Hello, Comrade. I'm Here to Marry You!

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Marriage Pressure Scene

"Zhaozhao, you look so pretty today," Aunt Yun complimented her. "Are you here to marry Huai Zheng?"

Su Zhaozhao had previously announced her intention to marry Xie Huaizheng in front of all his subordinates.

Coupled with the incident in the cafeteria yesterday, the news had spread like wildfire.

Su Zhaozhao nodded. "That’s right. I came here to marry him."

"To be honest, I always thought Huai Zheng wouldn’t get married so soon," Aunt Yun said with a laugh, scooping a serving of stir-fried green beans with pork onto a plate.

A pot of braised pork with potatoes was still simmering on the stove.

"Really? He’s not that young anymore, is he?" Su Zhaozhao said.

’In this era, twenty-five was already considered old.’

’And the original owner of this body was even younger—only nineteen.’

’But there was nothing she could do about it.’

’She had to get closer to the male lead, and then... what? Kick back and live a comfortable life? Start a business from scratch and get rich?’

’That just wasn’t her style.’

Su Zhaozhao felt that simply relaxing and going with the flow suited her better. Who knows, one day she might suddenly just transmigrate back.

"That’s true, but... that boy, Huai Zheng, he’s not like the others."

Zhou Xiaoyun smiled.

"He used to be too much of a spoiled brat at home, so his grandfather personally brought him here to the Northwest Military Region. He stubbornly refused to rely on his family’s connections, getting to where he is today solely on his own merit. Because of that, he had a huge falling out with his family. He often wouldn’t even go home for the New Year, preferring to stay here alone or just go out on a mission instead."

Su Zhaozhao was a little surprised to hear this from Zhou Xiaoyun. ’Huh? Did the male lead’s character profile change?’

’According to the novel’s plot, the male lead’s relationship with his family was quite harmonious. Coming to the military region was indeed his grandfather’s idea, but it was also what he himself wanted.’

’And yes, he didn’t rely on his family, working hard to climb the ranks step by step.’

’But!’

’Why was Xie Huaizheng’s relationship with his family so bad now? Not even going home for the New Year?!’

’Was it because she was dozing off while listening to the audiobook and misremembered?’

Su Zhaozhao didn’t have time to think it over.

Zhou Xiaoyun said to her, "Zhaozhao, could you take these two dishes out? Oh dear, I’m so sorry to make you help out."

"Don’t be a stranger, Aunt Yun. You’re the one treating us to a meal."

Su Zhaozhao also knew that Xie Huaizheng and Liu Guosheng had things to discuss, and it would be inconvenient for them to talk with her present. That must have been why Xie Huaizheng had sent her away.

’If her guess was correct, the information they were exchanging was most likely related to her.’

As she carried the dishes out, Liu Guosheng immediately stood up. "Sorry to trouble you, Little Su. Go have a seat. I’ll go help my wife in the kitchen."

Liu Guosheng finished setting the dining table, told Su Zhaozhao to go sit on the sofa, and then went to help in the kitchen.

Su Zhaozhao looked at the man sitting on the sofa, slouched so lazily he looked like he didn’t have a single bone in his body. She couldn’t help but frown.

’This man really was a slacker in his daily life.’

’But when she thought about his actions on the train yesterday, she knew he was actually very professional when he got serious.’

The sofa wasn’t large. It was a wooden one, made for two people.

With Xie Huaizheng sitting on it, the sofa looked especially small.

Su Zhaozhao sat down next to him and asked, "What did you and Chief Liu talk about?"

Xie Huaizheng fiddled with the lighter in his hand and said, "They were asking about you. They’re all very curious. It’s like you just appeared out of thin air."

The man’s eyes were pitch-black as he gazed at Su Zhaozhao, his look somewhat probing.

Su Zhaozhao knew that even now, Xie Huaizheng still seemed to have his doubts about her.

’Right. She had shown up so suddenly, claiming she was going to marry him. Anyone would have to think it over for a long time.’

"I see. But since he knows our families have been friends for generations, he should understand," Su Zhaozhao said with a smile.

Xie Huaizheng’s thin lips twitched. He reached out and patted Su Zhaozhao on the head.

It was like he was petting a small cat.

Then, he stood up and walked toward the dining table.

Su Zhaozhao also stood up to help.

Soon, after Zhou Xiaoyun brought the last dish, a seaweed and egg drop soup, to the table, they all sat down to eat.

Su Zhaozhao looked at the food in front of them: braised pork, stir-fried eggplant with pork, stewed napa cabbage with glass noodles, and the seaweed soup.

’For this era, it was truly a luxurious spread.’

Su Zhaozhao began to eat at a leisurely pace.

During the meal, Zhou Xiaoyun asked about Su Zhaozhao’s family, and Su Zhaozhao answered all her questions honestly.

When she learned that Su Zhaozhao had a stepmother, Zhou Xiaoyun’s gaze filled with sympathy. "Oh my, did you leave home because you couldn’t stand your stepmother?"

Su Zhaozhao nodded, her expression full of grievance. "Yes. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I ran away. At the time, I hadn’t thought about where to go, because I don’t have any relatives or friends. But then, I remembered what my grandfather told me about my childhood betrothal, so I decided to come find Huai Zheng."

"On the way here, I ran into a murderer on the train. He threatened me, but luckily Huai Zheng showed up and protected me. That’s how we met on the train."

Xie Huaizheng listened as Su Zhaozhao painted herself as an innocent victim, making no mention of what she herself had done to the murderer.

’Heh. A woman who could cut off a murderer’s family jewels—how delicate could she possibly be?’

"Zhaozhao, you poor thing, you’ve really been through so much." Zhou Xiaoyun was a very empathetic person, and her eyes couldn’t help but redden.

"Thank goodness you ran into Huai Zheng, and thank goodness you’re all right now. But I have to say, you’re so brave, running all the way here to a fiancé you’ve never met, all by yourself."

Xie Huaizheng ate his food, listening quietly. When he heard Zhou Xiaoyun’s words, he found himself deeply agreeing.

’To be honest, he’d never seen a girl with this much nerve before.’

But Su Zhaozhao just smiled. "Well, it’s because I knew he was a soldier. I trusted his character."

Hearing this, Liu Guosheng immediately turned to Xie Huaizheng and said, "Huai Zheng, you should hurry up and submit the marriage application."

Xie Huaizheng hadn’t expected a simple meal to turn into a full-blown marriage intervention. He had been thinking that Aunt Yun’s cooking was excellent, but now he felt so stiff he wasn’t sure if he should keep eating.

"I’m not in a rush. I haven’t thought it through yet," Xie Huaizheng said.

’After all, he had never once considered getting married before. Despite many people trying to set him up, he had always stuck to his guns.’

’Then this fiancée showed up, and inexplicably, everyone around him had suddenly joined the ranks of those pushing him to get married.’

It all left Xie Huaizheng feeling baffled.

"Yes, please don’t rush him. I’ve already agreed with him that we’ll take some time to get to know each other first," Su Zhaozhao said.

"Oh, good." Aunt Yun was relieved.

She then changed the subject. "Speaking of which, that murderer sounds truly terrifying. It’s a good thing he was caught."