At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 58 Into the Bone and Blood

A familiar scent enveloped him, a mixture of sweat, soap, and the dry, assertive aura that belonged to Bai Rongbei.

"It's chilly in the morning." He said succinctly, his tone already back to its usual calm, as if her momentary lapse in composure was merely her imagination. "Get dressed."

Bai Rongbei didn't want Su Wanwan to be seen by other men, so he wanted to wrap her up tightly with clothes.

If possible, Bai Rongbei would even like to incorporate it into his very being, so that no one could be tainted by it.

Su Wanwan was unaware of Bai Rongbei's thoughts. She clutched the front of her coat and wrapped herself up tightly.

The rough fabric strangely kept out all awkwardness and chill.

She whispered, "Thank you."

"Hmm." Bai Rongbei had already walked to the tap, turned it on, scooped up cold water and splashed it hard on his face, the sound of the splashing water masking other noises.

Su Wanwan wrapped herself in his coat and jogged back into the house.

My heart was still pounding a little, but the burning heat on my face slowly subsided in the familiar scent of the coat.

She leaned against the door, looked down at herself. The oversized military uniform covered her completely, with only a small section of the sleeve of her floral shirt showing, obscuring everything else.

She recalled his hasty averted gaze and his curt "It's chilly in the morning."

The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve slightly.

After she changed into dry clothes, carefully folded Bai Rongbei's coat and placed it by the bed, combed her hair and came out of the room, Bai Rongbei had already washed his face and was standing back on the shelf, talking to Zhao Dayong with a focused expression, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Weiwei had finished washing up and was squatting next to Bai Si'an watching him draw, her hair barely smoothed out with her hands.

"Awake?" Bai Si'an looked up at her, pushed up his glasses, and said, "Sleeping like a little pig."

"You're the pig!" Lin Weiwei glared at him, then continued, "Sorry, we slept too late."

Bai Si'an quickly comforted them, "You were all too tired yesterday, you should get some rest today."

Hearing Bai Si'an's words, Lin Weiwei felt a little less guilty. "You still can't sleep until now! You guys did all the work, we feel so bad!"

She leaned closer to look at the blueprints. "Can it be finished today?"

"It should be around this afternoon." Bai Si'an pointed to the roof section on the drawing with a pencil. "After nailing on the tar paper, sealing the edges, and then applying a layer of cement flooring inside, it will be basically ready to use."

"Great!" Lin Weiwei's eyes lit up. "Finally, I don't have to travel so far!"

Bai Rongbei climbed down from the shelf and walked over to them. He glanced at Su Wanwan first to make sure she had changed into dry clothes before speaking, "Lin Weiwei, Su Wanwan."

The two of them immediately stood up straighter.

They looked like two lowly soldiers under the White Rong North.

"We have a lot of work to do today, so lunch will be provided," Bai Rongbei said. "The plump aunt next door offered to help with the cooking, but we'll have to buy the groceries ourselves. You two go to the grocery store and see what vegetables they have. Meat coupons and money too."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Use what I gave you yesterday if you need to."

Su Wanwan nodded immediately: "Okay, let's go right now."

Lin Weiwei readily agreed, "No problem! I promise to buy some good stuff to reward our heroes!"

As he spoke, he waved to Zhao Dayong and the others on the shelf.

Zhao Dayong chuckled, "Then we'll wait for your delicious meal, sister-in-law!"

"Go ahead." After saying that, Bai Rongbei glanced at Su Wanwan and added, "It's windy outside, wear a jacket."

Su Wanwan was already wearing a light jacket, but she still nodded subconsciously: "Mm."

The two went back into the house to get the money and tickets, slung a cloth basket over their shoulders, and prepared to go out.

As she reached the courtyard gate, Su Wanwan paused, hesitated, and turned back to look at Bai Rongbei, who was talking to Zhao Dayong.

Sunlight fell on his angular profile as he looked up slightly at the trellis, gesturing with his fingers to indicate its height, his expression focused and composed.

As if sensing her gaze, Bai Rongbei suddenly turned his head, his gaze passing over the courtyard and landing precisely on her.

From a distance, I couldn't see the emotions in his eyes, but I saw him nod almost imperceptibly.

The inexplicable hesitation in Su Wanwan's heart suddenly dissipated.

She nodded slightly, turned around, and walked out of the courtyard with Lin Weiwei.

As soon as the two of them went out, Zhao Dayong couldn't wait to nudge Bai Rongbei with his elbow and wink: "Well done, Commander Bai, you know how to pamper your wife now? You even specifically told her to wear a coat."

Bai Rongbei remained expressionless, reaching out to take the tarpaulin roll handed to him by Chen Jianjun: "Enough talk, get to work."

Only the area behind my ears, exposed to the sun, felt a little warm, though barely noticeable.

The service center wasn't too far from the family compound; it consisted of the two largest rooms in a row of red brick bungalows.

One shop sells condiments, vegetables, and eggs, while the other sells daily necessities.

It's not a big market day today, so there aren't many people.

Behind the vegetable counter sat a plump woman in her forties, knitting a sweater.

Seeing them come in, he greeted them warmly, "Oh, the two new brides are here? What would you like to buy?"

Lin Weiwei approached the counter and looked at the vegetables on display. There weren't many kinds; potatoes, cabbage, and radishes were the main vegetables, along with a few bunches of slightly wilted spinach, a small pile of tomatoes, and eggs served in a straw-woven plate, each one round and plump.

"Auntie, how much are these vegetables?" Lin Weiwei asked.

"Potatoes are five cents a pound, cabbage is three cents, radishes are four cents, spinach is one mao a bunch, tomatoes are eight cents a pound, and eggs are five cents each. I need a ticket."

The plump auntie quickly quoted the price, "We have freshly delivered tofu today, it's very tender, would you like two pieces?"

"Yes!" Su Wanwan quickly said, "Tofu is good, and stewed cabbage is delicious."

Lin Weiwei calculated: "Five pounds of potatoes, two heads of cabbage, two radishes, two bunches of spinach, and three pounds of tomatoes... twenty eggs! Two blocks of tofu!"

As the plump auntie weighed and calculated the bill, she laughed, "Buying so much? Have you got guests?"

"No, there are many people working, so there's plenty to eat," Lin said with a slight smile, then took out meat coupons from the basket. "Auntie, is there any meat?"

"Yes! The sheep was just slaughtered in the back, it's very fresh! Would you like some mutton?"

"Yes!" Lin Weiwei's eyes lit up. "Give me...three pounds! Mixed fat and lean!"

Lamb from the Gobi Desert is delicious; it's fragrant whether stewed in soup or braised.

After weighing the meat and paying the money and receipts, Lin Weiwei pulled Su Wanwan to the daily necessities counter next door.

They still had some things to buy, so they decided to buy them all together today.

Lin Weiwei bought another thermos flask because they were still missing one.

There are two types of thermos flasks: those with bamboo shells and those with metal shells.

Bamboo shells are cheaper, but they don't keep as warm as sheet metal.

Lin Weiwei thought about it for a moment and bought a tin can with light green paint and red peony flowers printed on it, which looked quite festive.

I bought four towels: two large square towels and two small face towels, all made of soft white cotton.

I bought two bars of sandalwood soap made in Shanghai; they smell much better than the yellow soap the cafeteria gave out.

I bought a few other things, such as needles and thread, matches, and a bag of brown sugar, and soon the basket was heavy.

Su Wanwan took out her money, and the plump auntie gave her change while smiling and saying, "These two comrades clearly know how to manage money. Commander Bai and Technician Bai are lucky."

These words sounded simple and honest, much more pleasant than the previous idle gossip.

Su Wanwan and Lin Weiwei exchanged a smile, then walked out of the service center carrying baskets full of goods.

On the way back, the sun was already high in the sky.

There is no shade on the Gobi Desert, and the sun is so strong that your scalp feels hot.

Lin Weiwei divided the groceries she bought into two baskets, one for each of them, and walked quite quickly.

"Wanwan, do you think Auntie Pang will really come and cook for us? I feel like the people in the family compound don't really like us," Lin Weiwei asked.

"If Bai Rongbei said so, then it definitely will be," Su Wanwan said. "I think many of the aunties in the family compound are actually quite helpful, but they just love to gossip. Let's visit each other more often in the future, and we'll get to know each other better."

"Yes," Lin Weiwei nodded, "A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. By the way, once the toilet is fixed, shouldn't we show our appreciation? Should we treat Brother Zhao and the others who helped with the repairs to a meal?"

"We should treat them." Su Wanwan thought for a moment, "Once everything is completely settled, we'll prepare a feast ourselves to properly thank them."

"Okay! I'll be in charge of cooking!" Lin Weiwei said boldly.

Su Wanwan laughed: "You? Can you do it?"

"If we don't know how, we can learn!" Lin Weiwei said matter-of-factly. "We can't keep eating in the cafeteria or relying on others to cook for us, can we? We have to be self-reliant!"

As she said this, her face shone with light, and that fearless spirit that belonged to Lin Weiwei returned.

"Haha, let's forget it, I'm afraid I'll poison them to death." Su Wanwan teased Lin Weiwei.

"Wanwan, do you want to get a beating?" Lin Weiwei heard Su Wanwan's words and reached out to tickle her waist. Su Wanwan was ticklish and quickly begged for mercy.

The two of them joked and played around as they walked home.

When they returned to the residential compound with their vegetable baskets, the construction project in the compound had entered its final stage.

The tar paper on the roof has been laid down, held down with wooden strips, and nailed securely.

Bai Rongbei and Zhao Dayong are applying waterproof cement mortar to the edge of the shed roof.

Below, Bai Si'an and Liu Aiguo were smearing cement on the toilet floor, striving to make it smooth and even.

Chen Jianjun is repairing the potholes caused by construction on the side of the courtyard wall.

As expected, Auntie Pang arrived and was sitting on a small stool in the shade of the yard. In front of her was a small coal stove with the fire already lit, just waiting for the food to be cooked.

"Oh my, you two ladies are back?" The plump auntie stood up with a smile when she saw them. "You bought so much stuff! Quickly, put it down!"