Chapter 87: Worrying That She Doesn’t Like Him
"Your fiancée is quite impressive," Liu Guosheng said. He’d also heard from Zhou Xiaoyun about what Su Zhaozhao had been up to lately.
He didn’t understand this "psychological treatment" stuff, but he’d heard that Su Zhaozhao had helped a lot of people.
She’d helped a good number of people in the military compound alone.
Liu Guosheng couldn’t help but marvel at how this seemingly delicate young woman was actually so capable.
As soldiers, they all understood that powerful spiritual power was even more formidable than physical strength.
And Su Zhaozhao possessed immense spiritual power.
Even a man as worldly and experienced as Liu Guosheng couldn’t help but feel a degree of admiration for Su Zhaozhao.
He truly hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to be so formidable.
"Of course she is," Xie Huaizheng said.
Hearing the distinct note of pride in Xie Huaizheng’s voice, Liu Guosheng couldn’t help but raise his eyes.
"Well now, this is a rare sight. You don’t dislike Little Su anymore?"
"When did I ever say I disliked her?" Xie Huaizheng furrowed his brow.
"I seem to recall hearing that you wanted to send her away."
"I was worried she wouldn’t be able to adapt to the environment here, so I was planning for her to leave. But she seems to be adapting just fine now, doesn’t she?"
Seeing the hint of a smile on Xie Huaizheng’s face, Liu Guosheng understood everything.
"So, when are you planning to report to the organization? Little Su came here specifically to marry you, didn’t she?"
"Soon, I suppose," Xie Huaizheng said.
’He had given Su Zhaozhao three days to think it over. If she wasn’t willing, he wouldn’t force her.’
’Although she had said from the beginning that she came here to marry him.’
’But when he thought about how gruff and awful he’d been to her this whole time...’
’Xie Huaizheng suddenly felt that she probably didn’t like him and didn’t want to marry him anymore.’
Xie Huaizheng’s hand, resting on the back of the sofa, involuntarily tightened.
’Lin Shumo is handsome and gentle. Su Zhaozhao would surely be happier with him than with me, right?’
’But no...’
Xie Huaizheng’s gaze fell upon the young woman in the kitchen.
’He had already given her a chance to leave before.’
’Since she didn’t want to leave, she couldn’t blame him for what came next...’
Su Zhaozhao and Zhou Xiaoyun were busy in the kitchen. In the end, Su Zhaozhao insisted on personally making a dish of stir-fried tomato and egg.
She had never shown them her cooking skills before.
She beat the eggs, prepped the tomatoes, and started stir-frying them in the wok.
Seeing Su Zhaozhao’s proficient cooking technique, Zhou Xiaoyun couldn’t help but smile. "Zhaozhao, dear, you look quite skilled. You must have cooked a lot before?"
"Yes, I used to do all the cooking at home."
Zhou Xiaoyun knew about Su Zhaozhao’s family background, so hearing her say this, she couldn’t help but think about her past.
’This child must have had a very difficult life, hasn’t she?’
’Having to cook for a whole family... she has such delicate skin. If she were my daughter, I couldn’t bear to let her do such work.’
’I’ll have to have a good talk with Xie Huaizheng later. If they do get married, he must take good care of her.’
’She felt that Su Zhaozhao was like a beautiful, delicate flower, meant to be kept indoors and cherished, not made to do dirty, strenuous chores.’
’That would be too sad.’
When they finished cooking and brought out the dishes, Xie Huaizheng stood up on his own accord to help serve the rice and get chopsticks and spoons.
Faced with a table laden with sumptuous dishes, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but exclaim, "This feels so much like a home! Aunt Yun, I love your braised pork ribs! And the chicken soup."
She hadn’t eaten at Zhou Xiaoyun’s home for a few days. She always felt a little bad about imposing on them.
Plus, she had been very busy lately. After finishing work each day, all she wanted to do was go back to the guest house and lie down.
That was just the kind of person she was. She could talk endlessly while on the job, but once work was over, she had to find a place to rest and recharge.
She couldn’t always be giving; she would burn out.
Su Zhaozhao’s praise made Zhou Xiaoyun very happy.
She said to Xie Huaizheng, "Huai Zheng, what are you standing there for? Serve your fiancée some soup. This chicken soup was just made, it’s best enjoyed while it’s hot."
Called out by name, Xie Huaizheng froze for a moment.
’After all, Zhou Xiaoyun was always the one to do these things. Why was she handing the task to him today?’
Meanwhile, Su Zhaozhao was watching him with a wide, expectant smile.
Xie Huaizheng ladled a bowl of chicken soup for Su Zhaozhao and placed it in front of her.
Su Zhaozhao immediately smiled and said, "Thank you."
"Don’t mention it." A corner of Xie Huaizheng’s lips curled up. "If it’s not enough, just tell me. I’ll get you more."
Xie Huaizheng’s sudden attentiveness made Su Zhaozhao feel a little awkward.
’After all, this was the same man who bit her while stealing her first kiss. How gentle could he possibly be?’
She had already completely forgotten what had happened the previous night when she was drunk.
After the lively meal, Su Zhaozhao and Xie Huaizheng bid their farewells and left.
Zhou Xiaoyun thought for a moment before asking Su Zhaozhao, "Oh, right, Zhaozhao. Wang Dahua’s funeral is in three days. Are you going to go? Since we’re all from the same compound, we should all go pay our respects."
At this, Zhou Xiaoyun sighed. "It’s so tragic. Her mother-in-law is such a wicked woman. She’s still being held in the detention center. I wonder if she’ll be sentenced."
Su Zhaozhao was a little surprised to hear this. "But she didn’t actively participate in killing her, it was just verbal coercion. Can you go to jail for that?"
Zhou Xiaoyun glanced at Xie Huaizheng, who simply shook his head.
Zhou Xiaoyun immediately caught his meaning and said to Su Zhaozhao, "Of course. This is a very serious matter. You know that our statuses are protected, and Wang Dahua was the same... They might think it’s a family squabble, but how could it be the same?"
Before, you could have argued it was a family matter, but now that a life has been lost, the situation is completely different.
Of course, they felt no sympathy.
’When a daughter-in-law is being bullied by her mother-in-law, how could the husband not notice anything unusual?’
’It’s not as if they were living apart.’
’They were all living under the same roof, so how could he not have known something was wrong?’
’He just turned a blind eye because it was his own mother.’
"I understand. I’ll go," Su Zhaozhao said.
’After all, she was my patient. I tried so hard to protect her, but unfortunately, I failed.’
’It made me sad, too.’
「After leaving Liu Guosheng’s home, the sky had already grown dark.」
The streetlights were dim, and the courtyard of the military family compound was deserted.
Zhang Jufang used to love strolling around the compound with her child, but now, she was nowhere to be seen.
’Perhaps Wang Dahua’s fall had left a psychological scar on everyone.’
Su Zhaozhao looked at the spot on the ground where Wang Dahua had landed. The blood had been washed away long ago, leaving not a single trace.
It was as if it had never happened.
She couldn’t help but sigh. "How can ghosts be scarier than people?"
’I’m not afraid of them.’
Who would have thought that Xie Huaizheng would say to her, "Comrade Su Zhaozhao, your ideology is incorrect. Are you promoting feudal superstitions?"