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Chapter 355: Chapter 345 Comrades in Arms
Chen Jing led Li Hongjun’s family of four into his home, and Chen Jing’s wife, Ma Huilan, also came out. How should I put it, at first glance, Ma Huilan looked like a woman who had been through a lot, although she was two years younger than Chen Jing, but from her appearance, she looked even older than Chen Jing.
As Ma Huilan walked, Shen Yunfang realized why that was. Ma Huilan had a limp in one leg, which wasn’t noticeable when she stood still, but became quite evident as soon as she started to move.
Li Hongjun unobtrusively surveyed his comrade’s home, a mere fifteen square meters in total, which had been partitioned into three separate spaces. The outermost section had a long narrow room with two long tables against one wall, on which there was a bowl with pickled vegetables. Underneath the tables were a few potatoes and a sack. Right at the entrance, there was a cooking area outside, revealing that this space was only used for storage and cooking was done elsewhere.
Further inside was a nearly ten-square-meter room with a double bed against the wall, presumably Chen Jing and his spouse’s sleeping quarters, with a three-door wardrobe at the head of the bed and several chairs lined up at the foot.
The innermost room was specially partitioned off for the children, less than a meter wide, containing an eighty-centimeter wide single bed, and there was also a wooden desk near the door, probably for the child to study at.
There were no doors between the two rooms; only a curtain hung to block the line of sight.
From the layout of the household, Li Hongjun could pretty much gauge the financial state of his friend. He frowned slightly, but then he immediately smoothed his brow and became serious again.
Since Chen Jing had been discharged and returned home, the two of them hadn’t seen each other, so as soon as he saw Chen Jing, he eagerly inquired about the military and the status of their other comrades.
Shen Yunfang could see that, though Chen Jing had been out of the military for many years, he still harbored an inseparable affection for it. While he spoke, the wrinkles on his face seemed to iron out considerably, and the tiredness was replaced with joy. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
The two talked about the army for quite a while before remembering that they had family members with them, then they reintroduced themselves to each other and started chatting about family matters.
"You didn’t bring your sister-in-law and the children just to see me, did you?" Chen Jing said after a while before asking Li Hongjun’s purpose of the visit. "Whatever it is, you just say it. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll certainly sort it out for you."
He knew that Li Hongjun was still in the army, and bringing his family to come see him at this time didn’t seem like a casual visit—it must be some kind of difficulty he had encountered. Although he, Chen Jing, didn’t have much ability, he would certainly help out wherever he could without question.
"You two keep chatting, I’ll go make some food; we’ll eat while we talk," Ma Huilan, a woman who was very understanding, said. Fearing that Li Hongjun might have some troubles he was uncomfortable discussing in front of her, she took the initiative to stand up and slip away under the pretext of cooking.
Shen Yunfang quickly placed Manman into Li Hongjun’s arms for him to hold, and she also stood up, saying, "I’m going to learn to cook with sister-in-law."
"No need, no need. The space is so small, I can hardly turn around in it, just sit here," Ma Huilan quickly stopped her.
"Sister-in-law, you don’t need to busy yourself. My wife, beyond all else, is efficient at work and a good cook. You’ll know once you try her cooking," Chen Jing said with a chuckle.
Ma Huilan also smiled and said, "Hehe, that’s the only thing I can really show off about. Old Chen just has to praise whoever he sees." She walked over to the wardrobe, opened the door and rummaged inside, taking out a small notebook, "I’ll go buy some meat, I’ll be back soon."
"Sister-in-law, there’s no need to buy meat, just cook whatever you have at home," Shen Yunfang quickly insisted, not wanting them to go to any expense, seeing already how tight things were for Chen Jing and his wife.
"Oh dear, it’s just making whatever there is, don’t worry about it. Manman, say goodbye to aunty," Ma Huilan playfully said to Manman.
Manman nodded agreeably with an "Ah."
"Oh, by the way, grab some alcohol on your way back, let’s have a good drink with Hongjun later."
Ma Huilan looked at Chen Jing, seemingly hesitant to speak, but ultimately said nothing, taking her ration coupon and left.
Li Hongjun also started to share with Chen Jing the reason why his family of four came to S City.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing looked astonished. "Your sister-in-law got into university?"
"Yeah, I can’t leave my work, and I don’t feel comfortable with just them on their own here. Knowing that you’re in S City and that your house is so close to the university is great. You just keep an eye on them now and then," Li Hongjun said with a smile.
Actually, he had also considered if Chen Jing had any room available, that perhaps his wife and child could rent from him. That way, with Chen Jing nearby, he would feel more at ease. But now he could see that, just like Wang Yan said, their place was tiny. With Chen Jing’s family of three already squeezing in, there definitely wouldn’t be room for his wife and children.
"No need to say anything more, just leave your sister-in-law and kids here and don’t worry about it," Chen Jing immediately agreed, as it didn’t seem a big deal. At the same time, Chen Jing gave Yunfang a thumbs-up.
Shen Yunfang gave a shy smile without saying anything.
"By the way, I want to ask about that young guy who brought us here. It looked like you knew him quite well. What’s he like, and what’s his family situation?" Li Hongjun was already considering renting the house from Wang Yan.
Although Chen Jing didn’t know why Li Hongjun was inquiring about Wang Yan, he went ahead and shared what he knew.
Wang Yan was a full-time employee at the television factory. His parents were still living and he had one older sister and one younger sister; his older sister was married. He himself had been married a year ago, to a colleague from the same factory. Everyone in his family was quite amiable, and they were considered one of the better-off families in the area.
"He mentioned he has an empty house available for rent, is that right?" Li Hongjun was quite pleased with Wang Yan’s family background, especially since Wang Yan was married and had no brothers.
"An empty house? I haven’t heard about that... Oh, right, when he got married, the unit did allocate him a single room, but he and his wife mostly live at her parents’ place. The empty house he mentioned must be that new place of his," Chen Jing recalled.
He had also picked up on the fact that Hongjun was looking to rent a place around here. It made sense, with Yunfang bringing two kids to study here and the school dorms definitely not an option. Knowing his own home was too cramped to accommodate Yunfang and her children, he didn’t object.
"Then that settles it. After we eat, you take me to see the place. If it’s good, I’ll rent it. With my wife living close to you guys, I won’t have to worry," Li Hongjun decided then and there.
For lunch, Ma Huilan cooked four dishes and brought out half a liter of white liquor. Chen Jing’s son Chen Cheng also came home from school.
Chen Cheng was ten years old, in the third grade of primary school. Like many kids of that era, he was short and thin. Under his nose, if you weren’t careful, you could spot a trace of snot. He hadn’t even walked through the door when he started calling out, "Mom, I’m hungry."
