Chapter 7 : Changed

Lu Fangfang’s heart was in a mess.

Zhuang Mingcheng’s words scared her.

Shaking her head vigorously, she said firmly, “I won’t get married. I will go back tomorrow.”

She wasn’t desperate enough to marry a scumbag. She would rather go back and starve.

Zhuang Mingcheng frowned and looked at her. “If you’re not getting married, why are you here?”

Seeing that Lu Fangfang had been silent, his face straightened, and he said, “Comrade Lu, you don’t have to marry me, but you have to write a statement saying that it’s for personal reasons, or I won’t be able to explain it to my grandfather.”

“My personal reasons?”

Lu Fangfang pointed at herself in disbelief.

Seeing the man nodding, she felt a little angry. “Comrade Zhuang Mingcheng, you already have a fiancée, why do you want to marry me? This is obviously your personal reason!”

Zhuang Mingcheng was stunned and immediately thought of Zhu Haimei, whom he had just met.

Frowning, he said helplessly, “I say it again, I don’t know that woman. She recognized the wrong person.”

Seeing that Lu Fangfang still didn’t believe him, he raised his uninjured hand and said, “I swear on my character that I didn’t lie. I, Zhuang Mingcheng, am not that kind of person!”

Lu Fangfang opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she forced herself to swallow it.

Looking at the determined Zhuang Mingcheng, she became confused. Could it be that the two of them really didn’t know each other?

But there was no need for Zhu Haimei to lie; after all, it was a matter of a person’s reputation.

After thinking for a while, Lu Fangfang still couldn’t figure it out.

“Comrade Lu, I’ll go ask the political commissar later to find out what’s going on.”

Lu Fangfang nodded subconsciously.

“Comrade Lu, go take a shower and rest first. The bathroom is just west of the cafeteria and is open today.”

Zhuang Mingcheng reached into his jacket pocket, took out a newly bought, unused piece of soap, and placed it on the military uniform that Lu Fangfang was holding. “Comrade Zhu really has nothing to do with me.”

“Please think about it. If you are willing, I will write a marriage application. If you are not willing, you can write a statement.”

Lu Fangfang was stunned for a while. When she came to her senses, Zhuang Mingcheng had already left.

Looking down at the green military uniform in her arms, she sighed helplessly.

To be honest, she was also very conflicted.

“Forget it, go take a shower first and wait until the matter is investigated thoroughly.”

Lu Fangfang murmured to herself. She looked very dirty now and she felt disgusted.

Thinking back to the way Zhuang Mingcheng looked at her just now, she still felt a little strange.

“This man really doesn’t care about the coldness of life.”

“Huh? That’s not right. Could it be that he really doesn’t know Zhu Haimei?”

Lu Fangfang walked quickly to the mirror and looked over.

The self in the mirror looked like a beggar fleeing famine. If you are not blind, you would choose Zhu Haimei, the daughter of a capitalist.

“That’s strange.”

Lu Fangfang shook her head and was too lazy to think about it anymore.

Anyway, Zhuang Mingcheng wanted to marry her, not because he was attracted by her beauty.

Um…

Thinking of this, she felt a lot more at ease.

After packing up her few luggage, Lu Fangfang went to the bathhouse in the regiment headquarters, holding her clean old military uniform.

It was fate that as soon as she entered the bathhouse, she saw Wang Shufen and Daya.

The mother and daughter had towels draped over their shoulders and were holding two enamel basins, one large and one small, in their hands.

Lu Fangfang took a few quick steps and caught up with the two of them. “Sister Shufen, you and Daya should also come and take a shower.”

Wang Shufen turned around and saw Lu Fangfang. She was also very happy. She nodded quickly and said, “Yes, this is the first time I have seen such a big bathhouse. The army is good, much better than my country.”

“By the way, sister, you and Comrade Haimei…”

Lu Fangfang shook her head and didn’t want to talk about these things. She was still confused.

However, in her heart, she was already somewhat inclined towards Zhuang Mingcheng, and there might really be a misunderstanding between the two of them.

“Well, sister, don’t think too much. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll ask the head of the family to introduce you to another person in the army.”

Wang Shufen looked her up and down. “But you have to clean yourself up. Come on, let me give you a good back rub.”

“this…”

Lu Fangfang was feeling embarrassed when Wang Shufen pulled her inside.

Wang Shufen and Daya quickly took off their clothes.

Lu Fangfang hesitated for a moment, then took off her clothes and placed them on the bench.

Seeing Wang Shufen and her daughter waving at her, she walked over quickly barefoot with a soap in her hand.

The women’s bathhouse in the regiment was very small, and when a few people went in, there was no one inside.

Lu Fangfang walked under the shower head and enjoyed it with her eyes closed.

“Clatter…”

It had been more than a month since she traveled through time. This was the first time she took a bath, and she felt relaxed all over.

She raised her head and rinsed for a while, then took the soap and rubbed it vigorously on her body.

She felt sick just looking at the chapped skin after washing it off.

She applied soap over and over again, rubbing herself vigorously until her body turned red. Then she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to rinse.

Lu Fangfang had been looking forward to this bath for a long time.

After a while, she pulled the long braid behind her and began to scrub it with soap.

Next to her, Wang Shufen was scrubbing Daya and looking at her enviously.

This girl’s big braid looks really good.

“Girl, do you want me to rub your back?”

“Sister Shufen, thank you for your help.”

Lu Fangfang no longer felt embarrassed.

Letting her daughter wash herself first, Wang Shufen stood up and walked over.

While rubbing her back, she said enviously, “Sister, your braids are so nice.”

Lu Fangfang didn’t think it was troublesome to take care of such a long braid. She used more soap than others.

“Sister Shufen, do you have a pair of scissors at home? Could you please help me cut my braids?”

“Ah? It would be a shame to cut off such a beautiful braid. You should think carefully about it.”

Wang Shufen looked regretful and couldn’t help but give some advice.

But Lu Fangfang still insisted, as she had wanted to cut her braids for a long time.

“Okay, come with me back to the family compound later, and I’ll give you a haircut. I often give haircuts to other people in the countryside, so I’m very familiar with it.”

She rinsed several times until her body was clean, then Lu Fangfang walked out.

After wiping her body, she picked up the old military uniform given to her by Zhuang Mingcheng and was about to put it on.

“Hey, girl, whose clothes are these? They’re too big for you.”

While Wang Shufen was putting clothes on her daughter, she looked at Lu Fangfang.

“Eh? Girl, why are you so white?”

Wang Shufen rubbed her eyes, full of surprise.

She had been in the bathroom just now, and it was foggy, so she hadn’t noticed.

When Lu Fangfang came out, she felt like a different person. Her skin was white and tender, just like egg white.

“Sister, I’m like this. I was born white.”

Lu Fangfang touched her fair arm and thought about her experiences over the past month, and suddenly felt a little sad.

During the more than one month of begging and fleeing famine, she didn’t even have hot water to drink, and she had to endure the dirty clothes.

The road was full of difficulties and dangers. She was afraid of encountering bad people alone and didn’t even dare to wash her face.

The whiter she became now, the more it proved how hard this month had been.

“When conditions permit, I’ll take a bath every day.”

Lu Fangfang rubbed her eyes and put on her clothes with a sad heart.

She was 1.68 meters tall, and wearing clothes that were meant for someone 1.8 meters tall made her look even thinner.

Bending down, she rolled up the extra trouser legs and sleeves, revealing her white arms.

“Girl, this outfit is a little too big for you, but it still looks good.”

Standing next to her, Wang Shufen was amazed. The girl was really different now.

When she recuperates, gains some weight, and changes into suitable clothes, she will look better than Zhu Haimei.

“When I get back, I’ll tell the boss that you’re so handsome, you’ll definitely be able to find a good family in the army.”

Lu Fangfang smiled and didn’t take it to heart.

Picking up her old clothes, she turned around and said, “Sister Shufen, I’m going back to the guesthouse. Please wait for me, I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay, go ahead.”