Chapter 16

Jiang Rong had never learned to draw in her previous life. She’d only attended school for a few years—just enough to recognize some characters.

After marrying and following her husband’s military career, she suppressed her frustrations, forced to play the role of the original novel’s female lead’s foil. Her only outlet for pent-up resentment was bullying Wen Ning.

Later, when her husband retired and transitioned to civilian life, Jiang Rong remained fixated on her rivalry with the original female lead.

Knowing the protagonist’s beautiful handwriting and artistic talent, she secretly practiced both. While she couldn’t match the masters, her passable skills were enough to impress others.

In this life, she had preemptively secured the coveted position of propaganda officer at the Women’s Affairs Office, confident that the original female lead wouldn’t stand a chance.

Yet now, the job that seemed within her grasp was suddenly in jeopardy.

“Ningning, stop joking. You can’t even draw,” Jiang Rong said, certain of Wen Ning’s limitations.

Wen Ning smiled at her. “We’re not close. How would you know what I can or can’t do?”

Aware that Jiang Rong was a ticking time bomb, Wen Ning feared her identity being exposed and attracting suspicion. Ever since arriving at the Family Compound, she had openly maintained that they were mere acquaintances.

This way, no one would notice the profound changes in either of them.

Director Yang, still holding Jiang Rong’s draft sketches, looked up at the clear, melodious voice. She was surprised by the young woman’s striking beauty.

She had rarely seen such a beautiful girl—surpassing even the city girls in elegance.

This must be Regimental Commander Lu’s wife, Director Yang thought, recalling Wen Ning, the wife of Lu Cheng, who had recently arrived to join her husband at the military base.

Lu Cheng was Director Yang’s husband’s most prized soldier, having risen through the ranks to become a regimental commander. Naturally, Director Yang had taken a special interest in her.

“Hello, Director Yang. I’m Wen Ning, Lu Cheng’s wife.”

“Hmm, you mentioned you can also draw?” Director Yang hadn’t expected this pleasant surprise.

One after another, these young women were volunteering. She had always admired confident and poised girls.

“Yes,” Wen Ning replied, even more confidently than Director Yang had anticipated. “I draw better than Jiang Rong.”

“Xiao Wen, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Deputy Director He interjected, displeased.

Where did this troublemaker come from?

If she stole Jiang Rong’s job, what would happen to the gifts she had received—a jar of snow cream and a tin of malted milk powder, worth ten yuan!

“Alright,” Director Yang interrupted Deputy Director He, looking at Wen Ning with a hint of admiration. “Show us what you can do.”

As she spoke, Director Yang asked someone to bring chalk and pointed to a blank propaganda blackboard by the roadside. “Draw here.”

Seeing Wen Ning staring at the box of chalk for a long moment without moving, Jiang Rong’s heart leapt with joy. She’s finally going to be exposed! she thought. She’s just putting on a brave face, and now her bluff will be called!

Smiling, Jiang Rong stepped forward and addressed the crowd. “Ningning and I were neighbors back in our hometown. We’re very close and know each other well. She’s never been able to draw, so I suspect she’s just being impulsive, trying to get this job. If her drawing isn’t very good, please don’t be too harsh on her. She has a bit of a temper, and we don’t want things to get ugly.”

Deputy Director He cast an approving glance at Jiang Rong. She’s quite skilled at maneuvering words, she thought. She’s subtly pointed out that Wen Ning can’t draw, implying she’s just being petty in trying to take the job, while simultaneously portraying herself as magnanimous.

“Xiao Jiang, you’re too kind,” Deputy Director He said. “Some people don’t appreciate the bonds of kinship!”

Jiang Rong smiled faintly. “If Ningning draws better than me, the job should rightfully go to her. After all, whoever has the skill deserves the position.”

Wen Ning’s ears rang with Jiang Rong’s words, which buzzed around her like annoying mosquitoes. She was simply astonished by the chalk—what was this peculiar object?

Accustomed to handling unfamiliar things, she calmly picked up a piece of chalk and tentatively drew a line on the blackboard.

“Wow, she’s actually drawing lines! And the different chalks have different colors—how amazing!”

Wen Ning had studied under the renowned master Zhao Zhao, possessing exceptional artistic skill. She had even published a collection of paintings under an assumed name, earning a modest reputation in the Great Liang Dynasty.

While using chalk felt strange and disrupted the practiced brushstrokes she had developed over years of painting with traditional brushes, her fundamental skill remained intact.

Her chalk moved swiftly across the board, and in no time, she had sketched a scene of the military spouses harvesting vegetables in the fields, using only simple white chalk.

With just a few strokes, she captured both the form and spirit of the scene, drawing the crowd closer.

Their eyes widened like copper bells, and their mouths gaped as if they could swallow eggs whole.

Director Yang’s eyes lit up. Xiao Song, the former propaganda officer, had specifically studied painting under the renowned Zhao Xianping, and even her superficial training had made her quite accomplished. But Wen Ning’s drawing was undeniably more refined.

Though Director Yang lacked formal art appreciation skills, she found Wen Ning’s work utterly delightful—a pleasant surprise.

“Your drawing is truly remarkable!” Director Yang praised generously, her gaze darting between Wen Ning and the sketch, her meaning clear.

“Who knew Regimental Commander Lu’s wife was so talented? I think she’s even better than Xiao Song!”

“I’ve seen Xiao Song paint before, and she can’t work this fast!”

“And Xiao Jiang? Even someone like me, who knows nothing about art, can tell Wen Ning’s painting is better.”

Jiang Rong stood there, her face darkening as she listened to the military spouses’ boisterous, unfiltered praise. Their words felt like footsteps trampling her heart.

How could Wen Ning paint, and so well?

Director Yang surveyed the crowd before turning to Wen Ning. “Wen Ning’s painting is excellent, as you’ve all seen. Given that, we’ll have her create the Women’s Affairs Office’s promotional posters.”

Sister Luo had originally brought Wen Ning to secure a good field job with extra benefits. She never imagined Wen Ning possessed such a talent—a talent that had now snatched the Women’s Affairs Office’s poster commission!

On their way home, Sister Luo kept asking, “Ningning, you can paint like that? That’s incredible!”

“I used to…” Wen Ning started, then remembered the Wen family’s lack of resources and changed her answer. “I taught myself when I was little.”

“Oh my! Unbelievable! I saw Deputy Director He and Jiang Rong’s faces turn green!” Sister Luo hadn’t held any particular grudge against Jiang Rong before, but Jiang Rong’s barbed, passive-aggressive remarks about Wen Ning earlier had left a sour taste in her mouth.

“Whoever is capable should take the job,” Jiang Rong had declared—and now those words had become a weapon against her own arguments.

Before leaving, Wen Ning confirmed her compensation with Director Yang. She learned she wouldn’t need to report daily, only when there was blackboard art to create. Her salary would be calculated per drawing, averaging around ten yuan a month, with opportunities to receive precious ration coupons for meat, rice, cloth, sugar, and pastries—the kind of coupons money couldn’t buy.

This was the advantage of working for the state: access to ration coupons that were otherwise impossible to obtain.

Wen Ning wasn’t particularly interested in the money, what truly tempted her were the meat and those coveted ration coupons!

Returning home, Wen Ning felt a surge of satisfaction, finally finding a purpose in this era. Her spirits lifted, and she fluttered around the courtyard like a beautiful butterfly.

The only frustration was the chalk, far inferior to the calligraphy brushes she was accustomed to. It hampered her artistic expression, and today’s drawing was barely one or two-tenths of her usual standard.

Wen Ning was deeply dissatisfied—let alone the stern Master Zhao, a renowned expert.

Still, this couldn’t dampen her excitement about the extra meat and cloth coupons she’d receive each month. Wen Ning hummed a folk tune, a melody from the Great Liang Dynasty that everyone knew by heart.

Wen Ning’s voice was soft and melodious, like a warbler’s gentle trill, tender and lingering as it drifted to Lu Cheng’s ears as he returned home.

Watching Wen Ning’s lips curve into a smile as she hummed softly, Lu Cheng paused, momentarily stunned. He quickly realized he was standing motionless at his doorstep.

“Commander Lu, you’re back!” Wen Ning, as cheerful and beautiful as a butterfly, stopped her pacing and said mysteriously, “Come back early from the unit tomorrow. I want to treat you to something special!”

“What’s going on?” Lu Cheng asked, surprised but also noticing the delight in her eyes.

“I’m not telling you yet!” Wen Ning winked.

The next day, Lu Cheng’s family leave ended, and he returned to the unit. As he approached the office, he ran into Yang Bin, the Chief of Staff of the Third Regiment.

Yang Bin was equally tall and imposing, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large, bright eyes. He exuded an air of noble dignity and was known for his warm-heartedness and willingness to help others. Or, as Yang Bin’s wife put it, he was a meddler who loved sticking his nose in other people’s business.

“Lu Cheng! You actually brought her here?” Yang Bin thought his brother was a fool. Knowing Wen Ning was no good, he still went through with it. “You know, that woman schemed against you so badly. I understand you couldn’t marry her, but why did you bring her to the military base? You’ll be crying later when she starts causing trouble.”

Yang Bin and Lu Cheng had known each other for years, practically growing up together. They later joined the army together, their bond as strong as blood brothers.

Last year, Yang Bin had witnessed firsthand how Wen Ning had manipulated Lu Cheng into marrying her during their trip back to their hometown.

Yang Bin, straightforward and protective of his friend, couldn’t stand seeing his brother schemed against like that. Upon returning to the unit, he confided in Political Commissar Huang and his wife, hoping they could talk some sense into Lu Cheng. But Lu Cheng was resolute, once he made up his mind, he never wavered.

Now that Yang Bin saw Lu Cheng had actually brought Wen Ning to the base, he was heartbroken.

“Since we’re married, abandoning her in the countryside would ruin her reputation. I’m a man, it doesn’t matter for me, but you know how women’s reputations are.”

“That woman still cares about her reputation? How did she scheme against you in the first place? She used your mother to pressure you and smeared your name, threatening to drown herself if you didn’t marry her.” Yang Bin, who had found love and marital bliss through his own free will, naturally wanted his best friend to find a good wife too.

At least not someone like Wen Ning, a calculating and spiteful woman with a face full of schemes!

“Stop meddling in my affairs,” Lu Cheng said, recalling the delicate butterfly flitting about his home. Unable to articulate his own feelings, he changed the subject. “By the way, what instructions did the Brigade Commander give for the upcoming field training?”

“Whoa! Prepare something big! Let’s really drill these troops!” Yang Bin knew Lu Cheng’s character—impartial and iron-willed. “Go all out! Training a batch of elite soldiers will be a real accomplishment!”

“Got it.” Lu Cheng nodded, gave Yang Bin a brief salute, and left.

“Hey, come over for dinner tonight!” Yang Bin knew Lu Cheng was suffering, stuck at home with that awful woman. He wanted to comfort his friend.

“No, I’ll eat at home.”

Yang Bin: ?