Wang Yong, who had been chattering endlessly, was surprised that his leader had actually interjected, but his delight at the gossip made him answer immediately. “It’s all over Qin Lie’s entire company. They’re saying that his fiancée went to live with his family when she was 10, and the Qin family took pity on her and supported her schooling.”
“They also say that his fiancée has always been slow-witted—she had to take the middle school entrance exam several times before she passed. This time, she was egged on by someone to make a scene at the military base.”
Gu Xizhou frowned. Having grown up with her since childhood, the likelihood of Su Nanzhi being from a hostile force was low.
But the way Su Nanzhi looked at him was strange.
As for Su Nanzhi being slow-witted, he reserved his judgment.
After finishing with Qin Lie’s gossip, Wang Yong moved on to other topics.
“Commander, I just heard from the Political Commissar that the unit is organizing a matchmaking event, and you’re a key target of interest.”
The temperature around Gu Xizhou dropped several degrees in an instant.
“Hey, Commander, after all, you’re already 26—you’re an older bachelor now. Other comrades your age already have kids old enough to run errands to buy soy sauce.”
Wang Yong showed no fear at all, even leaning in to whisper, “Commander, what kind of female comrade do you like?”
“Someone mature and steady like Dr. Zhou? Or someone cute and straightforward like Comrade Sun from the cultural troupe?”
Gu Xizhou gave him a cold glance. “Wang Yong, how about I write you a discharge report?”
“Why would I need a discharge report?” Wang Yong looked utterly confused. “I’m going to be a soldier my whole life.”
Gu Xizhou said, “I think you’re quite suited to being a matchmaker.”
Wang Yong couldn’t help but shrink his neck. “That was the Political Commissar’s idea—why are you picking on me?”
“If it doesn’t work out, aren’t Dr. Zhou and Comrade Sun both good options? They’re pretty, and they both have proper jobs. Besides, they both like you…”
Wang Yong’s voice grew quieter and quieter until, under Gu Xizhou’s gaze, it died out completely.
Gu Xizhou pushed the letter of introduction belonging to Su Nanzhi across the desk to Wang Yong.
“Go investigate Su Nanzhi.”
Wang Yong immediately wiped the smile off his face and took it with a serious expression.
He was just about to ask who Su Nanzhi was when he saw the vaguely familiar address on the letter and immediately understood.
Wasn’t this Qin Lie’s hometown?
Su Nanzhi was the poor fiancée he’d just been gossiping about.
“Commander, is there a problem with Deputy Battalion Commander Qin’s fiancée’s identity?”
Gu Xizhou tapped his fingers lightly on the desk twice, concealing the thoughts in his eyes. “I don’t know.”
Hearing this, Wang Yong didn’t say anything more. He folded the letter of introduction and stuffed it into his trouser pocket, then saluted. “Mission guaranteed.”
Gu Xizhou watched him stuff the letter into his trouser pocket and nodded with a slight frown.
Wang Yong couldn’t stay serious for more than two seconds. As he quickly walked toward the office door, he still had something to say.
“Commander, do you like female comrades who are ugly, as cold as you are, and don’t like you?”
“I’ll have the Political Commissar find one for you.”
Gu Xizhou: …
He would dedicate his entire life to the country and the military. Getting married would only be doing a disservice to some female comrade.
…
Su Nanzhi’s injuries didn’t look severe on the surface, but she occasionally felt dizzy and the doctors couldn’t determine a specific cause. To be safe, she stayed in the hospital for several days.
After being discharged, Su Nanzhi, with her head wrapped tightly in bandages that a nurse had helped her tie before she left, slowly made her way toward Jiashu Yuan.
Because Qin Lie’s unit had a large number of personnel, the living facilities were very well-equipped—Gong Xiao She, a hospital, a school, a kindergarten… everything was available.
When Su Nanzhi appeared at the military family compound with a pale face, she immediately attracted the attention of the family members chatting under the big tree in the compound.
In her previous life, Su Nanzhi had lived in this compound for over a decade, but she still pretended to be unfamiliar as she walked toward the tree.
“Hello, Auntie. Hello, Sister-in-law. I’m a relative of Qin Lie’s from the countryside, here to visit. My name is Su Nanzhi.”
“This is only my second time here—could you tell me how to get to Qin Lie’s house?”
The aunties and sisters-in-law were very enthusiastic, pulling her to sit down and even pressing a dozen or so melon seeds into her hand.
“Little Su, weren’t you hospitalized? Why did you come back alone? Didn’t Deputy Battalion Commander Qin go to pick you up?”
“I heard you were hospitalized—did Deputy Battalion Commander Qin never visit you even once?”
The one asking this was Auntie Zhao. Su Nanzhi had been her neighbor for many years.
Auntie Zhao lived across from Qin Lie’s house. She was usually gossipy and a fence-sitter, leaning whichever way the wind blew.
In her previous life, Zhao Xue had given Auntie Zhao plenty of favors, and nine out of ten pieces of bad reputation spread about Su Nanzhi had come from Auntie Zhao’s mouth.
But Su Nanzhi acted as if she hadn’t noticed Auntie Zhao’s contemptuous once-over, and said with a hint of shyness, “Brother Qin’s leg hasn’t healed yet—he still needs Sister Zhao to take care of him. Besides, the hospital isn’t far from the compound, so I can just ask passersby for directions.”
“I’m in good health, and I actually like eating steamed buns.”
If it weren’t for the rumor that had spread from the hospital about her refusing to eat for three days out of heartbreak, she wouldn’t have wanted to go to the cafeteria to buy steamed buns at all.
But if it could cause Qin Lie a bit of annoyance, then two steamed buns a day wasn’t a waste.
At these words, several of the older women exchanged glances of bewilderment.
Just a few days ago, she had been making a scene about calling off the engagement, and now that the injury had healed, everything was back to being fine between them.
And how could someone with such a frail frame claim to be in good health?
Not to mention that Zhao Xue had been the one taking care of Qin Lie?
One of the military wives couldn’t help but speak up, “Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for Zhao Xue, a widow, to be looking after Deputy Battalion Commander Qin?”
Su Nanzhi’s eyes instantly reddened, yet she still forced a smile. “A few days ago, Brother Qin just accidentally pushed me down. He’s already promised me that from now on, he won’t give all of his monthly allowance to Sister Zhao anymore—he’ll keep it to send back home.”
The crowd was stunned into silence.
There had been plenty of rumors circulating about Qin Lie and Zhao Xue these past few days, but at most, people had only said the two were a bit too close in their behavior.
As for the matter of the allowance, that hadn’t gotten out.
And the token of affection that had been exchanged—Zhao Xue had brushed that off by saying Zhou Xiaobao was too young to know any better.
Now, with Su Nanzhi, the person directly involved, saying this out loud, it all but confirmed that something was genuinely wrong between Qin Lie and Zhao Xue.
Every month, the full allowance, given away entirely?
That hit precisely on a sore spot for these military wives.
After all, who didn’t have poor relatives or fellow soldiers to support? Every month when the allowance came in, there was always a fight at home over it.
“I always said that Zhao Xue was no good,” one round-faced older sister-in-law said with a look of contempt, her gaze at Su Nanzhi also carrying a hint of disappointment at her lack of backbone. “You should have given Deputy Battalion Commander Qin and that fox of a woman a proper piece of your mind.”
Su Nanzhi offered the round-faced sister-in-law a shy smile.
The round-faced sister-in-law was known as Sister-in-law Wang, and her husband was a deputy regimental commander. Though their interactions had been limited in her past life, Sister-in-law Wang was one of the rare fair-minded people in Jiashu Yuan.
Su Banxia said with a pitiful look, “If it weren’t for my father dying to save Uncle Qin, I wouldn’t even be worthy of Brother Qin.”
At these words, the crowd immediately grew even more excited.