Teacher Zhou then introduced his wife, Sister-in-law Zhou, his two sons, and his two daughters.
Chen Lan immediately greeted Teacher Zhou's wife, Sister-in-law Zhou, and the children with a smile. They exchanged pleasantries with smiles.
Next, Teacher Zhou stepped aside and gestured to a thin, dark-skinned woman holding a child beside him, introducing her to Chen Lan: "Xiao Lan, this is Comrade Sun Xiaomei, the wife of Battalion Commander Zheng Sanpao. Next to her are Sanpao's mother-in-law, Granny Sun, and his two sons, Datian and Xiaotian. The one holding the child is his youngest daughter, Baomei."
Teacher Zhou then introduced Chen Lan to Comrade Sun Xiaomei, wife of Battalion Commander Zheng: "Sister-in-law, this is Comrade Chen Lan, the wife of Sanpao's comrade-in-arms, Xu Mingxuan, as I told you about."
As they were both military wives, they felt an immediate sense of camaraderie from their shared connection to the military. Upon meeting, they felt as if they had known each other for a long time. In no time, the two comrades' wives were chatting warmly.
As Chen Lan spoke, she immediately reached out to take Baomei from Sun Xiaomei's arms, smiling and saying, "Sister-in-law Zheng, I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Battalion Commander Zheng speaks so highly of you, saying you are both intelligent and capable, and a good homemaker. You've managed the household single-handedly and kept everything in perfect order, which is truly remarkable."
Although there were not few capable and virtuous women in this era, the situation of military wives was different from ordinary housewives. Their husbands were often away fighting for the country, dedicating a great deal of energy and effort, leaving the various household affairs to the women.
Unlike Chen Lan, a woman of the new era, Sun Xiaomei was not a woman educated with new ideas in the strict sense. However, being valued and respected by her husband was a testament to her own capabilities.
Sun Xiaomei, flattered by Chen Lan's praise, waved her hand dismissively, hastily saying, "It's not as good as he says! It's just household chores, that's how women in our area get by!"
Sun Xiaomei was still somewhat shy and not an outwardly flamboyant person. Being praised by Chen Lan made her even more embarrassed, yet she found it very congenial to chat and laugh with Chen Lan.
Listening to the blend of Sichuan and Hubei accents in her voice, Chen Lan found it particularly fresh and pleasant, and couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
Chen Lan, weighing Baomei in her arms, looked up at Sun Xiaomei and continued, "Sister-in-law Zheng, how old is Baomei this year?"
Sun Xiaomei smiled tenderly, reaching out to caress Baomei's little face and said, "Our Baomei was born on the fifth day of the first lunar month last year. She's a little over a year old now. She's a fortunate child; she was born right after the country was liberated."
Chen Lan thought to herself, "That was close. Fortunately, she wasn't born on the first day of the lunar year! If there was another one born exactly on the first day, it would have been a big problem."
Following this, Xiang Dong and Er Hu introduced Chen Lan to Xu Mingxuan's comrades-in-arms and their families one by one. Chen Lan also politely greeted them all, making their acquaintance.
This time, Xiang Dong and Er Hu had brought twenty-three families back to the valley, totaling over a hundred people, including men, women, and children. Adding Teacher Zhou's family and the families of his four students, the total came to one hundred and thirty to forty people. Coupled with the original one hundred or so people in the valley, there were suddenly forty to fifty households and two hundred and thirty to forty people in the valley.
Chen Lan suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders. However, things were already this way, and there was no time to dwell on it. The most pressing issue now was how these many people would be housed.
Her mother-in-law, Mother Cui, and several other elderly women helped out. After Teacher Zhou and Xu Mingxuan's comrades-in-arms and their families had a simple dinner, everyone sat together to discuss the issue of accommodation for the night. This was a difficult problem, as it wasn't a matter of a dozen people squeezing together, but accommodation for over a hundred people.
In the end, they had to call over the residents of the other four buildings to discuss. After much deliberation, the final decision was: "The women and children will share rooms, and the men will sleep on the floor in the living rooms of their respective families. Dr. Guo is an exception; a small private room has been arranged for him at Chen Lan's home."
Upon hearing that he would have a private room, Dr. Guo immediately refused, saying, "I don't need any special treatment. I'll sleep on the floor in the living room like everyone else. It will be livelier that way, and besides, I'm older and don't need as much sleep. I can sleep anywhere."
So, no one insisted. Everyone had been traveling for over a month and was exhausted, eager to lie down and rest as soon as possible.
However, the small private room was eventually arranged for Dr. Guo's daughter and granddaughter, Guo Xiaofu, to share.
Since everyone had come to an agreement, Mother Cui and Mother Liu, along with Granny Zhou, Granny Xu, and Granny Chen, began to discuss the arrangement of everyone's living quarters. They were all efficient women, and the arrangements were quickly made. A few families were to stay at Chen Lan's home, while the rest, on a family basis, left with the elder women.
Her mother-in-law took Granny Sun, the mother-in-law of Zheng Sanpao, by the hand and said, "Old sister, you don't need to go with them; come and stay with me!"
Granny Sun looked at her daughter, Sun Xiaomei, with a worried expression.
At this moment, Chen Lan also warmly invited Battalion Commander Zheng's wife, Sun Xiaomei. Holding Baomei, Chen Lan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Zheng, why don't you and Baomei stay with me? I have a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, who are two months older than Baomei. My mother is helping to look after them. It just so happens that the three children are around the same age, so they can play together and keep each other company."
After speaking, Chen Lan looked around. She didn't see the twins and her mother, and Chen Lan guessed that her mother had taken them up to her bedroom.
Sun Xiaomei nodded and agreed to Chen Lan, also nodding to Granny Sun. Seeing her daughter agree, and that her daughter would be staying here, Granny Sun reluctantly followed her mother-in-law.
Sun Xiaomei watched her mother walk away, then said with some hesitation, "I still have two sons at home. Can so many people fit?"
Saying this, she immediately called out, "Datian, Xiaotian, hurry up and call out to people, say..."
Sun Xiaomei didn't know what the term was in the Northeast and faltered.
Seeing this, Chen Lan quickly stepped in to help, "Just call her 'Auntie'!"
The two little boys obediently shouted, "Hello, Auntie!"
Chen Lan, holding Baomei in one arm, smiled and extended her other hand to gently pat the two children's heads and greet them one by one.
The two boys were thin and small, making it difficult to guess their exact ages. They were likely around the same age as her own two younger brothers.
Sun Xiaomei took the two boys by the hand and introduced them to Chen Lan, "This one, who is slightly taller, is Datian. He is eight and a half years old. This one, who is a bit shorter, is Xiaotian. He just had his birthday not long ago and is now seven years old."