Early the next morning, Ji Shuyu went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things. Just as she reached the entrance, she overheard two army dependents whispering.
“Did you hear about what happened at the beach yesterday? Apparently, it wasn’t that Lin Feifei deliberately framed Commander He—it was Ji Shuyu who was too aggressive and pushed Lin Feifei into a corner.”
“Yeah, I also heard from someone in the cultural troupe that as soon as Ji Shuyu arrived, she put on the airs of an officer’s wife, treating Lin Feifei with nothing but disdain. A young girl like Lin Feifei—how could she handle such intimidation?”
Ji Shuyu paused, raising an eyebrow.
She didn’t need to think hard to know that these rumors had definitely been spread by Lin Feifei.
She wasn’t angered, though. She walked straight to the counter and said to Xiao Zhang with a smile, “I’d like two jin of white sugar and a bar of soap.”
Xiao Zhang was straightforward and honest. Seeing Ji Shuyu, she quickly handed over the items and lowered her voice.
“Sister Shuyu, don’t listen to those gossips. I heard all about what happened at the beach yesterday—it was Lin Feifei who was in the wrong. You did the right thing! We army wives should be just like that—protecting our men and our homes!”
Ji Shuyu took the items, paid, and thanked her with a smile. “Thank you for understanding. The clear will remain clear, and the muddy will stay muddy. I don’t care what others say.”
Xiao Zhang beamed and gave Ji Shuyu a few extra items, saying that Director Wang had specifically set them aside for her.
Sister Shuyu was the most important person to their supply and marketing cooperative.
Ever since Director Wang mentioned that the cooperative’s current success was all thanks to Ji Shuyu, Xiao Zhang had admired her immensely.
“Oh, by the way, Sister Shuyu, Director Wang has hired a new staff member. She asked me to check with you when I had time—what luck running into you today! If you’re free, could you come and train her?”
Xiao Zhang herself had been trained by Ji Shuyu.
Now, she knew exactly what to say to different people.
Many of the cooperative’s regular customers came half for the products and half for Xiao Zhang.
This girl was far more likable than the previous Xiao Zhou.
“Sure, when will she start? I can come that day.”
“She’ll start the day after tomorrow. I’ll let Director Wang know.”
After saying goodbye to Xiao Zhang, Ji Shuyu left the supply and marketing cooperative.
She clearly hadn’t taken the dependents’ words to heart.
But while she didn’t care, He Yuan did.
When He Yuan heard people gossiping about Ji Shuyu behind her back that day, his face darkened.
Right in front of the husbands of those chatty dependents, he issued a stern warning.
He said that if he heard any more of such loose talk, they shouldn’t blame him for not sparing their dignity.
Everyone knew He Yuan’s temper—usually mild with his comrades, but if his bottom line was crossed,
especially where Ji Shuyu was concerned, he wouldn’t hold back.
Unaware of all this, Ji Shuyu was at the He residence, talking with Wang Shufen.
Wang Shufen felt it wasn’t right for Ji Shuyu to keep staying at Su Wenjuan’s place.
Now that Li Cuihua had left and He Qiang wasn’t around, the house was quiet.
Ji Shuyu also felt it wasn’t good to trouble Su Wenjuan for too long.
Last time, He Yuan had told her that the application for the family quarters was already being processed. If things went smoothly, it would be approved within a month.
They could move in then.
So she thought it would be better to move back home for now.
“Alright then, I’ll have He Ze and He Han help you move your things. In your condition, it’s better to be at home where I can look after you.”
Wang Shufen was, of course, very happy. After all, with so many people gone recently, the house had felt far too quiet.
When Su Wenjuan heard that Ji Shuyu was moving out, she felt a little reluctant to see her go.
But she understood—it wasn’t Ji Shuyu’s own home, after all.
After helping pack up Ji Shuyu’s things, Su Wenjuan held her hand and said, “Shuyu, whenever you feel like staying here again, just let me know. My home will always be your home too.”
Ji Shuyu nodded, gathered her things, and left.
Meanwhile, Lin Feifei was in the cultural troupe’s rehearsal room, pretending to be upset as she complained to a colleague.
“I really didn’t do it on purpose, I was just too scared at the time… Battalion Commander He’s wife seems to have misunderstood me. Now everyone is speaking ill of me, I… I really don’t know what to do.”
A girl who usually got along well with Lin Feifei quickly comforted her.
“Feifei, don’t be sad. We know you’re not that kind of person. Ji Shuyu just arrived, so she might not understand the situation yet. It’ll be fine after some time has passed.”
Lin Feifei lowered her head, hiding the smugness in her eyes.
This was exactly the effect she wanted.
As long as everyone saw her as the victim and viewed Ji Shuyu as aggressive and harsh, sooner or later, He Yuan would grow tired of Ji Shuyu. Then, she could seize the opportunity.
But what she didn’t expect was that Ji Shuyu paid no mind to these rumors at all.
She and He Yuan had a marriage certified by the organization.
Wasn’t what Lin Feifei was doing just the behavior of a mistress?
But if Lin Feifei herself saw nothing wrong with it, there wasn’t much Ji Shuyu could do about her.
After all, there are all kinds of birds in the forest.
So Ji Shuyu came up with a plan. It turned out there was still some surplus stock left from the last large shipment she had given to Director Wang.
She asked He Yuan to distribute it among the leaders and comrades he was close with.
As the saying goes, it’s hard to bite the hand that feeds you.
Wasn’t Lin Feifei fond of using public opinion to build momentum?
As if no one else could do the same. Back in the modern era, Ji Shuyu had witnessed countless online fights on Weibo.
The combat effectiveness of those people was comparable to World War II. Lin Feifei’s childish tricks weren’t even worth noticing.
The surplus stock Ji Shuyu asked He Yuan to distribute wasn’t just ordinary needles and thread.
In the last shipment to the supply and marketing cooperative, there had been a batch of Shanghai-produced snow cream and several bolts of colorfast corduroy fabric—all rare and highly sought-after items in this era.
Although He Yuan didn’t understand these feminine products, he handled anything Ji Shuyu asked him to do with utmost care.
The next day during lunch break, He Yuan carried two canvas bags and first went to the office.
His superior’s wife had mentioned to him a few days ago that she wanted to buy snow cream for their daughter but hadn’t been able to get any.
“Sir, Shuyu asked me to bring this. Please let your wife and child use it.”
He Yuan’s tone was casual, but he made sure to mention Ji Shuyu’s name.
When the superior saw the contents of the bag, his eyes lit up. He patted He Yuan on the shoulder and laughed.
“You’re a lucky man! Not only is your wife Shuyu capable, but she’s also so thoughtful!”
After that, He Yuan visited the homes of several close comrades, giving each a small jar of snow cream or half a bolt of fabric.
The comrades’ wives were overjoyed to receive the gifts.
He Yuan didn’t say much else, only mentioning that Shuyu had said everyone usually looked out for him, and they shouldn’t mind these small tokens.
To others, these words reflected both Ji Shuyu’s considerateness and subtly highlighted the unity between her and He Yuan as a couple.
Where was the marital discord Lin Feifei had spoken of?
These words seemed to take on legs, spreading throughout the family quarters within a couple of days.
Several dependents who had previously joined in gossiping about Ji Shuyu now greeted Wang Shufen proactively, their tones full of politeness.
“Sister Shufen, that daughter-in-law of yours, Shuyu, is truly capable. She even remembers us old neighbors.”
Wang Shufen understood the situation perfectly, but she just smiled and played along. “That child is simply sincere—she doesn’t have a scheming bone in her body.”
After Ji Shuyu moved back to the He family home, her days became even more settled.
Wang Shufen prepared nutritious meals for her in various ways each day: millet porridge with boiled eggs in the morning, a bowl of fish soup at noon, and soft, well-cooked noodles in the evening.
One day, as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were eating together, He Ze came over.
“Third Sister-in-law, didn’t you… didn’t you give some snow cream to a few of the military dependents through Third Brother?”
“Someone said their face broke out after using that snow cream, and they’re coming here to confront you!”
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