Chapter 86: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 9

Su Huandan turned her head toward Sister-in-law Zhan and gave her a sweet greeting.

“Sister-in-law is still the one who cares for me most. I just happened to run into my former mother-in-law. The moment she saw me, she decided I was here to find my ex-husband for a reconciliation. Honestly, Sister-in-law, I haven’t even seen my ex-husband since the divorce, so how could we possibly remarry? But she just wouldn’t let me go, insisting on arguing about all this. The neighbors all saw it.” As Su Huandan spoke, her face wore a small expression of helplessness and irritation.

Sister-in-law Zhan raised an eyebrow and looked at Old Lady Liu. “Ma’am, are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? This is my younger brother-in-law’s wife. They have a very good relationship. They’re married, a military marriage¹ at that. How could she possibly be entangled with your son? Who exactly is your son? Call him out here for a confrontation. If we don’t get an explanation for this, we’re definitely not letting it go.”

Old Lady Liu’s face instantly turned pale as she looked at Su Huandan in disbelief. When did this woman get to know the Zhan family?

Was it before the divorce, or after?

The fact that her former daughter-in-law had left her only to marry back into the same Military Compound was something she couldn’t wrap her head around. It was hard to accept. A surge of spite rose from the depths of her heart, and she pointed at Su Huandan’s nose, beginning to curse.

“You shameless harlot! Did you get involved with the Zhan boy before you even divorced? I was wondering where an orphan girl got the courage to demand a divorce. Turns out you already found your next branch to jump to.” Old Lady Liu felt a rush of satisfaction from her outburst, but Su Huandan felt just as much satisfaction when she delivered a backhanded slap in return.

“Don’t think that just because you’re old, you can talk nonsense without getting hit. Why did I marry your son in the first place? That Director Xu from the Street Office you found kept telling me every day that the hoodlums on the street had their eyes on me. She said if I didn’t get married, something bad would happen, forcing me into it. After the wedding, I didn’t gain a single cent of benefit from your family. On the contrary, every month I had to spend my own salary to buy meat or chicken for your household. Over two years, I spent over a hundred yuan on your family out of my own pocket. I didn’t even ask for that loss back when we divorced because I knew your family was a bunch of stingy misers. I didn’t plan on dragging this out with you. One last thing, your son and I were only a married couple in name. I was still a virgin when I remarried. Let me ask you, who in their right mind would stay in a fire pit like your family?” These words finally vented all the grievances the original owner had bottled up for two years.

Old Lady Liu saw the people in the compound pointing and whispering at her. Now that Su Huandan had aired all the dirty laundry, she felt utterly humiliated. She covered her face and ran away.

Sister-in-law Zhan patted Su Huandan’s arm sympathetically. “You’ve suffered. Don’t worry, our Zhan family is nothing like those Lius. We won’t treat a daughter-in-law like that. But then again, you’re an Orphan of a Martyr. Why didn’t you go to the military when you had problems? If you’d let the military handle it, you wouldn’t have had to suffer for two years.”

Su Huandan followed Sister-in-law Zhan back home. Looking at her sister-in-law’s back, she could hardly suppress the smile in her eyes.

What did it mean to add insult to injury?

The remark Sister-in-law Zhan just made was exactly that.

The Liu family had a military background. For people from the military, especially someone in such a high position, to treat the family of a martyr this way… Heh.

Sister-in-law Zhan had indeed gone out specifically to buy pork belly to make braised pork for Su Huandan. However, knowing Su Huandan was a great cook, the meat dishes in the house were now handled by her. For other meals, Sister-in-law Zhan and her mother-in-law took turns.

“Your salary is earned through your own hard work. It’s only right that you buy things for your parents-in-law, and even if my Niuniu eats the meat you buy as her aunt, she’s still small, so I can justify that. But as your sister-in-law, I find it a bit hard to swallow. I know you don’t mind, but I still feel uneasy. Buying something you like to eat makes me feel better. Between sisters-in-law, there should be a mutual exchange so we can get along for a long time.” Since Sister-in-law Zhan put it that way, Su Huandan didn’t stop her.

It had to be said that Su Huandan quite liked Sister-in-law Zhan’s behavior and mindset.

When relatives interact with mutual giving and taking, and no one is always looking to take advantage of the other, they can live together harmoniously for a long time.

This balance shouldn’t be disrupted unnecessarily; it wouldn’t benefit anyone.

That evening, a small basin of braised pork with potatoes sat on the Zhan family’s dining table.

Sister-in-law Zhan noticed that her daughter, who usually had no appetite, had been eating much better lately. Although her sallow complexion hadn’t changed yet, she was actually starting to put on some weight.

This was a sign that the child was getting better.

Regardless of whether it was superstition, Sister-in-law Zhan truly felt her brother-in-law had made the right choice in marrying Su Huandan.

Even before she officially entered the family, she brought good luck to the Zhans. After the wedding, just look at her daughter—she was getting healthier by the day.

Su Huandan kept her contributions secret. She needed to use the Spiritual Spring Water herself, so she simply let her in-laws use it along with her.

Since her in-laws were quite decent people, it wasn’t a waste to let them benefit from it.

While the Zhan family’s table was full of smiles and warmth, the Liu family across the way sat before a small pot of noodles, neither of them having any appetite.

“How many times have I told you? Don’t just blabber when you’re out. If you see Little Su, just pretend you didn’t. Why did you have to drag her into a scene? Look at your life—when has your troublemaking not brought trouble to this house? Can’t you just keep your mouth shut when you’re outside?” Things that outsiders didn’t know were now common knowledge.

Old Lady Liu immediately began to wail in grievance. “For decades, I’ve served you food and drink! I’ve borne your children! Now that I’m old, you’re starting to despise me? You’re the one who lacked the ability to keep your power, and now you’re blaming me, saying my bad luck affected your future? You have no conscience! You ungrateful wolf!”

This was the current atmosphere of the Liu household. The old couple argued as soon as they spoke, unable to settle anything. Each had their own justifications. The house was a mess, and it was unlikely they would have a peaceful life ahead.

Su Huandan was delighted. Ever since that encounter with the original owner’s former mother-in-law, she took pleasure in glancing at the house across the way every day on her way to and from work.

She could always see a figure leaning against the window or a twitching curtain.

Tsk tsk. They must be fuming, right?

Knowing you are fuming makes me feel much better.

You were the one who came looking for trouble, so you really can’t blame me for teaching you a lesson.

Su Huandan wrote about all these events in a letter and mailed it to Zhan Hongjun.

Zhan Hongjun’s marriage report² had already been approved, and his application for housing in the family compound had been granted as well.

He was currently in the middle of resolving his wife’s employment situation. Once that was settled, she would be able to join him at the military base.

Lately, he had been taking time out of his schedule every day to fix up the small courtyard house assigned to them.

The yard was truly tiny, consisting of only two rooms and a courtyard of about twenty square meters.

Combined, the house and the yard totaled about fifty square meters.

The only advantage of these small courtyards was their proximity to the apartment buildings. When the heating was turned on for the apartments, it was extended to these units as well, making it very convenient to stay warm in the winter.

He had thought the place was quite nice before, but today a new neighbor moved in across from him. It turned out to be Liu Zhanyuan, which was absolutely disgusting!

Translator’s Notes