Chapter 57 : Two Perfect Matches

“Comrade Lu, are you coming to take a shower?”

“Ah… Yeah.”  

Lu Fangfang was carrying an enamel basin and had just reached the entrance of the bathhouse when she happened to run into Xu Jinbu.  

Recalling the gossip she had just heard from her sisters-in-law, she carefully observed the man in front of her.  

Xu Jinbu looked very pleased with himself. His hair was shiny, and he wore a crisp, spotless white shirt without a single wrinkle.  

To be honest, Lu Fangfang felt he had a bit of a “pretty boy” vibe.  

He looked good, but he didn’t quite fit the military camp atmosphere, especially when compared to the other soldiers passing by, which only made the contrast more striking.  

“Comrade Xiao Lu, what’s wrong?”

Noticing that Lu Fangfang was staring at him, Xu Jinbu adjusted his glasses and glanced down at himself.  

“No, it’s nothing. I just feel that Comrade Xu seems a little different from before.”  

“Hmm? Maybe it’s just because I just took a shower.”  

Xu Jinbu was momentarily stunned, then quickly plastered a fake smile on his face again.  

He reminded himself that his marriage wasn’t finalized yet, so he shouldn’t act too high-profile.  

Just as Xu Jinbu was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something.  

“By the way, Comrade Xiao Lu, when will you and Battalion Commander Zhuang get married?”  

Uh…  

“Mingcheng said we’ll go register once he comes back.”  

Xu Jinbu’s smile grew wider.  

“Comrade Xiao Lu, congratulations! I will definitely attend your wedding.”  

“Thank you, and you’re welcome to come.”  

Lu Fangfang forced a smile and agreed.  

To be honest, although Xu Jinbu was smiling, she always felt that he was cold and calculating.  

Especially after hearing about Xiao Ting’s ordeal, she suspected even more that he was the one who sent the complaint letter.  

After all, as the saying goes whoever benefits the most is the most suspicious.  

“Then, Comrade Xiao Lu, I’ll take my leave. We’ll meet again if we get the chance.”  

Lu Fangfang smiled and nodded.  

Watching Xu Jinbu walk away, she suddenly thought of Xiao Ting.  

If Xu Jinbu really was the one who reported Xiao Ting, then the two of them were quite the “match.”  

Both of her former love rivals had found their partners, which put Lu Fangfang in a much better mood.  

Humming a little tune, she strode into the bathhouse.  

She scrubbed herself thoroughly until she smelled fresh and clean, then returned to the family compound.  

By then, night had already fallen.  

Just as she reached her doorstep, she saw a dark figure standing there.  

Startled, she immediately shouted, *”Who’s there?”  

“Comrade Lu, it’s me, Gao Dajiang.”  

Gao Dajiang sighed helplessly and raised his arm, shaking the empty plate in his hand.  

“Comrade Lu, I brought your plate back. Thank you for the fried fish, it was delicious.”  

“Don’t worry, our family compound is very safe. Nothing ever goes missing here.”  

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lu Fangfang quickly walked over and took the plate.  

Still puzzled, she curiously asked, “Where’s Sister Shuhua? I waited for a while this morning, but she didn’t come over.”  

Uh…  

Gao Dajiang’s face turned red, and he seemed a little uncomfortable.  

“Your sister-in-law Shuhua has gone back to the art troupe.”  

After handing over the plate, Gao Dajiang turned to leave, but then he suddenly asked, “By the way, Comrade Lu, what’s your education level? Do you have any talent for singing or dancing?”  

Lu Fangfang was stunned for a moment, then her heart began to race.  

From the way he asked, it sounded like the commander was considering introducing her to a job, maybe in the art troupe? That was a highly desirable unit.  

Taking a deep breath, Lu Fangfang hesitated.  

She couldn’t reveal her actual education level from her past life, so she could only reply, “Primary school…”

Seeing that Gao Dajiang seemed a little disappointed, she quickly said, “But I taught myself junior high and high school knowledge. I haven’t learned to dance, but singing is… okay.”  

“Self-taught? Very good. Alright, Comradeo Lu, it’s getting late. You should go home soon.”  

After speaking, Gao Dajiang turned and left.  

“…”  

Lu Fangfang opened her mouth but, in the end, didn’t call out to the team leader. After all, she was only guessing.  

Standing there, she felt anxious and uneasy.  

She suddenly felt a little regretful. Should she have just said she had only self-studied junior high school material?  

After all, to outsiders, claiming to have self-studied high school knowledge might seem a bit arrogant.  

“Ah, a blessing in disguise. Chaos is about to break out. The family compound is a paradise on earth, much safer than the art troupe.”  

Lu Fangfang adjusted her mood and carried the basin home.  

Standing in the yard, she could still smell the rich aroma of fried fish. She perked up her ears and noticed that the room next door had fallen completely silent.  

At this time, Yang Yufeng should be eating, right?  

“Ah.”  

Lu Fangfang rubbed her arms and hurried into the house.  

Her fluctuating emotions made her even hungrier, so she washed some rice and prepared to cook porridge.  

There were still some steamed buns left from yesterday, so she put them in the steamer to heat them up.  

—  

Next door.  

Yang Yufeng’s family sat together at the table.  

In the middle of the table were two plates of fried fish, which everyone was eating with big bites.  

“Mom, it tastes bitter.”  

The eldest daughter took a bite, her little face scrunching up.  

“Mom, your cooking isn’t good. Tiedan said that the aunt from the east makes fried fish that’s crispy and crunchy.”  

Sitting beside her, Yang Yufen’s son, Erbao, was also full of complaints.  

He chewed a bit, then pulled a tiny fish bone out of his mouth.  

“Pah, how much oil do you think she used? We can’t afford that. You two should just be grateful there’s something to eat. Chew carefully, it’s fine.”  

Yang Yufen also felt that the taste was a little off.  

But it was still much better than boiled cabbage at least there was oil and meat.  

She picked up a few small fish, chewed them thoroughly, and then lowered her head to feed them to her youngest son.  

“Waahhh…”  

“You’re so unlucky. If you don’t want to eat, then don’t!”  

Seeing her youngest son start crying, Yang Yufen curled her lips and swallowed the pre-chewed fish herself.  

“Listen, you two. We don’t have much oil at home, so we could only fry the fish this time. You won’t be eating this again anytime soon.”  

As soon as Yang Yufen said that, Daniu and Erbao stopped complaining about the fish’s bitterness or mushiness. Instead, they hurriedly grabbed their chopsticks and fought for more.  

“Slow down, slow down!”  

Seeing the two of them gobbling up the food, Yang Yufen finally felt a sense of satisfaction.  

It took too much oil to fry small fish, so she didn’t plan on making it again anytime soon.  

But she still had to catch more fish. She happened to have some beef bones she had secretly taken from Lu Fangfang, so she needed to make good use of them catch more fish, dry them, and feed them to the hens at home.  

“Hey, you two little gluttons, leave some for me!”  

Yang Yufen knocked away her daughter’s chopsticks and grabbed the biggest fish for herself.  

The fish’s belly was bulging, as if it was full of roe. She smiled and stuffed it into her mouth.  

“Ugh, what’s that smell?”  

Yang Yufen frowned and nearly spat it out.  

But thinking of how much effort she had put into frying it, she forced down the nausea and swallowed it.