Jiang Ning didn’t open the door immediately. She first patted the water from the ends of her hair with a towel, then changed into a short-sleeved shirt before stepping outside.
The courtyard was lit.
He Zheng had also showered, and he’d just finished hanging laundry on the lines.
Hearing the door open, he looked up.
Jiang Ning’s hair fell loose down her back, and she was wearing a white floral-print short-sleeved shirt. The top button was undone, revealing her delicate collarbone and a glimpse of her pale, slender neck. Fortunately, the rest of the shirt was clean and dry.
He Zheng silently relaxed, then walked toward her room.
As he entered, a faint scent wafted toward him—the same soap fragrance that lingered on Jiang Ning’s skin. Holding his breath, he gripped the handles of the wooden bucket, lifted it, and carried it out.
After emptying the water, he said to Jiang Ning, “Sister-in-law, I’ll take you to the city tomorrow. We’ll deposit the money into a savings book, then go to the department store to buy some fabric so Grandma can make you a couple of proper outfits. You can also look around for anything else you might need.”
Jiang Ning watched He Zheng set the bucket against the wall. “Grandma knows how to make clothes?”
“Grandma used to be a tailor,” He Zheng said.
Jiang Ning hadn’t known that. The novel had never mentioned the old lady’s profession.
The night remained warm, but it was much better than the daytime heat. Jiang Ning lay in bed, feeling the breeze drift in through the window and dispel the stuffiness of the room.
The next morning, the rooster’s crow woke her again.
She dressed and stepped outside, running into He Zheng as he emerged from the room next door.
“Sister-in-law,” he greeted.
Jiang Ning pointed toward the toilet. “Is it ready to use?”
He nodded. “It is.”
Jiang Ning headed to the courtyard toilet. Having one right there was a huge relief; she wouldn’t have to walk all the way to the public latrine anymore.
When she came back out, she found He Zheng chopping wood. He gripped the axe with both hands, splitting a log balanced on a stump with a single, powerful blow. With each swing, the muscles in his arms tightened and bulged, and the lines of his broad shoulders and strong back were clearly defined beneath his shirt.
Sensing her gaze, he paused and turned to look at her.
“Sister-in-law, stand back,” he warned. “Wood chips might fly.”
Jiang Ning replied with a noncommittal “Oh” and went inside to wash. By the time she returned, He Zheng had already chopped a sizeable pile of wood. As he bent to gather the logs, Jiang Ning stepped forward to help, but he stopped her.
“Your belly is too big for you to be bending over. Just leave it to me.”
Jiang Ning glanced down at her stomach. He was right—crouching was indeed awkward. Even in the kitchen, Grandma refused to let her lift a finger. Suddenly, Jiang Ning felt like a pampered panda in a zoo, a protected species under constant care.
Knowing He Zheng and Jiang Ning were heading to the city today, Grandma had asked He Zheng to stop by her room after breakfast. He ducked his head to enter, and there he found his grandmother taking some cloth coupons from a cabinet to hand to him.
“Buy extra fabric while you’re in the city,” she instructed. “I want to make a few sets of clothes for the baby. Poor Ningning… with no reliable family of her own and her parents-in-law gone, I need to be extra attentive. I’ll get a head start on the baby’s clothes and diapers.”
He Zheng nodded. “Alright.”
As he turned to leave, Grandma called out, “Xiao Zheng, there’s one more thing…” She paused, but as He Zheng turned back and waited for her to continue, the words seemed to stick in her throat.
The old lady had spent the entire night thinking about the words those military wives had spoken in the courtyard yesterday. Xiao Du had died saving her grandson. If not for Xiao Du, the He family would have been completely cut off from having any male heirs.
They could not forget this immense debt of gratitude. Ningning and the child in her womb had no one to rely on now. Xiao Zheng was twenty-four this year and it was time for him to start a family. If possible, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the two of them to marry.
The only question was what Xiao Zheng and Ningning themselves thought.
Seeing his grandmother staring at him without speaking, Xiao Zheng raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Grandma?”
The old lady glanced out the window. Seeing Jiang Ning sitting in the courtyard, she lowered her voice, afraid she might overhear.
“What do you think of Ningning?”
Xiao Zheng paused. He turned to look at Jiang Ning in the courtyard—and just at that moment, she looked back. Their gazes met across the window. He quickly averted his eyes, guessing his grandmother’s intentions.
“Grandma, are you trying to set me up with my sister-in-law?”
The old lady said, “After Auntie Lin spoke yesterday, I thought it over carefully. If Ningning is willing to remarry, and you’ve reached the age to marry, you two could wed. When Ningning has the baby, our family would even let the child keep his father’s surname, Zhou. If Ningning were to marry someone else, I’m afraid they wouldn’t treat the child sincerely, nor would they agree to let him be named Zhou. You must remember, this child is Xiao Du’s only heir.”
He Zheng lowered his gaze and fell silent for a long moment before finally saying, “I understand.”
Jiang Ning was sitting in the shade of the courtyard when He Zheng and Grandma emerged from the house. She started to rise as the old lady reached her first, gently helping her up and pressing two ten-yuan bills into her hand.
“Go to the city and buy yourself whatever you need,” Grandma said.
Jiang Ning hesitated to take the money. She was already living and eating with the He family for free, and He Zheng had already bought her so many supplements. Besides, she had her own money.
She tried to refuse, but Grandma insisted. “Just keep it, Sister-in-law,” He Zheng added. “Grandma will feel bad if you don’t.”
Jiang Ning felt just as bad. But in the end, she couldn’t win against the old lady, who firmly stuffed the twenty yuan into her pocket.
He Zheng told her to wait in the courtyard, and a moment later, he returned pushing a bicycle—a black “28-inch” model. Such bikes were expensive and hard to find these days; even in the city, not everyone could afford one. And even if you had the money, you couldn’t buy one without an industrial coupon.
“We’re riding to the city?” Jiang Ning asked, puzzled.
“We’ll ride to the county town first,” He Zheng explained, “and then take a bus from there to the city.”
Grandma smiled. “It takes an hour to walk to the county town from our family compound. With your pregnancy, it’s too much for you. The bike will be much faster.”
Jiang Ning had taken a car back last time; the speed had been so great she hadn’t noticed the distance. She never imagined the journey would be this long.
He Zheng sat on the bicycle seat, one foot on the ground to keep the bike balanced. “Sister-in-law, get on.”
Jiang Ning walked to the back. The old lady, worried about her pregnancy, helped her settle sideways on the rear rack. She then turned to He Zheng with a thousand warnings to ride slowly, not to rush, and to make sure Ningning didn’t fall.
“I won’t,” He Zheng said helplessly.
Just as they pulled out of the courtyard gate, they ran into Fang Xiaoli. “Brother He, where are you two off to?” she asked.
“The city,” He Zheng replied tersely.
As the bicycle rolled past, Fang Xiaoli waved to Jiang Ning. “Sister-in-law Jiang, I’ll be waiting for you to come back and paint my picture!”
Jiang Ning smiled. “Alright.”
It was the morning rush, and the road was crowded. People who recognized He Zheng greeted him as they passed. A few military wives, heading to the supply and marketing cooperative together, stopped in their tracks. Their eyes were glued to He Zheng and Jiang Ning.
“Look at them,” one of the wives tsked. “Don’t they look like a couple?”
“You’re right, they really do. If I didn’t know that widow was Battalion Commander Zhou’s wife, I’d swear she was Deputy Commander He’s new bride.”
“Hush now,” another cautioned. “Lin Mei said yesterday that she suggested Deputy Commander He and Battalion Commander Zhou’s wife should live together. Deputy Commander He gave her a real earful for that. Do you want to get scolded too?”
The military wives fell silent.
The bicycle passed through the compound’s main iron gate and soon left the military region behind, heading down a dusty road that stretched endlessly into the distance. He Zheng pedaled slowly; the road was bumpy, and he didn’t want to jostle Jiang Ning, who was pregnant.
Seated on the rear rack, Jiang Ning gazed at the rapeseed blossoms lining the road. As far as she could see, the landscape was a sea of brilliant gold. The wind rippled through the flowers, creating a stunning wave of yellow.
She gripped the frame beneath the seat, her eyes on He Zheng’s back. His shoulders were broad, his tall frame cutting a strong silhouette. The wind whipped his clothes backward, and they were so close she could feel the warmth radiating from him.
As they approached the county seat, the road grew busier with pedestrians.
Jiang Ning leaned back, tilting her head to take in the scenery ahead. Suddenly, the bicycle jolted. She lost her balance and nearly fell backward, instinctively throwing her arms around He Zheng’s waist to steady herself.
The sudden embrace sent a jolt through him. His body stiffened as her slender, soft arms wrapped around his midsection, pressing firmly against him through their thin clothes. Even her chest pressed against his back, a soft, warm weight.
He Zheng’s breath hitched. A flush crept from his face to the base of his neck.