Chapter 21: A Brand-New Debut

Wei Aoshuang had not seen Xie Jinyu when she delivered the dumplings last time. In her eyes, Ye Changzheng had married a country girl from the village, one who had only managed to marry him by exploiting the fact that she had saved his grandmother. Consequently, she had preconceived notions that Xie Jinyu was nothing more than a rustic, unsophisticated country bumpkin. Naturally, it never occurred to her that the fresh-faced, elegant, and charming woman standing before her was actually Ye Changzheng’s new bride.

"Shuang'er, is that any way to speak to your sister-in-law?"

Wei Aoshuang, eighteen years old, was a delicate flower raised in the palm of her parents' hands. "Sister-in-law? Where would I get a sister-in-law from?"

Auntie Wei folded the polka-dot dress and gently placed it into Xie Jinyu’s hands, introducing them: "Shuang'er, this is Xie Jinyu, Ye Changzheng’s wife."

"What?" Wei Aoshuang stared at Xie Jinyu in disbelief. She was that country girl?

Earlier that morning, to make farm work easier, Xie Jinyu had braided her long, jet-black hair. Once the new dress was finished, Auntie Wei had asked her to try it on. Xie Jinyu put on the dress and unbraided her hair. Her naturally wavy tresses cascaded down like a thick mass of seaweed. With her arched brows, large eyes, red lips, and dark hair, she radiated a vibrant vitality. Watching Xie Jinyu standing there so gracefully, a wave of uncontrollable jealousy washed over Wei Aoshuang. Why was she so beautiful?

"Xiaoyu," Auntie Wei said, oblivious to her daughter’s mood. "This is my eldest daughter, Wei Aoshuang, a switchboard operator. I have a younger daughter, too, but she’s still at school."

"I suffered from seasickness when I arrived on the island yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to greet you properly, Shuang'er," Xie Jinyu said with a warm, composed smile. "Sister Shuang'er, I am Xie Jinyu. You can call me Sister Xiaoyu."

In front of her mother, Wei Aoshuang gave a reluctant, "Sister Xiaoyu."

"Auntie Wei, it’s getting late, so I should head back now." Xie Jinyu bid them farewell and left the Wei household, clutching her clothes.

"Xiaoyu, come visit often!" Auntie Wei called out.

After Xie Jinyu left, Wei Aoshuang grabbed her mother’s arm. "Mom, make me two dresses, too!"

Auntie Wei handed her some hair scrunchies made from fabric scraps. "Xiaoyu made these for you and Xue'er."

Wei Aoshuang tossed the scrunchies onto the sewing machine. "They’re made from leftovers; who would want these?"

Auntie Wei slapped her on the back, sternly saying, "Shuang'er, what kind of attitude is that? Your father and Xiaoyu’s husband are comrades-in-arms. As military families, we must get along harmoniously..."

"You treat her like a friend, but she sees you as a sucker to make her clothes for free!"

Hearing this, Auntie Wei gave her daughter’s arm a few sharp slaps. "When Young Ye gave me the fabric, he paid me for the labor." Seeing that her daughter was still acting like a boisterous child despite her age, she added, "Shuang'er, Young Ye is married now. Put those little notions of yours away."

Wei Aoshuang’s cheeks burned. "I don't have any 'little notions'!"

"I raised you; I know exactly what you're thinking before you even open your mouth!" Auntie Wei shot her a warning glance and picked up an apron. "Come help me; we’re having noodles tonight."

Xie Jinyu was unaware of the minor stir at the Wei household. Back home, she tied her hair back with a scrap-fabric scrunchie, took an apron off the wall, and headed to the kitchen. Ye Changzheng had lived alone on the island, so the kitchen was mostly for show and lacked a coal-briquette stove like the Wei family’s. Fortunately, after four years of life as an educated youth, Xie Jinyu was already well-versed in the art of building a fire to cook.

Once the fire was going, she fried two eggs in the iron pan. She placed an egg into each of two large bowls, added a ladle of water to the pan, and brought it to a boil before dropping in the dried noodles. She seasoned the broth with practiced ease.

When Ye Changzheng pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw the kitchen light glowing. Walking closer, he saw Xie Jinyu standing in the swirling steam, wearing her light-blue dress. In that moment, he felt he had found a treasure.

When he had gone to Yuejin Village to marry, everyone had urged him to be cautious, advising him not to ruin his life just to repay a debt of gratitude. At the time, Ye Changzheng had thought that Xie Jinyu was a match recommended by his grandmother, and through their correspondence, he had found her to be a sincere and open-hearted girl. He believed that if two people truly wanted to build a life together, they could manage a happy marriage.

As Xie Jinyu carried the noodles out, she met Ye Changzheng. "Changzheng, dinner is ready."

There were two eggs, one for each of them. However, Ye Changzheng placed his egg into Xie Jinyu’s bowl. Xie Jinyu declined, "I have one."

"Xiaoyu, you’re pregnant now; you need the nutrition. Eat it," Ye Changzheng insisted. Thinking that if he didn't eat his, she would feel even worse about eating hers, he added, "From now on, whenever we boil eggs, you must have two. Only with proper nutrition can the baby develop well."

Knowing that Ye Changzheng only said this for the sake of the child, Xie Jinyu still felt a warmth spread through her heart. "Alright."

Looking at Xie Jinyu in her new dress and new hairstyle, Ye Changzheng praised her sincerely, "Xiaoyu, you look truly beautiful."

Xie Jinyu blushed to the tips of her ears at his compliment. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed a peach-like pink. "It’s all thanks to Auntie Wei’s craftsmanship."

Ye Changzheng didn't stint on the praise. "Auntie’s craftsmanship is good, but you are beautiful too. If our daughter takes after you, she’ll certainly be pretty."

"The noodles are getting mushy!" Xie Jinyu said, shyly changing the subject.

A flicker of a smile passed through Ye Changzheng’s star-bright eyes. "Xiaoyu, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"Go ahead," she replied.

Ye Changzheng knew Xie Jinyu was in her early stages of pregnancy and shouldn't be overworked, but since the brigade commander and the political commissar had both asked about her, he wanted to find an opportunity to officially introduce her to everyone. "I want to cook a meal at home and invite Brigade Commander Cheng and Political Commissar Tan over. What do you think?"

Xie Jinyu knew that until the college entrance exams were restored, she and Ye Changzheng would have to live on Endless Island. Getting along with his comrades and their families was part of her duty. "That’s fine. When? How many people? We might not have enough bowls, chopsticks, or chairs. Should we buy some, or should I borrow them from Auntie Wei?"

Ye Changzheng calculated, "Including adults and children, it’ll probably be two tables. I’ll get the chairs from Gu Siyuan’s house. As for the tableware, if we’re short, we’ll buy a few more, and if that’s not enough, we can borrow from Auntie Wei’s."

"Then I’ll start drafting a menu."

"I’ll go wash the dishes."

Xie Jinyu sat at the desk to draft the menu: braised pig trotters with dried beans, candied longan meat, steamed pork with rice flour, steamed fish, powder-steamed pork, duck with konjac, crispy fried pork, glutinous rice, wild mushroom chicken stew, and tossed wood ear mushrooms.

She stood up to hand the menu to Ye Changzheng for his approval, but as she turned, she was startled by Ye Changzheng, who had appeared behind her. She stumbled backward uncontrollably, and Ye Changzheng reached out to catch her, pulling her tightly into his arms.

Xie Jinyu’s lips, as red as March peach blossoms, brushed against his sexy Adam's apple...