Chapter 56 : Exciting Gossip

Lu Fangfang was carrying a hoe and holding vegetable seeds. As soon as she stepped into the staff housing compound, she saw someone she didn’t want to see.  

She immediately turned to leave, intending to slip away unnoticed, but the person spotted her and called out from a distance.  

“Sister Shufen? Comrade Lu? What are you both busy with?”  

“Haimei, you know Sister Shufen and Xiao Lu?”  

“Yes, we rode in the same car when we arrived with the army.”  

“Oh, then you were really meant to meet!”  

Lu Fangfang glanced over and, to her surprise, saw Zhu Haimei chatting and laughing with the other sisters-in-law.  

Seeing that Sister Shufen was already walking toward them, Lu Fangfang hesitated for a moment before following along.  

She hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no reason to avoid Zhu Haimei.  

“Sister-in-law Shufen, Dajun and I are getting married on the sixth day of the first lunar month. You must come!”  

Zhu Haimei was all smiles, showing no hint of dissatisfaction with her fiancé.  

She reached into her pocket, pulled out a handful of candy, and pressed it into Wang Shufen’s hand.  

“Comrade Lu…”  

When Zhu Haimei turned to look at Lu Fangfang, her smile faltered slightly.  

However, in front of the other sisters-in-law, she still took out another handful of candy and handed it to Lu Fangfang.  

“Comrade Lu, you must come too on the sixth day of the New Year. Dajun and I are together because of you. I have to thank you very much!”  

Lu Fangfang raised an eyebrow. Why did that sound so strange?  

She glanced down and saw a white rabbit design on the candy Zhu Haimei had handed her.  

Wow, Shanghai White Rabbit Milk Candy, quite the generous gesture.  

Glancing at the sisters-in-law around her, she noticed that they were all chewing on something, the rich aroma of toffee filling the air.  

Lu Fangfang accepted the candy with a smile. “Of course, I’ll be there on the sixth. Comrade Haimei, congratulations on finding your ‘perfect match.’”  

She deliberately emphasized those last two words.  

After all, someone like Zhu Haimei and a marriage scammer like Li Dajun really were a match made in heaven.  

“Hmph.”  

Zhu Haimei’s face darkened slightly. Looking at Lu Fangfang, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.  

“Comrade Haimei, have you and Comrade Dajun’s housing applications been approved?”  

Zhu Haimei quickly turned away, clearly unwilling to meet Lu Fangfang’s gaze.  

Forcing a smile, she replied to Wang Shufen, “Sister-in-law Shufen, I have to thank Political Commissar. I’ve already gotten approval. Our place will be in the western staff compound…”  

Lu Fangfang perked up at that. So Zhu Haimei’s house was in the west compound? That was great, at least she wouldn’t have to see her every day.  

“Huh?”  

The houses in the staff compound had all been assigned by Aiguo. If Zhu Haimei’s house was in the west, but her own was right next to Political Commissar’s, then…  

Lu Fangfang suddenly realized she had been taken care of again.  

Feeling a bit touched, she kept one piece of candy for herself and stuffed the rest into Wang Shufen’s pocket.  

“Girl, what are you doing?”  

“I don’t like candy. Give them to Tiedan and Daya.”  

Lu Fangfang unwrapped a piece and popped it into her mouth.  

‘Wow, this really was a top-brand candy of the era. The rich milky flavor was way better than regular fruit candies. ‘ 

Hmm…  

‘Still, it wasn’t as sweet as the fruit candy Zhuang Mingcheng had given her.’  

Chewing on the candy, Lu Fangfang quietly listened as the sisters-in-law started gossiping.  

—  

“Hey, I heard that Xu Jinbu, the commander of the Second Battalion, is applying for a house in the family compound. Looks like he’s getting married.”  

“Xu Jinbu? Who is he marrying? I haven’t heard anything. Other than Comrade Haimei and Xiao Lu, there aren’t any new women in our compound.”  

Sister Hao Mei lowered her voice, looking mysterious. “Listen, don’t spread this outside, this is what my husband, Old Zhao, told me.”  

Hearing this, the other sisters-in-law immediately perked up, their curiosity piqued.  

Hao Mei’s husband was the regiment’s deputy commander, so he had access to information that others didn’t.  

Seeing that everyone was eager to hear more, Hao Mei smirked and finally revealed:  

“My Old Zhao said… the woman marrying Xu Jinbu is probably Xiao Ting.”

“What? How could it be her?”  

“Yeah, how could Xiao Ting like Captain Xu?”  

The sisters-in-law were in an uproar.  

Beside them, Zhu Haimei’s expression stiffened, and she nearly ground her teeth to pieces.  

Lu Fangfang was equally shocked by the news.  

She had personally witnessed Xiao Ting slap Xu Jinbu across the face. Given Xiao Ting’s arrogant nature, how could she possibly agree to marry him?  

Hao Mei glanced at everyone and scoffed, “Look at you all, why is that so impossible? Xu Jinbu comes from a good family and is hardworking. Honestly, Xiao Ting isn’t even worthy of him.”  

In the crowd, a sister-in-law with long braids hesitated before finally whispering:  

“I’m telling you, I heard that someone reported Xiao Ting, saying she lacked firm ideological beliefs and had weak political awareness. The higher-ups are investigating her, so the commander wants to marry her off to someone with a good background.”  

“Investigating Xiao Ting? That sounds more like they’re targeting the division commander. Maybe our division is about to be replaced…”  

The moment she said that, everyone fell silent, staring at Hao Mei in shock.  

For a few seconds, no one spoke. The lively atmosphere suddenly turned eerily quiet.  

Hao Mei’s face paled, and her expression turned stiff almost like she was about to cry. “Uh, ahem… I just remembered, I have a pot on the stove. I need to go home!”  

She hurriedly took a few steps, then turned back with a trembling voice. “Everyone… please, don’t spread this around.”  

With that, Hao Mei rushed off in a panic.  

“Uh… I just remembered I have boiling water at home.”  

“Me too, my house might be on fire.”  

Awkwardly exchanging glances, the sisters-in-law scattered like birds.  

“Girl, let’s go,” Wang Shufen whispered, tugging Lu Fangfang away.  

It wasn’t until they nearly reached home that Lu Fangfang snapped out of it. This was the first time she had ever experienced the thrill of hearing such juicy gossip, especially about people in power.  

But… but it was so exciting.  

After entering the yard, she stood there, smacking her lips as if savoring the moment. It took her a long time to calm down.  

—  

“Mom, do we still need to clean these little fish?”  

“No need. What could possibly be in the stomach of such tiny fish? Just fry them directly.”  

Lu Fangfang was stunned.  

Hearing the voices from next door, she quickly pricked up her ears.  

“But why do I feel like they smell a little bad?”  

At Yang Yufen’s house, her eldest daughter squatted in front of a basin, picked up a small fish, and squeezed it. The fish’s insides popped out.  

She leaned in to sniff it and caught a faint stench.  

“Pah!”

Yang Yufen smacked her daughter on the back of the head. “You filthy thing! Why are you pinching it? Hurry up and bring it over, the oil is hot!”  

The girl’s expression didn’t change.  

She tossed the fish in her hand to the chickens, then scooped up another handful from the basin and handed them to her mother.  

To satisfy her craving, Yang Yufen had gone all out this time, she poured in half a ladle of rapeseed oil.  

Taking the plate from her daughter, she dumped all the fish into the pan at once.  

“Sizzle—”

The aroma of frying fish quickly filled the air, and Yang Yufen felt a deep sense of satisfaction.  

She had deliberately chosen to cook in the yard so that everyone in the compound would catch a whiff of the delicious scent.  

—  

Lu Fangfang stood in her yard, mouth agape.  

So the neighbors said those little fish weren’t even gutted… and they came from a nest made of horse manure?  

“Ugh…”  

The smell from next door was undeniably fragrant, but the thought of it made Lu Fangfang’s skin crawl.  

Grabbing a towel and a basin, she rushed toward the bathhouse. She could not stay home any longer.