“Colonel Lin, Mrs Lin!” Jiang Yao smiled when she saw the two of them. She greeted the husband and wife, who seemed to be heading their way as they played.
Suddenly, Colonel Lin realized that there were two people there, and his expression changed immediately. He turned around toward his wife and said pretentiously, “This is the army; no one fools around here.”
“Fine! I’ll beat you up when I get home!” Mrs Lin said to Colonel Lin. Then, she walked toward Jiang Yao with a face full of surprise. “Oh, Sergeant Lu, you’re back so soon? And Jiang Yao is also here? Finally! I haven’t seen her in a few months, but it felt like a long time. Even my brat asks after her from time to time.”
“It seems like everyone loves me here.” Jiang Yao praised herself shamelessly.
“Yes, everyone loves you! Alright, I shall not bother you any longer. Since you have just come back, you won’t have food at home. Come to our house for dinner tonight.” Mrs Lin chuckled and waved her hand at Jiang Yao. Then, she gestured to the bag in her hand. “I just bought some fresh groceries, so you’ll have a good meal tonight.”
After they accepted Mrs Lin’s invitation, Jiang Yao followed Lu Xingzhi upstairs. As he opened the door, Jiang Yao leaned against his back like a pile of soft bones. Suddenly, she heard a sound from the opposite door, and she jumped back like a startled bird. She took two steps backward and left Lu Xingzhi’s back hurriedly. She touched the tip of her nose as she looked at the opposite door.
She thought someone would come out from the opposite door, but no one came out, not even after a few seconds.
“Get in.” Lu Xingzhi glanced at the tightly shut door before he reached out to pull Jiang Yao forward and pushed her through the door. After he entered the door, he explained, “There’s a new resident from the opposite door. He’s a major from the Third Battalion. His wife is pregnant, and his mother is here to take care of her.”
“Since I’m here, do you want me to go and greet her later?” Jiang Yao asked.
“Greetings?” Lu Xingzhi placed Jiang Yao’s luggage on the ground as he said, “The major is a nice person, and his wife is also quite timid. It is quite easy to get along with them. However, the problem is with his mother. I don’t really know how to describe her to you.”
When the major and his wife had moved across the street, Lu Xingzhi did not have any objections about that. However, when the man’s mother arrived, he did not know how to describe his feelings.”
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Yao asked.
“I am currently only a sergeant, but the major is a battalion commander. So, he has more soldiers under his command than I do. His mother thinks that he is my leader because of this reason. She feels that anyone below his son’s position should always respect her. The old woman is greedy and thick-skinned. When she wants something from others, she’ll find a way to ask for it. She has only been here for less than a month, but she has caused many problems for the major. He said that he plans to send her back to the countryside after the New Year. His mother-in-law will come and look after his wife instead.”
Jiang Yao finally understood why Lu Xingzhi had that expression on his face a few moments ago. It was most likely because they lived so close to each other. The major’s mother must have thought that Lu Xingzhi was only a sergeant when she saw him, and she had looked down upon him.
