"Hey, look, look! Is this still the Captain Xiao we know?" Liu Cuihua spoke first. She always had a loud voice, but at this moment she deliberately lowered her voice, with a bit of exaggeration and ridicule in her tone.

"Who said it wasn't? Normally in the army, his face was as stiff as ice, and who would dare to look at him for even a second? And now? Wow, he's just like a completely different person!" Another military wife, Li Aihong, couldn't help but agree. As she spoke, she gently nudged Wang Li beside her with her elbow.

Wang Li smiled, her eyes narrowed into slits. "You don't understand this, do you? What do you call this? This is called 'a tough guy with a soft heart'! The more serious a man is in normal times, the more unbridled his love for his wife will be!"

"That's right! Look at Captain Xiao, and then look at the one in our family..." Liu Cuihua couldn't help but sigh, her tone filled with a hint of resentment and envy. "Oh, comparing yourself to others is really frustrating!"

"Alright, alright, stop complaining!" Li Aihong smiled and patted Liu Cuihua on the shoulder. "Although our man isn't as attentive as Captain Xiao, he's a real man and treats us well! Contentment is the key to happiness!"

"That's what I said..." Liu Cuihua wanted to say something else but was interrupted by Wang Li.

"Shh, keep your noise down! Don't wake up Captain Xiao's wife!" Wang Li said, and nodded in the direction of Chen Xiaoru.

The military wives then realized that they had lost their composure and quickly stopped laughing. However, they couldn't help but glance at Xiao Lang and Chen Xiaoru from the corner of their eyes.

They all knew clearly in their hearts that Captain Xiao truly loved his wife to the core! Look at Chen Xiaoru, she was sleeping so soundly that she was almost drooling, but Captain Xiao didn't move a muscle, afraid to wake her up. If it were their family, they would have slapped her in the face a long time ago!

However, despite their envy, they were more happy for Chen Xiaoru. After all, it was not easy to find a man who truly loved you these days! Especially a man like Xiao Lang, who was capable, responsible, and handsome, was even harder to find!

Xiao Lang was naturally unaware of the secrets going on in the minds of the military wives. All his attention was now focused on Chen Xiaoru. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, his heart softened. He even secretly reached out and gently tucked her hair behind her ear, his movements as gentle as if she were a rare treasure.

The purchasing car was bumpy all the way, but Chen Xiaoru slept very soundly. Her little head rested on Xiao Lang's shoulder, swaying gently with the swaying of the car body, like a lazy kitten.

After half an hour of bumpy and shaking, the purchasing vehicle finally lurched into Ping'an Town. Xiao Lang patted Chen Xiaoru's shoulder and said softly, "Xiaoru, wake up. We're in town."

Chen Xiaoru rubbed her sleepy eyes and replied in a daze, "Um...are we there?" Her voice was still hoarse and soft from just waking up.

Xiao Lang's heart almost melted when he saw her confused look. His voice softened unconsciously: "Well, we're here. Let's get off!"

"Okay..." Chen Xiaoru nodded obediently and followed Xiao Lang out of the car.

As soon as she stood firm, Chen Xiaoru's stomach started to growl. She covered her stomach embarrassedly and looked at Xiao Lang pitifully: "Xiao Lang, I'm so hungry..." The tone of her voice was just like a little kitten begging for food.

Xiao Lang couldn't stand this and immediately said softly, "Let's go to the state-owned restaurant to fill our stomachs first."

"Hmm!" Chen Xiaoru's eyes lit up and she immediately became energetic, "I want to eat meat buns and hot dumplings!" She didn't know what was going on. She was not so greedy usually, but today she especially wanted to eat these two things. Maybe she smelled the fragrance in her dream just now?

Xiao Lang looked at her greedy look and couldn't help laughing: "Okay! It's up to you. We'll eat whatever you want!" Not to mention buns and dumplings, even if it was the moon in the sky, he would want to pick it down for her!

When Chen Xiaoru heard this, she immediately smiled and held Xiao Lang's arm tightly, as if she was afraid that he would run away. She felt very happy in her heart. It was great to have a man who doted on her like this!

The two walked side by side towards the state-owned restaurant. Chen Xiaoru was still immersed in the delicious food she was about to eat, completely unaware of the glances from those around her. Her mind was now filled with the aroma of meat buns and dumplings, and her steps became a little lighter.

Suddenly, there was a whisper from the side. The voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for Chen Xiaoru to hear clearly.

"Oh, look at that woman, going to a state-owned restaurant with her man. It's obvious that she doesn't know how to live!"

"This guy is such a spendthrift, he doesn't know how to save money at all. He probably wants to eat meat buns and dumplings, but those are so expensive!"

"That's right. These days, it's not easy for anyone. Every penny earned is wasted. But she still wants to eat out and doesn't know how to save money. Look how spoiled her husband is. He really lets her do whatever she wants!"

"We can't learn from her. We have to control our men and not let them spend money recklessly!"

Several women stood in the shade next to the supply and marketing cooperative, cracking melon seeds while glancing at Chen Xiaoru and Xiao Lang from the corner of their eyes. They made tsk-tsk sounds, as if appraising some goods. Their voices were quiet, but loud enough for the people nearby to hear clearly. The sour taste in their voices could be smelled from a distance, like spilled vinegar.

Chen Xiaoru had been enjoying the delicious food, her steps brisk. Hearing these words, she paused, her face darkening. She hadn't wanted to pay attention to these gossips, but their words were too much, fabricating lies and maliciously slandering her.

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