Chapter 91: Pride

Chapter 91: Pride

As soon as he saw this dress, Gu Heng felt it was just right for her, and she would definitely look stunning in it!

Since her husband wanted to buy her a dress, Su Zhaozhao wasn’t going to dampen his enthusiasm by saying something like “It’s going to get cold soon.”

Instead, she praised him, “You’re so nice! I really like it!”

Feeling even prouder, Gu Heng’s smile couldn’t be suppressed. “Sir, please wrap this dress for me.”

The salesclerk took down the dress and even said to Su Zhaozhao, “Your husband is really good to you, not even asking the price. This dress isn’t cheap, you know!”

A dress for autumn, with sturdy material and good quality fabric, cost ten yuan.

That was half of what Su Zhaozhao earned in a month during her internship.

Without hesitation, Gu Heng pulled out the money right away.

He didn’t hesitate when buying a dress for his wife.

The salesclerk glanced at Gu Heng a few times before wrapping the dress in paper and securing it with a hemp rope for easier carrying.

“Do you want to buy anything else?”

Su Zhaozhao shook her head. “We’ve bought most of what we need, and there’s nothing else we need at home right now.”

This shopping trip was quite expensive.

Glancing at his watch, Gu Heng said, “We should head back on the bus.”

“Okay.”

Gu Heng carried all the bags, while Su Zhaozhao had her hands empty.

They boarded the No. 3 bus at the stop and, after buying the tickets, reached the transfer station after a few minutes.

They got there ten minutes early. The bus was still there.

The driver was casually sitting on a small stool, smoking a cigarette, while the ticket collector was absent.

When they entered, the driver, worried they might be getting on the wrong bus, told them where the bus was headed.

"We’re on this bus."

The driver looked at Gu Heng again and asked, "You're a soldier, right?"

"Yes," replied Gu Heng, who was dressed in civilian clothes today.

"It’s obvious. You have a different presence."

They got on the bus.

Only a few passengers were scattered across the bus.

As soon as the two of them got on, they drew the attention of the other passengers.

Su Zhaozhao noticed a young girl who immediately blushed after looking at Gu Heng.

Su Zhaozhao: …

Noticing her gaze, Gu Heng raised an eyebrow as if asking, "What’s up?"

Su Zhaozhao smiled, her eyes narrowing, leaving Gu Heng puzzled.

After sitting down, Gu Heng asked her in a low voice, "What were you smiling about just now?"

"Just smiling casually," Su Zhaozhao replied, her eyes scanning the bus. She saw the young girl in the seat ahead quickly duck her head.

She tsked.

He really stands out!

Luckily he's wearing civilian clothes today. If he were in uniform, he’d probably attract even more attention.

Just smiling casually?

That doesn’t seem right.

It was clearly different from her usual smile.

At this point, Gu Heng understood.

But she remained silent.

A little while later, Gu Heng got it because the young girl in front turned around again, stealthily.

Gu Heng glanced at Su Zhaozhao helplessly, feeling jealous.

"I’m old enough to be her uncle, and she’s just a kid."

On the surface, Uncle Gu looked helpless, but inside, he was delighted.

It was time for the bus to leave, and the ticket seller, laden with several large bags, hurried onto the bus.

Once she caught her breath, she said, "Get your bus fare ready; I'm about to collect it."

The bus started moving, swaying as it pulled onto the road.

Just after leaving the station, a bicycle screeched to a stop beside the bus. The man riding it called out, "Could you please stop? There's still someone who hasn't boarded!"

The driver slammed on the brakes.

A woman got off the back of the bicycle and boarded the bus, turning to wave at the man riding the bike. "You can go back, Brother," she said.

When she turned around and saw the passengers, she was momentarily surprised, then smiled and scanned the bus. She couldn’t find any other available seats.

The ticket seller pointed to the empty seat across the aisle from Su Zhaozhao and Gu Heng. "There’s a seat over there, please sit down quickly, don’t waste time."

Under the ticket seller's urging, Yu Huixin had to sit there.

"What a coincidence! Commander Gu, how did you find the time to come to the city?" Yu Huixin asked as soon as she sat down.

He nodded. "I took a day off to come and explore."

Yu Huixin almost lost her smile. Gu Heng managed to take leave, but Lao Yan claimed he was too busy.

How did he manage that?

Could it be that because Gu Heng took leave, Lao Yan couldn't either?

"Is that so? You brought your younger sister to go shopping? Didn't I see you at Li Ji Restaurant at noon? I thought I might have mistaken you."

"Yes." His response was brief and unusually formal.

The formality made Yu Huixin unsure how to continue the conversation.

Gu Heng used to be different.

Su Zhaozhao was sitting in the seat by the window, and Gu Heng was sitting outside. Since Yu Huixin sat down, apart from a nod and a greeting, Su Zhaozhao remained silent.

Leaving Yu Huixin to try to engage Gu Heng in conversation.

But since Su Zhaozhao didn't speak, Yu Huixin shifted her focus to her. "Xiao Su, you've changed so much. No wonder I didn't recognize you earlier. The old saying 'people depend on clothes, and Buddha on gold' is indeed true. You don't look like you're from the countryside at all now."

Lao Yan often said that people from the countryside were simple and unadorned. But is Su Zhaodi simple at all?

Given the chance, she still dresses herself up.

Her face was so pale; she must have put on powder.

She's only been here a short time, and she's already like this. What will she be like in the future?

Probably even worse!

As rumored, she changed her name to Su Zhaozhao. How pretentious.

A name change couldn't alter her identity.

Did she really think that by changing her name to something rustic, she could pass as a city person?

Vain!

Indeed, she wasn't wrong. She had never liked this woman.

That was the reason.

Thinking of this, Yu Huixin sarcastically curled the corner of her mouth.

Su Zhaozhao wore a polite smile. "You're overpraising me, Auntie. I just try to look presentable. I can't compare to your elegance. Your outfits are truly excellent."

"Xiao Su, Xiao Su, she called out to her so affectionately in front of Gu Heng.

People of Yu Huixin’s status dreaded being called wealthy.

These days, only capitalists were considered wealthy.

This was exactly what she feared being reminded of. Because of this status, even after marrying Yan Guang, she still couldn’t hold her head high, unlike the proletariat, who could hold their heads high.

Sure enough, the other passengers cast discreet glances at Yu Huixin when they heard the word 'wealthy.'

Her clothes, the watch and ring on her wrist, the leather shoes on her feet, and the net bag she carried, which contained several metal boxes, all clearly indicated high-end goods, the kind not found in ordinary stores.

Yu Huixin’s expression darkened. "What do you mean by 'wealthy'? We’re all the same, really."

Su Zhaozhao arched her eyebrow. "Really?"

"Of course!"

"Then we must be the same." After that, Su Zhaozhao fell silent and closed her eyes to rest.

With that, she effectively ended the conversation.