"And you are?" Su Wan could feel the malice now. She looked at the female soldier from the cultural troupe, who had her hair in twin braids and was wearing a white floral blouse and a blue skirt.
Xu Yan smiled and extended her hand. "I’m Xu Yan, the captain of the cultural troupe’s dance team."
’Xu... Yan?’
’Comrade Xu?’
’So this is one of the female soldiers from the cultural troupe Xiao Wang mentioned, one who pursued Lu Zhengchuan in the past?’
"Hello." Su Wan shook her hand, her words stunning. "Just now, Xiao Wang happened to mention Comrade Xu, and said that you and my partner are close."
Xu Yan was completely caught off guard by her directness. Flustered, her voice immediately rose.
"Sister-in-law, don’t spread baseless rumors! Battalion Commander Lu and I have a completely innocent relationship; there’s nothing improper between us. How can you slander my reputation the moment you arrive at the base?"
Her raised voice only made the onlookers more curious to watch the drama unfold.
Noticing everyone’s gazes on her, Xu Yan immediately put on a pitiful expression.
"Comrade Xu, you’ve misunderstood. I was just saying that you two are good friends. Was I wrong?" Su Wan asked, looking even more innocent than her, her voice gentle and soft.
She even put a hand to her forehead and leaned against Lu Zhengchuan. "I was in the vehicle for too long. I’m a little dizzy."
Lu Zhengchuan instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her, and the pads of his fingers felt as if they’d been burned by the contact.
"Let me help you sit down. I’ll go borrow a bicycle," Lu Zhengchuan said. He could see the genuine fatigue in her eyes, and he frowned at Xu Yan. "Comrade Xu, my partner and I were not fighting. We were just having a normal conversation."
"You all should disperse. It’s a rare day off, so enjoy it."
Xu Yan watched the burgeoning scandal about Su Wan fizzle out. Unresigned, she clutched the hem of her blouse. ’It was bad enough that Battalion Commander Lu didn’t marry me,’ she thought, ’but to think he married someone like Su Wan, who’s clearly no good either!’
’How could she possibly accept that?’
’To be precise, none of the girls who admired Battalion Commander Lu would accept it.’
’At the very least... he should have married a girl more outstanding than any of them.’
"Battalion Commander Lu, let me keep Sister-in-law company here while you go get the bicycle," Xu Yan offered.
Su Wan could tell she wanted to say something, so she looked up at Lu Zhengchuan and nodded. "Go on. I’ll wait for you here."
She then reached for Lu Zhengchuan’s canteen, which was filled with hot water.
She casually handed her own canteen to Lu Zhengchuan.
"The water in mine is cold. Go get it refilled with hot water for me."
Lu Zhengchuan nodded and took the canteen. He glanced at Su Wan a couple of times, and only after confirming she wasn’t angry did he turn to leave.
The sight was an eyesore for Xu Yan. "Sister-in-law, how can you make Battalion Commander Lu do everything for you? As his wife, shouldn’t you be the one considerate of your husband?"
"He’s my husband. It’s only right that he gets me some hot water," Su Wan said, her tone preachy. "The men from our village might not be good at delicate tasks, but they’re willing to learn. You’re still young and unmarried, so you don’t understand how married couples interact. If a man isn’t diligent, married life can be very hard."
Xu Yan’s attention was fixated on the word "husband."
She said deliberately, "Sister-in-law, you’re so fortunate to have married Battalion Commander Lu. You must be feeling pretty smug, huh?"
"Why should I feel smug?" Su Wan retorted. "Is there no man in this entire battalion who’s better than Lu Zhengchuan?"
Xu Yan grew even angrier when she heard that, convinced Su Wan was just showing off.
"Sister-in-law, Battalion Commander Lu is from your village, right? Were you forced to marry because your families have known each other forever?" Xu Yan was dying of curiosity; she just couldn’t figure out why Lu Zhengchuan would marry Su Wan, so she decided to ask her point-blank.
Su Wan realized that Xu Yan was another person who had misunderstood her character and believed the gossip.
"No, Lu Zhengchuan came to my family to propose on his own initiative," Su Wan stated frankly. "If you really want to talk about history, I’m not the childhood sweetheart he grew up with."
"Oh?" Xu Yan instantly perked up.
’She was just wondering what sort of tricks Su Wan had used to snag Battalion Commander Lu.’
"You don’t know?" Su Wan said deliberately. "Hasn’t Lu Zhengchuan ever mentioned her here at the base?"
"Mentioned who?"
Her curiosity stoked, Xu Yan couldn’t hold back.
"Zheng Zhizhi," Su Wan said.
Xu Yan nodded instinctively. "He has mentioned her."
Su Wan’s eyes narrowed. ’Just as I thought. If Lu Zhengchuan truly had feelings for Zheng Zhizhi, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from mentioning her. The only explanation is that there’s nothing between them.’
"Battalion Commander Lu has not only mentioned Zheng Zhizhi, but also his cousin, Comrade Zhang Yun. It’s just a pity he so rarely mentions you, Sister-in-law." Xu Yan’s jab was clearly intentional.
Unfortunately for her, Su Wan had no expectations of Lu Zhengchuan, so she remained completely unfazed.
"Then if Lu Zhengchuan and I were to divorce, who do you think he would marry?"
Xu Yan couldn’t help but follow that train of thought. If Battalion Commander Lu were single again... "...I don’t know."
For a rare moment, Xu Yan lost some of her confidence. There were so many women on the base pursuing Lu Zhengchuan. Even though they had all failed when Su Wan swooped in, none of them could say for sure that they would be the one to win his heart in the end.
Su Wan gave her a baffled look. ’Comrade Xu, is that all the firepower you have? And you came to provoke me?’
"What is it?" Xu Yan felt there was something odd about her gaze; she was sure Su Wan wasn’t thinking anything good.
Su Wan shook her head. "Nothing."
"No, you were definitely badmouthing me in your head." Xu Yan grabbed her arm, demanding that she make herself clear.
Pestered relentlessly, Su Wan finally said bluntly, "I just find it puzzling. You admire Lu Zhengchuan so much, yet you don’t even know who he privately contacts the most."
That remark made Xu Yan indignant. She put her hands on her hips and jutted out her chin. "So what if I don’t know who he contacts most? You just wait! I’ll go investigate right now!"
Su Wan raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a pleasant surprise.
’If I investigate Lu Zhengchuan myself, I’ll be discovered easily. After all, a man who can make it to Battalion Commander can’t be an idiot.’
’But Xu Yan is the perfect person for the job. She’s been at this base for years, so her network is far more extensive than mine, and Lu Zhengchuan won’t be suspicious of her.’
"Okay. I have faith in you," Su Wan nodded.
Xu Yan couldn’t shake the feeling that Su Wan was doubting her abilities.
She stormed off in a huff, calling back over her shoulder, "You just wait!"
The crowd, having failed to see any real drama, also dispersed.
When Lu Zhengchuan returned with a bicycle, he saw Su Wan sitting by herself on a rock near the gate.
"Get on," Lu Zhengchuan said, casually placing their luggage on the front rack.
Su Wan walked over, sat down on the back rack, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Lu Zhengchuan shifted uncomfortably.
He didn’t see Su Wan raise an eyebrow at his reaction from her spot on the back.
’Are his feelings for Zheng Zhizhi rekindling? Is that why he’s acting all chaste now?’
’He certainly wasn’t so insistent on keeping his hands to himself on our wedding night.’
The more Su Wan thought about it, the angrier she became. She shot a glare at Lu Zhengchuan’s back. When they arrived at the family housing area, their unit was a standalone building with three rooms and a small yard.
Su Wan went straight into the master bedroom, which Xiao Li had already cleaned up.
She changed out of her dirty clothes and into a set of homemade pajamas, then looked up at Lu Zhengchuan. "I want to take a bath, and I’m hungry. Go fetch some water, and then go get us some food."
Her tone was demanding and provocative, clearly trying to give him a hard time.