At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 19 Denies

The two moved to the next room.

This room was even worse than the previous one; the floor was full of potholes, the paint was peeling off the walls even more badly, and there were cobwebs in the corners.

Bai Rongbei frowned: "This needs to be cleaned up properly."

"Let's do it." Bai Si'an rolled up his sleeves.

The two brothers got busy again.

This time it took even longer.

Bai Rongbei first cleared away the large pieces of trash on the ground, while Bai Si'an found a shovel and scraped off the peeling plaster from the wall.

By the time they finished these basic tasks, the two of them were covered in sweat.

"Brother, this wall needs to be repainted." Bai Si'an looked at the mottled wall. "It's too dirty, and it won't get clean no matter how much you paint it."

Bai Rongbei nodded: "I'll go to the logistics department tomorrow and see if I can get some lime."

"I'll also go to the technical room to see if there are any suitable materials," Bai Si'an said.

The two of them worked for another hour or so, and finally managed to tidy up the room to a decent standard.

Although the walls are still mottled and the ground is still uneven, at least it's clean, without trash or cobwebs, and it looks like a habitable place.

Bai Rongbei straightened up and wiped his sweat: "Alright, that's enough for today."

Bai Si'an was also exhausted; his legs ached from standing for so long, but he didn't complain.

The two packed up their tools, blew out the kerosene lamp, locked the door, and headed back.

The night wind in the Gobi Desert felt cool against my sweat-soaked body.

"Brother," Bai Si'an suddenly spoke up, "what do you think they'll think when they see this tomorrow?"

Bai Rongbei was silent for a moment: "Think whatever you want."

"That's true." Bai Si'an laughed. "Anyway, we'll just deny it."

The two brothers disappeared into the night.

……

The next day, Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan indeed "got up early".

It's half an hour earlier than yesterday.

I checked the time, it was past ten o'clock...

The two rubbed their eyes and got out of bed, still feeling sore all over.

"My back..." Lin Weiwei groaned, "It feels like it's been run over by a truck."

Su Wanwan also stretched her shoulders: "Me too, I can't even lift my arms."

After dawdling over their washing up, the two opened the door to find two more lunchboxes placed there.

"At least you have a conscience." Lin Weiwei picked it up.

When I opened it, it was still shredded potatoes and cornbread, but today there were some pickled vegetable dumplings.

The two ate breakfast inside the house, rested for a while, and then carried their tools to the family compound.

The two encouraged each other along the way.

"We must do our best today!"

"Yes! We can't let ourselves become a laughingstock!"

"We have to prove them wrong!"

"Um!"

When she got to the two houses, Lin Weiwei took out her key and opened the door.

When the door opened, both of them were stunned.

The room is so clean.

There was no dust on the floor, the tables and chairs were sparkling clean, and the windowpanes were so clear you could see your reflection.

Even the spider webs in the corners of the walls have disappeared.

"This..." Lin Weiwei blinked, walked into the room, looked around, and said, "Wanwan, did we clean this thoroughly yesterday?"

Su Wanwan also came in and looked carefully: "I remember the windows weren't this shiny yesterday..."

The two exchanged a glance, then suddenly spoke at the same time:

"The Snail Maiden?!"

Lin Weiwei jumped up excitedly: "It must be! Isn't that how it's written in the books? Kind people secretly come to help at night!"

Su Wanwan couldn't help but laugh, "We're so lucky!"

The two then went to the next room to check, and it was much cleaner there as well.

Although the walls are still patterned and the ground is still full of holes, at least there is no trash or dust, and it looks much better.

"That's great!" Lin Weiwei hugged Su Wanwan. "Today's work was much easier!"

Su Wanwan was also very happy: "Yes! But... we still need to do some work ourselves."

"Of course!" Lin Weiwei released her, hands on her hips. "The fairy godmother helped us, so we have to work hard too! Come on, let's go ask how to fix the wall!"

The two went out excitedly and saw Zhang's wife hanging clothes in front of her house.

"Sister-in-law Zhang!" Lin Weiwei ran over, "I have something to ask you!"

Aunt Zhang turned around, saw them, and frowned: "What's wrong? Can't you do chores again?"

"No, no," Lin Weiwei waved her hand. "We wanted to ask where we can get the materials to paint this wall?"

"Paint the walls?" Aunt Zhang was taken aback. "You want to paint the walls?"

"Hmm!" Su Wanwan walked over and said softly, "The walls of that house are too dirty. We want to paint them white so it will be more comfortable to live in."

Aunt Zhang looked them up and down, her eyes filled with suspicion: "You know how to paint walls?"

"If you don't know how, you can learn," Lin Weiwei said. "Just tell us where to get the materials."

Sister Zhang looked at them for a while before saying, "Go to the logistics department. It's in the row of bungalows behind the regimental headquarters building. Look for Old Zhao. But..."

She paused, then said, "Old Zhao has a strange temper, so be careful."

"Thank you, Sister Zhang!" Lin Weiwei said happily.

The two walked towards the logistics department in the direction pointed out by Sister Zhang.

The logistics department was located behind the regimental headquarters building, in a row of low bungalows. Some miscellaneous items were piled up at the entrance, and several soldiers were moving things around.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan walked to the innermost room, where a sign hung on the door: Supplies Collection Area.

The door was open, and inside sat a man in his fifties, engrossed in writing something in a notebook.

He had gray hair, wore reading glasses, and had deep wrinkles on his face, making him look serious and unsmiling.

"Excuse me..." Su Wanwan gently knocked on the door.

The man looked up and adjusted his glasses: "What is it?"

"We'd like to get some painting materials," Lin Weiwei said.

Old Zhao sized them up: "New family members?"

"Yes." Su Wanwan nodded. "We live in the two rooms at the very back of the family compound."

Old Zhao frowned: "Those two dilapidated houses... paint the walls? Do you even know how to paint?"

"If you don't know how, you can learn," Lin Weiwei said again.

Old Zhao looked at them for a while, then stood up and said, "Come with me."

He led the two to a warehouse next door and pushed open the door.

The room was filled with all sorts of supplies: sacks, wooden crates, and iron barrels, stacked high.

The air was filled with a mixture of lime and mold.

Old Zhao walked to the corner and pointed to several burlap sacks: "Lime, and over there is plaster powder. The brushes are hanging over there."

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan looked at the materials, somewhat bewildered.

"Um..." Su Wanwan asked softly, "How... do we use these?"

Old Zhao glanced at her and sighed, "Lime needs to be soaked in water until it's dissolved before it can be used. Plaster powder is for patching holes in the wall. The brush is for painting the wall."

He put it simply, but the two of them still didn't quite understand.

Old Zhao shook his head, took a brush from the wall, and picked up a small bag of lime: "Take these and try them out first. If you don't know how, find someone who does to teach you."

"Thank you, Comrade Zhao," Su Wanwan quickly said.

Lin Weiwei picked up the bag of lime, and Su Wanwan took the brush. The two thanked Old Zhao again before leaving.

The bag of lime didn't look big, but when you actually picked it up, it was incredibly heavy.

Although Lin Weiwei was strong, her arms started to ache after walking for a short while.

"My God, it's so heavy..." she gasped for breath.

Su Wanwan wanted to help her, but she was holding a brush herself, so it wasn't easy for her either.