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

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Beyond Coaxing

The moment the word "marriage" was uttered, the soldiers all gasped.

"Looks like congratulations are in order, Camp Commander!"

"Congratulations! You’ll have to invite us for a drink at the wedding."

"May you have a healthy son soon!"

...

"Shut up!" Xie Huaizheng snapped, then grabbed Su Zhaozhao’s arm and pulled her aside.

The man’s face was grim, his gaze icy. "Are you sure you want to stay? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The conditions here are nothing like Jiang City."

’His grandfather really misjudged her. This girl isn’t timid at all; she’s audacious.’

’She not only cut off a man’s family jewels, but now she’s announcing in front of everyone that she wants to marry me?’

’What kind of girl acts like this?’

Plenty of girls liked him, but few were as direct as Su Zhaozhao.

’Marry me? She’s in for a disappointment.’

He looked fierce and ruthless, radiating a cold aura.

But Su Zhaozhao wasn’t afraid of him. She curved her lips into a sweet smile. "If I can’t even endure a little hardship, how could I marry you? I’ll overcome it."

’At first, I just wanted to ride his coattails, but after seeing Xie Huaizheng, my intentions have become a lot less pure.’

’A man this handsome... he’s even better looking than all my old ’internet husbands.’ It wouldn’t be bad at all to be with him.’

’And he’s a soldier. His stamina must be incredible!’

The girl’s gaze was so intense it was almost blinding.

"Then don’t you regret it." Xie Huaizheng reached out, his rough palm brushing against Su Zhaozhao’s cheek.

The girl’s skin was as delicate as porcelain; he found he didn’t dare to apply any pressure.

He snatched his hand back and scoffed. ’Words are useless. A hard lesson is all it takes.’

’She talks a big game now. Once she gets there, she’ll understand what real hardship is.’

"I won’t regret it," Su Zhaozhao said.

Once in the vehicle, she sat down right next to Xie Huaizheng.

Xie Huaizheng glanced at the girl beside him as her sweet fragrance kept wafting over.

He pressed his thin lips together, a growing sense of irritation welling up inside him.

Su Zhaozhao, sitting beside Xie Huaizheng, didn’t feel the least bit awkward.

She was still chatting with Xiao Yuanming.

"Zhaozhao, for a young lady like yourself to come all this way, you must have endured a lot of hardship, huh?"

"It was alright. As long as I knew I’d get to see Huai Zheng, any hardship was worth it."

Xie Huaizheng smirked. He didn’t for a second believe she actually liked him.

"Wow, Camp Commander, you’re so lucky! I’m actually jealous."

"You want this ’good fortune’?" Xie Huaizheng asked with a sneer.

Xiao Yuanming immediately shrank back, retorting in a small voice, "I’m just envious."

He could see that Xie Huaizheng was in a bad mood.

’I really don’t get our Camp Commander. If he doesn’t even like a girl this beautiful and gentle, what kind of woman does he like?’

’She’s even prettier than Jiang Manzhi, the belle of our cultural troupe.’

’Then again, the Camp Commander isn’t interested in Jiang Manzhi, either.’

’It seems the Camp Commander isn’t interested in women at all.’

’But Jiang Manzhi likes the Camp Commander, too. I wonder how she’ll feel when she finds out he has a fiancée.’

Xie Huaizheng looked at the scenery outside the window, then rested his hand on the windowsill, fingers propping up his forehead as he closed his eyes to rest.

After arriving at the military district, Su Zhaozhao finally understood why Xie Huaizheng had tried to talk her out of it.

The place was utterly desolate. In the distance, she could see loess plateaus.

There were no residential areas, only military buildings all around.

"Liu Gang, head to the guesthouse over there," Xie Huaizheng ordered the soldier at the wheel.

Su Zhaozhao immediately asked, "Why are we going to the guesthouse?"

"You want to sleep with me instead?"

"That’s right," Su Zhaozhao said with a grin, her gaze sweeping over Xie Huaizheng.

"Shut up," Xie Huaizheng said coldly.

’This woman has some nerve.’

’I have no idea how his grandfather’s old comrade raised his granddaughter.’

The vehicle pulled up to the guesthouse, and Xie Huaizheng and Su Zhaozhao got out.

"Get her a room, for five days."

He was certain Su Zhaozhao wouldn’t last.

’Five days might even be too many.’

He paid, and the receptionist took a key and led Su Zhaozhao upstairs.

But Xie Huaizheng started walking away by himself. Su Zhaozhao hurriedly called out, "Aren’t you coming with me?"

Without turning his head, Xie Huaizheng replied, "I have to report to my superior officer. You just stay put at the guesthouse. I’ll have Xiao Yuanming bring you your three meals a day."

Su Zhaozhao watched his figure vanish in an instant, as if he were trying to shake off a nuisance. She huffed.

’As I thought, he’s still angry.’

’If only I’d transmigrated earlier. Why did I have to arrive right after her family broke off the engagement and humiliated the male lead’s family?’

’Xie Huaizheng seems to have quite a temper. He won’t be easy to coax for a while.’

The receptionist was a girl of seventeen or eighteen. Her gaze shifted from sizing up Su Zhaozhao to looking at Xie Huaizheng.

"Comrade, what is your relationship with Camp Commander Xie?" Yu Huijun asked curiously.

’Xie Huaizheng is this famous already? Even the guesthouse staff know who he is!’

’But then again, with a face that handsome, it makes sense he’d stand out even in a military camp full of men.’

’It’s only natural that other girls would like him.’

"I’m his fiancée," Su Zhaozhao said.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Yu Huijun’s face. "Camp Commander Xie already has a fiancée?"

She looked at the girl before her. She was so beautiful, with fair, rosy skin that looked fresh and dewy. ’She’s nothing like us country folk.’

She led Su Zhaozhao to a room, opened the door, and said, "The public toilet and bathroom are at the end of the hall. You can go there to wash up. Hot water can be fetched from the water room on the first floor."

"Thank you," Su Zhaozhao said.

She looked around the room. ’It really is spartan...’

Besides a bed, a table, and a chair, there was nothing else.

’Even the shoddiest motel in the modern era is better than this.’

The bed was just a simple wooden plank bed, with a straw mat and a single sheet laid on top.

Su Zhaozhao placed her luggage on the table.

She walked to the window and looked out through the narrow opening at the scenery outside—a desolate expanse of yellow earth.

Previously, Su Zhaozhao had been an only child from a big city, raised in the heart of a bustling society.

This was the first time she would have to live in such a remote place, and she might be here for a very long time.

But Su Zhaozhao didn’t mind. Some of the places she had traveled to for business had also been quite remote.

’Besides, in this era, the difference between a city and the barren wilderness isn’t that huge anyway.’

’It’s fine here. I’ll get used to it.’

’After all, I stole the original Su Zhaozhao’s mother’s heirlooms. If her stepmother catches me, it’ll be a whole big drama, and that’s just too much trouble.’

At this thought, Su Zhaozhao touched the bracelet on her wrist and entered her dimensional space.

The space was large. Currently, it contained a clear spring and a patch of black earth.

Other than that, there were some basic daily necessities.

The rest were the heirlooms from the original Su Zhaozhao’s mother, which she had taken.

Some money, a few old clothes, and a set of pure gold jewelry.

It was clear the original Su Zhaozhao’s mother had lived a very comfortable life.

During those turbulent years, her family had buried these items deep underground, allowing them to survive the upheaval.

In the novel, these things were all liquidated by the original character’s stepmother. The gold was sold for a large sum of money and turned into exquisite clothes for the stepmother and her son.

But the original Su Zhaozhao got nothing and was even sold to a pervert for a hundred yuan.

Therefore, the first thing Su Zhaozhao did after transmigrating was to find these things and store them in her space.

Su Zhaozhao took a couple of sips from the spring.

Instantly, all the fatigue washed away from her body, leaving her feeling incredibly refreshed.