novelaction Chapter 450 7 Military Service in the 60s
Chapter 450 7 Military Service in the 60s
Tuanzi hadn't rested well on the train, so now that he was in Xie Qingyu's arms, he fell into a deep sleep and didn't even wake up when Xie Qingyu carried him off the train.
The car stopped at the gate, and soldiers came over to inspect it.
After Xie Qingyu came down, she showed them the letter of introduction and waited for them to check it before going in.
The direction the car was going was not the same as the direction Xie Qingyu was going. After the baby-faced soldier came in, he found another soldier to help him get on the car and deliver the goods, while he carried Xie Qingyu's suitcase and took her to register.
Family members who come to accompany the military personnel must first register before they can receive the keys.
Nie Shenyuan went on a mission, and before he left, he specifically instructed someone to remember to take them with him.
There were two soldiers at the registration desk over there. They greeted the baby-faced man as he brought Xie Qingyu over.
"Stone, what's this? Are your family members here to see you?"
"What are you thinking? This is Deputy Regiment Commander Nie's wife and child, who came to accompany him on his military mission. Deputy Regiment Commander Nie should have already applied for permission, right?" Shi Tou said.
It's quite unexpected that someone with such a baby face would be named Stone.
"Oh, it's you, sister-in-law! Hello, sister-in-law! Thank you for your hard work. Welcome to join the army!" The two said, saluting Xie Qingyu.
The environment here is harsh, and it's not easy for people to leave their homes and come to join the army.
"Sister-in-law, you're here to register. We need your name, household registration number, age..." the soldier in charge of registration explained to Xie Qingyu, then looked up and saw Xie Qingyu holding the child.
"Or you could tell me to write it? Or I could hold this child."
"I told you to write it down," Xie Qingyu said gently, listing out all the information that needed to be registered.
“Deputy Regiment Commander Nie just submitted his application to accompany the troops. They were in a bit of a rush. By the time they approved it, he had already left, so he didn’t have time to choose a house. Sister-in-law, do you want to live there? Do we have any newly built family housing buildings here? A lot of people have already moved in. Several of the old bungalows are also empty. Where would you like to live?” The young soldier asked, pointing to the drawing on the paper.
The blueprint is quite clearly marked, allowing one to see the layout of the house.
Without thinking, Xie Qingyu looked at the empty houses with courtyards.
Nowadays, apartment buildings typically have one shared kitchen and one shared toilet per floor, and the rooms are not very large, making them uncomfortable to live in. However, for most people, living in an apartment building is still a relatively novel experience.
Moreover, the doors on each floor face each other, so there's practically no privacy to speak of.
Naturally, you should choose one with a yard.
There weren't many empty spaces with courtyards; there were only three, one in the very center and two on the sides.
Xie Qingyu didn't know what kind of person Nie Shenyuan was in the army, or whether he was the kind of person who would scheme and climb the ranks.
However, if she were to choose, it would still be from her own perspective.
She pointed to the courtyard in the back corner to the south, "Is this okay?"
"Of course you can. Do you want a bungalow?" the young soldier asked, still a little confused.
Xie Qingyu nodded, confirming her choice.
"Okay, I'll find you the keys, and some furniture to help you settle in here. I'll have someone deliver it to your sister-in-law later." The soldier picked out two keys from a pile and handed them to Xie Qingyu, then told Shi Tou the location of the house.
Then they were allowed to pass.
They came back through the back gate, not through the soldiers' training area, but Xie Qingyu could hear them shouting slogans from here, though she didn't know if it was closer to there.
When they reached the family quarters, the sound gradually faded away.
There were clearly many military dependents here. Some of their courtyard gates were open, and some curious people came out when they saw Shi Tou walking ahead carrying things.
"Stone, whose is this?" A woman came out and asked as we walked in the middle.
The man in front of the stone smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Lu, this is Deputy Regiment Commander Nie's wife. She's also here to join the army."
"Sister-in-law, this is Instructor Lu's wife, and also the women's director of our military region."
"Hello, Sister-in-law Lu, my name is Xie Qingyu." Xie Qingyu was holding Tuanzi and it was inconvenient for her to greet her, but she smiled and nodded at her.
"So this is Deputy Regiment Commander Nie's family. You've come to the right place to stay with the army. Where are you staying? You just arrived and brought your child with you. I guess you don't have anything at home. I'll get you a basin later so you can tidy up your place."
“The house in the southwest corner,” Stone answered for Xie Qingyu.
"Okay, then you can go ahead first." Sister Lu moved quickly and seemed very friendly.
“Sister-in-law Lu is very helpful and capable. If you need any assistance while staying here, you can ask her. She has been with the military for ten years and knows this area very well,” Shi Tou instructed Xie Qingyu.
"Okay." Xie Qingyu nodded in agreement.
Once they reached the courtyard, Shi Tou took the key and opened the door.
The houses here must have been inhabited before; there are traces of plants growing in the yard, but nothing is left now.
The bungalows here are similar to those in the countryside, only they are built more neatly, with two main rooms, a hall, and a kitchen.
The house was very clean. The previous family must have taken everything with them when they left. There was only a bed and a table, nothing else. It was empty.
Shi Tou put the things down and reached out to touch the table, which was covered with a layer of dust.
"Sister-in-law, let me tidy up the house first, so they can put their things here when they bring them over." Shi Tou went out briskly, borrowed a broom from someone, and started cleaning.
Xie Qingyu was still holding Tuanzi in her arms and couldn't help.
Fortunately, Tuanzi had slept for quite a long time and woke up not long after.
When he woke up, Sister-in-law Lu happened to come over. When she saw the little dumpling in Xie Qingyu's arms looking up, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "This child is so beautiful."
"So well-behaved, not making a fuss even after waking up." Aunt Lu went up and touched Tuanzi's face.
"No morning grumpiness." Xie Qingyu smiled at her, then patted Tuanzi. "Are you awake? We're home. Do you want to come down and get something to eat?"
Since Tuanzi didn't say anything, that meant she agreed.
Xie Qingyu put him down and gave him a piece of candy.
Tuanzi looked around curiously, but perhaps because Sister-in-law Lu was a bit unfamiliar to him, he didn't move around much while standing next to Xie Qingyu.
"Stone, go fetch some water first, I'll wipe this bed down." Sister Lu called to Stone to go outside and fetch water.
"Okay." Shi Tou worked efficiently, and the house was already clean.
Now that Tuanzi is in the field, Xie Qingyu can also do some work.
Taking the rag from Sister-in-law Lu, Xie Qingyu looked at it and realized that the only places to wipe were the bed, the table, and the window.
"Young lady, I remember you and Deputy Regiment Commander Nie have been married for three or four years. How old is your child?"
"He's over two years old."
"It just so happens that they're coming to accompany you to the military at this time. Your family's rank was just high enough, so we brought them over." Sister-in-law Lu didn't know the inside story and thought that Nie Shenyuan had brought his wife over a few months after his promotion.
Xie Qingyu didn't expose her, she just smiled.
"It's just that he submitted this report a bit late and didn't make any arrangements. They're on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow, so they haven't made any arrangements for you yet. I'll have Shitou go to their dormitory later to get your man's bedding back, so at least he can sleep tonight," said Sister-in-law Lu, glancing at the empty bed.
"Thank you so much for arranging this for me, sister-in-law." Xie Qingyu was very grateful.
"No need for thanks, we're all here to support the army. It's not easy being a soldier. This place is in the mountains, it's hard to even buy something. We all have to look out for each other," said Sister Lu.
As they were talking, Stone returned.
"I'll do it." Xie Qingyu hurriedly stepped forward, took the basin, and placed it on the table.
Sister-in-law Lu glanced at Xie Qingyu's movements and smiled. She was clearly not very skilled at the work, but at least she was quite diligent.
"Stone, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip and bring back Vice Captain Nie's bedding from the dormitory so they can use it today."
"Okay, sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll pack up everything for Deputy Commander Nie and bring it back later." Shi Tou agreed quickly.
With Sister-in-law Lu's help, the house was quickly tidied up.
The family registration office staff who were delivering things also came over.
They delivered quite a lot of things, including chairs, washstands, enamel basins, soap, and even a coal stove.
"So many?" Xie Qingyu asked, somewhat puzzled.
These things are hard to buy even with tickets outside, so how come they can be delivered directly here?
"It's alright, every household that comes with the military receives this. It's a way of taking care of the families. It's not easy to go out and buy things here. If you want to go out, you have to apply to take the supply truck that runs every two weeks. We've provided you with extra supplies so you can get by for now." As she explained, Sister Lu had people bring the items in and asked Xie Qingyu to confirm where they were placed.
After this trip, the once empty room suddenly became much more spacious and lively.
There were many people coming, so Tuanzi got a little nervous and tugged at Xie Qingyu's clothes.
Xie Qingyu reached out and picked him up.
The people who came to deliver the gifts had already seen Tuanzi, and now that Xie Qingyu has picked him up, they can see him even more clearly.
Some of the younger soldiers made faces at Tuanzi, trying to make him laugh, but unfortunately they didn't succeed.
After they all left, they started discussing, "Captain Nie's wife is really beautiful, and his son is good-looking too."
"His son is just like him, even his lack of smiles is the same. How come this face is so cute on a child, but on Deputy Commander Nie..."
Just hearing about it sent chills down their spines.
Although they weren't Deputy Regiment Commander Nie's soldiers, they had all been tortured by him during the intensive training; the experience was truly...
Nie Shenyuan was unaware that his wife and child had already arrived at the military region. He was only concerned about the family visiting, and once he finished his mission there, he began his journey back. If things went smoothly, he should be back at the military region by midnight.