Chapter 63.1

“Why didn’t you wake me up? I’m going to be late,” Jiang Suihan exclaimed as she woke up, grabbing the watch on her bedside. It was already 7:30 AM, and she had a class at 8:10. She was running out of time.

Xu Zhao touched his nose and wanted to say, “I didn’t know you had classes this morning.” Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, I wanted to let her sleep a little longer. However, he knew he couldn’t defend himself at this moment, or she would definitely be angry with him.

From his experience learned from his parents over the years, whenever his mother was angry, his father would never argue. If she said he was wrong, then he was wrong. After she calmed down, they would be fine the next day.

Jiang Suihan didn’t have time to be angry with him. She hurriedly got up, put on her shoes and clothes, and, while rushing downstairs, quickly tied her hair.

Seeing how hurried she was, Xu Zhao was afraid that she would be late for class, so he served her a bowl of porridge and stirred it slowly with a spoon so that the porridge would cool down quickly.

When she was ready, Jiang Suihan saw that it was 7:50 and didn’t dare to delay any further. She wheeled her bicycle out.

Xu Zhao saw her about to leave and asked, “Aren’t you going to have breakfast?”

Jiang Suihan replied, “I don’t have time. I’ll skip it and eat after class. It’s only two classes.”

“Skipping breakfast isn’t a good idea. You might faint during class,” Xu Zhao said.

He wouldn’t let her leave and insisted, “There are still about twenty minutes before class starts. It’s fine to drink some porridge to tide you over.”

Holding her bike’s rear seat, she couldn’t leave. Jiang Suihan had no choice but to drink half a bowl of porridge with a small dish of pickled radishes: “Where did these pickled radishes come from? They’re quite tasty.”

She remembered there were no pickled radishes at home. They were crisp and refreshing, a perfect complement to the porridge, and very appetizing.

Xu Zhao put a fried egg into her bowl: “I traded for these with a female colleague at the county police station yesterday.”

The incident was sudden, and all the police who weren’t bedridden were called in to help, working overnight. There was a female police officer who was less than three months pregnant. Her mother-in-law came to the station to bring her food, which included a dish of pickled radishes.

Xu Zhao noticed and shamelessly asked if she had any more pickled radishes. Wanting to buy some, the officer’s mother-in-law, upon learning he was a soldier and needed them for his pregnant wife, came back on a bicycle with a half jar of pickled radishes, refusing to take any money, saying it wasn’t worth anything.

Using the strong reason that soldiers shouldn’t take anything from civilians, Xu Zhao insisted on paying and even got two salted duck eggs as a bonus.

Zhang Xiangqian looked shocked: “Your wife is pregnant!?”

Xu Zhao nodded slightly and carefully placed the half jar of pickled radishes.

Zhang Xiangqian stared at him, seemingly incredulous: “How did this happen?”

The question sounded offensive. Was he doubting him or Jiang Suihan?

Xu Zhao gave Zhang Xiangqian a cold look and rolled up his sleeves: “You better give me a good reason not to hit you.”

Zhang Xiangqian sucked in a breath and, with his mouth getting him into trouble, awkwardly explained: “No, I certainly didn’t mean to question your ability, nor did I doubt Comrade Jiang.”

Xu Zhao remained expressionless, as if silently observing him make excuses.

Zhang Xiangqian laughed awkwardly: “I was just complimenting you. You’ve only been married three months, and you’re already going to have a son next year. Even the speed at which our country makes rockets can’t match yours.”

Xu Zhao frowned. If it weren’t on someone else’s turf, he would really want to punch Zhang Xiangqian and knock some sense into him.

Zhang Xiangqian put his arm around Xu Zhao’s shoulders and said excitedly, “I was wondering why you were so generous today, with milk powder, malted milk, and so much food. It turns out there’s a happy event in your family. Let’s find some time to have a drink together some other day, just to celebrate that you finally don’t have to wait until you’re old to have a child.”

Xu Zhao grasped the key point in the words: “What do you mean by having a child in old age?”

Zhang Xiangqian really wanted to slap himself in the face. See, he had let something slip in the middle of his conversation.

He didn’t dare look at Xu Zhao, and stammered, “Last year, a few of us were drinking together. We got drunk and made a small bet on you. We bet on whether you would get married before or after the age of 30. The phrase “having a child in old age” was not said by me, but by Gangzi and Huizi. They laughed at you.”

Zhang Xiangqian thought to himself, “Sorry, guys, I didn’t mean to drag you into this. Xu Zhao has caught me out, and if I’m going down, I might as well use you as a shield. After all, you’re not here, so I can at least deflect some of the blame.”

Xu Zhao sneered, “You guys really are my good brothers.”

Zhang Xiangqian insisted with a thick face, “Of course, we’ve shared the same bed for over two years and gone through so many life-and-death situations together. We’re closer than real brothers.”

Xu Zhao rolled his eyes. This guy’s words were just toxic. Back when they shared a dorm room, with bunk beds, hearing his words was always grating.

If it weren’t for the ongoing cooperation with the county police, Xu Zhao would have dragged Zhang Xiangqian into a serious discussion right then.

The pickled radishes were getting better and better. Jiang Suihan had unknowingly finished a bowl of plain porridge and glanced at the time. It was already eight o’clock. If she didn’t hurry to school, she would be late.

“Lele, grab your backpack and hurry up.”

Jiang Leyun, with his backpack on, climbed onto the back of the bicycle. Jiang Suihan pushed off from the ground with all her strength, and the bicycle began to move.

Xu Zhao, feeling uneasy, called out from behind, “Be careful riding the bike.”

In front of the row of water taps in the family compound, several women were busy. Some were washing clothes and bed sheets, while others were cleaning vegetables and scrubbing shoes.

“This morning, as I watered the vegetables and passed by Deputy Commander Xu’s house, you weren’t there, so you didn’t see how Deputy Commander Xu was clinging on so reluctantly. It’s just going to the army school, not far away. It gave me goosebumps.”

“Those newlyweds have just married, and Deputy Commander Xu has just returned from a mission. It’s normal for them to be clingy. I don’t believe you and your spouse were any different when you were young. Besides, the young bride is pretty. Men are always fond of beautiful women.”

“Hey, do you think Comrade Jiang looks down on us country folk? She never goes out, stays at home all day, and besides Wu Guihua, she doesn’t seem to get along with anyone in the family compound.”

“She’s from the city, so it’s normal that she isn’t used to interacting with us country folks. And with her job now, teaching students every day, she doesn’t have time to bother with us.”

“Captain Qin’s wife, Teacher Yao, isn’t like that. She always greets me whenever we meet. Just because someone’s from the city doesn’t mean they’re superior and can look down on others.”

“I heard she doesn’t do any housework at home, leaving all the washing, cooking, and cleaning to Deputy Commander Xu while she just waits to eat. Such a lazy wife would be a disgrace to her parents if she were from my hometown. She wouldn’t be able to hold her head high in the village.”

“Are you envious or something? She doesn’t eat your rice. Xu Zhao can afford to support her. It’s none of your business whether she works or not.” Chen Xiaohong, holding a tomato, impatiently listened to the petty gossip from the group of women.

“Who’s envious? We’re just chatting. She hasn’t done anything for you, so why are you so eager to please? And look at you, covered in dirt. Don’t you think that the smell of dirt on you might bother others?” Aunt Li, flicking her hand, splashed Chen Xiaohong with water.

“What’s this? Looking for a fight? I’m not afraid of you. Come on, if you have the guts, punch me in the stomach.” Chen Xiaohong spat out the tomato skin, her anger flaring up.

Aunt Li raised her hands in the air, feeling extremely embarrassed. She glanced at Chen Xiaohong’s slightly bulging belly, feeling unwilling but not daring to push anyone.

She enjoyed extorting people but didn’t want to be extorted herself. If something went wrong, she’d be the one who had to compensate.

Aunt Li stared at Chen Xiaohong with a weak temper: “I am a magnanimous person and I won’t bother with a young woman like you. You didn’t stay at home to rest when you were pregnant, and you weren’t afraid of losing the baby.”

Chen Xiaohong was certain the baby in her belly was a boy. Hearing Aunt Li curse the child, she put her hands on her hips, pointed a finger at Aunt Li and scolded, “Hmph! Everyone knows you’re always looking to take advantage. Even if a needle falls on the ground, you’d pick it up and say it’s yours. Last time, when He Shuiqing’s family lost a piece of meat, don’t think we don’t know it was you who took it.”

He Shuiqing had bought more than a pound of pork last month and didn’t want to eat it all at once. She cut some for cooking and left the rest hanging by the kitchen window. They lived on the first floor. The next morning, the meat was gone. After searching the entire family compound, they couldn’t find the thief.

He Shuiqing actually had several suspects, and Aunt Li was one of them, but unfortunately she had no evidence.

He Shuiqing raised her eyebrows, pushed aside the people standing in front of her, and looked at Aunt Li with a very unpleasant expression: “Okay, Aunt Li, you are really good at acting. You lied to me before that the meat might have been eaten by rats, but it turns out that the rat was you! The meat that my family has worked hard to save for a month has all gone into your family’s stomach. Does the meat that doesn’t cost money or tickets taste especially delicious? You can’t leave without giving me an explanation today, or I will report you to the army.”

The meat was intended to nourish her two children, and losing it upset her deeply. The children were so distressed they couldn’t sleep well for days, dreaming about the meat.

Aunt Li’s face suddenly changed. She felt guilty and didn’t dare to look at He Shuiqing. She blustered defensively, “If you had seen it, why didn’t you tell everyone sooner? Bringing it up now clearly means you’re just making things up and falsely accusing me. How can you be so vicious?”

She looked at Chen Xiaohong with disdain: “Your three daughters are pitiful. There is no difference between their biological mother and stepmother. The stepmother can only pretend to be good, but you, as the biological mother, only care about eating meat yourself and don’t even leave a mouthful of meat soup for the three daughters. How can you have a conscience? Poor Commander Zhang married a wife with a bad heart like you. He was really blind. The Zhang family is unlucky.”

Despite being over sixty, Aunt Li’s mind was still sharp, and she was quick to come up with a response.

Chen Xiaohong’s face turned red with anger, and her fury was evident: “Old hag, you’re the one who’s out of luck. Losing your husband when you were young, life as a widow must be hard. Look at your dry, orange-peel-like face—so sharp-tongued and shameless. With a grandmother like you, your grandson is the one to be pitied. The night you stole the meat, my Xiaocao woke up in the middle of the night and saw you. Don’t think you can get away with it.”

“Today, I’ll make sure you don’t get off easily!”

“You deserve to never have a son.”

“You’re the one with a bad fate as a widow.”

“You mistreat your three daughters, may thunder strike you.”

“You’re disrespectful to your elders, and it’s against natural justice.”