"I have some real gossip for you, but you absolutely can’t tell anyone else."
Aunt Liu said, deliberately lowering her voice.
Every cell in Zheng Qing’s body buzzed with excitement. ’Is this about Su Wan?’ She knew that woman couldn’t be any good. To claw her way past so many other women and trick Battalion Commander Lu into marrying her, how could she possibly be innocent and pure?
"Now listen, you absolutely cannot tell anyone else," Aunt Liu warned.
Zheng Qing patted her chest in assurance. "Aunt Liu, don’t you trust my integrity?"
Aunt Liu was at a loss for words. The corners of her eyes twitched, and she nearly laughed out loud. ’Believe a word you say? Yeah, right. We all know exactly what each other is like.’
"Xiao Lu is divorcing Su Wan," Aunt Liu said, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Zheng Qing’s eyes flew open. She slapped her thigh in delight. "Well, isn’t that just the best news I’ve heard all day!"
"What did you say?"
"Ah... I said, this is truly a huge... piece of news." Zheng Qing patted her own mouth. "Oops, a slip of the tongue. Don’t mind me, Aunt Liu."
Eager for more gossip, Zheng Qing pressed, "Aunt Liu, why? Why would Battalion Commander Lu suddenly want a divorce?"
"You didn’t know? He has a childhood sweetheart back in his village, and that girl wants to marry Xiao Lu, too." Aunt Liu clicked her tongue twice. "TSK, TSK."
"I heard she sent a letter to Battalion Commander Lu, proposing marriage."
When Zheng Qing heard this, she could barely keep her voice down. "Oh my god! Something like that really happened?"
"Does that mean Battalion Commander Lu is really going to divorce Su Wan and marry that other girl?"
Zheng Qing’s first reaction was joy. Having spread plenty of gossip about Su Wan, she knew for a fact that the woman lived a very comfortable life.
Drinking malted milk, eating toffee, reading by a little desk lamp, and wearing dresses prettier than anything sold at the co-op. Their room even had a flower vase.
Battalion Commander Lu even helped with her laundry. She’d often seen Lu Zhengchuan fetching water, buying groceries, and washing dishes.
He even frequently brought back meat dishes from the mess hall.
Her own husband was just a company commander, so his stipend was smaller to begin with. On top of that, they had to raise two children, and his parents back home were always finding excuses to ask for money. No matter how many times she argued with her husband, she couldn’t change their tight financial situation.
Su Wan’s cushy lifestyle naturally made her jealous.
Not to mention, this good life should have belonged to her younger sister, Zheng Jiaojiao.
If her sister had become the battalion commander’s wife, her own status would have risen as well.
Zheng Qing’s mood instantly improved.
"That’s the rumor, anyway. I’m not sure if it’s true or not."
"It’s getting late, I have to head back. Remember, don’t you dare tell anyone," Aunt Liu reminded her one last time, still a bit worried.
Zheng Qing nodded eagerly. "Don’t worry, Aunt Liu. I definitely won’t breathe a word."
The moment Aunt Liu left, Zheng Qing turned and headed straight for the mailroom.
"Battalion Commander Lu, you have a letter."
Lu Zhengchuan was just leaving his office when a staff member in the mailroom called out to him as he passed by.
Lu Zhengchuan stopped, turned, and walked over to take them. He was a bit puzzled to see several letters, all from his hometown.
Because one of them was from Su Wan.
Su Wan had been on the base for several days, and she hadn’t mentioned sending a letter.
’She must have sent it before she left,’ he figured. ’It just took this long to arrive.’
Lu Zhengchuan glanced at the postmark. Sure enough, it had been sent eight days ago.
He didn’t think much of it and turned to leave.
"Have you guys heard? Battalion Commander Lu’s childhood sweetheart, Zheng Zhizhi, sent a letter saying she’s willing to marry him. Do you think he’ll really divorce Su Wan and remarry?"
"I doubt it. Su Wan hasn’t done anything wrong. It would be horrible for her to be divorced just like that."
"Su Wan’s reputation wasn’t so great before, you know. It’s not like she’s truly committed to building a life with Battalion Commander Lu. Divorcing her would be for the best," someone else countered.
"If you ask me, Battalion Commander Lu never should have gotten married on an impulse. Then he wouldn’t be in this mess."
"Where did you all hear this gossip? It has to be fake, right?"
"No way it’s fake. It came from the mailroom. All the other gossip about Su Wan started there, too, so this is definitely real."
Lu Zhengchuan hadn’t even reached the co-op when he overheard some of the family members discussing him and Su Wan.
At first, Lu Zhengchuan paid it no mind, but the moment he heard Zheng Zhizhi’s name, he grew more and more suspicious.
"Ladies, what are you all talking about?" Lu Zhengchuan asked as he walked up to them.
His sudden voice made the gossiping women jump.
Zhao Qing was among them. She saw the other women exchange awkward glances, none of them willing to explain the situation to Lu Zhengchuan.
Thinking of her friendship with Su Wan, she couldn’t help but speak up. "Battalion Commander Lu, you mean you don’t know? The whole compound is talking about it. They’re saying you’re going to divorce Su Wan to marry your childhood sweetheart, Zheng Zhizhi. Is that true?"
As she asked, Zhao Qing’s brow furrowed in clear disapproval.
"...Who in the world is spouting this nonsense?" Lu Zhengchuan’s brow furrowed, his expression stern. "Spreading malicious rumors is a punishable offense."
His cold, unforgiving tone sent the gossiping women scattering.
"The rumor started in the mailroom. Battalion Commander Lu, you should check your letters yourself." Zhao Qing eyed him suspiciously. "Battalion Commander Lu, Su Wan has done nothing wrong. You can’t be having an improper relationship. Since you married her, you have a responsibility to her."
Lu Zhengchuan’s jaw tightened. He pulled the letters from his pocket and shuffled through them quickly, soon finding one from Zheng Zhizhi.
He scanned it quickly. The contents were just as the rumors said: it was indeed Zheng Zhizhi, stating she didn’t want a bride price and was willing to marry him, as long as he divorced Su Wan.
A fierce anger surged in Lu Zhengchuan’s chest.
"I am not divorcing Su Wan, and marrying Zheng Zhizhi is out of the question."
With that, he turned and strode away, not caring what the women thought.
Zhao Qing exchanged a look with the other women.
"What did he mean by that? Did he get caught having an affair and now he won’t divorce Su Wan just to save face?"
Zhao Qing was disgusted by the sheer malice in that comment.
"What are you talking about? Just because some woman wants to marry Battalion Commander Lu doesn’t mean they’re having an affair. Nothing is settled yet."
The other women fell silent, but immediately turned around and spread the new version of the gossip.
That very day, Lu Zhengchuan was summoned to his superior’s office.
Master Ji picked up his enamel mug and took a sip. "Xiao Lu, have a seat."
Lu Zhengchuan sat ramrod straight on the stool in the office.
"Thank you, sir."
"I called you in here to ask what’s going on with these rumors in the compound. Before, it was just gossip about your wife’s personal life, which is somewhat understandable. Every family has its share of talk. But now, it’s about the instability of your marriage. To put it more seriously, it’s an accusation of having an improper relationship."
"You’re on leave right now. If you don’t handle this properly and it blows up, it will affect your career."
"And as for your wife, Su Wan, she’s a good young woman. Don’t you go and do something stupid and let her down."
Clearly, Master Ji was warning him not to mess things up and to focus on living a good life with Su Wan.