Chapter 22: Standing Up for Her

Zhou Jinchuan watched the two leave with a trace of impatience between his brows.

These troublemakers were no longer fit to stay in the unit. If it were up to his old temper, he would have decisively gotten rid of them.

However, Su Yi had previously mentioned that they couldn’t leave just yet, and they shouldn’t be separated. Especially Bai Ruolin, who still had significant use.

Though Zhou Jinchuan didn’t fully understand the specifics, he felt it was necessary to act this way. Bai Ruolin’s impact in the cultural troupe was minimal anyway. As for Qin Yunfeng, he would keep an eye on him and wouldn’t assign him important tasks to prevent any further damage to the unit.

…

As soon as Bai Ruolin was out the door, she immediately grabbed Qin Yunfeng and asked in confusion, “Brother Qin, why didn’t you argue back? He only heard Su Yi’s side of the story.”

Qin Yunfeng shook his head helplessly. “I don’t think Su Yi has that much influence. It’s probably the previous incident that made Colonel Zhou unhappy and biased against us.”

Although Qin Yunfeng also had a vague sense that Zhou Jinchuan was standing up for Su Yi, he was reluctant to believe it. That’s why he was trying to reassure Bai Ruolin.

As soon as they finished speaking, they heard a familiar voice from the hallway, “Oh, what are you saying behind my back? What do you mean I don’t have that much ability?”

Su Yi had specifically chosen the time when Zhou Jinchuan was in his office to visit Commissar Wang. She wanted to ask for a recommendation letter or some document to prove that she wasn’t just an idle drifter. This would also save her from feeling uneasy every time she went out.

With Zhou Jinchuan around, Commissar Wang would be more likely to cooperate.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked in, she ran into these two in the hallway.

And it looked like the two had just come out of Zhou Jinchuan’s office, their faces as if they had suffered a great loss.

This made Su Yi quite happy. “Did you two get scolded?”

Bai Ruolin was already fuming. Seeing Su Yi come to gloat only reinforced her suspicions. She wanted to say something but was afraid of being overheard by Zhou Jinchuan.

So, she just shot Su Yi a resentful glance.

Qin Yunfeng looked at her silently and said in a neutral tone, “Su Yi, what brings you here?”

Su Yi snorted. “I’m here to see Commissar Wang. By the way, have you two paid back the money you owe him?”

Hearing this, Bai Ruolin stomped her foot in frustration and left.

Qin Yunfeng, reflecting on Zhou Jinchuan’s earlier attitude, couldn’t help but glance at Su Yi again. Was Zhou Jinchuan really so angry because of Su Yi?

Was their relationship really as straightforward as it seemed?

As Bai Ruolin walked a few steps away, she noticed that Qin Yunfeng hadn’t followed her. Turning around, she saw him gazing at Su Yi with what seemed like deep emotion.

Her anger surged, and she snapped, “Deputy Company Commander Qin, didn’t you say you had something else to do?”

Qin Yunfeng snapped out of his daze and hurried to catch up.

Su Yi smirked and turned to knock on Political Commissar Wang’s office door.

As she had expected, Political Commissar Wang readily wrote her a letter of recommendation. After finishing, he made a show of chatting with her. “Comrade Su, from the first time I saw you, I thought you were a good person. It seems you’ve caught Colonel Zhou’s attention. Are you planning to stay for good?”

Su Yi smiled back, playing along. “Political Commissar Wang, you flatter me. I don’t know how I caught the kids’ attention, but Colonel Zhou is just showing care for the martyrs’ children, which is why he agreed to let me stay.”

Political Commissar Wang twitched his lips. “You’re right. They are the children of our martyrs, so you must take good care of them.”

“Political Commissar Wang, please rest assured that I will take good care of them.”

Political Commissar Wang’s eyelid twitched. Was he really that old?

“Cough, Comrade Su, there is one more thing. Since you’re staying, try not to bring up any previous personal matters with Deputy Company Commander Qin and Comrade Bai. It would be best if you three could get along peacefully from now on.”

Su Yi blinked. “Political Commissar Wang, I genuinely feel the same way. However, they seem to dislike me and constantly cause trouble. It’s one thing for them to accuse me of stealing children in the courtyard before.”

“But just now, when I ran into them in the hallway and tried to greet them, I innocently asked if they had repaid you, and they responded with glaring and stomping their feet. It really scared me!”

“My only flaw is that I’m too timid. If they continue to treat me like this, I won’t even dare to greet them in the future.”

After hearing this, Political Commissar Wang felt his facial muscles twitch. “Comrade Su, don’t worry. I’ll have a good talk with them when I have the chance.”

“Great! With your assurance, I can relax. Thank you! I won’t keep you any longer!”

As Su Yi left Political Commissar Wang’s office, she couldn’t help but stop when she passed by Zhou Jinchuan’s office.

She was curious about what Zhou Jinchuan had called those two people for earlier. Not daring to inquire about his work, she couldn’t resist peeking inside.

Before she could see anything, she was caught red-handed.

“Come in.”

Su Yi steeled herself and stepped inside, greeting awkwardly, “Colonel Zhou.”

Zhou Jinchuan continued to look at the documents on his desk without lifting his head. “Do you need something?”

Su Yi cleared her throat. “Not really. I was just here to get a certificate from Political Commissar Wang and happened to pass by. I was just wondering—”

Su Yi tried to make conversation. “Colonel Zhou, are you going on any missions soon?”

Zhou Jinchuan finally looked up at her and replied, “I shouldn’t be going out for a while.”

Su Yi nodded. “That’s good to hear. By the way, Colonel Zhou, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Go ahead.”

Su Yi quickly explained her tea egg-selling business and then added, “Colonel Zhou, don’t worry. I only go out for an hour or two each day to sell them, and I always come back right after. It won’t interfere with taking care of the two kids.”

Zhou Jinchuan was already aware of her tea egg-selling from Ye Xiaowu, so he wasn’t surprised.

Moreover, every time Su Yi went out, she took Ye Nuannuan with her, never leaving her alone at home.

This was a significant improvement compared to Liu Dajie, who only came by at mealtimes and otherwise ignored them.

Zhou Jinchuan thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. “I understand. As long as you ensure the kids get three meals a day, that’s fine. I’ll also make it a point to visit them frequently.”

Seeing his agreement, Su Yi was overjoyed. “Thank you, Colonel Zhou! We’re having Zhajiangmian ^[1]Zhajiangmian, commonly translated as “noodles served with fried bean sauce”, is a dish of Chinese origin consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with zhajiang, a fermented soybean-based … Continue reading for dinner tonight. Will you come back to join us?”

Zhou Jinchuan replied with a simple “Alright.”

“Then, I’ll leave you to your work. See you tonight!”

[He’s not exactly a fan of noodles, is he? Looks like people can’t always be polite.]

Zhou Jinchuan: ……