With the sponge cushion added, Su Ci’s life became even more comfortable.
Although Lu Si had a sharp tongue, as long as Su Ci didn’t cross his bottom line, he practically satisfied all her material requests.
As for the money in that passbook, Su Ci spent it with complete peace of mind.
That day, wearing a newly bought bulaji (a dress), Su Ci was lounging in the courtyard while directing Lu Si to shell pine nuts for her.
Ever since she discovered that Lu Si’s hands—hands trained to hold guns—were extremely nimble at cracking shells, it had become his regular “rehabilitation exercise.”
Meanwhile, at the Su family home—
Liu Guilan was stomping around the house angrily, banging things as she went.
“That wretched girl! She’s been married for so many days and hasn’t even come back for a visit! Not even a message. What an ungrateful little wolf!”
Su Yan, sitting nearby cracking sunflower seeds, rolled her eyes.
“Mom, stop thinking about it. With Lu Si’s temper, it’s already lucky if he hasn’t beaten her to death. I heard disabled people tend to become mentally twisted. Who knows what kind of torture Su Ci is going through—how could she possibly have the face to come back?”
“That’s true.” Liu Guilan felt slightly comforted. “Good thing we didn’t let you go instead. Oh right—how are things between you and Zhao Gang?”
At the mention of Zhao Gang, a proud blush appeared on Su Yan’s face.
“It’s going well. Brother Gang is now a full-time worker at the steel factory. His monthly salary is thirty-eight yuan and fifty cents! And he’s a team leader too. His future is bright.”
“That’s wonderful, wonderful!” Liu Guilan beamed. “The working class is the best. A thousand times better than that cripple.”
“Mom, I want to go visit my sister at the compound,” Su Yan suddenly said, her eyes glinting with calculation. “Brother Gang has the day off today, so I want to bring him to see where she lives. And… let Su Ci see what a good life really looks like.”
In truth, she had heard rumors that Lu Si had received a large demobilization payment. The jealousy gnawed at her heart, and she had to see for herself whether Su Ci’s life was truly miserable.
If Su Ci was suffering, she could flaunt her superiority right in front of her.
Liu Guilan understood her daughter’s intentions perfectly and nodded immediately.
“Go! Bring some sunflower seeds and candy. Don’t let people think the Su family is stingy.”
That afternoon, Su Yan appeared at the entrance of the military compound with her arm linked through a man wearing blue factory overalls and slicked-back hair.
This was her boyfriend—Zhao Gang.
Zhao Gang had a square face and a simple, honest look with a hint of calculation beneath it. Holding two boxes of peach pastries, he glanced nervously at the armed guard at the compound gate.
“Yan’er… this is a military compound. Are we really allowed to go in?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? I’m visiting my sister.” Su Yan puffed out her chest proudly. “Besides, you’re an advanced worker at the factory—stand up straight!”
After asking around, they eventually found Lu Si’s house.
Before entering, Su Yan had already arranged her expression into a perfect mix of sympathy and superiority.
The scene she imagined was simple:
Su Ci in ragged clothes, looking dirty and miserable while washing diapers, and crippled Lu Si sitting in some dark corner yelling angrily.
“Sis! I came to see you!” Su Yan shouted loudly as she pushed open the courtyard gate.
But the scene before her made the smile on her face freeze instantly.
The courtyard was bright with sunshine.
The legendary “Living King of Hell,” Lu Si, sat calmly in his wheelchair. A clean towel lay across his knees, and he held a small hammer, concentrating on… cracking walnuts.
And Su Ci—
She was wearing a light-yellow fitted dress that clearly cost a fortune, paired with brand-new little leather shoes. She lay comfortably on a strangely shaped but incredibly soft-looking lounge chair (actually something Su Ci had made with leftover sponge), holding a picture magazine and lazily swinging her legs.
Hearing the noise, Su Ci lifted her eyelids lazily.
When she recognized the visitors, she didn’t even bother standing up. She simply raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Well, well. If it isn’t my dear little sister. What wind blew you here?”
Where was the suffering young wife she had imagined?
This looked more like a rich lady from the old days.
Su Yan stared at the dress on Su Ci’s body. The fabric shimmered under the sunlight—it was clearly the expensive synthetic “Dacron” fabric sold in department stores, the kind that even required foreign currency coupons to buy.
Jealousy gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.
“Sis… what are you doing?” Su Yan forced a smile. “How can you let brother-in-law work while you lie there?”
Su Ci closed her magazine, grabbed a handful of freshly shelled walnut kernels from the small plate beside her, and stuffed them into her mouth while speaking casually.
“It’s called a clear division of labor. Your brother-in-law dotes on me—he insisted on shelling them. If I try to stop him, he gets upset. Right, husband?”
Su Ci smiled sweetly at Lu Si and lightly nudged the wheel of his wheelchair with the tip of her shoe.
Zhao Gang looked at the overly handsome disabled soldier in front of him, then glanced at his own perfectly healthy but ordinary figure. A wave of bitterness rose in his chest.
Still, he put on the airs of a worker and cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Big sister, this must be brother-in-law? I’m Yan’s boyfriend—Zhao Gang. A Level-Three fitter at the steel factory.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “Level-Three fitter.” In those days, it was a very respectable title.
Lu Si didn’t even raise his head.
He simply placed the freshly shelled walnut kernels onto the plate, picked up another walnut, and continued cracking it.
“Oh.”
Just one word.
Cold and indifferent.
And Zhao Gang’s pride fell straight to the ground.