The person was moving too fast, and the guard at the sentry post couldn’t dodge in time, getting splashed with snow.
"Hey, how could they act like that?"
Another person rushed out from the sentry post. "They didn’t even register!"
The guard glanced at the license plate—blue background with white characters, starting with the character "Jia"—and finally shook his head helplessly.
"Forget it, just let it go."
Jiang Si was standing near the gate and naturally witnessed the scene.
To be honest, she was quite shocked.
She had been living in the old residence for a while now, but this was the first time she’d seen someone so domineering.
Just then, Huo Tingzhou drove up. Seeing his wife’s displeased expression, he assumed she was impatient from waiting.
"Sweetheart, get in the car," he said, quickly opening the door.
Once she was seated, Huo Tingzhou immediately fastened her seatbelt.
"Sorry, the engine had a minor issue. It’s just been fixed."
"It’s fine," Jiang Si replied absentmindedly.
Huo Tingzhou noticed something was off. "Did something happen just now?"
Jiang Si didn’t hide it and recounted the incident.
The alley in front of the residential compound was wide, and there hadn’t been a single car in the opposite lane earlier.
Yet that lunatic had deliberately honked their horn for a long time, clearly trying to startle people.
And the moment she turned around, the change in the driver’s expression was unmistakable.
She couldn’t have missed it even if she tried.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Si recited the license plate number.
Whoever it was, since they harbored no goodwill, it wouldn’t hurt to find out more.
"When you have time, look into whose car that is."
Hearing it started with "Jia," Huo Tingzhou felt there was no need to investigate.
Though he had spent ten years in the military and rarely returned to the compound, he wasn’t deeply familiar with the intricacies of factional politics.
But one thing he knew for certain: the higher someone’s status, the more cautious they were in words and actions.
For the Yu family to spread gossip behind the scenes was already crossing the line.
Let alone barging into the residential compound without registering.
Jiang Si instantly guessed from his expression. "You already know who it is, don’t you?"
Huo Tingzhou nodded. "Cars starting with 'Jia' belong to the military department. The only family in the military department reckless enough to act like this is the Ling family."
At the mention of the Ling family, the confusion in Jiang Si’s mind cleared up.
No wonder the driver’s expression had twisted so unpleasantly when she turned around, looking at her as if she were trash.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising. What kind of decent person could marry and divorce four times in less than six years?
At this rate, in a couple more years, they might even earn the title of "Eight-Divorce Dynasty"!
Jiang Si didn’t say anything out loud, but her eyes were filled with unmistakable disdain.
"Let’s go. We’re heading to the Artists’ Association first."
Huo Tingzhou took in his wife’s reaction, his gaze darkening.
Half an hour later, he parked the car beside the Artists’ Association.
Since he had been accompanying Jiang Si to paint the mural at the square recently, his rehabilitation sessions had been postponed.
The junior officer in charge of his rehabilitation had visited multiple times to urge him.
Now, Huo Tingzhou had no choice but to spend three hours each morning and afternoon at the military rehabilitation center before leaving.
"I’ll come pick you up after my session," he said.
Jiang Si smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Alright, drive safely."
It was freezing outside, and Huo Tingzhou didn’t want her waiting in the cold. After a few more reminders, he drove off.
As luck would have it, the moment he left, President Zhou and his group arrived.
But when President Zhou saw Jiang Si’s "refreshed" appearance, he froze.
"Miss, who are you looking for?"
"President Zhou, it’s me," Jiang Si said, blinking at him.
President Zhou gasped loudly, scrutinizing her for several seconds before frowning.
"Who did your makeup? Young lady, you’ve been scammed!"
Jiang Si laughed awkwardly. "President Zhou, I did it myself."
She quickly explained the situation.
"Oh, I see," President Zhou said, finally understanding.
But for someone so young to be so thorough in her considerations was truly impressive.
Glancing at the time, he said, "Come on inside. The reporter from The National Daily will be here soon."
Speak of the devil.
Jiang Si had barely stepped into the office when someone knocked on the door.
"President Zhou, the reporter from The National Daily is here."
President Zhou hurried out to greet them and soon returned with several people in tow.
All were dressed in matching dark Zhongshan suits. One carried a Seagull 4 twin-lens reflex camera, while another held a thick notebook with two Hero-brand pens clipped to his chest.
When Jiang Si saw the leader of the group, she froze for a moment.
The man seemed equally surprised, his neck jerking forward slightly as he instinctively narrowed his eyes.
Noticing this, President Zhou quickly made introductions.
"This is Comrade Jiang Si, the artist behind the mural at the square."
"This is Wang Wenjie, the text reporter from The National Daily, and this is Liu Xiang, the photographer."
"And this is…"
Here, President Zhou hesitated.
They had originally agreed on two reporters. No one mentioned an extra person.
Just as President Zhou was puzzled, Huo Tinghuai stepped forward and extended his hand to Jiang Si.
"Sorry, cousin-in-law. I didn’t recognize you at first. I thought they’d switched the interviewee last minute."
Jiang Si shook his hand with a smile. "I didn’t expect you to be the one interviewing me today."
Hearing this, President Zhou immediately understood—they were family.
He had initially planned to vet Jiang Si’s answers to avoid any missteps, but with a relative present, his concerns vanished.
After a brief exchange, President Zhou excused himself, leaving the interview team to their work.
After a short break, Reporter Wang opened the conversation.
Since Jiang Si had already been interviewed by The Liberation Army Daily and had her cousin-in-law present, her responses were flawless.
Her occasional, well-placed quotes even saved Reporter Wang time in polishing his draft.
Before long, the interview neared its end, and Reporter Wang posed his final question.
"We visited the mural a few days ago. First, your work is excellent. Second, we noticed it’s six meters tall."
"Climbing up and down daily and painting for over ten hours on scaffolding must have been exhausting, right?"
They had debated this question for a while but ultimately decided to include it.
After all, completing such a massive mural alone was a feat worthy of praise, both for her perseverance and her resilience.
Upon hearing the question, Jiang Si did not respond immediately.
In this era, interviews and answers had to adhere to standardized responses—strict to the point of rivaling later civil service exams!
After a moment of thought, she glanced at the people present and delivered the most textbook answer:
"The leaders taught us: The more challenging the place, the more we must go—that’s what makes a true comrade!"
"No mural is taller than revolutionary resolve!"
"No scaffolding sways the heart loyal to the Red Sun."
"Compared to workers swinging hammers, farmers harvesting wheat, or soldiers charging at the frontlines,"
"I’ve merely done my duty. These efforts are nothing at all!"
The moment she finished, Reporter Wang forgot about his notes and eagerly clapped his hands.
Huo Tinghuai, however, wore a puzzled expression, unable to fathom what his cousin had been thinking.
With Jiang Si’s sharp tongue and ideological awareness, she was more likely to bury others in a pit than ever be taken advantage of.
The written interview concluded here. Next, the photographer took several shots of Jiang Si: side profiles of her bent over drafting blueprints and pensive close-ups with a brush in hand.
As Jiang Si herself put it, the photos were "very much of the era, yet slightly theatrical."
With the interview wrapped up, the group didn’t linger.
They needed to rush back to finalize the draft—the lead plates had to be produced and delivered to the railway system before midnight.
Otherwise, they’d miss the New Year’s Day debut.
Before leaving, Huo Tinghuai made a point of asking Jiang Si for her opinion.
"Cousin-in-law, here are the draft headlines and subheads I prepared. Which do you think fits best?"
