Chapter 90 : The Commander Comes to Eat Watermelon  

After returning home, Fang Xiaoluo and Zheng Lanhua loaded the remaining fruit onto a cart. Fang Xiaoluo also brought along a chopping board and a knife to help slice the melons later.  

Zheng Lanhua asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”  

Fang Xiaoluo thought for a moment. “I’ll ask Haiping if he wants to go. If he does, we can all go together.”  

Before she could ask, Shen Haiping stepped out of the room and tugged at Fang Xiaoluo’s sleeve.  

She gently ruffled his hair. “Let’s go share some fruit with everyone, okay?”  

Shen Haiping looked up at her, the sunlight highlighting his delicate, porcelain-like features. Slowly, his eyes grew clearer.  

To her surprise, Shen Haiping uttered a soft, “Okay.”  

Fang Xiaoluo was delighted by his response.  

Zheng Lanhua, watching silently, sighed with relief. Shen Haiping’s condition was improving steadily. If this continued, she believed he would fully recover one day, all thanks to Fang Xiaoluo.  

Fang Xiaoluo handed Haiping a slice of melon before lifting him into the cart. Then, she and Zheng Lanhua began pushing the cart out.  

They found a spot under a large tree at the intersection of a main road, where many people passed by. It seemed like an ideal place to share the fruits.  

As they were setting up, arranging the fruits but not yet putting up the sign, someone approached them.  

“Hey, sister, are you setting up a stall to sell fruit in the compound?”  

The voice belonged to Liu Qianru, her tone laced with sarcasm despite the smile on her face.  

Fang Xiaoluo glanced at her sideways, then turned to Zheng Lanhua. “Mom, did you hear someone speaking just now?”  

Zheng Lanhua, who strongly disliked Liu Qianru, was sitting on a small stool and fanning herself. She replied without missing a beat, “I didn’t hear any speaking, but I did hear something loud, like farting.”  

Liu Qianru’s face turned red with anger.  

This old woman is impossible to deal with! she thought.  

Liu Qianru had tried repeatedly to curry favor with Shen Zheng’s mother, but it was clear that the old lady was completely taken with Fang Xiaoluo.  

Fang Xiaoluo chuckled, amused. “Mom, your way with words is incredible. It’s true what they say, wisdom comes with age. I still have so much to learn from you.”  

“That’s right,” Zheng Lanhua replied. “You should keep learning.”  

Liu Qianru swallowed her frustration and forced a smile. “Sister, I know you misunderstand me, but I have to remind you that selling things is not allowed in the military compound. If everyone followed your example, what would happen?  

“Even if you’re short of money, you can’t do something that would disgrace Captain Shen.”  

Fang Xiaoluo didn’t want to waste her time arguing. She had already rebuffed Liu Qianru once, but the woman kept going on and on.  

Just as she was about to retort, a military vehicle suddenly pulled up in front of her stall.  

Fang Xiaoluo wasn’t familiar with military vehicles, but Liu Qianru clearly was. She had spent three years in the art troupe and knew everything about the military region.  

Two men stepped out of the car. They carried themselves with authority and appeared to be around fifty years old.  

Recognizing them instantly, Liu Qianru stood at attention and saluted. “Commander Ling! Chief of Staff Ding!”  

Fang Xiaoluo quickly ran through the titles in her mind and realized these men were likely Ling Zhen, the commander of the military region, and Ding Changguo, the chief of staff.  

Though Ling Zhen and Ding Changguo didn’t know Liu Qianru personally, they returned her salute out of protocol.  

Ling Zhen walked up to Fang Xiaoluo’s cart and asked, “Comrade, what are you doing?”

Before Fang Xiaoluo could reply, Liu Qianru quickly interjected, “Commander Ling, this is the wife of Commander Shen of the 3rd Regiment of the 105th Division. She… she might be short of money, so she set up a stall. Commander Ling, please don’t hold it against her. She’s only recently joined our military region.”

Fang Xiaoluo was amazed by how fast Liu Qianru spoke, like a machine gun.

Ling Zhen paused and thought for a moment. “The 105th Division, 3rd Regiment, Shen Zheng’s wife?”

Liu Qianru confirmed, “Reporting to Commander Ling, yes, her name is Fang Xiaoluo.”

Fang Xiaoluo pulled out a piece of cardboard with writing on it and placed it on the cart. “Commander Ling, Chief of Staff Ding, I believe there’s a misunderstanding here. My mother-in-law and I are simply delivering fruit to everyone. We’re not setting up a stall to make money.”

The three of them turned to look where Fang Xiaoluo was pointing. On the cardboard, there was a neatly written message: “To all officers and soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 105th Division: Please enjoy some fruit to cool off!”**

Ling Zhen became intrigued. “So, you’re giving this fruit away for free to everyone?”

Fang Xiaoluo smiled as she cut a watermelon with her knife. “Yes, Commander Ling, Chief of Staff Ding, please have a slice of watermelon to cool off.”

As Ling Zhen and Ding Changguo each took a slice of watermelon, Zheng Lanhua also handed a slice to the driver. Liu Qianru was utterly dumbfounded.

‘Fang Xiaoluo must have planned this all along! Why didn’t she say anything even though I asked her so many times? Now look, she’s embarrassing me on purpose!’

Ding Changguo took a bite of the watermelon and laughed. “This watermelon is really sweet. It’s not easy being a military family member. Coming out in the heat to distribute fruit shows great sincerity.”

Fang Xiaoluo smiled and said, “Since you like it, Commander, how about another slice?”

Ling Zhen waved his hand. “No, no, save it for the others. Sharing it is already refreshing enough. Old Ding and I are lucky to have enjoyed this treat today.”

Ding Changguo noticed a little boy sitting quietly under a tree, resting his chin on his hands while watching Fang Xiaoluo intently. He asked casually, “Is that your child?”

Fang Xiaoluo nodded. “Yes, that’s my son, Shen Haiping. He’s six this year.”

Ling Zhen and Ding Changguo exchanged a knowing look. Everyone in the military region knew that Shen Zheng had brought back three children.

Ding Changguo smiled. “He’s a lovely boy and seems very well-behaved.”

Fang Xiaoluo beamed. “Yes, Chief of Staff, he’s very well-behaved, and he draws beautifully too.”

Ling Zhen smiled as well. “Fang Xiaoluo, right? I’ll remember you. Shen Zheng is excellent, and his wife is even better.”

Ding Changguo turned to Liu Qianru and remarked, “It seems this comrade truly misunderstood you.”

Fang Xiaoluo nodded. “Chief of Staff Ding, you’re absolutely right. I don’t know her well, and she speaks so fast that I couldn’t stop her even if I tried.”

Liu Qianru bit her lip in frustration, unable to defend herself.

As Ling Zhen and Ding Changguo drove off, Liu Qianru stomped her feet angrily. “Fang Xiaoluo, you did this on purpose!”

Soon, others noticed Fang Xiaoluo’s cart and the sign. They gathered around, shoving Liu Qianru aside in the process, and asked if the fruit was really free.

Fang Xiaoluo and Zheng Lanhua enthusiastically cut watermelons and handed out apples to everyone, refusing to accept a single penny.

People weren’t greedy, some took an apple, others a slice of melon.

Word spread quickly throughout the compound and the military region: ‘The 3rd Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the 105th Division was giving out free fruit, courtesy of Captain Shen’s wife and mother.’