Upon hearing this, Su Qingyi immediately agreed, “Sure, that’s convenient!”
“It’s nothing major. Come on, come on, let me explain it to you in detail, sister-in-law.”
Then, as if grasping a lifeline, she quickly helped Chen Xiu toward the door.
Pei Zhao watched her hurried back, his dark eyes flickering slightly. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, his expression unreadable.
Su Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief and followed Chen Xiu back to the neighboring house.
Chen Xiu had a difficult pregnancy and had been resting at home since becoming pregnant.
With rare visitors at home, she was delighted. Holding her belly, she poured a glass of water. “Here, don’t stand on ceremony, little sister. Just treat this place as your own home.”
After saying that, she handed over an apple from a nearby plate.
The apple was bright red—in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, it would cost over one yuan per pound.
Feeling the kindness, Su Qingyi smiled. “Thank you, sister-in-law. The hawthorn recipe from noon is simple. You’re clever with your hands, so you’ll pick it up right away.”
She then briefly explained the steps without holding anything back.
Chen Xiu laughed repeatedly, her mood lifting noticeably. “Little sister, you and Battalion Commander Pei… don’t seem ordinary. He’s much warmer toward you than toward others. If it were anyone else, given the situation earlier, they’d probably have been kicked out of the Compound long ago.”
The suggestive tone in her words made Su Qingyi’s heart skip a beat. She quickly waved her hands. “Sister-in-law, please don’t tease me. Battalion Commander Pei would never take a liking to someone like me.”
“I’m just the Pei family’s nanny, and I’m from the countryside with little education. Please don’t flatter me.”
Su Qingyi’s every word was meant to distance herself from Pei Zhao.
But Chen Xiu didn’t see it that way. She immediately furrowed her delicate brows and retorted, “That’s not quite right.”
“In this Compound, there have been plenty of nannies introduced to Battalion Commander Pei before, all kinds of them. And guess what? Not a single one lasted long!”
“If someone accidentally touched him, he’d glare coldly and fire them on the spot. Nothing like how he treats you. To be honest, in all my years in this Compound, I’ve never seen him look at anyone with such tolerance.”
“Little sister, there’s definitely something between you two!”
Chen Xiu’s curiosity was piqued, and she grew more enthusiastic as she spoke, patting Su Qingyi’s hand repeatedly.
Su Qingyi broke out in goosebumps, not daring to dwell on it. She quickly changed the subject. “Sister-in-law, let me demonstrate the cooking technique for you again. The key is controlling the heat.”
“That way, when you have an appetite, you’ll feel more comfortable during your pregnancy.”
With that, she hurried to the kitchen to fetch the hawthorn and lit the stove to heat the steamer.
Chen Xiu soon grasped the essentials.
Seeing that she had learned, Su Qingyi didn’t linger. She found an excuse and hurried back, afraid Chen Xiu might ask more probing questions.
In the blink of an eye, she returned to the Pei household.
By then, it was getting late, and it was time to prepare dinner.
She didn’t see Pei Zhao when she returned. He was probably working in his room—just as well, to avoid any awkwardness.
Soon, she had all the side dishes prepared and was ready to start cooking.
But when dinnertime arrived, the two children still hadn’t returned.
Su Qingyi glanced at the wall clock, wiped her hands, took off her apron, and went out to look for them.
As she reached the small open square in the middle of the military compound, she heard bursts of cheerful laughter.
The soft, clear voices of children were filled with excitement and joy.
Turning to look, she saw Pei Xiaochuan leading Pei Xiaoyun and a few other children, gathered together playing “treasure.”
“Watch this, mine is still the best!”
“Wow, brother is amazing!”
Pei Xiaochuan crouched on the ground, his expression focused, clutching two paper Bao tightly in his hand.
With all his might, he slammed them down, directly flipping the Bao of the child opposite him!
Pei Xiaoyun, showing a few tiny millet-like teeth, clapped and laughed nonstop beside him.
Seeing how happily the children were playing, Su Qingyi didn’t step forward to disturb them, only standing not far away and watching quietly.
The corners of her lips unconsciously lifted.
Although Pei Xiaochuan was stubborn and acted like a little adult despite his young age, he was still a child after all.
The Bao in his hand was folded by her.
“Well, isn’t this the new nanny at Regimental Commander Pei’s house? What are you staring at?”
Suddenly, a sharp, disdainful voice rang out from behind.
Su Qingyi turned around and saw a woman with a barrel-like waist walking over, carrying a vegetable basket.
It was none other than Li Guilan, whom she had met last time.
Beside her was another woman, thin and gaunt.
Li Guilan nudged the woman next to her with her elbow and said with a curled lip.
“Zhang Huifen, see if I’m not right? She doesn’t look like someone who does real work, not as good as your niece. I really don’t know what the leaders were thinking, picking someone like this.”
Zhang Huifen’s gaze swept over Su Qingyi, full of contempt, sizing her up from head to toe, her lips almost curling down to her chin.
She also thought Li Guilan was right—just by looking at her appearance, she seemed like someone who couldn’t settle down.
How could Pei Zhao be willing to keep her?
She had previously introduced her niece Ning Jiajia to Pei Zhao, but she was driven away after just a few days. Instead, they brought in this seductive-looking Su Qingyi.
Just look at that waist—standing here is enough to draw attention!
Zhang Huifen was fuming, her lungs practically twitching with suppressed anger.
But on the surface, she forced herself to hold back.
“Oh, don’t say that.”
Then she looked at Su Qingyi. “Nanny of the Pei family, we’re asking you, what are you doing here?”
Su Qingyi didn’t want to engage with them much and replied calmly, “Waiting for the children to go home for dinner.”
Hearing this, Zhang Huifen’s mind turned, her eyes darting toward the children.
Then, carrying her vegetable basket, she walked straight to the group of children and deliberately raised her voice, saying, “Oh, I say, nowadays, there are plenty of nannies with ill intentions.”
“Xiao Chuan, Xiao Yun, you two better keep a close eye out. Don’t let someone with ulterior motives trick you.”
“Making a couple of meals and thinking they can climb up the social ladder—just because they’re kept around doesn’t mean they genuinely care for you. Who’d want to take care of kids before even getting married?”
“Once they hook your Second Uncle, where will your place be in this family? Who knows how they’ll mistreat you then!”
Her sharp voice made all the children in the small area hear her.
Even the other children’s gazes toward Pei Xiaochuan and his sister changed.
Seeing her spewing such filth and spouting nonsense in front of the two children, Su Qingyi’s slightly upturned eyes flashed with a cold light.
She stepped forward calmly, shielding the two children behind her.
Her delicate, palm-sized face wore a cold smile as she spoke in a calm yet firm tone.
“That’s an interesting thing to say, sister-in-law. I was properly introduced by the Political Commissar as the nanny, and I’ve been fulfilling my duties, taking care of Regimental Commander Pei and the children.”
“If you insist on saying I have ulterior motives, doesn’t that mean the Political Commissar and Regimental Commander Pei can’t tell people apart? Let’s go to the Political Commissar and have him judge.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Huifen broke out in a cold sweat on the spot and instinctively tried to defend herself. “I…”
Su Qingyi’s smile only deepened as she added lightly, “Besides, we’re in a military compound. At the very least, Sister-in-law is an army family member. Why keep stirring up these baseless rumors to upset the child?”
“What if it misleads the child and leaves them with psychological scars? How should we account for that?”
A series of pointed questions, skillfully deflecting the issue!
Though her tone was mild, her words were sharp and cutting!
Zhang Huifen stood there stammering, her lips twitching for a long while, unable to utter a single word.
She wanted to lash out, but this sly woman spoke so gently, her words laced with hidden barbs.
She had mastered the art perfectly!
Instead of escalating into a confrontation, she left Zhang Huifen utterly embarrassed!
Nearby, a few army family members whispered among themselves, quietly discussing the scene.