Gu Yi walked home slowly by herself.
She stood on the road, looking up at the sky.
She wondered how Ye Hao’s mission was going.
And the rumors in the military, those need to be settled quickly too.
Gu Yi looked at the moon in the sky and sighed.
At this moment, she noticed a star next to the moon and suddenly figured out how to resolve the issue of the rumors.
After returning home, she had a good night’s sleep.
Early the next morning, Gu Yi got up, tidied herself, and hurried out to the vegetable market.
She wandered there, keeping an eye on the entrance of the military base, occasionally glancing at the vegetables, but didn’t buy any.
After a while, she brightened up upon seeing someone coming out of the military base.
She intentionally ran to the nearest vegetable stall, pretending to pick vegetables.
When the person approached her side, she pretended to move to the next stall.
Standing up, she turned towards the person.
"Aunt Chen, you’re out buying vegetables too?"
The person turned out to be Chen Jun’s mother.
From chatting with Ye Honglian and others the day before, Gu Yi learned that the finances of the Chen Family were currently managed by Chen Jun’s mother.
Every time vegetables were bought, it was also his mother who came to buy them.
Gu Yi knew that older folks usually came out early.
So she intentionally waited there for her.
"Yes, you’re buying vegetables too? You came quite early."
Chen Jun’s mother recognized Gu Yi and smiled as she spoke.
"It’s good to come early for fresher vegetables, but I’m not good at picking them. It’s perfect that I ran into you, you must have lots of experience. I’ll just follow you around."
Gu Yi deliberately tried to get friendly with Chen Jun’s mother.
People love to hear nice words, and Chen Jun’s mother was no exception.
Hearing what Gu Yi said, she was quite pleased.
After coming to the military base, although she had taken Chen Jun’s allowance from Li Dongxiang, probably because she came from the countryside, many people didn’t really like her.
Gu Yi was the first person to show her kindness.
"Sure, you young people don’t know as much as us older folks. You like to buy those pretty vegetables. But actually, many of the vegetables that look good have been sprayed with pesticides. You should follow me around, I’ll teach you, then you’ll know for yourself next time."
Chen Jun’s mother said, looking proud.
"Thank you so much, Aunt."
Gu Yi replied with a cheerful smile.
Chen Jun’s mother genuinely took Gu Yi to pick the good vegetables she thought, and also shared some tips on choosing vegetables.
"Thanks so much, Aunt. I need to learn more from you. But I’m not around here often; otherwise, I’d follow you every day."
After buying vegetables, Gu Yi pulled Chen Jun in and thanked continuously.
"No problem. Next time you’re back, we can go buy vegetables together. We older folks sleep less, so we come early every day. If you come early, you’ll definitely run into me."
It’s said that one shouldn’t hit a smiling face; seeing Gu Yi being so polite, Chen Jun’s mother responded warmly.
"Okay, definitely. Aunt, with you at the military base, Chen Lianzhang and others must be very happy; you’re knowledgeable and good at managing the house."
Gu Yi deliberately shifted the topic to Chen Jun’s family.
"Yes, they want me to stay a bit longer, just like you said. With me here, I can help them with many things. But my daughter-in-law is too young and doesn’t understand these things."
Chen Jun’s attitude towards his mother is unclear, but Li Dongxiang must wish she would leave soon.
However, Gu Yi didn’t expose this and just followed Chen Jun’s mother’s words.
"That’s true. My parents are back home looking after my little sister. Otherwise, I’d want them to come over and stay together. It’s lively with more people, and we can learn more from the older generation."
Chen Jun listened to Gu Yi’s words and commented with a sense of admiration.
"We younger ones should behave . Sister-in-law Li is like that too, isn’t she?"
Gu Yi continued to flatter Chen Jun’s mother, steering the conversation towards her real topic.
"Her? If only she were half as sensible as you. Back home, life was tough. She, with her heart blackened, even withheld our living expenses. Chen Jun’s brother is still studying, and last winter, we survived on pickled vegetables."
Whenever this topic came up, Chen Jun’s mother got quite angry.
"Sister-in-law Li is really a bit excessive. Now she’s with Chen Lianzhang; she doesn’t need to do any farm work, just cleans the house daily. Life is so comfortable, yet she doesn’t appreciate it. She should know someone else has an eye on that position too. If Chen Lianzhang had married later, it wouldn’t have been her; others had much better conditions."
Gu Yi joined Chen Jun’s mother in criticizing Li Dongxiang.
"Is there someone else eyeing our Chen Jun?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jun’s mother stopped in her tracks and looked at Gu Yi asking.
"You didn’t know, Aunt, then let’s pretend you didn’t hear it. I spoke too much."
Gu Yi feigned a mistake.
"It’s alright, daughter, talking to me is not an issue."
Seeing Gu Yi’s hesitation, Chen Jun’s mother became more curious and didn’t realize she was slowly falling into Gu Yi’s trap.
"Aunt, I better not speak about it. If sister-in-law Li finds out I told you, she’d fight with me for sure. Let’s pretend I didn’t say anything in front of Sister-in-law Li, okay? Aunt, I’ll head home first, let’s chat later."
Saying this, Gu Yi pretended she had made a huge mistake and anxiously walked home.
Chen Jun’s mother quickly took a few steps to stop Gu Yi.
"If my words cause unrest in your home, I’d feel guilty."
Gu Yi continued pretending as if she couldn’t reveal anything.
"Don’t worry, daughter. Today’s conversation, only you and I know. I will definitely not let a third person know."
Chen Jun’s mother held onto Gu Yi, refusing to let her leave. She was determined to find out today.
"Well, Aunt, I’ll share with you, but at home, don’t act out. This matter is known to many; just promise me you won’t say it was I who told you, okay?"
Gu Yi continued pretending to be extremely cautious.
"Okay, I won’t say it. If I do, let my mouth rot."
Chen Jun’s mother replied casually.
"Alright, alright, Aunt, I’ll tell you."
Gu Yi pretended to reluctantly agree.
"We used to have a military doctor named Yang Lin here, a flower of the military. She always had a crush on Brother Chen, but since Brother Chen got married, she asked her father to transfer her to the city’s military hospital."
Gu Yi changed Yang Lin’s affection for Ye Hao into her liking Chen Jun.
"Is her father a high-ranking officer? Can he just transfer her to the city at will?"
But Chen Jun’s mother was astute, immediately grasping the key point.
"Yes, her father is a top leader in the military. If Chen Lianzhang had such backing, his rank would surely rise several levels, and his allowance would increase significantly."
Gu Yi spoke while observing Chen Jun’s mother’s reaction.
As she expected, Chen Jun’s mother was seriously contemplating.