Chapter 39: Tsk, What a Wasteful Woman

The vehicle made a temporary stop halfway up the mountain. One side was a steep slope; the other, a cliff dropping dozens of meters below.

Unable to bear the foul smell in the bus, the wives all got out to breathe some fresh air. The driver took out his water flask and splashed water onto the ground to rinse away the vomit.

Though the scene was noisy and chaotic, there was still a sense of order. Still, stopping like this on a winding mountain road wasn’t exactly safe.

Wang Xiulan had truly become the main character of the day — and not in a good way. Everyone’s curses and complaints had her name in them.

Even after getting off the bus, her vomiting didn’t stop. She bent over and heaved violently,
“Urgh— urgh— urgh— my meat— urgh—”

That was it. The three plates of pork she had eaten had only stayed in her stomach for a few hours, and now it all came back out.

Although the wives grumbled with annoyance, most of them were kindhearted. One of them stood by Wang Xiulan and gently patted her back in support.

“Don’t think about your meat anymore. Get it all out — you’ll feel better after. Want some water?”

“Sob sob… urgh… my meat… urgh… urgh… why did I have to throw up now, of all times… when I wanted to puke earlier, I couldn’t… urgh…”

Wang Xiulan’s body felt terrible, her heart even worse. Years of frustration and grievance bubbled up all at once, and she broke down crying like a wronged child.

The women around her all knew her well — they understood the situation without needing to ask. Hearing her words, they put the pieces together and didn’t say anything else.

Someone quietly handed her a handkerchief,
“Here, wipe your mouth.”

The only one who didn’t know what was going on was Chu Yue, who had only arrived at the compound a few days ago.

She heard the implication in Wang Xiulan’s muttering and was still puzzling it over when Chen Fengying whispered softly beside her:

“She’s a pitiful one… been married ten years, and still no child…”

During all those childless years, Wang Xiulan had often thought to herself: if only she could feel pregnancy nausea just once, that would be enough.

Now she had finally vomited — but it wasn’t the kind of vomiting she wanted.

For a woman unable to conceive, the agony of living through the 1970s was unimaginable.

Listening to Wang Xiulan’s sobs, Chu Yue sighed silently in her heart.

The cold mountain wind blew, Wang Xiulan’s weeping continued, and the entire mood turned heavy and stifled.

Then suddenly—

Beep beep— beep beep— beep beep—

The sharp sound of a car horn rang out behind them. When they turned around, they saw a military-green jeep that looked somewhat familiar.

A head popped out from the driver’s seat and shouted at their bus,
“How can you stop at a turn on a mountain road? Do you all have a death wish?”

Hearing that voice, Chu Yue turned to look.

It was Song Qi.

“Isn’t that Song Qi? The orderly of Regiment Commander Lu. That’s also the car the commander usually rides. Could he be in there too?”

“Song Qi, is the commander with you?”

The wives recognized him too and called out.

Song Qi saw that the bus was full of familiar army wives. He turned to the man in the back seat and said,
“Commander Lu, it’s the ladies from the compound. Looks like their bus broke down. I’ll go check it out.”

Lu Zhanlin’s eyes shifted slightly, and the thought of Chu Yue popped into his mind — the new wife who had come along with the army only days ago, saying she wanted to make a life with him.

Song Qi opened the driver’s door and strode toward the stalled bus.

Lu Zhanlin pushed open the car door and stepped out a moment later. His black military boots landed solidly on the ground, and his tall, upright frame instantly drew everyone’s attention.

Chu Yue spotted him at once. Her heart skipped a beat.

Today, Lu Zhanlin wasn’t wearing his sharp regular uniform but a camouflage outfit similar to Song Qi’s — likely for new recruit training.

Yet, with his broad shoulders, long legs, and perfectly proportioned build, he wore it with a completely different kind of presence.

As he walked toward her step by step, the image that flashed through Chu Yue’s mind was that of a panther in the wild.

A king of the forest — fierce, commanding, and in complete control of his territory.

This man… was exactly her type.

Chu Yue’s eyes unknowingly lit up.

Lu Zhanlin had already walked up to the side of the vehicle. With one sweeping glance of his dark eyes, he immediately spotted Chu Yue and locked his gaze on her.

Since Chu Yue was still sitting in the bus, Lu Zhanlin had to tilt his head up slightly to look at her.

“I’m also heading back to the compound. Get off and ride with me — we’ll go back together.”

“Sure! I’ll come down right away.”

Upon hearing that she didn’t have to stay on the cramped and smelly public bus, Chu Yue was more than happy to agree. Around her, she could feel the envious stares of the others.

Everyone else was stuck on a stinky, overcrowded bus, while Chu Yue alone got to escape.

When Chu Yue got off the bus, Chen Fengying followed.

A lot of the goods in Chen Fengying’s bamboo basket belonged to Chu Yue. She needed to sort through and divide them. Plus, Chu Yue was holding quite a few things herself — once they laid everything out, it filled up the ground in front of them.

Chu Yue asked, “Sister Chen, do you want to come with me and ride in Zhanlin’s car? There’s still room.”

“I’ll pass.” Chen Fengying replied candidly. “You two are riding together — what would it look like if I sat next to you? It’d just be awkward, and I’d end up sitting uncomfortably anyway. Might as well take the bus.”

She was the type to say whatever was on her mind, and very straightforward.

“Here, is all this your stuff?” she asked.

Chu Yue confirmed the items. “Yes, that’s everything. Sister Chen, I’ll see you back at the compound.”

The atmosphere was friendly and harmonious, but someone nearby stared red-eyed at all the goods around Chu Yue’s feet, muttering just loud enough to be heard, “Tsk, buying so much the moment she gets here — what a wasteful woman.”

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft. With everyone else quiet, both Lu Zhanlin and Chu Yue clearly heard it.

Chu Yue wasn’t surprised. People’s tongues are in their own mouths — she couldn’t exactly go rip them out, could she?

But Lu Zhanlin turned his head sharply toward the speaker, his black eyes sharp as blades, glinting coldly.

Someone in the crowd shivered on the spot, feeling a chill down their spine. Everyone nearby felt their chest tighten in discomfort.

Scary…

This man is terrifying…

Meanwhile, Song Qi had spoken with the driver, confirmed the situation, and issued a stern reminder: “Never stop a bus at a corner again. Only park on long, straight roads.”

Having finished, he returned and reported to Lu Zhanlin, “Commander Lu, the vehicle is fine.”

Lu Zhanlin gave a brief nod in reply, his expression still icy.

When Song Qi saw the many things Chu Yue had laid out, he immediately reached out to help. “Sister-in-law, you bought so much! That’s heavy — let me help you—”

“I’ve got it.”

Lu Zhanlin extended his arm and stopped Song Qi.

He bent down and gathered all of Chu Yue’s things, full hands, then looked up at her. His expression softened, eyes gentle and calm — the coldness from moments before was gone.

“Is this everything? Anything else? I’ll carry it for you.”

He made it very clear — if there was more, he wouldn’t mind carrying all of it.

Chu Yue knew exactly what Lu Zhanlin was doing — this was his way of standing up for her. As a man, he couldn’t argue with the wives directly, so this was how he expressed himself.

She appreciated it.

Chu Yue only had a few light items left on her — easy to carry.

She smiled and said, “That’s all. Let’s get in the car — the baby’s still waiting at home for us.”