Chapter 7

He Bingning washed the dishes and put them away.

She was about to leave, but out of curiosity, she glanced into the pot to see what Li Juanjuan had cooked.

All she saw was a pot of blackened mess—only on closer look could one tell it was supposed to be cabbage.

He Bingning covered her mouth and laughed. To turn cabbage into black cabbage—that really took some talent.

She couldn’t be bothered to clean up the aftermath, so she swaggered off to the cafeteria for dinner instead.

That day, the cafeteria was especially crowded. After listening to some gossip, she found out why—they were serving braised pork.

There were still a few minutes before mealtime, yet the line had already formed.

He Bingning took a tray and joined the queue.

“Bingning…”

A timid voice came from behind.

He Bingning turned around and gave a bright smile. “Hey!”

Wang Jiahui was caught off guard, smiling shyly. “Bingning, you’re eating at the cafeteria today too?”

He Bingning nodded, her smile unwavering. “Mm.”

Wang Jiahui was overjoyed. She never imagined that the usually aloof He Bingning would actually speak to her.

In He Bingning’s memory, she wasn’t close to Wang Jiahui. She only vaguely recalled that this young wife was a kind person.

Wang Jiahui had originally been a village girl. She lived in the military compound with her husband, but later he was transferred out on assignment, probably gone for a year or more. Rumor even had it that he had another woman where he was stationed—that divorce was only a matter of time. Once divorced, she wouldn’t be able to stay in the compound.

She had no job, her family back home had no money, and her husband’s pay never reached her hands. Her days were poor, though at least meals were provided—so as long as she didn’t buy anything extra, she could scrape by.

But her clothes told the story: she couldn’t afford a new set even once a year. They were patched and repatched, and no matter how cleanly washed, they always looked shabby. The other military wives looked down on her and didn’t want much to do with her.

When He Bingning had first arrived, she too had disliked how shabby Wang Jiahui looked, but she’d given her a few of her own old clothes.

After all, she was a city-bred young lady—her “old” clothes were better than what others wore new. And “old” was a stretch; she’d hardly worn them, and they were still like new.

Those few clothes, given so casually, had been a lifesaver for Wang Jiahui. From then on, she treated He Bingning like a sister.

But He Bingning, being rather proud, had always responded coldly and distantly.

Still, Wang Jiahui never minded, and she kept greeting her warmly.

Compared to the others in the compound, Wang Jiahui liked He Bingning the most. She believed Bingning was cold outside but warm inside—that with more interaction, they would become friends.

So today, getting such a friendly response felt like finally seeing the moon after waiting through the clouds.

Wang Jiahui smiled and continued chatting. “Bingning, I heard they’re making braised pork today. You should eat more—you look so thin.”

“Mm, I’ll eat plenty~” He Bingning replied with a cheerful grin.

Just then, a voice behind them cut in with a mocking tone. “Some people say they’re going to cook, yet in the end they still come to the cafeteria.”

The voice was unmistakably Auntie Li’s.

Clearly aimed at her, but instead of getting angry, He Bingning turned with a sweet, haughty smile. “Auntie Li, are you talking about your daughter Juanjuan? She was indeed in the kitchen cooking just now. Didn’t even clean up afterward. Maybe you should go help her tidy up—otherwise tonight, if I want to cook something for my husband, I won’t be able to.”

Auntie Li’s eyes widened. “What nonsense are you spouting? My Juanjuan has no reason to be cooking!”

Feigning innocence, He Bingning blinked. “But I was curious too, so I asked her. From what I gathered, she said once she gets married and leaves the compound, she’ll have to cook for her man—so she was practicing in advance.”

Everyone knew life in the military compound was comfortable—three meals a day at the cafeteria, no cleanup afterward. Occasionally cooking for fun was a novelty.

But once married outside, it could be a whole different story: endless chores, serving husband and in-laws, possibly even being scolded or beaten by a mother-in-law.

So Juanjuan’s eagerness to “practice” seemed ridiculous. The other military wives could barely hide their laughter.

Auntie Li’s face turned red. Losing face, she abandoned her tray and stormed off to confront Juanjuan.

He Bingning had her principles. If you didn’t cross her, she was easy to get along with. But if you did—she hit back hard.

After the meal, Wang Jiahui pulled He Bingning aside, saying she had something to give her.

He Bingning smiled. “I need to get home to check on my two kids. How about I visit you another day?”

“It’s fine, I’ll bring it over to you. And we can chat—I’ve nothing to do this afternoon anyway,” Wang Jiahui insisted.

“Alright then.” Bingning agreed casually.

In the compound, the families lived close together, and visiting each other was normal.

After returning home, He Bingning quickly prepared milk for the two children. Just as she finished, Wang Jiahui arrived, carrying a cloth bag.

It was her first time visiting Bingning’s home. Her eyes lit up as she looked around—the decorations were all so refined, and the vanity was covered in cosmetics.

Noticing her staring, Bingning laughed. “My place is a bit messy. Why don’t you sit here?”

She turned to fetch water, but Wang Jiahui hurriedly stopped her. “I—I’m not thirsty, don’t trouble yourself.”

“It’s only a glass of water, what’s the trouble?”

Bingning still poured a cup, dropping in two pieces of rock sugar.

Unfortunately, there was no coffee at home—so sugar water would have to do.

“Really, no need…” Wang Jiahui grew flustered, fumbling with her cloth bag. “I only came to bring you something.”

“What is it?” Bingning asked curiously.

“Shoeinserts. I made them myself. They’re not very good—you mustn’t mind.” Wang Jiahui looked embarrassed, even regretting it. To He Bingning, who lived like a princess, what were a pair of crude handmade insoles? She couldn’t afford anything fancier to gift—her only offering was her sincerity. But sincerity was the least valuable thing of all.

“Wow! You actually made these by hand? Just what I needed! I heard handmade insoles are the most comfortable!” Bingning exclaimed warmly.

She didn’t truly care about insoles, but she treasured the heartfelt gesture. And in fact, the insoles were beautifully made, embroidered with peonies so lifelike they seemed wasted hidden inside shoes.

Bingning picked them up and praised, “And you even embroidered flowers on them—they’re gorgeous!”

Wang Jiahui lowered her head, blushing. “I’m glad you like them. I was afraid you wouldn’t.”

“I like them very much.” Bingning’s eyes curved with her smile.

With Gu Huai away during the day, life was dull—having a close female friend wouldn’t be bad at all.

She got up, rummaged through her vanity, and found a lipstick. “Jiahui, since you’re so kind to me, I’ll give you a lipstick in return. This one’s new—I’ve never used it~”