Chapter 421: Landing on the Island

Chapter 421 Going Ashore

Lu Jie wasn’t picky—she just wanted to find someone from Beijing.

This wasn’t a difficult task, and Yun Chengxiu immediately had a few people in mind.

During dinner, Grandma Lu also chimed in.

She even brought up Lu Jie’s sister-in-law, “How is your sister-in-law doing lately?”

Grandma Lu was mainly worried that once they left, Lu Jiang’s family might go back to their old habits.

If that really happened, though she wouldn’t say it outright, Grandma Lu wouldn’t have much patience for such relatives.

Lu Jie quickly replied, “My sister-in-law has been on medication, and her health has improved a lot. My grandfather even helped her find light work. Now she goes to work every day and doesn’t have to cook when she gets home.”

Only then did Grandma Lu feel relieved. “That’s better. Though she married into our family, she wasn’t sold to us. We should treat younger generations with kindness and compassion—not make their lives hard.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine how heartbroken the family would be if Lu Jie were treated the same way after marriage.

Lu Jie lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Her sister-in-law’s situation had been their family’s mistake. If not for her great-uncle stepping in to correct it, who knew how things might have turned out?

Though Lu Jie had known about her sister-in-law’s suffering before, she hadn’t spoken up much to stop her mother.

She hadn’t truly understood her sister-in-law’s hardships—until now, when it was her turn to think about getting married, and she began to empathize.

This was the first time Yun Chengxiu had heard about this, but judging by Grandma Lu’s reaction, the matter had been resolved.

She encouraged everyone to help themselves and not dwell on unpleasant topics.

Lu Hanchuan served Ye Xiaoxiao some fish, carefully selecting the meatiest part.

“All set, right? We’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “Mm, I gave the keys to the courtyard to my master. I also told him that if any neighbors want to sell their houses, he must buy them for me.”

Lu Hanchuan: “…”

His wife’s obsession was truly unwavering.

…

The summer heat was intense, and the sea breeze blew gently.

The army unit set off from Beijing, well-supplied with ample personnel. The team first arrived at Jinhai Bay, then switched to a passenger ship to go ashore.

Ye Xiaoxiao had originally been riding in a separate off-road vehicle, but once on the ship, she sat with the battalion commander’s family members. The woman was slender and frail as a willow, and suffered severe seasickness, vomiting uncontrollably.

Ye Xiaoxiao helped by applying acupuncture to a few acupoints, which helped ease Mrs. Li’s symptoms.

“Thank you, Mrs. Lu…”

Kong Xuelan held onto Ye Xiaoxiao’s arm, her face as pale as snow.

Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t bear to look at her—thankfully, she didn’t suffer from seasickness herself.

The other soldiers, all reassigned from the capital, had some whose seasickness was no less severe than Kong Xuelan’s, but they simply toughed it out.

Ye Xiaoxiao made a rough estimate that about one-third of the people would likely feel unwell upon arriving on the island.

After more than five hours of sailing, they arrived at Changjing Island, where the naval unit stationed there was responsible for their reception.

The island was pretty big, not the kind one could take in at a single glance.

Ye Xiaoxiao and the other officers' families were assigned to a prepared housing area.

What surprised Ye Xiaoxiao was that, unlike the crowded urban courtyards, each household here had its own stone-walled yard, even though they were all in the same area.

The houses weren’t fancy, but they were decent enough.

Basic furniture like beds and cabinets were provided, and anything else needed could be added later.

An orderly helped Ye Xiaoxiao and the others settle in.

"Ma’ams, if you need anything, just let me know."

Standing in her yard, Ye Xiaoxiao smiled at the young orderly. "Thank you for your hard work. I’ll start unpacking first."

"Alright. The rooms have already been cleaned. Let me help you carry your luggage inside."

"Thanks."

Ye Xiaoxiao was fine and could start organizing right away.

Kong Xuelan, however, was still suffering from really severe seasickness and had to rest in her room for now.

The orderly also reminded them of some things to keep in mind while living on the island.

For meals, they could go to the mess hall—monthly meal passes would be provided by the military. Cooking yourself was also an option, though it required more preparation.

The first day was too busy for that, and with the new arrivals still settling in, the orderly arranged dinner for everyone.

Ye Xiaoxiao first tidied up the bedroom, only to realize there was no bathroom or toilet in the yard.

"There’s no running water either," she muttered.

The orderly explained, "Freshwater is precious on the island. There’s a well in the residential area for military families where you can draw water."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "...Alright."

Lu Hanchuan was still tied up. By the time Ye Xiaoxiao had eaten and started walking around in the yard, he finally returned with the others.

The houses were all close to each other, and though this was their island home, it was everyone’s first time here.

Deputy Commander Li, knowing his wife was seasick, headed straight home immediately.

Lu Hanchuan walked into the yard and found Xiao Xiao sitting outside.

"Aren’t you worried about mosquito bites?"

"I brought bug repellent—mosquitoes won’t bite me."

Lu Hanchuan walked over. "Eat yet?"

"Yes, I was starving—ate two huge buns and a bowl of congee."

Ye Xiaoxiao tugged Lu Hanchuan over to survey their yard. "The yard's pretty spacious; we can grow some vegetables. But don't you think something is missing here?"

Lu Hanchuan had just gotten there and hadn't spotted anything missing yet.

Ye Xiaoxiao reminded him, "There’s no toilet here!"

Lu Hanchuan froze too. Unless we're talking wilderness areas, he had never worried about this issue, whether in the army or at home.

It wasn't until Xiao Xiao pointed it out that he realized.

"Do the other yards not have one either?"

Ye Xiaoxiao replied, "I asked. If you go straight east for about 150 meters, you’ll find a public toilet."

Fine during daylight hours, but if someone had diarrhea at night, who could make that mad dash?

Plus, there were no streetlights yet. Once the sun set, the whole island plunged into darkness.

Of course, they could always just go in the yard.

But Xiao Xiao…

Lu Hanchuan ducked his head. "So… do you need to go to the toilet now?"

Ye Xiaoxiao’s smile faded. "No!"

"Just kidding." Lu Hanchuan slipped an arm around Xiao Xiao’s shoulders. "Tomorrow, I’ll have someone build one in the yard. Won't take but a day, no big deal."

Now you're talking.

Only then did Ye Xiaoxiao head back inside with Lu Hanchuan. "Have all the soldiers who arrived on the island settled in? I noticed many might come down with island sickness. I packed tons of meds—if anyone needs it, they can come to me."

Ye Xiaoxiao had prepared thoroughly, anticipating this situation long ago.

While heading back inside with Lu Hanchuan, she even checked his pulse.

"You'll live."

"I’ve been to the sea before and sailed on boats. Never got queasy."

Once inside, Lu Hanchuan noticed the bedroom was all set up, with just some loose ends to tie up.

The place they'd been assigned was basic, but it was quite spacious—a three-bedroom place.

The kitchen had a stove for cooking.

But for now, it was useless anyway without so much as rice or flour.