Axolotl Translations

“Wife, guess who I brought home?” That day, when Qiao Haoyu returned from work, he brought an unexpected guest.

“Comrade Wei, long time no see! I’m here to freeload a meal.” He shot a quick glance at Qiao Haoyu, then corrected himself, “No, I mean, sister-in-law, right?”

Wei Jiajia was surprised to see Zeng Guoqiang; she hadn’t expected him to arrive earlier than Zhang Huimin.

“Come on in, make yourself at home. Dinner’s almost ready. We’ll eat in a bit.” Delighted to see him, Wei Jiajia hurried back to the kitchen to add a couple more dishes.

She’d only cooked for the two of them, and Qiao Haoyu hadn’t mentioned anyone else joining them.

Wei Jiajia surveyed the ingredients. She decided on spicy shredded potatoes and stir-fried cured meat. As for the main course, she’d make extra noodles; they could handle it.

She swiftly peeled a potato. Qiao Haoyu asked Zeng Guoqiang to rest in the living room, then followed Wei Jiajia into the kitchen.

“Anything I can do?” He glanced at the tomato and scrambled eggs and the braised fish already on the table. “Just make extra noodles; these two dishes are enough. Zeng Guoqiang is practically family.” Concerned that his young wife might tire herself out, he suggested.

Wei Jiajia gave him a sideways look and kept working. It was his friend’s first dinner at their place; serving so little would be awkward. Besides, Zeng Guoqiang was going to be his sister’s husband; as her family, they needed to make a good impression. This was more than just old classmates and comrades; the first time couldn’t be so casual.

Seeing his wife ignore him, Qiao Haoyu understood her intentions. He washed his hands and prepared to help.

“No need, I’ll be done in just a few minutes. Go keep Comrade Zeng company—don’t leave him sitting out there alone. That wouldn’t be polite,” Wei Jiajia urged her husband.

With no other choice, Qiao Haoyu helplessly lowered his head, gave his wife a quick peck, and headed out.

Thanks to the Lingquan spring water and supermarket seasonings, Wei Jiajia’s cooking had reached a whole new level. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of her dishes.

Zeng Guoqiang, who had been chatting with his friend, caught the scent and immediately lost focus—his mind drifted away, unable to concentrate.

For over two months, his mission had taken him deep into the wilderness, where he’d barely eaten or slept properly. Open flames were too risky, potentially exposing them to the enemy, so he’d survived on compressed biscuits and raw meat. Now, the mouthwatering fragrance wafting from the kitchen was driving him crazy with hunger.

When Wei Jiajia finally brought the food to the table, Zeng Guoqiang dove in without hesitation. Watching him devour every bite with such relish, barely stopping to speak, she could tell how much he’d suffered.

It wasn’t until the plates were empty that Zeng Guoqiang leaned back, patted his stomach, and let out a contented burp.

Without a word, Qiao Haoyu got up and started washing the dishes. As soon as Zeng Guoqiang saw this, he jumped up to help.

Once they were done, Wei Jiajia finally asked the question that had been nagging her.

“Comrade Zeng, where will you and Huimin live after getting married? Have you applied for housing yet?”

At the mention of Zhang Huimin, a wide, happy smile spread across Zeng Guoqiang’s face.

“I’ll be heading back to my unit tomorrow to talk to my superior about it. Before I left on my mission, I had already submitted my marriage application, so it should have been processed by now. If everything goes smoothly, getting housing won’t be an issue.”

Just thinking about marrying the love of his life and finally coming home to his wife’s cooking filled Zeng Guoqiang with an excitement he could barely contain.

“So, are you planning to apply for an apartment or a single-story house?” she asked again.

“Huimin originally wanted an apartment—perfect for just the two of us, and more convenient. But with you here, that might change.”

Zeng Guoqiang knew his fiancée well. The moment Huimin found out Wei Jiajia was nearby, she would surely want to be close to her.

Back when they were dating, it was always ‘Jiajia this’ and ‘Jiajia that.’ If he hadn’t known they’d grown up together as childhood best friends—and were practically sisters-in-law—he might have read too much into it. Even then, he’d been a little jealous of Wei Jiajia for a while. Of course, no need to admit that now.

And even now, oblivious as ever, Zhang Huimin never realized his past little bouts of jealousy.

Now that her beloved Jiajia was going to be in the same neighborhood, there was no doubt she would pick a place as close to her as possible.

“Haoyu mentioned the house next to yours is still empty. I’m putting in my application tomorrow—should go through.” Zeng Guoqiang laid out his plan.

Hearing this, Wei Jiajia beamed with joy. This way, she’d see her best friend all the time! With their houses so close,visiting each other would be much easier—it was perfect.

After Zeng Guoqiang left, they washed up and settled into bed.

Qiao Haoyu leaned against the headboard, reading a military manual, while Wei Jiajia rested her head on his chest, also holding a book. Her hand, however, wandered over his body, idly touching him here and there.

Qiao Haoyu, unable to concentrate with her teasing, finally put his book down.

“You do realize you’re playing with fire, don’t you?”

“What?” Wei Jiajia didn’t understand at first.

Following her husband’s gaze, she suddenly realized her hand had been absentmindedly toying with a rather sensitive area. Startled, she quickly yanked her hand away.

“I didn’t mean to…” she mumbled, nearly in tears. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was being indecent.

“That’s not my problem. You started the fire—you have to put it out.”

With that, Qiao Haoyu swiftly plucked the book from her hands, set it aside, and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

Wei Jiajia: …

Was it too late to cut off the hand that had just gotten her into trouble?

Another night of passion followed.

The next morning, when Wei Jiajia woke up, the first thing she heard was the sound of raindrops tapping against the windowpane. It was the first time it had rained since she arrived here.

Seeing the fresh red marks on her skin, she barely reacted. At this point, she had grown used to searching for long-sleeved clothing after nights like these.

Honestly, the real surprise would be the day she dared to wear short sleeves again.

Thankfully, the weather was cooling down. If this had happened in the peak of summer, she would’ve kicked him out of bed—she didn’t want to suffocate under the blankets and break out in a heat rash.

After getting dressed, she stepped out, tidied herself up, and, as usual, headed straight to the kitchen. She sat down to eat the breakfast her husband had prepared early in the morning, the rhythmic patter of rain accompanying her meal.

Judging by the looks of it, the rain wasn’t stopping anytime soon. With no other choice, Wei Jiajia returned to the bedroom to focus on her primary source of income—writing and submitting articles.

In this era, her writing style was generally uplifting and optimistic. She liked to start with ordinary people and small events, then highlight the extraordinary within the mundane, weaving humor and depth into her stories. Anything remotely sensitive, she steered clear of—she had no desire for her words to come back to haunt her during the tumultuous times ahead.

Fortunately, she had a solid writing foundation, and most of her submissions were accepted. It provided a stable income—and kept her occupied.

When Qiao Haoyu came home that evening, he seemed preoccupied. Even during dinner, he was distracted, barely paying attention to his food.

Later, as they lay in bed, Wei Jiajia nestled in his arms, sensing something was wrong. Worried, she finally asked—and that was when she found out he had a mission. He was leaving first thing in the morning.

“…Do you need me to prepare anything for you? How long will you be gone this time?” Wei Jiajia was stunned for a second, but she quickly looked up and asked.

“No need. The unit has everything ready. I’ll be away for about a month.” Qiao Haoyu gazed into her eyes, worried that she’d be upset.

They had barely spent any time together, and now he was leaving again. He hated the thought of her being alone, crying under the covers when she couldn’t see him.

Wei Jiajia didn’t want him to carry any emotional burden or be distracted while on duty. Smiling, she teased him, “Just take care of yourself and don’t get hurt. I’ll be fine here, waiting for you like a good girl. But if you come back injured, you can sleep in the guest room.” Her tone was playful, but deep down, what truly scared her wasn’t his absence—it was the danger of the mission and the possibility of him getting hurt.

“I promise.” Qiao Haoyu held her tightly, resting his chin on her head. For her sake, he would make sure to protect himself.

That night, their passion burned hotter than ever. Even Wei Jiajia, usually reserved, responded with an unusual eagerness, as if trying to make up for the time they would lose. Only when she was utterly spent and had fainted from exhaustion did Qiao Haoyu finally relent.

After cleaning up their battlefield, he pulled her into his arms and let sleep take over.

But barely three hours later, his eyes opened. It was time to go. Looking at his wife, curled up sweetly in his arms, Qiao Haoyu lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Wait for me.”

As if sensing something in her sleep, Wei Jiajia mumbled softly in response before turning over and drifting back into slumber.

Qiao Haoyu got up, dressed quickly, and took one last look at his sleeping wife before striding out the door, heading toward another battlefield that awaited him.

On the fifth day of Qiao Haoyu’s mission, Zhang Huimin and the rest of the art troupe returned to the military district after finishing their performance tour.

The moment she got back to her dormitory, she barely set down her luggage before dashing out again, not even stopping to greet her fiancé. She had only one destination in mind—the family housing area.

When Zhang Huimin suddenly appeared at her doorstep, Wei Jiajia was stunned. But in the next instant, the two young women threw their arms around each other, jumping up and down in excitement, their joyful reunion making up for the time spent apart.

“Wait, when did you get back? How did you know where I live? Who brought you here? Was it Comrade Zeng? Is he off duty today? Where is he?” Wei Jiajia fired off one question after another, even peeking outside the door to see if anyone was there.

Seeing her best friend again, Wei Jiajia seemed completely different—more animated, more talkative. Gone was the poised and distant air she usually carried around others.

Though she was always polite and generous in social settings, most of the people in the family housing area kept a certain distance from her. It was hard to pinpoint exactly why, but if one had to put it into words, it was that she seemed unattainable—an invisible wall that made others feel self-conscious in her presence.

Zhang Huimin chuckled. “You just bombarded me with so many questions—where do I even start?”

“Then just answer them one by one! Start with when you got back.”

“I just got back with the troupe today. I haven’t even seen Zeng Guoqiang yet—I came straight here to find you. Aren’t you happy? Aren’t you touched?” Zhang Huimin tilted her chin up proudly, looking utterly pleased with herself.

“Of course I’m happy! Of course I’m touched!” Wei Jiajia clung to her arm, playfully acting spoiled. “But if Comrade Zeng finds out that I’ve replaced him in your heart, do you think he’ll be jealous?”

Zeng Guoqiang: Jealous? He has been drinking jealousy by the gallon. A little more won’t make a difference.

“He wouldn’t dare!” Zhang Huimin huffed, her large eyes flashing with mock indignation, showing not the slightest hint of embarrassment at being teased.

As they chatted, Wei Jiajia learned that ever since Zhang Huimin found out her cousin had married her best friend, she had been eagerly waiting for the chance to transfer over. The thought of reuniting with Jiajia had kept her spirits high.

During the two months she had been traveling with the art troupe, she had counted down the days one by one. And the moment she got back, she had made a beeline for the family housing area. After asking around, it hadn’t been hard to find the Qiao household—after all, with a couple as striking as Qiao Haoyu and Wei Jiajia, they were bound to be the subject of attention.

“You little fox,” Wei Jiajia said with amusement, watching her friend analyze everything with enthusiasm.

Even in their twenties, some things never changed.

“I’ll get a room ready for you. Get some proper rest first, and tonight, I’ll make you something delicious to nourish you.” Seeing how thin Zhang Huimin had gotten made Wei Jiajia’s heart ache. She could only imagine how tough things had been for her out in the field.

“You’re the best, Jiajia. Once I wake up, I’ll go grocery shopping with you.”

“Deal!” Wei Jiajia grinned, then went inside to grab some bedding and started tidying up a room.

Zhang Huimin followed to help, but as soon as everything was set up, she kicked off her shoes, climbed into bed, and within minutes, she was fast asleep.

Wei Jiajia quietly closed the door behind her, knowing that after such a long journey, Zhang Huimin was bound to be exhausted.

After three hours of rest, Zhang Huimin emerged from the room, looking refreshed and ready to go grocery shopping with Wei Jiajia.

When they arrived at the supply station, they spotted a fresh shipment of seafood—ocean fish and shrimp had just arrived.

“Comrade, could you pack this one for me?” Wei Jiajia pointed at a fish weighing over three jin (about 1.5 kilograms).

“Of course.” The worker had just scooped up the fish and was about to weigh it when a voice interrupted.

“That fish looks great—I’ll take it!”

Startled, Wei Jiajia and Zhang Huimin turned to see two women standing nearby. The one who had spoken was the younger of the two, while the older woman beside her hesitated, tugging at her sleeve as if feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Oh, Mom, don’t pull me like that! Just look at this fish—it’s the best one here! We should take it home for Jianjun. Didn’t you say he’s lost weight lately?” The woman urged the worker to go ahead and weigh the fish for her.

Although Wei Jiajia didn’t recognize her, Zhang Huimin certainly did.

Rolling her eyes without a hint of politeness, she snapped, “Why is it that I run into you everywhere? Out of all the fish here, you just have to take ours? Ever heard of ‘first come, first served’?”

It was Li Linlin. Of course. No matter where she went, she always seemed to be an unwelcome presence. Zhang Huimin had endured enough of her antics in the art troupe, but now she couldn’t even shop in peace.

As if just noticing them, Li Linlin glanced briefly at Wei Jiajia before turning to Zhang Huimin with a practiced, apologetic smile.

“Oh, it’s you, Huimin! I didn’t even see you there. Was this fish yours? You should’ve said something earlier! If I’d known, I would’ve let you have it.”

Zhang Huimin stared at Li Linlin, eyes wide with disbelief. Since when had she mastered the art of lying through her teeth? “You’d let me have it?” What a joke! That fish was hers in the first place.

Wei Jiajia was stunned by the woman’s audacity. This was the first time she had encountered something like this since coming to the military base, and she was momentarily at a loss.

She wondered if this woman was only causing trouble because she had a grudge against Huimin—surely, she couldn’t be targeting her personally. After all, they had never even met before.

But this time, Wei Jiajia was wrong. The woman’s hostility was, in fact, directed squarely at her.

Li Linlin had also been part of the art troupe’s recent tourBut when she got home, her mood soured the instant she saw her rural mother-in-law waiting for her. Just the sight of the woman annoyed her. Still, since she was her husband’s mother, she kept her irritation in check and went to take a nap instead.

When she woke up, her mother-in-law mentioned going to the supply station to buy groceries and cook. Li Linlin had no objections—why refuse a home-cooked meal when she didn’t have to lift a finger herself?

Her apartment was on the third floor, and as she stood by the window sipping water, she happened to glance outside. That was when she saw Zhang Huimin walking toward the supply station with another woman—slender, graceful, and unfamiliar. They were chatting and laughing as they carried their baskets. Li Linlin didn’t need to guess who the woman was. Everyone on base knew that Captain Qiao had taken a month off to go home and get married.

And it was because of her that Li Linlin had been forced into a rushed marriage with a man she never even liked.

Without hesitation, she freshened up, put on her most stylish outfit, and followed her mother-in-law to the supply station.

She had to see for herself—just how beautiful and charming was this woman? What kind of spell had she cast on Qiao Haoyu to make him lose his mind, to make him ignore Li Linlin’s affections, leaving her humiliated as the laughingstock of the entire military district?

And that was how the whole fish-snatching incident began.

Although Li Linlin had only glanced at Wei Jiajia out of the corner of her eye, the impact lingered in her mind, stirring restless emotions.

She really does have a face that could enchant anyone, Li Linlin thought with disdain. So even the righteous and upright Qiao Haoyu turned out to be just another shallow man who judges by appearances. Of course, that was if she ignored the surge of jealousy that had flared in her heart the moment she saw Wei Jiajia’s face.

Funny how she’d conveniently forgotten that, back in the day, she’d tried to win over Qiao Haoyu with her own good looks—and failed miserably. Not that it would have mattered. He and Wei Jiajia had been engaged from the start, with or without her beauty.

The staff at the supply station, however, had no patience for petty disputes. Without paying Li Linlin the slightest attention, the worker weighed the fish and handed it straight to Wei Jiajia.

If they gave in to every customer who acted like Li Linlin—picky, pushy, and trying to take what wasn’t theirs—how would they get anything done? And if her boss found out she’d handed over the fish to someone who came later, she’d be the one in trouble. This job hadn’t been easy to get—she’d had to compete with dozens of other military spouses for it—and plenty of people were just waiting for her to mess up. She would have to be a fool to risk it.

Li Linlin was so infuriated by the cashier’s disregard that she nearly staggered backward. But she couldn’t lash out—not when she was clearly in the wrong. If word got back to their troupe leader, she might be forced to write a self-criticism report, and that was a humiliation she couldn’t afford.

Wei Jiajia took the fish from the worker without a word and turned her attention to picking out other groceries. Meanwhile, Zhang Huimin scoffed triumphantly at Li Linlin before walking away.

Having made a fool of herself, Li Linlin muttered a quick, “I’m heading back,” to her mother-in-law before before turning on her heel and leaving, still fuming.

Her mother-in-law gave Wei Jiajia and Zhang Huimin an awkward smile before quietly heading off to buy groceries elsewhere. She couldn’t exactly blame them for what had happened, and to be honest, she felt a little embarrassed on behalf of her daughter-in-law. Just because she was from the countryside didn’t mean she was unreasonable or didn’t understand basic etiquette.

Meanwhile, Wei Jiajia and Zhang Huimin remained entirely unaffected by the incident. Once they finished shopping, Wei Jiajia suggested that Zhang Huimin head to the barracks to invite Zeng Guoqiang over for dinner while she went home to start cooking.

Zhang Huimin hadn’t seen her fiancé in nearly two months and missed him terribly. She had originally planned to visit him the next day, but since Jiajia had already made arrangements, she wholeheartedly agreed. After all, she knew all too well that the food in the army mess hall couldn’t compare to Jiajia’s cooking. This was the perfect excuse to bring Zeng Guoqiang over for a proper meal.

With that thought in mind, Zhang Huimin cheerfully bid farewell to Wei Jiajia and dashed toward the barracks.

After all, friendships are important—but so is one’s fiancé!

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