Chapter 564 Moving into the New House After Confinement

The people of Zhaojiatun have a good reputation; otherwise, Niu Feng wouldn't have chosen this place.

Furthermore, because the military provides them with significant assistance, they are very friendly to soldiers and their families.

The house was recommended by the village chief. When we first saw it, the courtyard wall, the left half of the house, and most of the backyard had been destroyed by bombing.

But the foundation is still there, and there's a large enough well in the yard.

Knowing that his wife likes to grow vegetables, and that her household registration is not here and she cannot work in the production team, he thought she would be very happy to have such a big yard.

So, under the pretext of repairing the house, Niu Feng asked the village's production team for help during the off-season, which can be said to have rebuilt the house.

The main house has three rooms, the east wing has two rooms, and the west wing also has two rooms. It faces south and has land in the front and back yards for planting.

The courtyard wall was built more than three meters high, just to prevent her, a single young wife, from being coveted by others.

Although his wife is very strong and powerful, no one can bully her.

But Niu Feng was still worried, so he stuck a lot of broken glass into the wall around the courtyard.

The entire house cost a full three hundred yuan to repair, which was practically the same as rebuilding it. They even installed a new kang (heated brick bed), a new kang cabinet, a kang table, and other things inside.

The couple isn't short of money, and since they're going to live here long-term, they definitely need to keep it tidy and organized.

So when Zhou Qiaomei finished looking at the house and touched the brand-new, sturdy red door, she nodded vigorously.

"This house was well worth the investment! We'll get a dog to guard the house in the future, it'll be even safer!"

Zhou Qiaomei used the remaining food at home to make a postpartum meal for Tang Cuihong, then packed it in a lunchbox and rode her bicycle to the county hospital.

Once we got to the hospital, we heated it up at the cafeteria. By then it was already three or four in the afternoon, which was perfect for a snack.

Cuihong wasn't actually hungry, but she didn't want to disappoint the person who had gone to the cafeteria to heat up her meal.

I ate the thick rice porridge, egg pancakes, and hot stir-fried cabbage with great satisfaction.

"I've already eaten at home. I'll go buy you a bowl of wontons tonight."

Cuihong has money and tickets, so even if Niu Feng isn't around, she can live a good life.

Knowing that there was no way to find out about Niu Feng now, I didn't ask any more questions.

She stayed in the hospital for three days. Zhou Qiaomei borrowed a cart from the village, covered her with a quilt and other blankets, and pulled her back to the warm house where the kang (a heated brick bed) had already been heated.

Seeing that Dun Dun was already waiting at home, she was surprised, "When did you bring him home?"

"So, when I got back this morning, I went to the military base first to pick up the child. He was very well-behaved and knew I was coming to pick him up, so he waited patiently at home."

Holding her son whom she hadn't seen for several days, the little guy pouted and cried softly, which made Cuihong's nose tingle and she couldn't help but shed tears.

She didn't want to ask her son how he had been these past few days; she told him that.

"We'll get better and better; you're the only man in the family now."

You have to take care of us in Dad's place, so you must be strong, okay?

Five-and-a-half-year-old Dundun choked back tears, looking pitifully at Cuihong as he asked.

"So, just like they say, my dad is never coming back, is that right?"

"Nonsense! Your father has been wronged. He'll be exonerated sooner or later, and he'll be back. Don't worry!"

However... even if he is exonerated, he can't go back to the army, and will most likely be reassigned to civilian work.

He loved it, but who knew he might be demoted for a few years? Two or three years might be enough, but if it really lasted five, six, seven or eight years, he would have long passed his prime.

The military undergoes rapid regeneration; someone might be squeezed out of their position, even if they were once very capable.

So Cuihong settled down in Zhao Family Village with her brother and sister, and stocked up on plenty of firewood.

The weather in Northeast China is very cold, and since this is the northernmost part of the country, it's even colder. With nothing else to do, people rely entirely on heated kang beds to get through the winter.

Because of this, she was isolated from the villagers who wanted to find out more information, and quietly spent more than a month in postpartum confinement.

They originally wanted Zhou Qiaomei to stay for the New Year, but seeing that she had recovered very well, she decided to go home for the holiday.

Before leaving, Cuihong generously gave her fifty yuan.

"Sister, it's not easy for you to come all this way, especially during this time. I'm very grateful that you're still willing to come."

Keep this money. I won't see you off or buy you a ticket. Take care on your journey.

If it arrives, give it to me. Never mind, it's not convenient for me to receive the telegram even if it's sent.

As you've seen, it's incredibly difficult to travel here when the snow comes. I wish you a safe journey.

The two argued for a long time, and Zhou Qiaomei went to the village to ask an oxcart to help her get to the county town, paying her five cents as a service fee.

Normally it's one cent, but if the weather's bad, it's only five cents. But Zhou Qiaomei thinks it's worth it, considering it's dozens of miles of snowy road!

After Zhou Qiaomei left, Cuihong actually breathed a sigh of relief, because she could finally eat something delicious to nourish herself.

These days, we rely entirely on surplus grain and occasional purchases of meat from families in the village who slaughter pigs for the New Year, as well as from fishing groups.

We did have some dried seafood at home, but it doesn't taste as good as fresh seafood, so I ate a very vegetarian diet during my postpartum period.

Now that Zhou Qiaomei has gone back, Tang Cuihong can finally provide the children with some extra nutrition.

She also slaughtered her three hens after winter set in, and plans to buy some chicks from the villagers next year to continue raising them.

Anyway, hens don't lay eggs in winter, so in this cold weather, it's better to make plans early rather than let them freeze to death.

We have stored up quite a lot of cabbage, radish, winter melon, pumpkin, potato, and sweet potato at home.

Niu Feng thought the yield was low, but in fact, it was all transferred to her space when she harvested it.

There weren't many vegetables left in the cellar of the family compound, so moving was very easy for them.

Qi Gang said this when he came to deliver New Year's gifts to Tang Cuihong before the Lunar New Year.

"They originally wanted my brother to come back for quarantine and investigation, but my brother refused because three other people were coming with him."

He was afraid of disturbing your rest and affecting your postpartum period, so he preferred to stay in the cold interrogation room rather than come back.

His problem is too complex to explain in a short time; those people just like to engage in verbal battles and attack his psychological defenses, but it's really nothing.

If Tang Cuihong hadn't been a woman, she believed the men from Shandong Province would have directly sworn at her.

However, the underlying message was clear: Niu Feng wouldn't be coming back before the new year.

After seeing Qi Gang off, I couldn't help but sigh as I looked at the chicken and fish he left behind.

"You're too kind."

These animals were all slaughtered in advance, and the temperature was low on the way, so they were already frozen.

She buried a lot of things in the snowdrift to make it look like something, including the chicken and the fish.

Five-year-old Dundun can now help look after his younger sister. He plays on the kang (a heated brick bed), and he will tell her if she cries or wets herself.

She was busy preparing three meals a day for the mother and son in the main room; she had to eat her fill before Nuannuan could eat her fill.

Even if I'm unhappy, I have to keep it to myself, for fear of affecting my child's mood.

She had considered going back to her parents' home, but she was afraid that if she lived too far away, Niu Feng wouldn't be able to take care of her.

The worst-case scenario is that Niu Feng will be sent to the countryside, and she will stay behind so that she can at least send him money and things.