A well-behaved girl was deceived while searching for her husband; she married a childless military o

Qin Yuanzheng wasn't angry even though Zhao Jiannong teased him.

Having just gotten married and found a wife, Qin Yuanzheng was in a great mood.

He nodded and said, "We definitely need to build a kang (heated brick bed). Those wooden bed boards are too brittle; they creak as soon as you press them."

Then he asked Zhao Jiannong, "By the way, have you installed a kang (heated brick bed) at your house yet?"

Zhao Jiannong nodded: "As soon as my wife and children came, I set up kang beds in both rooms. There are two children in the family, and the wooden beds are creaky and small. There's not enough room for the four of us to sleep."

Qin Yuanzheng was shocked. He asked, "You four sleep together?"

Zhao Jiannong: "Of course! Kids need to sleep close to their mothers."

Qin Yuanzheng: "..."

Qin Yuanzheng suddenly felt that not having children was actually quite good, at least they wouldn't compete with him for a wife.

As the two emerged from the residential area, Zhao Jiannong pointed to a cluster of low-rise houses across the street and said to Qin Yuanzheng, "Uncle Huang lives in this area. I'll take you there."

Both men were tall and wore military caps, leather boots, and military overcoats; they were truly upright and handsome.

Of course, there are many officers like them in their military compound, but Qin Yuanzheng is the only one with such outstanding physique and appearance.

Zhao Jiannong had always assumed that Qin Yuanzheng would marry some kind of commander or political commissar, or the daughter of a provincial party committee member.

That would truly be a perfect son-in-law, with a bright future ahead of him.

To my utter surprise, things turned out this way.

Zhao Jiannong still felt a little regretful.

He said, "Does your young wife know about your health condition?"

Qin Yuanzheng nodded: "I know."

How could I not know? He was already insisting on getting a vasectomy; it almost scared him to death.

Zhao Jiannong added, "She's not very old, does she not understand? Does she know what infertility means?"

Qin Yuanzheng: "..."

Qin Yuanzheng glanced at Zhao Jiannong, too lazy to even talk to him.

Zhao Jiannong suppressed a laugh, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Treat her well. She came all this way to marry you, and you even have infertility. It hasn't been easy for you."

Qin Yuanzheng fell silent; of course he knew it wouldn't be easy.

However, he also didn't want to miss out on Qiao Lanshu.

He would cherish Qiao Lanshu like a precious treasure.

As the two were talking, they arrived at Uncle Huang's residence.

Qin Yuanzheng said, "I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a bottle of wine."

Zhao Jiannong nodded: "It would be best to buy some more cigarettes."

Uncle Huang usually charges a fee for setting up kang beds for others, but he probably wouldn't want to pay if he were setting them up for them.

So, all I could do was buy him some things.

……

When Qiao Lanshu woke up, she heard voices and some noises outside.

She picked up her watch from the bedside table and saw that it was already nine o'clock in the morning.

Good heavens, she actually slept until this late!

Qiao Lanshu, who had never slept this late before, was a little flustered. She quickly got up, dressed, and came out. She saw a gray-haired man in the next room, who was moving the collapsed wooden planks out of the house with Qin Yuanzheng.

Qin Yuanzheng took off his overcoat and jacket, leaving him in only a shirt. He rolled up his sleeves and used a cart to pull out all the wood.

When he saw Qiao Lanshu get up, his expression softened. He said, "You're up? This is Uncle Huang, he's here to help us set up the kang (heated brick bed)."

Qiao Lanshu quickly said, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Huang. Have you eaten? There's some white rice porridge in the pot. Shall I serve you a bowl?"

The porridge in the pot was cooked by Qin Yuanzheng for her, and it was still warming on the stove.

Uncle Huang waved his hand and said with a smile, "No need, I already ate before coming. Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local. Where are you from?"

Qiao Lanshu: "I'm from Guangzhou, Uncle Huang, please have a cup of tea first."

As she spoke, she deftly grabbed a cup, added tea leaves, and poured in hot water. She smiled and said, "This is tea I brought from Guangzhou. It's homemade tea. Try it; it's very fragrant."

Uncle Huang stopped, took her teacup, sniffed it, and said, "Not bad, it's good tea! The tea here isn't cheap; it's all transported from the south, more expensive than cigarettes."

Qiao Lanshu said with a smile, "I brought some with me when I came. You can take half a jin back with you later. I'll bring you more next time I have some."

Uncle Huang didn't stand on ceremony and said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

As he spoke, he put down his teacup and went back inside. He gestured to Qin Yuanzheng and said, "This building doesn't have a chimney, so a traditional kang (heated brick bed) won't work. Everyone in the neighborhood has a wooden kang now. Have you seen the one next door?"

Qin Yuanzheng shook his head: "No, but you can decide for yourself. How many planks and bricks do you need? I'll find someone to bring them over now."

They had mud, bricks, and wood at their mining site, so he could just apply to have them moved over and set up the kang (heated brick bed).

Uncle Huang made a plan and said, "We'll need at least five cartloads of planks, and two bags of yellow mud will be enough."

A traditional kang (heated brick bed), the kind traditionally built in the countryside, requires first building a flue on the ground with bricks, then laying kang surface stones on top of the flue, leveling it, and finally sealing it with yellow mud.

After drying, lay down kraft paper and a thick mattress, and you can sleep there.

Their kang (heated brick bed) is much simpler. After all, the apartment building has central heating, and everyone builds a kang to sleep comfortably. Those small wooden plank beds aren't very comfortable to sleep on.

Especially for families with children, there is simply not enough room in the bed.

Qin Yuanzheng's kang (heated brick bed) was very large, taking up half of the room. Qiao Lanshu looked at it and saw that the kang was like a large dormitory bed, where four Qin Yuanzhengs could lie down at the same time.

What a huge kang (heated brick bed)!

Because the kang (heated brick bed) is large, a lot of wooden planks and mud are needed.

Uncle Huang is an experienced worker and works quickly. Even so, he was busy from morning until afternoon.

Finally, the kang (heated brick bed) is set up.

First, use yellow clay to make a frame, then cover it with wooden boards. The boards can be lifted up to reveal storage underneath.

The wooden planks are laid flat and smooth. Then, a soft straw mat and a thick mattress are placed on top, and you can sleep on them. It's very stable, and it can hold up even four or five children playing on it.

Uncle Huang sat down to rest in a chair, lit a Daqianmen cigarette, and asked the two of them, "Do you want the kang (heated brick bed) in that room to be rebuilt?"

Most people here share a kang (heated brick bed) in two rooms, and some even share one in the living room.

However, Qin Yuanzheng cannot have children, and there are no elderly people in the family, so the wooden bed in the next room will suffice, since no one lives there normally.

He said, "No need, this is fine, thank you for your trouble, Uncle Huang."

Uncle Huang must be tired after a long day, so we should invite him to stay for a meal.

Qiao Lanshu had already started cooking the sweet potato rice.

She doesn't know how to cook northern Chinese dishes; she can only cook rice and stir-fry a few vegetables.

She washed and peeled the two potatoes, then stir-fried them into a hot and sour potato dish.

Then I took out five more eggs and stir-fried a large plate of chives and eggs.

She brought sausages and cured meat from Guangzhou, which were originally intended for Sun Mingyong.

Now I just steam it, slice it, and make a stir-fry of cured pork and cabbage.

Qin Yuanzheng, standing to the side, was stunned. He exclaimed, "You can cook?"

And you know what? These dishes weren't what they usually ate, but they smelled delicious, were oily, and looked very appetizing.

Uncle Huang took a sip of wine, then a bite of cured meat, and said with a smile, "This cured meat is really good. Commander Qin is lucky to have married such a good wife."

The girl looks young, but she's very good at socializing, very polite, and a great cook.

She's such a good wife.

Qin Yuanzheng was also somewhat surprised, as he had always thought that his wife was young and needed him to take care of her.

But it turns out that she herself is also very organized and thoughtful when it comes to handling things.