Song Wei was dragged along by the girl, who kept talking—her enthusiasm was almost unnervingly excessive.
When an auntie called out to the girl, she reluctantly left, but not without trying to prolong the interaction.
“Where are you staying now? I’ll come visit you when I have time!”
Song Wei’s eyelid twitched. “That… might not be convenient. I have two dogs at home, and they’re a bit aggressive.”
We’re not that close yet.
Despite her polite refusal, the girl acted as though she hadn’t heard her.
“I’m not afraid of dogs; I love them!”
“Hey, Su Li, your sister is calling you. Let’s talk another time. We need to get going.”
After Auntie Lian pulled Song Wei away, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. That girl’s approach was blatantly intentional, and Song Wei didn’t appreciate such forced enthusiasm.
“She spooked you a bit, didn’t she?”
Once they were far away, Auntie Lian stopped and explained, “That girl’s name is Su Li. She’s from the cultural troupe of our unit. Normally, she acts all high and mighty around us, as if she looks down on us military wives. I’ve never seen her act like that before.”
Song Wei wasn’t naive and quickly deduced why Su Li had been so eager to interact with her.
As expected, Auntie Lian lowered her voice and said, “It’s no secret that she likes your brother. A lot of girls do. But your brother doesn’t seem interested in dating anyone. Su Li must’ve heard about you and wanted to try her luck through you.”
Song Wei nodded. “So my brother’s quite popular around here, huh?”
“Of course! Just look at him—handsome and capable. If I were twenty years younger, I’d fancy him too! He’s easy on the eyes.”
Although people back then were conservative in their thinking, they weren’t shy when talking about marriage. Married women often had open conversations, even making jokes that could make men blush.
“You know, your brother’s good looks and skills naturally attract attention. But honestly, Su Li doesn’t seem like a good match for him.”
Song Wei perked up. “Why do you say that, Auntie?”
“Su Li is the third child in her family. She has an older brother and sister, and a younger brother. Her family clearly favors the boys. That alone wouldn’t be a problem, but her family is notorious for treating their married daughters like cash cows.”
“Her eldest sister, Su Yu, married Deputy Battalion Commander Deng of the Fourth Battalion. He was on track to become a battalion commander, but her family ruined it. Su Yu’s older brother didn’t have a job, so her family shamelessly asked Deng to arrange one. Naturally, Deng’s family wasn’t happy about it, and things got messy. At the time, Su Yu was pregnant, and her family manipulated her into threatening Deng with the baby.
“In the end, Deng had no choice but to pull strings and find her brother a job. But the situation escalated and caught the attention of the higher-ups. Deng was reprimanded for failing to manage his family, and his promotion was given to another deputy battalion commander.”
Auntie snorted before continuing, “As for Su Li, she got into the cultural troupe through her sister’s connections. She’s pretty, but her attitude is terrible. Some of the other aunts tried to set her up with potential matches, but she not only rejected them, she bad-mouthed the aunts behind their backs. Word got around, and no one wanted to introduce her to anyone anymore. But now, she’s got her eyes on your brother.”
Auntie’s tone was tinged with disdain. Su Li wasn’t the worst-looking girl, but her temper and family situation made her a poor choice. Besides, better women had shown interest in Song Wei’s brother.
She leaned closer to Song Wei and whispered, “You should warn your brother to avoid her.”
Song Wei nodded.
“You know, it’s odd. Your brother used to be polite around women, even if he wasn’t interested. But lately, he seems to run off whenever one approaches him. People in the unit joke that he’s scared of women.”
Song Wei’s expression turned a bit awkward. She figured it had something to do with the time in Ping’an Brigade when Xu Laidi almost caused trouble.
Still, a little wariness wasn’t a bad thing—so long as it didn’t leave a lasting trauma.
“By the way, Su Li’s younger brother is looking for a job now. Who knows if Deputy Battalion Commander Deng will get dragged into this mess again? Their family doesn’t seem to spare any of their daughters’ connections…”
After helping Auntie Lian pick some vegetables and gossiping, Song Wei returned home to do laundry.
That evening, Lin Zhen came back with a surprise—he had managed to get a camera!
The moment Song Wei saw it, her eyes widened.
“Where did you get this?”
“The black market,” Lin Zhen replied nonchalantly.
He explained that he had scoped out the black market in the area. Although he usually avoided such places, he had been there before for undercover work, so he understood how they operated.
“I’ve been thinking about making some money here,” Lin Zhen said. “This place has more electronics than up north. I want to buy some and sell them back home.”
Hearing this, Song Wei immediately took out her savings.
“Take this too. Use it for your business.”
Lin Zhen ruffled her hair, smiling. “Aren’t you worried I might lose it all?”
“What’s there to worry about?” Song Wei said. “If we lose money, we’ll find a way to earn it back. We can always search for wild ginseng or hunt game to sell.”
Her confidence made Lin Zhen’s heart swell. Overcome with affection, he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
The soft touch and her light fragrance left him momentarily stunned.
Song Wei blinked, equally surprised.
Seeing the normally rugged man turn beet red and avoid her gaze, she couldn’t help but laugh.
She cupped his face and, standing on tiptoe, quickly kissed his lips.
Lin Zhen’s face turned even redder, but his smile was impossible to hide.
“Go make dinner,” Song Wei said with a playful kick.
Lin Zhen nodded dazedly and shuffled to the kitchen, where he chopped vegetables with a silly grin, occasionally sneaking glances at Song Wei.
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