Su Banxia thought it over. She didn’t want to follow him out and endure the strange looks from those in the cafeteria.

“If you’re going, you go ahead. I’m not going,” she said. “I don’t eat much in the evenings. I can just make do with something at home.”

Jiang Guo’an was displeased. He had never taken her to the cafeteria before, and since she had been doing well these past few days, he had wanted to treat her to a meal there. He hadn’t expected her to refuse.

Fine, if she didn’t want to go, she didn’t have to.

“Suit yourself,” he said unhappily.

With that, he walked toward the door. But when he reached it, he turned back angrily, grabbed his lunchbox, and left.

Su Banxia had been working all afternoon and was drenched in sweat. Her clothes clung to her uncomfortably. She prepared a basin of warm water, wiped herself down, changed her clothes, and left the dirty ones soaking in a basin in the bathroom, planning to wash them later.

By the time she changed and came out of the bathroom, Jiang Guo’an had already returned.

He placed two aluminum lunchboxes on the table, each containing a serving of rice with one meat and one vegetable dish.

His voice was still cold. “Let’s eat.”

Su Banxia was trying to lose weight and couldn’t eat much for dinner. She walked to the table and glanced at the food in the lunchboxes.

“This is too much for me. I’ll just have a little,” she said.

She turned and went into the kitchen, returning with a bowl. She scooped some rice, along with some cabbage and a piece of braised pork, into the bowl. Then she pushed the remaining lunchbox toward Jiang Guo’an.

“You can have the rest. I’ll just eat this.”

Jiang Guo’an frowned at how little she was eating. “You’re eating too little.”

As soon as he said it, he realized he sounded too concerned and lowered his voice. “I don’t want people thinking I’m mistreating you.”

Su Banxia couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been acting strangely since returning. Living under the same roof with him was still uncomfortable for her.

She finished her meal quickly, washed her bowl, and retreated to her room without coming out again.

Jiang Guo’an had always looked forward to coming home before, but now that he was back, the empty room and Su Banxia’s closed door left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Other men came home to wives, children, and a warm home. What did he have?

He took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, and tried to calm his restless thoughts.

After finishing the cigarette, he finally got up to clear the table. Once he had washed up, he went to his room to read.

These past few days, the compound had been abuzz with talk of Su Banxia taking up farming. Everyone felt that there might finally be hope for this couple.

What they didn’t know, however, was that the two were already discussing divorce.

A few days later, the scar from where Su Banxia had been hit by the beer bottle had healed and the scab had fallen off.

She had been busy following Zhang Xiaolan around lately and hadn’t come up with any ideas to make money. After much thought, she decided to go to Guangzhou to wholesale clothing and sell it.

That morning, she set off for the county town alone.

Since it was an odd-numbered day, there was no bus at the main gate heading into the city. Su Banxia had no choice but to walk.

Fortunately, it only took about an hour to walk from the compound to the county town.

After walking for over ten minutes, a military green off-road vehicle approached from behind.

In the passenger seat, Political Commissar Liu thought the woman walking on the roadside looked familiar. Since she was coming from this direction, she was likely the family member of someone in the compound.

“Xiao Zhao, pull over,” he said. “Let’s ask this comrade where she’s headed. The sun is blazing—we can give her a lift.”

The driver, Zhao Daqing, replied, “Yes, Political Commissar.”

The vehicle screeched to a halt, and Zhao Daqing rolled down the window.

“Ma’am, where are you headed? We can give you a lift.”

Su Banxia was feeling quite troubled. Walking for an hour wasn’t particularly strenuous, but under the scorching sun, her 160-170 pound frame was drenched in sweat, and her throat was parched.

Hearing the offer, her heart leapt with joy.

What was this called?

When you wish for something deeply enough, the universe responds.

She had just been thinking how nice it would be to get a ride, and now a car had actually appeared.

Through the rolled-down window, Su Banxia could see that both men in the front seats were wearing military uniforms.

The driver looked to be in his twenties, while the man in the passenger seat was slightly older. He seemed different from Jiang Guo’an—not giving off that icy, cold vibe.

Regardless, seeing those two military uniforms made Su Banxia feel reassured.

She smiled warmly and openly. “Comrades, I’m heading into the city. Is it on your way?”

Zhao Daqing also thought Su Banxia looked familiar but couldn’t quite place her.

He said, “It is on our way. We’re going to the county town too.”

“Thank you both, comrades. I’m really grateful.”

Su Banxia expressed her thanks sincerely, then opened the back door and got in.

Once she was seated, Zhao Daqing started the car. As they set off, Political Commissar Liu turned around with a cheerful smile to look at Su Banxia.

“Comrade, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”

Su Banxia had no recollection of Political Commissar Liu whatsoever. Could they have crossed paths in the family compound?

She smiled. “Perhaps we’ve seen each other in the family compound. I live there too.”

Hearing this, Political Commissar Liu’s smile widened even further.

He was indeed sharp—he’d spotted one of their own right away.

“Oh? Who is your husband?”

“My husband is Jiang Guo’an.”

Jiang Guo’an?

That name was all too familiar to Political Commissar Liu.

He was an exceptional soldier he had his eye on.

It’s just that he’d married a rural wife with a gambling habit, which had tarnished Jiang Guo’an’s reputation.

He’d long heard of her notorious name within the ranks, but meeting her for the first time today, she didn’t seem like the gambling type at all?

What was she going into the city for today?

Could it be gambling again?

If she really was going to gamble, had they made a mistake by giving her a ride into the city?

Zhao Daqing was also inwardly shocked when he heard.

How did they end up picking her up?

Lazy, slovenly, gluttonous, idle, and addicted to gambling—she was practically universally despised.

A flicker of disgust passed through Zhao Daqing’s eyes as he glanced at Su Banxia again in the rearview mirror.

No wonder she looked so familiar—he just hadn’t made the connection earlier.

If he’d known it was her, he should have warned the Political Commissar, and they wouldn’t have stopped.

But now she was already in the car, and it was too late to say anything.

She was quite the celebrity in the compound—who didn’t know her?

How could someone as outstanding and admirable as Battalion Commander Jiang end up with such a wretched creature?

Back then, he had planned to introduce his own younger sister to Battalion Commander Jiang after he returned from leave. Who could have guessed he’d come back with a wife of such poor character?

Just thinking about it brought a pang of bitterness and regret.

Political Commissar Liu was also feeling conflicted. When Su Banxia first got in the car and he learned she was the wife of someone in the army, he had been quite welcoming.

But now, his mood was mixed with anxiety, worried that Su Banxia was heading into the city to gamble.

Tentatively, Political Commissar Liu asked, “So you’re Jiang Guo’an’s wife. That young man is truly outstanding. Since today isn’t a market day, what brings you into the city?”