it would give her a source of income.
There were plenty of stalls at the market, selling all kinds of things.
The moment they entered, they came across a stall selling fried rice cakes.
The sweet, fragrant smell of the freshly fried cakes drifted through the air and went straight into the two children’s noses.
Xiaozhuyue stared at the stall, practically drooling.
Meanwhile, Qingfeng was already drooling all over his clothes.
Seeing their expressions, Qin Yue’e couldn’t help laughing.
She quickly pulled them toward the stall and asked,
“Comrade, how much are the fried cakes?”
“Little sister-in-law, they’re five cents each! Want two for the children? Two are only ten cents. Look, we made the red bean filling ourselves. They’re delicious!”
“Alright, give me four!”
Qin Yue’e happily paid for four fried cakes.
She gave one each to Xiaofeng and Xiaoyue, then handed the other two to Aunt Liu.
Aunt Liu immediately waved her hands.
“No, no, Xiao Qin! Those are for the children! How could I eat them? Quickly, keep them for the kids!”
Qin Yue’e smiled and stuffed the fried cakes into Aunt Liu’s hands.
“Aunt Liu, we’ve been here for a while now, and we’ve received so much help from everyone. A little snack is nothing! Take them. You even brought me some jiao-tuan this morning. If you won’t eat these, you’ll be treating me like a stranger!”
“Well… this…”
Aunt Liu didn’t know what else to say. She quickly wiped her hands and accepted them with a smile.
“Alright, then! I’ll treat everyone to some steamed buns later!”