Chen Lishu glanced at the dormitory, seeing only the two of them, and said with a smile, "Actually, I'm already married. My husband's identity is quite special, so I haven't mentioned it."
She didn't want too much outside attention, so she rarely talked about family matters.
"Is your husband in the military?" Zhang Xue was a little surprised to hear Chen Lishu was a military wife.
"Hurry up and tell me, how did you two meet? Your husband must be very outstanding to be able to marry such a beautiful wife!"
Thinking of Gu Xingdong, Chen Lishu's eyes overflowed with tenderness, "He is indeed very outstanding."
Zhang Xue looked at her expression and was incredibly envious. She suddenly lay back on the bed, "Heaven, grant me a soldier too!"
Chen Lishu thought she was joking and said goodbye with a smile, "Xue'er, I'm leaving."
After speaking, she slung her bag over her shoulder and left the dormitory.
She didn't go straight home. Instead, she first went to the farmers' market to buy some vegetables, then took a bus home.
When Chen Lishu arrived home, she opened the door and put the vegetables in the kitchen. Just as she was about to go to the Wu family's house to pick up 'Da Wang', she caught sight of a basin of unwashed military uniforms in the bathroom out of the corner of her eye. Knowing Gu Xingdong was back, she felt very happy.
She searched the rooms but couldn't find 'Da Wang'. She knew Gu Xingdong had probably returned not long before her.
When she reached the Wu family's house and knocked twice, the door was opened, and Lin Xiaohui's face appeared in the doorway.
"Sister Lishu, you're here. Please come in and sit," Lin Xiaohui said, smiling and inviting her in.
Chen Lishu's eyebrows twitched. She hadn't seen Lin Xiaohui in over a month, and she seemed to have changed a lot.
"Meow."
Upon seeing Chen Lishu, the cat Da Wang let out a wronged meow, as if a abandoned child had finally seen its family. It reached out with its two front paws to cling to Chen Lishu's pant leg, looking up at her with its big eyes, pitifully.
Chen Lishu immediately bent down and picked it up, "You missed me, didn't you?"
"Xiaohui, who's here?" Lin Xiaoyue said as she came out from the inner room. Her eyes lit up when she saw Chen Lishu, "Sister-in-law, you're back."
"Yes, I didn't have classes this afternoon, so I came back early."
Chen Lishu spoke, her gaze falling on Lin Xiaoyue's belly, which was as big as a watermelon. "Sister-in-law, how have you been feeling lately?"
"I don't know what's been going on these past few days, I always feel hungry, but I get full after just a few bites." Lin Xiaoyue touched her belly, smiling with gentle eyes. "Fortunately, it's almost time, I'll be able to give birth in a month."
After a few more words, Lin Xiaoyue suddenly said, "The Wei family had a big fight a couple of days ago. Guess what it was about?"
Chen Lishu shook her head, "I really can't guess." It was probably another drama of a wicked mother-in-law bullying a sweet girl.
"Wang Yufen was caught by her mother-in-law selling grain coupons in private. She, who usually saves every penny, actually sold them to subsidize her maiden family. The mother and daughter-in-law even got into a fight, and now the whole compound is talking about it."
Even though Wang Yufen was pregnant, Old Mrs. Wei could still lay hands on her, which showed how furious she must have been.
Lin Xiaoyue sighed, "Women can be so troublesome. Wei Gang was even called in by his leader to be criticized because of this."
Chen Lishu also felt a bit of emotion. Wang Yufen acted honest on the surface, but she was actually a cunning schemer. Old Mrs. Wei was no easy person either. Wei Gang must have had a difficult time caught in the middle.
They always say a virtuous wife brings prosperity to her husband. One must have sharp eyes when choosing a wife.
Leaving the Wu family's house, Chen Lishu was about to go downstairs with 'Da Wang' when the door opposite was pushed open from the inside.
Wang Yufen's eyes were red, she must have been crying. Through the open door, one could still hear Old Mrs. Wei's curses from inside: "You useless piece of trash, selling out your own family, and no one in your maiden family is any good."
Chen Lishu pretended not to notice Wang Yufen's hesitant expression, nodded to her, and turned to go downstairs.
People like Wang Yufen were not worth pitying, and with her mother-in-law, it was possible she would get into more trouble.
Taking 'Da Wang' all the way home, finally returning to her long-awaited home, 'Da Wang' happily wandered through every room.
Chen Lishu started washing clothes and cleaning the house. After tidying everything up, she began to cook.
She hadn't known Gu Xingdong would be back, so she had only bought a few eggs and cabbage, intending to just cook some hot noodle soup for herself. Now that she knew he was returning, she had to cook properly.
For dinner, Chen Lishu steamed rice, stir-fried eggs, and stewed cabbage with potato noodles.
"Hey, Old Gu, can you do me a favor?"
In the evening, Wu Zheng and Gu Xingdong were walking home side by side when Wu Zheng spoke, "What do you think of my sister-in-law?"
Gu Xingdong's brow twitched, "Spit it out."
"Heh heh." Wu Zheng smiled, "It's just that I didn't manage to get married when I went back home for blind dates before the new year. My mother-in-law and my wife think it would be better to find someone from the company, so the two families can take care of each other easily."
"Get to the point."
"I think Li Weimin is a good match, and I want to ask you to help me probe him."
"It's no big deal, just ask him yourself."
Gu Xingdong finished speaking, and his eyes suddenly swept over the clothes hanging on the drying rack outside his window. His dark eyes lit up, and he immediately left Wu Zheng and hurried home.
"If you ask him yourself, you ask him yourself. Without your butcher's skills, can't I still eat pork with hair on it?" Wu Zheng grumbled, watching Gu Xingdong's retreating back.
...
As soon as Gu Xingdong pushed open the door, he saw the food on the table but couldn't see Chen Lishu. Without washing his hands, he went straight into the house. Seeing her sitting by the cabinet tidying clothes, he asked, "When did you get back?"
Chen Lishu looked up. Seeing he had returned, she quickly put down the clothes in her hands and stood up, "I didn't have class this afternoon, so I came back early."
Gu Xingdong nodded, turned, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
After they ate, Gu Xingdong went to wash the dishes, and Chen Lishu continued to sort the clothes she hadn't finished.
It was almost March, and the weather was gradually warming up. It was time to take some lighter clothes to school.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It wasn't until late in the night that the sounds from the room gradually subsided.
The next morning, Chen Lishu woke up to find the spot next to her empty. She glanced at the time; it was almost eight o'clock. She got up and made herself and 'Da Wang' a simple meal, then slung her bag over her shoulder and headed back to school.
"Chen Lishu, this is for you."
On the first day of class on Monday, as soon as Chen Lishu sat down at her desk, Li Zhiwei, from behind her, spoke up and pointed towards her desk drawer.
Chen Lishu turned her head curiously and saw that there were several apples in a net bag placed inside. Next to the apples was a piece of paper. Chen Lishu took it out and found it was a love letter. She frowned as soon as she read the beginning.
"Shu: Every time I think of you, my heart pounds, and I have so many thoughts I don't know where to begin..."
Even if Chen Lishu was slow to react, she knew it was a love letter. She folded the letter with both hands and returned it, along with the bag of apples, to Li Zhiwei.
"I'm already married, please stop writing these strange things in the future."
Hearing her say she was married, Li Zhiwei was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Don't be silly. You don't need to make up such a ridiculous excuse to reject me."