Chapter 99: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 22

In 1977, Su Huandan’s son, Zhan Hao, turned three years old, and Mother Zhan officially retired. As soon as she retired, she came over to look after her grandson.

Along the way, she wanted to ask Su Huandan about her further education.

The military had its own procedures for advanced studies, usually through two methods: internal recommendation or self-study exams. These programs lasted two to three years, and such education would be linked to future rank promotions.

“Your eldest sister-in-law has been reviewing at home lately. She graduated from high school years ago, and now that the Gaokao¹ is being reinstated, she wants to give it a real effort. What about you? What are your thoughts? Your position isn’t on the front lines, so without further education, it might be difficult to get promoted in the future. Or, if you want to leave the military, that’s fine too. Once the Gaokao returns, as long as you get into a university, you’ll basically be guaranteed a government placement². You could use the Gaokao as an opportunity to switch to a more relaxed working environment.” The military wasn’t bad, but the management was indeed stricter and less free than other units.

Su Huandan didn’t need to deliberate much on the matter.

She planned to stay in the military for this lifetime. She would take the necessary courses and see how far she could go. As a Reincarnator, she didn’t need to live an exceptionally flashy life; following the crowd was perfectly fine.

“So you plan to take the self-study exams for your advancement?” Mother Zhan thought to herself that given her younger daughter-in-law’s financial competence, self-study wouldn’t be a problem. There was no need to pull strings.

That was only natural; connections weren’t meant to be used that way.

“Then sign up and take the exam as soon as possible this year. With Hongjun’s seniority and rank, he’ll be heading to the Military Academy for advanced studies next year as well. That will take three years. If things work out, the two of you might even be classmates again.” Speaking of this, Mother Zhan was truly happy.

There were several military academies for advanced studies, and the choice of school for her younger son and daughter-in-law could be managed. Choosing a Military Academy in Beijing would be best, as the whole family could then be reunited.

Her eldest son was now a regimental commander, and his unit was in the suburbs of Beijing, allowing him to come home every few days. The family had been scattered across the country for years, so it was wonderful that they could finally be together for a couple of years.

Having finished discussing work, they moved on to gossip about the Military Compound.

“The Liu family across the way moved out,” Mother Zhan said, nearly laughing at the memory.

Originally, Liu Zhanyuan’s parents could have lived there until they passed away. Unfortunately, they hadn’t met with good in-laws.

“What happened?” What had Xu Chunxia’s family done this time?

“You know how those in-laws of the Liu family never had official jobs? They relied on temporary work wages. It was hard for Xu Chunxia’s brother to find a good marriage match. He ended up with an older girl. Although she’s a local Beijinger, her character is truly awful – petty theft is a regular habit for her. I heard that during the New Year, when she went to the Liu house to pay her respects, she stingily brought two pounds of pastries, then turned around and stole the Liu family’s money. The old Liu couple called the police, but after the investigation, it turned out the in-law was the thief. This incident is enough to make the whole compound laugh for three years. Liu Zhanyuan’s father couldn’t bear the shame. He applied to the organization for the couple to move into a nursing home and handed the house in the compound back to the organization.” After Mother Zhan finished, Su Huandan asked in surprise.

“Is Xu Chunxia’s sister-in-law a habitual thief? Otherwise, there’s no way she could have succeeded so perfectly on her first visit, right?” Su Huandan had guessed correctly; the woman’s “skill” was ancestral.

Because of this incident, they had also divorced.

This matter had a massive impact on Xu Chunxia.

“No wonder there’s been all sorts of shouting and fighting across the way since the New Year. Liu Zhanyuan was even yelling about a divorce. If Xu Chunxia hadn’t gotten pregnant again, they probably would have actually split up.” Su Huandan pointed across the hall. Through the open door, the mother and daughter-in-law could see the opposite apartment.

Mother Zhan curled her lip. “A stinking fish and a rotten shrimp – a perfect match.”

The entire Liu family was crooked, and the Xu family loved to put on airs and act influential. Neither side consisted of decent people who could live a steady life. Weren’t they a perfect match?

While Mother Zhan supervised her little grandson’s writing, Su Huandan went to cook. Today was Sunday, and Zhan Hongjun would be home for lunch soon.

Supplies were much more abundant now, unlike the scarcity when Su Huandan first arrived in this reincarnation.

She prepared Big Plate Chicken³, fried some eggs, and picked two kinds of vegetables from the garden. That was plenty.

They wouldn’t have rice; later, she would pull some “belt noodles⁴” to toss with the Big Plate Chicken.

Zhan Hongjun could smell the aroma of the Big Plate Chicken from far away.

The comrade returning with him teased, “Your wife’s cooking is truly incredible. One of these days, I’ll buy a chicken and come over to your place for a drink.”

“Come whenever you like.”

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t visited before. Given the nature of their work, they couldn’t gather more than five times a year.

When he got home, he washed his hands and picked up his son first, lifting him high in the air a few times before they started eating.

Halfway through the meal, another fight broke out across the way.

Clatter! Bang! Even the dining table was overturned. Liu Zhanyuan’s coarse voice rang out immediately: “Is the allowance I give you not enough? It’s the weekend, why couldn’t you buy some meat for my daughter to eat? You’re constantly skimping on this and that – where is all that money going? Are you subsidizing your parents’ house again? Or are you planning to save it for your bastard son? I’m telling you, Xu Chunxia, I’ll raise this bastard son of yours until he’s eighteen. Once he’s an adult, he’s leaving my house to fend for himself. Everything in this house belongs to my daughter.”

Xu Chunxia didn’t say a word. Holding her belly, she squatted down and began to clean up.

The only one helping her was the son she had from her previous affair. The expressions of mother and son were identical – indifferent and unmoved.

And what about Liu Zhanyuan’s daughter?

Being so small, she was terrified. She only knew how to cry and wanted her mother. When she tried to approach, she was pushed away by Xu Chunxia.

There were broken porcelain shards all over the floor; what if she got hurt?

But doing things without explaining the reason easily led to misunderstandings. This action made Liu Zhanyuan explode with rage, his fists clenching until they creaked. “Try touching my daughter one more time! When my parents wanted to take the child away, you made a life-and-death fuss and wouldn’t allow it. And this is how you act as a mother? Whenever there’s something good to eat, you secretly give it to your son while my daughter has to watch longingly from the side? You don’t deserve to be a mother!”

Xu Chunxia remained silent as before, the expression on her face not changing at all.

Watching this, Mother Zhan felt a chill in her heart. “Someone who can endure like that, combined with a temperament that loves to shift responsibility onto others when things go wrong… it’s truly frightening to watch.”

She was right. Su Huandan also found such a person terrifying.

But this was simply the daily life of Liu Zhanyuan and Xu Chunxia.

Liu Zhanyuan accused Xu Chunxia of treating their son better than their daughter, but he was actually being unfair. Even though Su Huandan disliked Xu Chunxia, living right across from them forced her to admit in all fairness that Xu Chunxia treated both children equally.

Furthermore, the way Xu Chunxia educated her two children was enough to make anyone do a double take.

Despite her own questionable character, she was teaching both children to follow the right path and become upright people. If you saw it for yourself, wouldn’t you find it remarkable too?

In reality, Xu Chunxia’s two children had a very good relationship. As the older brother, he never forgot to look after his younger sister, and it was a common occurrence for him to give her all the best food. Not wanting her son to feel slighted, Xu Chunxia would occasionally feed him something extra in private. This happened to be caught by Liu Zhanyuan once, and it had become a ready-made excuse for every argument since.

“So, really, what’s the point of living a life like that?” Mother Zhan sighed.

Translator’s Notes