Seeing them getting more and more out of line, Aunt Liu’s brows shot up. "Don’t you have anything better to do? All you do is stand around gossiping about Wanwan."
Aunt Liu’s clear favoritism instantly made Zheng Qing, who had only been slightly annoyed before, even more upset.
Back then, she had called her younger sister from her parents’ home to the military base, specifically to introduce her to Battalion Commander Lu.
But to her surprise, Lu Zhengchuan had rejected her sister, Zheng Jiaojiao.
Then he’d turned around and married a girl from a village.
The Zheng Family were city folk with coveted "iron rice bowls"—stable government jobs. Her sister worked for the county newspaper and had almost landed a position in the military’s propaganda department.
She was also on good terms with Aunt Liu’s niece.
Zheng Qing used to be close with Aunt Liu. By leveraging Aunt Liu’s sharp tongue, even though she was just the wife of a company commander, she had managed to live quite comfortably.
Now that Aunt Liu was praising Su Wan so much, wasn’t that the same as saying her sister was inferior to Su Wan?
"Auntie, we’re just worried you’re being fooled by Su Wan. She probably knows you have status in the compound and wants to cozy up to you to make her own life easier here."
"She’s definitely acting all nice now, but who knows, she might start taking advantage of you later on."
Aunt Liu nodded. "You’re right."
Zheng Qing pressed her lips into a smile, a flash of triumph on her face.
"But the thing is, I was the one who went looking for Wanwan, not the other way around." Aunt Liu pushed Zheng Qing away in distaste. "If you’re not busy, you should go home and get to it. I have things to do."
"Hey, Aunt Liu, you..."
The group of gossips exchanged glances. With no more drama to listen to, they all dispersed.
Zheng Qing’s face was ashen. She couldn’t understand how Su Wan had managed to win over Aunt Liu. She had really underestimated her!
Unable to hold back, she started frantically spreading rumors throughout the compound, grabbing anyone she could to talk about Su Wan.
"Grandma, what’s for dinner tonight?"
All the children of the Liu Family had returned home, and the Liu family’s daughter-in-law, Zheng Chunmei, who worked at the military co-op, was back from work as well.
The moment she walked in, she heard Aunt Liu say proudly, "We’re having chicken tonight."
"What? Chicken? AHHH! Grandma, you’re the best!"
"Yay, we get to eat meat today!"
"Mom, is today a special occasion? Why did you stew a chicken?" And it was one of the old hens they were raising in the yard, no less.
Zheng Chunmei wondered silently, ’Did something happen to my mother-in-law? Didn’t she say she was saving the old hen for my sister-in-law’s wedding?’
"It is a little special. You know I heard Battalion Commander Lu’s wife has arrived. Zhao Qing said she’s a good cook, and I was thinking, we need to host a wedding banquet for Xin’er here in the family compound. Our side of the family is responsible for preparing it. Instead of troubling the men in the mess hall, we might as well do it ourselves. We just need to find a head chef to run the whole show."
The moment her mother-in-law mentioned her sister-in-law’s wedding, Zheng Chunmei understood. Her mother-in-law was using this chicken to both appease and caution her.
Zheng Chunmei wasn’t stupid. Asking the mess hall staff for help would mean using a favor from her husband, Battalion Commander Liu. If her mother-in-law hired someone herself, she’d be using her own money. Zheng Chunmei wouldn’t lose out either way, so of course she was happy to agree.
"Mom, doesn’t Battalion Commander Lu’s wife have a pretty bad reputation?" Zheng Chunmei cleverly changed the subject and called the children to the table.
Battalion Commander Liu wasn’t coming home for dinner tonight; he was working overtime and had already eaten at the cafeteria, so they didn’t need to wait.
"What does a person’s character have to do with their cooking skills?" Aunt Liu had lived a long life and seen it all. "You’ve heard me tell plenty of gossip about other families. I’d say I have a good eye for people. This Comrade Su Wan... although her lifestyle is a bit bourgeois and extravagant, I’m afraid her character is probably better than most."
"Mom, you’re not wrong. This chicken soup is really delicious." Zheng Chunmei gave the children some meat and took a sip of the soup herself.
She was amazed by the very first taste. "I have no idea how she made this."
’It seems the rumors about Su Wan being a good cook weren’t a lie. But then why do the gossips say she’s too lazy to even cook a meal and needs food handed to her before she’ll eat?’
’With cooking skills this good, how did she practice if she doesn’t even cook for herself?’
Aunt Liu also took a sip. She quickly poked around in the pot with her chopsticks and spotted the medicinal herbs at the bottom. "No wonder it’s so good. Look, see how generous she is? She used medicinal herbs in the broth and didn’t even mention it."
’That really is generous,’ Zheng Chunmei thought in surprise.
"Mom, you like Su Wan so much. Does that mean the rumors are fake?" Zheng Chunmei asked curiously.
Aunt Liu was also suspicious. "You know Zhang Shuang. She’s an honest person. She definitely doesn’t have it in her to just make up the contents of that letter."
"Maybe Wanwan and Xiao Lu are having some kind of conflict..."
"But that’s not right either."
The more Aunt Liu spoke, the stranger it seemed. "When I went over today, I even saw Xiao Lu washing clothes for Wanwan, even her undergarments. They seem to get along just fine."
Zheng Chunmei also felt that Zhang Shuang wouldn’t lie. After all, lying in the military was a punishable offense; no one was that stupid.
"Maybe it’s because they were living apart before, so they didn’t get along? Now that they’re together, they’ve started to develop feelings for each other?"
"I don’t know. I’ll go ask in a couple of days. It’ll be a good time to ask Wanwan if she’s willing to be the head chef for the wedding banquet."
Aunt Liu didn’t dwell on it. It wasn’t as if she could know every detail of another family’s private affairs.
「The Lu Residence.」
That evening, Su Wan had a simple meal of some congee, savory egg custard with tofu, and pickled vegetables to whet her appetite.
Her morning sickness hadn’t been as frequent lately as it was the month before. Even her appetite was a little better. Back in the village, the mere sight of meat had made her want to vomit.
She suspected her baby bump wasn’t showing because she wasn’t getting enough nutrition. Three months into her pregnancy, not only had she not gained any weight, but she had actually lost some.
Lu Zhengchuan watched her take a few bites and then stop eating. Looking at her thin frame, his brow furrowed slightly. "Is it a poor appetite, or do you normally eat this little?"
"I have a poor appetite. My stomach is upset." Su Wan shot him a look, reminding him, "I was throwing up earlier."
Lu Zhengchuan didn’t press her to eat more, clearly not suspecting anything.
"Then is there anything that’s good for an upset stomach?" Lu Zhengchuan asked.
Surprised that he was actually so concerned about her, Su Wan decided not to sell herself short. ’After all, it would be stupid not to take advantage of things before the divorce.’
"Bananas, applesauce, soda crackers... any of those would work."
Su Wan listed things she actually wanted to eat that were also easy on the stomach. She was afraid that if Lu Zhengchuan asked a doctor before buying anything, he might get suspicious.
"Alright."
Lu Zhengchuan nodded.
After dinner, seeing that she was ’unwell’, Lu Zhengchuan voluntarily washed the dishes and packed up his own lunch box. He glanced at the sky and said to Su Wan, "You should get some rest. I’m heading back to my dormitory."
"Go on, go on."
Su Wan waved her hand, showing no sign of reluctance. She was clearly quite satisfied with her current solitary life.
Lu Zhengchuan frowned. Seeing her attitude that clearly showed she had no desire to build a life with him, he moved his lips, but in the end, said nothing. He turned and left the family compound.
Back in his single-person dorm room, Lu Zhengchuan thought of those letters. He reached under his bed, pulled out a wooden chest, opened it, and began to rummage inside.