Chapter 18: “You have no idea how gentle and virtuous she is!”

Ling Hansong walked over and remarked, “Didn’t expect Madam to look so delicate and frail, yet she’s surprisingly capable.”

Xiao Zheng shot him a glare. “Capable? You have no idea how gentle and virtuous she is.”

Ling Hansong was momentarily speechless. “Why are you so fierce? I didn’t say anything bad. I just find it strange—Madam used to be… how should I say it? Not so easy to approach.”

Xiao Zheng’s dark eyes deepened. After a moment, a low chuckle rumbled from his throat. “That’s true. She’s not the same as before.”

“What are you two standing around for? The food will get cold,” came An Huan’s voice from inside.

“Coming,” Xiao Zheng responded at once, hurrying to the faucet to wash his hands.

Ling Hansong watched as Xiao Zheng seriously applied soap, scrubbing thoroughly between his fingers and even digging the grime out from under his nails. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, old Xiao, you’re so into hygiene now.”

“I’ve always been into hygiene!” Xiao Zheng retorted.

Ling Hansong wisely shut his mouth, choosing not to remind him who once spent a whole night with diarrhea because he refused to wash his hands before eating something dirty.

Back when Xiao Zheng married An Huan, Ling Hansong had been worried the two would clash. He hadn’t expected this pampered, well-bred young lady to completely transform the man.

At the dining table, Ling Hansong’s eyes widened at the sight of four colorful and aromatic dishes. “Madam cooked all this?”

“Of course. Who else could it be, you?” Xiao Zheng raised his chin proudly.

Ling Hansong felt a twinge of envy. Look at him, acting all smug just because he married a wife who’s not only beautiful and educated, but can also cook!

An Huan smiled. “Just some home cooking, don’t mind it. You two start eating. I’ll go bring the soup.”

Xiao Zheng quickly followed. “I’ll get it. Be careful not to burn yourself.”

Watching the clearly affectionate couple, Ling Hansong’s eyes grew warm. As soldiers, who didn’t long for a warm and peaceful home, and someone who truly cared about them?

“Director Ling, do you have any siblings?” An Huan asked.

“Madam, don’t be so formal. Just call me Old Ling, like old Xiao does,” Ling Hansong replied with a grin before answering, “I’ve got one younger sister. She’s a nurse at the hospital. My mother’s a physician, and my father works in the Health Bureau.”

“Alright then, I’ll call you Old Ling.” An Huan followed suit easily.

Xiao Zheng glanced at her. He felt a twinge of irritation—she called him “Xiao Zheng,” using his full name, but this guy got “Old Ling”? That sounded a bit too familiar!

An Huan continued, “You and my Xiao Zheng have known each other for a long time, haven’t you?”

Xiao Zheng’s ears perked up. My Xiao Zheng? That sounded pretty good, though wasn’t it a bit too ordinary? “Old Xiao” and “Old Ling”—you couldn’t even tell who was family and who was an outsider.

“Of course. It’s been over a decade,” Ling Hansong said. “Back during the Korean War, he was a company commander, and I was his deputy.”

“So it’s an old bond,” An Huan commented with a sigh.

As they chatted over dinner, An Huan subtly gleaned a lot of information about Ling Hansong.

Later, she found herself struggling with the idea of matchmaking for him.

Given his requirements—someone educated and good-looking—most women who met those standards were already married. After all, families struggling to afford education for daughters wouldn’t have let them stay single this long.

But considering the turbulent times ahead, An Huan also didn’t want to introduce someone like her former self to Ling Hansong.

She’d have to take her time and keep an eye out.

“Young Xiao, An Huan, are you home?”

Just after they finished eating, a voice called from outside. Then, Ge Hongying stepped in.

“Oh, just finished?” She glanced at the table, now mostly cleared but still showing remnants of the meal. She was a bit puzzled—wasn’t An Huan supposed to be terrible at cooking? These dishes didn’t look like they came from the canteen. Could it be Xiao Zheng who cooked?

She secretly curled her lip. A man like Xiao Zheng should focus his energy on work, not waste time cooking. What kind of wife was An Huan, making her husband do the cooking?

“Madam Hongying, what brings you here?” An Huan gestured for her to sit.

“Oh, I won’t sit,” Ge Hongying waved a hand. Spotting Ling Hansong, she smiled warmly. “Perfect timing, Director Ling is here too. I’ll invite you both together. It’s like this—since Xiao Zheng’s wife just arrived, I thought we’d give her a proper welcome. I’m hosting a small dinner at our place the day after tomorrow.”

An Huan put on a pleasantly surprised expression. “Madam, you’re too kind. You really don’t have to go to all that trouble.”

Ge Hongying gave her a perfunctory smile before turning to Ling Hansong. “Director Ling, you must come too. Don’t turn me down.”

Ling Hansong joked, “I’d never turn down a free meal.”

Xiao Zheng chimed in, “Then we’ll thank you in advance, Madam.”

Ge Hongying nodded and left.

An Huan felt something was off. She was certain Ge Hongying didn’t like her—so why the special effort to throw her a welcome dinner?

After Ling Hansong left, An Huan voiced her doubt to Xiao Zheng.

He looked surprised. “Madam Hongying doesn’t like you? Why?”

An Huan paused. So this man had no clue about Ge Hongying and Ge Hongxia’s intentions?

Instead of answering, she asked, “If I really had divorced you, and Madam Hongying wanted to introduce her younger sister to you—would you have agreed?”

Xiao Zheng froze at the word “divorce,” frowning. “Didn’t you say you’d never bring up divorce again? Why mention it now?”

“I’m just asking a hypothetical,” An Huan said. “Would you have married Ge Hongxia?”

She was genuinely curious. In the novel, the male lead had been worn down by his spoiled, upper-class ex-wife. After their divorce, he deliberately sought a plain village woman, leading to a marriage-first, love-later arc with the female lead who had come from the countryside.

According to that logic, Ge Hongxia seemed to fit the bill. So why didn’t he marry her, who appeared earlier in the story? Was it fate? Was the male lead just destined for the female lead?

If An Huan now refused to divorce Xiao Zheng, would the storyline still proceed down its predetermined path once the true female lead showed up?

Her thoughts were in a tangle. She needed to know what Xiao Zheng really thought.

Pestered by her questions, Xiao Zheng had no choice but to seriously consider the scenario. Eventually, he said, “Though I have a decent personal relationship with Yu Baoshan and his wife, I wouldn’t let myself get tied to their family.”

“Why not?” An Huan pressed.

“Commander Chen and Commissar Yu work together, but they come from different backgrounds. It’s better for me not to show obvious favoritism,” Xiao Zheng explained.

An Huan understood.

So Chen Gang and Yu Baoshan were essentially from different political factions. They might work in harmony on the surface, but in times of conflict, those differences could erupt into power struggles.

She asked again, “What about you? What’s your background?”

Xiao Zheng hadn’t expected her to bring up political matters. He paused before replying, “I’m not aligned with either of them.”

So Yu Baoshan wanting to match his sister-in-law with Xiao Zheng probably had the ulterior motive of drawing him into his camp.

Even in this new society, in-law relationships were still an effective way to form political alliances.

An Huan finally felt at ease. As long as there was a logical reason for Xiao Zheng not marrying Ge Hongxia, she didn’t have to worry about some predetermined plotline crashing down on her like a tidal wave.