Coveting another woman’s man?
That accusation, once pinned on someone, was a clear-cut issue of moral conduct—enough to make one the target of public scorn!
Zhao Xueli choked back her breath. The words “Brother Huai’an” rolled around in her mouth several times, but she didn’t dare utter them again.
Her father was a veteran cadre at the division headquarters. Since childhood, she had been the flower of the Compound, always pampered wherever she went. When had she ever been publicly stripped bare like this?
“You… you’re utterly unreasonable!”
Zhao Xueli gritted her teeth and forced out these words, shooting Shen Yu a resentful glare before turning and storming off with her companion, not even bothering to buy anything.
Shen Yu watched her retreating figure and let out a soft, disdainful snort.
With such limited skills, she still wanted to challenge her?
Wang Guiying, standing nearby, felt immensely satisfied listening to the exchange.
This Zhao Xueli usually cut in line when buying things at the service center, and everyone had long been fed up with her.
Wang Guiying said, “Girl, your tongue is truly sharp!”
Shen Yu reverted to her usual smiling, gentle demeanor. “I don’t provoke others unless provoked. If she wants to make trouble for me, she’d better be prepared to have it thrown back at her.”
Seeing how calm and unruffled she was, Wang Guiying’s opinion of her rose.
Her initial curiosity to watch the drama faded, replaced by genuine admiration. This girl had both looks and spirit, truly worthy of Commander Gu.
The two wandered around a bit more, and Shen Yu bought all the sewing supplies and other odds and ends she needed.
By the time they returned to the tube-shaped apartment building, it was almost noon.
Humming a tune, Shen Yu rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
The original host was skilled at needlework. Though Shen Yu had never done it herself, muscle memory remained, and she picked it up quickly.
In no time, the curtains and tablecloth began to take shape.
She hung the curtains on the window, instantly adding a touch of warm, feminine charm to the dormitory.
The lock clicked.
Gu Huai’an pushed the door open, carrying two aluminum lunchboxes.
As soon as he stepped inside, he paused.
The window was draped with a delicate blue floral curtain, the table covered with a matching cloth. A bunch of wildflowers sat in a cleaned-out tin can, placed right in the center.
Especially eye-catching were the pair of bright red mandarin duck pillowcases on the bed.
Gu Huai’an’s lips twitched.
“What’s this? Trying to turn my place into a spider spirit’s lair? Waiting to feast on Tang Sanzang’s flesh?”
He set the lunchboxes on the table and sat down with an imposing air, his gaze sweeping the room before finally settling on Shen Yu.
Shen Yu was fiddling with the newly bought red thermos. Hearing this, she shot him a glare.
“What spider spirit’s lair? This is called living with style. Look at how this room used to be like a bomb shelter—I don’t know how you could stand living here.”
“A soldier just needs a place to sleep. No need for so many frills.”
Gu Huai’an picked up the enamel mug on the table—without checking whose it was—and took a big gulp of cold boiled water.
Watching Shen Yu bustling back and forth, his eyes darkened slightly.
Admittedly, though it looked a bit flashy, the splash of color in the room did make it much more pleasant to the eye.
Especially the woman moving around in his room.
Shen Yu asked, “Did Zhao Xueli go complain to you?”
“Who?”
“Zhao Xueli, the one from the cultural troupe. She was furious today, saying I don’t take your hard-earned money seriously and that I’ve upset you.”
Gu Huai’an set down the cup, racking his brain but failing to place the name.
“No impression.”
He truly had no recollection.
With so many matters to handle in the regiment every day, plus worrying about training those greenhorn soldiers, when would he have time to remember the name of some unrelated woman?
"Really?" Shen Yu didn't believe him. "She kept calling you 'Brother Huai'an' so affectionately."
Gu Huai'an couldn't be bothered to argue and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Are you done tidying up? Once you're finished, we can get down to business."
Shen Yu's face instantly flushed.
"What business in broad daylight? The sun hasn't even set yet!"
Gu Huai'an gave her a puzzled look. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm telling you to hurry up and clear away all this junk, stop making so much noise. I need to take a nap. I barely slept last night because of your drunken antics. Do you think I'm made of iron?"
Shen Yu: "…"
Alright, it was her mind that was in the gutter.
After the meal, Gu Huai'an wasn't idle either.
Shen Yu had placed Gu Huai'an's marriage certificate into a newly bought wooden frame and was directing him to hammer in the nail.
"A bit more to the left… No, that's too high, lower it just a little."
Shen Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, giving random instructions.
Gu Huai'an held the nail in his hand and glared back at her. "Why so particular about the height for this shabby frame? As long as it doesn't fall off the wall, isn't that enough?"
It was already generous of him to agree to hang it.
He had never seen anyone display and hang this piece of paper for others to see.
"That won't do. It has to look good," Shen Yu insisted. "Life needs a sense of ceremony."
"What sense of ceremony? Just pretentious nonsense."
Despite his grumbling, he obediently moved the nail to the position Shen Yu specified.
The frame was hung right next to the military map.
On one side, the mountains, rivers, and nation; on the other, a red-backed photo of two people.
Gu Huai'an dusted off his hands and stared at the photo for a moment, refraining from any further harsh remarks.
He washed his hands in the basin of water and, turning around, happened to see Shen Yu sneakily stuffing a mesh bag deep into the wardrobe.
Her guilty look stirred up Gu Huai'an's mischievous side.
"What are you hiding?"
He strode over and, taking advantage of his height and long legs, pressed a hand against the wardrobe door.
Shen Yu blocked his way protectively, as if guarding a treasure. "None of your business. Don't look."
"You let me pick it out when you bought it, and now you won't let me see it?" Gu Huai'an encircled Shen Yu in his arms, looking down at her with a domineering gaze. "Take it out."
Shen Yu glared at him. "This is women's stuff!"
"Tsk, we already slept together last night, and I've pretty much felt everything."
Gu Huai'an was utterly unreasonable. He reached out and hooked out the mesh bag.
Two pitifully thin pieces of undergarments fell out.
One was embroidered with a large peony, the other with small floral patterns.
In this era, such styles were downright rebellious, with so little fabric they looked downright provocative.
Gu Huai'an picked up one of the garments with two fingers, his gaze darkening.
"Can this thing even hold anything?"
His voice was low and husky, his eyes shamelessly lingering on Shen Yu's perky chest, as if measuring the size.
Shen Yu snatched the garment back. "This is my size! It fits perfectly!"
Gu Huai'an leaned forward, pressing Shen Yu against the wardrobe door. His hand hovered near her waist, gesturing vaguely.
"Eat more good food from now on. This little bit isn't enough for one of my hands to hold. I don't think you should wear this either—saves the trouble of taking it off later."
"Gu Huai'an!"
Shen Yu stomped on his foot in a fit of rage.
Was this man the reincarnation of a gangster leader?!
Gu Huai'an let her white-socked foot press lightly against his military boot, not bothering to tease her further.
He tossed the two pieces of fabric aside and prepared to lie down on the bed.
He was truly exhausted.
Just as his head touched the edge of the pillow, before he could even close his eyes, footsteps sounded from outside.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The door was pounded with thunderous force.
Gu Huai'an, annoyed, grabbed a pillow to cover his ears and turned over.
"Commander Gu! Regimental Commander Gu!"
Outside, the loud voice of his guard, Xiao Zhang, rang out.
Seeing that he had no intention of getting up, Shen Yu went to open the door herself.
As soon as the door opened, Xiao Zhang rushed in, sweating profusely, nearly colliding with Shen Yu.
"Sister-in-law! Quick! The political commissar wants you both to come to the regimental headquarters right away!"
Gu Huai'an sat up, his face full of impatience, and reached for the cigarette box on the bedside table.
"Is the sky falling or have the Japanese invaded the village? I just closed my eyes for two minutes."
Xiao Zhang swallowed hard, glanced at Shen Yu, and hesitated to speak.
"Spit it out," Gu Huai'an said, holding an unlit cigarette between his lips. "Stop dawdling like a woman."
"The investigation team is back. The political commissar insists you bring Sister-in-law along. And…"
"And what?"
"And the investigation team brought someone back with them," Xiao Zhang said, stealing another glance at Shen Yu. "They say it's an important witness."
Gu Huai'an paused, taking the cigarette from his mouth and holding it between two fingers.
"A witness? What witness dug up from which grave?"
Shen Yu understood.
At this critical moment, the only ones who could be called "witnesses" and brought back from the Xiangyang Brigade were those scoundrels.
She just didn’t know whether it was the shrewish widow who only knew how to throw tantrums or Wang Dashan, who was full of schemes and itching to suck her dry.
"Alright, got it."
Gu Huai'an rolled out of bed. Without bothering to put on his formal military jacket, he simply wore a tank top, grabbed his military cap hanging on the wall, and pulled it low over his head, shading half his face.
"Let’s go take a look."
Shen Yu didn’t hesitate either. She changed her shoes and followed him.
She wasn’t afraid.
With the marriage certificate tucked in her pocket, it didn’t matter if it was that investigation team waving a chicken feather as a command arrow—even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, she was still Gu Huai'an’s rightful wife.