Linlin stared at her mother with eager eyes.
Lin Zhilan gently tapped her nose. "You can play for a while today. Ten minutes, and that goes for all of you girls too."
Though it was summer, the stream water was very cold, so Lin Zhilan didn't dare let them play for too long.
With Linlin taking the lead, Su Pei and Su Yao grew much bolder.
Deng Jing and Wang Rou stood together, somewhat awkwardly. Wang Rou was a cold beauty, and Deng Jing happened to be not very good at dealing with strangers either.
Lin Zhilan turned to look at them and, for some reason, could see a strong sense of anticipation written on both their faces.
"Sister-in-law, why don't you go play with the children in the water too?"
Deng Jing shook her head. "I'm already an adult. Let the kids play."
Lin Zhilan pouted. "Who says adults can't play? If I weren't... I'd want to play too."
Deng Jing looked puzzled. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, it's just not convenient." Lin Zhilan pulled them to sit on the rocks by the stream and urged her sister-in-law to take off her shoes and play in the water.
Deng Jing assumed she was on her period, so she didn't press further.
Wang Rou spotted a medicinal herb and pulled Lin Zhilan over to take a look.
Deng Jing sat alone on the rocks by the shore, watching the children feel for stones in the creek, feeling a rare sense of ease and grounding.
On the way back, the children were all a bit reluctant to leave.
Lin Zhilan said, "If you behave, we can come again next time. But if you catch a cold from the water, then you won't be able to come out and play, got it?"
Su Pei and Su Yao obediently put on their shoes.
Linlin looked up at her mother. "Come again tomorrow?"
Lin Zhilan laughed. "Mommy has to go to work tomorrow. You can ask Second Aunt to bring you here, but you need to get her permission first."
"Second Aunt," Linlin ran over and tugged at Deng Jing's pant leg. "You're the best. Can we come play tomorrow?"
The little girl had already figured out that when you need to ask for something, you have to give a compliment first—but she stopped at just one "you're the best" before cutting straight to the chase.
"Mommy..." Su Yao stood on Deng Jing's other side, glanced at her younger sister, and joined in tugging at Deng Jing's pant leg.
Deng Jing and Lin Zhilan exchanged a look and nodded in unison. "Okay."
Su Pei and Su Yao immediately broke into smiles.
Linlin held out her pinky. "Second Aunt, pinky promise."
Deng Jing couldn't help but smile as she linked pinkies with her.
They all started walking home.
Before they even reached the house, they could hear a commotion in the alley.
Soldiers were bustling in and out, moving furniture—cabinets, tables, chairs, benches—into the courtyard next door to Liu Chunhua's place.
To be honest, ever since the family quarters had built the small white apartment buildings, very few military family members were willing to live in the old houses in this area.
Living in a building brought prestige, and the word "prestige" alone outweighed every other condition.
Moreover, many military wives had come from rural villages. To them, living in a building meant they had finally made it as city dwellers.
So whenever they had a choice, everyone tried to squeeze into those small white buildings.
More often than not, face mattered more than substance.
Because of this, the old houses near Lin Zhilan's place—aside from Wang Rou's and Liu Chunhua's—were only occupied by a few families with elderly members or those with leg issues who couldn't manage the stairs.
Unexpectedly, someone was moving in today.
With all the commotion, Lin Zhilan didn't rush to check out the new neighbor and headed straight home.
Su Lang happened to be at home, along with a strange man in the courtyard.
He looked to be in his forties, with an upright posture and a military shirt that had been washed until it was nearly white.
Before Lin Zhilan reached them, Su Lang spotted her and waved her over.
"This is my wife, Lin Zhilan," Su Lang introduced her to the man, then turned to Lin Zhilan. "This is Commander Han, who just transferred in. He was with a brother unit before and is here to take over my post."
"Hello, Commander Han."
"Hello, Comrade Lin."
Lin Zhilan could tell that Commander Han was a man of few words, not one given to lighthearted banter.
Just as they were talking, a woman walked over from next door, followed by two children—a boy and a girl.
When she saw Lin Zhilan, she froze and stood still, not daring to move.
Having stayed in the village all their lives, they had never seen someone so beautiful.
Lin Zhilan wasn't sure how to address her, so she looked at Commander Han.
"This is my wife, Wang Xiuzhi, and my eldest son, Liang Ping, and daughter, Han Mei."
Three different surnames in one family, but Lin Zhilan suppressed her curiosity and smiled as she greeted Wang Xiuzhi. "Hello, Sister. I'm Lin Zhilan—just call me Xiao Lin."
Wang Xiuzhi looked even older than her husband. Her face was dotted with sunspots, a clear sign she had spent a lot of time working in the fields.
She fidgeted nervously, rubbing the hem of her clothes. "Hello. These are my two children. The older one is thirteen, and the younger one is nine."
Lin Zhilan smiled. "We have two kids too. They're out buying popsicles with their Second Aunt at the supply co-op. I'll introduce them to you later."
At the mention of "popsicles," both children behind Wang Xiuzhi instinctively swallowed.
Wang Xiuzhi looked at Commander Han and said quietly, "We don't have any firewood at home."
"I have some," Lin Zhilan said. "Since you've just arrived, take some from my place for now. Tell me if you need anything else."
Wang Xiuzhi hesitated and looked at Commander Han.
Commander Han nodded. "Take some for now. I'll take Liang Ping up the mountain to gather firewood later and return it to Comrade Lin."
Since they had just moved in and still had to clean and organize the house, they soon went back.
Lin Zhilan went inside, poured herself a cup of tea, and asked Su Lang, "What's the deal with Commander Han?"
"He joined the army back in '76—one of the veterans. He received a second-class merit during the island liberation campaign. Originally, he was the deputy commander of a naval coast artillery regiment. Now he's been transferred to my old post as commander."
Lin Zhilan shook her head in exasperation. "That's not what I meant... I just got the feeling that his wife is a little afraid of him."
Su Lang hadn't pried into their family dynamics, but he had read Commander Han's file.
"Commander Han comes from a poor family. If he hadn't joined the army, he wouldn't have had anything to eat. His mother was afraid he would die on the battlefield, so she forced him to take a wife, one who was raised in the household from childhood."
Lin Zhilan's mouth twitched. "A child bride?"
Su Lang nodded silently.
Lin Zhilan frowned. "I have this feeling that Sister looks older than Commander Han?"
Su Lang shook his head and smiled. "That, I wouldn't know."
But soon, Lin Zhilan found out why.
Wang Xiuzhi was incredibly hardworking.
It was the hottest time on the island, when the sun was so scorching it could peel layers off your skin.
Even the soldiers training didn't stay outside at noon.
But Wang Xiuzhi had already turned over the soil in the courtyard with her two children and planted vegetables.
On top of that, military wives without jobs could each apply for two plots of land.
Wang Xiuzhi didn't waste a single day. As soon as the two plots were assigned, she took the children and hoed all the soil.
And in the evening, she still went up the mountain to gather firewood, bringing back what she owed Lin Zhilan.
Seeing that Wang Xiuzhi had grown even darker and thinner since arriving, Lin Zhilan couldn't help but advise her, "Sister, you and the kids should take it easy while working. Rest a bit between tasks. Don't wear yourselves out."
