Chapter 18 Military Marriage 7
This stuff was really expensive; one jin cost eleven yuan and fifty cents. Five jin of yarn cost her nearly sixty yuan. However, you couldn't blame them for the high price, as this material could be reused repeatedly. If you didn't like the knitted style or the clothes became too small, you could always unravel them and knit something new.
In this era, there weren't many entertainment options, so Ning Yan treated knitting as a pastime.
Additionally, she bought Comrade Xiao Nian a coat and shoes. She didn't neglect herself either, buying the best-looking clothes available on the market.
The Xiao family was wealthy. Although the two of them didn't hold a wedding in the capital, all their family members sent money: two thousand from his parents, five hundred from each of his siblings, and the old man was the most generous, giving ten thousand.
Xiao Nian's savings account still had over four thousand yuan, plus the two thousand yuan recovered from Zhou Hongjun. Ning Yan wondered, if she was so rich, why not spend the money?
As five jin of yarn were transformed into beautiful sweaters and pants by Ning Yan, the novice, the man still hadn't returned.
Ning Yan truly started to worry. She wanted to go to the Political Commissar's house to inquire about news, but she was afraid of violating some discipline and holding Xiao Nian back. She could only suppress her worry and continue her daily life as usual.
It's said that optimistic people always have good fortune. Since she was so optimistic, her fortune must be good. Heaven wouldn't let her become a widow prematurely.
Time flew by, and it was already the twelfth lunar month.
Next door, Bai Moli often went home to scrounge for things. Because she and Zhou Hongjun were already married, Bai Tuanzhang no longer chased her with a feather duster, but she still heard plenty of scolding.
Zhou Hongjun would occasionally come to pick her up. That day, Ning Yan happened to be returning from the mess hall with food. She was wearing a red scarf, the latest style of overcoat, and newly bought black leather shoes. They happened to meet outside the courtyard, and she clearly saw the jealousy in Bai Moli's eyes.
Because Zhou Hongjun looked at her for a few extra seconds, Bai Moli gave his waist a 'spiral eighteen twist'.
Ning Yan really couldn't bear to watch.
On this day, Ning Yan was called by Sister Zhou to go to the countryside to "exchange" supplies.
Things were strictly managed on their side, but there would still be a market at the end of the year to facilitate the exchange of goods for the common people to celebrate the New Year.
Ning Yan and Sister Zhou bought things like crazy at the market. Ning Yan alone bought over twenty jin of pork, five jin of lamb, vermicelli, frozen tofu, bean sheets, and also cabbage, radishes, potatoes... Anything edible sold at the market, she wouldn't let it go if she saw it.
Upon returning home, as soon as she entered the courtyard, she smelled the aroma of cooked food.
She was immediately overjoyed, knowing that her man had returned.
Xiao Nian had indeed returned today. The mission was perfectly completed, and after reporting to his superior, he came home. However, his wife wasn't there. After asking a neighbor, he found out she had gone to the market. He immediately started preparing lunch so that his wife wouldn't be hungry when she returned.
He also washed himself from head to toe.
Hearing the movement outside the door, Xiao Nian immediately came out to greet her, only to see his wife pushing a bicycle, with things hanging all over it. He quickly went to help carry the items. After all the food was put away, the couple entered the east room.
"Are you hurt?"
Xiao Nian smiled and said, "No, I'm fine."
After speaking, he turned to fetch water, then poured some hot water into the basin. When he felt the temperature was about right, he gestured for Ning Yan to wash her face.
Ning Yan quickly washed up, "You haven't been waiting for me and starving, have you?"
This man was a bit of a love-struck fool; he became silly whenever it concerned her.
"Political Commissar said you went to the market with Sister Zhou and them, so I didn't wait for you. I just prepared dinner in advance," he said, handing her a towel. After his wife used it, he took it back and handed her a clean white towel.
While Ning Yan was wiping her face, he embraced her.
Ning Yan chuckled exasperatedly. This man was so clingy, but she didn't dislike it.
"It's broad daylight, behave yourself. You just got back; someone will probably come to visit."
Xiao Nian's hand was already inside Ning Yan's clothes. They had been separated for over two months right after marriage; who could endure that?
"I just locked the door. Which idiot would knock hard on our locked door? Good wife..."
His hand circled his wife's lower abdomen. He had been away from home for over two months, and he hadn't expected his wife to gain weight. Look, her little belly was showing.
However, with lust clouding his mind, he couldn't think about that and half-coaxed, half-tricked her back to bed.
But in the end, his wife was a bit uncooperative.
Lying on her stomach wouldn't work, she kicked him; lying on top wouldn't work, she scratched him. She wasn't willing to put in effort either, not even riding him, so they could only do it sideways.
She clearly doted on him too, but today she was just not right.
Half an hour later, Xiao Nian got out of bed to bring hot water for them to wipe themselves down.
This time, he truly realized something was amiss.
"Wife, what's going on with your stomach?"
Ning Yan took Xiao Nian's hand and placed it on her belly, "Silly, what else could it be? I'm pregnant. There's your child here."
Xiao Nian's hand trembled as if it had been burned, then he broke into a wide grin. If his subordinates saw him, they would probably die laughing.
After he had laughed enough, the fellow felt a bit scared, "Then, just now, will it hurt the child?"
Ning Yan raised her hand and slapped his arm, "Don't you think it's too late to remember now? Don't worry, it's fine. It's already over three months. As long as it's not too intense, it'll be fine."
Xiao Nian breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good."
He wouldn't dare to mess around again in the future. He hadn't expected his wife to get pregnant so quickly; he had still wanted a few years of just the two of them.
But it was good that the child came. His grandfather had been urging him to have a child, saying he would help raise it. Raising it wouldn't be necessary; his grandfather just needed to provide the money.
Hehe, he'd fleece his grandfather for more and spend it all on his wife.
Early the next morning, Xiao Nian, wearing the beautiful and well-fitting new sweater and pants knitted by his wife, went out. First, he called home to inform them about his wife's pregnancy. They surely knew what to do next, right?
Second, he found a few teammates and planned to go hunting in the mountains together.
In previous years, the team would also go hunting in the mountains. Sometimes, if they were lucky, they could hunt big game.
He had three days off after completing this mission. With his wife pregnant, he needed to get some game to nourish her body.
Six people, including Qu Muyang, went up the mountain. They returned the next afternoon, bringing back a sika deer, two roe deer, and several pheasants and rabbits.
His family's situation was special. Besides his allotted share, he also bought half a deer from two other people, so he could take home half a deer, half a roe deer, and two pheasants and two rabbits.
When Xiao Nian brought the game home, Bai Moli, who was returning to her home next door, saw it and immediately told Zhou Hongjun.
Zhou Hongjun had been sulking because he couldn't participate in the last mission. He had even asked the deputy team leader about it, and the deputy leader's answer was that this mission was of great importance, so the candidates were selected after multi-faceted consideration.
Zhou Hongjun automatically interpreted this as his overall quality being inferior to Xiao Nian's. If they couldn't compare missions, then they would compare hunting!
He wanted to show everyone in the team that he, Zhou Hongjun, was second to none!
When Ning Yan heard the news, she muttered to her man, "In this day and age, people compare everything. But with his character, I hope he doesn't run into a pack of wild boars!"
Still hunting? Don't let the prey hunt him!
As it turned out, her words became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The special forces also had holidays, a total of eight days before and after the New Year. Everyone started taking turns off on the 24th.
Zhou Hongjun chose to take leave before the New Year. He called five comrades and entered the mountains on the 26th, planning to stay for two days and then return.
However, on the evening of the 27th, a special forces member who had gone into the mountains with them ran back, disheveled, to report the news.
They had encountered a pack of wolves in the deep mountains and scattered while fleeing. The others later regrouped, but Zhou Hongjun was missing. They went back to look for him and found wild boar hoof prints on the hillside, along with traces of something rolling down the slope. After that, they couldn't find him.
Bai Moli wailed, begging her father to send troops to the mountains to search for him. Xiao Nian, as the leader of several special forces soldiers, naturally went too.
Ning Yan's heart had been racing ever since she heard there were wolves in the mountains. Xiao Nian didn't return until close to dawn.
Ning Yan sat up when she heard the commotion.
"Silly wife, I told you not to wait for me. With so many of us, how could anything happen?"
Ning Yan touched his cold hands, "No, I fell asleep while waiting, and the light stayed on. I suddenly woke up half an hour ago, and it's almost dawn anyway, so I just didn't go back to sleep.
I'll go pour you some hot water."
Xiao Nian quickly pressed her back down and kissed her face, "I'll pour it myself. I'll also start the porridge. You stay put, don't get cold."
It was so cold outside. Even with his strong constitution, he was quite chilled after being out all night.
His delicate wife would surely freeze.
Soon, the porridge was on the boil. Because of their northern location, half the room was a bed and half was a heated brick bed. With fire added to the stove, the heated brick bed warmed up.
After arranging the firewood, Xiao Nian entered the room, "Guess what happened to Zhou Hongjun?"
"Was he rescued? Did he break an arm or a leg?"
"He's dead."
Ning Yan exclaimed in surprise, "What? He's really dead?"
"He was quite unlucky. According to the traces, he encountered a pack of wolves and then wild boars after fleeing, and accidentally rolled down a hillside. He should have still been alive when he rolled down, but a wolf found him, and he was bitten to death."
When they found him, there wasn't much left of Zhou Hongjun's body. They only recognized him from his tattered military uniform. Anyway, it was quite gruesome.
But he couldn't tell his wife that; he couldn't scare her.
"Bai Moli followed them up the mountain to search for him. When she saw that scene, she fainted on the spot. A hospital check-up revealed she was also pregnant, only one month along."
The two of them had only been married for just over a month.
But none of that concerned her. Ning Yan simply listened and let it pass.
Zhou's mother, upon learning her son had been killed by wolves, immediately rushed to the military hospital. Seeing Bai Moli, she began to curse, "You jinx, you hussy! You had a man but still seduced my son.
As a result, just over a month after getting married, my son lost his life! You're a black widow, a man-killer!
Why don't you die, you hussy? I wish I could eat your flesh and drink your blood!"
Bai Moli was already very weak from the shock causing a threatened miscarriage. Being cursed by Zhou's mother, and recalling her experiences in her previous life, she also began to doubt herself. Could she really be a jinx? It seemed that everyone she had married in her past life had indeed died!
"No, I'm not a jinx! I've been reborn, who could have my luck? I should be the Child of Fortune!"
Zhou's mother thought she was crazy and went up to hit her. Bai Moli was pinned to the bed and beaten. Her face, arms, and stomach were all targeted, and the screams in the ward never stopped.
The commotion they caused was simply too great. In the end, it was the medical staff who rushed over and restrained Zhou's mother.
"My, my stomach hurts..."
Zhou's mother was still struggling, "Little slut, why don't you just die from the pain? My son is dead, you should go be buried with him! Ahhh, the Zhou family is without an heir! I must kill you, you can die a hundred times and it won't quell the hatred in my heart!"
The head nurse said, "Stop it! There's still your son's child in her belly! If this child is really gone, then your family will truly be without an heir!"
No matter how much Zhou's mother hated Bai Moli, when it came to the Zhou family's descendant, she finally quieted down. But it was too late!
Bai Moli's child couldn't be saved and was miscarried.
Zhou's mother made another fuss, even wanting to cause trouble at the military base. Bai Tuanzhang was also afraid of her and finally gave her a sum of money to send her away.
Zhou's mother took her son's ashes back to her hometown. As soon as she reached the train station, she was hit by a car. The urn she was carrying shattered, and the ashes scattered everywhere. Zhou's mother was so stimulated that she went insane on the spot. From then on, no one ever saw her again.
As for Bai Moli, because she kept claiming to be the female lead and talking about how her future would unfold, she was directly taken away for investigation by the higher-ups.
Others didn't know what was found, but it couldn't be hidden from Xiao Nian. "She said she was reborn, and she also mentioned a few future events. Unfortunately, she knew too little. What she remembered most clearly was that the mission Qu Muyang was supposed to participate in had a traitor. The person has now been arrested, so she can be considered to have made a small contribution."
She's still being held. It'll be a long wait before she's released.
In a blink of an eye, it was June. Ning Yan safely gave birth to a pair of twin daughters. The two children inherited their parents' high Appearance, and it was clear they would grow up to be absolute beauties.
His mother personally came to attend to her during her confinement, and also brought a "cousin" to help care for the two children.
After the full month, his mother reluctantly returned to the capital.
The cousin stayed until the news of the national college entrance examination resuming arrived, and Ning Yan signed up.
After Ning Yan got into Peking University, she took the children back to the capital. Xiao Nian, this doting husband, found ways to study at the military academy. After graduating from the military academy, his work was also transferred to the Beijing Military Region.
Ning Yan, on the other hand, used her savings to contract a food factory.
Things like ham sausage, pickled pepper chicken feet, braised eggs, and instant noodles were all popular products of the Ning food factory. She became a hands-off boss, only going to check the accounts once a month and then not bothering with anything else.
Her entire family was also brought to the capital by her. Some went to work in the factory, others started businesses, and the family's life got better and better.
By the early 1990s, Xiao Nian had achieved remarkable merits through multiple commendations.
But no matter how high a position he reached, Xiao Nian's doting on Ning Yan remained as it was in the beginning. He was a doting husband his entire life.
When Bai Moli was released, the world outside had become unrecognizable to her.
In her previous life, her father had retired from the position of division commander, but in this life, due to her, he was never promoted and retired early, also moving out of the military compound. The couple lived in a three-room apartment, leading a life that was neither good nor bad.
Her younger sister had long been married and was neither warm nor cold towards her.
What hurt her the most was learning from people around her that Qu Muyang, whom she had believed would die young in this life, was transferred to the 23rd Regiment due to a reminder from Ning Yan, thus escaping an early death. He also had a happy marriage with a son and a daughter.
Unable to bear the blow, she directly jumped from the rooftop and committed suicide. She felt that everything that happened in this life was a dream, and if she died once more, she could start over again.
Then, she died forever.
