If Su Tang hadn’t reacted quickly and dodged, that rotten egg would have hit her.  

She turned to look and locked eyes with two little boys.  

Their eyes were filled with anger, clearly holding a grudge against Su Tang.  

Before Su Tang could say anything, Zhang Cui was already furious.  

“What do you think you’re doing?”  

Zhang Cui had a fiery temper to begin with and never tolerated unruly children.  

She shoved the child she was holding into Su Tang’s arms, then stepped forward, grabbing each boy by an ear with her hands.  

“You dare throw rotten eggs at people? Whose kids are you?”  

As she spoke, Zhang Cui twisted her hands, making the two brats yelp in pain.  

“Let go! You’re going to rip our ears off!”  

Just as Zhang Cui was about to drag the boys off to find their parents, a woman rushed over and pushed her away.  

Hu Lili shielded the two boys in her arms, and as if they’d found their protector, they immediately burst into loud sobs.  

“They threw rotten eggs at people.”  

Despite Zhang Cui’s explanation, Hu Lili ignored her completely and instead glared at the person behind Zhang Cui.  

“The kids aren’t wrong. We don’t want any spoiled city girl here.”  

Su Tang’s outfit was simple—a cotton blouse with work pants and a beige scarf around her neck.  

Her hair hung loose, her face clean and fresh, without any accessories.  

At a glance, she didn’t look much different from the others.  

After all, Su Tang’s parents knew how hostile the military family compound could be toward outsiders.  

So they’d prepared plain, unassuming clothes for her.  

But compared to Hu Lili—with her slightly tanned skin, two braids, and workwear—  

Su Tang looked as delicate and pretty as a doll you’d only find in city department stores.  

No wonder they disliked her so much and wanted to drive her away.  

“I’m here to accompany my husband. The paperwork has been approved by superiors, and the process is legitimate. Why can’t I enter?”  

Holding the child, Su Tang smiled faintly, her red lips and white teeth only fueling Hu Lili’s disgust.  

She had chased after Brother Lu Xiao for years, but he never once glanced back at her.  

Who would’ve thought he was already married—to a pampered city girl from Shanghai, no less?  

When she heard Su Tang was coming to join him, Hu Lili was furious. City girls were pretty and educated.  

Once she arrived, Lu Xiao would never look at her again.  

So she was determined not to let Su Tang into the family compound.  

Luckily, Lu Xiao was away on a mission these past few days.  

If she could drive Su Tang away now, she could just claim later that Su Tang left because she didn’t like the compound.  

But while Hu Lili was scheming, Su Tang had already seen right through her.  

A love rival right off the bat—seems Lu Xiao was quite popular here.  

“No one wants you here. Can’t you take a hint?”  

Hu Lili’s disgust was undisguised—she wanted to put Su Tang in her place.  

Watching the scene unfold, two men in the distance paused.  

Chang Jia nudged the man beside him, who was dressed in a Zhongshan suit.  

“Aren’t you going to step in and save the beauty?”  

“No need.”  

Lu Xiao’s tone was cold. Chang Jia could tell he was in a bad mood.  

Then again, it made sense. Their recent mission had been to assist the police in dismantling a smuggling ring.  

Unfortunately, the leader had escaped, and they’d just been reprimanded by their superiors.  

On top of that, Lu Xiao had gone to the train station to pick up his wife but came back empty-handed, adding to his frustration.  

“I already asked around. They said your wife came with Old Wang’s wife. You know Old Wang’s wife—she’s a good person.”  

As Chang Jia tried to reassure him, Lu Xiao glanced at the standoff in the distance.  

“Naïve and gullible.”  

After those words, he finally strode forward.

Chang Jia sighed helplessly and followed Lu Xiao’s steps.  

He knew that Lu Xiao’s marriage to Su Tang had been arranged by Lu Xiao’s father.  

Lu Xiao’s father had poor health and used to work odd jobs at a university—it was Su Tang’s father who had quietly helped them all along.  

Truth be told, the Su family had shown great kindness to the Lu family.  

But Chang Jia believed Lu Xiao’s father must have also known the Su family were good people before agreeing to the match.  

Lu Xiao, however, didn’t see it that way.  

He had never met Su Tang before and only knew she had studied abroad—an intellectual.  

On top of that, after their marriage was approved, Su Tang had refused to join him in the military compound, creating a deep rift between them.  

One thought Lu Xiao was a rough, uncultured man from a humble background.  

The other believed Su Tang’s refusal to join him meant she looked down on him from the start.  

Even without meeting, theirs was a marriage of mutual dislike.  

Chang Jia shrugged, watching his friend’s retreating back with resignation.  

Meanwhile, after hearing Hu Lili’s words, Su Tang casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  

“Oh? So what? My paperwork is legitimate. If you’re unhappy, go complain to the higher-ups.”  

She wasn’t money—she couldn’t expect everyone to like her.  

Plenty of people disliked her—was she supposed to care about every single one?  

With that, she adjusted the child in her arms, picked up her suitcase, and moved to enter the compound.  

Hu Lili had never heard such shameless reasoning. Was this woman completely without shame?  

“Move.”  

Seeing Hu Lili still blocking the way, Su Tang shot her a cold glare.  

After the long train ride, her body was stiff from exhaustion. Lack of rest made her irritable.  

“Brother Lu Xiao?”  

Hu Lili refused to budge. Just as Su Tang was about to push past her, she heard Hu Lili call out.  

Su Tang turned and saw a tall, upright man in a Zhongshan suit.  

His healthy wheat-colored skin, the strands of hair swaying in the wind over his forehead, and dark eyes that seemed to brood like gathering storm clouds.  

His tightly pressed thin lips gave him a stern, unapproachable air—intimidating and hard to get along with.  

Lu Xiao didn’t say a word, simply stepping forward to take the suitcase from Su Tang’s hand.  

But Su Tang didn’t let go. Lu Xiao lifted his gaze.  

“Let go.”  

Two icy words. Su Tang clenched the suitcase tightly before finally releasing it.  

Seeing this, Zhang Cui quickly came over to take the child back.  

“Took you long enough, Lu Xiao. Look at what Hu Lili’s doing.”  

Zhang Cui couldn’t wait to tattle. Lu Xiao, holding Su Tang’s suitcase, glanced at Hu Lili.  

Hu Lili hugged the two boys in her arms tighter and pressed her lips together.  

“Brother Lu Xiao, her background is problematic. No one likes her here.”  

“People already dislike her before she’s even stepped foot in the compound. If she moves in, you’ll never have a peaceful day again.”  

Hearing this, Su Tang shot Hu Lili a glare before turning to Lu Xiao.  

Would he also think her presence would disrupt his life and send her packing back to Shanghai?  

Lu Xiao felt the gaze on him—burning, with a hint of expectation.  

He parted his lips and said coolly, “She’s my wife. Like all of you, she’s family and has every right to be here.”  

The defense made Su Tang’s lips curve slightly. At least he was acting like a man.  

“Brother Lu Xiao—”  

Ignoring Hu Lili, Su Tang turned to Lu Xiao instead and unwound the scarf from her neck.  

Lu Xiao watched as his petite wife stood on tiptoe to wrap the scarf around him, her soft Wu dialect sweet as honey:  

“I heard the northwest wind cuts like knives, so I made sure to use cashmere.”  

“Thank you, Lu Xiao.”  

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his ears turning red as he picked up all her belongings.  

City folk were always so good at sweet talk—he wasn’t falling for it.  

But when Su Tang leaned close, the scent of jasmine from her skin drifted straight into his senses.  

And suddenly, his mind was in disarray.