Chapter 128: Troublesome Neighbors

Xu Hongqin could tell that Li Xinyue was being sincere.

“What are you talking about?” she said, feigning annoyance.

“If it wasn’t for Captain Chen’s help all these years, how could my old Li have lived so comfortably?”

“See this house I live in?

“There was only this one left, the smallest one, and nobody wanted it. Captain Chen saw that our family really couldn’t fit, so he went to the leaders and helped us get this one from Captain Zhao who had just transferred out.”

“Xiao Li, you don’t know how many people were envious and jealous back then, saying he was using his connections!”

“We can never forget this kindness from Captain Chen!”

The Li family had combined two apartments, so they had a living room, three bedrooms, two kitchens, and two courtyards.

Of course, this house wasn’t something you could just ask for.

Chen Mingchuan had been on a mission abroad for three years, and all the training in the camp fell on Li Jianshan.

He was practically dedicated to his work, working almost non-stop.

Moreover, Li Jianshan’s sick mother came to stay that year, and they had no space for her.

Just as Captain Zhao was transferring out, Chen Mingchuan took the opportunity to ask the division commander to help him get this house.

To say he used his connections, he did use them a little.

Generally speaking, only regiment-level cadres could live in such combined apartments.

Li Jianshan was a deputy regiment-level cadre, and he was the only one in the entire division who lived in such a two-apartment house.

Therefore, the couple was very grateful to Chen Mingchuan.

Li Xinyue had already heard Chen Mingchuan talk about this, so she laughed and said, “This is what Deputy Regiment Li deserves, your father-in-law wasn’t playing favorites.”

“Sister-in-law, come over for dinner later, call me, okay?”

Xu Hongqin really liked the generous and polite Li Xinyue, and she kept saying, “Okay, okay, I’ll call you later.”

While they were laughing and chatting, things were chaotic on the other side.

Sun Weigang was called back, and seeing the situation at home, he sat silently in the living room without saying a word…

How could they live like this?

“Sun Weigang, let’s get a divorce!”

Song Mei cried and sobbed, she felt that they couldn’t go on like this.

Sun Weigang and Song Mei grew up on the same street, although he was three years older than her, they were practically childhood sweethearts.

He knew that Song Mei wasn’t being serious, and he had feelings for his wife.

The problem was his mother.

But his mother only had him, her only son… and she was an illiterate woman from the countryside.

Back then, if his father hadn’t been able to find a wife, he wouldn’t have married her.

But no matter how bad she was, she was still his mother!

“Meimei, are you really willing to leave me?”

“Do you remember how hard it was for us to get married back then?”

Of course, she remembered!

Back then, the Song family was much better off than the Sun family, and Song Mei’s uncle wanted her to marry his subordinate.

But Song Mei was determined to marry Sun Weigang, she wouldn’t marry anyone else.

The two families had a big fight back then, and Song Mei almost broke with her parents to marry him, saying that if she couldn’t marry Sun Weigang, she would become a nun.

Her parents only had one daughter, of course they couldn’t bear to let her go.

After marrying Sun Weigang, seeing that he was truly good to her, her uncle even transferred her from the frontline worker position at the fertilizer factory to the school as a logistics worker.

Although the work was not easy, the work environment was cleaner, and her reputation was better.

“Wuwuwu, she’s always like this, what am I supposed to do?”

“Not having children, is it all my fault?”

“Sun Weigang, the doctor said we’re both fine!”

“But she just blames me for it, how am I supposed to live like this?”

“Fine, even if I can’t have children, go find someone who can!”

Indeed, they went to the Provincial First Hospital, and the experts there said they were both fine, they just needed to relax.

But could they relax in this home?

Sun Weigang thought for a moment and went to talk to his mother: “Mom, can you go back and live for a few months?”

Auntie Sun refused.

Although she had food rations, she didn’t have a job and only received ten yuan from her son every month.

She had only one son but four daughters.

If she went back, wouldn’t she be laughed at by her daughters-in-law?

She had a son who was a soldier, and her daughters-in-law were envious of her!

“Wuwuwu… they say raising a son is for old age, to protect you in your old age.”

“But I’m raising a son who doesn’t want his mother!”

“Wuwuwu… it’s clearly because she can’t give birth, you think I don’t know?”

“What do you mean their bodies are both fine? Who are you trying to fool?”

“If they were both fine, would they not have children?”

“It must be Song Mei’s fault, you’re just bewitched by her!”

“Gang’er, if you drive me back, I’ll die!”

Auntie Sun sat at the entrance of her house, crying and wiping her tears.

The sound was so loud that it could probably be heard by half the family compound.

When Li Xinyue went to Qian Sanni’s house with a piece of meat weighing about two pounds and two pounds of ribs, Auntie Sun was still sobbing.

“Where did you get so much meat?”

Li Xinyue thought Auntie Sun’s eyes weren’t that sharp, after all, she was still crying.

But she didn’t expect Auntie’s eyes to be much sharper than she imagined!

As soon as she saw the meat, she even forgot to cry!

Li Xinyue ignored her and went straight to Qian Sanni’s house.

But Auntie Sun wouldn’t let it go and chased after her: “Hey, Battalion Commander Chen’s wife, where did you buy the meat?”

“Did your husband’s camp slaughter a pig?”

Li Xinyue coldly threw back a sentence: “No.”

The military service store also sold meat, but only once every three days, and you needed a ticket.

At this moment, Auntie  Sun’s heart and eyes were completely filled with meat, she didn’t hear this sentence and immediately ran back into her house.

“Gang’er, Gang’er, the military service store has meat for sale, go quickly!”

Sun Weigang glanced at Song Mei: “I’ll go buy some meat back, it’s been a long time since we’ve had meat.”

The school provided lunch, so they could eat their fill of rice, but eating meat was really not possible.

Song Mei also craved meat.

Although she was a public servant at the school, her salary was a few yuan higher than those working in the army factories.

“Hmm, the money is in the usual place, take it yourself.”

Sun Weigang took the money and left quickly.

“Xinyue, I’m embarrassed to accept this.”

Li Xinyue laughed: “What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s not a gift, you can take it if it’s for you.”

This was meat!

Qian Sanni swallowed: “If I take it, I’ll feel pressured.”

“Pfft!”

Li Xinyue burst out laughing: “What pressure? Pressure from a pound of meat? Sanni, your stress resistance can’t be that low, can it?”

“Just take it if it’s for you, it’s not like you get it every day, what’s there to be pressured about?”

There was no way, Qian Sanni had to accept it.

“Wait a minute.”

Li Xinyue looked up at her: “What? Are you going to give me money?”

Qian Sanni put down the meat, opened the cabinet door under the cupboard, and took out a bag from the cabinet: “I grew some soybeans, take some back to try.”

“Here’s a bowl for you, you can stir-fry it as a snack.”

“By the way, do you know how to stir-fry? I have some stir-fried ones, you can try them first, if you know how to stir-fry, then stir-fry it yourself, if you don’t, I’ll stir-fry it for you.”

In this era, if you had stir-fried soybeans as a snack, you would have to be a wealthy family.

Li Xinyue took a handful of stir-fried soybeans and tasted them: “Just stir-fried with salt? I know how to do it, even if I can’t stir-fry well, my Chen Mingchuan will.”

Speaking of Chen Mingchuan, Qian Sanni said sincerely: “Xinyue, you’re so lucky, you married such a good husband.”

Her husband is good?

Li Xinyue: “…”