Jiang Dahai sat in the yard flipping through the almanac, but before he could reach the page for the 20th, Jiang Moli walked through the gate.  

“Didn’t I tell you to see Xiao Lu off? Why are you back so soon?”  

“Your son-in-law pities me. He was afraid I’d get tired and didn’t let me walk too much.”  

“You’re a young lady—don’t you know how to be embarrassed when you talk like that?”  

Jiang Moli plopped onto a stool, her face full of curiosity. “Did you just find out today that I have a thick skin?”  

Jiang Dahai choked on his words and ignored her.  

He didn’t want to die of anger.  

Jiang Moli carried the two ready-made outfits she had bought in the afternoon into the inner room, intending to try them on to see if they fit.  

In this era, there was no customer-first service mentality. Clothes couldn’t be tried on before buying—you had to pick the style and size, pay upfront, and only try them on at home. If they didn’t fit, there were no returns or exchanges. The only option was to take them to a tailor for alterations.  

As she was taking off her pants, she felt something in the pocket. She pulled it out and saw it was the red envelope Lu Cheng’s mother had given her at noon.  

Jiang Moli opened it and took a look—exactly 101 yuan.  

Say what you will, but the Lu family’s etiquette was quite thorough, even though An Hui didn’t seem to like her as a daughter-in-law.  

…  

“Xiao Qing, wait for me!”  

At the entrance of the residential area, Zhou Xiaoqing huffed and puffed as she caught up with Jiang Qing, eagerly digging for gossip about her and Zhang Jiaming.  

“My mom said you stole Jiang Moli’s man—that Zhang Jiaming. Are you two together now?”  

Jiang Qing clearly didn’t appreciate Zhou Xiaoqing’s phrasing. “Jiaming called off his engagement with Jiang Moli before he got together with me. We’re clean and proper, so stop spreading nonsense.”  

Zhou Xiaoqing didn’t buy it but played along. “Alright, alright, my bad. But my mom said Jiang Moli caught the eye of Zhang Jiaming’s superior? Hmph, she sure has dog-shit luck. That guy must be old and ugly, probably divorced with kids. Jiang Moli’s gonna be a stepmom…”  

While badmouthing Jiang Moli’s partner, she eyed Jiang Qing’s outfit up and down.  

“Hey, that dress looks really nice on you. When did you get it made?”  

“Just recently.”  

“No wonder I haven’t seen it before. I have a blind date coming up in a few days—mind lending it to me?”  

Jiang Qing avoided answering directly and instead asked who Zhou Xiaoqing’s blind date was with.

Zhou Xiaoqing took the bait. “A lathe worker from my dad’s factory. His family’s conditions are decent-both parents are officially employed workers…”

Her tone couldn’t hide her sense of pride.

In those days, marrying into a dual-income household was something many unmarried women envied.  

Zhou Xiaoqing wanted to see envy on Jiang Qing’s face.  

Even though Jiang Qing had married a soldier, he was from the countryside—his family circumstances were much worse than her blind date’s.  

But Jiang Qing didn’t seem to be listening. Instead, she was staring straight ahead, transfixed.  

Zhou Xiaoqing followed her gaze and saw a tall man in a military uniform walking toward them.  

As he got closer, his handsome face and sharp uniform made Zhou Xiaoqing’s eyes lock onto him.  

Holy crap, he’s so good-looking! And a young officer, too.  

Her heart pounded wildly.  

“Leader Lu.”  

Lu Cheng paused and nodded politely at Jiang Qing. “Has Jiaming gone back?”  

“Yeah. Thank you for serving as a witness for me and Jiaming. We’ve already set a wedding date—we’d be honored if you could come for a drink.”  

“Sure, congratulations.”  

“Thank you.”  

Seeing that Jiang Qing knew Lu Cheng, Zhou Xiaoqing eagerly stepped forward.  

“Hello, Leader! I’m Xiao Qing’s good friend. Our families are neighbors.”  

Hearing that she was his wife’s neighbor, Lu Cheng also greeted her with a “Hello.”

Zhou Xiaoqing didn’t tear her gaze away until Lu Cheng’s figure had completely disappeared. She then reluctantly turned and hurried to catch up with Jiang Qing, who had already walked far ahead.  

“Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing! Was that man just now Zhang Jiaming’s superior? Does he have a girlfriend?”  

Jiang Qing could easily see the infatuation written all over Zhou Xiaoqing’s face. With a faint smirk, she said, “Yes, and you know his girlfriend too.”  

“Who?”  

“Jiang Moli.”  

Zhou Xiaoqing’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Who?! Jiang Moli? No way! Is he blind? How could he possibly like Jiang Moli?!”  

Seeing Zhou Xiaoqing’s expression as if she’d just eaten something disgusting, Jiang Qing suddenly felt much better.  

It wasn’t that she had a dark heart and couldn’t stand to see Jiang Moli doing well—it was just that the situation itself was hard to accept.  

“Xiao Qing, if he can even like someone like Jiang Moli, do you think there’s a chance he might like me too?”  

“Who knows?”  

Zhou Xiaoqing didn’t catch the sarcasm in Jiang Qing’s tone. Instead, she narcissistically cupped her cheeks. “He even greeted me just now, staring right at my face. Maybe he really has some interest in me.”  

Jiang Qing barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You’d better not let Jiang Moli hear you say that. If she finds out you’re eyeing her man, you’ll be in for it.”  

“Like I’m scared of her!”  

Though Zhou Xiaoqing spoke defiantly, she was actually quite nervous inside.  

Jiang Moli might look delicate and frail, but her temper was fierce, and she was good at fighting.  

Zhou Xiaoqing only dared to badmouth Jiang Moli behind her back—she wouldn’t dare provoke her openly.  

“Xiao Qing, since both you and Jiang Moli are marrying soldiers, why don’t you introduce me to a military man too? Preferably an officer.”  

Jiang Qing was almost speechless.  

She hadn’t even managed to land an officer herself—why would she go out of her way to find one for Zhou Xiaoqing? Was she crazy?  

…  

Back in the Jiang family’s small courtyard, Jiang Dahai looked at Jiang Moli’s new clothes and nodded approvingly.  

“Not bad, really not bad. Wearing this makes you look much more proper.”  

Jiang Moli: “Dad, you complimented me so well—please don’t do it again next time.”  

Jiang Dahai grinned, looking as if he’d finally regained the upper hand.  

Jiang Qing and Zhou Xiaoqing stepped into the courtyard one after the other, their gazes immediately landing on Jiang Moli.  

“Xiao Qing, you’re back.”  

Li Hongying walked up to Jiang Qing, pointing at Jiang Moli’s clothes and leather sandals with a beaming smile. “Look at the clothes and shoes Xiao Lu bought for Moli—aren’t they lovely?”  

Jiang Qing pressed her lips together without a word, but a pang of envy pricked at her heart.  

Jiang Moli had a good figure and fair skin. Wearing such well-made, high-quality clothes elevated her entire aura by a whole level.  

Zhou Xiaoqing also stared at Jiang Moli’s new outfit and sandals with jealousy. Then, remembering Lu Cheng’s tall, handsome appearance and his status as an officer, she couldn’t hold back anymore:  

“Shameless!”  

The sudden insult made everyone in the courtyard turn to look at her.  

Jiang Dahai’s tone was still polite. “Xiao Qing, who are you cursing?”  

Jiang Moli smirked. “She must be cursing Jiang Qing. I didn’t steal anyone’s fiance—surely she can’t be cursing me?”  

Zhou Xiaoqing quickly glanced at Jiang Qing. “I wasn’t talking about you!”  

Jiang Qing, of course, knew Zhou Xiaoqing hadn’t been referring to her, but her mood was already in the gutter. Coldly, she said, “I’m going to cook,” then walked into the kitchen.  

Zhou Xiaoqing shot Jiang Moli a glare before following Jiang Qing into the kitchen.  

“Xiao Qing, I really wasn’t talking about you…”  

Inside the kitchen, Zhou Xiaoqing anxiously tried to explain.  

“I know.”  

Relieved that Jiang Qing hadn’t misunderstood her, Zhou Xiaoqing immediately started complaining about Jiang Moli. “Look at how smug she is. It’s just two sets of clothes—it’s not like no one else can afford them.”  

Then she asked Jiang Qing, “What did Jiaming buy for you?”