“Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Mu Youyou. You can just call me Youyou,” Mu Youyou said with a sweet smile.
“Oh my, not only are you pretty, your voice sounds lovely too. Don’t keep calling me sister-in-law. My name is Li Yumei—just call me Sister Yumei,” Li Yumei said warmly.
“Alright, Sister Yumei.”
“You’re heading out, right? Go on then, don’t delay your business. We’ll chat later,” Li Yumei said with a smile.
“Okay, Sister Yumei, we’ll be going now.”
Li Yumei waved and went back into her yard.
“Hop on,” Gu Beiting said as he got onto the bicycle and glanced at Mu Youyou.
“Oh.” Mu Youyou sat on the back seat, gripping the metal bar beneath her.
“The deputy battalion commander Cui’s wife is easygoing—someone worth befriending. If I’m not home and you need anything, you can go to her,” Gu Beiting said.
“Mm.” Mu Youyou didn’t expect him to say that.
“Our unit is by the sea. There’s a village nearby with a supply and marketing cooperative and a grain store. You can also trade with villagers for seafood, vegetables, eggs, and such. For other things, you’ll need to take a bus into the city—there are two trips a day.”
“Got it.” Mu Youyou looked up at his back; this was the longest he had spoken to her.
“Gu Beiting, is the post office also in the city?” she asked. She needed to bring up her translation work.
“Mm. Do you need to send a letter?” Gu Beiting was curious—she didn’t have any family left, did she? Her grandfather had been a veteran of the Red Army and had already passed away.
“I’m currently working as a translator for the Xinhua Bookstore in the capital. I need to mail translated manuscripts and books, and the payment will also be sent through remittance,” Mu Youyou said.
“You know foreign languages?”
“Mm, I taught myself.” After all, schools in this era didn’t teach foreign languages.
“A mail carrier comes to the military district every three days. You can give him the translated books, and he’ll also bring your remittance,” Gu Beiting said.
He hadn’t expected Mu Youyou to know foreign languages. He had always thought she got her elementary school teaching job through her parents’ connections. He didn’t know that the current Mu Youyou was no longer the same person.
“Okay, thank you!”
They first went to the grain store to buy some rice and white flour, and only a little cornmeal. Mu Youyou planned to use it to make mixed-grain buns.
After all, eating refined grains every day in this era could easily draw criticism, even if Gu Beiting’s allowance was high.
Gu Beiting exchanged for two baskets from villagers—one for grain, one for vegetables.
He carried the grain basket in front, while Mu Youyou carried a smaller one on her back as they rode to the fishing village.
They bought some eggs and vegetables. Meat was only available at the cooperative on the first and fifteenth of each month; otherwise, they’d have to go to the city.
“There’s seafood at the dock. Want to buy some?” Gu Beiting asked, thinking she might want it since the capital didn’t have seafood.
“Let’s get it next time.” Seafood didn’t keep well, and they were short on time.
They then bought some seasonings at the cooperative before heading back.
The kitchen had a double stove, and the pots and utensils were newly purchased by Gu Beiting.
New pots needed to be seasoned, and by the time they finished, it was already past lunchtime.
“Is noodles okay for lunch?” Mu Youyou asked while Gu Beiting helped tend the fire.
“Sure.” He wasn’t picky—he had even eaten raw meat during missions.
Mu Youyou decided to make knife-cut noodles since they were quick. After kneading the dough, she started boiling water.
Once the water boiled, she skillfully sliced pieces of dough into the pot. Watching her, Gu Beiting couldn’t help but ask,
“Do you cook often?”
“If I’m at home, I usually cook for myself.”
That wasn’t too different from the original host, who mostly cooked at home aside from eating at the school cafeteria or occasionally at a state-run restaurant.
Gu Beiting nodded.
After finishing the noodles, Mu Youyou cracked in two eggs, added a tomato, and seasoned the soup.
“All done.” She prepared two bowls—a large one for him, a smaller one for herself.
“I’ll carry them.” Seeing her about to move, Gu Beiting stopped her.
Watching his back as he carried the bowls, Mu Youyou smiled slightly. He wasn’t so bad after all.
“I’ll be returning to training tomorrow,” Gu Beiting said while eating.
“Alright. Will you come back for lunch?” she asked.
“Mm.” He had wanted to say not to trouble her, but after tasting her cooking, the mess hall food suddenly seemed unappealing.
After finishing, he glanced up and saw Mu Youyou eating slowly and gracefully. Watching her eat felt oddly pleasant.
Realizing he was staring too long, he coughed lightly and looked away.
“Sister, Gu Beiting was secretly watching you just now,” Caicai’s voice sounded in her mind.
“I know.” She had noticed from the start.
“It’s a pity I can’t see his affection level for you,” Caicai said regretfully.
Mu Youyou didn’t mind.
After finishing her meal, Gu Beiting took the bowls to the kitchen to clean up.
Using the chance while tidying her luggage, Mu Youyou discreetly transferred two pieces of cured meat from the system’s store into the kitchen. She didn’t dare take too much since he had been carrying the luggage—he might notice the weight difference.
She would have to find a chance to go into the city later to bring out more items.
After cleaning up, Gu Beiting brought out some ration coupons and a small box.
“These are all my coupons for this month, and these are some I don’t need,” he said, handing them to her.
Opening the box, Mu Youyou saw cloth coupons, sugar coupons, and pastry coupons.
“You can keep the cloth coupons,” she said, trying to return them.
“I have military uniforms. I don’t need new clothes,” Gu Beiting said, leaving no room for refusal as he turned and went back outside to chop firewood.
In the afternoon, after gathering firewood from the back hill, he continued chopping in the yard, preparing enough for the household before training resumed.
Meanwhile, Mu Youyou stayed in her room working on translations. Remembering she hadn’t informed Gu’s grandfather of her safe arrival, she decided to write a letter.
After finishing, she handed it to Gu Beiting.
“This is a letter to Grandpa and the others to let them know I arrived safely. I don’t know the mail carrier, so could you help me send it?” she said.
He looked at her, slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected her to think of writing home.
“Alright.”
As he watched her return to her room, he recalled what his grandfather and mother had said.
“Youyou is a good girl. You must treat her well.”
“You brat, if you dare treat her badly, don’t come back.”