CHAPTER 206: 196 HEARD ABOUT SHUI LIAN

After wandering around until the afternoon, Tian Sangsang conveniently took out some ingredients from her storage space and began to think about what to cook for dinner.

Her hands were quite full, and although Tian Sangsang was a bit chubby, carrying everything was still quite strenuous.

Meng Shuyan pushed the wheelchair with her small hands and said sensibly, "Mom, I’ll do it myself."

This helped ease a lot of trouble for Tian Sangsang.

"No, be careful, your hands might get chafed," she said as she stepped into the family housing compound. From afar, a young soldier hurried over, "Sister-in-law, you’ve bought so many things! Let me help you carry them."

This young soldier was dark-skinned and looked honest, flashing a row of white teeth when he smiled.

The "affection for dark tones" phenomenon—seeing dark skin reminds you of familiar faces.

Tian Sangsang couldn’t help but recall her former self and bent down to say, "Thank you, thank you, comrade." She carried the ingredients herself, while all the other items were taken over by the young soldier. Despite being thin and small, the young soldier carried the stuff with ease.

"It’s only right; I can’t let Sister-in-law carry so much with a child in tow," the soldier said, wondering silently which family this sister-in-law belonged to. He was new here and had gotten familiar with most people, but this young sister-in-law looked unfamiliar.

"How should I address you, comrade?"

"My name is Chen Xiaobing."

"That’s truly a great name," Tian Sangsang praised.

Chen Xiaobing blushed slightly, questioning inside what was so good about his name.

The two walked along the path in the housing compound and encountered other military dependents along the way. A few military wives came up to chat, but their tone wasn’t entirely natural, seemingly tinged with a hint of ingratiation. Jiang Jinghuai’s rank in the army wasn’t particularly high, so Tian Sangsang was puzzled.

"Hey, are you with Captain Jiang’s family?" A woman with an unfamiliar face approached. She appeared to be in her thirties, slim, with small eyes, glancing over Tian Sangsang as she spoke.

Chen Xiaobing’s hand wobbled slightly. Why was helping someone carry their things turning into an association with his admired Captain Jiang?

"Yes, Sister-in-law, good to meet you." Tian Sangsang didn’t recognize her and could only smile and nod.

"Since you call me Sister-in-law, I’ll address you as Sister, then," the woman said with satisfaction and introduced herself, "I’m your opposite neighbor, Squad Leader Luo’s wife, Qin Lan."

Of course, Chen Xiaobing knew she was Squad Leader Luo’s wife. Squad Leader Luo was Captain Jiang’s subordinate—a slippery and obsequious man who loved currying favor all day long.

"I heard Sister is from the countryside. Fancy that, I’m also from the countryside, so seeing Sister feels quite fateful." Qin Lan’s gaze swept over the items Tian Sangsang was carrying, a trace of jealousy flickering in her eyes. Everyone said Captain Jiang had married a rural woman, and today, upon seeing her, it really reflected poorly on him. She had never seen someone this dark—her skin was even darker than that of a soldier’s, like a layer of black grease had been smeared over it, resulting in an almost inky shade. Her son looked good, but what a pity he was a little cripple.

Initially, she thought Tian Sangsang might be someone worth cozying up to, but upon seeing her plain appearance, she lost all interest in doing so.

Looks like she’s carrying fish, and there’s meat too—oh wow, what a wasteful way to live! Fish, meat, veggies, no wonder she’s chubby!

Tian Sangsang merely smiled without saying a word. She couldn’t understand what Qin Lan meant by "fateful connection"—how did two rural people even share such a fate? Regardless, Tian Sangsang couldn’t sense anything fateful with this woman. People with whom you feel a connection—you can tell from their first words and first actions.

"Sister, you sure know how to live well! All these fish and meat. Look how good Captain Jiang is to you and your son, willing to spend the money," Qin Lan envied aloud. "As for my husband, he’d even complain if I bought a bottle of face cream."

At moments like these, whatever you say would sound like bragging. In any case, you’re living a better life than hers, aren’t you?

"He is good," Tian Sangsang replied indifferently. Whether they were truly married or not, Jiang Jinghuai wasn’t stingy toward her when it came to money. He handed it over readily, without stinginess or concern, as if he didn’t fear she’d run away with their son and elope with another man. But she wasn’t the type to do that either.

"Of course, we all agree Captain Jiang is a good person!" Qin Lan clapped her hands with a trace of excitement, "If he weren’t, he wouldn’t even help incoming friends in need. Since you’re also from the same village, you must know the kindergarten teacher Shui Lian from the military district. Not long ago, Captain Jiang helped her by securing a job here in the army because she had no one to rely on."

"Shui Lian?" This name sounded so familiar... Isn’t she Yao Fangfang’s best friend? She’s here?

Speaking of it, during the earthquake, she didn’t see Shui Lian. At that time, Yao Fangfang and Xu Yiyuan had returned to the city, seemingly also bringing along Xu Xixi and Xu’s mother, so they were fortunate. Reportedly, the epicenter of the strong quake was near Tian Family Village.

Qin Lan observed Tian Sangsang’s expression—it didn’t seem like she had known about this matter. Her earlier assumption was correct: Tian Sangsang was unaware. This looked like there’d be drama to enjoy.

No wonder the women here in the family housing compound—which was full of unemployed wives—were so idle. Now that there’s a newcomer, they all have their eyes open to watch. Besides, her husband had specifically sent her to build a relationship with Tian Sangsang, yet in her own judgment, there wasn’t much worth investing in with someone so dark-skinned.

"Yes, Teacher Shui—people say she’s from the same place as you. How come she hasn’t visited you since you arrived here? Do you have a job, Sister? Or maybe you can ask Captain Jiang to arrange one for you, too."

"Sister-in-law, what kind of talk is that?" Tian Sangsang suppressed her curiosity about why Shui Lian was in the army and feigned displeasure, "I don’t rely on a man for my work. I’ll find one myself. Besides, I need to look after my son. As for Comrade Shui, she’s a single woman with no one to turn to. It’s because of my situation that she came all this way to the city to rely on us. Of course, our Jinghuai couldn’t just leave her unattended—it’d be too heartless otherwise. Besides, finding work in the army isn’t easy. Comrade Shui is truly capable, which is why she was able to succeed with just a little referral. Although I’m from the countryside, I understand that people must act within their jurisdiction. Abuse of authority is absolutely unacceptable. If today one family member gets a job through a recommendation, and tomorrow another does, wouldn’t that create chaos? Would discipline mean nothing? Jinghuai isn’t that kind of person!"

"Oh, oh, oh! Sister, you already knew about this! Don’t get worked up! See, my poor communication skills," Qin Lan said apologetically, wearing a fake smile. "As long as you know, Sister, that’s great. I didn’t mean to imply Captain Jiang was that kind of person."

"Of course, Sister-in-law, I know that’s not what you meant," Tian Sangsang replied, "But still, words should be spoken carefully. Today I hear it and may not mind, but tomorrow, if an authority hears it, they might think we’re questioning protocol—how can it be so easy for someone to just enter the army? Surely, there’s a reason why they pick certain people."

Qin Lan nodded repeatedly, agreeing emphatically, as she watched Tian Sangsang’s retreating figure. Once Tian was out of sight, she scoffed in disapproval.

Oh my, someone from the countryside who really knows how to twist logic to her advantage. Claiming Captain Jiang has no designs on Teacher Shui is the biggest joke! Shui Lian is beautiful and capable—far better than this dark-skinned woman!