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

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: She’s Not Worthy

Su Zhaozhao had a great love for life, even if she was just staying in a humble guesthouse.

But now that she was living here, she was determined to make the place cozier and more comfortable.

Every day, she went outside to pick a fresh bouquet of flowers to arrange in a vase.

Of course, they were just wildflowers from the side of the road.

In addition, Su Zhaozhao changed the sheets to a pretty floral set and spread a tablecloth on the table.

She even took some incense from her space and lit it, filling the entire room with a pleasant fragrance.

The number of things in her space was growing, and with it, her collection of home goods.

She also took out a small brown teddy bear and placed it at the head of her bed, making the room feel even cozier.

Moreover, she made sure to pick items that were common to this era so they wouldn’t look out of place.

The only problem was that this era had no cell phones or computers. For someone from the modern age, this was tantamount to torture.

She could only wish that some smart electronic products would appear in her space.

She wouldn’t mind if she could only play with them inside her space!

By the time she finished tidying up the room, it was already noon.

Su Zhaozhao decided to ask Wen Xiaoqi to join her for lunch at the military base cafeteria.

Just as she stepped out, she saw the woman from the room next door coming out as well.

Su Zhaozhao nodded at her. "Hello, Aunt Zhang."

Zhang Jingshu smiled back. "Are you heading to lunch?"

"Yes, I was just about to get Qiaoqi to go to the base cafeteria with me."

"What a coincidence. I’m heading there too. Shall we go together?"

Su Zhaozhao was surprised by how friendly Zhang Jingshu was. "Sure," she replied immediately.

After all, as long as someone wasn’t openly hostile toward her, Su Zhaozhao was quite warm to others.

’If she wants to walk with me, then we’ll walk together.’

’It never hurts to make another friend, especially a wealthy woman like Zhang Jingshu. Getting to know her can’t be a bad thing.’

As they went downstairs, Zhang Jingshu made small talk with Su Zhaozhao. "Zhaozhao, are you 18 yet?"

Su Zhaozhao nodded. "I am."

"But you look so young. You must still be in school, right?"

Su Zhaozhao shook her head. "No, I stopped studying after junior high."

In this era, it was quite common to finish one’s education after junior high; many people didn’t even complete elementary school.

She was simply recounting the original owner’s life.

Zhang Jingshu was stunned to hear this.

’The Xie Family is a family of scholars. Would they really accept a daughter-in-law who only finished junior high?’

’The national college entrance exams were reinstated a few years ago. Given Zhaozhao’s age, if she really wanted to apply herself, she could still pursue higher education.’

’But she wasn’t in school, which must mean she’s a girl who lacks ambition.’

What Zhang Jingshu didn’t know was that Su Zhaozhao did, in fact, have such a plan.

’If she still hadn’t returned to her own time by then, she’d just have to buckle down, get into a university, and earn a degree.’

’After all, no matter the era, education was the most reliable path to success for an ordinary person.’

’Besides, while there wasn’t much discrimination based on education in this era, a good degree still meant a limitless future.’

As they chatted, they arrived at the door to Wen Xiaoqi’s room.

Su Zhaozhao knocked. When Wen Xiaoqi opened the door, she froze for a moment upon seeing Zhang Jingshu.

Su Zhaozhao made the introductions, and the three of them headed to the cafeteria together.

With Wen Xiaoqi present, Zhang Jingshu refrained from asking Su Zhaozhao any more personal questions. Instead, she listened to the two younger women talk, playing the part of a benevolent elder.

Wen Xiaoqi said to Su Zhaozhao, "I’m so scared of seeing him."

"What is there to be afraid of? He’s the one who should be afraid of seeing you. He’s the one who did something wrong. You’re the one who was hurt, so stop worrying so much, alright?"

Su Zhaozhao’s words were like a shot of courage, helping Wen Xiaoqi pull herself together.

She nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Zhang Jingshu glanced at Su Zhaozhao and couldn’t help but smile. She had to admit, she rather admired Su Zhaozhao’s character.

’She’s so young and utterly fearless. I wonder if that’s what Xie Huaizheng likes about her.’

’In any case, *I* quite like her.’

However, they didn’t see Zhou Chengguo on their way to the base cafeteria.

The soldiers’ families usually came to the cafeteria during off-hours to avoid the rush right after training, so it wasn’t very crowded at the moment.

The three of them got their food and sat down.

Su Zhaozhao thought of something and asked Zhang Jingshu, "Aunt Zhang, are you from Beijing?"

’Zhang Jingshu’s accent definitely sounds like it’s from Beijing.’

Zhang Jingshu nodded. "Yes, I am."

She felt a flicker of nervousness. ’If Zhaozhao asks who I’m here to visit, should I tell her?’

’I know who she is—Xie Huaizheng’s fiancée—but she has no idea that I’m Jiang Manzhi’s mother.’

’I actually told Manzhi about this in the morning, and my daughter even asked me to dig up some information on Zhaozhao’s background so she’d know how to make her move.’

’My daughter is just too stubborn when it comes to these things,’ Zhang Jingshu thought.

’She’s never going to succeed.’

’But Manzhi is the type who has to run into a brick wall before she’ll ever turn back.’

’Fine, then. Let her get battered and bruised.’

"Is Beijing really bustling?" To Zhang Jingshu’s surprise, Su Zhaozhao didn’t ask about her identity at all, but instead posed this question.

"Yes, it’s very bustling."

"Then I’ll definitely have to go to Beijing one day," Su Zhaozhao said, a sense of longing in her heart.

’Even though she used to go to Beijing all the time for business trips and meetings in her own time, the Beijing of this era was completely different.’

’I’d love to see the nation’s capital in this historical setting. It must have a completely different kind of vibrancy, right?’

"I want to go too! Zhaozhao, why don’t we promise to meet in Beijing someday?" Wen Xiaoqi said, her face full of longing.

"Yes, of course! That sounds great."

’If Zhaozhao marries Xie Huaizheng in the future, she’ll definitely be living in Beijing,’ Zhang Jingshu thought.

’Is this girl so confident that she’s going to marry Xie Huaizheng?’

’How strange.’

’From what I know, their only interactions were a few meetings when they were children.’

Then, Wen Xiaoqi asked about Su Zhaozhao’s family, and Su Zhaozhao answered honestly.

It was only then that Zhang Jingshu learned how far the Su Family had fallen.

’Su Zhaozhao’s mother passed away long ago, and her father remarried. No wonder she’d come running to Xie Huaizheng for support.’

The more she observed, the more Zhang Jingshu felt that Xie Huaizheng and Su Zhaozhao were not a good match.

’If the Xie Family knew about the Su Family’s current state,’ she thought, ’they would never allow Xie Huaizheng to be with her.’

At this thought, Zhang Jingshu felt a surprising pang of regret. She genuinely liked this girl who had her own mind and such a frank, genuine personality.

’But the feeling was fleeting. I’m Jiang Manzhi’s mother, and I have to be on her side.’

’If Su Zhaozhao can actually win Xie Huaizheng over, then I’ll persuade my daughter to back off.’

’But if she can’t pull it off, she can’t blame someone else for succeeding where she failed.’

Su Zhaozhao sensed a shift in Zhang Jingshu’s mood and turned to glance at her.

"Aunt Zhang? Are you... studying me?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Zhang Jingshu with a bright smile.