A loud female voice came from outside the door. Curious, Qiao Yuewei peeked out.
“Don’t touch the lunch boxes. I’ll wash up first and come open the door.”
Qiao Yuewei nodded and followed her out.
The room she had stayed in opened directly into the living room. Opposite the living room was another room, and further right was the kitchen.
Stepping out into the yard, she finally saw the full layout of the house.
It was a single-story courtyard, not too big, not too small. On the left was a well with a roughly one-meter-high platform next to it, apparently for washing clothes.
Qiao Yuewei looked around, puzzled. No bathroom? She would ask Qin Xingye when he returned.
“小秦啊, I heard your fiancée has arrived, so I came to greet her.”
Footsteps approached. Qiao Yuewei looked at the woman: about thirty, round face, short hair to the ears, medium height, wearing an army-green jacket.
“Oh, so this is my brother-in-law’s wife!”
Sister He stepped forward and took Qiao Yuewei’s hand.
Qin Xingye introduced, “This is Sister He.”
Qiao Yuewei smiled sweetly. “Hello, Sister.”
On the way over, Qin Xingye had mentioned her; this must be the warm-hearted Sister He.
“How’s everything? Settled in?” Sister He glanced at the living room.
“Yes, most of the furniture is ready. I’ll get the rest according to what Weiwei likes,” Qin Xingye replied.
Sister He was already impressed with Qiao Yuewei, and her senior had specifically told her to take good care of the girl. He hadn’t explained the reason.
“These are from my own chickens.” Sister He handed Qin Xingye a basket of farm eggs, which he placed in the kitchen.
Qiao Yuewei quickly thanked her. “Thank you, Sister. Wait a moment.”
Since someone brought gifts, it wouldn’t do to return empty-handed. Fortunately, she had brought some snacks.
She went back into her room, retrieved some pastries and candies from her space, packed them into a bag, and brought them out.
“Sister, please take these.” She handed the bag to Sister He.
Sister He weighed it in her hand—it must be at least two kilograms. This girl was really thoughtful and polite.
“Oh, this is too much. I’ll just take a few for my boys at home.” She took a handful and handed the bag back.
Qiao Yuewei pushed it back. “Sister, if you insist on being polite, then I’ll have Qin Xingye return the basket of eggs to you.”
In Qiao Yuewei’s mind, the farm eggs were valuable, but Sister He saw them as trivial. Instead, it was Qiao Yuewei’s bag of sweets that was costly.
“Sister, Qin Xingye will be on a mission soon. I’m new here, so I’ll inevitably trouble you in the future. Please don’t be polite with me.”
Qin Xingye stood there, watching the two women push the gifts back and forth, scratching his nose.
“Yes, Sister, Weiwei is new to the family quarters. She’s unfamiliar with the place, so please help take care of her for me in the future.”
With the couple saying this, Sister He could no longer refuse. She took the bag and said cheerfully, “Alright, sister-in-law. If anything comes up, just call me. My yard is right next to yours.”
“Tomorrow you’ll rest, and the day after, I’ll take you to the market.”
“Okay.” Qiao Yuewei smiled. She did want to get familiar with the area.
“Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll go back and cook.”
After sending Sister He off, Qiao Yuewei glanced at the sky—it was just getting dark.
Remembering she hadn’t found a bathroom, she tugged on Qin Xingye’s sleeve. “Qin Xingye, is there no bathroom here?”
The girl blinked her big eyes, lips pursed, looking pitiful—it seemed to stir something in his heart.
“There is, in your room.”
Hearing this, Qiao Yuewei didn’t wait for him to lead the way. She went into the room to check.
Sure enough, across from the bed was a wooden door. Pushing it open revealed a small washstand with a mirror, a little further in was the toilet, and beyond that the shower area.
It was a bit disappointing that there was no toilet bowl or bathtub, but not having to go outside to use the bathroom or shower was already very convenient.
Moreover, with her space, she could always take a proper bath if she wanted.
When Qiao Yuewei came out, Qin Xingye wasn’t there. She went to the living room and heard sounds from the kitchen.
Qin Xingye had his sleeves rolled up halfway, washing lunch boxes with practiced movements. After washing, he wiped them dry with another cloth.
Qiao Yuewei smiled and returned to the room, sitting on the sofa to wait for him.
When Qin Xingye finished, he sat beside her, handing her a few candies.
Qin Xingye was momentarily surprised but instinctively picked up a White Rabbit candy, unwrapped it, bit it a few times, and swallowed.
Sweet.
“Keep these.”
He handed her a metal box.
Qiao Yuewei opened it cautiously. “What’s inside?”
Qin Xingye said nothing, letting her explore. Inside were a mix of coins and vouchers: cloth coupons, ration coupons, oil coupons, and some industrial coupons.
“Keep it for me?”
Qin Xingye nodded. “My salary is 127 per month. I don’t need to spend much, so from now on, my salary will be yours to manage. Anything you need from the market, I’ll get it; if it’s unavailable, I’ll find a way.”
“I submitted the marriage application. If processed quickly, it’ll be approved tomorrow; otherwise, it might take two to three days.”
Qiao Yuewei nodded. “Then we can get the certificate tomorrow if it’s approved.”
As for a wedding, it was difficult to hold one in the military. She didn’t mind.
“I still have ten days of wedding leave next year. We could have one in Beijing, and in Shanghai—”
“Forget Shanghai,” Qiao Yuewei waved her hand. “If there’s time, I’ll take you to see my grandfather.”
In Shanghai, no one mattered except Uncle Ren, so no need for a wedding there. But she had promised to take Qin Xingye to see her grandfather—a matter to remember.
“Alright.” Thinking of Qiao Yuewei as the only remaining member of her family, with a younger brother missing for thirty years, Qin Xingye’s deep gaze rested on her.
He saw her putting the money aside and reading in a notebook.
“Qin Xingye, are you also looking for my little uncle?”
Qin Xingye was startled; he had forgotten his memo book was given to her without being taken out.
Since she found out, he admitted it openly: “Yes. Grandfather has been urging us to do this all these years.”
Qiao Yuewei closed the notebook, feeling emotional. “Qin Xingye, thank you.”
She seemed to like saying his full name, her voice curling charmingly at the end—a sound Qin Xingye couldn’t describe.
“Yesterday on the train, I encountered a human trafficker. Qin Xingye, I want to do something.”
On the train, Qiao Yuewei had an idea. In reality, her uncle had been abducted by traffickers. Many of her classmates and friends had similar experiences. She wanted to do what little she could.
Qin Xingye didn’t ask what she intended. He first made his stance clear: “Alright, if you want to do it, go ahead. I support you.”
Qiao Yuewei blinked and teased him, “Aren’t you going to ask what I want to do? What if it’s something bad?”
Qin Xingye shook his head. People can lie, but her eyes wouldn’t. Qiao Yuewei’s eyes were clear, with a hint of adorable cunning.
“You wouldn’t.”
A simple, concise sentence sent a shiver through Qiao Yuewei’s heart.