Chapter 36

The next day, Shi Tingyu brought the White Rabbit candies to work. Including her, there were only six people in the office, so she gave each person two pieces.

It’s not that she didn’t want to give more; these candies were precious, and giving out even one or two pieces was considered generous.

Sure enough, after she gave out the candies, everyone’s attitude toward her improved.

When Liu Xiaohong needed to go to the restroom, she saw that Shi Tingyu was idle at her desk and invited her to come along.

Shi Tingyu instantly felt a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of going to the restroom with friends during childhood.

She wasn’t overly enthusiastic, but she didn’t respond coldly to others’ friendliness either.

Seeing this, Liu Xiaohong felt relieved.

Liu Xiaohong was the wife of Chen Qiang, the battalion commander of the Third Battalion. She was thirty-one years old and had a nine-year-old daughter named Chen Yue, who was in the second grade.

Chen Yue was in the class Shi Tingyu taught her first lesson to yesterday. The girl was talented in drawing and had received praise from Shi Tingyu.

Yesterday, Chen Yue came home from school, excitedly telling her parents about Shi Tingyu and declaring that Shi Tingyu was now her favorite teacher.

Chen Qiang wasn’t surprised at all. He had met Shi Tingyu when they visited Lu Weiguo’s home for dinner. Her warm smile left a good impression, so it was natural for children to like her.

Because of this, Liu Xiaohong became even friendlier with Shi Tingyu.

Of course, the White Rabbit candies also played a role.

Looking at Shi Tingyu’s serene and beautiful face when she wasn’t smiling, Liu Xiaohong couldn’t help but say, “The first time I saw you, I was worried you’d be hard to get along with.”

Shi Tingyu was a bit surprised. Although she wasn’t particularly social, she rarely made enemies.

Seeing her surprise, Liu Xiaohong lowered her voice and said, “I heard it from Aunt Lu. She said you were arrogant and looked down on people.”

Liu Xiaohong didn’t feel the least bit guilty about betraying Aunt Lu.

Her husband Chen Qiang and Lu Wenbin worked together, so their families often interacted. Naturally, she was closer to Su Qiaoyue, Lu Wenbin’s wife. Otherwise, Su Qiaoyue wouldn’t have asked her to substitute teach.

Su Qiaoyue didn’t like her mother-in-law, and because of her frequent interactions with Su Qiaoyue, Liu Xiaohong also disliked Aunt Lu’s ways.

Shi Tingyu then realized that ever since she rejected Aunt Lu, the woman had been badmouthing her to others.

Seeing Shi Tingyu’s displeased expression, Liu Xiaohong quickly comforted her, “Don’t worry, Aunt Lu just likes to take advantage of others. Everyone knows her character, and not many people believe her.”

Shi Tingyu thought to herself that it might not be that simple.

People love gossip; they don’t care about the truth as long as there’s something to talk about.

Liu Xiaohong didn’t continue the topic but instead asked about the Lu family’s full moon banquet.

“Did the Lu family invite you and Xiao Lu to their full moon banquet?”

Shi Tingyu hadn’t heard Lu Weiguo mention it.

“They probably didn’t. I had to work and couldn’t help with the banquet preparations, so I refused Aunt Lu’s request. She’s probably upset about that.”

Liu Xiaohong didn’t know about this. When she first heard Aunt Lu talk about Shi Tingyu, she made it sound like Shi Tingyu was lazy and unwilling to help with even the smallest tasks.

At the time, Liu Xiaohong wondered why the wife of the battalion commander would get involved with Aunt Lu, who wasn’t directly connected to her. Now she understood.

Seeing Liu Xiaohong’s expression of realization, Shi Tingyu felt satisfied.

She couldn’t just let others say whatever they wanted about her. She had to explain herself to prevent misunderstandings and ensure those around her knew the truth, even if the gossip spread. It was important for her to maintain good relations with those she interacted with daily.

Shi Tingyu initially thought the Lu family wouldn’t invite them.

To her surprise, that evening, during dinner, Lu Weiguo mentioned that Lu Wenbin had invited them to his son’s full moon banquet.

These days, it wasn’t common to be extravagant; they kept it simple with just one table.

They hadn’t planned to invite Shi Tingyu initially. With food being scarce, people usually didn’t invite family members. This time, they invited Shi Tingyu as well to smooth over relations after Aunt Lu’s inconsiderate behavior. This was a common way to mend relationships.

If two families had fallen out, they’d typically resolve it by inviting each other to a family event, signaling a willingness to resume normal interactions.

Lu Weiguo asked, “Do you want to go?”

Although he thought it wouldn’t be good to strain his relationship with a comrade, he wouldn’t force his wife to go if she didn’t want to. He could go alone to save face.

Moreover, Lu Wenbin wasn’t unreasonable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have invited both of them.

After considering it, Shi Tingyu agreed.

She felt somewhat guilty about her family’s situation, which had been a burden on Lu Weiguo. She hoped to help maintain his relationships with his comrades whenever possible.

The Lu family’s full moon banquet was held the following evening.

When Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo arrived, Liu Xiaohong was already there.

Seeing Shi Tingyu, Liu Xiaohong waved her over.

Shi Tingyu told Lu Weiguo and then went to chat with Liu Xiaohong.

Liu Xiaohong explained that they hadn’t hired a professional chef for the banquet. The food was prepared by Aunt Lu and Lu Wenbin’s wife, Lu Wenchan.

Liu Xiaohong was there because of her connection to Su Qiaoyue.

After chatting for a while, Shi Tingyu suggested they go see the baby.

Liu Xiaohong led her to Su Qiaoyue’s room.

Shi Tingyu gave the baby a two-yuan red envelope.

It wasn’t intended to mock Aunt Lu; other battalion commanders had also given two yuan, and they couldn’t do anything special.

When Su Qiaoyue saw Shi Tingyu, she was stunned.

She prided herself on her beauty and had heard of Shi Tingyu’s reputation. She assumed Shi Tingyu couldn’t be that beautiful, thinking she might look similar to herself. But upon seeing her in person, she realized how wrong she was.

Aside from her striking beauty, Shi Tingyu’s aura was captivating.

It was clear that someone from an ordinary family couldn’t possess such grace.

Even though she was internally shocked, Su Qiaoyue maintained her composure.

Shi Tingyu engaged in polite conversation with her.

When they were called for the meal, Shi Tingyu and the others stood up.

Su Qiaoyue apologized, “Comrade Shi, my mother-in-law’s actions the other day were inappropriate. Please don’t take it to heart. Wenbin and I have already talked to her.”

“No problem.” Given the situation, everyone wanted to maintain a pleasant atmosphere, so no one made things difficult.

Su Qiaoyue seemed relieved and smiled, “Alright, you must be hungry. Eat up tonight.”