Chapter 94: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 17

After hanging up the phone, Liu Zhanyuan’s father sighed as he looked at his wife, whose face was pale with anger.

“Stop being so angry. Don’t you know what state your body is in? Take care of yourself so you can help our son look after his children in the future. That would be lightening his burden. And if I may say so, you need to look at the reality of the situation before you speak. Xu Chunxia is pregnant now and insists on having the baby. Under these circumstances, our son couldn’t get a divorce even if he wanted to. Since she married him, Xu Chunxia hasn’t actually committed any major mistake that warrants a divorce. Having an affair was something from her first marriage. Since she hasn’t made any big mistakes and is refusing to divorce, especially now that she’s pregnant, our son is stuck. He isn’t young anymore; he’ll be thirty after the New Year. If he wanders around for a few more years, will you and I even live to see a grandchild?” One way or another, they couldn’t wait until he was forty or fifty to have children, could they?

This speech caused his wife to close her eyes and turn over, ignoring the old man entirely.

Upon learning that Xu Chunxia had not yet divorced, Zhan Hongjun curled his lip: “I thought Liu Zhanyuan had some backbone, but it turns out he’s a coward. He can actually stomach a woman like Xu Chunxia and keep living with her.”

Su Huandan: …

She knew he despised Xu Chunxia, but Liu Zhanyuan wasn’t exactly a catch either. A broken pot deserves a cracked lid¹; they were a perfect match, so why should they divorce?

“Given Xu Chunxia and Liu Zhanyuan’s ages, if they divorced, they would definitely remarry. Tell me, is it better for these two to stay paired up, or for them to divorce and find someone else? Don’t forget one possibility. Both Xu Chunxia and Liu Zhanyuan are very good at putting on a front to deceive people. If they remarry and their new partners are good people, wouldn’t those good people be ruined by these two?” Su Huandan’s words left Zhan Hongjun stunned.

So that was how his wife saw it?

If you put it that way, a rotten pot like Xu Chunxia really should stay with a rotten lid like Liu Zhanyuan.

Coincidentally, in Su Huandan’s mind, Liu Zhanyuan was also a rotten pot…

They couldn’t go home for the New Year this year, so Su Huandan had Zhan Hongjun buy some local specialties to mail back to her in-laws, and she also sent some to her neighbors back at the old courtyard.

Since her marriage, Su Huandan had maintained contact with her neighbors.

During festivals, they would send each other things that were decent enough to show off but wouldn’t be a financial burden on the family.

It was a proper exchange of courtesies.

When they learned Su Huandan was pregnant, the two grandmothers and four sisters-in-law in the courtyard prepared plenty of small clothes, quilts, mattresses, pee pads, and diapers.

The diapers in this era were made from old, worn-out long johns and undershirts, cut up, scalded clean, and were soft and practical.

In Su Huandan’s previous life, many families were still using these kinds of diapers for babies in the nineties.

The neighbors prepared quite a lot, and her in-laws sent plenty as well. When Sister-in-law Niu came over to visit and saw the pile, she remarked: “You have enough here for two more children.”

Su Huandan also felt it was a bit much.

“No way, Sister-in-law. Regardless of whether this child is a boy or a girl, I don’t want my Dan-dan to give birth again. One is enough. That time she fainted gave me a real scare.” Zhan Hongjun happened to return home during his lunch break. Since he was on duty and the family quarters were inside the military compound, it was very convenient for him to come back.

He brought a lunch box of braised pork with more meat than potatoes. Even before the lid was opened, Sister-in-law Niu could smell the aroma. She stood up immediately, saying she had to go home to cook, and left.

Zhan Hongjun still scooped out half and sent it over to Sister-in-law Niu’s house.

If he hadn’t seen her, it would be one thing, but since he had, he couldn’t just ignore her presence.

In return, Sister-in-law Niu later sent over ten eggs.

See, this was how neighbors who got along should act.

“There will be field training after the New Year. We’re going into the mountains and won’t be back for at least four months. By then, you’ll be eight months pregnant. I can’t say for sure if I’ll be back when you give birth. How about you go back to Beijing?” Zhan Hongjun wasn’t comfortable with his wife giving birth alone.

Su Huandan really didn’t want to go back. How comfortable was life in this little yard?

“I’m not going back. I’ll stay here. Sister-in-law Niu doesn’t have a job to keep her busy, so she can lend a hand during my postpartum recovery². We won’t let her work for nothing; we’ll give her a hundred yuan. Sister-in-law Niu can decide what I eat during that month, and the cost will come out of that hundred yuan. Do you think that’s okay?” In reality, food and drink wouldn’t cost much; the extra money was a fee for Sister-in-law Niu’s hard work.

Zhan Hongjun thought to himself that Sister-in-law Niu probably wouldn’t accept wages.

“If she won’t take money, then we’ll give each of the six members of her family a new set of clothes. How about that?” Su Huandan wasn’t willing to use people for free either.

Zhan Hongjun thought that instead of that, it might be better to see about arranging a job for Sister-in-law Niu’s eldest son. He was sixteen now, his grades weren’t great, and it was time to plan a different path for his future.

“Don’t worry about this. If you don’t want to go back, just stay here and live in peace. I’ll arrange the rest.” Zhan Hongjun thumped his chest quite loudly.

After the New Year, only the family members remained in the military compound.

The field training took place deep in the mountains and forests.

In homes with children, whenever you passed by in the evening, you could hear the sounds of mothers scolding their kids.

Some children were quite naughty; they feared their stern-faced fathers more than their mothers. Now that the fathers were gone, well, the houses were turned upside down.

Su Huandan stroked her belly, thinking that in her two previous reincarnations, she rarely raised her children personally. This time, it seemed there would be no one to help, and she would have to raise the child herself.

Not far away, Chen Li was walking home carrying groceries. She paused for a moment when she passed Su Huandan, then continued on.

Su Huandan had thought the woman would pester her again, but it seemed she had finally learned her lesson?

As she turned to head home-she had also gone to the canteen to buy eggs-she ran into Xu Chunxia again.

Xu Chunxia had changed tremendously since their first meeting.

When they first met, Xu Chunxia was beautiful and intellectual. Now, although she still dressed better than most military wives and had a superior temperament, her complexion was truly poor. At only twenty-six years old, wrinkles could be seen at the corners of her eyes even from a distance.

She had aged so quickly.

When life isn’t smooth, a look of bitterness settles on the face.

As Su Huandan looked at Xu Chunxia, Xu Chunxia was also looking at Su Huandan.

How interesting. Liu Zhanyuan’s ex-wife had actually married Zhan Hongjun?

Xu Chunxia felt that Liu Zhanyuan was truly blind. To have a beauty like Su Huandan, who possessed both inner and outer grace, and yet never touch her all this time, what was that if not being blind?

Even though she was pregnant, Su Huandan was still just as beautiful.

Su Huandan’s face looked like she was only eighteen years old, fresh and youthful. What woman wouldn’t be jealous seeing that?

“Did you go buy eggs? Hongjun really dotes on you. Ever since you got pregnant, the scent of meat has never stopped wafting from your house.” Whenever Xu Chunxia mentioned food, she couldn’t help but crave it. Liu Zhanyuan only gave her a set amount of living expenses, and since the family’s jobs hadn’t been arranged yet, she still had a son to raise. By pinching pennies, Xu Chunxia hadn’t tasted meat in a long time.

Su Huandan acted as if she hadn’t seen or heard a thing, leisurely strolling back home.

Xu Chunxia was speechless.

Heh, was she afraid of being pestered?

No, she simply had no intention of acknowledging you at all!

Translator’s Notes