An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 156 Returning to the Team After the Deadline (Part 2)

Inside the main room of the Chu family, there was a square elm wood table with a rough texture, and four long elm wood benches with a slightly rough feel to the touch. Meng Youyou sat on one of them.

Liu Xiu'e busied herself pouring hot water for Meng Youyou, saying, "Comrade Meng Youyou? That name sounds familiar. I've heard my Chu Yao mention you several times. She said that you were the closest person to her in the army."

He spoke the same broken Mandarin as the old man in the Lei Feng hat next door.

Meng Youyou twitched the corners of her mouth, smiled, and said nothing.

Meng Youyou didn't actually believe Liu Xiue's words; their veracity was questionable. Chu Yao had a cold personality, and their relationship wasn't that good.

But this is just a formality of polite greetings; it would be quite rude to point it out on the spot.

Liu Xiue held a white enamel cup steadily in both hands, walked around the corner of the square elm table, and placed the cup in front of Meng Youyou. Her face was full of smiles as she politely said, "Comrade Meng, please have some tea first."

The enamel on the cup has peeled off in many places, revealing a dark silver-gray metallic base. The surface is covered with tiny pits. The body of the cup is printed with a simple floral pattern in red paint. The outline of a peony is faintly visible, but the color has faded. The red has lost its vibrancy and turned somewhat brownish, and the lines of the petals are no longer clear.

The cup, filled with freshly poured hot water, steamed gently, its white vapor rising and creating a faint, hazy atmosphere in the slightly cool and empty main room.

Meng Youyou looked into the cup. A layer of freshly brewed tea leaves floated on the surface of the water. The leaves were small and narrow, and the color was green with a hint of yellow.

Meng Youyou smiled and thanked her, then turned the conversation to the main topic: "Auntie, the reason I came here is that Chu Yao has already taken her leave but hasn't returned to the team yet."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiue looked troubled. She first sighed, then began to explain in a rambling manner: "Chu Yao's grandmother's health hasn't been very good these past two years. Last week, she lost her balance when she got up and tripped and fell. The doctor told us..."

At this point, Liu Xiue covered her face with her hand as if wiping away tears, and when she spoke again, her voice was choked with sobs: "The child has a deep affection for the old lady, and she stays by her bedside every day to take care of her. The land at home can't be left unattended, and both Chu Yao's father and I have said that we should go and take her place, but the child is stubborn and refuses."

Liu Xiue looked at Meng Youyou with earnest eyes, "Could you please help us think of a way to make an exception for a few more days?"

Liu Xiue hadn't attended school for more than two years, and she was unaware of the strictness of the military's management system. She thought that wherever she went, it would be the same as doing things in the village. She could just say a few nice words to the village chief, plead with him, and maybe give him a pack of cigarettes and a couple of jugs of wine, and the matter would be settled.

Seeing this, Meng Youyou was somewhat moved. She moved a few inches forward on the wooden bench, sitting closer to Liu Xiue, and gently patted Liu Xiue's back with one hand, in a comforting manner.

Meng Youyou patiently explained, "Auntie, please don't get agitated. The military has its own rules and procedures. Everything must be done according to regulations and processes. It's inevitable that Chu Yao will be punished when she returns for not returning on time, but the military isn't a place without human touch."

"How about this, have Chu Yao write an explanation and an application for extended leave, preferably with her grandmother's medical records attached. I'll take it back to the leaders in the military for approval."

Upon hearing this, hope seemed to ignite in Liu Xiue's eyes, and she eagerly agreed, "Okay, okay, write the application. I'll have Chu Yao write the application."

Whether one has been to school or not does not affect the development of a shrewd person. The everyday trivialities of life in the village and among neighbors are the best way to hone one's interpersonal skills.

In those days, the surrounding villages and neighborhoods generally favored sons over daughters, but Liu Xiu'e managed to gain a good reputation among all the women.

Whenever outsiders mention her, they always praise Aunt Liu for being so good to their daughter. They never saw her hit Chu Yao once from childhood to adulthood, and she even supported her through vocational school. On the contrary, they saw her hitting Chu Yaozu every day.

This is why Chu Yao had always treated the Chu family with sincerity. From the perspective of the person involved, Chu Yao was not stupid. Of course, she could see things more clearly than outsiders. In fact, her parents' hearts were mostly biased towards her younger brother, but she still felt that her parents loved her too, especially Liu Xiu'e.

Even though she wasn't that nice to Chu Yao, she still made Chu Yao feel like she was doing it for her own good.

I bought a pound of pork and made braised pork with potatoes. After Chu Yaozu came home from school and had a big meal, he didn't do his homework and went to his classmate's house to watch TV.

Liu Xiu'e put the leftover fatty meat and potatoes into a bowl, and then waited until it was almost dark. When Chu Yao finished his farm work and came back from the fields, he secretly called her into the room.

With tears in her eyes, she said to her, "I'm not good enough. The food at home is terrible. Last time I saw you looking longingly at the braised pork on other people's tables, I felt really bad."

Then Liu Xiu'e placed the small bowl of fatty pork and potatoes in front of Chu Yao, patted her head, and said, "Eat up, that's all. Don't tell your brother. You have to go to school and do farm work when you come back. It breaks my heart to see you like this."

At times like these, Chu Yao would secretly vow to herself that she must study hard, make something of herself, and give her parents a better life. Little did Chu Yao know that the last time her family bought meat was actually three days ago; she just hadn't gotten to eat it.

This is where Liu Xiu'e's greatest success lies: she wears a flawed human mask, yet always manages to justify herself.

Even Chu Yao, who had been with Meng Youyou day and night, was deceived for a lifetime, so it's no wonder that Meng Youyou was fooled by the illusion for a short time.

After all, Meng Youyou, who grew up being pampered, finds it hard to believe that there are parents in this world who don't love their children at all.

Meng Youyou took a sip of hot tea, burned her tongue, and instinctively wanted to spit it out, but still managed to swallow it down.

After a pause, Meng Youyou said, "Auntie, since it's still early, I'll go directly to the hospital to find Chu Yao and have her write it down on the spot, then I'll take it back to the army."

She did it purely out of kindness; she thought it would be convenient and quick, since the city hospital was near the bus station and she was going back anyway, so it was on the way.

As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Youyou noticed that the person opposite her changed her expression abruptly, and in just a moment, she was no longer as friendly and approachable as before.

Before he could even think, the next second he heard Chu Yaozu, who was standing on one side of the main room, loudly stop him: "No way!"

Meng Youyou looked in the direction of the sound with suspicion and met a pair of panicked and uneasy eyes.

"Why?" Meng Youyou asked, her tone puzzled, but her eyes sharp.

Chu Yaozu's gaze darted away, and for some reason, beads of sweat had appeared on his temples despite the cold weather.

Just then, Liu Xiu'e sighed heavily, "Chu Yao's grandmother is very worried. Her biggest concern is whether Chu Yao has made any mistakes in the army."

If you go to the hospital to see her, her grandmother will definitely overthink it. The old lady's health isn't good to begin with, and she can't bear to worry. Yaozu is just being anxious, afraid that these things will affect his grandmother.

The explanation was reasonable, but Meng Youyou still felt that something was not quite right. This strange and inexplicable feeling was not the first time Meng Youyou had experienced it.

It seems that every time it happens, it's related to Chu Yaozu.

Seeing him come to pick Chu Yao up at the camp gate felt strange; bumping into him in the alley of Pingyuan Street also felt strange; now that I've found his house, something still feels off.

Meng Youyou was also worried that her sudden appearance at the hospital to see Chu Yao might have some negative impact on the elderly woman.
He didn't dare to stick to his original idea, but followed Liu Xiu'e's advice—to have Chu Yaozu go to the hospital to find her sister, write the application, and then send it to the army.

Before leaving, Liu Xiue smiled and invited Meng Youyou to come again next time.

Meng Youyou paused as she stepped out the door. She turned around and, from a distance of a few meters, instructed Chu Yaozu, who was leaning against the elmwood table: "Hey, by the way, after you see your sister, please ask her what brand of frostbite cream she bought for me at the pharmacy when we went on a business trip together last time."
I accidentally lost the one she gave me about two weeks ago. I recently got a new one from the clinic, but it seems to be a different brand and not as effective as the old one.

As she spoke, Meng Youyou gestured to a small frostbite on the edge of her right palm, saying casually, "I was originally planning to ask her myself, but now I can only ask you for help."

Chu Yaozu nodded hesitantly.

statement:

1. I sincerely apologize that my busy work and life schedules often disrupt my regular updates, affecting everyone's reading experience. Next time, I will learn from this experience and save up a certain number of words before starting a new story.

2. I promised many readers that I would write this story seriously until the end, and I will keep my promise. Although many original readers have stopped following the story because I sometimes take a few days off, and the data is now dismal, I will still keep my promise.

3. For those who value the reading experience, it's recommended to save it for a few days before reading, or wait until it's finished before reading it all at once.

But I sincerely hope that everyone will not give up on this story. The fates of the characters in the book will likely be more than you expect, and I look forward to bringing you surprises later on.