Chapter 27: Breaking Into the Military Spouse Circle

She readily squatted down.

Jiang Ningning’s soft voice reached the two little ones: “Crabs are delicious when cooked, whether steamed, spicy, marinated, with garlic noodles, or crab meat casserole. The crab roe can also be used to make crab roe noodles or crab roe dumplings…”

Gurgle—gurgle—

Dog Dan was swallowing saliva non-stop, his mind filled with thoughts of food. He no longer had any fear of the crab and immediately turned around, shouting for his mom to buy one.

“Little rascal,” Wen Xiuying muttered as she continued working.

Seeing that Wen Xiuying was struggling with the selection, Jiang Ningning picked out the bigger crabs. Winter crabs were particularly difficult to choose; larger ones might be hollow inside, while smaller ones could be packed with dense meat. If one wasn’t experienced, they could easily be tricked.

From the accent, Jiang Ningning could tell that Wen Xiuying was from Kyoto, probably relocated to the island with the military. Large crabs like this were still a rarity, and people from the capital didn’t often get to eat them. If the crabs weren’t chosen well, no matter how they were cooked, they wouldn’t taste good.

With her previous experience as a crab connoisseur, Jiang Ningning’s instincts kicked in. She guided Wen Xiuying, teaching her how to identify male crabs, with pointed shells and rounder female crabs. She demonstrated how to pinch the crab’s shell to check whether it was filled with meat or empty.

This made Wen Xiuying even more grateful.

“If my older sister hadn’t been sent down to the countryside, if her child hadn’t been lost, she would probably be the same age as you now,” Wen Xiuying said, touched by Jiang Ningning’s helpfulness.

“You’re really good at picking crabs. It takes at least a decade of experience to do it this well,” one of the fishermen praised, giving her a thumbs-up.

Jiang Ningning feigned shyness and replied, “Actually, this is my first time picking crabs. These skills I learned from books.”

The fisherman was even more impressed, praising her for being knowledgeable and well-read. After weighing the crabs, he threw in a few oysters as a bonus.

These oysters were as large as a palm and didn’t have the same problem as the crabs, which could be thin and lacking in meat in winter. These oysters, however, were thick and plump all year round.

“How much for the oysters?”

“One yuan per pound, no receipts, just take as much as you want.”

Oysters were difficult to pry open and handle, and not many people ate them, so there were no purchase limits.

Jiang Ningning, hearing that there were no limits on the oysters, quickly said, “How many pounds are you buying? I’ll take them all.”

“Oysters aren’t that good. If you want to try a few fresh ones, you can buy a few, but there’s no need to buy so many,” Wen Xiuying quickly intervened.

“They’re not expensive, and oysters are everywhere along the coast. You can pick them up freely at the base during the day,” she added.

Jiang Ningning widened her eyes in surprise, “No one wants them even when they can just pick them up?”

“They’re a pain to pry open and get blood everywhere. The meat is dry and tough when steamed. How could they taste good?” Wen Xiuying said, clearly still shaken from the process of preparing them.

Jiang Ningning immediately understood the problem, “You probably steamed them for too long. After steaming, you only need to time it for four minutes to keep them fresh and tender. When oysters are steamed, most of them will naturally open a small gap, making them easier to pry open.”

She went on to explain a simple way to make a delicious sauce: “You can mix two spoons of soy sauce, one spoon of vinegar, or combine garlic, small chili peppers, and minced pork, then sauté it all into a sauce. The pork fat combines perfectly with the seafood, creating a rich, layered flavor.”

Just hearing her describe it made everyone’s mouth water.

A crowd of military wives gathered around, ears perked up and listening carefully.

Jiang Ningning didn’t expect this unintended opportunity.

She had been wondering how to integrate herself with the military wives’ group, but talking about parenting tips, ways to prepare healthy meals for the family—this was exactly what she needed to bond with them.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind as she raised her voice and continued, “Oysters have a soft piece of meat inside, which is called ‘yao zhu’ (scallop), one of the eight treasures of the sea. Its nutritional value is five times that of an egg.”

“After drying, it lasts a long time, and it’s great for making flavorful stir-fries or soups. It’s not just delicious, but also nourishing. The ‘Compendium of Materia Medica’ mentions it as a food that helps ‘tonify qi and strengthen the stomach, alleviate thirst.'”

“Oysters are a treasure from the sea, recognized by our ancestors. They’re a natural, nourishing food. They can help men with vitality, improve women’s skin, and strengthen children’s bones.”

Jiang Ningning, with her glowing skin, spoke with authority on the topic of beauty.

Looking down at Xia Xia in her arms, whose porcelain-like features were the epitome of health, the mothers around her were intrigued and decided to buy some oysters to try for themselves.

Among the crowd was a chef from the military canteen.

With a large physical endurance training event coming up, he had been worrying about what to cook to replenish the soldiers’ energy.

Oysters were cheap, abundant, and highly nutritious, much easier to handle than chicken.

Who cared if they were hard to pry open?

The military cafeteria was never short of laborers.

This young female volunteer was not only beautiful but also highly knowledgeable, and most importantly, she had a kind heart.

“My ancestors were cooks. If you ever have any problems, feel free to ask me. My name is Jiang Ningning, and my home is in No. 7, Third Row. I’m the wife of Huo Donglin.”

“!”

Chef Huang was taken aback and said, “Girl, you’re really Huo Donglin’s wife? Didn’t you run off with some other man while you were raising your kids?”

Boom—

The scene suddenly fell into complete silence.

Jiang Ningning tilted her head.

“Old Huang, what nonsense are you talking?!”

Wen Xiuying immediately stepped forward and pointed at Chef Huang, scolding him angrily, “My sister just joined the army today! Don’t you dare slander her name!”

Earlier in the morning, when the guard had gone to the logistics department to collect supplies, he had also helped her register at the Women’s Federation office.

Wen Xiuying had planned to visit the Huo family in a few days after everything was settled.

Visiting and taking care of military families was the work of the Women’s Federation.

She hadn’t expected that this warm-hearted volunteer would be Huo Donglin’s wife.

Chef Huang explained himself hastily, “It’s not me, it’s her mother-in-law who called. The operator overheard and now it’s all over the base. She even said that the twins weren’t Huo Donglin’s biological children.”

But…

Anyone who knew Huo Donglin would know that Xia Xia and Qi Yan were undoubtedly his children, no need for a paternity test.

Why would the old lady spread such nonsense?

“…”

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Ningning’s eyes.

It seemed like her mother-in-law hadn’t learned her lesson the last time and was still trying to force her to her limits.

Xia Xia and Summer were both her biological grandchildren. Even a tiger wouldn’t eat its own cubs. The Huo family seemed determined to ruin her reputation. Unless, of course, they were trying to force her to step down so they could get Huo Donglin to remarry.

The Huo family didn’t matter, what mattered was what Huo Donglin thought.

After spending some time with him today, she didn’t think the man was the type to abandon his wife.

Jiang Ningning quickly calmed herself, clenching her palm. The pain made the corners of her eyes redden slightly as she began her performance.

“My mother-in-law probably forgot that we’re with the army. She’s just worried.”

But what mother-in-law would intentionally smear her daughter-in-law’s name because of worry?

The people around them were no fools.

Especially the military wives. Most of them had at least some experience dealing with difficult mothers-in-law.

When they saw Jiang Ningning’s pale face, looking like she might collapse at any moment, it was clear that she was being treated poorly by her in-laws. There were very few military wives who looked as thin as she did, like a flash of lightning. It was evident how badly she had been mistreated at home.

“This child looks just like Huo Donglin, she must be his biological daughter. Even if your mother-in-law doesn’t like you, grandchildren are still Huo Donglin’s blood. She can’t deny that, can she?”

“Soldiers in the base are different from civilians. They often have to carry out secret missions. To put it bluntly, one day they might just not come back. These twins are Huo Donglin’s only flesh and blood.”

“Has the old lady gone mad?”

…

The military wives were enraged and couldn’t understand what Tian Cuifen was doing.

“Ningning, has your mother-in-law hit you?” Wen Xiuying cried out in surprise, suddenly pulling up Jiang Ningning’s sleeve. On her delicate arm, there was a deep bruise (from earlier when she had bumped into something).

There were also signs of burns on the back of her hand from an oil spill a few days ago, the bruises still hadn’t completely faded.

But Wen Xiuying and the others didn’t know about that.

Previously, because of Jiang Ningning’s appearance, they had felt a little uncomfortable, but now seeing how badly she was treated, their previous distance was gone.

“No… it’s just that my mother-in-law… she has some problems with her mind.” Jiang Ningning bit her lip, her face showing some embarrassment and pain.

Then, she slowly dropped a bombshell.