The regimental dining hall was filled with the rich aroma of meat.
Dozens of long tables were surrounded by soldiers and military family members, all lining up for food, eating, chatting, and laughing. The lively atmosphere was full of warmth and life.
The moment Lu Chengjing entered with Lin Shuyao, they attracted considerable attention.
The noisy dining hall quieted slightly as countless curious and probing gazes landed on the pair.
Whispers spread from table to table, while others greeted them openly.
“So that’s Battalion Commander Lu’s wife? She’s really as pretty as the rumors say!”
“I heard she’s a university graduate from Kyoto. Look how refined she is. Totally different from the girls around here.”
“Good thing the cafeteria is serving beef today. Otherwise, Battalion Commander Lu probably wouldn’t be willing to bring her out for everyone to see.”
“Hahaha! That’s not fair. Battalion Commander Lu isn’t bad himself. Just look at his height and appearance.”
Being stared at by so many people made Lin Shuyao somewhat uncomfortable, but she carried herself gracefully.
Whenever someone greeted her, she politely returned the greeting.
Noticing her discomfort, Lu Chengjing lightly touched her arm.
“Don’t mind them. Come with me.”
He led her directly to the serving window.
Old Song immediately greeted him with a smile.
“Battalion Commander Lu, you’re here! Here, let me give you some of the tendon pieces. They’ve been stewed until they’re tender and full of flavor!”
As he spoke, he filled two enamel bowls with rice, added generous portions of beef and radish, and even ladled on extra meat broth.
Lu Chengjing accepted the bowls and found a seat in a corner by the window.
He pushed the bowl with more meat toward Lin Shuyao.
“Eat while it’s hot. It won’t taste as good once it cools.”
As he spoke, he picked out several particularly good pieces of beef from his own bowl and placed them into hers.
“Once you join the experimental station, the work will be very demanding. You need to build up your strength first.”
“Comrade Lu, you should eat too. I can’t finish all this.”
Lin Shuyao hurriedly refused.
Her appetite wasn’t large enough for so much food, so she immediately returned several pieces of meat to his bowl.
Their back-and-forth exchange looked, to everyone else, like a display of affection.
“This is so delicious!”
The beef was incredibly fresh and cooked until it was melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Coated in rich broth, every bite warmed her from the inside out.
Since arriving in the Southwest, this was the best meal Lin Shuyao had eaten.
The satisfaction of enjoying truly good food was difficult to describe.
Just then, a crisp female voice rang out.
“Battalion Commander Lu, this must be your wife, right? She’s even prettier and more fashionable than I imagined. As expected of someone from Kyoto.”
Lin Shuyao looked up.
A young woman wearing a light-blue blouse was approaching with a bowl in her hands.
Lu Chengjing glanced at her.
“Mm.”
That was his only response.
His expression didn’t change, nor did he even slow down his eating.
It was obvious they knew each other, but equally obvious from his attitude that they weren’t close.
Since Lu Chengjing had no intention of introducing them, Lin Shuyao certainly wasn’t going to volunteer.
She lowered her head and continued eating.
“Hello. I’m Su Jianye’s daughter, Su Xiaohong. What’s your name?”
The young woman sat down beside her and introduced herself.
However…
Who was Su Jianye?
With no other option, Lin Shuyao politely replied,
“Hello. My name is Lin Shuyao.”
“Oh~ So you’re Comrade Lin.”
Su Xiaohong was the daughter of Brigade Commander Su Jianye.
When she had first met Lu Chengjing, she had developed a favorable impression of him.
He was young, capable, and handsome, and she had once considered pursuing a relationship with him.
Later, after learning he was already married, she buried those thoughts.
Lu Chengjing’s dislike of her had nothing to do with that matter.
He simply disliked the way she handled things.
Su Xiaohong had a habit of exaggerating situations and adding fuel to the fire.
She was extremely irritating.
At one point, her careless gossip had nearly gotten Lu Chengjing punished.
The two had never been close, yet he had almost ended up taking the blame for her mistake.
Naturally, he had no favorable impression of her.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding had eventually been cleared up.
Su Jianye himself accepted responsibility and even apologized to Lu Chengjing, bringing the matter to an end.
Smiling, Su Xiaohong looked Lin Shuyao over from head to toe.
“Comrade Lin, I heard you’re from the Kyoto Academy of Agricultural Sciences? And that you’ve applied for a position at the Grain Seed Experimental Station?”
Lin Shuyao set down her chopsticks and nodded politely.
“Yes.”
“So it’s true…”
Su Xiaohong smiled pleasantly, though her words carried hidden barbs.
“What a coincidence. I’ve applied for a position there too. And we’re even scheduled for interviews on the same day. When the time comes, I’ll have to ask for your guidance.”
Lin Shuyao was surprised.
She didn’t even know her own interview date yet.
“Yes, that is quite a coincidence. I wouldn’t dare offer guidance. Let’s learn from each other.”
Su Xiaohong took a sip of soup and spoke casually.
“By the way, Comrade Lin, I heard… you got into trouble in Kyoto? That you were dismissed from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences?”
“Hm? No. Who told you that?”
“No one in particular. I probably heard it wrong. Some of the aunties around here love spreading rumors. They’ll say anything.”
“That’s not merely a matter of spreading rumors.”
Lin Shuyao found the whole thing strange.
She barely knew anyone in the Southwest.
As for these so-called aunties, she’d never met them before.
How had such rumors even started?
Could it have been Bai Qiaolan?
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Su Xiaohong waved it off.
“Just some unpleasant gossip. Maybe someone was jealous of how outstanding you are. The rumors only said that… you were a bit confused when it came to personal relationships, and that for the sake of work, you may have had certain dealings with your superiors…”
Her voice trailed off.
Though she never finished the sentence, everyone understood exactly what she meant.
The accusation was obvious.
Yet because she left it unfinished, it was difficult for Lin Shuyao to directly refute.
If she became angry and tried to explain herself, she would only appear guilty.
“Comrade Su, you must be joking. Rumors stop with the wise.”
“Really?”
Su Xiaohong poked at the food in her bowl.
Her tone carried a hint of smug mockery.
“But people always say that rumors don’t arise without a reason. Comrade Lin, the Southwest Experimental Station is a serious institution. They value genuine ability. Certain methods won’t work there. And no one gets in simply because someone else helps them.”
This time, the implication was even more direct.
She was mocking Lin Shuyao for allegedly using improper means.
She was suggesting that the experimental station wasn’t a place where one could advance through questionable relationships.
At the same time, she implied that Lin Shuyao lacked real talent and couldn’t rely on Lu Chengjing’s influence to get in.
Even more cleverly, she was sowing discord between husband and wife by insinuating in front of Lu Chengjing that Lin Shuyao was morally loose.
“If someone deliberately stirs up trouble,” Lin Shuyao replied calmly, “then even without wind, waves can still appear.”
“You—!”
“However, there is one thing I agree with.”
Lin Shuyao smiled faintly.
“If someone wants a good job, they should rely on genuine ability, not on anyone else’s help. The people I despise most are those who use connections and backdoor methods.”
Su Xiaohong choked on her words.
She had not expected Lin Shuyao to be so sharp-tongued.
“If that’s really true,” she immediately countered, “then why would you give up such a prestigious position at the Kyoto Academy of Agricultural Sciences just to come to a tiny frontier experimental station?”