Chapter 82
Ye Qinglan was really tired. She had been tense all the way, not daring to sleep well. She had almost fallen asleep while eating, but her stomach was also hungry. Since she had gotten off the train, she had only eaten a few biscuits to fill her stomach.
After eating the noodles in large mouthfuls, Ye Qinglan got up to wash the dishes but was stopped by Ye Qingzhi.
“No need. You must be exhausted after such a long car ride. Brush your teeth and go to sleep,” Ye Qingzhi said, handing her the prepared toothbrush and cup.
Ye Qinglan looked at the new toothbrush and cup, her eyes slightly red.
To be honest, on the way here, she had been very nervous. Her fourth sister had been very good to her before, but they had been separated for so many years, especially when her fourth sister was in trouble, she had not been able to help at all. Now that she had come to seek refuge with her, she didn’t know how her fourth sister would treat her.
She had not expected her fourth sister to be so thoughtful. You could tell at a glance that she was sincere in having her come over.
“Thank you, Fourth Sister,” Ye Qinglan said. After brushing her teeth, she followed Ye Qingzhi to the prepared room.
“The inner room is where the few children are sleeping. You can just live in the front half. We sleep on heated brick beds here in the Northwest. Your brother-in-law hung this curtain yesterday. You can pull it when you sleep, so you can’t see inside,” Ye Qingzhi said, putting her things on the box at the head of the heated brick bed. “This box is for you to use. If you’re missing anything, just let me know.”
“No need, no need. It’s already very good,” Ye Qinglan said, touching the soft mattress and quilt. The faint smell of soap and sunshine made her feel warm inside.
“Alright, you should sleep first. We’ll talk about other things tomorrow when you get up. By the way, the toilet is over there,” Ye Qingzhi said, seeing her tired face and not saying anything more.
Back in the room, He Qiming hugged her waist and asked with a faint smile, “Has your younger sister gone to bed?”
“Yes. That Company Commander Zheng who brought my younger sister back, are you very familiar with him?” Ye Qingzhi asked, thinking of their familiar appearance and looking at him curiously.
He Qiming nodded. “He’s my old chief’s son. I used to see him often when I went to the old chief’s house.”
Ye Qingzhi nodded in understanding and did not ask any more questions. She did not know He Qiming’s old chief, so she would not understand even if she asked more.
She had been going to bed at a little past eight these two years, at most nine o’clock. It was already eleven tonight, so she was already very sleepy. She didn’t know what He Qiming had said. Ye Qingzhi mumbled a reply and fell asleep.
“Wife?” He Qiming asked, looking down and seeing that Ye Qingzhi was already asleep. His lips couldn’t help but curve into a slight smile. He kissed her forehead, held her hand, and entered dreamland.
The next morning, Ye Qingzhi got up as usual. After getting dressed and going out, she saw Ye Qinglan wiping the table.
“Little Lan, why are you up so early?” Ye Qingzhi asked, glancing around. She guessed that the kitchen and the living room had already been wiped.
“Fourth Sister,” Ye Qinglan said, wringing out the towel and taking the water to water the green onions. “I’m used to getting up early. I can’t lie in bed.”
“This is not our hometown. You don’t have to get up so early in the future,” Ye Qingzhi said, pulling her to sit down. “Rest for a while. Your brother-in-law has gone to the canteen to buy breakfast. He’ll be back in a bit.”
Ye Qingzhi searched her memory. When the original host was at her parents’ home, she had to get up before dawn every day to cook breakfast, then go to cut pig feed. After she came back and had breakfast, she had to wash the whole family’s clothes, and then go to the fields to earn work points.
Although Ye Qinglan was the youngest in the family, she was a daughter, so she probably didn’t have any special treatment. She must have had to get up before dawn just like the original host.
“Get food from the canteen? You don’t cook yourself?” Ye Qinglan asked in a low voice.
“The army has issued grain tickets. Getting food from the canteen is more cost-effective than buying grain and cooking yourself,” she said. If it weren’t for the limit, Ye Qingzhi felt that she could get food from the canteen for all three meals a day.
Besides, the army canteen was very clean, and the food was not bad. The most important thing was that she didn’t have to cook herself.
Ye Qinglan had originally wanted to say that she could cook, but hearing what Ye Qingzhi said, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.
“Fourth Sister, is there a small stream nearby? I’ll go and wash the clothes,” Ye Qinglan said. On the way, she had heard others say that you had to pay for water in the city, so she had cleaned up first in the morning and had not gone to wash clothes.
“There’s a river, a little far away. We all wash our clothes at home. Here, that pool in the yard is for washing things. After you’re done washing, you can just water the vegetables,” Ye Qingzhi said, seeing that Ye Qinglan was about to go and wash clothes. She pulled her back. “Your brother-in-law will be back in a bit. We’ll wash together after we’ve had breakfast.”
If she didn’t let her do any work, Ye Qinglan would definitely not feel at ease. But to have her do all the work, Ye Qingzhi was too embarrassed. So they would work together.
“Fourth Sister, I’ll wash them. There aren’t many clothes. I’m used to doing it at home. Besides, we don’t have to work in the fields here,” she said. To have her just sit and wait for her brother-in-law to bring back breakfast, Ye Qinglan felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
“Then let’s soak the clothes first and wash them after we’ve had breakfast,” Ye Qingzhi said, looking at the restless Ye Qinglan. She knew she was in a difficult position and sighed softly. Let’s take it slow.
She soaked the clothes in water, then rubbed soap on the collar, cuffs, and chest, letting it soak in. Just then, He Qiming came back with breakfast.
“Brother-in-law,” Ye Qinglan said, a little reserved when she saw He Qiming.
“It’s steamed buns and porridge for breakfast. I don’t know if you’re used to it,” He Qiming said with a faint smile.
Ye Qinglan followed Ye Qingzhi to the kitchen and saw the white flour steamed buns taken out from the lunchbox, and also the thick rice porridge. She had never eaten such a meal back home. How could she say she was not used to it?
Ye Qingzhi scooped out two pieces of fermented tofu and also a plate of kimchi. “Jingyan, Anmin, time to eat.”
Anjie came out first, holding Yangyang’s hand. Jingyan and Anmin followed closely behind. Seeing Ye Qinglan, the few of them politely called out “Little Aunt” and then went to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
“Mama, I don’t want to brush my teeth,” Yangyang said, hugging Ye Qingzhi’s leg.
“Yangyang,” He Jingyan called out in a low voice.
Yangyang immediately let go of Ye Qingzhi’s leg and ran over, saying with a grin, “Big brother, I’m here.”
Ye Qingzhi burst into laughter. It was truly a case of one thing conquering another.
“This child is a little mischievous. He’s most afraid of his dad and his big brother,” Ye Qingzhi said, explaining to Ye Qinglan, who was looking at them curiously.
Ye Qinglan nodded, looking at her smiling fourth sister. Her fifth brother was right. Her fourth sister had changed. She was more beautiful, more confident, and happier.
She had now escaped from that family and had come to the Northwest, thousands of miles away. Could she find a home of her own? After finding a home, could she be as happy as her fourth sister?
“Little Lan, hurry up and eat. You don’t have to be so polite at your fourth sister’s house,” Ye Qingzhi said. She knew it was useless to say it, but she still had to say such polite words.
“I know. Thank you, Fourth Sister,” Ye Qinglan said, taking the chopsticks. She looked at the porridge in front of her, and a steamed bun was stuffed into her hand. She looked up and saw her fourth sister looking at her with a smile. She pursed her lips and lowered her head to eat silently.
After breakfast, He Qiming went to work, the three older ones went to school, and Yangyang ran off to play with his friends. Only the two sisters, Ye Qingzhi, were left at home.
The two of them washed clothes and talked. Most of the time, it was Ye Qingzhi who asked, and Ye Qinglan who answered.
Slowly, the two of them were not so distant anymore. Only then did Ye Qingzhi ask, “Little Lan, you know best what the situation is at our home. Once you go back, if it’s not the Zhang family, it will be the Li family. In short, in the eyes of Ma and Ye Qingshan and the others, we are a piece of fat meat. Whoever offers a higher price will get us. My meaning is to find you a partner here, marry far away, and stay away from Ma and our older brothers and the others. What are your own thoughts?”
Ye Qinglan’s hands did not stop, and she said very calmly, “Fourth Sister, I have the same meaning as you. I want to find a partner here. He doesn’t have to be very powerful, as long as he’s down-to-earth, hardworking, and good to me.”
There was not a hint of a young girl’s shyness on her face. From the time she had been sensible, she had known that she would not be able to marry the person she liked in this lifetime. It would be good enough if he was not missing an arm or a leg. Now that she could run out and find a good partner through her fourth sister, she was already content.
“Alright. I’ve already asked someone to help you look for a suitable partner. You shouldn’t go out these few days. Stay at home and take care of your skin. You have to make a set of clothes. I have some cloth. You can have a good look then,” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.
After the two of them had washed the clothes, Ye Qingzhi had Ye Qinglan hang them up while she went to get the cloth.
“Fourth Sister, this cloth is too valuable. I can’t accept it,” Ye Qinglan said, looking at the green plaid cloth and quickly refusing.
“Take it. Your brother-in-law is a deputy regiment commander, after all. For his little sister-in-law to come all this way and go on a blind date in patched clothes is not good for his reputation,” Ye Qingzhi said, seeing her in a difficult position and smiling faintly. “Then I’ll consider it a loan to you. You can pay me back when you have it in the future?”
“Alright,” Ye Qinglan said, looking at her patched clothes, gritting her teeth, and nodding in agreement.
Most country girls knew how to make clothes. Ye Qingzhi took out a sewing basket and had Ye Qinglan make them herself. She was going to find Li Jinfeng to see if there were any suitable matches.
“Qingzhi, you’ve come at the right time,” Li Jinfeng said, seeing Ye Qingzhi come over and pulling her in. “Has your younger sister arrived?”
“She has. She arrived at a little past ten last night,” Ye Qingzhi said with a feigned look of disgust. “This younger sister of mine, she really can’t be idle. She got up early in the morning to clean, watered the plants, and weeded. She just washed a large basin of clothes. I couldn’t stop her.”
“Oh, what’s wrong with being hardworking? You don’t like it? If you don’t like it, you can give your younger sister to me. I’m short of such a younger sister,” Li Jinfeng said. How could she not know that Ye Qingzhi was showing off?
Ye Qingzhi shot her a look. “Alright, let’s get to the point. Is there anyone suitable for my younger sister? She’s twenty-two this year, not young anymore. Besides, with my family’s situation, the sooner she gets married, the sooner I can be at ease.”
Li Jinfeng nodded in understanding, so she was also very attentive. She counted on her fingers and screened out three suitable ones.
The first was a platoon leader under the 1st Battalion. He was twenty-five this year, also from Zhejiang Province. He was the youngest in his family, and his father was a brigade leader, so his family’s conditions were not bad. The only drawback was that he was a little short, about 1.65 meters.
The second was a company commander from the 351st Regiment. He was thirty-two this year, from the Northeast, tall with long legs, and handsome features. His father had died when he was very young, and his mother had remarried. He had half-brothers and sisters, and their relationship seemed to be not bad. The drawback was that he was old, and it was rumored that he had been divorced.
“The third one I’m talking about is Li Wang, my newly acknowledged sworn brother. I’ve told you about his situation before. He’s really not bad. If you don’t mind that his parents are both dead, I think he’s really not bad,” Li Jinfeng said, saying “really not bad” twice in a row.
The first one was a little short. Ye Qinglan was about 1.63 meters. With shoes on, she might look taller than him.
The second one was a bit old, a full ten years older. But if they hit it off, it was not impossible. But his specific situation still had to be inquired about.
As for the third, Li Wang, he was indeed not bad. He had a permanent job, a house in town, and a pasture in the countryside. To be able to deliver mail to the army meant that he had been thoroughly investigated, which proved that his character was not a problem.
It was because he was too good that Ye Qingzhi was worried that he would not take a fancy to Ye Qinglan.
“I’ll go back and talk to Little Lan about it. After all, it’s her lifelong matter. She has to make the decision herself,” Ye Qingzhi said with a serious expression.