Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 145: A Short Separation

He was too impatient.

Under Yang PeiMin’s insistence, Shen Yiguang finally resigned himself to helping prepare the bathwater.

Knowing she liked cleanliness, he had already borrowed five large thermoses and filled them with boiling water. After all, it wasn’t certain when she would arrive, like now, when the cafeteria was no longer serving hot water.

Taking the opportunity, Yang PeiMin wanted to look around the room. It was less than ten square meters with an iron frame bed neatly made up like a block of tofu, a small table, three chairs, and no other belongings. It was as simple as it could be.

Fortunately, there was a little shower room, but no toilet. They had to use the public restroom located in the corridor outside.

Shen Yiguang poured the hot water into the tub and looked up to see her, still surveying the room with a dazed expression. He couldn’t help saying, "Let’s make do for now. The Military Family Building will be completed soon. Then we’ll apply for a more spacious place."

"Find your change of clothes," he added.

Yang PeiMin snapped out of her reverie, nodding her head. Their current slogan was "hardship and simplicity." Given the limited resources, relative to most people, they were already doing well.

Since her arrival, she had also grown accustomed to sleeping without pajamas. The nights here were somewhat cool, but she didn’t mind. Secretly, she took out a small vest and shorts and followed Shen Yiguang into the bath.

Shen Yiguang handed her a new set of toiletries, "Two towels, soap, and a toothbrush; everything’s here. The water temperature is still nicely hot, bathe quickly, don’t catch a cold."

Hearing the last part, Yang PeiMin felt a bit embarrassed. What kind of weather was this to worry about catching a cold? It was an obvious attempt to hide his concern.

"Okay, I got it."

She pushed the big fellow out of the shower room.

Yang PeiMin took her time bathing; half a tub of water was actually not enough for her, but under the circumstances, she had to be more careful.

In the end, she couldn’t resist the itch on her head and washed her hair with cold water. She could handle washing her head with cold water, but she couldn’t bear a cold shower, as that would definitely lead to a cold.

Perhaps it was because she took extra time to wash her hair, Shen Yiguang called out to her after a while, "Are you done, wifey?" His deep and mellow voice was particularly captivating in the quiet of the night.

Yang PeiMin quickly said, "Almost."

When she opened the door with her hair wrapped up, Shen Yiguang was waiting by the door. He had not yet had the chance to be pleased when he glanced at her head and instantly his face fell, "Did you wash your hair?"

Under his gaze, Yang PeiMin felt a bit guilty, "I was on the train for two days, my scalp was oily. How dirty that must be? I couldn’t stand the smell." By the end of her sentence, she was already speaking in a whining tone.

Shen Yiguang’s expression softened, he sighed lightly, and pulled her to sit by the bed. Then he found a large towel, "Dry your hair quickly. Washing your hair late at night and going to bed with it damp, you’ll suffer later."

This was exactly what her grandmother used to say in her previous life.

He knew quite a bit.

Yang PeiMin knew that too. She did plan to dry her hair before sleeping. She had slept all the way here, and now she wasn’t sleepy.

But Shen Yiguang’s hair-drying skills needed improvement. He pulled at her hair a couple of times, and before he could do it a third time, she quickly said, "You go take your shower, I can do this myself."

It was only when she looked up that she realized why he was distracted; his eyes were fixated on her chest.

Yang PeiMin pushed him.

Rural women these days had never seen the likes of bras, let alone worn them. She was also extremely uncomfortable with the idea and thought about sewing one out of cotton cloth. But then she figured she’d have to hang it out to dry after washing it. She worried that if others saw it, they might think it was shockingly indecent. After all, women wore those loose undershirts as underwear, so she suppressed the urge.

Fortunately, the peak of summer hadn’t arrived yet. Going braless was an embarrassing thought.

The vest she currently wore was fashioned after modern ones without a tight fit, yet the cleavage subtly revealed itself. This wouldn’t be a big deal in her previous life, but had Shen Yiguang ever witnessed such a sight?

After being pushed by Yang PeiMin, Wei Ran remained still, and his movements of towel-drying her hair slowed down. With a raspy voice that seemed to gulp, he asked, "When did you make this clothes?"

Yang PeiMin’s cheeks felt slightly hot as she grabbed the sheet from behind her and draped it over her shoulders. "Hurry up and go shower," she urged.

Shen Yiguang quickly planted a kiss on her face. "Wait for me," he said and strode toward the shower.

Yang PeiMin’s heart pounded, and the air seemed to grow scorching hot.

She quickly towelled her hair. One hand smoothed out the bedsheet, then she took off the quilt from her shoulders and got out of bed to get some water to drink.

Right when she was drinking water, Shen Yiguang had already finished his shower.

He came out wrapped in only a towel around his waist.

Yang PeiMin was surprised. "How were you done so quickly?"

Shen Yiguang approached, "How long does it take to shower?"

She admired his broad shoulders, narrow waist, firm muscles, and clearly defined abs, but still questioned with some doubt, "Did you wash properly?"

Shen Yiguang pulled her hand to reach for his towel. "Check for yourself and you’ll know."

Yang PeiMin glared at him, refusing to comply and tried to withdraw her arm, but Shen Yiguang already pulled her into his embrace.

"Darling, you’re so beautiful!"

"I missed you so much!"

The saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" wasn’t just an empty phrase.

But the iron bed seemed to struggle under the burden, creaking loudly behind them.

Yang PeiMin shoved at the person on top of her. "That’s so loud, won’t the neighbors hear?" When she came in, she had briefly looked at the neighboring rooms. They were lined up like her old dormitory, with a small balcony in the back, also adjacent, and a corridor at the front. She really feared the soundproofing was inadequate at this late hour.

But Shen Yiguang was at a critical moment and didn’t pay any attention to her words. He bent down and covered her small mouth with his.

The next day, when the bugle call sounded, Yang PeiMin was barely asleep. Hearing it, she woke up in a daze. Glancing beside her, Shen Yiguang had already gotten up swiftly and dressed quickly.

He told her while getting ready, "Wife, I have to go for morning training. You sleep a little more, and I’ll bring you breakfast later."

Yang PeiMin, with her eyes closed, stretched out her hand and gave him an OK sign.

Shen Yiguang leaned down to kiss her, chuckling lightly. "What’s with this strange gesture? I’m off."

Yang PeiMin half-opened her eyes with effort and looked at him. "You didn’t sleep."

With bright and lively eyes, Shen Yiguang appeared refreshed and spirited. "That’s nothing. When on missions, it’s normal to go without sleep for three days and nights. Don’t talk anymore, close your eyes and catch up on sleep."