Although Aunt Liu could be a little talkative, she was actually a kind-hearted person.
She treated Qin Yue’e’s two children as if they were her own.
There had been very few children around the military unit for years. Since Qin Yue’e had brought these two little ones here, everyone naturally paid them extra attention.
Aunt Liu worked in the mess hall preparing ingredients, and whenever there was anything good, she would always save some for the two children first.
In just half a month of staying at the military unit, both children—and Qin Yue’e herself—had visibly filled out.
Even Xiaofeng and Xiaoyue, who had been tanned dark from the sun back home, had become much fairer. Their little faces were now plump and rosy, and they had finally reached a normal weight for children their age.
Qin Yue’e had been carrying one of the children for half the journey and was already starting to get tired.
Seeing this, Aunt Liu quickly took the child from her.
“Xiao Qin, you must be tired! Give the child to me.”
“No, no!” Qin Yue’e said awkwardly. “Let them walk by themselves.”
“There are so many people here. What if we lose them? It’s safer to carry them.”
As she spoke, Aunt Liu took the children from her, one in each arm, carrying them as effortlessly as if they weighed nothing.
Xiaozhuyue was very cooperative. She wrapped her little arms around Aunt Liu’s neck and pressed her chubby cheek against her.
“Auntie Liu~”
That one sweet little call melted Aunt Liu’s heart completely. Of course she was more than happy to carry her.
The two women wandered around the market with their baskets, buying quite a few things.
After walking around for a while, they were both getting tired, and Qin Yue’e’s basket was already packed full.
Up ahead was a steamed-bun shop selling large stuffed buns, both meat and vegetable varieties.
Aunt Liu immediately called out,
“Come on, Xiao Qin! Let’s go eat some buns. My treat!”
She was still thinking about the two fried cakes Qin Yue’e had given her earlier.
Qin Yue’e smiled and nodded, then took the two children into the bun shop.
As soon as they entered, the owner called out enthusiastically,
“Oh, you two sisters-in-law! What would you like? All our vegetable buns are two cents each, while the meat buns are eight cents. Which kind would you like?”
“Boss, we’ll have the vegetable ones. Four vegetable buns.”
Before Aunt Liu could say anything, Qin Yue’e had already placed the order.
Aunt Liu immediately looked embarrassed.
“Xiao Qin, look at you… I’m taking advantage of you again.”
“Aunt Liu, we’re neighbors. Why keep such close accounts with each other? Besides, you can’t be sure the meat in these meat buns is any good. We’re better off eating the meat from our own unit. At least we know it’s clean!”
“Well… that’s true…”
Qin Yue’e’s explanation was both reasonable and pleasant to hear, so Aunt Liu had nothing more to say.
She ordered three large bowls of mung bean soup as well. Each bowl was only one cent, and they could drink as much as they wanted.
The two adults and two children sat around the table and began eating.
As they ate, Qin Yue’e suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from not far away.
“Comrade, how much is this floral fabric? I want something with a younger-looking pattern.”
Huo Guangji?
What was he doing here?
Qin Yue’e couldn’t help turning around.
Sure enough, she immediately spotted Huo Guangji standing beside a fabric stall.
And beside him stood someone else she knew.
He Jiaojiao.
He Jiaojiao was leaning against Huo Guangji with an overly sweet and bashful expression. She casually pointed toward a piece of floral fabric.
“Big Brother Huo, I think this one looks pretty good. The pattern is fashionable. It would definitely look stylish when worn!”
Her sweet voice stabbed into Qin Yue’e’s ears like a needle.
Even though she had already mentally prepared herself for this, her heart still skipped a beat, followed by a sharp, tearing pain.
Huo Guangji, you scumbag!
Hadn’t he just sworn that he wasn’t involved with any other woman?
Then what was she looking at right now?
Was she seeing a ghost?
Qin Yue’e gripped her chopsticks tightly.
Aunt Liu, who was sitting beside her, immediately sensed that something was wrong. She leaned out to look, and He Jiaojiao’s words happened to reach her ears.
“Hey! That little vixen! She’s really trying to get together with Captain Huo!”
Aunt Liu slammed her hand on the table and immediately prepared to storm out of the bun shop and confront her.
Qin Yue’e quickly grabbed her.
“Aunt Liu, forget it. They clearly like each other. I don’t want to be the villain here.”
“Then are we just going to let that little vixen seduce Captain Huo?”
Aunt Liu was a typical woman from Sichuan and Chongqing, with a fiery temper that could flare up at the slightest provocation.
Seeing He Jiaojiao acting like that, she practically wanted to rush over and tear her mouth apart.
Fortunately, Qin Yue’e remained rational.
She simply shook her head.
“As the saying goes, flies don’t land on a seamless egg, and it takes two hands to clap. If it’s only the girl making advances, with one side being eager and the other unwilling, nothing will come of it anyway.”
“But Captain Huo is still a man. Men… well, they’re always…” Aunt Liu couldn’t finish her sentence.
Qin Yue’e immediately replied coldly,
“What about men? Does being a man mean he has the right to flirt with every woman he meets? This isn’t solely the woman’s fault. If Huo Guangji can’t keep himself in check, then honestly, a man like that isn’t worth having.”
“Ah, Xiao Qin…”
Aunt Liu felt a little uncomfortable hearing this, but deep down, she also felt that Qin Yue’e wasn’t wrong.
In the end, she sat back down.
Qin Yue’e calmly picked up two buns and gave one each to Xiaofeng and Xiaoyue.
Then she quietly continued eating.
She completely ignored the drama unfolding across the street.
Meanwhile, across the street.
Huo Guangji frowned and pushed He Jiaojiao away when she nearly stuck herself to him.
He deliberately stepped to the side, putting some distance between them.
He frowned as he looked at the woman.
For some reason, he found her extremely annoying.
She seemed to have no understanding of proper social boundaries. The moment they met, she kept trying to get close to him.
The strong, overly sweet floral perfume on her body was making him feel nauseous.
If he hadn’t happened to run into He Jiaojiao at the market and she hadn’t immediately attached herself to him, the two of them wouldn’t have been walking around together at all.
He Jiaojiao, however, was delighted.
She hadn’t been able to find Huo Guangji anywhere these past few days. Who would have thought that she would run into him while coming down the mountain for the market today?
It truly seemed that persistence paid off.
Fortunately, she had changed clothes before coming.
She had even deliberately sprinkled perfume on them.
Today, she was determined to win over Captain Huo.
“Big Brother Huo, do you think this fabric would look good on me?”
She deliberately extended her fair, delicate arm and held the fabric against her chest, asking in a sweet voice.
But instead of being charmed, Huo Guangji looked at her with undisguised annoyance.
“Comrade He, please stand properly. Men and women should keep their distance. Could you stop leaning against me?”
He paused before continuing,
“Besides, I’m choosing this fabric for my wife. Why are you holding it against yourself? If you like this kind of fabric, choose another piece. I’m buying this one.”
The moment those words left his mouth, He Jiaojiao’s face turned red, then pale.
She was so embarrassed that she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.