Chapter 15 Military Dependents' Production and Labor Month
That day, Shen Zhixia and Huo Chenzhou were having dinner when there was a knock on the door.
She opened the door and saw Li Xiuying standing shyly outside, holding something in her hand and looking into the house.
Shen Zhixia wouldn't let her see. She stood in the doorway, smiling at Li Xiuying, and asked, "Xiuying, what brings you here?"
Li Xiuying nervously clenched her hands and said softly, "Sister Chen, tomorrow is the military dependents' production labor month. My brother asked me to deliver some seeds to Commander Huo."
She opened her hand, revealing vegetable seeds: "Everyone has to work tomorrow. You're pregnant, so it'll be hard for you to work. He said we can work in one group tomorrow, and he wants me to help you."
Shen Zhixia paused for a moment, then said, "No need, it's too much trouble for you."
She didn't think she was that close to Li Xiuying that Li Xiuying would take the initiative to help her with chores.
Li Xiuying said softly, "Sister Chen, you've only just arrived at the military camp and are still unfamiliar with many things. I should help you."
Shen Zhixia still declined, saying, "Sister Zhang has already given me a lot of seeds. I don't even have enough seeds at home to use up. You should keep these seeds."
Disappointed, Li Xiuying could only take the seeds back. Before leaving, she glanced inside one last time, but still didn't see Commander Huo come out. She said disappointedly, "Don't worry, the military encourages mutual help. I will definitely help you tomorrow."
After Li Xiuying left, Shen Zhixia felt completely bewildered.
She would occasionally run into Li Xiuying, but the two basically never interacted. Li Xiuying's sudden enthusiasm seemed rather strange to her.
She closed the door, looked at the man clearing the dishes, and clicked her tongue.
Li Xiuying's true intentions were not what they seemed.
Huo Chenzhou asked curiously, "When did you become so familiar with Li Xiuying?"
Shen Zhixia rolled her eyes and asked, "Does Li Xiuying often come to see you? Either she brings you things or she invites you to dinner?"
Huo Chenzhou thought about it carefully for a moment before replying, "It's not often, but she would come to me occasionally. It was always Officer Li who asked her to come. Officer Li and I are colleagues, and we have a very close working relationship, so we have frequent contact."
As Officer Li was Huo Chenzhou's subordinate, it was not unusual for Officer Li to be close to him and to frequently invite him to meals or give him gifts. However, Huo Chenzhou generally refused these offers.
Shen Zhixia said, "Even if Secretary Li wanted to curry favor with you, wouldn't he have come in person? Why did he have to send Li Xiuying to deliver the message? Haven't you ever wondered why?"
Huo Chenzhou: "..."
He thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, so he coughed and said, "Are you still going to eat?"
Shen Zhixia glared at her. She had a pair of amorous eyes that didn't look fierce at all, but rather somewhat charming: "You're not allowed to change the subject. You'd better figure this out right now."
Huo Chenzhou: "...Li and I only have a working relationship. Everything is done strictly by business. We rarely interact in private. Although we work closely together, it is best to avoid each other in private."
Shen Zhixia nodded. They were in a superior-subordinate relationship, and it was precisely because of this relationship that they kept their public and private matters separate.
It seems that even when Li Xiuying tries to contact him, he probably refuses her most of the time.
The man still didn't seem to realize Li Xiuying's feelings for him. He was completely innocent towards Li Xiuying, and after Shen Zhixia understood the situation, she didn't pursue the matter any further.
She asked curiously, "What is the Military Family Production and Labor Day?"
Huo Chenzhou said, "This is an activity held in the military camp, which takes place once a year, and requires family members to participate in farming."
Nowadays, both the military and local governments place great emphasis on collectivism, often organizing family members to participate in collective labor and learning activities to enhance cohesion and a sense of identity.
Therefore, Shen Zhixia naturally had to participate in such activities. Of course, she could choose not to go, but if she did something special, bad rumors would likely spread quickly within the military camp.
The weather is very hot these days, and farming is not an easy task.
Shen Zhixia asked, "When are we leaving tomorrow? How many acres of land are we going to plant?"
Huo Chenzhou glanced at her and asked in surprise, "You're going?"
Shen Zhixia: "?"
What kind of image does she have in Huo Chenzhou's eyes? Although she rarely does housework, she is not lazy.
"Everyone should go to these group activities, so of course I should go too."
Huo Chenzhou said, "I'll come and do the work tomorrow. You just need to keep an eye on things."
Shen Zhixia: "..."
She initially wanted to refuse, but it was her first time participating in such an event, and she didn't know how much work she would have to do. If she couldn't handle it, she shouldn't force herself.
So she acquiesced.
She could try it tomorrow if all else failed, and if that didn't work, she could ask Huo Chenzhou for help.
When Li Xiuying returned, she happened to run into Chef Gao from Cui's team. Seeing her aggrieved look, Chef Gao sighed and said, "Xiuying, did Old Madam Li bully you again?"
"No, no." Li Xiuying quickly shook her head.
But her panicked appearance clearly indicated that she was trying to cover something up.
Chef Gao felt a pang of pity and took out two milk candies from his bag: "These were given out by the cafeteria at noon. You can have them."
A shy smile appeared on Li Xiuying's face: "Brother Gao, thank you."
She accepted Chef Gao's candy without hesitation and then turned to leave.
She already had a pitiful image, so it's normal for these people to feel sorry for her and give her something. She shouldn't feel any guilt after accepting it.
When Li Xiuying returned, Officer Li frowned upon seeing the smile on her face and said, "You went to see Commander Huo again? You don't still have feelings for him, do you? Let me tell you, he's already married. You can't mess around with other women."
Li Xiuying was startled and then said, "I only went to see Commander Huo's wife this time. I brought her some vegetable seeds."
She told Officer Li what had happened today, but she embellished her own story in her words. Tomorrow is the military dependents' production and labor day, and she saw that Shen Zhixia was pregnant and would definitely not be able to do much work, so she planned to help her.
There's nothing wrong with that; he's just a kind neighbor.
However, Officer Li knew this younger sister well, but he didn't quite believe her words.
With Officer Li watching her closely, Li Xiuying had no choice but to tell the truth: "My mother told me to do my best tomorrow. She said that good men in the army like hardworking and capable people, so I want to do more work tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Officer Li's brows relaxed.
Although Li Xiuying wasn't particularly beautiful, she was indeed virtuous and capable. She never ate at the table at home, which reflected her strong sense of female virtue.
If Li Xiuying marries well, it will also benefit him.
He nodded: "You can do your best tomorrow and let more people get to know you. Don't set your sights too high. There are many company commanders and battalion commanders in the army who are single. I'll introduce you to them then."
Li Xiuying said, "Thank you, elder brother."
Her hands were tangled together. Those people's official positions were not even as high as her elder brother's, so of course she looked down on them. In fact, she still thought Commander Huo was better. After Commander Huo was promoted, she would be even more glamorous. Unfortunately, Commander Huo was not yet divorced.
But Commander Huo was going to get a divorce sooner or later, so she just had to wait patiently. After tomorrow, Commander Huo would see her virtues of diligence and simplicity.
In fact, Officer Li was quite satisfied with this girl; she was diligent and hardworking, and if she married well in the future, it would be beneficial to his work.
So the two of them tacitly understood each other, and neither of them spoke again.
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