Lu Zhanguo didn't come back at noon. Gu Xiaobei looked around the house to find there weren't many vegetables. The vegetables they used to have were shamelessly requisitioned from the kitchen corps. Now she couldn't do such a shameless thing. She rummaged through the old clothes left by the original owner, sighing at how outdated they were, wondering how to wear them.
Being clumsy herself, she had no idea how to tailor. Even if she wanted to, she didn't know where to start. She selected a few that seemed less old-fashioned, folded the rest and stuffed them into the bottom of the cabinet. There was a bright red scarf, which was trendy during that era, tied around the neck with a large flower in front or used to make a large flower on a braid. The thought of it sent chills down Gu Xiaobei's spine. She hurriedly shoved the scarf deep into the cabinet.
After a while of tidying up, she found some loose change among the leftover belongings, amounting to over a hundred yuan. Gu Xiaobei knew that in this era, this was a pretty respectable amount of money. Moreover, there were no hundred-yuan bills at that time, the largest denomination was only ten yuan. These notes were larger than the newer version of RMB, people loved to call them "Big Unity".
Gu Xiaobei felt slightly excited, thinking that maybe she could use this money to start a small business.
After all the hubbub, she felt a bit tired, went straight to bed and slept soundly, planning to figure out a way to earn money when she woke up.
When Gu Xiaobei woke up, it was already getting dark, and the room felt chilly. Why was it still so cold even with the stove lit? She scrambled up and went to the outer room only to find that the fire in the stove had gone out. She sighed, how could she have forgotten that the coal needed to be changed periodically?
Gu Xiaobei decided to light the fire herself. She looked around and found some matches and scrap newspapers, took out the extinguished briquettes, lit the newspaper, and as the newspaper caught fire, she put new briquettes on top. However, the evidently flaming newspaper suddenly started spewing black smoke.
Gu Xiaobei opened the stove door and blew hard, but the thick smoke made her cough violently. She remembered this was the way to light a fire in wilderness survival shows, right? Bewildered, Gu Xiaobei scratched her face, thinking that she needed to find more newspapers or cardboard to start the fire...
After a day of training, Lu Zhanguo showered in the barracks and then caught a few deputy officers to develop a new training plan. The squadron counselor, Guo Huaqiang, questioned, "There are quite a few new recruits among us, while their individual combat abilities are strong, we are a special forces unit after all. Ramping up the intensity this much, isn't it kind of harsh?"
Deputy squadron leader Zhang Lijun expressed a different opinion, "I don't have a problem with the increased intensity, it's just that the weather has been bad recently, and many soldiers have reported that this year's fur coats are not wind-resistant."
Lu Zhanguo raised an eyebrow, "Aren't all the fur coats the same? Why aren't they warm this year? Don't make excuses!"
Company commander Wang Xiaodong also commented, "This year's fur coats are indeed not as good as in previous years. I got a new one this year, and I accidentally cut an opening the other day. It's not even filled with wool."
A shadow crossed Lu Zhanguo's eyes. Fur coats were rationed every year, especially in the chilly Northwest, they were filled with processed wool and cashmere. If not, someone must be eyeing the military supplies. He said sternly after a moment, "Do not spread this, if someone really is targeting military supplies, we must not alert them."
Everyone looked serious, and the training meeting turned into a discussion about the misappropriation of supplies.
When the meeting ended, it was already dusk. Zhang Lijun caught up with Lu Zhanguo and offered him a cigarette, "Come to my place for dumplings tonight, my mother-in-law is coming over, we can enjoy a better meal. I'll invite your wife over too."
Lu Zhanguo replied with a bitter smile and shook his head, "No, you know how Xiaobei is. It would only end up spoiling everyone's mood."
Zhang Lijun didn't know what to say to comfort him, so he simply said, "You have a child now, things will get better over time."
As Lu Zhanguo walked up the stairs, he noticed smoke seeping out from under his door. With a sense of alarm, he rushed in to find the room full of smoke. He saw Gu Xiaobei squatting by the furnace, her hair casually bun, strands of hair hanging on her face. Her fair face was soot-streaked, like a little kitten. Her eyes were red from the smoke, yet she looked at him pitifully. His heart softened, and he could not help but smile.
Seeing Lu Zhanguo's return, Gu Xiaobei became incredibly aggrieved. She let out a howl, ran into Lu Zhanguo's arms, hugged his robust waist and whimpered, "Lu Zhanguo, why did you come back so late? I was nearly choked to death."
Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Lu Zhanguo stiffened. He wasn't used to Gu Xiaobei's enthusiastic hugging. He felt a strange sensation in his heart. He looked down at Gu Xiaobei, whose eyes were welling with tears, and instinctively wiped a tear from her face. The smooth skin under his finger made him hesitant to pull away, and he did not pull away.
The soft rubbing from Lu Zhanguo's calloused fingers against Gu Xiaobei's tender skin made her feel a ticklish numbness. She blushed and forgot about crying.
Lu Zhanguo was the first to snap out of it, "The fire's out. You could've borrowed some fire from next door. It's not going to light like this."
Gu Xiaobei wryly smiled in her mind. She'd been trying to light the fire for so long, causing such a scene that all the neighbours should've noticed by now. Yet nobody came to see, which goes to show how unpopular she was. Why would she ask anyone for a favor? However, on the surface, she chuckled sheepishly, "I thought I could light it with just a newspaper."
Lu Zhanguo pushed Gu Xiaobei away, went to open the window to let the smoke out, then set about tending to the stoves fire.
Without any embarrassment, Gu Xiaobei scratched her head and asked, "What are we having for dinner tonight? We have no vegetables at home, and I don't know where to buy some."
Lu Zhanguo replied without raising his head, "Did you not eat lunch either? Why didn't you go and ask for some vegetables from the kitchen corps?"
Every time Gu Xiaobei asked for vegetables, Lu Zhanguo would secretly pay for them later. He didn't expect that today Gu Xiaobei would rather go hungry than ask for vegetables. She truly wasn't the same as before.
As Lu Zhanguo fiddled with the stove, he said, "I'll get the flames going, then go to the kitchen to buy some vegetables. Tomorrow, I'll take you out to buy some groceries." Hearing that he would take her to shop for groceries, Gu Xiaobei nodded vigorously, thinking that it was a great idea.
When Lu Zhanguo came back with a burning piece of wood and got the fire going, most of the smoke in the room had cleared. He closed the window, turned around and softened at the sight of the sooty-faced Gu Xiaobei looking like a little kitten. He spoke gently, "Why don't you wash your face first?"
Gu Xiaobei was taken aback. "Huh?" It took her a moment to realise how dirty her face was. She let out a gasp and hurriedly rushed to wash her face, missing Lu Zhanguo's smirk.