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

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Getting Cocky?

"Hey, what’s wrong with you people? So stingy! It’s not like I ate your rice!" Zhang Jufang yelled, pounding on the door in a rage after being shooed away.

"Fine, I won’t visit! As if you have anything so special in there," Zhang Jufang snorted, then left with her child in her arms.

All the while, she was viciously muttering to herself, ’That Zhou Xiaoyun just doesn’t know what’s good for her. Bringing a little vixen like that home. With a face like that, just wait until she seduces her husband. Then there’ll be a real show to watch.’

Zhou Xiaoyun said to Su Zhaozhao, "Zhaozhao, you shouldn’t have gotten involved. Now that you’ve offended her, she’ll probably start spreading nasty rumors about you around the compound."

Although, Su Zhaozhao’s words had spoken directly to her heart.

But in the military compound, the wives all wanted their husbands to get along well with their comrades, so they didn’t want to be the ones to offend another man’s wife.

So they usually swallowed their anger and put up with it whenever possible.

"It doesn’t matter," Su Zhaozhao said. "She has a vicious tongue anyway. Even if you were incredibly nice to her, she’d just think it’s what she deserves. She’d never see it as you being kind."

Zhou Xiaoyun froze, surprised that a young woman like Su Zhaozhao could be so perceptive.

It was true. She’d never heard Zhang Jufang speak well of a single military wife in the compound.

She was always gossiping about one person or another.

Still, she was a little worried.

"But she’s going to ruin your reputation here! You don’t know what a big mouth she has. If she dislikes someone, she’ll badmouth them to everyone she meets. She can twist the truth and make white seem black!"

"I don’t care. Let her talk. But if she dares to say it to my face, she shouldn’t blame me for putting her in her place," Su Zhaozhao said. She had never cared about such things. She didn’t care in her past life, and now that she had transmigrated to this world, as someone who didn’t even belong here, she cared even less.

It was just as Xie Huaizheng had said: she was incredibly thick-skinned.

"Aunt Yun, how about I taste the soup for you?" Su Zhaozhao changed the subject, not wanting Zhou Xiaoyun to dwell on the matter.

"Alright, come and have a taste," Zhou Xiaoyun said.

She ladled a small bowl for Su Zhaozhao. Su Zhaozhao took a sip, and the savory freshness of the chicken soup, mingled with a light sweetness, made her close her eyes in enjoyment.

"This is so delicious! Aunt Yun, your cooking is incredible—it’s just like my mom’s."

Hearing such praise from Su Zhaozhao, Zhou Xiaoyun beamed, her eyes disappearing into happy crescents.

She really liked Su Zhaozhao. The girl was such a sweet-talker, always finding new ways to praise her cooking.

"Since you’re staying here all this time, don’t you miss your mom?"

Su Zhaozhao shook her head. "My mom has already passed away."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyun faltered. "Oh, Zhaozhao, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that."

"It’s okay," Su Zhaozhao said. "That’s why I’m so happy to drink the soup you made, Aunt Yun."

The girl’s face held a sweet smile, and her eyes shone with sincerity. As Zhou Xiaoyun watched her, she felt the gloom brought on by Zhang Jufang completely dissipate.

She really, truly liked Su Zhaozhao.

Soon, Liu Guosheng returned. He and Su Zhaozhao exchanged greetings, and they all sat down to eat.

Liu Guosheng also asked about the injury on Su Zhaozhao’s hand. He was relieved to see that the wound was healing quickly.

"Before Little Xie left, he specially asked my wife and I to look after you. It’s a relief to see you getting better every day," Liu Guosheng said.

Zhou Xiaoyun piled Su Zhaozhao’s bowl high with meat and ladled her a bowl of chicken soup that was also filled to the brim with meat.

"Zhaozhao, eat more meat to build up your strength. Look how skinny you are."

Perhaps because she had just learned about Su Zhaozhao’s mother, Zhou Xiaoyun now looked at Su Zhaozhao as if she were her own child.

Su Zhaozhao ate until her stomach was practically bursting before she finally put down her chopsticks.

She then said to Zhou Xiaoyun, "Aunt Yun, I absolutely love your cooking!"

"Then you can come eat with me every day," Zhou Xiaoyun said.

"Okay," Su Zhaozhao agreed without hesitation.

After she finished eating, Su Zhaozhao said her goodbyes and left.

Zhou Xiaoyun wanted to walk her out, but Su Zhaozhao refused. "It’s fine, it’s not dangerous anymore. Don’t worry about me."

’I can’t have someone escort me every single time I go out, can I?’

’There are things I want to do on my own, too.’

In the end, Zhou Xiaoyun insisted on walking Su Zhaozhao downstairs before they said their goodbyes.

The military compound was only five hundred meters from the guest house. And because Su Zhaozhao had been injured, guard patrols had been increased, so it was true that things weren’t as dangerous anymore.

As Su Zhaozhao was walking out, she saw Zhang Jufang holding Erhu, sitting and eating in a doorway with another girl who looked a little younger than her.

The two of them were sitting on small stools. Zhang Jufang had kicked off her slippers and propped her bare foot up on a nearby step.

’That apartment must be Zhang Jufang’s family housing, I guess?’

’So she doesn’t even live on the same floor. To run upstairs to ’borrow’ things... she’s completely shameless.’

The moment Zhang Jufang saw Su Zhaozhao coming downstairs, she practically spat. "Well, well. Look who went to freeload a meal, and had the nerve to kick someone else out. And now? Look at you, scurrying away with your tail between your legs."

"Who knows what her deal is, getting so close to Chief Liu’s family. You’re not his relative, are you? Heh heh. Don’t tell me you’re here to seduce Chief Liu?"

Her voice was just loud enough for others to hear. At that moment, a few other people in the courtyard were either eating or had just finished and come outside for some fresh air.

Everyone who heard Zhang Jufang’s words turned to look at Su Zhaozhao.

Su Zhaozhao was beautiful, and she had drawn a lot of attention from the very first day she arrived in the military region.

Especially since she had arrived at the compound with Xie Huaizheng.

They knew Su Zhaozhao couldn’t possibly be the kind of person Zhang Jufang was making her out to be, but no one stepped forward to defend her.

Zhang Jufang was so vicious when she cursed people out; they didn’t want to get involved in trouble that wasn’t theirs.

As for Su Zhaozhao, when she heard Zhang Jufang’s words, her expression turned cold. She strode toward the woman. "What did you say?"

Zhang Jufang hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to be so bold. Usually, even if she hurled a few insults at people, they wouldn’t dare make a sound.

Most people preferred to avoid trouble and kept their distance from her.

’This little vixen has some nerve after all.’

Beside her, Zhang Jufang’s sister, Zhang Julian, tugged on her arm. "Sis, you shouldn’t say things like that. It’s not nice."

"What’s there to be afraid of? If she did it, I’m just speaking the truth. If she didn’t, what’s there to be afraid of people saying?"

’Heh. Of course, people like her have their own twisted logic.’

’If you play by her rules and fall into her trap, you can never win.’

"Have I been too nice to you?" Su Zhaozhao strode right up to Zhang Jufang, looking down at her. "Is that why you’re spewing such filth? You’re eating food, not shit. Please."

Zhang Jufang hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to be so vulgar. She was still in the middle of her meal.

The food from the mess hall wasn’t very good to begin with, and now, hearing Su Zhaozhao go on about shit, Zhang Jufang suddenly lost her appetite.