Chapter 76 : The Deputy Head Really Loves His Wife

Since moving into the family compound, Su Ranran had rarely seen the mother and daughter.

The two seemed almost invisible in the family compound, and even Zhong Juhua, who loved gossip, didn’t pay them much attention.

Had Su Ranran not run into them now, she would have forgotten all about them.

The little girl’s hair was a little messy, her eyes were timid, and her clothes, though worn, were clean.

There was also scattered firewood on the ground, clearly torn apart by the group of children just now.

Su Ranran sighed and went forward to help the girl pick up the firewood.

Although she hadn’t had a good impression of the mother at first, after learning that this rural woman had dared to travel such a long way to come here, Su Ranran could understand her frightened attitude.

“Th-thank you, sister,” the little girl said quietly, her voice hoarse.

“You’re welcome, but you should call me aunt,” Su Ranran responded gently, not wanting to scare her.

Su Ranran moved quickly, tying the two bundles of firewood back together in no time.

Hearing her gentle voice, Zhang Xiaohua’s dull eyes seemed to brighten a little.

“Thank you, auntie,” she said again, her voice smoother this time.

“Let’s go. I want to head back to the family compound too, so let’s go together,” Su Ranran said, picking up two bundles of firewood with one hand.

The little girl was still too young to carry much firewood, and it wasn’t even clear if the two bundles weighed ten pounds.

Seeing Su Ranran carrying the firewood, Zhang Xiaohua seemed unsure of what to do.

“Auntie… Auntie…” she stuttered nervously, looking as if she wanted to take the firewood back but didn’t know how to start.

“I’ll help you carry it to the family compound, and you can pick it up yourself, okay?” Su Ranran said softly.

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t say anything, but she seemed relieved by Su Ranran’s help. Her face remained timid, and she followed closely behind.

As they walked, Zhang Xiaohua kept glancing around, as though worried the children might come back to beat her.

Su Ranran occasionally looked back and saw the fearful expression on the little girl’s face, making her frown in concern.

She wondered what had happened to Zhang Xinrong. His daughter and wife had joined the army, yet they still lived such a miserable life.

If it were anyone else, they would be excited about being part of the army, but Su Ranran, being an outsider to the Women’s Federation, knew there was little she could do to help with the father’s situation.

Thinking of this, Su Ranran sighed.

The two continued walking, and as they neared the family compound, they saw a tall figure walking out of the gate.

Upon seeing Shen He, Su Ranran couldn’t help but smile in joy.

Shen He didn’t expect to run into his wife as soon as he went out. He paused briefly and then quickly walked up to her.

“Why are you picking up firewood?” he asked, noticing the firewood she was still holding.

He took the firewood from her, but his expression was a little disapproving.

Su Ranran, used to his concern, didn’t think much of it. She simply smiled at him reassuringly and said, “I’m fine. And this firewood…” She pointed behind her to indicate the little girl.

But when Shen He looked behind her, there was no one there, just empty space where the child had been.

Su Ranran: …

“Go back first,” Shen He said, already taking all the firewood from her hands.

Meanwhile, a group of military wives who had just finished watching the excitement spotted the couple at the door from a distance.

“Look, the deputy regiment commander really loves his wife. He hasn’t even returned home yet, but he’s already here to pick her up.”

Someone couldn’t help but say with envy, “Hey, if you look like Shen’s wife, I promise your Iron Army will go to the field to pick you up.”

Someone immediately replied, “Don’t say you look like Shen’s wife. Even if you’re half as capable as her, my Iron Army might have to bring me foot-washing water at night.”

Sun Hongmei, who was being joked about, wasn’t offended. She even joked about herself, which immediately made the military wives laugh.

Su Ranran had been teased a lot back when she was in the Shuiqiao Brigade. Maybe she was used to it and stayed quite calm. She could even banter back and forth with them.

Shen He, who was standing aside, had a calm expression as usual, but when his eyes fell on Su Ranran, there was a slight change.

But this small change was enough to amaze the military wives.

In the past, their understanding of Shen He was limited to what their husbands had told them, and since he moved into the family compound, they realized their husbands were too conservative.

This deputy regiment commander is not only aloof but also a walking ice cube.

They dared to make jokes only when Su Ranran was around. Usually, they kept their distance from him.

The group entered the family compound in a lively manner.

“Ranran, how come you’re so quick? You picked up a bundle of firewood in such a short distance?” Zhong Juhua, ever sharp-eyed, noticed that the firewood in Shen He’s hand had been taken from Su Ranran.

Hearing this, Su Ranran told them about the little girl she had just met.

“Are you talking about Zhang Xinrong’s daughter, Zhang Xiaohua? They live next door to me,” said Sun Hongmei, the wife of Wang Tiejun, the first company commander of the second battalion.

As for the fact that Zhang Xiaohua had been bullied, the others seemed to have gotten used to it and didn’t react much.

The main reason being that Zhang Xinrong didn’t care, and Wang Chunmei was someone who only knew how to work hard. What was the point of others worrying? Wang Chunmei is too quiet, she works all day long, never visiting people or inviting anyone to dinner. Since she moved into the family compound, she had been like a transparent person with no presence.

“Deputy Commander, just give me the firewood,” Sun Hongmei said, reaching out to take the bundle of firewood.

Although she didn’t like the atmosphere in Zhang Xinrong’s family, it was just a matter of convenience to help carry something, and she couldn’t just ignore it.

Shen He let her take it and thanked her politely.

Although his tone didn’t change much, it was more easy-going than expected, which made the military wives look at him differently.

This deputy head isn’t as aloof as they thought!

Su Ranran didn’t know what they were thinking. After handing over the firewood, the couple walked home together.

Dinner was simple: a fried sea fish and a plate of fried bean sprouts.

The bean sprouts had been sent by Su Ranran a few days ago, and it seemed that Shen He liked them very much.

The two ate quietly, but Su Ranran was obviously distracted.

Her once porcelain-white cheeks looked like they had been painted with a layer of rouge, making her look delicate and charming.

Even Shen He, who was eating seriously, seemed to become absent-minded.

After dinner, Su Ranran returned to the room.

Many nightgowns she had selected were already placed in the space.

These clothes were all new and unopened. You couldn’t tell anything about their style on the surface, but each set had a little trick.

Some looked very dignified from the front, but once you removed the outer layer, the entire back was hollowed out.

There were also high slits that made people blush, and thin, soft fabrics…