Captain Zhu and Master Niu looked like they were about to start arguing, so Wen Yan, with considerable experience, stepped forward.
“Don’t fight.
Don’t be angry.”
“Here, have some candy.”
Staring at the candy in their palms, Captain Zhu and Master Niu were torn.
They wanted to toss it but couldn’t bring themselves to.
Keeping it, however, made their faces flush with embarrassment.
The two of them tacitly looked at Wen Yan, the instigator of it all.
Master Niu said dismissively in a loud voice, “Take it, take it!
Are you trying to coax a child?”
Captain Zhu patiently soothed her, “Wen Yan, let’s just ignore him.
He can’t recognize good intentions.
You keep it for yourself.”
Neither of them wanted it, and Master Niu was particularly incensed by Captain Zhu’s slanderous words.
Just as they were about to start arguing again, Wen Yan stood between them, spread her arms, and pushed them apart to the left and right before speaking.
“I’m not trying to coax you.
I sincerely want to give this to you.
You are good elders and even better comrades.
You don’t find me annoying and even arranged a job for me.
I’m truly grateful.”
Master Niu and Captain Zhu looked left and right uncomfortably.
‘Why is she blurting out the honest-to-god truth like that!’
“Captain Zhu, I don’t need to go to the logistics department every day.
Just call me if you need anything.
It won’t interfere with my other duties.”
“Master Niu, today I not only want to borrow a pot, but I also want to ask about raising livestock.
As for the kitchen-squad work, I can come help when I’m free, but let’s forget about it being an official job.”
‘I can’t draw two salaries, after all,’ she thought.
‘Best not to say that part out loud.’
The kitchen staff: ‘Phew…
That was a close call.’
‘We almost ended up in a life of endless, cutthroat competition!’
Captain Zhu and Master Niu glanced at each other, then turned away with a huff.
But they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything harsh to a comrade as honest, willing, and capable as Wen Yan.
“Fine!”
“I have no problem with that!”
Captain Zhu left.
Wen Yan didn’t rush to ask Master Niu her questions, instead helping the mess hall staff set out lunch first.
‘One should always see things through from start to finish.’
Bai Shanshan stood in line with her mess kit, thinking, ‘Wen Yan didn’t come looking for me today?’
‘She said she’d bring me medicine for a foot soak.
What a liar.’
‘I froze my butt off with her yesterday for nothing!’
She had sneezed eighteen times last night, and her nose was rubbed raw.
Not only did she get cold, but she also stayed up all night writing a funding request report.
‘Thinking about it now, I must be sick in the head!’
The mess kit in her hand suddenly felt heavier.
Bai Shanshan snapped back to reality and glanced at it.
‘Why is there so much?’
‘Did I hit the karma jackpot or something?’
She looked up and met a pair of bright, dark eyes.
“Wen Yan!”
“Good afternoon, Comrade Bai.
Is this enough to eat?”
Bai Shanshan asked, “What are you doing here?”
Wen Yan added another dish to Bai Shanshan’s plate.
“I came to borrow a large iron pot to boil some medicine.
Were your feet itchy yesterday?”
“Of course they weren’t itchy!
I can handle the cold.
You think a little chill like that can affect me?
You think I’m delicate and pampered like you?”
The stubborn Bai Shanshan held her mess kit haughtily.
She saw Wen Yan nod and say, “You’re right.
My parents do dote on me.
They never let me do any real work.”
Bai Shanshan: ‘Who asked you?!
Who asked?!’
After getting her food, Bai Shanshan felt that her stuffy nose had been cleared up by the sheer irritation of Wen Yan’s showboating.
Wen Yan took off her apron and came over to Bai Shanshan.
“Come find me after you finish eating.
Master Niu will have some time in a bit, and you can take notes on the side.”
Leaving a paper trail for everything was a habit of Wen Yan’s.
“More work?
I don’t get it.
Where do you find so much work to do!”
Wen Yan looked Bai Shanshan straight in the eye, making her heart pound.
‘Don’t tell me Wen Yan’s going to get angry and not let me be the note-taker anymore.’
‘No way!’
Earlier that morning, Bai Shanshan had gone over to the educated youth’s area.
The other educated youth who had come with her went to reclaim wasteland every day, and every single one of them was dead on their feet.
She had no desire to suffer like that.
“Well… I was actually…”
“It’s because I’m smart, capable, and have many skills.
You don’t need to feel ashamed.
Everyone has their own strengths.
No need to compare yourself to me.”
In other words: ‘I don’t mind that you’re slow.’
After saying her piece, Wen Yan left.
Bai Shanshan ground her teeth as she watched Wen Yan’s retreating figure.
‘Is my salary of eight-something yuan even enough to pay for my medical bills?’
‘The bills for the sickness I’m getting from all this anger!’
Bai Shanshan was once again fuming because of Wen Yan.
Just as she was about to leave, she heard a few women pointing at Wen Yan and gossiping.
“She’s certainly resourceful, getting a job in the mess hall as soon as she arrived.”
“Jiang Yingzhang must have arranged it for her.”
“With a face like that, what man would be willing to divorce her?”
Their expressions and tone all but pointed a finger at Wen Yan and called her improper.
Bai Shanshan, irritated, let out a “Tch!” and said in a voice that was not at all quiet, “That’s called being smart, capable, and having many skills!”
“All you do is gossip behind people’s backs.
If you’ve got the guts, say it to her face!”
Bai Shanshan jumped into the fray.
The women, having lost face, started arguing with her.
One of them even reached out her claws, ready to scratch.
Bai Shanshan couldn’t dodge in time and was about to be scratched.
A force pulled on her arm.
She stumbled, was yanked sideways, and dodged the attack.
Wen Yan was back.
Bai Shanshan didn’t know why, but on a whim, like a schoolgirl tattling, she pointed at the women and said, “Wen Yan, they were badmouthing you behind your back!”
‘Quick!’
‘Use your blunt honesty to infuriate them!’
‘Just like you do to me!’
Wen Yan couldn’t hear Bai Shanshan’s inner monologue.
She stood in front of Bai Shanshan, faced the women, and asked sincerely, “Is it because I’m too good-looking and too capable that I’m getting in your way?
Or is it that my husband and I not getting a divorce is affecting your lives?
Otherwise, why are you all so focused on me?”
The women’s lips moved, but no sound came out.
Who would dare to answer a question like that?
Wen Yan didn’t wait for them to answer, smiling as she offered a suggestion:
“If there’s anything you want to know, you can ask me directly.
My greatest virtue is honesty.”
“Also, next time you gossip about someone, make sure you find a more secluded spot.
Luckily for you, I didn’t hear you.
If I had, Jiang Baizhou and I would have to visit each of you for a little chat.”
“And if we can’t come to an understanding, I’ll feel wronged, and then I’ll have to file a complaint.
That would really disrupt the unit’s solidarity, wouldn’t it?”
Wen Yan’s tone was light and airy, but her words sent a chill down their spines.
It sounded less like a “chat” and more like a threat of a fight.
The women were already feeling guilty, and Wen Yan wasn’t arguing according to the usual script.
She just kept smiling, but her powerful aura was so overwhelming they were left speechless.
In the crowd, Sister-in-law Zhou Hong, whom they had met that morning, watched for a while.
Seeing that Wen Yan wasn’t at a disadvantage, she waited a moment before stepping in to smooth things over.
Her gaze fell on the women who had been asking about Wen Yan that morning.
‘Stupid and foolish, with too much time on their hands.’
‘Each one of them a plague, just bringing trouble to their own husbands.’
‘Jiang Yingzhang is incredibly shrewd.
If he decides to deal with your husbands, they’ll be thanking him for it afterward.’
Wen Yan was straightforward, but that didn’t mean she was a fool.
She gave Zhou Hong face and said, “Sister-in-law is right.
We all have to see each other around.
Just apologize to me and Bai Shanshan, and we’ll call it even.”
“Oh, right.
Let me introduce you.
This is Bai Shanshan, Li Tuan’s niece.”
The women opposite them visibly panicked.
While Bai Shanshan was still stunned, they apologized to her.
After the crowd dispersed, Bai Shanshan, like a cat with its fur on end, said angrily, “Wen Yan, you’re just borrowing the tiger’s might!
I can’t cause trouble for my aunt!”
Wen Yan turned back.
“You were in the right.
What are you afraid of?”
Bai Shanshan blinked.
‘That’s true, isn’t it?’
“Hmph!
I didn’t need your help.
I could have handled them all by myself.”
Wen Yan said, “Oh.
Then I’ll call them back.”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey… Why do you have to take things so literally!”
Annoyed, Bai Shanshan followed after Wen Yan, her voice trailing off indistinctly.
“Aren’t you really afraid I’ll go after Jiang Baizhou again?”