Chapter 106
Lu Manman followed Battalion Commander Li onto a sleeper train, something most people at the time had never even seen, heading to his hometown to meet his parents.
Qiao Wei and Yan Lei began shopping for the New Year.
The festive atmosphere was truly thick at this time.
Children couldn’t hold back anymore; they were already sneaking firecrackers out of their pockets to set off on the streets.
The Qiao Wei household was now very close with Director Lu’s family, so this year’s New Year supplies were exceptionally abundant.
Especially the pressed duck and ham sent by Director Lu; looking at that whole large ham made Qiao Wei drool, and she had already thought of one hundred and eight different ways to eat it.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, it was time for the big house cleaning, and the couple tidied up their home, inside and out.
They washed what needed washing and wiped what needed wiping.
Yan Lei even cleared away the clutter that had been piled in the gap between the house and the back wall of the courtyard during the yard cleanup.
He also collected broken bricks and tiles to build something for his precious vegetable patch… he didn’t know what to call it, but he neatly fenced it in so there was still room to step inside.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, it was time to put up the Spring Festival couplets, but Yan Lei was not at home.
He had already told Qiao Wei that the leaders were going on home visits to inspect and comfort the military families, and Division Commander Pan had asked him to accompany them.
Qiao Wei said, “You go, I’ll put them up.”
Yan Lei was still worried, “Can you reach?”
Because at this time, houses were all single-family homes, unlike later generations where people lived in apartment buildings with small doors.
At that time, every household’s door was a double door and quite tall.
The Spring Festival couplets they bought were also particularly large.
Qiao Wei said, “I’ll stand on a stool!”
Yan Lei wanted to put them up early, but Qiao Wei wouldn’t let him.
Don’t ruin the atmosphere; Sister Yang had told her that they could only be put up on the afternoon of the 29th.
Qiao Wei loved the New Year too much—the festive feeling, the scent of fireworks, the human touch—and she wouldn’t let Yan Lei ruin the timing of what needed to be done.
On the afternoon of the 29th, after lunch, Qiao Wei took Yan Xiang to put up the couplets, “Look, is it straight? Is it straight?”
Yan Xiang tilted his head, looking left and right, “The left side is too high… now the right side is too high… okay, okay! Don’t move!”
Finally, the horizontal scroll was also put up.
Just after she wiped the stool clean, Yan Lei’s voice came from the door, “Qiao Wei! Qiao Wei! We have guests!”
A large group of men in military overcoats swarmed into the courtyard, and the scene gave Qiao Wei a start.
Looking closely, she only recognized Division Commander Pan and Regimental Commander Zhao; there were a few others she recognized, but most were unfamiliar.
Since military ranks had been abolished, everyone wore the same uniform; you couldn’t tell their rank, only their age.
Several older men were walking in the middle.
Division Commander Pan was walking beside a very old man.
Qiao Wei knew this must be a leader, but she didn’t know him, so she went up to greet the one she recognized, “Division Commander, you’re here!”
Division Commander Pan was very kind and approachable, calling out to her, “Qiao Wei, Qiao Wei, come here.”
He introduced her to the older man in the center, “Army Commander, this is Yan Lei’s wife, Qiao Wei.”
“Qiao Wei, come and meet the Army Commander.”
Qiao Wei stepped forward and extended her hand, smiling, “Hello, Commander. I am Qiao Wei. I currently work in the County Party Committee Office, and my direct superior is Secretary Meng.”
After walking all day and meeting so many military families, Qiao Wei was the first one to take the initiative to reach out her hand.
Many other military families, when the Army Commander reached out, were so flustered they had to rub their hands on their aprons before daring to shake the leader’s hand.
The Army Commander reached out and shook her hand, kind and gentle, “I’ve heard of you before—a talented writer among the military families. I’ve read your articles. As a young comrade, your morale is high, very good.”
Being able to get a “very good” from the Army Commander made many people present look at Yan Lei with envy.
Yan Lei remained calm and composed; he was already used to his wife not showing fear in big situations and even bringing him honor.
Qiao Wei invited everyone to sit inside.
It was freezing cold outside, but the heated brick bed inside acted like a radiator, making it very comfortable.
But the Army Commander and everyone else didn’t rush inside; they looked around the courtyard, and finally, their gazes uniformly focused on the outer wall of the house.
The Army Commander asked, “Are there still adobe houses in our resettlement area?”
Division Commander Pan was also visiting Yan Lei’s home for the first time and had the same confusion.
That shouldn’t be; when the ruins were rebuilt, the adobe walls had long since weathered into lumps of dirt, having no value for reconstruction or repair, so everything rebuilt was stone houses.
“It is a stone house,” Qiao Wei explained, “But I have a cold constitution and am afraid of the cold, so I added a layer of yellow mud on the outside to keep the house warm.”
“Besides, the original house had been patched up, and the walls didn’t look good, so applying a layer of mud made it neat and improved its appearance.”
Someone commented, “You could have whitewashed it.”
Ultimately, in many people’s minds, an adobe house was the worst kind of house, signifying poverty and hardship.
They said on their lips that the poorer you were, the more glorious, but they would still fight tooth and nail for red-brick, tiled-roof houses.
Qiao Wei smiled and said, “The rustic look is beautiful enough; there’s no need to whitewash it.”
The Army Commander didn’t say anything, just nodded, but his gaze warmed up significan’tly.
He led everyone into the house.
The room was spotless, the walls clean, with absolutely no traces of children scribbling or smearing.
A portrait of the Great Man hung on the main wall of the living room, and the furniture was the same as in other homes, as it was allocated by the state according to rank.
A Regimental Commander had a desk and a drawer cabinet more than a Battalion Commander.
A Division Commander had even more.
Overall, the layout was the same.
But Qiao Wei’s house had an extra daybed.
When it got cold in autumn, it had been moved from the courtyard into the living room and placed against the wall.
In winter, it was covered with a layer of canvas cloth to make it warmer.
Home-spun cloth cushions rested against the snow-white wall, simple and clean.
On that daybed, a copy of the Selected Works of the Great Man’s Thought was placed casually, with the corner of a bamboo bookmark peeking out from the pages, silently declaring that the owner was studying diligently.
With so many people coming, Qiao Wei and Yan Lei had to bring out all the chairs, long benches, square stools, and small stools in the house just to have enough seats.
Several people were even squeezed onto the daybed.
A cast-iron coal stove was placed in the center of the room, with a kettle sitting on top.
Yan Xiang, following his mother’s instructions, carried a large stack of bowls over from the kitchen.
As soon as he came in, several people quickly stood up and reached out their hands.
Yan Lei smiled, “It’s fine, he can handle it.”
Indeed, the little boy steadily handed the bowls to his father.
There were too many people, and there weren’t enough tea mugs, so they had to use bowls to make do.
Yan Lei lifted the kettle from the cast-iron stove and poured out a golden tea, the aroma of roasted wheat instantly spreading.
Each leader had a bowl in hand, and one sip made their whole body feel warm.
The Army Commander even praised it to Division Commander Pan, “The heat for roasting these wheat grains was just right. It’s at its most fragrant.”
Roasted wheat grains steeped in hot water, or boiled, were common in the North.
This was what would be called barley tea in later generations.
After eating meat, having a cup helped cut through the greasiness.
Coming in from the cold in winter and having a bowl made one feel toasty.
For a moment, the room was filled with the sound of slurping.
Qiao Wei smiled, “Yan Lei roasted this; I can never get the heat right, and it always ends up tasting a bit burnt.”
The Army Commander said, “You are a city person; you must have had a lot of trouble adjusting when you first came to the town, right?”
“Certainly at first,” Qiao Wei said, “But people’s habits are something you cultivate.”
“The children of the working class are the screws of the country; no matter where they go, they should take root.”
“Now I have a big house to live in, I’m not afraid of the wind or rain, the state takes care of my food and clothing, I have a job, and the child has a Kindergarten to look after him.”
“I often think, I must live happily, be happy every day, and then work hard; that is how I can be worthy of the country.”
Indeed, she was someone whose smile made others feel at ease.
The smile came from the depths of her eyes.
The Army Commander liked her very much; he chatted with her and asked about her work.
Qiao Wei was one of the few military family members who could genuinely discuss work and share insights on various aspects with the Army Commander.
The Army Commander’s visit to Qiao Wei’s home was the longest of all the households.
Eventually, they couldn’t just keep sitting; they had to continue to other families.
Everyone stood up, and before leaving, they routinely toured the house.
Every room was very clean, and the kitchen and toilet were especially shockingly clean.
The feeling of the couple working together to live a prosperous and vibrant life was particularly strong.
At this moment, turning back to look at this adobe house, the bright red couplets on the door, the straw sandals and straw hat by the window.
It wasn’t shabby at all; it was both rustic and full of life.
The Army Commander’s eyes suddenly became a bit moist.
“It’s like my home,” he said, “When I left home with the Military Unit, I was only twelve.”
“In my memory, my home was just like this.”
Later, when he went back, that home had already been burned down.
So many years had passed, and he had achieved success and fame, but he hadn’t expected to have his dusty memories stirred up in the home of a Regimental Commander.
Yan Lei also followed the Army Commander and Division Commanders to the next house; after so many people swarmed away, Qiao Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had originally thought that since Yan Lei was following the entourage, the leaders wouldn’t come to their home, so she hadn’t prepared at all.
When Yan Lei returned in the evening, she asked, “Why did you still come to our house?”
Yan Lei said, “It wasn’t originally planned, but Division Commander Pan suddenly asked which courtyard was ours, and the Army Commander said he wanted to come and see you.”
“Oh, I’m flattered.”
“But I didn’t see you being surprised,” Yan Lei smiled, “I only saw you being calm.”
This man was likely about to start his routine of praising his wife, and Qiao Wei’s ears were tired of hearing it, so she interrupted him, “Hurry up and wash your hands, come over and make dumplings!”
“Alright!”
“Mom, I want to make them too.”
“Here, take this piece of dough to play with.”
A hot pot was boiling on the cast-iron coal stove, dough was being rolled and filling was being mixed on the square table, and the child’s chubby hands were kneading the dough—it was a happy and harmonious scene.
Qiao Wei was still worried, “I don’t know what Manman is doing right now; I wonder if they are willing to burn fuel for heat in the countryside.”
“Oh, I don’t know if Battalion Commander Li knows how to take good care of Manman; I hope he doesn’t change his face as soon as he gets home and start bossing her around.”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Yan Lei said, “I’d beat him up.”
The atmosphere on New Year’s Eve was even thicker.
Yan Lei and Qiao Wei’s whole family went to the county; there was a Spring Festival Gala at the County Cultural Palace, and Qiao Wei and Secretary Huang’s seats were in the second row, right behind the leaders—a very good spot.
They greeted each other.
Yan Lei could also see that after the car accident, the way Secretary Huang and Qiao Wei interacted had changed.
They were on the same side now.
Secretary Huang brought his two children out, with each of the couple having one sitting on their lap.
The children couldn’t sit still and were a bit restless.
Yan Xiang was sitting on his mother’s lap and turned his head, “Sit properly, put your hands behind your back.”
The two little ones quieted down and behaved themselves.
Qiao Wei patted Yan Xiang’s little head, “It’s a holiday, not a classroom; you don’t need to put your hands behind your back.”
“Alright,” Yan Xiang said, “Hands don’t need to be behind the back. You are very well-behaved, I’ll reward you with chocolate.”
His mother had told him, give a stick and then a sweet date.
He really fished chocolate out of his pocket.
Chocolate was expensive and hard to buy.
Many children wouldn’t be willing to take it out to share.
Secretary Huang’s child, with chocolate in their mouth, stopped fussing and was incredibly well-behaved.
Secretary Huang’s wife clicked her tongue, “Your child, he’s material for a leader.”
Yan Lei looked serious on the outside, but inside he was beaming.
The internal publication of the Military Unit was printed, reporting on the leaders’ visits and inspections before the New Year.
The Army Commander had a passage: “When this military family member said, ‘The rustic look is beautiful enough; there’s no need to whitewash it,’ I knew this was a simple, pure-hearted female comrade. This city girl has already taken root in the Military Unit, working in unison with her husband, shining and heating up in different positions.”
“The Military Unit needs more female comrades like this; the other half of a soldier should be just like this.”
Yan Lei clipped this article out and pasted it into a special hardcover notebook of his.
All the articles Qiao Wei published in the newspaper were clipped and pasted inside.
Yan Lei often read them repeatedly.
A couple building a harmonious society together.
