Chapter 44.2

Early the next morning, Xu Zhao woke Jiang Suihan before leaving. With no alarm clock at home, she was worried about oversleeping and missing the morning exam. She had specifically asked him to wake her up.

Xu Zhao glanced at his watch; it was only a little past six. Seeing her sleepy and yawning, he said, “It’s still early. Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

Jiang Suihan yawned again and pulled off the covers. “No, I won’t fall back asleep. I might as well get up.”

Accustomed to waking up at eight or nine in the morning, her biological clock was disrupted. Though her mind was clear, she still felt lazy and wanted to stay in bed a little longer.

Xu Zhao put on his coat and said, “I have a meeting later, so I can’t see you off. Breakfast is on the dining table in the living room. Remember to eat.”

Jiang Suihan felt like he was treating her like a child. She lay on the bed and looked up at him, saying, “I know, I’m not like Lele who needs someone to take her to an exam. Hurry up and go, don’t be late.”

Xu Zhao chuckled softly, “Lele is more considerate than you.”

Jiang Suihan glared at him, “What did you just say? Say it again.”

Comparing her to a seven-year-old child, and worse, finding her lacking—it was so unfair!

Xu Zhao patted her face, “I’m not teasing you. I’m leaving now.”

After another couple of minutes of hesitation, Jiang Suihan stretched her neck and got up to wash and freshen up.

She opened her wardrobe and took out the clothes Xu Zhao had bought for her from the department store: black pants and a white shirt, both loose-fitting. If the situation allowed, she would have tied a knot at the bottom of the shirt to add a bit of flair.

She had washed her hair the night before, so she slowly brushed it out with a wooden comb, braided it into two long braids, and tidied up her bangs.

Jiang Suihan liked long hair but didn’t like it too long because it was hard to manage. Her hair was almost waist-length now, and washing and drying it took a lot of time. She reminded herself to get a haircut soon.

She trimmed the excess stray hairs with a small blade to maintain her well-defined eyebrows. Without needing to draw them on, she looked refreshed. She was quite satisfied with her appearance for the day.

She packed her notebook and pen into her bag, put on her shoes, and headed straight to the military elementary school.

Jiang Lele knew that his sister was going for an exam in the morning and didn’t go with her. After breakfast, he went to play with Zhao Xiaojun.

On the way, she met Chen Xiuni. As if forgetting the incident from the other day, Chen Xiuni greeted her with a smile, “Good morning, Xiao Jiang. Heading to the elementary school for the exam?”

Since Chen Xiuni was friendly, Jiang Suihan smiled back, “Yes, I’m on my way.”

Chen Xiuni looked at her with envy, “Then go ahead, don’t be late. You don’t want to miss the exam.”

Along the way, she encountered others. Having been here for over half a month, Jiang Suihan had gotten to know some people.

The other wives knew she was going for an exam and didn’t talk to her much, only advising her to do well and not to be nervous. Jiang Suihan suddenly felt that the other wives in the family compound were quite nice sometimes, unlike Wang Liying who was always troublesome.

The military primary school was newly built, with two floors, and was not very large. The first floor already had people waiting.

Jiang Suihan checked her watch; it was still a couple of minutes before eight. The exam was at 8:30. She thought she had arrived quite early, but upon closer inspection, she saw five or six people standing in the corridor.

Dai Jia came over and patted Jiang Suihan on the shoulder, “Good morning.”

Jiang Suihan turned around, “Good morning, you’re here too?”

Dai Jia was a local, working at the supply and marketing cooperative in town. Jiang Suihan was curious about why she, despite having a stable job, was also taking the exam.

Dai Jia shrugged, “I knew you’d be curious. The supply and marketing cooperative is too far from the military base, about four hours round trip. I have to wake up before dawn, which is very exhausting. I thought being a primary school teacher is better, closer to home and I can take care of my child. I thought I’d give it a try. Who knows, I might get lucky and get the job.”

Due to her work, she mostly lived at her parental home and had her son stay there too, with her mother helping to take care of him. This situation made her sister-in-law feel uncomfortable, as she believed that even though Dai Jia was married, she still took advantage of her parents’ home.

The last time Dai Jia’s sister-in-law’s niece didn’t get the matchmaker’s recommendation, her sister-in-law became even more critical of her. However, Dai Jia didn’t mind; she had endured worse.

Also, there was a troublemaker at the supply and marketing cooperative who constantly criticized her. She had reported it to the leadership, but they could do nothing and advised her to tolerate it since such people had connections.

Recently, things had been going poorly, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. When she heard that the military elementary school was hiring teachers, she saw it as a new opportunity.

Jiang Suihan understood the difficulties of balancing family and career as a mother, “That’s great. If we both get hired, we’ll be colleagues.”

Dai Jia’s ability to come for the exam implied at least a middle school education, suggesting her parents were quite progressive.

Some people are small-minded and resentful when others do well. The more candidates there are, the lower the chances for everyone.

Dai Jia noticed Jiang Suihan’s happiness for her and felt there was no reason for dissatisfaction. She thought Jiang Suihan was nice and, as she had said, if they became colleagues, they could stay in touch more.

Jiang Suihan scanned the surroundings and saw a familiar face but chose not to approach.

Wang Lijuan also noticed Jiang Suihan. Thinking about Xu Zhao’s cold words from that day, her expression changed slightly.

Why wasn’t the New Year coming faster? She was eagerly waiting.

Dai Jia nudged Jiang Suihan, “Wang Liying’s sister has been staring at you. What’s going on between you two?”

“I’ve only seen her a few times. If there’s any conflict, it’s with Wang Liying. I don’t know why she’s looking at me like that,” Jiang Suihan said, puzzled. “Could it be because I look good?”

Dai Jia was speechless. She realized Jiang Suihan was quite self-absorbed and tentatively asked, “Have you heard any rumors recently?”

Jiang Suihan shook her head, “I usually stay at home and don’t go out much. Have you heard something? Please tell me.”

Dai Jia’s question meant she had heard something about Jiang Suihan.

“Never mind, let’s talk about it after the exam to avoid affecting your mood,” Dai Jia decided to keep it to herself for now.

There was only one chance for the exam. If she messed it up, it would be a big deal.

Jiang Suihan was not originally curious, but after Dai Jia’s comment, her curiosity was piqued, “Why leave things half-told? It makes me even more curious. Please tell me, otherwise, I might not concentrate during the exam and won’t be able to focus on the questions.”

Dai Jia said helplessly: “Then I’ll tell you, last night after dinner I took my son downstairs to play, and I heard someone say that they saw your Xu Zhao being blocked by a young girl on the side of the road, and the two talked for a while.”

Jiang Suihan guessed immediately, “Wang Lijuan?”

Dai Jia was surprised, “Oh, so you already knew. That makes me feel better.”

She was primarily concerned that if she mentioned this, it might cause a rift between Jiang Suihan and Xu Zhao, which could affect their relationship, and she didn’t want to be blamed for stirring up trouble.

Zhang Xiangqian and Xu Zhao were good friends, and if it weren’t for their close family ties, Dai Jia wouldn’t have brought it up.

Jiang Suihan felt a strange sense of anticipation. She now understood why Wang Lijuan, despite not knowing her, always looked at her with an unsettling gaze.

The key point was Xu Zhao.

“So do you know what they talked about?”

Dai Jia looked a bit awkward. Since Jiang Suihan had asked, she couldn’t avoid the topic.

Besides, the military wives had nothing much to do, so whenever something happened in the compound, they were like cats catching a whiff of fish, eager to watch and gossip.

Dai Jia chose her words carefully, “I don’t know the full details, but it seems that Wang Lijuan stopped Xu Zhao on his way home to apologize for the trouble caused by Wang Liying that day. She also mentioned making hawthorn cakes for Xu Zhao to eat. That’s about it.”

Dai Jia was just relaying what she had heard. People in the compound were good at adding their own spin to stories, and many rumors spread this way. How much of it was true, she couldn’t say.

“Flies don’t bite a seamless egg,” Dai Jia thought. Wang Lijuan was an unmarried girl. If rumors about her spread, it could harm her chances of getting married in the future.

Dai Jia trusted Xu Zhao’s character. Despite many beautiful girls in the arts troupe who boldly asked him out, Xu Zhao had rejected them all. Zhang Xiangqian even joked that Xu Zhao was clueless.

Wang Lijuan was sweet-looking, but when compared to Jiang Suihan, the difference was stark. If she were Xu Zhao, with such a stunning woman around every day, he wouldn’t even notice a wildflower by the roadside.

Jiang Suihan was stunned. Wasn’t it said that people nowadays were reserved about their feelings? Wang Lijuan’s actions seemed rather extreme.

It was one thing if Xu Zhao were single; it was normal for girls to be interested in him. But since he was already married, Wang Lijuan’s bold approach was quite inappropriate.

Was she not afraid of public criticism?

Or was Xu Zhao’s charm so overwhelming that she was willing to disregard everything for love?

After a moment, Jiang Suihan composed herself, “Oh, maybe she genuinely wanted to give Xu Zhao the cakes. I’ve never had hawthorn cakes before, so if she brings some, I’ll let you try them.”

Dai Jia was puzzled by Jiang Suihan’s calmness and said, “She’s eyeing your man. Who knows, she might even try to steal him away. Why are you so calm about this? It doesn’t seem like you’re jealous.”

It didn’t seem like jealousy or anger.

Could it be that, as some in the compound speculated, Jiang Suihan and Xu Zhao were an arranged marriage with no feelings involved, and they were just forced into it?