She jogged along the cement road by the river, but she was already out of breath before she had run 200 meters. It seemed that her physical condition was really not good now. Xia Enruo gritted her teeth and persevered. She ran and stopped frequently and soon she was covered in sweat.
Qiao Huizhen happened to be coming home from get off work. By then, her ankle was swollen and she was limping. She massaged it for a long time at the hospital and applied cold compresses for a long time before she could walk slowly with difficulty.
Startled by Xia Enruo's words, Qiao Huizhen outwardly restrained herself, but inwardly she still hated her to the core and planned to find other ways to deal with her later.
"Enruo, are you exercising? This is the first time I've seen you so diligent."
Xia Enruo was so annoyed with her that she didn't care at all and continued exercising at her own pace, without even glancing at her.
"Oh dear, you're still angry with your sister-in-law? I admit I was a bit harsh with you before, but you're so magnanimous, don't take it to heart. It's good that you're exercising now. Maintaining a good figure before having children is the best way to prevent your man from straying. I heard that Chief of Staff Gu is very popular in the army, and the girls in the cultural troupe are always trying to get close to him. You'd better keep a close eye on your man."
Xia Enruo knew that Qiao Huizhen had ulterior motives and had changed tactics, shifting from direct confrontation to sowing discord. Although she was about to divorce Gu Shaoxuan, she still had to protect his reputation.
“Sister-in-law, you don’t need to worry about that. Gu Shaoxuan and I have a very good relationship. He loves me and I love him. There’s no need to keep an eye on us.”
"Don't be careless. Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. This man has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."
Qiao Huizhen kept fanning herself, wishing Xia Enruo would believe it and go home to continue her antics and fight with Gu Shaoxuan. Watching her gradually run away without saying anything more, she spat on the ground.
"Run, run, run! I'll make you fall and die, you lazy pig!"
After running for half an hour, Xia Enruo was drenched in sweat and felt refreshed and radiating heat. When she got home, she swished a few ladles of hot water and prepared to take a good shower with her newly bought shampoo and soap. She felt uncomfortable after showering with soap, and her skin felt dry and wrinkled.
After washing up, the fresh scent made her feel comfortable again. She applied some face cream and gave herself a facial massage. It felt wonderful.
She carefully examined herself in the mirror and had to admit that the original owner had excellent bone structure, with big eyes, thick eyebrows, cherry lips, a straight nose, and good skin. However, her skin tone was a bit dark, which must have been caused by the original owner's previous laziness in taking care of her skin.
If you keep applying the oil for a few days, you'll definitely become whiter and whiter. As the saying goes, fair skin covers a hundred flaws. If you add the benefit of fair and tender skin, you'll look just like a female celebrity from your past life.
Today is Xia Enruo's first time spending the night alone in the house. Although Gu Shaoxuan felt a little awkward with the two of them, he felt more at ease knowing there was another person there.
She was all alone in the house, which felt empty and quiet except for the hum of the refrigerator.
In the 1980s, streetlights were scarce, let alone neon lights. As night fell, it was pitch black outside the window. What she couldn't stand the most was that there were no curtains in the living room. Seeing the dark outside made her feel uneasy. Xia Enruo was indeed a little afraid of the dark.
I wonder how the original owner lived before, with such a lack of attention to privacy.
Xia Enru searched through the cabinet for a long time before finally finding a curtain used for covering bedding. It had a blue bamboo pattern and was thin and semi-transparent, perfect for use as a curtain.
She stood on the windowsill, compared the dimensions, and measured it with a ruler. To her surprise, the curtain was quite long, probably new and uncut. Perfect, half for curtains and half for wainscoting.
She only noticed when she went to bed yesterday that the wall next to her bed was shiny black, and in some places there were pieces of peeling paint, which looked disgusting.
Gu Shaoxuan was busy with the military training and discussing the upcoming combat exercise with several deputy chiefs of staff. He was so busy that he could only take a short nap on the sofa.
Deputy Chief of Staff Ding Haotian saw Gu Shaoxuan resting with his eyes closed and came over to say...
“Hey Lao Gu, can you control your wife? You can’t let her keep causing trouble like this. Huizhen told me that Xia caused her trouble again today and even cursed at her in front of everyone, which made her sprain her ankle. She kept crying on the phone with me.”
Gu Shaoxuan frowned upon hearing Xia Enruo's name. Already exhausted, he felt increasingly agitated. Yet, the words Xia Enruo had spoken to him last time kept replaying in his mind.
"Old Ding, has Sister-in-law Huizhen ever scolded or berated anyone at home?"
“Huizhen has never cursed anyone. I know my wife’s temper. She’d rather suffer a loss herself than make others feel embarrassed. Hey, Lao Gu, there’s something behind what you’re saying. Explain yourself.”
As Ding Haotian spoke, he felt that Gu Shaoxuan's question meant he didn't believe him.
“Last time I went home, Xia Enruo told me that your wife insulted her and her parents in front of the military wives in the compound, and... well, she said some very hurtful things.”
Gu Shaoxuan was too embarrassed to tell his comrades that his parents had also been scolded, so he could only omit it.
“Old Gu, Xia’s words about my wife are a bit too much. Huizhen, you don’t know, I got married so many years before you. When have you ever seen my wife utter a single swear word? When have we ever fought? My wife Huizhen is the most educated person in our military family compound. She’s a highly educated intellectual. How could she do such a thing?”
When Gu Shaoxuan heard Ding Haotian say this, he didn't press the matter further. Indeed, Qiao Huizhen was highly educated, and all his comrades envied Ding Haotian for marrying a highly educated woman from an intellectual family. Many of his comrades' wives came from rural areas, were illiterate, and could only stay at home to take care of the children or do odd jobs. It was difficult for them to find temporary work in the army.
Qiao Huizhen was a doctor at the city hospital, with a good job and high status. The military wives in the compound all respected her. They had never seen Qiao Huizhen say anything rude. It was probably just nonsense made up by Xia Enruo.
When Gu Shaoxuan heard that Xia Enruo had continued to cause trouble, it seemed that she really was incorrigible. The disgust in his heart made his mind a mess. There wasn't a single day that could give him a break. He didn't want to live like this for even a day longer. He would go through the formalities after the exercise was over.
"Old Ding, I'm so sorry. Please bear with me for a few more days and apologize to my wife and me. But it'll only be a few days, things will get better soon."
"Hey, you're getting serious now. I was just listening to my wife nagging and then said a few words to you. Besides, you're my boss, how could I let you apologize?"
"Alright, stop with the pretense. A mistake is a mistake. I apologize on her behalf. You sit down, I need to talk to Yuan Qiang about something."
Gu Shaoxuan got up to find Yuan Qiang. He knew that Yuan Qiang's family had extensive connections. His father was the director of Yongning City Sugar Factory, and his mother worked in the military region. He was definitely a second-generation official. Moreover, the two had the best relationship in the army. He might as well ask him to find Xia Enruo a job so that she wouldn't end up on the streets after the divorce. He could consider it as doing his best for her.
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