Chapter 19

“Sister-in-law Xu, can you control your mother and sister? They stole two of my cabbages again today.”

“They stole five white bread buns from my house the day before yesterday.”

“Yesterday, they even stole a plate of pork and green onion dumplings from my house.”

The military wives from the family compound had come to Xu Hua to complain. Chen Lixia and Luo Heimei never did anything good—either stealing or gossiping about other people’s affairs.

Everyone in the compound was afraid of them. Every mealtime, people would lock their doors tightly.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I’ll compensate you for the stolen items.”

Sister-in-law Xu was a good person, and everyone had benefited from her kindness before. Because of this, they decided not to pursue the matter further.

“It’s okay, Sister-in-law Xu. We understand. Having a mother-in-law and sister-in-law like that isn’t your fault. We’ll head back now.”

“Alright.”

Xu Hua was worried. If things continued like this, their family’s reputation in the compound would be ruined.

That day, Heimei excitedly told her family that she had her eye on a young man from the military district.

Chen Lixia burst out laughing with joy. Everyone knew that young men in the military district received a generous monthly allowance—her daughter was truly ambitious!

“Dear, that’s wonderful! What’s the young man’s name? Tell your brother quickly!”

Although Luo Dazhu found his sister troublesome, she was still family. Besides, if she got married, life would be much easier for him and Xu Hua.

“His name is Zhou Zheng.”

Luo Dazhu knew Zhou Zheng—he was a decent person, young but steady in his actions.

“Alright, I’ll ask around for you.”

“Hurry up!”

Chen Lixia couldn’t wait. That entire afternoon, she chatted with Luo Heimei and, for once, didn’t bother Xu Hua.

Xu Hua didn’t care to deal with them and took her three daughters to visit Gu Nian’s house.

“Sister-in-law Xu, come in! I haven’t seen you in days.”

Gu Nian welcomed them inside, poured Xu Hua a cup of tea, and gave the three children some biscuits and snacks.

The children were hungry but didn’t dare take anything without their mother’s permission.

“Go ahead and eat.”

Since she was close with Gu Nian, Xu Hua didn’t stand on ceremony. Only then did the three children start eating eagerly.

“Where are Uncle, Aunt, and Susu?”

“The elderly couple went to stroll near the military district. Susu has recently started dating someone there—she went to see him.”

“Susu is dating already? Who is it?”

Xu Hua was curious. Gu Nian had only briefly mentioned it before.

“I think his name is Zhou Zheng.”

“Zhou Zheng? What a coincidence!”

“What do you mean?”

Xu Hua told Gu Nian that her sister-in-law had also set her sights on Zhou Zheng. But from what Gu Nian said, Jiang Susu and Zhou Zheng had already met at Gu Nian and Jiang Huaijing’s wedding and had been in a relationship for a while.

Their love was mutual, so Xu Hua’s sister-in-law had no choice but to find someone else.

After chatting with Gu Nian, Xu Hua returned home.

Coincidentally, Luo Dazhu had also come back. Chen Lixia immediately grabbed his hand and asked, “Son, how did it go? Is Zhou Zheng willing to meet your sister?”

“Mom, forget about it. Zhou Zheng already has a girlfriend—she’s Captain Jiang’s sister. They’ve been dating for a while now.”

“What? Them again? Their family is deliberately going against your sister! I heard Zhou Zheng is a battalion commander! No way, your sister can’t let this opportunity slip!”

Xu Hua was confused. Why was her mother-in-law so insistent when the man already had a girlfriend?

“Mom, what do you want to do? He already has someone.”

Chen Lixia glared at Xu Hua and shouted, “So what? They aren’t married yet! Besides, your sister is way better than that Jiang Susu. Look how fat she is—just like a pig!”

Luo Dazhu and Xu Hua were speechless. Luo Heimei shared her mother’s thoughts—Zhou Zheng should belong to her. What was so great about Jiang Susu? She couldn’t compare to her at all.

In the following days, the mother and daughter suddenly became very quiet, causing Xu Hua to believe they had finally given up.

Meanwhile, Gu Nian was grading students’ assignments in her office when she heard a voice behind her.

“Teacher Gu, grading papers?”

Gu Nian turned around and saw the school’s vice principal. She wasn’t familiar with him, having only met him a few times before.

“Yes. Is there something you need?”

“The school needs to send a Chinese teacher to a city event. I thought you’d be the best choice.”

Gu Nian had already heard about this event a few days ago. She would have to go with the vice principal, but she had no interest.

“Find someone else. I’m still new and need more training before attending such events.”

Her refusal was clear, but the vice principal wouldn’t give up.

“Oh, come on, Teacher Gu. We all know you’re very capable. It’s settled then—no more discussion.”

With that, he quickly left as if afraid she’d change her mind. Gu Nian found it strange. The school had many excellent Chinese teachers—why did he insist on choosing her?

Just then, several teachers walked in after class. One of the older teachers spoke to Gu Nian.

“Gu Nian, did the vice principal ask you to attend the event with him?”

“Yes.”

“Be careful—he’s not a good person.”

“Why?”

Gu Nian felt something was off. Sure enough, the female teacher continued, “Before, other female teachers went with him, and after that, they ended up in a relationship with him.”

“What happened to those teachers?”

“No one knows. One of them later resigned voluntarily. The vice principal has connections in the military district, so be cautious.”

That was all the teacher could say. The rest was up to Gu Nian. No wonder she felt uncomfortable around the vice principal when they first met.

This was a perfect opportunity to teach him a lesson—especially since, as far as she knew, he had a wife.

Meanwhile, Jiang Dazhan’s parents were preparing to return home. They were worried about their village.

Jiang Susu wasn’t leaving yet—Zhou Zheng had said he would be taking a leave of absence soon to visit his family and hoped she would go with him. Jiang Susu agreed—Zhou Zheng was a good man, and she was willing to marry him.

When Luo Heimei heard her mother’s plan, she was delighted—experience truly came with age!

“Mom, are you sure this will make Zhou Zheng marry me?”

“Absolutely.”

That night, Luo Heimei wrote a note pretending to be Jiang Susu and sent it to Zhou Zheng.

When Zhou Zheng arrived, she ran out naked, shouting, “Brother Zhou Zheng, we’re not even married yet! This is inappropriate!”

The entire family compound was stunned. What was Luo Heimei doing? Even at night, streaking wasn’t exactly in fashion!