"Should we go talk to Su Wanwan? She's been squatting there for ages," someone whispered, nudging their chin in her direction.
Hearing this, everyone hesitated. How could they possibly console her?
It wasn’t surprising that Regiment Commander Huo’s wife was upset—she had clearly stated she wouldn’t hold a banquet or accept gifts.
But Su Wanwan had stubbornly grabbed her, refusing to let her leave and forcing her to take the gifts.
Wasn’t that like trying to force an ox to drink by pushing its head into the water?
At best, it was disrespectful.
At worst, did Su Wanwan really have no ulterior motives?
The 101st Regiment was the elite force of the Fourth Division, and Regiment Commander Huo was young and accomplished.
Having such connections would mean Su Wanwan could walk through the military hospital with her head held high—or at least, no one would dare to give her trouble.
With that thought, several girls lost any desire to intervene.
"I’m not in the same dorm as her, so I won’t go. By the way, I’m heading to the bathhouse soon—anyone else coming?"
"I’ll go!"
"Me too!"
Within minutes, five or six girls had scattered, leaving only Su Wanwan’s dormmates behind.
They hesitated, unsure whether to approach her.
They weren’t overthinking it—it was just that, after a couple of days together, they’d all noticed how oddly Su Wanwan behaved.
Sometimes she seemed friendly and helpful.
Other times, she acted aloof, as if she couldn’t be bothered with anyone.
Especially when she spoke—there was always a condescending tone.
But since they shared a dorm, leaving Su Wanwan alone didn’t feel right.
People might accuse them of being unsupportive!
Finally, the girl who slept on the bunk above Su Wanwan called out, "Su Wanwan, we’re going to the bathhouse. Are you coming?"
She repeated herself several times, but Su Wanwan barely reacted.
"Su Wanwan?"
"I heard you! I’m not going. You go ahead—I still have something to do."
With a dark expression, Su Wanwan turned and walked back into the military hospital.
One of her dormmates couldn’t hold back. "What’s wrong with her? She’s always throwing tantrums for no reason. No one even provoked her, and she’s already giving us the cold shoulder."
"Who knows? Maybe because she’s from the Capital City, she looks down on us small-town folks."
"I told you not to bother with her, but you wouldn’t listen. Now we’ve just been snubbed."
"Let’s just go. If she’s not coming, we’ll go without her."
"But… didn’t Director Yang tell us to rest? Why is Su Wanwan going back to the hospital?"
The same question crossed Director Yang’s mind when he saw Su Wanwan return.
"Comrade Su Wanwan, is there something you need?"
……
Running into Su Wanwan hadn’t affected Jiang Si’s mood much. Right now, she was busy sorting through her packages at the mailroom.
"Comrade Jiang, if everything looks correct, please sign here."
Jiang Si nodded. There were too many items in the packages to inspect them all, so she just checked the number of parcels and confirmed there were no visible damages.
Satisfied, she signed the receipt.
With so many packages, carrying them all by hand would take multiple trips.
Huo Tingzhou borrowed a handcart from the mailroom and loaded everything up in one go for the trip back to the family quarters.
Along the way, they attracted plenty of sidelong glances—some envious, some resentful, and some just curious.
But with Huo Tingzhou present, people only greeted them politely.
That was just how things were in the military. Most of the wives were decent people.
At the very least, they wouldn’t let conflicts escalate—after all, disharmony among military families could affect the front lines, and their husbands would be the ones reprimanded.
Still, Jiang Si had to return every smile with one of her own.
By the time they got home, her cheeks ached from all the forced grinning.
"Take a seat and rest for a bit."
Huo Tingzhou poured her a glass of water. Knowing she wanted to open the packages, he asked, "Should I put these in the bedroom?"
"Yes, the bedroom."
While checking earlier, Jiang Si had noticed some of the packages felt damp—probably from rain during transit.
Sure enough, when she opened them, the clothes had dried, but the quilts were still slightly damp inside.
She set the clothes aside to rewash tomorrow.
The quilts were trickier. Handmade cotton padding couldn’t be washed, so she removed the covers instead.
Taking advantage of the remaining sunlight, Huo Tingzhou carried the quilts to the second-floor balcony to air out.
When he returned, he brought another package.
"This one’s from the Ministry of State Security."
Curious, Jiang Si set aside the clothes and reached for the package.
"Let me." Huo Tingzhou took the scissors from her.
Inside, the first few items were the era’s classic "reward" trio:
A enamel mug printed with political slogans.
A green canvas bag bearing the words "Serve the People."
And finally, a badge and a quotation pin—both seemingly custom-made.
Jiang Si flipped them over and saw her name engraved on the back.
Next, she opened an envelope containing:
100 jin of national grain coupons.
50 chi of fabric coupons.
30 industrial vouchers.
And one bicycle coupon.
Remembering the bicycle they’d bought a few days ago—using vouchers Huo Tingzhou had borrowed—she handed him the coupon.
"Return this to Regimental Commander Xiao when he comes for dinner later."
Huo Tingzhou hesitated. "But this is your honor..."
"My real honor is here!"
Jiang Si grinned, waving the red velvet [Certificate of Commendation].
This was the real treasure!
In this era, a copy of such a certificate would be archived in one’s class background records.
It granted priority in job placements, military enlistment, Party membership, and promotions.
She had to keep it safe.
Seeing the slight curl of her lips, Huo Tingzhou smiled.
Glancing at the clock, he saw it was almost five.
"Rest if you’re tired. You can open the rest tomorrow. I’ll start cooking—I’ll call you when it’s ready."
Jiang Si: "..."
What kind of straight-man logic was that?
Unwrapping packages wasn’t tiring—it was pure joy!
Back in her past life, during sales events like 618 or Double 11, she’d easily opened fifty or sixty parcels in a day.
Still, she asked, "Do you need help?"
She wasn’t great at cooking, but she could at least wash vegetables.
Though, to be honest, she really hated housework.
