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Seeing how young Su Momo was, already the wife of a deputy commander, Wu Mei felt a sour twist in her chest. It wasn’t fair. But since Lin Xingchen was her husband’s superior, she couldn’t act out directly—so she picked on trivial things instead.
Most new brides would blush and second-guess themselves, maybe even change the menu to please others. But not Su Momo. Her attitude was simple: if you like it, eat; if you don’t, leave it. Whatever you skip, someone else will enjoy.
**“By the way, Commissar Xu and the others said the braised intestines were delicious last time, but I didn’t make much. When you all leave tonight, I’ll pack a portion for each of you to take home.
Sister Li (Wu Mei), since you don’t like it, I won’t give you any. You don’t mind, do you?”**
Braised intestines shrank a lot after cleaning and simmering. Rather than serving a meager plate at the table, Momo thought it better to send each family home with their own share—it would feel more thoughtful.
“I don’t like it. No need to give me any.”
Her words would have sounded more convincing if her expression hadn’t been so stiff.
Wu Mei was from the city. Both her parents were factory workers in Heilongjiang, just a half-day’s train ride away. She could visit several times a year, unlike most other wives who only returned home once in year. That alone made others envy her.
Momo let it go. After all, Commander Li and Lin Xingchen were comrades-in-arms. As long as Wu Mei didn’t cross the line, it was better to keep the peace, even if that meant simply avoiding her when possible.
“What about Sister Ling?”
“She got pulled away to mediate. You know she’s the deputy head of the women’s federation. Over in the Second Regiment, an old lady and her daughter-in-law fight every few days—today it turned physical. She had to rush over. She’ll come later.”
Sister Ling was Meng’s wife, Wang Ling. With so many families in the military district, the women’s federation was busy every day. Family quarrels were common—after all, even with your own parents, you’d argue now and then. But once it turned to blows, it had to be stopped.
“What was it about this time?”
At the word “gossip,” everyone perked up. Daily life was dull; a bit of drama passed the time.
“I don’t know yet. She left in such a hurry she couldn’t explain.”
So they nibbled on food and waited. Momo fished some vegetables out of the braising pot for everyone. Only Sister Xu had tasted her cooking before.
“Oh my, this is amazing! Who knew potatoes could taste this good?”
“Exactly! No wonder my Lao Du couldn’t stop praising it last time.”
“Momo, how did you make this? Teach me!”
Wu Mei didn’t say a word—but she ate plenty.
“The spice pouch is my secret mix—seven or eight spices, plus sugar and soy sauce. It’s not difficult to cook, but the ingredients are hard to gather.”
“Ah, then never mind. I’ll just be glad to eat it here.”
Cui Fangfang laughed, abandoning any idea of recreating it at home—it would be too expensive.
“By the way, Sister Xu, I’ve never asked your real name. I always call you Sister Xu.”
Now that Momo considered her a friend, it felt too distant to keep calling her “Sister Xu.”
“Don’t laugh at me. My name’s Cuihua—Liu Cuihua. Not very pretty, I know. In the countryside, names are often just ‘flowers’ and ‘grass.’”
She was so used to being “Sister Xu” that even saying her real name felt strange.
“Then I’ll call you Sister Hua from now on.”
“Ay.”
Her heart warmed at that. She couldn’t explain why, but it felt nice.
Half an hour later, Sister Meng finally returned.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“Sister Ling, come in quickly. Eat something, drink some water.”
“Thank you, Momo. I rushed back as fast as I could, but it still took so long.”
She drank and finally caught her breath.
“Well? We’ve been waiting to hear what happened.”
“Yes, tell us! How bad was it?”
All eyes were bright with curiosity. Wang Ling didn’t beat around the bush.
**“You know Commander Zhao from the Second Regiment? He’s been married for nearly two years without children. If only his wife were here, it wouldn’t be so bad—but his mother moved in too.
And that old lady… she stirs up trouble daily. Neighbors say she often curses her daughter-in-law as a ‘hen that can’t lay eggs.’ When Commander Zhao is home, she restrains herself a little. When he’s gone, she goes too far.
At first, the wife endured it—she thought, it’s her elder, I’ll let it go. But insult after insult—anyone would snap eventually. Today it blew up. They fought.
By the time we arrived, the daughter-in-law’s hair was a mess, her neck scratched. The mother’s face was clawed, her leg bruised from hitting a stool.”**
Sister Xu sucked in a sharp breath. A brawl between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, both injured—if word spread, Commander Zhao’s reputation would suffer too. But at the root, it was his fault. His wife and his mother—if he couldn’t manage them, no one else could.
“Sister Ling, have they ever gone to a hospital? It’s been two years without children. If it’s a medical issue, it should be treated. And if both are healthy, then it’s just fate. Sometimes the problem lies with the woman, sometimes with the man.”
**“They haven’t. Men avoid this topic like the plague. No way Zhao would go for a check. And the wife doesn’t have the money to go on her own. That’s the second problem in their family: money.
Can you believe it? He still hands all his salary to his mother. Isn’t it the wife who should manage the household? At most, you give your mother a bit of filial allowance, not the whole paycheck.
But with the old lady holding the money, of course, she has the upper hand. The wife has no money—how can she stand tall?”**
Momo rolled her eyes inwardly. A mama’s boy. Maybe not the worst kind, but still. He wanted his wife to cook, work, bear children—and then hand over everything to his mother? What nonsense.
“Thank goodness my mother-in-law didn’t come here,” Wang Yan said with relief. “With her favoritism, who knows how bad it would be?”
It was true. Favoritism was common in families with many children.
The chatter continued, gossip flowing. Momo mostly listened. She was an only child, and Xingchen had no parents—those conflicts simply didn’t exist in her life.
Then Wu Mei suddenly spoke, her tone sharp as ever:
“Comrade Su, you’ve never mentioned your family. Do you have a bad relationship with them?”