Chapter 162

Looking at a basin of crispy fried dough twists, An Yinan couldn't help but eat quite a few, then packed these twists into paper bags.

She also brewed some milk tea using powdered milk and black tea, then boiled a little bit of sago and added it to the milk tea.

The mellow milky taste and tea fragrance contained soft, chewy, and slippery sago.

"Perfect." An Yinan clapped her hands in satisfaction.

The milk tea was kept in a thermos; she couldn't possibly eat it all alone. Others were fine, but Yun Shu, Yun Mo, and Zhang Qian still had to have their share.

After thinking for a moment, she took out a few more tea mugs.

An Yinan packed everything she had made together and also fried some meatballs, which Chen Xun and Zhang Qian had both loved to eat back then.

After Chen Xun finished his training in the afternoon, he ran back covered in sweat; before he even entered the courtyard, he smelled the fragrance wafting throughout it.

The four characters for "the hustle and bustle of life" are very poetic, but when summarized, isn't it just firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea?

But this fragrance filling the courtyard gave Chen Xun a sense of belonging.

Actually, thinking about it, that's not quite right; wherever Nan Nan is, that is his home.

"Why are you sweating so much?" An Yinan took off a towel and wiped the sweat from Chen Xun's face.

Chen Xun grasped the hand she was using to wipe his sweat, "I'll do it myself; I just finished training, it's dirty."

An Yinan retorted crossly as she pushed his hand away, "It's my own man, how could I be disgusted? Even if it's dirty, it's still my man."

Chen Xun didn't speak again, but while An Yinan was wiping his sweat, she noticed the man's earlobes were bright red.

"What time does the party start?" An Yinan asked as if casually.

"It starts at six. I'll take you to the cafeteria to eat something, then we can go straight to the venue." Chen Xun took the towel from his wife's hand; although having his wife wipe his sweat was enjoyable, it was also a form of torture.

That soft, delicate little hand touching his face, whether intentional or not, made him sweat more and more.

An Yinan didn't notice Chen Xun's little thoughts, "Then should I go change my clothes?"

The room was very hot; not only was there a heated kang, but a stove was also burning. Coal was very hard to buy now, so this man had gotten a lot of wood blocks. One block could burn for over half an hour, making the room extremely hot. She only needed to wear a thin jacket and wasn't cold at all.

"Mm, wear more." Chen Xun nodded.

After An Yinan returned to the room, she put on thermal underwear, then wore a bright red sweater, and finally put on a navy blue cotton-padded jacket over it. She was a bit afraid of the cold, especially in this far north, where every breath could freeze into ice crystals.

"I'm changed." After An Yinan changed, she walked in front of Chen Xun, "How is it?"

Chen Xun said, "Wait for me a moment."

An Yinan thought he had gone back to the room to put on clothes, but he walked out shortly after, holding a white, fluffy scarf and a pair of gloves of the same color.

He pulled his wife in front of him, then wrapped the scarf around her neck, only stopping after confirming no wind could get in.

He then took her delicate little hands and put the white rabbit fur gloves on her.

"That's it." Chen Xun said.

An Yinan's eyes lit up; the scarf on her neck and the gloves on her hands were both rabbit fur, and they were pure white without a single speck of other color.

Wild rabbit fur is mostly yellow or black; it is rare to have such pure white. How long had this man been saving rabbit fur to be able to make such a set of scarf and gloves?

"I originally wanted to make a hat too, but there wasn't enough fur. I'll make you one next year." Chen Xun looked at his wife's face, which appeared even more petite and delicate under the reflection of the fluffy fur, yet it still didn't compare to his heart.

An Yinan said with a grin, "Battalion Commander Chen, how long have you been saving the fur?"

Chen Xun pinched her little face, "Not long, as long as you like it."

An Yinan's eyes crinkled with a smile, and just as she was about to give her man a kiss as a reward, the gate was knocked on with a loud bang.

Outside, Zhang Qian's loud shouting was mixed in, "Time to eat, you two hurry up, dawdling, what time is it already?"

Looking at Chen Xun's increasingly serious face, An Yinan secretly curled her lips.

"Let's go."

She was just about to pick up the two thermoses, but the man beside her took them with one hand, then picked up the cloth bag next to them, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

An Yinan shook her head.

Chen Xun carried the things in one hand and took her hand directly with the other.

When the gate opened, Zhang Qian saw this scene.

"Ahem, I smelled the fragrance from your courtyard from far away, I couldn't help it." Zhang Qian explained.

Chen Xun, however, didn't intend to let him off easily, "Add twenty kilometers to your training tomorrow."

Zhang Qian wore a mournful face, "Can you not?"

"Thirty kilometers." Chen Xun remained unmoved.

Zhang Qian looked at the gloating An Yinan, then at the impartial Chen Xun, and resignedly said, "Yes."

The three of them walked quickly toward the cafeteria. Everyone they met along the way looked at An Yinan with curiosity. Last time, An Yinan had taken care of the injured Chen Xun, and combined with the Hemostatic Pill project, they had heard of this sister-in-law long ago, but many had never seen her.

Seeing the person being held by the hand by the Snow Ghost this time, everyone was shouting internally: what is it called when a hero can't get past a beauty's charms? This is it!

"What are you eating? My treat today." Once they reached the cafeteria, Zhang Qian said.

"Noodles." An Yinan wanted to eat noodles; she had been eating hard dry rations the whole way, and she felt like her teeth were about to break.

Zhang Qian nodded and looked at Chen Xun, "Battalion Commander, what are you having?"

"The same."

Two simple words... Zhang Qian made a "tsk tsk" sound.

"What's the situation? What's wrong with noodles?" An Yinan was a bit confused; isn't it just noodles? Could there be some story behind it?

Chen Xun shook his head, "His brain isn't working right."

The new and veteran soldiers watching from the side burst into laughter, making An Yinan even more at a loss.

Did she say something wrong?

"What are you all standing around here for?" Two people entered the cafeteria entrance: Mo Kun and the Secretary.

"Chiefs." The new and veteran soldiers immediately stood up and saluted.

Chen Xun and An Yinan also stood up.

"I was wondering what these little guys were gathered around for, so it turns out they were looking at Nan Nan." Mo Kun burst into loud laughter.

A lively young soldier shouted, "We aren't looking at the sister-in-law, we're looking at the Battalion Commander about to eat noodles."

"Noodles?" Mo Kun looked at Chen Xun, then looked at An Yinan, and what else was there to not understand?

"Get lost," Chen Xun shouted.

The new and veteran soldiers below vanished in an instant.

"What's wrong with noodles?" Isn't it just a common food? Is it necessary for everyone to react so strongly?

Mo Kun laughed and said, "I know about this."

"This kid Chen Xun doesn't like eating noodles; he thinks noodles are a hassle," Mo Kun said.

"Eat noodles? Dawdling around, you'd be better off running a few more laps with that time." Zhang Qian happened to return, carrying three bowls of noodles, "Whenever anyone mentions eating noodles, he says that."