"Hmm," Xu Xiuxiu instantly snapped back to reality and turned her head to see Zhao Nan standing beside her. The little fellow was craning his neck, tugging at her clothes, "What's wrong, Nannan?" Xu Xiuxiu looked at Zhao Nan, deeply afraid that the words from Ma Xiaohua had made the little one sensitive.
This child was always so intelligent and well-behaved that it was heartbreaking.
"Auntie, can you co down a bit, I have sothing to tell you." Zhao Nan struggled to pull Xu Xiuxiu's body down to his height. The little guy tip-toed to whisper in Xu Xiuxiu's ear, "I won't tell anyone that you cured my face, not even daddy." He patted his chest in assurance and then, with a bright smile towards Xu Xiuxiu, he turned and ran into the house.
Xu Xiuxiu bent over and stood there for a long while, her body stiff. Then she finally realized why Zhao Nan had spoken and her heart lightened with laughter, thinking that, for such an understanding child as Zhao Nan, it was worth it even if it caused trouble!
At noon, Song Yuanhuan did not return to the dormitory, so Xu Xiuxiu could only go to the canteen to get so food for lunch. There, she encountered Ma Xiaohua, who was also getting her al: "You from Major Song's family are a capable person who runs a big restaurant in the city, used to delicacies of every kind. Can you even stomach our army canteen's simple fare? Do you need to ask Chef Lao Niu to cook a special al for you?" Ma Xiaohua saw Xu Xiuxiu and began to mock her coldly. Xu Xiuxiu, feeling irritated, had to calm herself by pretending the person in front of her was rely a performing clown in order to suppress her temper.
"Could you please get a serving of braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, and tofu with preserved vegetables soup?" Xu Xiuxiu casually requested after scanning the day's nu, and with a stern expression, she looked at Ma Xiaohua: "Actually, I'm quite satisfied with the army canteen's food, Sister-in-law He doesn't need to be so polite." Although she did not want to argue, Xu Xiuxiu did not see the need to put up with Ma Xiaohua's nonsense. My Virtual Library Empire (*) hosts the original.
"Hmph," Ma Xiaohua scoffed at Xu Xiuxiu with a disdainful roll of her eyes.
"You from Major Song's household, you're here to get food too? Have you finished? Do you want to walk back together?" The person calling Xu Xiuxiu was Yan Molin, who held her own tray of food and stood behind Xu Xiuxiu, watching her.
"Mrs. Xu, I'll be done soon," Xu Xiuxiu responded, then directed her gaze toward Ma Xiaohua: "Could you hurry, Sister-in-law He? If you're too busy, can I ask Vice Squad Leader Qian to help with the food?" Xu Xiuxiu saw that Ma Xiaohua still did not seem inclined to serve her, so she directly addressed Qian Fuyou, who was standing nearby, looking embarrassed and unable to intervene.
"Okay! Sister-in-law, please wait a mont, I'll get it for you right away," Qian Fuyou agreed amiably, reaching past Ma Xiaohua to quickly fetch the als. He even gave a generous portion.
"Thank you, Vice Squad Leader Qian, you've worked hard," Xu Xiuxiu took the food that Qian Fuyou had dished out, thanked him, and then turned to leave the canteen without giving Ma Xiaohua another glance.
Upon seeing this, Ma Xiaohua's hand clenched the serving spoon so tightly that her veins bulged.
Yan Moli had finished serving the al and was standing outside waiting. Xu Xiuxiu saw this and walked up with her own al. "Mrs. Xu, sorry about that! Did I keep you waiting too long? Sister-in-law He and I had so minor disagreents…"
"I know, Ma Xiaohua is just the type to turn against soone over small benefits. You'll get used to it," Yan Moli interrupted Xu Xiuxiu's explanation with indifference. Having had her own lessons with Ma Xiaohua, she empathized with Xu Xiuxiu's helplessness. "Alright, since we're about the sa age, stop calling 'sister-in-law' all the ti. Just call by my na," Yan Moli requested with a faint smile.
"Sure!" Xu Xiuxiu responded briskly. "You can call Xiuxiu too. To be honest, I'm also not very accustod to the constant 'sister-in-law' this and 'junior' that which everyone uses around the troops."
"Okay." Yan Moli liked Xu Xiuxiu's straightforward nature and naturally had no objections to becoming friendlier with her. "Do you know why Ma Xiaohua suddenly targeted you?" Being always in the Military District, Yan Moli was aware of the overall situation and wanted to give Xu Xiuxiu a heads-up since she knew Xu Xiuxiu wasn't often with the military.
"Why?" Although she had refused Ma Xiaohua's request to help her get a job at the Sichuan Pavilion last ti, that didn't an Ma Xiaohua had the right to suddenly show her true colors, did it? They were all military wives and neighbors; was it really necessary to fight and lose face?
"Recently, Lieutenant Colonel Sun Qihui from the Military District is set to be promoted, so the army has put forward four suitable candidates for promotion. The provisional candidates are four people: Political Commissar Zhao Jian Country from the special forces, Major Li Yunqiang from the Tiger Group's Second Company, Political Commissar He Jingzhi from the Wolf Group's Third Company, and Major Song Yuanhuan, the special forces squadron commander. These four individuals are said to have noteworthy achievents, and initially, anyone could have been promoted. But not long ago, Zhao Jian Country and your husband Song Yuanhuan went on a mission, right? I heard they completed it with outstanding results and it's more or less decided that the selected candidate would be between them two," Yan Moli said, her expression one of congratulations as she looked at Xu Xiuxiu. Although nothing was confird, it was still sothing worth being happy about; after all, it ant their n were going to be promoted and prosper!
Song Yuanhuan might be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel? A wave of pride surged in Xu Xiuxiu's heart at the thought. The admirable Song Yuanhuan she was proud of was her man! She rejoiced at the idea, but then, upon deeper reflection, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
There were many talented people in the military, yet opportunities for advancent were scarce. For a soldier without strong backing, she knew how herculean a task promotion could be, and though Xu Xiuxiu might not have understood everything, she could guess the basic rules. Song Yuanhuan must have put in an incalculable amount of effort and sacrifice to climb to his current position. How could she not worry?
"Do you know how long Ma Xiaohua's man has been in his current position?" Yan Moli saw no signs of smugness on Xu Xiuxiu's face and knew she was dealing with a clever woman who knew her limits. She appreciated Xu Xiuxiu even more and decided to share what she knew, not that Xu Xiuxiu could necessarily do much about it, but to prepare her for any underhanded actions from Ma Xiaohua.
Well! This promotion round had nothing to do with her own man, but every ti soone was promoted, it ant a vacancy further down the line which might not necessarily fall to Xu He Ping. It was, however, a rare opportunity.
Besides, Song Yuanhuan's promotion this ti was almost a done deal. If Song Yuanhuan was willing to lend a hand to Xu He Ping, then he wouldn't have to continue suffering in his current position. Knowing Xu He Ping as she did, Yan Moli understood that he had already suffered in silence for too long. As the woman who had held him back, she couldn't help but feel guilty.
"..." Could Xu Xiuxiu spare any ti to understand the basic affairs of the Military District? How could she possibly know how long Ma Xiaohua's man had been stationed for? With a headache, Xu Xiuxiu looked at Yan Moli with a puzzled expression, clearly seeking an explanation.
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