"Why are you here? Are you here to join the army?"
Her tone was unpleasant, so Chen Lishu naturally didn't offer a good face. She sneered, "Does it have anything to do with you?"
Although she didn't answer directly, seeing her at this moment, Zhao Hong automatically assumed she was here to join the army.
Her gaze swept over Chen Lishu, and seeing that her attire and complexion seemed even better than when she was in the countryside, a wave of jealousy washed over her.
She then thought that after marrying Lu Chengming, his family had also arranged a job for her. Although it was at a battery factory, she earned a lot, over forty yuan every month. This made her feel much superior to an ignorant country woman, and a hint of smugness and disdain involuntarily appeared in her eyes.
"Where are you living now? Since we know each other, I can visit you if I have time."
Visit for what? People like Zhao Hong were just women whose lives were unsatisfactory, harboring a bit of dirty thoughts in their hearts. They wanted to see how you were doing. If you were doing well, they would become even more jealous; if not, they would casually step on you. Why would she make herself unhappy?
Chen Lishu replied, "We both dislike each other anyway, so let's save the effort."
A hint of annoyance crossed Zhao Hong's face. "Dog meat is not presentable, destined to be poor and shabby for a lifetime."
Chen Lishu was unfazed. She casually sized Zhao Hong up, mimicking her gaze, and smiled. "You seem to be living well with your outfit? It's just that your top is a bit big, not leftovers from your mother-in-law, is it? And your pants are a bit small, from your sister-in-law? Tsk, what's with the bruises on your face? Is it a gift from Lu Chengming for good marital relations? Your family is truly loving."
Zhao Hong was surprised that Chen Lishu's guesses were all correct. Angered and embarrassed, she retorted, "That's still better than you, you country bumpkin. You've only been in the city for a few days and you think you're a city person? You still can't get rid of that earthy smell."
Chen Lishu was amused and said, to her great annoyance, "Thank you for the compliment. I call this down-to-earth. It's certainly better than you having high aspirations but a fragile fate."
Zhao Hong was furious. She wanted to say more but couldn't outdo Chen Lishu. She glared at her fiercely, abandoned the queue, turned around, and went home with the food ration coupon.
As soon as she got home, Lu's mother saw her returning empty-handed and her face immediately darkened. "Where are the melon seeds and peanuts I asked you to buy? Did you eat them on the way?"
Zhao Hong quickly smiled fawningly. "Mom, I saw too many people queuing, so I thought I'd come back first to do some work. I'll go queue first thing tomorrow, and it should be faster."
Hearing her words, Lu's mother's expression did not soften. She glared at her and cursed, "You're like a stone lion at the门口 all day, kicked and you move. Both husband and wife are dead people, just waiting for me to serve them. Buying melon seeds and peanuts involves so much nonsense. I think you don't need to go tomorrow either. This small house can't accommodate your great presence. After the new year, you two will find a place and move out."
Zhao Hong panicked. "Mom, I'm really not making excuses. Besides, we both just started working and our units haven't assigned us housing. Where do you expect us to move?"
"Move wherever you want, I'm not serving you anymore. You two earn seventy or eighty yuan a month, and you only give me half of your wages. Look at the elder son and his wife, they give all their earnings to the family."
Zhao Hong looked at the unreasonable Lu's mother, feeling both angry and wronged. The elder brother and his wife earned only over sixty yuan in total, but their family had five or six people. Lu Chengming's wages were always his own decision. Unable to help it, she had to give most of her salary to the family, and even then, the old couple was not satisfied.
"Mom, you know Chengming's temper. I work every day and still need to save some money to buy things."
"You eat and live at home, so what do you need to buy? Clearly, you're not sincerely living with my son. We, the Lu family, are unlucky to have married a woman like you. When Chengming comes back, tell him to move out quickly after the new year."
"Mom, Chengming and I really have nowhere to go. How about I give all my wages to the family?"
If she dared to mention this to Lu Chengming, he would get angry again. It was better to tighten her belt herself.
Seeing that she finally agreed, Lu's mother's face still didn't show any pleasantness, but at least she didn't mention kicking them out anymore.
When Lu Chengming returned in the evening, he smelled of alcohol. Zhao Hong, observing his expression, cautiously relayed Lu's mother's words from the day and also mentioned giving her entire salary to the family.
"If Mom wants you to hand it over, just hand it over," Lu Chengming said impatiently, then threw himself onto the bed and closed his eyes.
Zhao Hong went to help him take off his shoes and socks, thought for a moment, and then said, "Chengming, I saw Chen Lishu today."
Lu Chengming was groggy, but hearing Chen Lishu's name, he suddenly sat up. "She's come to the city?"
Zhao Hong nodded. "Judging by her appearance, she seems to have come to join the army."
"Did you find out where she's living?"
Zhao Hong shook her head. "We didn't talk much, her attitude was bad, and then I left."
Lu Chengming lay back down. "Alright, I know."
"Chengming," Zhao Hong called softly, reaching out to place her hand on his chest, and moved it back and forth tentatively.
The reason Lu Chengming had a bad attitude towards her might be that they didn't have children. If they had a child, Lu Chengming would surely treat her as well as he used to.
"Want to do something?"
Lu Chengming half-closed his eyes and looked at Zhao Hong. The alcohol took effect, and in his blurry vision, her thin, sallow face under the lamplight miraculously overlapped with Chen Lishu's delicate and pretty face. He reached out, pulled her over, and pressed her down. Da Feng Novel Network.
...
By the time the military truck stopped at the entrance of the family residential area, it was already dark. The military wives got off the truck with their belongings. Chen Lishu had a lot of items, so she waited until most people had disembarked before taking her things off the back of the truck one by one.
A young soldier helped her place everything on the ground. She had bought a lot, and the piled-up items looked like a small mountain.
"Gu's family, can you carry so many things back? How about I help you carry a couple of items if I'm going your way?"
A military wife, who hadn't left yet, kindly stepped forward.
"Thank you, sister-in-law. I've already told my husband, and he'll be here to pick me up shortly."
As they were talking, a tall and straight figure hurried over from a distance. Although it was dark and she couldn't see clearly, Chen Lishu immediately recognized it as Gu Xingdong.
"Bought so many things?" Gu Xingdong's gaze fell on the items piled at her feet.
"It's rare to have a vehicle, and the New Year is approaching. We haven't steamed any steamed buns or bean buns at home yet, and there are New Year goods, so we need to prepare all sorts of things."
Gu Xingdong nodded and efficiently picked up the items one by one. Indeed, they were quite heavy.
Thinking of Chen Lishu's small frame carrying so many things, he asked, "Are you exhausted?"
Chen Lishu finally had an opportunity to complain, rubbing her arm. "Of course. They're so heavy. Fortunately, I had the help of the sisters who went with me, otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to bring them back."