Axolotl Translations

That evening, when Qiao Haoyu returned home from work, he was met with more than a few eye-rolls from his wife. He did his best to smooth things over, desperate to avoid banishment to the guest room. Without Wei Jiajia’s soft, sweet-smelling presence beside him at night, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Wei Jiajia watched his sulking with an amused smile, almost giving in. But she held firm; if she didn’t teach him a lesson now, how would she ever be able to wake up before ten in the morning again?

Seeing his attempts at playing the victim fall flat, Qiao Haoyu realized she was serious. He had no choice but to repeatedly promise he’d control himself and never repeat last night’s mistake. Wei Jiajia eyed his earnest expression with suspicion. Why did she find it so hard to believe him?

“Fine! I’ll believe you… for now. But if you do what you did last night again, I’ll clean out the other room, and you’ll be sleeping there for a whole month.” With that, she turned and walked away.

Qiao Haoyu breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

That was a close one.

Just as he relaxed, Wei Jiajia spun around. He instantly dropped his hand, feigning nonchalance.

Luckily, she hadn’t noticed his little act. Instead, she simply told him about an idea she had—she wanted to start a vegetable garden in the backyard.

“I’ll borrow a hoe from the logistics department tomorrow and start turning the soil. As for seeds, I’ll have to ask the neighbors,” Qiao Haoyu said, after a moment’s thought. Since they’d need fresh vegetables for winter, he agreed with Wei Jiajia’s plan to start a backyard garden.

Seeds weren’t available at the service station, and the nearest town was an hour’s walk.

Wei Jiajia decided she’d visit Sister Cui tomorrow to see if she had any spare seeds. While she was there, she could also ask for some gardening tips.

During dinner, Qiao Haoyu mentioned that their regiment commander had invited them for a meal the next day.

“Should I go early to help his wife?” Wei Jiajia asked, pausing with her chopsticks mid-air.

Qiao Haoyu considered for a moment before nodding. “Yes, you should. This time, a few company-level officers are bringing their families along, so there’ll be quite a crowd. The commander’s wife will definitely need an extra pair of hands.”

Then, remembering that since bringing his wife to the base, they hadn’t yet formally visited the commander’s home, he added, “After dinner, I’ll take you over so you can see where it is. That way, you won’t get lost tomorrow.”

“Alright!”

After dinner, Qiao Haoyu washed the dishes while Wei Jiajia prepared small gifts for his superiors’ families. Showing up empty-handed would be impolite, and given that these were her husband’s direct superiors, she knew the importance of maintaining good relations.

She carefully covered the basket with a floral cloth to avoid drawing attention to its contents. Then, handing it to Qiao Haoyu to carry, they set off together.

Since Commander Qin had a large family, they couldn’t all fit in an apartment, so they lived in a single-story house. It was slightly larger than the one assigned to Qiao Haoyu and his wife, but not by much.

The Qin family lived in the row of houses directly in front of theirs, about a ten-minute walk away.

In the evenings, most families would take a stroll after dinner. Up ahead was the playground built during the construction of the apartment buildings. It was located between the apartment complex and the single-story houses.

At this hour, the playground was bustling with life. The rhythmic thump of basketballs against the backboard echoed, while women chatted and laughed on the sidelines. Children darted around, their playful shouts filling the air.

Watching the lively scene, Wei Jiajia felt an unusual sense of peace, as though her heart and soul had been put at ease.

Life here wasn’t as comfortable as in the modern era—some families still struggled—but despite that, everyone seemed content. The smiles on their faces reflected genuine happiness and a deep love for the homeland that had granted them this peaceful life.

Wei Jiajia realized that living here wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t just because Qiao Haoyu was with her, but also because she knew a major crisis would soon sweep across the nation. When chaos erupted, the military would be a sanctuary, shielded from the turmoil.

As they walked past, someone who had met Wei Jiajia the day before called out to them.

“Where are you two headed?” she asked, eyeing the basket in Qiao Haoyu’s hand.

“We’re heading over to Commander Qin’s house for a visit. I haven’t had the chance to meet his wife yet,” Wei Jiajia replied with a warm smile.

“Well, that’s a good idea! I just saw her come home from work a little while ago. She should be there now.”

“Really? Thanks for letting us know, sister.”

“Oh, come on! No need to be so formal with all these thank-yous,” the woman chuckled. These city-educated university students were certainly different—so polite it was almost overwhelming! She felt a little flustered by all the courtesy.

Several women, seeing Wei Jiajia for the first time, were struck by her beauty. Noticing this, a group of children playing nearby rushed over, surrounding her and calling her “Fairy Sister.”

Standing just outside the growing circle, Qiao Haoyu watched helplessly as he was slowly edged out. Seeing his resigned expression, Wei Jiajia covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. She never thought she’d see the day he was the one being ignored.

“Are you a fairy who fell from the sky?” A little girl with neat pigtails, a fair complexion, and a mischievous glint in her eyes looked up at her in awe.

Looking at the little girl, Wei Jiajia suddenly thought of her younger sister, still waiting for her back in Shencheng. She bent down slightly, smiling as she said, “I’m not a fairy from the sky—I’m that uncle’s wife. You should call me Auntie.” She pointed at Qiao Haoyu standing nearby.

Following her finger, all the children turned to look at him, only to find his face completely devoid of expression.

“You shouldn’t be his wife! Be my wife instead!” One particularly bold little boy blurted out, stunning everyone.

Hearing those words, Qiao Haoyu’s already impassive face darkened considerably. His gaze locked onto the boy, and in his mind, he was already thinking, Whose kid is this? How dare he try to steal my wife right in front of me?

The nearby women, watching the scene unfold, burst into laughter.

“Goudan, you’re something else! Aren’t you afraid Captain Qiao will smack your bottom? How dare you say you’ll marry his wife?” one of them teased, glancing at Qiao Haoyu’s now thunderous expression. She couldn’t help but feel a little worried for the boy’s rear end.

“Goudan, you sure have a good eye! Picked the best one right off the bat!” someone joked, finding it amusing that such a young boy already knew how to choose a wife.

At first, little Goudan had been nervous upon hearing the women say Captain Qiao might spank him. But as soon as he heard someone praise his taste, he puffed out his tiny chest and lifted his chin, as if to prove he’d made the right choice.

His reaction made Wei Jiajia laugh. This kid is hilarious!

Even Qiao Haoyu nearly cracked a smile.

Some of the children who knew Qiao Haoyu’s reputation shrank back, cautiously hiding behind Wei Jiajia. Meanwhile, the ones who didn’t simply stared at him with wide eyes, glancing back and forth between him and Wei Jiajia. One of them looked particularly worried—That uncle looks so serious… is he going to hit Fairy Sister?

Wei Jiajia noticed the child’s worried expression and could already picture the wild thoughts running through their head.

Not wanting to deflate her husband’s ego any further, she quickly thanked the women, handed out a piece of candy to each child, and then walked off towards the Qin family’s house with Qiao Haoyu.

“Wow, Captain Qiao’s wife is generous! She just handed out White Rabbit candy like it was nothing. I heard those aren’t cheap,” one of the women commented as they watched the couple walk away.

“Well, she’s a college graduate from the city. Her family must be well-off, not like us, scraping by and counting every grain of rice,” someone muttered, a hint of bitterness in their voice.

“Hey, did you see what she was carrying in that basket? Looked pretty heavy.”

“Who knows? Not like any of it’s for us. City folks are always scheming, bringing gifts to their superiors. You can bet whatever’s in there ain’t light.”

By the time Qiao Haoyu and Wei Jiajia arrived at the Qin household, they had just finished dinner.

Hearing a knock at the door, Regiment Commander Qin’s eldest son went to answer it.

When he saw Qiao Haoyu standing there with his wife, he greeted him respectfully, “Uncle Qiao!” Then, his eyes shifted to Wei Jiajia, and he hesitated, unsure how to address her.

Hearing voices at the door, the commander’s wife came to see who it was. Upon seeing Qiao Haoyu and his wife, she playfully scolded her son, “You rascal! Why are you just standing there? Let your Uncle Qiao in.”

The boy quickly stepped aside after his mother’s reprimand.

Qiao Haoyu greeted her, “Sister-in-law, I brought my wife over to introduce her.”

“So this is your wife! She’s absolutely beautiful. Come in, come in! Old Qin’s inside,” the woman said warmly, taking Wei Jiajia’s hand and leading her inside.

Once inside, the Qin family’s eldest son went to the inner room to call his father, telling him Uncle Qiao had brought his wife for a visit. Hearing this, Regiment Commander Qin immediately got up from his seat.

“You rascal! You finally decided to introduce your wife to people?” His signature booming voice reached them before he even stepped out.

When he emerged and saw the young woman chatting with his wife, he was momentarily stunned. Just as the rumors said—she was indeed a beauty.

He glanced at his subordinate. Though Qiao Haoyu sat there silently, his eyes kept drifting towards his wife.

So this is truly a case of like attracts like—or rather, every tough guy meets his match.

“Commander!” Qiao Haoyu stood and greeted him. After introducing his wife, he explained the purpose of their visit: since Wei Jiajia was new to military life, he wanted to introduce her around and hoped the commander’s wife could offer guidance when needed.

Madam Qin readily agreed, warmly telling Wei Jiajia to come to her anytime she had questions.

After chatting for a while, the couple excused themselves, as they still had two more households to visit.

Once she had seen them off, Madam Qin returned to the table and unwrapped the oil-paper package they had brought. She froze for a moment, unsure how to react.

“What is it? Why do you look like that?” Commander Qin asked, his curiosity piqued as he turned to his wife.

“See for yourself.” She laid out the items, gesturing for her husband to look.

Regiment Commander Qin’s eyes fell on a slab of cured meat, about a kilogram, and an assortment of delicate pastries. He fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke, “Keep it. It’s clear Little Qiao is worried his wife won’t adjust well here. That’s why he brought these things, asking for your help in looking after her.”

“You’re sure accepting this won’t cause trouble for you?” Madam Qin looked at the items, feeling conflicted.

These weren’t just ordinary greeting gifts—they were high-quality goods. Even three years ago, they’d have been hard to find, let alone now.

“No, it won’t. Little Qiao isn’t that kind of person, and I doubt this was even his idea. My guess is his wife prepared them. He probably doesn’t even know what’s inside.” Commander Qin’s tone was firm. He knew his subordinate well. Besides, with Qiao Haoyu’s abilities, he didn’t need to curry favor with gifts.

Hearing this, Madam Qin finally felt reassured and put the items away.

She made up her mind—next time she saw Wei Jiajia, she’d have to give her some advice. From today’s meeting, it was obvious the young woman had been well protected by her family and had likely never experienced hardship.

But life wasn’t lived that way. She was far too generous with money—if she kept this up, no matter how much Little Qiao earned, it would never be enough.

Meanwhile, Wei Jiajia remained completely unaware that the gifts she had brought had nearly caused people to question her husband’s integrity.

She had simply brought along food that could be stored for a long time on this trip. Most of the supplies in her space couldn’t be brought out yet—she’d have to smuggle them out little by little when the opportunity arose.

As for why she chose cured meat and pastries, it was because these were items she’d openly used in front of Qiao Haoyu before.

And the reason she brought so much was that they would be dining at the Qin family’s house the next day. Sending the gifts in advance would make it easier for Madam Qin to use them in her cooking. For the other two families, she had prepared much smaller portions—about 100 grams of cured meat and six pastries each.

She wasn’t that reckless, after all… Though it seemed her reputation as a spendthrift would stick with Madam Qin for quite some time!

When they visited the vice commander and the political commissar’s homes, Qiao Haoyu once again introduced his wife, asking their wives to offer her guidance if she ever needed advice. After receiving their reassurances, the couple walked home hand in hand under the night sky.

That night, just as he had promised, Qiao Haoyu made sure Wei Jiajia was asleep before midnight. However, the ordeal he put her through in the process… well, that was not something to be shared with outsiders.

It wasn’t until she pleaded with him in a soft voice and agreed to a series of unfair terms that he finally let her go…

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