After Huo Xiao left, Lin Ting completely lost her drowsiness.
Remembering the dwindling fish soup in the pot, she tied on an apron and began kneading dough.
Truth be told, neither Lin Ting nor her original self had much cooking experience.
But while she hadn’t eaten pork, she’d seen pigs run. Combined with her determination to learn, she could now manage simple dishes quite decently.
Especially when the dough in her hands gradually became smooth and round, Lin Ting felt she had quite a talent for cooking.
After all, apart from previous observations, this was her first time actually kneading dough.
It was a pity her mother-in-law wasn’t home, otherwise she’d surely praise her a few words.
Thinking of her mother-in-law, Lin Ting detoured to the bedroom to check her watch while fetching the rolling pin.
Over half an hour had passed – she wondered how far Huo Xiao had gotten.
The snow-lit night shone bright as day.
With unobstructed visibility, Huo Xiao maintained a rapid pace throughout the journey.
Just as Lin Ting was speculating about his progress, he had already reached the entrance of Shengli Brigade.
The first household by the village entrance kept a dog that, detecting an outsider, began barking frantically.
Within moments, a man’s scolding voice emerged from the mud-and-straw house.
Seeing someone was awake, Huo Xiao abandoned his plan to search door-to-door. He stepped up to the crude fence made of branches and raised his voice: “Neighbor, may I ask which household in your village had a baby today?”
The house fell silent for several seconds without response.
After some rustling sounds, someone pushed open the window with a flashlight.
Only when vaguely discerning the military uniform did the person reply: “Old Scrawny Chen’s family had a baby today. Head straight east – about two-three hundred meters and you’ll reach it.”
Huo Xiao: “Thank you.”
“Who was it?” The man’s wife huddled under the blankets, both urging her husband to close the window and asking.
After shutting the window and carefully storing his precious flashlight, the man returned to bed: “Couldn’t see clearly, looked like a soldier… Hey, wife, do you think Scrawny will get a son this time? I say that coward’s got no fate for sons – six daughters already, no wait, this makes seven.”
Hearing this, the woman who’d only asked casually didn’t care to respond, tugging the blankets as she turned over: “Son or daughter, what’s it to us? Go to sleep already, lots of work tomorrow.”
“Hey, you woman…”
Huo Xiao continued east according to the directions.
Unexpectedly, after just fifty meters, he spotted a faint figure in the distance.
Though far away, Huo Xiao immediately recognized his mother.
His initial joy quickly faded as his expression darkened and he quickened his pace.
“When did you get home? Are you tired? Hungry? Look at you – wasn’t the journey exhausting enough? Why come out to meet me?” Hu Xiu had been hungry and exhausted, but with her long-missed son suddenly before her, she forgot all weariness, her heart and eyes filled only with her son.
Moments later, she wiped her tears sadly: “You’ve lost weight – haven’t been eating properly out there?”
“Haven’t lost weight, I’m just tall so it doesn’t show.” Huo Xiao took the tool bag and slung it over his own shoulder, thinking his mother was the one who’d grown terribly thin – her face gaunt, with some white hairs appearing at her temples.
Remembering his mother had become like this entirely for his sake, Huo Xiao’s lips pressed into a tight line.
As a soldier, he had no regrets toward his country, his organization, or his aspirations.
But as a son, husband, and father – he carried deep remorse.
This time, even though he had only learned the mission details on his way to carry it out, it still couldn’t lessen the sorrow he had brought upon his family.
“Enough of that long face! You’re a soldier—defending the country amid gunfire is your duty. Your mother and Tingting are both proud of you… Oh, Tingting! Look at my memory—did you see Tingting? What do you think? Your mother has good taste, doesn’t she?” Knowing her son better than anyone, Hu Xiu immediately noticed his guilt. After chiding him a couple of times, she slapped her forehead as if suddenly remembering something.
Huo Xiao remained silent, but his mind automatically conjured up the image of his first encounter with his wife. When she opened the door for him, she must have already been in bed, as her hair was loosely cascading down. He wasn’t sure how she had styled it, but her waist-length hair had soft waves—not exactly like a perm, but not entirely natural either. Having never paid much attention to women before, Huo Xiao didn’t know how to describe it. He simply thought his wife’s languid posture was incredibly beautiful. But being naturally reserved and unwilling to share his sense of awe with anyone, he changed the subject: “Did Chen Sannian’s family have a boy or a girl?”
The topic shift was rather abrupt, but Hu Xiu didn’t call him out on it. Instead, she secretly felt pleased before letting him off the hook: “Why call him Chen Sannian? His name is Chen Yaozu.” As she spoke, she recalled the delivery process and her expression darkened: “Forget it, just call him Chen Sannian… They did have a boy, but the mother was in such poor health. They thought she was carrying a girl, so they didn’t take good care of her. During labor, they wouldn’t even spare a bowl of brown sugar water. If I hadn’t given her some candy and biscuits from Tingting to keep her going, who knows what might have happened…”
Still, the mother was severely depleted, and the baby was born extremely weak—a difficult situation to manage in these times. Thinking of the Chen family elders and Chen Sannian’s mix of ecstasy and regret upon learning it was a boy, Hu Xiu felt both vindicated and somber. If they had shown even a little care for the mother during pregnancy, the child wouldn’t have been so frail. She could only hope the Chen family would heed her advice to breastfeed the baby, so the mother might have a chance to recover.
Huo Xiao frowned: “Why didn’t the Chen family arrange for someone to escort you back? It’s so late—what if something happened?” This was also why he had looked so stern when he first saw his mother. It was one o’clock in the morning, temperatures were thirty to forty degrees below zero, his mother had been seriously ill not long ago, and she had worked tirelessly until now—likely without even eating. The thought made him frown even deeper: “Have you eaten?”
“I have.” A bowl of sweet potato porridge—mostly sweet potatoes, with barely any rice visible.
Huo Xiao didn’t believe her and pulled some biscuits from his pocket, handing them over: “Eat these to tide you over.”
Hu Xiu was indeed hungry: “Are these from Tingting too?”
A faint smile flickered in Huo Xiao’s eyes: “She… was worried I might get hungry.”
Hu Xiu…
A little past two in the morning.
Lin Ting, who had been unable to sleep, finally heard them return.
Hearing the latch move, she quickened her pace.
But she still couldn’t match someone’s speed.
By the time she hurried to the door, it had already been pushed open.
Lin Ting and the man stared at each other for a few seconds before she naturally stepped aside.
Huo Xiao stepped inside, revealing Hu Xiu, who had been hidden behind him.
Seeing her mother-in-law safe and sound, Lin Ting’s face lit up with joy: “Mom, you’re finally back!”
Hu Xiu habitually cleaned her shoes at the doorstep before stepping inside, removing her heavy coat, scarf, and hat: “Why are you still awake?”
Lin Ting casually took her mother-in-law’s coat and hung it on the coat rack. Turning back, she helped the older woman settle onto the kang: “I’m not sleepy. I decided to wait until you got back.”
Hu Xiu rubbed her nearly numb legs and chided affectionately: “How could you not be sleepy? Go to bed quickly.”
Emotions are reciprocal. Having been cared for in every way by her mother-in-law these past days, Lin Ting naturally didn’t hesitate to respond in kind: “I’m in no hurry. At worst, I’ll sleep in tomorrow morning. But you look rather pale. Here’s what we’ll do—I’ll cook some noodles. You can use the hot water from the teapot to wash your face and soak your feet. I’ve already prepared the washbasin and foot basin with cold water—just add some hot water… The noodles should be ready by the time you finish soaking your feet.”
With that, she turned to fetch the winnowing basket placed on the side table.
Hu Xiu felt thoroughly warmed by her daughter-in-law’s concern: “Where did the noodles come from?”
Hearing this, Lin Ting brought the basket over, lifted the cloth covering it to keep off dust, and revealed neatly cut noodles. She said with some pride: “I made them myself. What do you think?”
Hu Xiu promptly showed her appreciation: “Oh, these are really good! You learned how after just one demonstration!”
Now aware that there was a man in the room, Lin Ting felt too embarrassed to boast further. She urged: “Go soak your feet quickly. I’ll start cooking the noodles.”
Hu Xiu stood up: “I’ll help you.”
Lin Ting refused: “Aren’t you tired?”
Without giving the other woman a chance to respond, she turned and hurried to the kitchen.
Only then did Huo Xiao, who had remained silent until now, hang his military overcoat on the coat rack.
Seeing this, Hu Xiu shot her son a disapproving look: “What? Were you waiting for Tingting to hang it for you? That’s not how we do things in this family.”
Huo Xiao…
Huo Xiao rubbed his nose: “I’ll go help cook the noodles.” With long strides, he was out the door in two or three steps.
It wasn’t that he particularly needed his wife to hang his coat—he had simply been captivated by the natural intimacy between her and his mother. His heart softened, and he’d unconsciously wished she would hang his coat too.
But she hadn’t even glanced his way.
Huo Xiao could see it clearly: when compared to her concern for his mother, his wife’s attention toward him was practically nonexistent.
Recalling how he’d felt a little smug earlier when giving the biscuits to his mother, he didn’t want to stand around and become the butt of her jokes.
In the kitchen.
Lin Ting was preparing to light the fire.
When the tall man pushed the door open and entered, she paused her movements and looked up at him: “Why are you here?”
Huo Xiao walked straight toward her: “I’ll tend the fire!”
Lin Ting was surprised but still said: “Maybe next time? You must be exhausted today.”
Huo Xiao shook his head: “It’s fine.”
Seeing he had no intention of leaving, Lin Ting didn’t press further and simply stood up to give him her seat.
She thought to herself that some time alone together might be good—they couldn’t remain awkward forever.
Actually, ever since the encounter with the rebel faction at the Commune, Lin Ting had been adjusting her mindset for the sake of her safety over the next decade.
Since leaving wasn’t the best option, it was necessary to try to build their marriage.
Of course, this was contingent on Huo Xiao being worthy.
With this in mind, Lin Ting used the edge of the spatula to scoop a small piece of lard from the oil jar into the heating iron wok, then tossed in a few chopped scallions.
When the fragrance emerged, she poured two pre-beaten eggs into the wok. Waiting until they puffed up into tempting egg curds, she finally asked: “Last time you mentioned the new Troop is only four days’ travel from home. Where exactly is it located?”
“In Tianjing.”
“It’s a nice place, but is it a lateral transfer or a promotion?” Everything is good except there’s no Kang in winter.
“It’s a promotion, now I’m a full regiment commander.” Huo Xiao had been subtly observing his wife’s expression. Seeing that she wasn’t overly excited but showed no resistance upon hearing about Tianjing, the tension in his heart gradually eased.
It seems…ahem…in a couple of days, when his wife is in a good mood, he could bring up the matter of accompanying him to the military base. It should go smoothly.
A full regiment commander at 28 – although this era offers more opportunities for military merits, it’s still quite impressive. Lin Ting never hesitated to offer praise and said sincerely, “That’s amazing!”
Huo Xiao, who had never felt this happy even when receiving commendations, pressed his lips together: “…Thank you.”
The noodles weren’t made in a complicated way – besides eggs, only some cabbage leaves were added.
When the food was served, Lin Ting also got a small bowl.
Just as she picked up a small portion of noodles, an extra portion of egg appeared in her bowl.
Lin Ting turned to look at the man beside her in confusion.
Thinking she might mind, Huo Xiao explained: “I haven’t started eating yet.” The bowl and chopsticks were clean.
But that wasn’t what Lin Ting meant. She glanced at her smirking mother-in-law, her ears turning red, and whispered softly: “I have eggs in my bowl too.”
Huo Xiao buried his head in eating: “I don’t like eggs.”
Who would believe that?
But Lin Ting didn’t say anything more, feeling somewhat happy inside.
It wasn’t that she was easily moved by small things, but she could tell from Huo Xiao’s attitude that he was also making efforts to nurture their marriage.
Sitting across from them, Hu Xiu watched the young couple’s interaction and couldn’t help but feel proud of her good judgment once again.
Look how well-matched these two are!
When they give her another grandchild later, wouldn’t she be overjoyed?
Thinking this, Hu Xiu looked at her daughter-in-law: “Guo Guo and Miao Miao have already been taken to my room.” So as not to interrupt you lovebirds.
You’re quite efficient… Lin Ting’s neck turned red this time.
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s shyness, Hu Xiu immediately held back her teasing thoughts and turned to her son, whose expression remained unchanged but whose ears were bright red. She said without hesitation: “Xiao, take a bath before sleeping. By the way, Ting Ting made you a set of clothes, even picked the fabric herself. You can try them on for size after your bath.”
Lin Ting: “…ahem ahem.”