Chapter 16.1

Liu Meili walked in and immediately took a stroll around the living room, her gaze surveying the house’s structure as if this was her own house.

In the end, she returned to Wen Nuan’s side and revealed a broad grin, saying, “Comrade Wen, I know you must think I’m quite rude for saying this. However, I have my reasons, and I can explain everything to you.”

Wen Nuan frowned slightly, her first impression of this person not being very favorable.

She clearly understood that it was impolite to behave this way, yet she still made such an outrageous request.

Who gave her the courage?

Did she think she could bully her just because she was new here?

Wen Nuan looked at her with a blank expression, choosing not to respond.

After all, she was still a guest at the door; she did not want to start off her first day by creating conflict.

Moreover, she had not introduced herself yet, but Liu Meili already knew her name, which likely meant she had already inquired about her situation.

Liu Meili was clearly thick-skinned as she rested one hand on the eight-immortal table in the living room and rubbed her fingers across its surface.

“Actually, I was the first one to apply for this house. My family’s Old Chen was promoted to Commander earlier this year, so we were entitled to reapply for a house, and I applied for this one. At that time, Zheng Wei was also ready to approve our application to move here. However, just then, your Deputy Commander Gu suddenly said he wanted to bring his family along to the military compound.”

Her words implied that the house should rightfully belong to her, which made Wen Nuan feel even more uncomfortable.

Moreover, she had deliberately mentioned the titles of “Commander” and “Deputy Commander.” What did that mean?

Did she really think that having a higher position gave her the right to force her to change houses?

Although Gu Qinghan’s request to bring her family along had been somewhat sudden, it had gone through multiple approvals, and there had been no violations of any regulations—everything had been strictly executed according to the organization’s arrangements.

Wen Nuan revealed a faint smile as she looked at her. “Sister-in-law, you just said it was “ready to approve,’ which means it hasn’t been approved yet. Yet your earlier comments made it sound as if I had snatched your house away. That’s not quite appropriate, is it? My family and I have also moved in according to the organization’s arrangements, and the house allocation went through multiple approvals.”

Liu Meili did not expect Wen Nuan to be so sharp-tongued, so she smiled and replied, “Oh dear, you misunderstood my words! Having new family members join our Air Force family compound is naturally something to celebrate. I’m really looking forward to becoming friends with you, Comrade Wen.”

“Honestly, I’m a tough person; it doesn’t matter to me what kind of house I live in. I’m not the type to insist on living in a good house. However, we do have three children now, and there’s just not enough space for everyone. I was just thinking, Comrade Wen, you and Deputy Commander Gu only have one child right now, and he’s still so young. In a couple of years, when Deputy Commander Gu gets promoted, you’ll also be able to apply for a bigger house. Who knows, maybe you’ll even qualify for a three-bedroom or four-bedroom place by then.”

Wen Nuan had never encountered someone so thick-skinned before; she frowned and asked, “What if I say I don’t want to switch?”

Liu Meili seemed to anticipate Wen Nuan’s refusal and smiled as she replied, “I know my request is quite excessive, so it’s normal for you not to want to switch. But don’t worry, our house is not a bad one. The house I’m currently living in is also a row house made of red bricks, right in the first row. When I first moved in, I found the rooms too small, so I knocked down a wall to make another room. Now it’s just one room, and with so many kids, we can’t all fit. But for your family of three, it would be just perfect. Plus, we’ve set up a heated bed in the room, and it’s so warm to sleep on at night.”

Liu Meili continued trying to persuade Wen Nuan, speaking rapidly as if her words were gunfire. “I know you and Deputy Commander Gu came from G Province, and you probably don’t realize how cold the winters are in Northern Military District. If you don’t have a heated bed at night, it’s really tough. You won’t be able to sleep well, and how will your Deputy Commander train during the day?”

When listening to her words, one might think you would gain a significant advantage!

If it were really that good, how could Liu Meili still want to change houses?

Wen Nuan had never met someone so eloquent before; she raised an eyebrow and her tone grew cold. “Sister-in-law, since you came to ask for my opinion, I’ll repeat myself: I don’t want to switch.”

“If you really want to live in this house, you could actually go to the organization and request a reassignment. If the organization agrees to allocate this house to you, neither Gu Qinghan nor I will have any objections. We will absolutely comply with the arrangement!”

She hadn’t stolen or snatched it; this house had been allocated to her family’s Gu Qinghan, and she liked it very much.

Whoever came to ask, she wasn’t will never switch!

Liu Meili’s expression changed slightly as she thought to herself, if she could get the organization to reassign her, would she need to come here with such a thick skin?

However, she hadn’t expected that the seemingly gentle and fragile Wen Nuan would be so resolute. Liu Meili’s expression stiffened for a moment, and finally, she said, “Alright then, since your attitude is so firm, I won’t pursue this matter any further. I hope you won’t take this to heart; we all live in the same family compound, and we’ll see each other often. I don’t want to disrupt our unity.”

Wen Nuan picked up on Liu Meili’s intentions. Not only had her request for a house been denied, but she also seemed to want to paint her as someone who held grudges and disrupted the harmony of the unit.

What a fine example of a green tea person!

Well, she could be even more of a green tea person!

Wen Nuan held her child, smiled at Liu Meili, and softened her voice, saying, “Sister-in-law, as long as you don’t hold it against me, how could I possibly take it to heart? I just arrived here, and my child is still small. I haven’t even had a chance to offer you a cup of water, so I hope you won’t mind. In the future, I’ll have many things to consult with you, Sister-in-law!”

Liu Meili looked at the gentle and harmless Wen Nuan, and her discomfort deepened. She found an excuse to go home to cook and left.

As soon as Liu Meili stepped out, a strange figure appeared at Wen Nuan’s doorstep. She stood there, peering into Wen Nuan’s house until Wen Nuan finally noticed her and spoke up. “Are you the new military wife? Oh, I live next door; you can call me Sister Zhang.”

Wen Nuan nodded toward her. “Hello, Sister Zhang. My name is Wen Nuan, and I’m Gu Qinghan’s partner. Please, come in.”

Sister Zhang stepped inside and glanced around Wen Nuan’s house. Then she looked at Wen Nuan, her eyes widening slightly as she involuntarily exclaimed, “Sister, you’re really beautiful! I’ve never seen a girl as pretty and graceful as you.”

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Thank you, Sister Zhang. You sure know how to flatter!”

Sister Zhang said, “I know your Gu Qinghan; the news of your arrival has already spread throughout the family compound. Since you’ve just arrived in the Northern Military District, you probably haven’t stocked up on supplies yet. I brought you a few potatoes and carrots.” With that, she placed several large potatoes and carrots on the eight-immortal table eight-immortal table. ^[1]The eight-immortal table is a traditional Chinese square wooden table, often used for dining. It typically has four legs and is large enough to seat eight people, one on each side. The name is also … Continue reading

Wen Nuan was a bit taken aback by her kindness—there were still plenty of good-hearted people in the world. “Thank you, Sister Zhang. I haven’t even gotten the stove started yet or boiled any water; I feel really embarrassed not even having a cup of tea prepared for you.”

Sister Zhang smiled and replied, “No worries, no worries. It’s inconvenient for you with the child around. Besides, I live next door—there’s plenty of time to come over for tea!” She paused for a moment before curiously asking, “Was that Liu Meili who just came to see you?”

Wen Nuan nodded but didn’t mention the matter of switching houses.

Before Wen Nuan could respond, Sister Zhang snorted, “That Liu Meili must have come to ask you about switching houses, right?”

Wen Nuan paused slightly; since her guess had been spot on, it was hard to deny it.

Wen Nuan admitted. “She came to ask about it.”

Sister Zhang let out a cold laugh. “I knew that Liu Meili would come to find you. Don’t let her fool you; she’s just taking advantage of the fact that you’re new here and don’t know better!

The kitchen in her house caught fire and that heated bed? Who knows how many times it has collapsed from the kids jumping on it! Zheng Wei told her back in June that she should move to the middle house in the third row, but she complained about being stuck in the middle and refused to move.

Don’t listen to her nonsense about this house being allocated to her; that’s not true at all!”

Wen Nuan frowned; she had nearly believed everything Liu Meili had said.

Sister Zhang added: “Just feel free to live here. This house was originally allocated to you, but your husband took a long time to respond about bringing family along, so Liu Meili set her sights on it.”

When Sister Zhang said this, her expression was filled with anger. She then asked with concern, “You didn’t agree to switch with her, did you?”

Wen Nuan smiled. “Not at all?”

“This was arranged by the organization. Qinghan and I must comply; it’s impossible to switch with her.”

Sister Zhang’s expression softened a little upon hearing Wen Nuan say they hadn’t exchanged houses. “That’s good. Since you just arrived, there are many people you’re not familiar with. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

“Okay, I might need to bother you often in the future, sister-in-law.”

“No problem, no problem! I’m right next door, so just call out if you need anything.” Sister Zhang glanced at the little one Wen Nuan was holding. It was her first time seeing such a beautiful, soft child, so she curiously looked a bit longer. “Is it a girl?”

“Mm, it’s a girl.”

“You can tell it’s a girl at first glance!” Sister Zhang, finding the little one adorable, teased her a bit and laughed. “Girls are the best! They’re like little warm jackets for their parents. Oh my, so cute, she’s not crying or making a fuss, and she’s so chubby! She hasn’t weaned yet, has she?”

Speaking of children, the two began discussing parenting experiences. They got into it and sat on the chairs, slowly chatting away.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, as Liu Meili stepped out of Wen Nuan’s house, two military wives gathered around her outside.

Huang Yueying asked, “Meili, how did it go? Is that newcomer willing to switch with you?”

“They haven’t even packed their bags yet. It’d be best to switch now; after all, aren’t all the houses made of red bricks? They’re all the same size.”

Liu Meili pouted her tone a bit off. “Don’t even mention it. I’ve talked so much my mouth feels dry, but she still doesn’t want to switch.”

“Hey, you’re making me feel embarrassed. It’s as if switching houses is me trying to take advantage of her. But my family has a kang, too. I invested over a hundred yuan back then, and I wouldn’t be shortchanging her!”

A military wife named Tian Chunmei said, “No worries. That newcomer probably can’t make the decision anyway. Why don’t you go home and have Captain Chen discuss it with Deputy Gu?”

Hearing this, Liu Meili nodded, thinking there was some truth to it.

However, she soon realized that her husband, Old Chen, probably wouldn’t bring this up with Gu Qinghan. If he had been willing to speak to Zheng Wei back then, that house would have been theirs long ago. Why would they still be waiting now?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. The house she had originally planned to move into was suddenly off the table because Gu Qinghan unexpectedly decided to bring his family along.

Why did he choose to bring them now, just as the year-end housing assignments were happening? It was such bad luck!

Huang Yueying glanced at Liu Meili as she walked away and whispered, “It seems that newcomer doesn’t know how to handle people. Liu Meili is the wife of the regiment commander; she should at least show some respect to her.”

Tian Chunmei scoffed and replied with a sarcastic remark: “Then why don’t you offer your house to her? Honestly, Liu Meili is just taking things for granted. It’s not like her house is about to collapse and can’t accommodate anyone.”

Huang Yueying pouted and said nothing.

She thought to herself that if Liu Meili had any interest in her house, she would definitely let it go!

The newcomer just didn’t know how to handle things.

Huang Yueying glanced in the direction of Wen Nuan’s house and saw that the wooden door had already closed. She then said, “Forget it, let’s just go home and cook. It’s not our business anyway.”

—o—o—o—