A bun larger than his palm disappeared in just two bites. The braised lion’s head meatballs were devoured one after another. Anyone watching would have thought he hadn’t eaten for days.
Though he ate quickly, his table manners weren’t unpleasant, and he didn’t slurp his food.
Lu Jingzhou cleaned off everything on the table, then revealed a simple, honest smile. “Conditions in the army are limited. With our intense training and fast physical exertion, we really don’t eat well. But compared to people outside, it’s already much better. The whole country is in a similar situation now. You’ve worked hard giving birth and need more nourishment. Tomorrow, I’ll go catch some fish for you.”
There was a river near the village. Though the current wasn’t rapid, the river was wide, making fishing difficult. Otherwise, fish wouldn’t appear on the black market—precisely because they were hard to come by.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Occasionally go out to the big canteen with your comrades to improve your meals. Health is the foundation of revolution—don’t wear your body down.”
Lu Jingzhou froze at these words, a mist quickly clouding his deep eyes.
Mother Lu never spoke like this. Every time he returned home, she would repeat how difficult life was for the family, urging him to send more money back. She’d say he had no expenses in the army, so he must have saved up, even telling him not to keep any for personal use but to send it all home.
Yet she never asked whether he suffered in the army, whether he was tired.
“Wife, you’re too good to me.”
“Huh?”
This is considered good?
Was this guy really that pitiful before?
At night, they lit an oil lamp. Little Bean Sprout, having slept too much during the day, was now awake. Unable to speak yet, she just opened her big eyes wide, curiously looking around.
Lu Jingzhou held her in his arms, clumsily trying to soothe her.
By the candlelight, Jiang Yue leaned over the table, drinking chicken soup.
She had added salt and some rice to it, simmering it into a chicken congee.
She made a large portion, eating one bowl herself. She had intended to share a bowl with Lu Jingzhou, but he stubbornly refused.
There was no oil lamp in the room either. The only candle left was a small stub, which she had taken from the Space Supermarket—anyway, Lu Jingzhou wouldn’t notice.
There was no well in the yard either. Only the Brigade’s courtyard had an old well, so fetching water required going there with buckets.
But since they had moved out after the family division, where would they get buckets? All they had was a wooden basin she used for bathing.
After she finished eating, Lu Jingzhou handed the child back to her and went out to borrow buckets for fetching water. He brought back water, boiled a pot for her to wash up, and stored the rest in the buckets.
Jiang Yue, as a new mother, sweated profusely. Arguing with her in-laws in the morning had already made her break out in a sweat. If she didn’t bathe, she definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep through the night.
Lu Jiazhou, seeing her preparations, asked, “Are you going to bathe?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
Lu Jingzhou didn’t reply but went straight to the kitchen to fetch hot water, brought it into the room, closed the window securely, and said to her, “I asked the village grannies. They said women in confinement shouldn’t bathe. You… maybe you could just wipe yourself down simply!”
After saying this, his face turned red, and he hurried out with his head lowered.
Jiang Yue was stunned for a few seconds, not quite understanding why he was blushing.
As a woman who had slept separately from her husband in her previous life and had no experience in that regard, she really couldn’t relate.
Even though she now thought the young man was quite decent, a responsible man suitable for living together, it was merely about partnering up for daily life.
She had no thoughts in that direction.
The room had only one bed. Although the floor was no longer dusty, having been unoccupied for a long time and freshly cleaned, it still carried a musty smell.
After washing up, Jiang Yue returned to the room and saw him unrolling a sleeping bag. Hesitating for a moment, she said, “You take the bed tonight!”
Lu Jingzhou paused, his ears turning suspiciously red. He didn’t dare look up at her. “The bed isn’t big. I might squeeze you and the child. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Jiang Yue suddenly found him rather fussy and stopped insisting. “Suit yourself.”
Lu Jingzhou halted his bed-making and waited until Jiang Yue turned away to breastfeed their daughter. Only when she was drowsy and nearly asleep did he feel the bed shift as he lay down.
The bed was from an old landlord’s family—a traditional pedal bed with ample space.
But as soon as Lu Jingzhou lay down, the space immediately felt cramped.
He only occupied half the bed, leaving the other half hanging off the edge.
Jiang Yue felt the warmth behind her—a man’s body heat and scent. Unaccustomed to it, she shifted their daughter further inward and squeezed in herself.
“Did I… squeeze you?” Lu Jingzhou’s body stiffened even more.
“No, let’s sleep. We have to go to town early tomorrow to buy supplies. If we’re late, everything will be gone. Tomorrow, borrow the donkey cart from the Brigade…”
Lu Jingzhou listened quietly in the deep stillness of the night, thinking his wife’s voice was especially pleasant—soft and gentle.
Jiang Yue talked until she drifted off to sleep herself. Lu Jingzhou listened a while longer, and only when he heard nothing but even breathing from behind him did he relax.
The bed wasn’t exactly small, but it wasn’t spacious either.
Little Bean Sprout alone took up a third of the space. Jiang Yue had started by lying on her side but gradually sprawled out in her sleep. Combined with his frame, the bed felt tight and insufficient.
Outside, the moonlight was hazy; inside, the family of three slept in their own spaces.
Meanwhile, at the Lu family’s old residence, someone else was having trouble sleeping.
Old Man Lu tossed and turned all night like a pancake on a griddle.
Mother Lu, who had already fallen asleep, was jolted awake by his restlessness.
“Old man, why are you suffering from insomnia now?”
In the past, he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, snoring within three seconds and sometimes howling in his sleep, scaring everyone half to death.
Over the years, Mother Lu had grown accustomed to it, but tonight was different. She too had worries and slept fitfully.
Old Man Lu sat up abruptly, threw on his clothes, slipped into his cloth shoes, and paced around the room.
“The more I think about today, the stranger it seems. How did things end up like this? It’s like we’ve been cursed.”
Hearing this, Mother Lu also felt something was off, though she hesitated to mention curses. “When it comes down to it, it’s Jiang Yue’s fault. If she hadn’t stirred up trouble, would Third Son have fought with us over separating? Now it’s done—we’ve even signed the family separation agreement. From now on, we won’t see a penny of Third Son’s money. You think Eldest Son or Second Son will support us? Dream on!”
They both knew this all too well.
Old Man Lu rolled a cigarette, struck a match to light it, and took a deep drag. His mind seemed to clear slightly. “We’ll have to resolve this through Jiang Yue.”
“What do you mean? You want me to apologize to that wretched girl? I won’t do it! I’ve already lost enough face today. How about we call his eldest aunt? Third Son always listened to her before. If Jiang Yue clashes with his aunt… maybe Third Son will turn against her.”
Old Man Lu didn’t nod, still deep in thought. “Does Jiang Yue have a brother?”
Mother Lu was taken aback. “She does. Jiang Yue’s parents died early, so the siblings only had each other. They used to get along well, but later I heard they became estranged because of his wife. He only came once during her wedding, and after that Jiang Yue rarely visited her maiden home. Why do you ask?”