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◎The King of Scrolls, Day Forty-Three◎
"Oh my! It's Sister-in-law Jiang! And Sister Wanzhou too!" Su Xiaomei put down her suitcase and walked over quickly, beaming. "I never expected we'd become neighbors! What a coincidence!"
Shen Xinglian smiled and went to greet her: "Yes, it's Su Zhiqing, what a coincidence. And this is...?"
Her gaze fell on the man in the courtyard.
"Oh, this is my husband, Jun Yangjian, the newly transferred deputy regimental commander," Su Xiaomei introduced, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible pride, before calling out into the courtyard.
“Yang Jian, come and see, this is the Jiang family I often mention to you, Sister Shen and Sister Jiang.”
Jun Yangjian walked over upon hearing the sound. He had a square face and his brows were habitually furrowed, making him look very serious.
He nodded to Shen Xinglian and Jiang Wanzhou as a greeting, his voice loud but cold: "Hello, we'll be neighbors from now on, please take care of me."
His gaze seemed to linger briefly on Shen Xinglian, with a hint of scrutiny.
At this moment, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old peeked out from the house. She had two long, shiny braids, a round face, and big eyes that exuded a shrewdness that seemed out of place for her age.
She is Jun Yangjian's younger sister, Jun Yanghong.
Jiang Wanzhou quickly explained.
"Brother, sister-in-law, the bed in my room is a bit shaky, could you help me take a look?" Jun Yanghong's voice was sweet and clear, and her eyes quickly swept over Shen Xinglian and Jiang Wanzhou.
Finally, the sound fell on Zhou Qingyu, who had just come out from the backyard after hearing the noise.
Zhou Qingyu wore a simple white shirt and military green trousers, and stood tall and straight.
His handsome appearance and composed demeanor stood out in the somewhat cluttered environment.
Jun Yanghong's gaze was immediately fixed on him.
Shen Xinglian said to Zhou Qingyu, "Sister Su, we were both sent-down youths back then, so I won't introduce you."
Zhou Qingyu politely nodded to Jun Yangjian and Su Xiaomei, and only gave Jun Yanghong a brief glance as a greeting, before naturally walking to Jiang Wanzhou's side.
He asked in a low voice, "I should go."
Jun Yanghong's smile froze for a moment, then blossomed into an even sweeter one. She stepped forward and said, "Technician Zhou is from Beijing? I was immediately struck by his talent when I met him at the exchange meeting. Beijing must be incredibly prosperous, right? I've always wanted to visit it since I was a child!"
She was trying to stir up a conversation.
Zhou Qingyu frowned almost imperceptibly, her tone distant yet polite: "It's alright. Comrades, you've just moved in, there must be a lot to settle in, we won't disturb you any longer."
After saying that, he nodded to Jun Yangjian and Su Xiaomei again, then naturally took the half-finished shoe sole from Jiang Wanzhou's hand, looked at it, and said gently, "No rush, take your time, don't hurt your eyes."
Then he greeted Shen Xinglian.
Jiang Wanzhou said to Su Xiaomei and Jun Yangjian, "Sister Xiaomei, Deputy Commander Jun, you go ahead with your work. Just let us know if you need any help."
She pulled Shen Xinglian back to her own courtyard and closed the gate.
Isolated from the outside noise, Shen Xinglian lowered her voice and said to Jiang Wanzhou, "I didn't expect it to be her. It seems that being the wife of the regimental commander isn't so easy for her."
Jiang Wanzhou stroked the sole of the shoe in her hand, feeling a strange sensation in her heart.
"This is the original female lead, and she still became the female lead in a stepmother novel."
"you mean……"
Shen Xinglian handed Shen Mingyuan to Zhou Qingyu: "This kid thinks about you taking him to buy candy every day."
Zhou Qingyu naturally took Mingyuan, who was flailing his little arms. The little guy immediately hugged his neck familiarly and emphasized in his childish voice, "Sugar Man! The biggest one!"
“Okay, the biggest one.” A genuine smile appeared in Zhou Qingyu’s eyes. She weighed the heavy little one in her arms, then looked at Shen Xinglian and Jiang Wanzhou, her tone regaining its usual composure.
"Sister-in-law, Wanzhou, there's a technical research meeting in the team this afternoon, so don't cook lunch for me."
Jiang Wanzhou nodded: "Go quickly, important business is more important."
She casually straightened the slightly wrinkled shoulder line of Zhou Qingyu's shirt when she was holding the child, her movements natural and conveying the intimacy of family.
Jiang Wanzhou also said softly, "Drive carefully."
Zhou Qingyu hummed in agreement, her gaze lingering on Jiang Wanzhou's face for a moment.
Then, he carried Mingyuan away.
Watching Zhou Qingyu walk away with the child in her arms, Jun Yangjian looked away and impatiently directed the orderly to move the heavy objects.
Su Xiaomei gently coaxed her stepdaughter.
Shen Xinglian pulled Jiang Wanzhou a few steps into her own yard to make sure the sound wouldn't carry.
"These historical fiction stories are either about farming or serving as a control group." She gestured towards the neighbor next door, "Since she's the female lead, aren't we just cannon fodder and the control group?"
Jiang Wanzhou stroked the half-finished shoe sole in her hands, and the strange feeling in her heart became clearer.
"That's what I think too. Female-oriented novels usually revolve around the female lead. If the female lead changes her official partner, the older brother will no longer have the male lead's halo."
She recalled the brief descriptions in the original novel of Su Xiaomei's life after marrying a divorced military officer.
Fate seems to have a powerful inertia.
Shen Xinglian chuckled, her expression serene and insightful: "So what if she was the original female lead? She chose her own path. She chose the glory of being the deputy commander, so she has to bear the trivialities behind that glory."
She paused, her eyes sharpening. "The original female lead is now my neighbor. The way her sister-in-law looked at Zhou Qingyu just now, she's no pushover. We've just started to settle down, and something feels off."
"But to what extent do we need to go?"
Jiang Wanzhou nodded; Shen Xinglian's concerns were exactly what she was worried about.
Jiang Wanzhou took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and focused her gaze on the soles of the shoes she had carefully made.
Those dense stitches represent her hopes for the future.
"We've survived the ordeal; every extra day we live is a bonus."
Seeing that her expression quickly returned to calm, Shen Xinglian patted her shoulder approvingly: "That's right! Who cares about the original female lead or any reborn woman? Let's just live our own lives. We'll deal with whatever comes our way!"
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves. "Let's go cook! Mingyuan was taken out by Zhou Qingyu, and he'll definitely be complaining about being hungry soon. This one can eat a lot. You don't know how picky I was when I raised him. This one can eat and drink a lot, which satisfies my wishes."
"The bond between mother and son is over. Let's start afresh. What should you call yourself? Get a new number."
"And what about you? You still don't want to have a child?"
The two women smiled at each other, shutting out the noise from next door, and turned to go into the kitchen.
The island sun was still blazing, and the courtyard was filled with the aroma of food.
As Zhou Qingyu carried Mingyuan along the camp road, she pondered the brief conversation they had just had.
It seems that Wanzhou and her sister-in-law have something to do.
Jun Yanghong's overly eager gaze also displeased him. It seemed that in the future, besides work, he would have to be more careful about his behavior to avoid causing unnecessary trouble for Wanzhou.
He lifted the little one in his arms and thought to himself that he should hurry up and marry Wanzhou so that he could rightfully protect her.
Meanwhile, in the Jun family's house, separated by only a wall, Jun Yanghong looked at the Jiang family's tightly closed courtyard gate. Recalling Zhou Qingyu's undisguised concern for Jiang Wanzhou and his complete neglect of her, she curled her lips and a hint of resentment and unwillingness flashed in her eyes.
She turned to Su Xiaomei, who was tidying up, and asked, "Sister-in-law, did Technician Zhou and the Jiang family girl have an affair back in Hongxing?"
Su Xiaomei looked at her messy yard with mixed feelings, and Jun Yangjian, who was coldly coaxing the child, and then thought of Shen Xinglian's obviously doing well just now.
She said in a low voice, sounding annoyed, "I heard they're getting married soon."
"Marriage?" Jun Yanghong's voice suddenly rose and then immediately fell back down, her eyes shifting unpredictably.
She murmured to herself, and then a glimmer of "ambition" quietly ignited in her eyes.
She vaguely remembered a name called Zhou Qingyu from her past life, who later became a remarkable financial figure with astonishing wealth.
Could it be him? We absolutely cannot let him marry this country girl!
Jiang Wanzhou, she doesn't deserve it at all.
—
For the first few days after the Jun family next door settled in, everything went smoothly.
That morning, Jiang Wanzhou went to the canteen to help out as usual.
The island's supply is monotonous.
As soon as she stepped into the steamy operating room, she felt several gazes seemingly falling on her. The previously noisy chatter paused unnaturally for a moment when she entered.
The head chef, still giving orders in his booming voice, greeted her as she arrived, "Wanzhou's here? Quick, carry this basket of steamed buns to the window."
Jiang Wanzhou responded and bent down to lift the basket.
Liu Guixiang, who was chopping pickled vegetables nearby, leaned over, lowered her voice, and asked in a tone that sounded somewhat familiar: "Wanzhou, I heard that you and Technician Zhou from Beijing are getting married soon?"
Jiang Wanzhou paused, nodded, and said nothing more.
Her affair with Zhou Qingyu had been an open secret in the family compound ever since the incident at the dock.
Liu Guixiang clicked her tongue, her eyes sparkling with something that was hard to tell—envy or something else: "Technician Zhou is a top student from Beijing, both talented and good-looking. You're so lucky, girl..."
She changed the subject, lowering her voice even further, "However, in a big city like Beijing, people are shrewd and there are many temptations. I've heard that many married couples live apart, and over time, their feelings inevitably fade."
These words sounded like expressions of concern, but every single one struck at Jiang Wanzhou's most sensitive spots.
She pursed her lips, didn't reply, and forcefully lifted the basket of steamed buns, walking towards the window.
Behind them, Liu Guixiang and another female helper whispered: "...Who says otherwise? No matter how nicely they talk now, what will happen when they pack up and go back to Beijing..."
"I think that little sister-in-law of Deputy Regiment Commander Jun is pretty and has a sweet tongue. She only graduated from junior high school. Standing next to Technician Zhou, she seems more like one of the same kind."
Jiang Wanzhou's fingers tightened slightly, her nails digging into the soft outer skin of the steamed bun.
When she returned home at noon, Shen Xinglian noticed that she didn't look well and asked her what was wrong.
Jiang Wanzhou sullenly recounted what she had overheard in the cafeteria.
After hearing this, Shen Xinglian snorted coldly and slammed the kitchen knife on the cutting board with a "thud": "Bullshit!"
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