Chapter 27

“Comrade Xu, you seem to treat Shen Mo a bit differently. You’re usually very reserved with others. Either way, thank you for your concern, but Shen Mo and I aren’t what you think.”

“We’re relatives.”

“So there’s no need to worry about your roommate’s reputation. The way you dealt with Qiao Qiqi today honestly surprised me. I thought you would tolerate it.”

For some reason, Xu Zhaodi visibly relaxed when she heard the word “relatives.”

“Good to know. I’ve put up with too much from Qiao Qiqi in private, but I really couldn’t hold back this time. She does absolutely nothing every day—just obsessed with clinging to that scumbag Tian Li.

Chopping wood, carrying water—I’ve had to do it all on my own. That’s one thing, but she’s often out all night and refuses to let me lock the door. I can’t even sleep properly, always worried a stranger might come in.

And today, the moment she came back, she lashed out at me, asking why I didn’t stop her back then.”

As expected, people without shame always manage to find new lows.

After that, Su Nian got busy prepping her camera. Tomorrow would be her chance to shine in front of Fu Tingchuan. She had to prove that a transmigrator could be truly useful.

The next day greeted them with bright sunshine—almost as if it was celebrating the removal of a scumbag like Tian Li.

Su Nian didn’t need to work in the fields that day, so she slept in. For breakfast, she simply pulled something out from her space. While inside, she noticed her crops were growing quickly.

Back then, she had only planted ginseng, notoginseng, and dendrobium; she hadn’t planted anything else.

Remembering the crabapple she didn’t get to eat that day, she thought maybe it would be good to plant some fruit. Since time didn’t pass in the space the same way, she could eat fresh fruit year-round.

Just like before—but better. The food here was more flavorful than anything she had eaten in her past life.

After breakfast, she changed into a military uniform and layered a Soviet-style overcoat on top—it was already freezing, and by night, a light cotton jacket would be needed.

As soon as she stepped outside, she ran into Xiao Jiang.

“Comrade Su, you look great today. Oh, the general and the others are arriving soon—we should head over. You’ll need to start taking photos as soon as the welcoming begins.”

Su Nian nodded. So it was the general who was coming—no wonder Fu Tingchuan was taking it so seriously.

At the entrance of the troop compound, she saw many unfamiliar faces. She rarely ventured into restricted areas, so she didn’t know the place had so many officers.

“Comrade Su?” She turned her head and saw Ji Lin, his face roughened from the sun.

“Comrade Ji? You look like a different person now compared to when you first arrived!” Since they were in different groups, Su Nian rarely saw the male volunteers.

“Don’t even mention it. My uncle’s coming, so he dragged me out here to greet him. Said he wanted to see how I’m adjusting.”

Su Nian nodded.

He was right—many of the volunteers had significant backgrounds. Even Xu Zhaodi was the daughter of a factory workshop director. Otherwise, how could she have gotten in?

And Huo Chen…

These were all valuable connections. She figured she should keep in touch with them—maybe it would help prevent Fu Tingchuan’s tragic fate in the book.

After all, she had already altered some parts of the plot, hadn’t she?

“Comrade Ji, you’ve had it rough lately. You used to be so pale, and now look at you. Want something nourishing?

Today my job is to translate and take photos for the visitors.

I heard we’re going into the city this afternoon for a banquet. Want me to bring anything back for you?”

Ji Lin’s eyes lit up.

“Comrade Su, you’re a lifesaver. There’s this Russian-run café in the city—Donghai Café. Could you bring me back some coffee from there? Have them grind it into powder.

Waking up early every day is killing me.

Our work is dangerous, and sometimes I’m afraid I’ll fall off something and break my neck just because I nodded off.”

Su Nian agreed without hesitation. Her goal was to be someone others found valuable—only then would the connections last and be worth calling a network.

A military jeep slowly drove in. Su Nian quickly turned sideways and started taking photos.

Fu Tingchuan and Wang Dahu looked very serious—Su Nian, for the first time, got a real sense of the weight their jobs carried.

One by one, the senior officers got out. Amid the middle-aged soldiers were two young men who looked about the same age as Fu Tingchuan.

Su Nian diligently took pictures until the last car arrived and a foreigner stepped out.

From a distance, Fu Tingchuan waved her over. Understanding the cue, Su Nian slung her camera down and walked over—but not before snapping a few more shots.

One was a Russian; the other, an American.

The moment Fu Tingchuan began speaking, Su Nian realized he also spoke fluent Russian.

“Surprised?” Wang Dahu whispered beside her. “Your man’s full of surprises. Back in school, he was a top student. He’s also really good at Japanese.”

“No wonder,” Su Nian murmured. “He asked me if I spoke English even though he already knew there would be Russians. So why didn’t he just learn English himself?”

Wang Dahu said matter-of-factly, “Schools only let you pick two foreign languages. Didn’t you go to high school? You should know that.”

Su Nian felt guilty. “Uh… I thought he might be like me and secretly learn an extra one. Hehe…”

The British man then spoke, and Su Nian translated fluently for Fu Tingchuan and the others. Then she conveyed their responses back just as smoothly.

Through the conversation, Su Nian learned that the two foreigners were surveyors.

Apparently, there were underground resources in this area that required professional evaluation.

Once the chat ended, she continued taking pictures. That’s when she noticed the man referred to as “General” earlier speaking with Ji Lin off to the side.

Judging by their interaction, the General must be Ji Lin’s relative.

Since both the government and military were involved in the surveying, the two foreigners only stayed briefly—just enough for some photos—before leaving.

When the British man requested a cheek kiss as part of his country’s greeting, Fu Tingchuan immediately shut him down.

“Tell him you’re my wife. I don’t care what their customs are—in our country, he’d better respect our ways.”

The threatening tone was so clear, the British man didn’t even need a translation.

Still, Su Nian relayed it word for word. The British man was clearly shocked—these two didn’t look like they were the same age—but eventually, he smiled and offered a handshake instead.

Fu Tingchuan was very satisfied with his “respectful” attitude.

After the foreigners left, Su Nian went back to taking pictures. Ji Lin had already left, but before he did, he gave her a wink as if to remind her not to forget his coffee.

Su Nian flashed an “OK” sign.

Fu Tingchuan, seeing this, narrowed his eyes. “General, didn’t you say your nephew already had a fiancée?”

His voice was so loud that even Ji Lin, who hadn’t walked far, heard it.