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Su Ying could only respond awkwardly, thinking:
Well then, just tell me where Sister-in-law Wu lives already.
That woman finally got to the point after a long ramble, turning around to point at a courtyard up ahead.
“There—see the one with the little vegetable garden and the fence? That’s her house. She’s probably cooking right now. Look, the chimney’s still smoking. You should hurry over. I live right next door—if you ever get bored, you can come chat with my wife. She’s from the northeast—very outspoken!”
Su Ying couldn’t help but laugh.
“Big brother, you’re pretty outspoken yourself.”
After thanking the woman, Su Ying looked at the smoke rising from Sister-in-law Wu’s chimney and hesitated.
Would it be rude to show up during dinner?
But she didn’t know the other neighbor, so her only way to find her would be by going through Sister-in-law Wu first.
After some thought, she decided to head to the cafeteria instead.
This was her first time there. Of course—it had only been a few days since she got married. But the cafeteria was packed. Everywhere she looked, she saw green military uniforms—everyone tall, upright, and full of energy.
Standing at the entrance, Su Ying felt her mood lift just from the sight.
Such spirit and vigor all around.
As she walked toward the food window, she suddenly noticed someone familiar—Ling Weimin.
There weren’t many women around to begin with. Su Ying wore a clean white sweater and black trousers. She was young and pretty, which made her stand out—many eyes turned to her immediately.
She waited in line for quite a while, feeling more and more self-conscious under all the stares. When it was finally her turn, she stood at the window and told the plump chef inside:
“I’ll have one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, two steamed buns, and one serving of rice.”
Her voice was crisp and clear, with the fresh tone unique to young girls.
More heads turned to look at her.
A slightly chubby woman nudged the young soldier standing in front of her.
“Stunned? Forgot you were here to eat? When Teacher Lin comes to the cafeteria, none of you act like this.”
The mention of Teacher Lin made several people laugh awkwardly.
Many had tried to pursue her and failed. She was a primary school teacher who lived with her uncle in the family compound. Pretty and well-educated, she had long been the object of admiration for many young soldiers.
But she had high standards, so no one had succeeded yet—still, that didn’t stop people from trying. She remained a “celebrity” in the compound.
The soldier scratched his head in embarrassment but couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Su Ying.
Slim waist, curvy figure, porcelain white skin—she practically glowed compared to the sunburnt troops around her.
“Wow, she’s so skinny, but she can eat.”
“What do you mean? Maybe she’s getting food for someone else at home. One meal for the whole family. But whose family has such a beautiful girl? I don’t remember seeing her before.”
A group of women were also watching her and whispering.
The chubby woman pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and began eating them as she waited in line.
“She’s that new wife of Commander Gu, right? I saw her yesterday when she arrived—came by car. Judging from her figure, it must be her.”
Someone immediately teased her:
“Sister Yan, you sure remember her figure clearly!”
She spat out a seed husk.
“Oh please. Other than Teacher Lin, there aren’t many young girls in this compound. But this one really does look too young. There must be a huge age gap between her and Commander Gu.”
Others perked up and joined in the gossip.
One woman boldly walked right up to Su Ying.
“Hey, are you from Commander Gu’s house?”
Su Ying accepted the aluminum lunchboxes from the chef, snapped the lids shut, and gently nodded.
“Mm.”
“Oh wow, she really is!” the woman turned and called back to the others, then looked at Su Ying again.
“How old are you? You don’t even look twenty. Isn’t Commander Gu almost thirty?”
Su Ying didn’t like the tone of this woman. She quickly placed her lunchboxes into the basket and replied:
“My little Gu is young and very handsome. What’s so wrong with being young?”
With that, she picked up her basket and left.
Laughter broke out behind her, especially from that same woman, who started mocking her loudly:
“Commander Gu, lying there all paralyzed—he must have a full beard by now. Young? He probably looks even older than his actual age. This girl is just spouting nonsense. Calling him ‘Little Gu’? She really has the nerve.”
But several people were glaring at her now.
Only then did she realize she had crossed a line. She muttered awkwardly:
“I was just telling the truth…”
And slunk back into the line, embarrassed.
As Su Ying walked past Ling Weimin, he suddenly spoke up:
“Now you know how troublesome it is to take care of him, don’t you? I’m curious how long you can actually stay devoted. Let’s see how long you last.”
Su Ying stopped, turned, and looked straight at him.
“Troublesome? He’s no trouble to me. And here’s a word of advice: don’t be so short-sighted. One day, the person you look down on might get back up—and you might fall flat on your face.”
She walked off with her basket.
Ling Weimin clenched his chopsticks tightly, stuffing a piece of potato into his mouth and chewing hard.
“Get back up? Yeah right. As if he ever could.”
Several of the young soldiers who had been staring at Su Ying earlier were now full of disappointment. The delicious food in front of them no longer looked so appetizing.
Such a beautiful girl… and she married a paralyzed commander?
They felt regret, envy, and some admiration.
Sure, Gu Jinghong had rank and status—but he was bedridden. They couldn’t imagine how Su Ying’s life would be going forward.
In their eyes, she was essentially a living widow.
—
When Su Ying returned with the thermos and the bowls, Gu Jinghong looked puzzled.
“Didn’t find them?”
Su Ying carried a small stool into the bedroom and placed the two lunchboxes on a larger stool. She sat down and began feeding him with a small bowl.
“I found the house. Sister-in-law Wu’s chimney was smoking though—must be cooking time. I didn’t want to disturb her.”
She broke a steamed bun in half and tasted it herself first. It was soft and sweet—really quite good. She then tore a small piece to feed Gu Jinghong.
“They’ll probably come pick them up in a few days,” he said calmly.
Su Ying nodded, picked up a piece of egg, and placed it at his lips.
“I’ll give you some chicken in a bit too. The chef uncle gave me two drumsticks.”
Gu Jinghong swallowed the egg and looked at her.
“You eat too.”
Su Ying nodded and took a bite of her bun.
Sweet, soft, surprisingly delicious.
She was from the south and used to eating rice, not buns—but now she found herself enjoying the change.
She tore off some chicken, then fed the smaller bit to Gu Jinghong.
But he didn’t open his mouth—just looked at her.
Su Ying gave in and ate the first piece herself, then fed him the rest.
This time, Gu Jinghong accepted the food.