They first glanced at the clothing, then at the bag. Ultimately, their gaze settled on Zhou Qianqian’s stiff face.
Lin Shiheng seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere among the women as he questioned with the clothing in hand, “Sister Li?”
“Ah, ah, no problem, leave it to me,” Sister Li replied. She was older and had a calm demeanor. Not mentioning Zhou Qianqian’s earlier words, she smiled as she accepted the clothing, admiring the fabric, “This is really good material.”
“I don’t understand this either; I just went by what the seller recommended. So I’ll leave it to you, Sister Li. My wife is still at home, so I’ll head back now. Tomorrow, I’ll bring some good wine to find your son, Gangzi.”
“Hey, just come over; there’s no need to bring wine.”
Zhou Qianqian stood there with a stiff expression, her hands tightly gripping the plastic bag, silently watching Lin Shiheng and Sister Li exchange polite words before departing with a smile.
As soon as he left, one army wife, who was always displeased with her, immediately spoke up, “What did someone just say? Eating plastic bags?”
“Ah, why say such things!”
Sister Li hurriedly stopped her, smoothing things over, “Qianqian is young and inexperienced; she doesn’t know Lin Tuan’s character well, which led to this misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, let it be. Anyway, it’s getting late; let’s disperse for today.”
She intended to offer a way out, but Zhou Qianqian refused to back down, glaring fiercely as she threw the plastic bag on the ground. “Who knows if he’s faking it! Just watch, he can pretend for a day, but he won’t keep it up forever!”
“Sooner or later, you’ll find out who was really in the wrong!”
After saying this, she stormed off, leaving the other army wife chuckling. “Does she actually think she has any reason to complain?”
“That little miss, as if everyone doesn’t know what she’s really thinking.”
If Lin Tuan bought a new outfit for his wife, she’d be the one to eat this plastic bag, just as long as she didn’t add the condition that they were not to tell Lin Tuan. But with that part added, if Lin Tuan bought clothing, it would obviously be something someone told Zhou Qianqian.
Unfortunately, even Heaven wasn’t helping her; as soon as she spoke, Lin Tuan came back holding the new clothes.
“Alright, stop talking already. It’s late, so everyone should head home.”
“Sister Li, don’t be too nice now. Didn’t you see that Zhou Qianqian doesn’t appreciate it at all? Just watch; she lost face today; she’ll definitely go around making trouble for Lin Tuan later.”
“I really don’t understand what she’s thinking. We’re in the military, can’t she just live well with her husband? Lin Tuan is in charge of her man, and she’s running around causing chaos without a care for the trouble it might bring her family.”
“It’s because she counts on Lin Tuan’s good temper, thinking he won’t hold grudges. Alright, alright, don’t say anymore. Sister Li, A Qiao is right; Zhou Qianqian is too impulsive. You help her, and she’ll blame you for it. If she causes more trouble with Lin Tuan, she’ll remember your kindness but still resent you. Our men are all working under Lin Tuan; it’s better to keep our distance from her.”
Sister Li was swayed by their advice. Although she didn’t think Lin Tuan was the kind of person to hold grudges, she still worried about the impact on her husband. “Alright, I got it, I’ll pay more attention from now on.”
She thought that since Lin Tuan had bought such a nice new outfit for his wife, Zhou Qianqian couldn’t possibly continue being so reckless and gossiping about others, right?
But Zhou Qianqian really was that reckless.
After losing face, she foolishly blamed all her hatred and embarrassment on Lin Shiheng.
He must be doing it on purpose! Otherwise, how could he have gone three years without mentioning his wife, and suddenly he brings her to the military camp and buys her new clothes?
And then there was Sister Miao, thinking back to their last meeting when she saw the sorrow on her face, Zhou Qianqian felt pained. It was bad enough that Lin Shiheng didn’t cherish such an amazing woman like Sister Miao; he also spread unfounded rumors about her.
Sister Miao was a new millennium woman, the one she admired the most. How could she possibly pursue Lin Shiheng knowing he already had a wife?
The more Zhou Qianqian thought about it, the angrier she became, even developing a desire to meet Lin Shiheng’s wife. But just thinking about how much face she had lost earlier made her frustrated, knowing she would surely be mocked if she stepped outside. So she angrily sat back down again.
She wasn’t foolish enough to realize that if she showed her face in the next few days, she would be the laughingstock; she had holed up inside for several days before coming out.
With so many people in the compound, it wasn’t a big deal not to speak with them.
Zhou Qianqian took her laundry basin to the washing room, where she spotted a woman in her forties bent over doing laundry, and her eyes immediately lit up.
This was Sister Zhang, who loved spreading gossip more than anyone.
Zhou Qianqian placed her laundry basin beside her, greeted her, and then subtly steered the conversation toward Lin Shiheng.
“What? Three years without mentioning his wife? That can’t be!”
Sister Zhang looked surprised. “Qianqian, have you not been out these days? There have been soldiers coming to the compound lately to visit Lin Tuan’s wife, saying that Lin Tuan talks about his wife all the time, practically singing her praises. As soon as they heard he had a wife, everyone rushed to see her.”
Zhou Qianqian was caught off guard by this response; she distinctly remembered that not many people knew Lin Shiheng’s wife existed, right?
“What do you mean not many people know?!”
Sister Zhang kindly explained, “Lin Tuan is someone who loves his wife. Normally, as long as it’s not about training, he doesn’t stop talking about her. He used to be such a hard worker; now that his wife is here, he spends all his free time with her. Just the other day, he bought pots and pans and all that. We joked that now he has a wife to cook for him; he must be eager to start a fire himself.”
“But what happened? Lin Tuan said his wife has been practicing calligraphy lately and was already tired making him clothes. He absolutely wouldn’t let her cook, so he’s the one cooking every day with a spatula!”