Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The family compound was near Gate Three. The main gate in the middle was locked, and only a small side door, just wide enough for one person to pass through, was open. A guard was stationed there, and ordinary soldiers needed a pass to enter or exit. Family members, however, did not require one.

Chen Baozhen was waiting inside the gate. Originally, she had wanted to go in the car to personally pick up her best friend Qin Yao. But her neighbor, Bai Qiuling, also needed to pick up a distant cousin, and there wouldn’t be enough space in the car for both their luggage. So, the two women waited at the compound gate.

Chen Baozhen stood alone by the guard post, looking aloof and detached, which made her seem unsociable. Bai Qiuling, on the other hand, stood with several other sisters-in-law, chatting noisily, making Chen Baozhen appear even more out of place.

Dressed in a well-tailored, plain-colored outfit, Chen Baozhen was tall and slender, nearly 1.7 meters in height. She had an elongated face, shoulder-length hair, a high nose, and large eyes. She wasn’t alluring or delicate but had an elegant and distinctive appearance, like a lily.

When she wasn’t speaking, she appeared somewhat arrogant and harsh, as if keeping people at a distance.

In fact, Chen Baozhen’s temper wasn’t very good. After marrying into the family, she often quarreled with her husband.

As someone trained in music, she carried an air of noble elegance. Nowadays, she worked as a music teacher at a local elementary school for the children of military families.

Bai Qiuling, chatting amiably with the sisters-in-law, seemed much more “approachable.” A young male officer in a white military uniform stood nearby, occasionally joining their conversation.

“Teacher Bai, is your cousin as refined and intelligent as you are?”

A sister-in-law surnamed Chen whispered into the young officer’s ear, “If you want to marry, you should marry someone like Teacher Bai. If she’s like Teacher Chen over there, it would be a nightmare.”

The young officer glanced at Chen Baozhen and was still awed by her presence—tall, elegant, and outstanding. Marrying such a woman would be a blessing, though married life with her…

“Is the car here? Have they arrived?”

The military green jeep stopped, and Chen Baozhen was more anxious than Bai Qiuling and the others. Usually, she appeared proud and cold in the compound, rarely interacting with others and having few friends. It was the first time the sisters-in-law had seen her so eager.

Tian Shuyun got off the car first and called out loudly, “Cousin!”

“Shuyun, sisters-in-law, this is my distant cousin, Tian Shuyun.”

The sisters-in-law praised her, “She’s beautiful and looks very fresh and lovely.”

Tian Shuyun was dressed in a pretty floral shirt with two neatly combed braids. Her skin was dark and slightly yellow, but her features were reasonably well-proportioned, except for a slight cross-eye.

Qin Yao got off after her, revealing a snow-white arm that gleamed under the sunlight. That arm alone had already caught everyone’s attention.

Chen Baozhen’s heart tightened at the sight of Qin Yao and immediately, without regard for her image, rushed forward and hugged Qin Yao tightly, who was a few centimeters shorter than her.

“YaoYao! YaoYao! I’m so happy to see you!” Chen Baozhen was emotionally excited.

Being hugged tightly by a “strange yet familiar” woman, Qin Yao felt uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to such closeness.

“Check affection level?”

Qin Yao selected “yes” and then stood stunned.

“Her affection level for you is 88 (she considers you her best friend in the world).”

“Activate affection reward system.”

“1/24 (accumulate 24 hours of interaction to receive an affection gift).”

An affection gift?

It turned out her seemingly useless affection system could not only check others' real feelings towards her, but with a high enough affection level, there were additional rewards.

Seeing Chen Baozhen’s true feelings for her, Qin Yao was genuinely shocked. This sisterhood was real! It wasn’t a superficial friendship!

Chen Baozhen genuinely liked Qin Yao and had been looking forward to her visit.

“Zhenzhen!” Qin Yao hugged Chen Baozhen and happily bounced a little, feeling an indescribable excitement.

After being betrayed by a close friend, Qin Yao had started to doubt whether true friendship existed in the world. But seeing Chen Baozhen’s true feelings for her, she was convinced that the emotions Chen Baozhen showed were genuine.

Qin Yao didn’t know her previous affection level towards Chen Baozhen, but now, as Qin Yao, she was determined to maintain this relationship.

Chen Baozhen had an 88 affection level for her, and she would reciprocate the same feelings towards Chen Baozhen.

—She wanted to be friends with Chen Baozhen!

Qin Yao happily followed Chen Baozhen to her house. A young soldier helped Qin Yao with her luggage, and Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen walked hand in hand, needing to take a detour to reach Chen Baozhen’s house.

Pointing ahead, Chen Baozhen said, “There! See that vegetable-filled yard over there? That’s where we are!”

Qin Yao blinked in surprise, looking at the lush green vines in the yard. The yard was filled with fresh, vibrant vegetables, enclosed by a fence with trellises holding plump cucumbers and bright red tomatoes, exuding a lively and prosperous atmosphere.

This was Chen Baozhen’s yard? It was well-maintained, giving off a peaceful and leisurely rural vibe, representing the beauty of a bountiful harvest.

The sisters were quite capable of maintaining the yard, and the living environment was pleasant.

Qin Yao was pleased. The scenery of the family compound was beautiful, with a clear blue sky, distant white clouds, tall coconut trees, green banana leaves, and a two-story building, giving a sense of openness and lack of oppression.

“We’re here.” As they reached the yard, Qin Yao was about to go in and pick some red cherry tomatoes when Chen Baozhen pulled her and pointed to the neighboring yard. “YaoYao, over here.”

Qin Yao: “?”

The neighboring yard was overgrown with weeds, scattered with unknown wild plants or flowers. In the corner, there were a few nutrient-deficient Chinese cabbage with holes in the leaves. Qin Yao had thought the yard was uninhabited.

“That’s Teacher Bai’s yard next door.” Chen Baozhen, without any embarrassment, pointed to her own neglected and dilapidated yard. “This is my yard. Look, these are the vegetables I planted. I’ll cook them for you tonight.”

“I planted them myself, and you must try them.”

Qin Yao stared at the nutrient-deficient Chinese cabbage in the corner, her face showing hesitation. She walked over, squatted down, and saw the leaves were pale and yellow, with small white spots on the underside. Upon closer inspection, yellow insects were crawling on them.

Her mouth twitched slightly as she brushed her finger across the leaf, crushing a large number of red spiders.

"Aah! Aah!" Chen Baozhen screamed and jumped back, "Bugs, there are bugs! Help! Help! Help!"

Qin Yao looked closely and saw a small shrub, unable to identify what kind of plant it was, with seven or eight black caterpillars hanging from it, munching on the green leaves of the shrub.

Chen Baozhen: "Why are there so many caterpillars?!"

Qin Yao fell silent. "A gift from the butterflies."

The caterpillars were ugly, but they were indeed left by butterflies and would eventually transform into butterflies themselves.

Qin Yao bravely picked up a thin bamboo stick and approached the caterpillars on the branches, poking them. "What kind of plant is this?"

"I don't know. It seems to be some kind of flower. I planted the seeds, and they bloom into small flowers. They're quite pretty. Don't kill them, okay?"

Even though the shrub was crawling with caterpillars, Baozhen was reluctant to get rid of it. She wanted to try and save it. After all, it was one of the few flowering plants in her yard.

Qin Yao carefully poked down a black caterpillar and then stepped back, accidentally stepping on a petunia. That was like poking a hornet's nest. The 140-pound Qin Yao immediately retreated three steps and screamed as well, "Ahhhh!!"

The petunia was covered in whiteflies, which clung to the leaves without moving. When Qin Yao stepped on them, it startled all the whiteflies, and white moths scattered in all directions like a cloud of dust, terrifying to behold.

The nearly 5'7" Chen Baozhen hid behind Qin Yao, and the two of them worked together to throw the bug-infested petunia out of the yard.

Qin Yao wiped the cold sweat from her brow. "Baozhen, are you really growing plants or raising bugs in your yard?"

Chen Baozhen replied, "I grow flowers and vegetables."

"Your flowers and vegetables don't look so great," Qin Yao said, struggling to find the right words. "But you've definitely raised a bunch of fat little pests."

This girl was a natural at attracting all kinds of pests.

Qin Yao straightened up and looked over at the lush green yard of the main female lead, Bai Qiuling, filled with a bountiful harvest. Then she looked back at Chen Baozhen's yard, full of "harmful little pests." As a control group, Chen Baozhen was doing a very good job.

It wasn't easy for Bai Qiuling either... The yard next door was full of pests, and her vegetables were prone to infestations too.

With Chen Baozhen's yard being full of pests, it meant all the harmful insects went there, forming the first line of defense for the female lead's vegetable garden.

Qin Yao wasn't studying agriculture and couldn't really determine what to do.

Chen Baozhen tucked the hair behind her right ear and stood with her arms crossed, appearing as elegant as ever, her expression haughty. "I don't raise animals. I find them dirty."

Qin Yao was speechless. "..."

She asked casually, "How many times have you eaten the cabbages you grew in your yard?"

Could those even be eaten? Who knew how many times the pests had feasted on those leaves.

Chen Baozhen shook her head. "Never."

"Why?"

"I was waiting for you to come." Chen Baozhen said naturally.

Chen Baozhen walked up to Qin Yao, placed her hands on Qin Yao's shoulders, and said excitedly, "YaoYao, I grew these cabbages specifically for you to eat. You have to try them. I won't allow anyone else to eat them."

If Qin Yao hadn't been sure that Chen Baozhen's favorability towards her was 88, she would have thought Chen Baozhen was being sarcastic. Could these cabbages even be eaten? And she grew them only for her?

"YaoYao, you must eat them!"

Qin Yao said, "You eat them first, then I will."

Chen Baozhen replied, "No, these are specifically for you."

...

Qin Yao said, "I'm going to strangle you!"

Was this real sisterhood?

Qin Yao began to doubt whether her favorability system was fake. Was the score and evaluation just nonsense?

Shouldn't a true best friend always think of the other person? This sister grew cabbages like this, and instead of feeling embarrassed, she wanted to feed her bug-infested, nutrient-deficient leaves.

What a trap!