She quickly put everything away and opened the door to see who it was.
It was Xu Aihua and Zhou Meifang. She hadn’t expected the two of them to come over together again.
“Sister Xu, Sister Zhou, come in and have a seat.”
“Xinran, were you busy? We thought you weren’t home.”
“Mm. I was just organizing some things and didn’t hear you.”
“Yanfeng went out?”
“Yes. He said he was going to haul some things back to set up the vegetable garden.”
“Oh, you’re going to grow vegetables?”
“Mm. It’ll be more convenient. Once the vegetables grow, I won’t have to go out and buy them.”
“Oh my, Xinran, you know how to grow vegetables too? I never would have guessed!” Xu Aihua said in surprise.
Zhou Meifang was surprised too, but she immediately retorted, “What are you talking about? Xinran looks so clever and capable. How hard could it be to grow some vegetables? Don’t underestimate her!”
“That’s true. I suppose I was being shallow. Xinran, if there’s anything you don’t know about growing vegetables, just ask us.”
“When it’s time to buy seeds, we’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative with you!” Xu Aihua surprisingly didn’t argue with Zhou Meifang for once.
“Okay.”
“Sister-in-law, I went to the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday and saw a sales clerk who looked a lot like Sister Hu, the one who came to my house to watch the commotion that day. What’s their relationship?”
Since they were already talking about it, Lu Xinran decided to ask.
“Oh, that’s Hu Hongying, Hu Lijuan’s younger sister. Her older sister previously wanted to introduce her to Colonel Li. But after seeing Yanfeng, she got so scared that she ran away.”
“Her brother-in-law is also a regimental commander, so she’s got quite a high opinion of herself!”
“Yanfeng told me that he never agreed to any blind dates. Whenever someone came to ask him about one, he rejected them.”
Lu Xinran continued to clear Li Yanfeng’s name. The rumors about him had really been outrageous.
“Oh, so that’s what happened. Looks like those women were just spreading nonsense,” Xu Aihua said angrily.
“Mm. Since Yanfeng rejected her, she probably holds a grudge against him. That sales clerk seemed inexplicably hostile toward me.”
“She’s very petty. You don’t need to pay any attention to her.”
“She’s been in our family compound for two or three years. Through her brother-in-law’s connections, she got assigned to the supply and marketing cooperative in town.”
“For the past few years, her older sister has been trying to find her a husband. Her standards are too high. She only wants to marry a regimental commander.”
“Where are you going to find that many regimental commanders? Most of them are already married, and their children are grown. Now that Yanfeng is married too, there’s only one unmarried regimental commander left in our military district—the commander of the Second Infantry Regiment.”
“That commander already turned her down outright. He said he likes educated women. As for the remaining staff officers and unmarried battalion commanders, she doesn’t think they’re good enough either.”
Lu Xinran listened carefully and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.
Her standards really were high.
She wasn’t exactly breathtakingly beautiful either. Judging from what Sister Xu had said, she probably wasn’t very well educated, either.
“No wonder she looked at me with so much hostility.”
“She’s jealous because you’re beautiful and educated. Let her stew in her own anger. You don’t need to worry about her. If she gives you trouble, just tell us. We’ll stand up for you.”
“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. I ignored her, so she couldn’t find any reason to pick a fight with me.” Lu Xinran smiled indifferently.
“If she keeps being so picky, she’ll be an old maid in a couple of years. Forget regimental commanders or battalion commanders—even company commanders won’t want her.”
The corners of Zhou Meifang’s lips curled into a cold smile, a hint of disdain in her eyes.
She clearly had no idea what she was worth.
Lu Xinran then said, “I think there must be plenty of people trying to introduce someone to her. I noticed a lot of the wives from the family compound flattering her whenever they went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things.”
“It’s not just the wives from the family compound. The women from the military art troupe are the same. Whenever the supply and marketing cooperative gets scarce or highly sought-after goods, they’re usually the first to know. And instead of putting them out for sale, they sell them to the wives they’re familiar with.”
“So a lot of the wives try to maintain good relationships with them, hoping to get some of those scarce goods.”
“There’s not much we can do about it. The supply and marketing cooperative carries a much wider range of products than our military service store. And the place is much bigger too.”
Compared with it, the military service store only carried some daily necessities, seasonings, and other common household items.
Lu Xinran nodded. The supply and marketing cooperative was indeed much larger.
“It’s fine, Xinran. If there’s anything you want, just tell me. The supply and marketing cooperative is huge. She’s not the only one working there, and she’s just a low-level sales clerk. Your Sister Zhou happens to know the director of the supply and marketing cooperative!” Zhou Meifang said confidently.
A hint of surprise flashed through Lu Xinran’s eyes.
“That’s right. Your Sister Zhou really does know the director. She’s not bragging,” Xu Aihua added.
“Actually, the scarce goods are mostly just rare fruits, shampoos, face creams, things like that,” Xu Aihua explained.
“I don’t need to buy shampoo or face cream. I brought some with me.”
As she spoke, Lu Xinran stood up, went back to the bedroom, and returned with two sets of face cream.
“Sisters, I don’t really have anything else. This is just a little something from me. Take them home and use them. Thank you both for taking such good care of me.”
The brand she brought out was a Shanghai women’s skincare brand. Each set contained two large jars of face cream and two bottles of essence.
She had bought them at a department store.
She had stocked up on quite a lot at the time, especially skincare products, face creams, and body lotions.
The moment Zhou Meifang and Xu Aihua saw them, they were stunned.
These were good things. They had never even seen them at the supply and marketing cooperative.
“Xinran, this is too generous. Are you sure you have enough for yourself?”
“I have plenty. There’s more than enough.”
“Don’t be polite with me, Sisters. Just take them.” Lu Xinran smiled gently.
“All right, then we’ll accept them. If you ever need anything, just let us know.”
Xu Aihua and Zhou Meifang were both straightforward women. They didn’t make a fuss over accepting the gifts.
“Okay.” Lu Xinran smiled and agreed.
Zhou Meifang also said, “Then I won’t be polite either. If you ever need anything, just tell me. From now on, you’re like my own little sister!”
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
Lu Xinran was sweet-looking and beautiful, and she spoke with a particularly gentle manner.
There was something delicate about her that made people instinctively want to take care of and protect her. She was especially easy to like.
“Sister Xu, Sister Zhou, did you hear the arguing last night?” Lu Xinran suddenly asked curiously.
“We did. It was the vice division commander’s family,” Zhou Meifang said, clearly already used to it.
“Was he arguing with his wife?”
“Yes. His wife is also from Shanghai. I heard she’s from a capitalist family. She’s used to living a rather bourgeois lifestyle. Her family is completely different from ours. They live very comfortably, very much like wealthy city folk.”
“They even have someone at home who specifically does the laundry and cooking. They claim she’s a distant relative, but once, that woman accidentally let it slip. She’s actually a maid.”
“Tsk, tsk. They’re so high-profile. Lots of people have noticed.”
“But the environment here in the Northwest obviously can’t compare with the big cities. They were only transferred here a year ago, and they often argue over little things.”
Lu Xinran’s brows furrowed slightly.
The great political movement was about to erupt. With them being so high-profile, weren’t they afraid of being targeted?
“They argue every day, and they can still stay together?”
Xu Aihua and Zhou Meifang exchanged a glance before looking toward the door.
Xu Aihua lowered her voice.
“Xinran, there’s something you don’t know. That couple is a little… unusual.”