Zheng Jiaojiao thought she had been observing discreetly enough, but Xu Xiaoyue still noticed that gaze.
She glanced back at Zheng Jiaojiao. In this novel, Xu Xiaoyue was cast as the cannon-fodder female supporting character, while Zheng Jiaojiao was the sweet romance female lead.
To put it in perspective, Zheng Jiaojiao was only a distant relative of the Yan Family with barely any connection, merely staying with them as a guest.
Zheng Jiaojiao—this was the name of her real-life best friend. For some unknown reason, that person hadn’t written Zheng Jiaojiao’s character as a great beauty; in terms of appearance, she could only be described as plain and unremarkable.
Who would have thought that with such an ordinary appearance, she would ultimately win over everyone in the compound with her kindness in the book, becoming the white moonlight in the hearts of the male comrades.
Liu Ye glanced at Zheng Jiaojiao standing behind Yan Shuli. Originally intending to bring up the arranged marriage, she swallowed the words in her throat.
Following the principle of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” Xu Xiaoyue was arranged to share a room with Zheng Jiaojiao.
After settling in, the first thing Xu Xiaoyue did was take out the coat given by the man on the train from her bag and carefully wash it.
Even after several hours, the cool, woody scent on the coat still faintly lingered. Xu Xiaoyue carefully recalled his self-introduction on the train: the regiment commander of the 181st Regiment… Yan Ye.
This name felt somewhat familiar.
Xu Xiaoyue truly regretted only skimming through her own ending earlier, knowing nothing about the plot developments in between.
Water gushed noisily as Zheng Jiaojiao tiptoed quietly toward Xu Xiaoyue’s direction.
The bathroom door was wide open. Lifting her eyes, Zheng Jiaojiao saw a distinctly male coat in the washbasin.
Her eyelids twitched. Seizing the moment while Xu Xiaoyue was still focused on washing the coat and hadn’t noticed her, she quietly retreated.
Zheng Jiaojiao curled her lips. She had wondered if this woman had also encountered some opportunity, but it seemed her inherent flirtatiousness hadn’t changed.
She had just arrived at the Yan Family and already didn’t know which man she had hooked up with.
Although sharing a room with Zheng Jiaojiao, fortunately, it was bunk beds. Xu Xiaoyue slept on the upper bunk, which was still acceptable.
She had no intention of engaging with Zheng Jiaojiao, but Zheng Jiaojiao eagerly initiated conversation.
“Sister Yue, it must have been very tiring for you to take the train up from the countryside.”
“It was alright.” Xu Xiaoyue turned over.
“What do you think of Brother Shuli?” After asking, Zheng Jiaojiao held her breath, waiting to hear Xu Xiaoyue’s response.
Trying to fish for information from her? Xu Xiaoyue curled her lips. She really wasn’t in the mood to play along with Zheng Jiaojiao’s games, so she simply gave the answer Zheng Jiaojiao wanted to hear.
“He’s quite good. But there are so many outstanding male comrades in this compound. I’m not in a hurry; I still need to consider things carefully.”
With these words, Zheng Jiaojiao covered her mouth to keep her laughter from spilling out. She had worried too much. Whether in her past life or this one, Xu Xiaoyue would never be her match.
The moon faded from the horizon, the mist dispersed, and daylight broke brightly.
“Oh, having breakfast?” A voice came from outside the door—it was the same curly-haired woman from yesterday.
This time, a tall, thin man stood beside her. As soon as he entered the Yan Family, he glanced around shiftily as if searching for something.
“Hongyan, what brings you here so early in the morning?” Liu Ye frowned.
Hu Hongyan took two steps forward, pulling the man beside her in front of her. A smile hung on her face, but it looked anything but well-intentioned.
"It's just that you had guests over yesterday, so I thought I'd bring my boy along to get acquainted."
After speaking, the sharp-eyed woman spotted Xu Xiaoyue standing behind the crowd. "You must be Comrade Xu."
"You're new to the compound and unfamiliar with everything. Feel free to drop by my place anytime. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask Haozi."
Haozi, who had been called out, was momentarily stunned. When he caught sight of Xu Xiaoyue's face, his eyes lit up, and he squeezed out from behind the woman. "Yes, yes, if there's anything you don't understand, just ask me. You can also look for me anytime…"
The man's lecherous gaze swept from Xu Xiaoyue's face down to her slender waist.
Xu Xiaoyue took two steps back, politely but distantly replying, "I appreciate the offer, but if there's anything I don't know, I can just ask Aunt Liu. I wouldn't want to trouble you."
Liu Ye frowned and stepped between the two. Everyone in the compound knew that Wang Hao had dropped out of elementary school and spent his days loafing around, never doing any proper work. He was just trying to fool Xu Xiaoyue, a girl from the countryside.
Fortunately, although Xu Xiaoyue was from the countryside, her behavior was very proper. It was precisely because of this that Liu Ye had agreed to let her stay with the Yan Family.
Anyone could see that Xu Xiaoyue had already politely declined, but Wang Hao kept his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him and even reached out, attempting to shake her hand.
Seeing this, Yan Shuli stepped forward first and grasped the man's hand, his tone unfriendly. "The Yan Family's affairs are none of your concern."
The man winced in pain and instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Yan Shuli held on too tightly. Beads of cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
Hu Hongyan hurriedly stepped forward. "Oh my, what's going on here?"
Catching Liu Ye's glance from the side, Yan Shuli nonchalantly released the man's hand. "Nothing. I just wanted to advise Auntie to mind her own family's affairs before worrying about others."
Hu Hongyan's expression darkened. She glanced at Xu Xiaoyue, who remained silent, feeling a surge of resentment. She was just a country girl putting on airs in front of her.
Unable to swallow her anger but not daring to confront Liu Ye directly, she turned her sarcasm toward Xu Xiaoyue. "Pah, what kind of clothes are you wearing? They're hideous. Country bumpkin."
Xu Xiaoyue had deliberately dressed modestly, wearing a faded, yellowish undershirt from the countryside. It was plain and unflattering, saved only by her pretty face.
Being insulted to her face, Xu Xiaoyue simply smiled. "Auntie, since you already know I'm a country bumpkin, why are you so eager to seek me out? I thought you were after my country bumpkin status."
This remark left Hu Hongyan livid. Afraid that Yan Shuli might cause more trouble, she hastily dragged Wang Hao toward the door and left.
"Mother Wang, from now on, don't open the door for those two," Liu Ye said, sitting on the sofa, her chest heaving with anger. They say you should at least show respect for the host's sake, but to insult Xu Xiaoyue right in front of the Yan Family—did they really think they were easy to push around?
Liu Ye quickly went upstairs and returned with a few fabric ration coupons in her hand.
"Good child, I've been so busy with hospital matters these days that my head is spinning. Take these fabric coupons, you and Jiaojiao, and have Shuli take you to the state-run supermarket to buy some new clothes."
Beside her, Zheng Jiaojiao shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum. "Aunt, how can we do that? I'm already imposing by staying here. I can't possibly take your fabric coupons."
"Alright, fabric coupons aren't worth much anyway. Young girls like you should wear bright colors and dress beautifully."
Hu Hongyan's words actually reminded Liu Ye—no matter where these two girls came from, since they were staying with the Yan Family now, they couldn't keep dressing like this and risk becoming a laughingstock.
Just as Zheng Jiaojiao was about to refuse again, Xu Xiaoyue smiled and took the coupons: "One must not decline what an elder offers. Thank you, Aunt Liu."
Compared to a hesitant refusal, Xu Xiaoyue's straightforward acceptance actually made Liu Ye feel more comfortable.
Zheng Jiaojiao didn't miss the approval in the woman's eyes. She froze for a moment—wasn't Xu Xiaoyue's casual acceptance proof that she had come to the Yan Family for money?
She clenched her fist, thinking of what she had seen the night before, and asked with an innocent expression in front of everyone: "Sister Yue, speaking of clothes, that coat you washed last night looked so big. I measured it, and it reached my knees."
A coat… so large it reached the knees. Xu Xiaoyue was only half a head taller than Zheng Jiaojiao, so how could she own such a large coat? Clearly, this coat didn't belong to her—it was even likely worn by a male comrade.
That single sentence revealed so much information it was startling. The air fell silent for a few seconds.