Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Rumor: Did Battalion Commander Sheng Marry an Ugly Duckling?

She didn’t modestly or curtly say she wasn’t good-looking, nor did she claim to look ordinary.

Good looks are good looks. Since someone sincerely complimented her, she should express her gratitude generously.

The car slowly came to a stop, and about twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Northwest Military Region.

Their arrival was just in time to be noticed by quite a few army wives.

Everyone knew that the Jade-faced Yama, Sheng Zexi, had returned with his village wife!

Sheng Zexi was always the focus of attention in the Northwest Military Region, and now that he’s married, especially marrying a village girl, it stirred up even more gossip.

“What do you think Battalion Commander Sheng’s wife looks like?”

“What else? A village girl is surely dark-skinned, either looking like a soybean sprout or big-boned, and probably uneducated.”

After all, the village girls they had seen were all like that.

“Why do you think Battalion Commander Sheng married a village girl?”

“Just because he married her doesn’t mean he wanted to. I heard that those village folks are cunning and have many tricks. Maybe she used some method to latch on to Battalion Commander Sheng.”

“I think so too, tricked into it, forcing Battalion Commander Sheng to marry.”

“It’s quite pitiful when you think about it, this Battalion Commander Sheng.”

So, as soon as Sheng Zexi and Gu Jia Ning got off the car, a wave of rumors about them spread like wildfire within the military district.

The rumors evolved into Sheng Zexi being tricked into marrying that village wife, and that the village wife was very ugly, with dark, rough skin, and pockmarked.

The Yumian Battalion Commander married an ugly duckling! How pitiful, truly pitiful!

Gu Jia Ning had no idea that others were gossiping about her being an ugly duckling who used tricks to latch onto Sheng Zexi.

At this moment, the car was already parked in front of her house, which was a flat Sheng Zexi had applied for.

Getting off the car, the cold wind made Gu Jia Ning put her hat back on and pull her scarf up.

Looking around, there were several rows of neatly arranged flats, and the one Sheng Zexi applied for was in the front row, with several more rows behind.

Next door was Zhang Shuwan’s family.

Sheng Zexi had mentioned that the flats in the front were the best because they had courtyards, independent toilets and bathrooms, and a well.

The several rows behind didn’t have courtyards, and either lacked this or that.

However, the rows at the back had very few residents, with many empty houses.

The reason being.

One reason is that the climate in the Northwest is extremely cold, with snow almost all winter long, and heavy snow could block the mountains for at least two months, leading to scarce resources.

The family members were generally reluctant to follow the army.

Another reason is that most people who came preferred the apartment buildings.

So, the apartment buildings on the family compound side had more residents.

Gu Jia Ning, however, felt that these courtyard flats were better, with larger space, while the apartment area was too small, many spaces had to be shared, which meant little privacy.

Sheng Zexi returned with the key, opened the door.

After helping Sheng Zexi and his wife carry the luggage inside, Lin Xing also took his wife and daughter back to their home next door.

“After I applied for this place, I had someone clean it thoroughly. See, looks tidy, doesn’t it?”

Gu Jia Ning looked around, it must have been the soldiers called in for a thorough cleaning. It was spotless and everything was neatly arranged, which instantly reminded her of Sheng Zexi’s neatly folded blankets.

“Let’s take a walk around here together.”

And so, the couple started wandering around the flat.

The center of the flat was the living room, with two rooms on either side, the east was the kitchen and a storage room, the west was the toilet and bathroom.

A courtyard surrounded these rooms on three sides.

It’s not very big, but not too small either, especially with a well in the courtyard.

Gu Jia Ning was well aware of how critical and convenient water wells, independent toilets, and bathrooms were during this era.

Except…

“Isn’t the water in this well a bit too little?” Gu Jia Ning asked.

The well water was clear, but you could almost see the bottom. Was this water really enough?

“In the Northwest, water resources are quite scarce, especially during winter. This is still considered good, plus during winter, the temperature is around minus ten degrees, so bathing is infrequent, sometimes only once a month, otherwise bathing in such cold might lead to sickness.”

Sheng Zexi first lit up the two kangs in the living room and the master bedroom, then drew some water to heat on the stove, then took out a broom to quickly sweep the snow accumulated in the courtyard.

Even though someone cleaned a few days ago, it snowed every day, so the courtyard accumulated snow daily.

When Gu Jia Ning heard that one could only bathe once a month, she was immediately stunned.

“I probably won’t have to bathe just once a month, right? Can I still bathe today? I feel like I’m almost marinated.” Gu Jia Ning’s voice had a hint of grievance. Huaihua Village was in the south, and even in winter, it wouldn’t snow. Gu Jia Ning loved cleanliness, bathing every day regardless of how cold it got.

“Yes.” Sheng Zexi gave her an affirmative answer, then leaned in and whispered something in Gu Jia Ning’s ear, making her eyes light up. She gleefully grabbed his arm with both hands, “Really?”

“Really, in the afternoon, I’ll take you.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

“So, is there anything I should do now?” Although Gu Jia Ning was somewhat lazy and didn’t like doing chores, she felt a bit embarrassed seeing Sheng Zexi busy by himself, after all, this was their home.

“You can organize the luggage, put the small items in place, and when I’m done, I’ll go to the canteen to get food.”

“Alright.”

So, the couple busied themselves, one inside the room and the other outside.

Gu Jia Ning put the food brought from her family home into the kitchen cabinet, including quite a bit of cured meat, such as smoked rabbit, smoked chicken, smoked meats, and her mother Yao Chunhua’s homemade pickles.

Her family initially wanted her to bring rice, flour, and other grains, but Gu Jia Ning refused. In those days, every household was short on grains, how could she take them? Besides, with the long journey, those items were quite heavy.

Gu Jia Ning held the exchange mall in her hand, where everything related to clothing, food, housing, and transportation was cheap. She could find a time and opportunity later to exchange for some grains.

After putting away the food, Gu Jia Ning went to the master bedroom she shared with Sheng Zexi, looking with curiosity at the kang.

In the south, there were no kangs, and Gu Jia Ning had never slept on one before.

In these times, without modern heating, there was only the kang.

Gu Jia Ning touched it, thinking it was perhaps still not hot yet since it hadn’t been lit for long.

She placed the quilt on the kang, carefully spreading it, and neatly placed the pillows and other items as well.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep