Gu Changfeng practically fled.
Su Qiao stood where she was, watching his tall figure disappear at the end of the alley. His stiff, almost comically synchronized steps made it impossible for her to suppress the smile at the corners of her lips.
She weighed the substantial bundle of money and the brass keys in her hand.
Two hundred yuan was a fortune in this era, enough for an ordinary family to live on for two years.
“Why are you running, Regiment Commander Gu?” she murmured, her voice scattering in the breeze. “You’re a grown man, yet you’re still shy.”
After putting away the money and keys, she did not linger. She turned and headed toward the “Xingfu Lane Residential Compound” Gu Changfeng had mentioned.
The county town was not large. Xingfu Lane was considered one of the best residential areas there, consisting of family apartments specifically allocated to cadres and military officers from various organizations.
Rows of red-brick buildings stood neatly arranged, looking clean and orderly.
Following the number on the key, Su Qiao found Building 3, Unit 2, Room 301.
She climbed to the third floor. The old-fashioned wooden door still had a faded red “福” character pasted on it.
She inserted the key into the lock and turned it.
Click.
The crisp sound echoed through the hallway.
When she pushed the door open, the dusty smell of a home that had been unoccupied for a long time rushed toward her.
The apartment had two bedrooms and a living room. The concrete floor had been swept clean, but the phrase “bare walls and empty rooms” could not have been more appropriate.
In the living room, there was only an old square wooden table and two benches. In the bedroom, a bare wooden bed frame stood forlornly against the wall. The kitchen contained nothing but a plain cement stove.
Every piece of furniture gave off an air of age and simplicity.
“Fine. Starting from scratch.”
Su Qiao closed the door behind her and locked it.
The next second, her entire demeanor changed.
The peach-shaped eyes that had been filled with amusement moments ago became calm and razor-sharp, like a beast surveying its territory.
With a thought,
a thick, soft memory-foam mattress appeared out of thin air and fit perfectly onto the wooden bed.
Next came silky Egyptian-cotton bedding, a fluffy down comforter, and several plump pillows.
The cold, crude wooden bed was instantly transformed into a luxurious bed comparable to one in a five-star hotel.
Su Qiao clapped her hands in satisfaction.
She walked into the living room and activated her space again with a thought.
On the empty wooden table, a steaming self-heating spicy hotpot appeared out of nowhere. Beside it came a bottle of ice-cold Coca-Cola, several bags of potato chips, spicy strips, and a plate of chilled watermelon.
The rich aroma of hotpot instantly overwhelmed every stale smell in the room, boldly announcing the arrival of its new owner.
Su Qiao pulled out a bench and sat down, expertly opening the Coke.
Pssst!
The carbonation fizzed over.
She took a large gulp. The icy liquid slid down her throat, washing away all the fatigue and heat of the day.
Refreshing!
She picked up a slice of beef tripe rolling in the red, spicy broth and stuffed it into her mouth.
Fragrant, crispy, and spicy.
She ate with narrowed eyes, thoroughly enjoying herself.
“Good grief,” she muttered indistinctly. “His allowance is for supporting me. Now that’s what I call having the right attitude!”
A military officer husband was not only a protective shield but also a long-term meal ticket.
No matter how she calculated it, this deal was an absolute steal.
After eating and drinking her fill, Su Qiao did not immediately clean up. She leaned back against the bench, closed her eyes, and began carefully taking stock of her enormous “inheritance.”
Her apocalypse fortress space.
This mobile warehouse that had traveled through time with her soul was her greatest source of confidence in this unfamiliar era.
She had spent ten years scavenging supplies, and the variety and sheer quantity were enough for her to live an extravagantly luxurious life for several lifetimes.
In the food section, there was everything from premium steaks and red wine to down-to-earth snail noodles and instant ramen, piled up like mountains.
In the medicine section, there were everything from basic cold medicine and antibiotics to top-of-the-line surgical equipment and cancer medications.
The clothing section contained clothing for every season, designer shoes and handbags, and all kinds of high-end fabrics—enough to stock a large department store.
There was also gold and jewelry, weapons and ammunition, as well as high-tech products that could not yet be exposed to the public…
After finishing her inventory, Su Qiao felt increasingly at ease.
With a thought, she returned all the mess on the table to her space, leaving the entire room spotless once again.
Then she took a brand-new set of toiletries from her space, went to the simple washroom, took a shower, and changed into a clean white cotton shirt and a knee-length khaki skirt.
The clothes were in a style typical of the 1970s, but the fabric was top quality, making them comfortable and breathable.
She looked at herself in the full-length mirror she had taken from her space.
The girl in the mirror had the body of an eighteen-year-old, with fair, radiant skin and a pair of captivating peach-shaped eyes. Even in such simple clothing, she could not conceal her breathtaking beauty.
“Pretty good assets.”
Su Qiao pinched her cheek, quite pleased with herself.
Once she was ready, she planned to go outside to familiarize herself with the surroundings and, while she was at it, see if she could find some way to make money.
She opened the door and was just about to leave.
Creak—
The door opposite hers opened at the same time.
A middle-aged woman wearing a floral apron and her hair meticulously pinned up beneath a hairnet stepped out carrying a basin of water.
Their eyes met.
The woman froze for a moment, her gaze lingering on Su Qiao’s face. Her eyes were filled with undisguised admiration, which quickly turned into curiosity and a faint, indescribable scrutiny.
Su Qiao immediately changed her expression.
She lowered her head slightly and gave a somewhat shy and obedient smile, making her voice soft and gentle.
“Hello, Auntie. My name is Su Qiao. I’m… Gu Changfeng’s wife. I just moved in today.”
She deliberately emphasized the words “wife,” adding a hint of the bashfulness of a newlywed bride.
With this appearance, no one would ever guess that only a few hours ago, she had been pinning an iron-blooded military officer beneath her and having her way with him.
The scrutiny on the woman’s face immediately transformed into warmth.
“Oh my! You’re Changfeng’s wife! We’ve been waiting for you forever!” She quickly set the basin aside, wiped her hands, and came over. “My surname is Wang. I live right across from you. Just call me Sister-in-law Wang. That boy Changfeng is such a quiet fellow. We all thought he was going to stay single for the rest of his life. Who would’ve thought he’d marry such a beautiful wife!”
Sister-in-law Wang’s voice was loud, and her shout immediately stirred up the neighbors above and below.
Before long, several women poked their heads out from their homes. Some even came over, surrounding Su Qiao and bombarding her with questions like an interrogation.
“Is this the wife of Company Commander Gu?”
“She’s really something! She looks like a movie star from a magazine.”
“Where are you from? How old are you? How did you meet Changfeng?”
Su Qiao maintained her sweet, obedient smile throughout. She answered every question, speaking gently and behaving modestly.
Her appearance greatly satisfied the women’s curiosity and their instinctive fondness for treating younger people like family.
After dealing with them for quite some time, Su Qiao finally found an excuse to escape, saying she needed to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things.
“Go on, go on! You must be missing all kinds of things after just moving in. If you don’t know the way, just ask Sister-in-law Wang!”
“We’re neighbors from now on. If you need anything, just let us know!”
Su Qiao smiled and nodded at each of them before turning and heading downstairs.
As soon as her figure disappeared around the stairwell, the women immediately gathered together again, lowering their voices.
“Hey, what do you think? That girl is way too alluring. Can someone as upright as Company Commander Gu really keep her in line?”
“Exactly. That tiny waist, those eyes that look like they can hook a man’s soul. She doesn’t look like the type who knows how to settle down and run a household.”
“I heard she’s from the countryside, and her family background isn’t very good either…”
“Really? Then why would Changfeng marry her?”
Their voices were not loud, but several words still drifted down the stairwell.
Su Qiao did not stop walking, but the corners of her lips slowly curled into a cold smile.
Close-knit neighbors also meant having absolutely no privacy.
She had known that from the beginning.
She had barely walked beyond the entrance of the family compound when, from the corner of her eye, she spotted several familiar figures heading aggressively toward her home.
Leading them was a burly, fleshy-faced middle-aged woman.
Who else could it be but the original owner’s greedy and spiteful aunt-in-law, Sun Cuifen?
Behind Sun Cuifen were her sharp-faced daughter, Su Lan, and two nephews from her side of the family who looked like troublemakers.
The group marched forward in a formidable formation, clearly coming with hostile intentions.
Su Qiao stopped.
Not only did she not hide, she leisurely crossed her arms and leaned against a large locust tree by the roadside, calmly waiting for them.
“Oh, coming straight to my doorstep.”
She chuckled softly.
There was not the slightest trace of panic in those beautiful peach-shaped eyes, only the excitement of someone ready for a fight.
Sun Cuifen spotted Su Qiao from a distance.
The moment she saw Su Qiao’s clean and tidy appearance and remembered how her carefully planned scheme had been ruined, the anger in her heart shot straight to the top of her head.
She rushed toward Su Qiao in three strides, planted both hands on her thick waist, and immediately started cursing.
“You shameless little slut! You rotten, heartless bitch! How dare you steal my daughter’s marriage and then hide out here! I’m going to tear that mouth of yours apart today!”