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

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: A One-Month Bet

"Hey, what are you talking about, little lady? We’re all legitimate businessmen here." The man was displeased to hear Su Zhaozhao say that.

But Su Zhaozhao noticed his eyes were darting back and forth, and he couldn’t stop himself from touching his nose.

Constantly shifting eyes indicate a person is nervous and uneasy.

Touching one’s nose is a sign of covering up a lie.

The country had just begun its reform and opening-up, so there weren’t many people doing business here. At most, they’d set up a small stall to sell things.

Most of them were people who used to sell things on the black market and had now gone legitimate.

In this era, most people were honest, but Su Zhaozhao knew the man in front of her was anything but.

"You just grabbed several extra handfuls of vegetables and threw them in. I saw you."

This kind of petty trick was very common in modern times.

He would hide things under his stall and sneak a few handfuls in when the customer wasn’t looking.

She just hadn’t expected someone would dare to pull a stunt like this right at the entrance of the military family compound.

This wasn’t exactly how ’fortune favors the bold’ was supposed to work, was it?

"I did not!" the vendor immediately denied.

’Are you kidding me? How could I possibly admit to that?’

’If I admitted to something like this, I’d be finished!’

But Xie Huaizheng had already stepped forward and lifted the burlap sack on the stall. Sure enough, a pile of vegetables was hidden underneath, all of them rotten.

If these were weighed and paid for together, no one would notice a problem with their purchase unless they were paying close attention.

By the time they got home, it would be too late.

These mobile vendors set up shop here today and are gone to another place tomorrow.

They specialize in scams and swindles; you can never track them down.

Xie Huaizheng twisted the man’s arm. "Alright, so you’re into this kind of swindling, huh? Let’s go. We’re heading to the police station."

"No, no, no, Officer, please spare me," the vendor said frantically. "I’m just trying to make a living. It’s not easy."

"Whose life is easy? Scamming people is the easiest way out," Su Zhaozhao said. "Go explain yourself to the police comrades."

Xie Huaizheng called the police. After a little while, they arrived and took the vendor and his things away.

Zhou Xiaoyun, holding her vegetables, looked at Su Zhaozhao, then at Xie Huaizheng.

"Comrade, you’re amazing. How could you tell he was tricking me?"

"At first, I just thought his expression was a bit strange, like he was lying. Then I watched his movements and noticed the problem," Su Zhaozhao explained.

A person’s micro-expressions can reveal a lot.

She didn’t have many hobbies, but she did enjoy observing people sometimes.

And that’s how she discovered something was off with the vendor.

"I see," Zhou Xiaoyun said. "You’re so smart, miss!"

"Just a hunch. My intuition is always spot-on," Su Zhaozhao said with a grin.

"Thank you so much! Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner tomorrow?" Zhou Xiaoyun said, then turned to Xie Huaizheng. "Old Liu has been nagging me about having a meal with you. You just got back from a mission, so training probably isn’t as strict. You can finally have a proper meal."

"Okay, I’ll come over with Huai Zheng tomorrow."

Zhou Xiaoyun left with a smile, her gaze sweeping over Xie Huaizheng and Su Zhaozhao. ’They’re both so good-looking.’

’Xie Huaizheng’s personality is a bit roguish, but this girl looks delicate and is very smart. The two of them are truly a good match.’

Xie Huaizheng: "..."

He had clearly explained his relationship with Su Zhaozhao, so why was Aunt Yun still giving him that look?

It was as if there was something ambiguous going on between him and Su Zhaozhao.

After saying goodbye to Zhou Xiaoyun, Xie Huaizheng took out a cigarette and lit it.

His jaw was tensed, sharp as a knife, and his expression was grim. He shot Su Zhaozhao a sidelong glance. "You’re quite the actress."

Su Zhaozhao hadn’t expected Xie Huaizheng to see right through her.

But she still gave him a gentle smile. "I’m not acting. It’s all a genuine expression of my feelings."

"With a personality like yours, you were bullied by your stepmother to the point of running all the way out here to find me?" Xie Huaizheng took a deep drag from his cigarette, the smoke he exhaled shrouding his face in a hazy veil.

A girl with a personality this strong was probably the one doing the bullying, not the other way around.

"I came here of my own free will," Su Zhaozhao said. "I told you, I came here to marry you. Our marriage agreement may have been arranged by the older generation, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t count, right?"

"You really want to marry me?" Xie Huaizheng raised an eyebrow, turning to stare at her.

His tall frame made the young woman in front of him seem exceptionally slender and petite.

Like a freshly sprouted bud, fragile enough to snap with a pinch.

"Even if I’m out on missions all the time and never come home, you’d still stick with it?"

"Of course. I’ll wait for you all alone."

But inwardly, Su Zhaozhao was blooming with joy. ’If he’s not home, I’ll be free! No one to watch over me, I can do whatever I want. It’ll be amazing!’

Xie Huaizheng let out a dry laugh. "What if you had to live here forever, toiling under the sun, your face tanned dark, with no entertainment? You’d be happy with that?"

He couldn’t believe any young woman would want to grow old and ugly.

Su Zhaozhao nodded again. "It doesn’t matter. I can endure hardship."

In reality, she couldn’t get a tan anyway. The spiritual spring water in her space kept her body in its optimal state.

The original owner of this body had been pretty, but her skin had grown rough from a lack of care.

But after she transmigrated, she drank the spiritual spring water from her space every day, which had made her skin incredibly smooth and fair.

So, none of the things Xie Huaizheng mentioned were actually a concern for her.

Xie Huaizheng was surprised. It was as if Su Zhaozhao didn’t know the meaning of "backing down."

"So, can I marry you?" She moved closer to him, the tips of her hair brushing against Xie Huaizheng’s arm.

She was soft, fragrant, and devastatingly alluring.

Xie Huaizheng took a step back, his fingers tightening around his cigarette. He kept his face taut. "A military marriage is no joke. You can’t just get divorced whenever you want."

"I’m serious. I’m not joking." Su Zhaozhao was getting a little annoyed with Xie Huaizheng. ’Do I really look like someone who jokes around so much?’

’I’ve already said all this, and Su Zhaozhao still won’t back down?’

It was the first time Xie Huaizheng had ever met such a stubborn girl.

The other girls who’d liked him in the past were never this direct.

Even Jiang Manzhi was no exception.

Her affection was cautious, never openly declared.

It was as if she was worried about losing her dignity if rejected; although she liked him, she was also weighing the pros and cons.

But Su Zhaozhao was different. He had already rejected her so many times, yet she still pushed forward bravely.

But Xie Huaizheng didn’t believe in the idea that a childhood engagement meant they had to get married.

She was so young; sooner or later, she would regret it.

The occasional water and power outages were minor issues. It was hot during the day and cold at night, and you had to go to a town several kilometers away just to buy anything. Once she actually lived here, she would understand how hard it was.

But when he met the girl’s clear, dark eyes, he saw the stubbornness within them.

Finally, all Xie Huaizheng could say was, "If you can last for a month, we’ll get married."

"You can’t go back on your word." Su Zhaozhao’s face immediately broke into a smile. She held out her hand to him. "Pinky promise."

"Aren’t you childish?" Xie Huaizheng scoffed.

"I’m afraid you’ll back out!" Su Zhaozhao grabbed Xie Huaizheng’s hand, pried out his pinky, and hooked it with hers.

"There! Now, whoever backs out is a pig!"

After making the pinky promise with Xie Huaizheng, Su Zhaozhao let out a long sigh of relief.

Then she waved goodbye to him.

’One month? A piece of cake!’

Xie Huaizheng stood rooted to the spot, staring at Su Zhaozhao’s retreating figure. ’She seems a lot more lively and cheerful than I remember, doesn’t she?’

’Being with her... doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.’

’At least it adds a bit of fun to this dull, dreary life.’

Thinking this, Xie Huaizheng went to the communications room to make a phone call home.