Chapter 49: Jiang Ye

The next day, Sunday, after getting the key to the small courtyard's main gate, Jiang Ye went over first to scout the place.

Oh no, to clean.

A house that hasn't been lived in for years has a lot of dust.

The roof, the spiderwebs on the windows, and the mouse holes in the corners all needed to be cleaned and dealt with.

Fortunately, there was no furniture, so after one round of cleaning and opening the windows for ventilation, it was finally habitable.

Besides the hygiene, he pondered for a while and decided to find someone from the Logistics Department in the afternoon to build a bathroom in the front yard. When the time came, he would find an acquaintance to get a stainless steel barrel and make a simple push-pull water drainage device.

The dry toilet was dirty, so he wanted to make a flush tank. Although the expenses would be a bit high, it was worth spending some money for the future comfort of his little girl!

Additionally, fresh water resources on the Sea Island were tight; even in the dorm buildings of the Jiashuyuan and the troops, water was only available for half an hour in the morning and evening.

For others, this might be enough, but he discovered there was a water well in the yard. It hadn't been used for years, and the bottom of the well was filled with silt, dead branches, and rotten leaves.

If it could be cleaned out and the well water was potable, then his little girl could fetch fresh water at any time, and there would be no need to worry about water usage.

After inspecting the residence where they would live for many years to come, Jiang Ye left with a light step. After locking the main gate, he first went to Section Commander Duan's office to apply for the right to borrow a military truck tomorrow to haul furniture.

Then, he took a stack of old, yellowed newspapers from the corner of Section Commander Duan's office.

His excuse: "The house is bare; I'll save money where I can."

"I knew you brat didn't come for anything good. Wait, take this. I'll support you a bit so you can get things ready for your little girl.

She's a young girl who followed you at such a young age; you must cherish her well and not treat her poorly."

Section Commander Duan pulled a stack of various notes, money, and coupons—some large, some small—from his pocket.

It was clear this was all he could scrape together.

Jiang Ye took the items thrown at him and weighed them. His mood was complicated, but he quickly adjusted his emotions and promised:

"Got it. When we have kids in the future, we'll definitely have you be their godfather and let you raise them."

"Get lost, get lost, get lost! Don't delay my work."

Hearing this, Section Commander Duan felt both happy and felt that something was strange.

Having been a leader for so many years, his brain turned fast. He was furious and started shooing him away!

"Received."

Jiang Ye tucked the items into his pocket, carried the newspapers, and left the office in a good mood.

Others gave him a thumbs up; he was the only one who dared to make the Section Commander angry without being "liquidated."

If it weren't for the fact that they had different surnames and different ancestral homes, they would reasonably suspect that Jiang Ye was the illegitimate son of the man inside...

At the Guesthouse—

Shen Man's door had been knocked on from morning until now.

They were all people who had witnessed Deputy Regiment Commander Qian making trouble yesterday afternoon, only for her to remain unscathed and turn the tables on him.

Those who came to greet her and wanted to socialize were the prospective military wives who had decided to stay for the collective wedding.

She couldn't just give them the cold shoulder and chase them away. As long as their attitude was good and they weren't too scheming, she would smile and chat with them.

People, after all, need to be sociable.

Don't underestimate "spouse diplomacy"; it distinguishes between the close and the distant and is very helpful for the social standing of their officer husbands in the military.

It wasn't until Brother Jiang Ye came to pick her up that she managed to get away.

"If you don't like socializing, you can refuse. Don't force yourself."

Jiang Ye had a bit of male chauvinism in his bones, but not much.

More of it was his heartache for his little girl.

"It's okay, I can handle it. I don't want to be a dodder flower; I want to be Brother Jiang Ye's virtuous helpmate, and even more, I want to be an independent individual."

Shen Man wrapped her arms around the man's waist and pressed her face against him.

Her soft answer was neither high nor low, but loud enough for the man to hear.

"Alright. If you're tired, remember to tell me. I won't interfere with your decisions, provided that you take good care of yourself first."

Jiang Ye's love is something he can show off.

The two reached a consensus on this matter and said no more.

By the time they parked at the entrance of the Military Region and went to the canteen to eat, Jiang Ye had roughly explained the situation of the small courtyard they were assigned.

Shen Man marveled at the man's boundless energy; after working all morning to get the cleaning done, he still hadn't forgotten to plan the inside and outside of the small courtyard.

If it were her, she would have been completely lost.

After lunch, when the two arrived at the bare little courtyard, the man suddenly pulled a roll of notes from his pocket and stuffed them into her hand. She was shocked—

"Brother Jiang Ye, didn't you already give me all your allowance? What is this?"

"This is a subsidy from Section Commander Duan for us. He..."

Jiang Ye's eyes softened a bit when he mentioned Section Commander Duan. "He is my mentor, both a teacher and a father to me.

He has no children or relatives. In the future, when he retires, are you willing to join me in being filial to him and providing for his old age?"

"Of course I am. Any elder recognized by Brother Jiang Ye, we will be filial to him together and provide for his old age."

Shen Man naturally wouldn't object. Her brother had told her in private that Jiang Ye was brought back from Wolf Mountain by Section Commander Duan. At the time, he was like a wild man, and it was entirely Section Commander Duan who took care of him...

As for Jiang Ye's background, it was a mystery and also a forbidden scale that could not be touched.

In any case, she was told not to ask proactively or pry; Jiang Ye was doing quite well now.

"I applied for a transport truck for tomorrow. I'll drive to the Guesthouse to pick you up. Bring the notes and money; we have a lot of things to buy tomorrow."

"Mm-hmm, let's plan what to buy. I have a pencil in my bag; I'll write a preliminary list on the old newspaper so we don't forget and have to make a second trip~"

"Alright, I'll leave it to you."

A breeze blew by, and the two coconut trees in the yard rustled.

Everything was just right—the timing of their meeting.

He was very glad that he was the one who went to pick up his little girl...

Tangyuan didn't want to be a third wheel, and since its paws were itchy, it jumped out of the bag and climbed up a coconut tree.

A tiny coconut tree, conquered!

It didn't feel scared while climbing up, but anyone who climbs coconut trees all year round knows that this thing is just a trunk with no branches!

Except for the crown, there was absolutely nowhere to land!

"Meow-woo."

It was scared to death; it—it—it was afraid of heights!

Master.

Master, save me, meow.

Shen Man heard the noise and subconsciously looked at the bag on her waist.

Huh?

Where was Tangyuan?

"Meow-woo."

Master, look up, I'm in the tree above your head!

Shen Man looked up, puzzled. Why did Tangyuan climb so high?

Also, she had been a lady since she was little; how could she climb a tree!

It was Jiang Ye who thought of a way. He took down the old clothesline pole from under the eaves, tied the bag to one end, and then stretched his arm out, encouraging Tangyuan to climb down a bit. Then, with the tacit cooperation of the human and the cat, they safely caught the little thing...

"Meow, meow, meow."

Scared the meow out of me! I'm never climbing a tree again! ===== CHAPTER 50 =====