Chapter 108 I think she's really good

That face, which was still radiant and beautiful even without makeup, belonged to Jiang Wanqiu.

When she saw a handsome young military officer sitting opposite Jiang Wanqiu, looking at her with great interest, her anger suddenly surged to the top of her head.

"Oh, who do we have here? With such a big face, you can even come up to the third floor for a private meal?"

A strange, sarcastic voice suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing this, Le Bai frowned and looked over. Jiang Wanqiu also raised her bright almond-shaped eyes, her gaze calmly falling on the newcomer.

Sun Xiaomei slammed the basin she was holding onto the table with a loud bang, crossed her arms, and looked Jiang Wanqiu up and down with a sidelong glance, her sneer undisguised.

"You're really something, Comrade Jiang. You've only been out of the human traffickers' den for a few days? You haven't even had time to get close to Battalion Commander Zhao yet, and you've already hooked up with a new pretty boy?" As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Le Bai, her eyes looking as if she were looking at something unclean. "Tsk tsk, the speed at which you change people is truly an eye-opener for us honest folks."

Because of her previous targeting of Jiang Wanqiu, Sun Xiaomei was directly assigned to the kitchen to do the most tiring work by the leader, and she had been holding a grudge for a long time.

Hearing that Jiang Wanqiu had been abducted, she felt a surge of joy and secretly wished for her to return missing limbs.

No, it would be better if they couldn't come back!

Seeing that Jiang Wanqiu not only didn't suffer any misfortune, but was even able to attend the special training course for cadres, and had a younger and more handsome man by her side, her jealousy and resentment burned so intensely that she lost her mind.

She deliberately raised her voice, continuing in a shrill tone, "That's true, after all, some people have connections. But I must remind you, someone of Battalion Commander Zhao's rank probably wouldn't even be able to get close to this place, right? I wonder what kind of underhanded, seductive tricks you used to climb up here and beg for food!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Le Bai jumped up from his chair, his handsome face flushed with anger.

Although he was young and came from a family of cadres with excellent upbringing, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.

He pointed at Sun Xiaomei, his voice filled with suppressed anger, and sternly shouted, "Comrade Sun Xiaomei! Please watch your words! Don't speak recklessly without evidence; it's very bad for a woman's reputation!"

"I'm talking nonsense?" Sun Xiaomei laughed exaggeratedly. "How am I talking nonsense? Young comrade, you're so young, don't be fooled by some seemingly innocent women! I'm just giving you a friendly reminder, so you don't get sold out and still be counting the money for them!"

She got more and more excited as she spoke, took two steps forward, and stared intently at Le Bai: "Don't you know that some women, on the surface, look like pure white flowers, but inside they are filthy!"

The commotion was quite loud, and the head chef had already stopped what he was doing and looked over with a frown.

Several kitchen helpers downstairs also heard the noise and began to peer upstairs.

The scene became extremely awkward.

Le Bai was so angry at her sharp retort and slander that her lips trembled, and for a moment she didn't know how to refute this shrewish behavior.

“Sun Xiaomei,” Jiang Wanqiu finally spoke, “do I need to recall for you everything—your gossip about me with the students when you were at the affiliated primary school, your repeated accusations of me having improper relationships with men and women, and how you were eventually transferred here by the leaders—one by one? I thought you would behave a little better here and know what happens when you slander others, but I didn’t expect you to be the same as before, without any improvement.”

Sun Xiaomei's face suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant.

She didn't expect Jiang Wanqiu to reveal this to everyone in public.

Looking at her guilty expression, Jiang Wanqiu curled her lips into a mocking smile. From her luscious red lips came words that were even more piercing: "I know you've been eyeing Battalion Commander Zhao for a long time. It's a pity, I think a man as upright as Battalion Commander Zhao would only look at a woman who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him, not a vicious woman like you who only knows how to gossip in the gutter."

Sun Xiaomei felt her sore spot had been touched and instinctively looked at the reactions of those around her.

You should know that when she was transferred to the kitchen, she didn't say that to outsiders.

She tearfully complained to others that she had worked diligently, but was squeezed out of her position by the children of newly arrived cadres, which aroused the sympathy of many people, who then took care of her in daily life.

Now that Jiang Wanqiu had exposed her in public, she felt her face burning with embarrassment, but for a moment she didn't know how to refute him.

"You're talking nonsense! You shameless vixen!" Sun Xiaomei was furious and completely tore off the mask of civility. She pointed at Jiang Wanqiu's nose and cursed, "You got away with your ambiguous relationship with Gu Feiyan before, and now you've hooked up with a new man and you still dare to talk about me? I think you're the filthiest one!"

Her gaze then turned to Le Bai, scrutinizing him from head to toe with utter disdain: "And you! A grown man with such delicate skin, looking like a woman, neither male nor female! You're obviously no good!"

Le Bai has rosy lips and white teeth, inheriting her mother's good looks, and has been praised since she was a child.

But this was the first time in all his years that he had been insulted like this, and he was so angry that he didn't know what to do. All he could manage to say was politely, "Comrade, please correct your attitude! It is extremely impolite to insult someone's appearance!"

“Sun Xiaomei, I advise you to watch your mouth.” Jiang Wanqiu also slammed her hand on the table and stood up. “The man in front of you is Commander Le’s own son, Comrade Le Bai.”

"What?" Sun Xiaomei was stunned for a moment, then began to mock with great disdain, "Impossible! Don't try to fool me! Everyone knows that Commander Le's son went abroad a long time ago, how could you possibly..."

"Shut up!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, interrupted Sun Xiaomei's incoherent ramblings.

The head chef, a tall and burly man holding a large iron ladle, had somehow appeared and was now glaring angrily at Sun Xiaomei. "Don't you dare speak rudely to Comrade Le Bai! Don't you know you can't keep your mouth shut? Even if he's not the commander's son, you can't treat a young comrade like this!"

At this moment, a middle-aged man in his fifties hurriedly ran up from downstairs; he was the one who had brought Sun Xiaomei.

When he saw this, his face darkened, and he rushed over and slapped Sun Xiaomei on the back.

"Sun Xiaomei! What's wrong with you! Apologize to Comrade Le Bai and Comrade Jiang right now!"

Sun Xiaomei staggered from the blow, feeling both resentful and aggrieved. She stubbornly retorted, "I won't apologize! I'm telling the truth! If there's nothing going on between them, why would they come here in the middle of the day for a private meal? Is this a place Jiang Wanqiu should be?!"

"Because of my sister." Upon hearing this, Le Bai hurriedly explained to the people around him, "Comrade Jiang was abducted before, which is related to my sister Le Yunyun. I specially invited Comrade Jiang to dinner today because I want to apologize to her on behalf of my sister."

He spoke frankly and openly, and the head chef nodded approvingly, thinking to himself, "No wonder he's the commander's son. He's only ten years old, yet he understands human relationships so well and has a sense of responsibility."

Then look at Sun Xiaomei, it's truly infuriating to compare yourself to others.

He immediately slammed the iron ladle onto the stove with a loud clang, pointed at Sun Xiaomei's nose, and shouted, "Sun Xiaomei! You, right now, immediately, at this moment! Go back and write a thousand-word self-criticism! Then go home and reflect on your actions for three days! Let me tell you, if you don't want to work here anymore, our little temple is too small to accommodate a big shot like you! You can leave on your own!"

The old craftsman knew that things had gotten out of hand, and if he didn't handle it properly, he would also suffer the consequences.

Without saying a word, he grabbed Sun Xiaomei's arm and dragged her downstairs, yelling, "You troublemaker, get out of here!"

As Sun Xiaomei was being dragged along, she turned back unwillingly, her resentful gaze fixed on Jiang Wanqiu's excessively beautiful face.

Seeing that the person had disappeared at the bottom of the stairs, Le Bai looked at Jiang Wanqiu with a face full of apology: "I'm sorry, Comrade Jiang, I didn't expect that China would be so conservative. It was just a meal for you, and it has caused you so much trouble. I will be more careful next time... I will definitely be more careful next time."

Seeing his self-reproachful yet somewhat confused expression, Jiang Wanqiu's displeasure dissipated.

She shook her head and said gently, "It's not your fault. Some people have dirty hearts, so they see everything as dirty. We are upright and have nothing to be afraid of."

Before long, the head chef himself came over carrying a large earthenware basin and two plates of vegetables.

"Come on, Comrade Le Bai, Comrade Jiang, the dishes are here!"

A large pot of braised pig's trotters, glistening with oil and exuding a rich, savory aroma, sits alongside a plate of braised fish and a plate of Kung Pao chicken. Steaming hot and fragrant, the aroma fills the air.

Looking at the sumptuous dishes, Jiang Wanqiu tentatively looked at the head chef and asked somewhat shyly, "Master, could I... could I pack another portion to take away? There's a patient in the hospital who was abducted several years ago and has just recovered. I'd like to bring her some good food to help her recover."

Upon hearing this, Le Bai immediately thought of Cui Hua, knowing that Jiang Wanqiu was referring to Minister Cui's daughter.

I never expected this woman to be so kind-hearted. She had just come out of such a dangerous place, yet she still cared about others. She was completely different from her sister who beat and abused her at the drop of a hat.

For the first time, Le Bai felt a genuine sense of respect and affection for a woman.

He immediately said to the somewhat hesitant chef, "Master, then please pack another one for us according to this standard."

The head chef nodded in relief after hearing Le Bai speak.

Half an hour later, Jiang Wanqiu carried a heavy aluminum lunchbox and strode into the health center.

However, when she pushed open Cui Hua's hospital room door, she was stunned.

The hospital bed was empty, the blankets were neatly folded, as if no one had ever lived there.

Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly walked to the bedside table and found that the lavender scented candle she had lit before leaving to calm her nerves had been extinguished and thrown into the trash can.

She quickly grabbed a passing nurse and asked anxiously, "Hello, comrade! Where is the patient in this ward? The girl named Cui Hua."

The nurse glanced at her and replied, "Oh, you mean her? She was picked up about half an hour ago."

"They picked her up? Who picked her up?"

"Dr. Lin, Comrade Lin Mengyao."