Chapter 27: The Flower of the Military Wife (Part 2)

And for an incredibly low price—only 200 yuan per month.

In this era, a single piece of clothing could cost more than 200 yuan. A store like that was basically a gold mine.

But Chen Yufeng wasn’t interested. After all, Qi Cailing was the protagonist. The protagonist always had luck on her side—luck that Chen Yufeng didn’t have, nor did she intend to compete for it.

After scanning the entire notice, she pointed to a small restaurant at the bottom. “I want to rent this one. It’s three stories tall, 450 square meters, and only 30 yuan a month—what a steal.”

Mrs. Bao took a look and immediately said, “That’s our internal canteen. It’s not open to the public, so there’s no customer base. Several people have tried running it before, but none of them lasted. It just doesn’t make money.”

Han Chao fell into deep thought—clearly, he agreed.

But Chen Yufeng said, “As long as the food is good, we’ll attract repeat customers. Plus, I heard that if we provide meal services for government offices and get good reviews, the military district will subsidize us with 50 yuan per month.”

Mrs. Bao said, “If you’re only thinking about making fifty bucks, you really lack ambition. I want to rent a street-facing shop, dive into business, and get rich overnight!”

Captain Zhao was sipping tea from a purple clay teapot and chimed in, “I think Yufeng’s way is just fine—living comfortably with small but steady gains while raising the children well. Bao Xiaxia, you keep dreaming of getting rich overnight, but have you ever thought if you’re even cut out for it?”

Mrs. Bao, annoyed at being called out by her husband, snapped, “Zhao Fangzheng, are you asking for a fight?”

Captain Zhao wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. “Go ahead! You couldn’t beat me lying down, and you think you’d stand a chance standing up?”

Mrs. Bao, slightly plump but undeniably beautiful, suddenly blushed. “Zhao Fangzheng, you scoundrel!”

Captain Zhao grinned and walked away.

Chen Yufeng, puzzled, asked Mrs. Bao, “Why would you two fight lying down?”

Mrs. Bao pressed her lips together in a smile, fanned herself with the announcement notice, and left.

It took Yufeng a while to realize—they weren’t arguing at all; they were just openly flirting.

Captain Zhao was tall, dark, and burly, yet he still knew how to show affection. Meanwhile, her own husband was handsome, with sharp features, yet as dense as a block of wood!

According to the announcement, applications for renting the small restaurant could only be submitted in the afternoon.

But with so many people rushing to claim the properties, Yufeng and Mrs. Bao decided to scout the situation early in the morning.

That day, the Logistics Department and Military Affairs Office were holding a joint public service session, setting up desks right in the main courtyard of the administrative compound.

Because the shops in the city had prime locations and cheap rent, the queue of applicants stretched endlessly.

In the crowd, Yufeng spotted Qi Cailing standing next to Xiao Sheng.

Qi Cailing truly lived up to the book’s description of her as “the most beautiful military wife.” Her outfit was undeniably stylish—a deep red blazer, black wide-leg pants, pointed high-heeled leather shoes, and large round multicolored earrings. Her long, wavy hair was the epitome of fashionable elegance, drawing plenty of attention. Many people were sneaking glances at her.

Just as Yufeng was observing her, a sudden child’s wail rang out.

It was Zhang Songtao’s son, Erwa, crying.

“What’s wrong, Erwa? Why are you crying?” Qi Cailing bent down and asked.

“Mom, you stepped on my foot with your high heels!” Erwa sobbed.

Qi Cailing finally noticed that she had stepped on the child. And with so many people watching her, she quickly bent down to pick up Erwa, wiping his tears with her hand.

Yufeng caught a small but telling detail—if it were her, she would’ve taken out a handkerchief to wipe the child’s nose, washing it afterward. But Qi Cailing? She pinched the child’s runny nose with her bare hand and then casually wiped the mucus onto his clothes before patting him on the back and sending him off to play.

Wiping snot onto a child’s clothes—was this what they called “the most beautiful stepmother”?

Yufeng felt a bit sorry for Erwa and looked away, unwilling to watch any longer.

Since it was a joint service session, Yufeng finally got to see the legendary Director Ma Lin.

Ma Lin appeared to be around forty-five or forty-six years old—slender and tall, with a short, permed haircut just like hers.

Her sharp eyebrows and perpetually furrowed brows made her look perpetually angry.

The event was packed, and at one point, a regiment-level officer accidentally bumped into her.

She immediately stood up, pointed at the officer, and barked, “You! Get to the back of the line!”

“Director Ma, I’m sorry, someone pushed me from behind…” The officer barely managed to explain before Ma Lin slammed the table and roared, “I told you to move to the back! Do you not understand?!”

This was a high-ranking officer, and getting publicly scolded like this was humiliating.

Mrs. Bao leaned in and whispered to Yufeng, “Ma Lin’s temper has gotten even worse.”

“Was she always this bad?” Yufeng asked softly.

Mrs. Bao replied, “Her father was a senior air force commander, and her brother is the commander of our military district. She’s also highly capable, so naturally, she has a big temper. And to be fair, she had her child stolen—any mother who lost her child is bound to be miserable.”

Ma Lin came from a military family, with her brother being the well-respected Commander Ma.

And she herself was undeniably competent.

For example, when it came to the new military property leasing policy, most people in her position would prioritize giving shop spaces to officials’ families first—letting the leadership profit before anyone else.

But not Ma Lin. She chose to prioritize military families who had been to the battlefield, ensuring that veterans and their families received benefits.

Her strict fairness and rigorous discipline earned her immense respect among rank-and-file soldiers.

So even though her temper was terrible, people tolerated it.

By noon, Mrs. Bao tugged Yufeng’s arm. “Come on, let’s head home and make lunch.”

Before leaving, Yufeng glanced at Qi Cailing one last time before heading home.

Now, Yufeng had always known that Qi Cailing lived in the military district. She had seen her husband and her two sons.

But so far, Qi Cailing had no idea that Yufeng had moved to the city ahead of schedule.

Not because she deliberately ignored it, but because, compared to her mundane past life, this new life was too thrilling for her.

Many male officers in the military district admired Qi Cailing, enjoying her company, chatting with her, offering their help, and supporting her unconditionally. Meanwhile, the booming economy of the ’90s presented countless business opportunities, keeping her busy making money.

According to the novel’s plot, she was supposed to have a deeply loving relationship with Zhang Songtao. And when she wrote the book, she genuinely thought that was how it would be.

But now that fiction had turned into reality, she found that Zhang Songtao, at thirty-six, was just a middle-aged man. Meanwhile, the men who admired her were mostly younger—full of energy and vigor.

Compared to them, Zhang Songtao simply didn’t feel as exciting anymore.

As for her sons, Dawa and Erwa, she did try to be a good mother, knowing they would grow up to be influential figures.

But her current life was just too exhilarating, making it difficult for her to devote proper attention to the boys.

Just today, for example—so caught up in securing a rental shop, she accidentally stepped on Erwa’s foot. After brushing him off with a few words, she forgot all about it.

But his toe ended up swelling, getting infected, and festering.

And when he came down with a high fever, it wasn’t Qi Cailing who took him to the clinic for treatment and medicine.

It was his older brother, Dawa.

Their so-called “most beautiful stepmother,” Qi Cailing, was so engrossed in her grand plans to make money that she was completely unaware of the situation.

Back to Chen Yufeng.

That afternoon, the available rental spaces were all small storefronts with low rent, which attracted even larger crowds.

As the director of the Military Affairs Office, Ma Lin personally reviewed the application documents. Just like in the morning, if there were any errors in an application or formatting issues, Zhang Songtao might still allow some leniency. But once it reached Ma Lin’s hands, she was merciless—she would tear up the application on the spot.

This made everyone extremely nervous. Mrs. Bao, who was standing in line ahead of Chen Yufeng, was trembling the entire time.

Luckily, her application had been written by Han Chao, and the format was correct. She passed without any issues.

Then it was Chen Yufeng’s turn. Zhang Songtao recognized her and, after a quick glance, passed the application to Ma Lin. Ma Lin carefully examined it, flipping through Han Chao’s enlistment proof and the application form in detail. Finally, she placed the document in the “approved” pile—indicating success.

Just as Chen Yufeng turned to leave, Ma Lin suddenly said, “Han Chao’s spouse, wait a moment.”

She rarely called people by name. At this, the entire crowd—those in line and those watching—immediately cast sympathetic glances at Chen Yufeng. Mrs. Bao even gasped in shock. Ma Lin was known for scolding people without mentioning names, always launching straight into reprimands. But now, calling Chen Yufeng out specifically—could that mean an even bigger problem?

Ma Lin lifted her head and, in front of everyone, said gently, “If you have time, please wait for me. I have a personal matter to discuss with you.”

Chen Yufeng replied, “Of course, I’ll wait.”

It was common knowledge that the quieter a military leader spoke, the more serious the matter.

Mrs. Bao left first, repeatedly glancing back, wondering what kind of personal matter could make Ma Lin lower her voice.

Chen Yufeng, however, remained calm. Han Chao’s battlefield record and his application were both solid—Ma Lin had approved them, which meant she could rent the storefront.

As for what Ma Lin wanted to discuss, Chen Yufeng didn’t concern herself too much.

After all, Ma Lin was once best friends with Wang Guoguo. She probably didn’t know that Wang Guoguo was still alive, right?

She probably still believed her daughter had died because of Wang Guoguo.

But unless Ma Lin brought it up herself, there was no reason to ask without any evidence.

Might as well just see where the conversation led.