Chapter 92: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 15

On one side of Su Huandan lived Sister-in-law Niu, and on the other side lived a newly arrived young couple. They were Southerners who had arrived at the beginning of the year.

The husband of that household worked as a Political Instructor¹ in the 4th Battalion. His wife, Chen Li, had become a teacher at the family compound’s primary school after joining him at the base, teaching mathematics.

Chen Li had married last year and became pregnant early this winter, about a month earlier than Su Huandan.

Chen Li’s income was not as high as Su Huandan’s. Su Huandan now earned fifty-six yuan a month and had no elderly parents to support.

Chen Li only had a salary of thirty yuan, and the couple had to look after both sets of parents. Chen Li sent twenty yuan home to her parents every month. Her husband’s salary was higher, a bit over sixty, but he usually sent a large portion home as well.

Both of them had underage younger siblings at home who needed support, and their parents’ employment situations were similar. Their fathers were regular employees earning just over forty yuan a month, while their mothers were temporary workers earning less than twenty.

With five or six children in each family, they carried a heavy financial burden.

The school did not provide meals, but Chen Li was the only one who cooked at home. Her husband doted on her; whenever there was a meat dish at the cafeteria, he never ate it himself, always bringing it back for his wife.

In truth, a man like that was considered very good for this era.

However, people fear comparison.

Both had been married for a short time, and both were pregnant. What kind of life was Su Huandan living compared to Chen Li?

When one’s heart is unbalanced, it is easy to succumb to jealousy. And people consumed by jealousy… well.

Chen Li suddenly showed up at the house, much to Su Huandan’s surprise. They were merely nodding acquaintances who had never shared a word. Why was she here?

As soon as Chen Li entered, her eyes were restless, scanning everything in the room.

Neither of them had reached the stage where their pregnancies were showing. In the dead of winter, with everyone wearing thick layers, it was impossible to tell they were pregnant just by looking.

“The school is closed today. I know you’re pregnant too, so I thought I’d come over for a chat. Neither of us has experience, so it would be good to exchange notes,” Chen Li said, her tone stiff.

We don’t even know each other, Su Huandan thought. Furthermore, she didn’t particularly enjoy this kind of private tea-party social call.

What was there to talk about?

Su Huandan felt that this woman was looking for trouble.

“If you have something to say, you can say it directly. I have a habit of taking a nap every day. If there’s nothing else, I won’t keep you. We can talk another time. My pregnancy symptoms are quite obvious, and I’m very sleepy. If I don’t rest, I won’t be able to hold up. I have to go to the Finance Section this afternoon,” Su Huandan said. She wasn’t lying; there was indeed work at the office. An issue had been found in one of the accounts that required a re-audit. Such temporary overtime was rare, but it happened.

Chen Li’s expression darkened, and she let out a cold snort. “Acting so high and mighty? You’re looking down on me, aren’t you? Fine, no need to kick me out. I’ll leave on my own.”

With that, she stormed out in a huff.

She collided head-on with Xu Chunxia, who was coming from the opposite direction. Both of them landed hard on the ground.

Chen Li was terrified. As a Southerner, she couldn’t handle the local climate and wore many layers, so she was fine and her baby was safe. But Xu Chunxia was unlucky. She was also pregnant, and her stomach began to hurt so much that she fainted on the spot.

Panicked, Chen Li scrambled up and ran away, hiding in her own home.

Ten minutes later, a military wife passing by saw Xu Chunxia lying on the ground. No matter how much people disliked the woman, they couldn’t just leave her there in such a state.

The woman carried her to the infirmary on her back. The diagnosis was that Xu Chunxia had miscarried. The fetus was nearly four months old. It was a pity; if she had been brought in sooner for a fetal-preservation injection², it might have been saved.

Xu Chunxia was unconscious for a day and a night before waking up.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Liu Zhanyuan sitting in a chair by the bed with his arms crossed. Tears immediately began to flow.

“Since you want a divorce, let’s just do it. I thought that with this child, we could still make it work. But now the child is gone, isn’t it? My stomach hurt so much, there’s no way the baby survived.” Xu Chunxia had many faults, but there was one thing outsiders couldn’t criticize her for.

Whether it was the child she conceived during her affair or this child with Liu Zhanyuan, once Xu Chunxia knew a child existed, she never once thought of having an abortion.

Not only that, although she didn’t provide daily care for the son she had previously, most of her monthly salary was spent on him. If her parents or brother treated the boy poorly even slightly, she would be furious.

The only reason she didn’t raise her first son herself was because she feared having a child constantly in sight would affect her prospects in the marriage market. She had always planned to bring the child back to her side to raise once she remarried.

Liu Zhanyuan didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret over the loss of the child. When they were arguing about the divorce earlier, he simply didn’t want to continue being disgusted by a woman like Xu Chunxia. Xu Chunxia, on the other hand, had been worried because her family’s jobs hadn’t been settled yet; she had thought about leaving Liu Zhanyuan quickly while she was still young to find another capable man to provide for her family.

But then she got pregnant. With a child, Xu Chunxia had reconsidered, thinking that if the baby could mend their relationship, perhaps her family’s jobs would be secured.

So, she had become the one unwilling to divorce.

But things always happened at the worst possible time. She was knocked down, she miscarried, the child was gone, and she could no longer rely on Liu Zhanyuan.

Once the two had settled the matter of the divorce, Liu Zhanyuan finally asked what exactly had happened.

“Chen Li. she came rushing out of Su Huandan’s house and knocked me down,” Xu Chunxia said. She didn’t just tell Liu Zhanyuan; she told the same story to anyone who asked. She was telling the truth.

Chen Li had been living in a state of constant anxiety since learning about Xu Chunxia’s miscarriage, fearing someone would come knocking at her door.

But she hadn’t knocked the woman down on purpose. If only Su Huandan hadn’t said such irritating things…

“What do you mean I said irritating things? Go ask Sister-in-law Niu if I come home for a nap every day. Go ask the Finance Section if I went in for overtime that afternoon. I’m truly baffled. You’re the one who knocked someone down and caused a miscarriage, yet instead of looking at your own actions, you’re trying to pin it on me. What, do you think I’m an easy target?” Su Huandan would have been a saint to hold back her anger.

Chen Li wanted to say more, but her husband pulled her away.

That evening, her husband brought two pounds of eggs to offer an apology.

After he left, Zhan Hongjun finally spoke up. “That couple… they just live such a tight, stingy life that they get jealous whenever they see someone else eating well. They’re always trying to scrounge a meal or take advantage of others. I used to think they were just greedy and thick-skinned, but now I see they’re cold-hearted creatures. You hit someone, a pregnant woman no less, and you’re telling me it’s too hard to take her to the clinic?”

It wasn’t hard, but they were afraid of taking responsibility, so they pretended they knew nothing. Even if she really had suffered a miscarriage, they wouldn’t have felt it was their fault. When it came to shifting blame, they didn’t hesitate for a second.

If Su Huandan hadn’t been so sharp-tongued and made everything crystal clear, Chen Li’s husband wouldn’t have made this trip to their home just to save face for future encounters.

Ultimately, they were a family best left alone.

Translator’s Notes