Chapter 45

Cang Ling knew that his wife had very few close friends in the family area, with the closest being Sister Qiu, who had become almost like a mother to her.

He had never wanted his wife to force herself to socialize with others just for the sake of “wife diplomacy.” But he was also concerned that she might feel lonely without friends, so when he saw she wanted to make new ones, he wholeheartedly supported her.

“This is simple. I’ll talk to Battalion Commander Luo later. I’ll have him introduce you to some people.”

“Okay,” Xue Miaoyun agreed.

Song Zhuanguo wasn’t an officer in the Iron Fist Regiment, and he had no particular relationship with Cang Ling, so he wouldn’t be invited. As for Zhao Meihua, she had tagged along with her uncle, who was also a regiment commander.

Her marriage to Song Zhuanguo had already been arranged. Even though she had made a mess of things the first time she visited the Song family, criticizing them relentlessly and causing chaos, the marriage was still going forward.

However, when Zhao Meihua returned and found out that Cang Ling, who was supposed to be dead, was actually alive, she was nearly scared out of her wits. Back then, after Xue Miaoyun had used her charm ability, she erased Zhao Meihua’s memory, so Zhao Meihua didn’t know that she had actually played a part in Cang Ling’s survival.

Upon learning that Cang Ling had survived, Zhao Meihua was initially terrified, fearing that the “past life” she remembered might be altered. She was afraid that there might be other “reincarnators” like her. Desperately, she tried to find out why Cang Ling hadn’t died, but given her status, she couldn’t get any useful information. So, she begged her uncle to bring her along.

When she saw how lovingly Cang Ling and Xue Miaoyun interacted, her fear quickly turned into jealousy toward Xue Miaoyun.

After Zhao Meihua was reincarnated, her goal had always been to escape the failure of her past life. She believed the main reason for her failure was her poor choice in marriage. So, in this life, she was determined to find a more suitable husband.

Having suffered so much in her past life, Zhao Meihua now sought a life of wealth and luxury, which led her to choose Song Zhuanguo, who had become wealthy in the previous life.

But in everyone’s eyes, Cang Ling far outshone Song Zhuanguo, and naturally, Zhao Meihua began to develop an interest in him. Seeing how devoted Cang Ling was to Xue Miaoyun, her jealousy grew so intense that she forgot why she had come here in the first place.

“Did you hear? The flower of the cultural troupe has her eye on Cang Ling. Every time they perform here, she goes after him. Tsk, tsk, the year is almost over…” Her voice was full of anticipation for the drama.

“I heard about that. The cultural troupe’s star doesn’t even compare to this one in terms of looks.”

“But she can sing and dance…”

“True, but Cang Ling has never shown any interest before. Now that he has such a beautiful wife, he’ll probably ignore her even more.”

“Tsk, tsk, we’ll see what happens. I wonder if we’ll get to see it.”

Hearing these words, Zhao Meihua’s eyes suddenly brightened. She couldn’t do anything herself, but that didn’t mean others couldn’t.

After what could be considered a warming-up banquet, Xue Miaoyun had become a little more familiar with the family area. Especially with the wives of Cang Ling’s comrades, who all greeted her warmly.

Xue Miaoyun and An Xiaoxiao had also become good friends. In this era, having a friend who shared your values was truly a rare and fortunate thing.

An Xiaoxiao was a teacher, a substitute teacher.

“…I actually don’t like this job at all. I don’t like kids, but I don’t dare tell Changzheng. I wouldn’t even dare tell my parents,” An Xiaoxiao confessed anxiously, as if she had just spoken a forbidden truth.

“It’s perfectly normal. Everyone has their own preferences. Being a mother is a great thing, but not everyone can be great. We’re people first, wives and mothers second. These labels are society’s expectations, and it’s normal for some women not to like them,” Xue Miaoyun said without finding any fault with An Xiaoxiao’s feelings.

In decades to come, there would be many women who wouldn’t want to get married or have children. But in this era, it was still difficult for people to accept.

Xue Miaoyun didn’t intend to explain future feminist ideals to An Xiaoxiao. It wasn’t appropriate, and in a time when they couldn’t change society, the best choice was to go with the flow—at least on the surface.

“I feel the same way. How can you love others if you don’t love yourself?” An Xiaoxiao felt relieved seeing Xue Miaoyun’s understanding. She was glad to find someone who truly understood her.

“You’re right, we need to love ourselves first.” Xue Miaoyun loved Cang Ling, but she loved herself the most.

“I hate it when people say, ‘Think more about the children,’ ‘It’s fine to suffer a little for the kids,'” An Xiaoxiao’s voice was soft but her tone was cold. Xue Miaoyun could guess some of the backstory. Of course, she wouldn’t pry into such personal matters.

“My mom was trapped in the family because of these kinds of things…” An Xiaoxiao’s voice trailed off, and Xue Miaoyun understood that this was a sensitive subject. She didn’t press her on it, but mentally filed it away for later, perhaps to talk to An Xiaoxiao when the time was right.

“Xiaoxiao, I heard that the cultural troupe will perform to entertain the troops at the end of the year?” Xue Miaoyun smoothly changed the subject, thinking that there would be time to help An Xiaoxiao later.

“Really?” An Xiaoxiao was still fairly new to being a military wife, and she didn’t know all the details. Unlike Xue Miaoyun, who had Sister Qiu to talk to, An Xiaoxiao had no one.

“I just heard some gossip.” Xue Miaoyun smiled, knowing that Cang Ling was very popular, but she didn’t expect him to be this popular.

“You know about this?” An Xiaoxiao looked at her curiously, careful not to say anything wrong.

“I do. My Ah Ling is really popular.” Xue Miaoyun said it with a touch of pride.

An Xiaoxiao blinked in surprise, “Aren’t you worried? Don’t you feel jealous?”

“Why would I be worried? If Cang Ling really liked someone else, then I wouldn’t be in the picture anymore. As for jealousy, if Cang Ling weren’t so outstanding, I wouldn’t have noticed him in the first place. It’s perfectly normal for excellent men to attract women. If no one likes him, it would only mean my judgment was poor.”

An Xiaoxiao was shocked. Was it really like that? Thinking about it, it made sense in a way.

“If such a popular man chose me, doesn’t that just mean I’m even more exceptional?” Xue Miaoyun lifted her chin proudly.

An Xiaoxiao: …..

“During the cultural troupe’s performance, I assume we, as family members, will be able to watch, right? Will there be seats for us?”

“You should be able to go. As for my husband, that might be a different story.” An Xiaoxiao thought for a moment before answering.

“Then I’ll have to take a good look at this ‘flower’ from the cultural troupe. I’m really curious how pretty she is.” Xue Miaoyun’s interest was piqued.

If this were the future, she would probably be a star. Though she wasn’t one to follow celebrities, who didn’t appreciate a beautiful woman?

“She’s no match for you. Although I’ve never seen her, I’ve heard a lot about her. Talent-wise, it’s a mixed bag, but one thing everyone agrees on is that you’re definitely more beautiful than her,” An Xiaoxiao said firmly.

Xue Miaoyun smiled, feeling a little more pleased with herself.