Chapter 41: Military Area Compound
“I’m sorry,” Anran quickly apologized. When she looked up, she saw a beautiful woman with long flowing hair, porcelain skin, and a classical vibe to her.
The beautiful woman smiled at Anran and shook her head, then passed Anran and headed into the bathroom.
Anran didn’t think too much of it. She left the bathroom and walked toward the counter that she had been at the day before.
When Su Yicheng came over to pick up Anran, Anran was still apprehensive about the imminent dinner with her in-laws. Her anxiety made her temporarily forget the awkwardness between the two of them after what had happened the night before and that morning.
The two of them returned to the apartment and brought out the health supplements and silk scarves that Anran had bought yesterday. In the bathroom, Anran applied some simple makeup to herself and stared at herself in the mirror for a while.
Su Yicheng waited in the living room. After a while, he started to grow impatient and pushed open the door to check in on her, only to see her staring at her reflection in the mirror in a daze while frowning.
“What’s wrong?” Su Yicheng asked.
Anran turned to look at Su Yicheng as she murmured, “Do you think I should change my clothes? Also, does my hair look messy?” She regretted not having her hair done at noon, but she had already spent her entire lunch break going to the mall, so even if she had wanted to get her hair done at that time, she didn’t have any time.
Su Yicheng smiled, held her hands, then lowered his head and planted a kiss on her lips. Then, he stuck his tongue into her mouth before Anran could even react. She was caught off guard for a moment, but then she came back to her senses. She stretched out her arms to push him away, but by then Su Yicheng had already let go of her.
Anran covered her mouth and blushed as she avoided eye contact with him. Su Yicheng smiled at her coquettish reaction, then held her hand without saying anything further, and they left, hand in hand.
In the car, Anran was still a little anxious about the meeting but was afraid of making eye contact with Su Yicheng because of the kiss, so all she did was hold onto his hands tightly and turn her head to look out the window. The car had been driving for more than half an hour now, but they still hadn’t arrived. Anran couldn’t help but turn toward him and ask, “Do your parents live far away?”
Your parents? Su Yicheng raised an eyebrow, then turned his head and asked, “What did you just say?”
......
“We’ve been on the road for so long already; do your parents live far away?” Anran asked again.
SuYicheng looked at her with amusement and asked, “Is it just my parents?”
Anran blushed, spit out her tongue, and said somewhat sheepishly, “I-I’ll take some time getting used to it.”
Su Yicheng nodded, and he didn’t blame her but simply reminded, “But when we arrive home later, remember not to use the wrong term.”
“Um.” Anran nodded profusely. This was her obligation, and she would put effort into playing her role.
Su Yicheng turned his head to smile at her, then turned back toward the front to focus on driving and said, “Grandpa was originally an old commander from the military region, but he has now retired. Dad is currently a political commissar of the military region, so they all live in the compound in the military region. The compound is a little far from the city. There’s still about 20 more minutes till we arrive. If you’re tired, get some rest, and I’ll tell you when we arrive.”
Anran found it difficult to absorb all he said in an instant and stared at him for a long time, then murmured, “I never knew your family background was so prominent.” She had no idea that her husband was from a family of gentry that had been prominent for generations.
Su Yicheng could tell what she was thinking and joked, “You married me without asking, so now it’s too late to regret it.”
Anran looked at him without answering him. Instead, she asked, “Su Yicheng, doesn’t your family care about pedigree?”
Su Yicheng glanced at her and saw all the worry and anxiety written all over her face. He stopped the car by the side of the road, looked into her eyes earnestly, and asked, “Anran, what are you worried about?”
Anran stared at him blankly without saying a word. Although she was a civilian, she knew how much the upper class cared about pedigree. In terms of pedigree, she was unsuitable for Su Yicheng, so what would she do if the Su family valued pedigree? Get a divorce? Anran didn’t know, but deep inside she couldn’t help but feel regretful—regretful that she had married someone so recklessly.
“Is my mother a person who cares about pedigree?” Su Yicheng asked.
Anran froze, then immediately shook his head, and only then did she remember that she had already met Qin Yun, and from the enthusiasm and kindness she displayed, she didn’t seem like someone who cared that much about pedigree.
“What else is there to worry about?” Su Yicheng couldn’t help but feel amused by this girl in front of him who was always worrying about trivial things. In the past, his mother might have cared somewhat about pedigree, but by this point, she was simply happy to have any daughter-in-law at all, and as long she came from a family with an untarnished reputation, his mother really couldn’t care less about pedigree.
“She really doesn’t mind?” Anran still asked a bit uneasily. She wasn’t asking for herself, but she was worried about her parents being looked down upon because of pedigree, so she merely wanted a heads-up before the parents of the two families officially met.
Su Yicheng touched her head endearingly, then started the car engine again to continue on the road. She would see for herself later whether or not his family judged people by pedigree. His grandfather and parents were not those sorts of snobby people. Instead of pedigree, his family put a greater emphasis on morals.
The car slowly drove into a large and formidable gatehouse. The guards in front of the gatehouse stood upright with guns in their heads and stared straight ahead. They recognized Su Yicheng’s car because he frequented the place several times a month. Due to the frequency that he visited the place, they had become familiar with his car, and therefore he didn’t need to register or be subject to an examination.
Anran clutched the hem of her clothes tightly. She gazed at the erect, blue, brick buildings among the trees and the servicemen standing upright in front of each red wooden door. There was a despondent feeling inside of Anran, and it was the same feeling she got when she had done something wrong when she was little and as punishment was ordered to stand outside the classroom by the teacher.
Su Yicheng parked the car in front of a mahogany gate, and the serviceman standing at the door joyfully approached them and opened the door. When he saw Su Yicheng, he shouted, “Brother Ah-Cheng!” and when he caught sight of Anran getting off from the other side of the car, he beamed and called out, “Sister-in-law.”
“Little Zhang.” Su Yizhen smiled and nodded to greet him.
The serviceman stared straight at Anran and thought, “Wow, Brother Ah-Cheng’s wife is really attractive. She looks fresh and arresting. The thing that the army in this military region lacks the most is women.” As a serviceman in this compound, he was more fortunate since he at least had the opportunity to see women. The truly unfortunate ones were his comrades that stayed in the army. Years went by without them ever seeing a single woman. However, even in this compound, the women who came in and about were all wives of the senior officials and all of them were getting old. Yijiao returned most often besides the wives, but by then they had pretty much gotten used to seeing her. Yet Brother Ah-Cheng’s wife was not the same as Miss Yijiao.
Anran froze a little and felt a little uncomfortable being stared at so intently. She simply smiled awkwardly at the serviceman without having any idea what to say.
Seeing Anran’s awkward state, Su Yicheng was about to open his mouth to say something, but before he had the chance, Qin Yun’s voice sounded from inside
“Ah-Cheng and Anran have returned, right?”
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