Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 76: The First Wife of a 1980s Big Shot Who Died Young (9)
The rest were everyday household items, things like toothbrushes, cups, and all sorts of miscellaneous supplies.
By the time everything was unpacked, the courtyard was filled with piles of stuff. The two rooms were fairly spacious, but with this much, there was still nowhere to put everything.
The two of them worked surprisingly well together. They each packed away what they needed, and anything extra was shoved under the bed if it fit.
After all that chaos, Huo Meilan was even a little sweaty.
Qin Huaijing went out to get dinner and came back with two cans of yellow peach in syrup.
Huo Meilan opened one and ate it first before starting on the meal.
During dinner, neither of them really spoke. The atmosphere was quiet, almost a little awkward.
On the surface, both were acting calm, but in reality, they were slightly uneasy inside.
Qin Huaijing was worried she might misunderstand him as some kind of lustful guy, especially after seeing an entire box of condoms.
Meanwhile, Huo Meilan was thinking that, technically, she was his wife in name. If he ever had any needs or intentions, how exactly should she handle that?
Their relationship was peaceful enough, but not exactly at the stage where they would be sharing a bed comfortably.
And so they finished the meal in that strange, hard-to-describe silence.
“I’ll wash the dishes.”
“I’ll wash them.”
They both spoke at the same time again.
Huo Meilan gave a light cough. “Then you do it.”
Qin Huaijing nodded and quickly cleaned up the dishes before heading outside.
That awkward, hard-to-pin-down atmosphere lingered all the way into the night.
Qin Huaijing really could not take it anymore. It felt like he was walking around with a guilty conscience for no reason.
He pulled her to sit down and explained seriously, “Comrade Meilan, the main thing is my mom didn’t know we already got the marriage certificate. She thought my dad just forced me into a marriage. A couple of days ago she even talked about divorcing him. I just casually mentioned that we’re getting along well and that I’m satisfied with you. My mom got really happy after hearing that, so she sent over all these things. I honestly didn’t know about it.”
Huo Meilan relaxed a little after hearing that. So that was what happened.
Even though she benefited from it, thinking about it from another angle, the old commander really did handle things a bit improperly.
Seeing her thinking, Qin Huaijing quickly added, “My mom does have a bit of a temper, but she’s actually very kind-hearted. Otherwise she wouldn’t have sent so many things. Don’t overthink it.”
Huo Meilan smiled. “I’m not overthinking it. This really was Uncle Qin’s mistake. He should have at least discussed it with his wife. It makes sense for Auntie to be upset.”
“Right, right, exactly. Comrade Meilan really understands things. That clears everything up. No more awkward silence, okay?”
After saying that, Qin Huaijing even gave a slightly playful wink.
Huo Meilan could not help but laugh. “Alright, got it.”
Qin Huaijing felt instantly relieved, his usual easy tone returning. “There’s water in the kettle. If you want to soak your feet, just pour it yourself. I’m going to rest. I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow.”
“Got it, you go sleep.”
Last time, they had shared a bed. This time, each of them had their own room and their own bed, and both slept comfortably and soundly.
——
The next morning.
After Qin Huaijing left for work, Huo Meilan stayed in bed a little longer before getting up.
She went into her space to wash up and had some bread with milk.
After coming out, she tied her long hair into a high messy bun with a hair tie and started organizing the things from yesterday’s parcels.
She put items like jewelry directly into her space since they were valuable. It would not be safe to leave them at home for the next couple of days while she was away at school.
Her mother-in-law had actually prepared quite a lot of women’s essentials. Soap, underwear, even a few packs of sanitary pads, which was pretty rare for this era.
Just as she was almost done tidying up, there was a knock from outside the yard.
“Meilan? Are you home?”
Huo Meilan walked out. “I’m here, Sister Liu.”
It was Sister Liu, the wife of the regiment commander next door.
She was holding a basket full of vegetables, including pumpkins, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, and more.
“Meilan, you’re finally back. I haven’t seen you in half a month and I really missed you. These are some vegetables my family sent from my hometown, I brought you some. Eat them while you’re home these couple of days.”
“Thank you so much, Sister Liu, really thank you.” Huo Meilan took the basket with a smile and led her inside.
The snacks they had bought last time in the county town, like peanuts, melon seeds, dried fruit, and candies, finally came in handy. Huo Meilan took them out to serve her guest.
Sister Liu was straightforward and not the type to be polite. She grabbed a handful of melon seeds and started cracking them while chatting.
She also looked around the house as she spoke. “Oh wow, it really does feel different with a woman in the house. Once things are a bit lived-in, it feels warm and cozy. Unlike before when Captain Qin lived alone, every time I came by it felt so empty and cold.”
Then she suddenly lowered her voice and leaned in. “Meilan, did you and Captain Qin have a fight?”
Huo Meilan, who was peeling peanuts, paused. “No, we didn’t.”
Seeing her reaction, Sister Liu became even more convinced something was off. Otherwise, why would a newly married couple be sleeping in separate beds? That just didn’t make sense.
“Meilan, I’ve been through this before, I can tell. Sometimes men are just like big children, a bit childish. As long as it’s not something serious, we women should be a bit more generous and give in a little. That way life at home will get better and better.”
Huo Meilan swallowed her peanuts and replied casually, “Sister Liu, we really didn’t fight. It’s just that one bed is a bit cramped, and I sleep badly. I keep kicking people at night.”
That made Sister Liu pause. “Oh my, you look so gentle and quiet, but you’ve got that habit?”
Huo Meilan nodded. “Yeah, so I sleep on the other bed later at night, otherwise neither of us gets proper rest.”
“Later at night?”
So that meant the couple had actually been sleeping together in the first half of the night.
Sister Liu instantly felt a bit embarrassed. “Oh my gosh, what a misunderstanding. I really got it wrong.”
Well, that made more sense. Newlyweds in their first year were usually all sweet and sticky with each other. The young couple was clearly doing fine. It was just outsiders who loved gossiping and talking nonsense.
The family housing compound wasn’t big, so news traveled fast. The second day after Huo Meilan went back to school, Captain Qin had someone bring in a brand new bed.
People started saying all sorts of things. Some said Captain Qin was angry and they were sleeping separately now.
Others said they simply didn’t get along. After all, Captain Qin came from a high-ranking family in the capital, while Huo Meilan’s background wasn’t great, so they probably had nothing in common.
After hearing it too many times, even Sister Liu had started to believe it a little.
So now that Huo Meilan was back, she came over thinking she should try to smooth things over. Turns out, it was just a big misunderstanding.
Huo Meilan, on her end, had also picked up quite a bit of gossip from Sister Liu. And surprisingly, all of it was about herself.
There were all kinds of rumors about trouble in the marriage, people saying she was too proud, refusing to have kids because she was focused on school, not being sensible, and even feeling sorry for Captain Qin.
People really had too much free time on their hands.
Without saying much, Huo Meilan changed her clothes, tied her long hair into a thick braid, and went out with Sister Liu for a walk.
Halfway there, they ran into a few people gossiping and pointing fingers. Huo Meilan walked straight up to them without hesitation.
“Hey auntie, what are you talking about? Speak up a little louder.”
“And all these stories going around the family compound lately, those are all your versions, right? With that imagination, you should go write novels or be a screenwriter instead.”
“Oh, and you too, little miss gossip. You talk like you saw everything with your own eyes. What, were you hiding under our bed listening to our married life?”
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