bestfiction Chapter 462 19 Military Service in the 60s
Chapter 462 19 Military Service in the 60s
"That's still pretty good." Xie Qingyu chatted casually with Xiao Qin, and seeing that Tuanzi in front of her seemed tired from walking, she called him over to give her a hug.
It's already quite impressive that Tuanzi's short legs have kept up for so long without falling behind. Right now, she's obediently letting Xie Qingyu hold her head and bury it on her shoulder, without saying a word.
Xiao Qin was delighted by his appearance for quite a while.
"You're such a cute child. Do you have any old clothes that he didn't want anymore? Could you give them to me?" Xiao Qin asked. "I don't know how valuable they are, but I'll give you fabric coupons. I won't take them for free."
"We didn't bring much this time, so I really don't know if I brought anything for him. I'll look for it when we get back and give it to you if I find it." Xie Qingyu knew she probably wanted to put it under her pillow.
It's not normal to not have children after a year of marriage, and it's understandable to feel anxious.
"I thought your Deputy Regiment Commander Nie was hard to talk to, always had a cold face. I thought he wasn't married, but who knew he not only has a wife but also children..."
Speaking of this, she seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "Do you know Yu Lingling?"
Seeing Xie Qingyu nod, her expression became somewhat anxious.
"You've seen her before. Did she come to your door? Let me tell you, she's interested in Deputy Regiment Commander Nie. You'd better be careful."
"Why should I be careful? Shouldn't Nie Shenyuan be the one to be careful? He can't possibly have any issues with his conduct, can he?" Xie Qingyu's words sounded rather carefree, which made Xiao Qin a little anxious.
"While the issue of conduct does have some impact, it certainly won't be the main factor in the judgment. Besides, as long as Yu Lingling's father speaks, this little bit of influence is nothing," Xiao Qin reminded her.
"Was she pursuing Nie Shenyuan before?" Xie Qingyu asked.
"Yes, she's been pursuing him for two years."
"You've only been here for a year, haven't you?"
“My family and hers live in the same compound, very close by. She even mocked me when I came back from the countryside before.” Xiao Qin and Yu Lingling obviously didn’t get along, otherwise she wouldn’t have reminded Xie Qingyu of this after only knowing her for two days.
"That should be fine. She didn't succeed before I came. Does that mean she'll succeed after I come?" Xie Qingyu winked at Xiao Qin.
Xiao Qin smiled, infected by her laughter. "That's true. But she really has something wrong with her head. You've come to join the army, and she still goes to see you."
"She came with important business." Xie Qingyu briefly explained their program's recruitment process.
Xiao Qin pouted, "The head of the cultural troupe is her aunt. She can add programs whenever she wants. It's not like there aren't men in the cultural troupe, so why would she look for other people?"
Xie Qingyu raised an eyebrow, unaware that Yu Lingling's family actually possessed some valuable items.
However, judging from Xiaoqin's attitude, the two families should be about the same.
"If she comes again next time, just call me, and I'll laugh at her." Xiao Qin felt comfortable just thinking about that scene.
"Okay," Xie Qingyu replied casually.
After walking a little further, even before we reached our destination, we could already hear the sounds of transactions.
Xiao Qin took the opportunity to tell Xie Qingyu about how to buy things here, that money or tickets were both acceptable.
The women who had come together went into the market and went their separate ways to buy what they needed. Xie Qingyu mainly just needed to buy some vegetables, as she had already bought everything she needed yesterday.
Xiao Qin is similar to her; she mainly exchanges eggs and vegetables.
The two went the same way and didn't haggle much when buying things, so they finished quickly.
When they had bought almost everything, Xie Qingyu started showing Tuanzi some toys.
It's not really for sale; it's just that the old man sitting here makes little grasshoppers out of straw, which look quite interesting.
Xie Qingyu exchanged several for a penny.
Besides food, the market mainly sells homemade items, such as bamboo stools. Xie Qingyu saw that there were quite a few kinds, so she picked out and bought some small items, but she didn't dare to buy too many. She brought Tuanzi with her, and she couldn't carry too many.
Afterwards, she bought some local specialties from a few of her sisters-in-law before heading back.
When they got back, Tuanzi saw that Xie Qingyu was carrying so many things, and refused to let her carry them, insisting on walking by herself.
This gave Xiaoqin a chance to hug him for a while.
Fortunately, although Tuanzi didn't speak, Xie Qingyu was by his side, so he didn't resist being hugged by strangers.
Xie Qingyu arrived home close to noon.
She bought some salted duck eggs today, which would go well with porridge. Not knowing what Nie Shenyuan would bring back for lunch, Xie Qingyu simply took out two to try.
Tuanzi was very fond of the little toy Xie Qingyu bought for him today, and played with it by himself for a long time. Even when Xie Qingyu finished tidying up, he was still watching it.
By the time Xie Qingyu leaned over to take a look, he had already opened one of them.
"This is broken?" Xie Qingyu picked it up to take a look. It seemed to be not very secure, and he had managed to pry it open.
Tuanzi remained silent, as if trying to piece the puzzle back together.
"This might not be very sturdy, Tuanzi, play with something else first," Xie Qingyu said, unable to figure out how to handle it.
However, Tuanzi might not want to give up, and Xie Qingyu certainly wouldn't force him. Seeing that he was focused on doing this, she didn't disturb him and went to do her own thing.
When Nie Shenyuan returned, he saw the mother and son busy with their own things.
Hearing his voice as he returned, the mother and son both looked up at him.
Nie Shenyuan brought back food, but when he put it on the table, he found that Tuanzi hadn't come over and was playing with something in her hand.
"Did you guys make this out today?" Nie Shenyuan asked, looking at the somewhat familiar object in Tuanzi's hand.
"I bought it for him." Xie Qingyu pointed to the pile on the table, "but it seems one of them is broken."
"Let me see." Nie Shenyuan took the little toy from Tuanzi's hand.
“This is the loosened one.” Nie Shenyuan said without stopping his hands, quickly braiding it and then handing it to Tuanzi.
Tuanzi watched Nie Shenyuan's actions with curiosity, and before she could react, the dumpling was already being stuffed into his hand.
He looked at what he was holding, then at Nie Shenyuan's hand, clearly puzzled.
"Let's eat first. If you want to learn, Dad will teach you tonight," Nie Shenyuan said.
Tuanzi was clearly very interested in these hands-on activities, and kept looking at Nie Shenyuan while eating, as if afraid that he would disappear at any moment.
"Your dad has to go to the team after dinner, so he can't stay home. I'll take you to find some of this kind of grass this afternoon, and I'll teach you when he gets back tonight."
Xie Qingyu could easily see through Tuanzi's little scheme.
Tuanzi was a little unhappy to hear this, but she could only eat her food obediently.
When Nie Shenyuan finished eating and left, he watched him go with longing eyes, as if he was extremely reluctant to part with him. This was the first time he had reacted to Nie Shenyuan leaving since they had been here for so long.
"Wait for me to come back tonight." Nie Shenyuan patted his head, thinking that he should give him a name as soon as possible.
Xie Qingyu kept her word and took Tuanzi out after the weather cooled down a bit in the afternoon.
Of course, the first place she went to was the small plot of land allocated to her family, where she could grow some vegetables.
When she arrived there, there were still quite a few people in the vegetable garden.
Xie Qingyu saw several familiar faces, greeted them, and then carefully identified her own land.
“This is the plot of land your family was allocated,” a woman said, pointing to a plot of land about three meters square.
There used to be some vegetables planted on this land, but now they've all been pulled up, leaving only an uneven patch of ground.
"What are you planning to focus on?" someone asked Xie Qingyu.
"I don't know yet, I just wanted to see what I could grow," Xie Qingyu replied with a smile, holding Tuanzi's hand.
"Do you know how to farm? Does the capitalist's daughter even know what farming is?" a woman with a mole on her face suddenly asked from the crowd.
Xie Qingyu looked at her, confirming that she had never seen her before.
Xie Qingyu picked up Tuanzi and looked at her with a stern gaze. "What do you mean? Are you trying to label me? I wonder what evidence you have to prove that I am a capitalist's daughter. Who is your man? He must hold an official position to be here with the army. I want to ask him if he usually makes accusations without distinguishing right from wrong when he is on missions, just like you?"
Xie Qingyu's words silenced everyone present.
"Liu Chunhong, what nonsense are you talking about? Don't assume someone is a capitalist's daughter just because they're pretty," an older-looking woman immediately said.
Then she turned to Xie Qingyu and said, "That's not what she meant. Families who can come with the army must be well-off. It's an old habit of hers. She always thinks that pretty girls are all like daughters of landlords. Don't take it personally, we're used to it."
"Liu Chunhong, is it? If you can't answer today, I'll go ask her. It's easy to spread rumors. I don't know what I did to offend you that you would throw such mud at me." Xie Qingyu stood her ground and wouldn't listen to her explanation at all.
Liu Chunhong is probably someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong.
At first glance, Xie Qingyu's smiling face made her seem easy to bully.
Xie Qingyu's attitude was stern, and she didn't dare to say a word.
Seeing Xie Qingyu's attitude, the others dared not say anything.
Liu Chunhong is usually a bit sarcastic and not very likable, but everyone knows her temper and no one argues with her.
However, Xie Qingyu's situation is different; Liu Chunhong's words today were indeed quite malicious.
At this time, accusing someone of such a thing could land them in jail. It's only in the military that nobody believes such things. If someone like Liu Chunhong were to falsely accuse someone outside, they would be in serious trouble.
"Either you apologize now, or I'll go ask the leadership if it's right or wrong for you to casually slander others like this." Xie Qingyu's expression was cold, but her attitude was firm, showing no weakness even while holding Tuanzi.