Chapter 478: A Little Jealousy

Chapter 478: Petty Jealousy

On their way home, the two happened to bump into several other neighborhood wives from the compound.

Someone spotted Ye Xiaoxiao walking closely with Qu Miao and couldn’t resist making remarks.

“Isn’t that Regiment Commander Lu’s wife?”

“Looks like her from behind. Come to think of it, Regiment Commander Lu’s wife has been really busy lately.”

“Even if work keeps her busy, she shouldn’t be walking so close with a male colleague, right? Isn’t that making Regiment Commander Lu look bad? Don’t you think?”

The speaker was a young army wife. While no one had paid it much mind at first, her words made Ye Xiaoxiao’s behavior seem inappropriate.

However, after months of interaction, everyone in the compound knew Ye Xiaoxiao well.

So when this wife spoke up, the others clammed up.

Ye Xiaoxiao was a doctor who often helped with everyday aches and pains in the compound. No one wanted to speak ill of her.

“Hey, Xiaofen, Comrade Ye is pregnant. With the roads slippery from snow, of course her colleague has to walk her home.”

“Exactly, exactly. It’s freezing out—let’s hurry home too.”

“Looks like the snow’s only getting heavier. We’ll have to shovel snow tomorrow.”

With that, the others quickly walked away.

Seeing no one side with her, Jia Xiaofen sulked.

Others might like sucking up, but she didn’t. Yet, with no one willing to listen, she had no choice but to keep quiet.

Ye Xiaoxiao, of course, had no idea about the gossip behind her back. After Qu Miao saw her home, he left.

Now that the weather had turned cold, the challenges of living on the island became more apparent.

For one, the house was never really warm enough.

Even with the stove burning, it always felt a bit off.

To make matters worse, the house had no kang, only regular beds, making winter nights particularly challenging.

After heating water at home, Ye Xiaoxiao placed a heating pad in the bed to warm it up, so it wouldn’t feel too cold when she lay down.

Among the items Ye Changning had sent last time was an electric blanket—arguably the most practical thing on the island, especially in winter.

However, electric blankets could cause overheating, so Ye Xiaoxiao usually turned it off after just an hour or two.

Auntie Zhao, seeing Ye Xiaoxiao filling the hot-water bottle, immediately jumped in to help.

“Xiao Xiao, let me handle this.”

It wasn’t that Auntie Zhao had forgotten—she simply avoided entering the couple’s room when Xiao Xiao wasn’t around, and it was still early.

Ye Xiaoxiao: “Don’t worry, Auntie. I can do it myself.”

Auntie Zhao looked at her worriedly. “Are you going to work tomorrow? The snow outside has piled up pretty high.”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “I’ve already talked to Qu Miao and the others. If there’s anything urgent, they’ll come fetch me. Otherwise, I’ll rest at home.”

Auntie Zhao relaxed. "That’s better. Otherwise, it’s too cold and slippery out there, it would definitely be dangerous."

Auntie Zhao brought out the prepared dinner, all tailored to Xiao Xiao’s preferences.

There was plenty of food at home, with food sent regularly from the capital. Auntie Zhao's task was to ensure the pregnant woman's nutrition.

She had initially thought this would be a challenging job, but Xiao Xiao was the easiest pregnancy Auntie Zhao had ever seen.

She had no food aversions or morning sickness.

Moreover, Xiao Xiao had a laid-back personality and rarely got angry.

Now, Auntie Zhao saw Xiao Xiao as her own child, just hoping for a smooth delivery.

After dinner, Ye Xiaoxiao read a bit before turning in.

Lu Hanchuan had been swamped since New Year’s and had been returning late these past few days.

By the time Lu Hanchuan got home, Xiao Xiao was already asleep.

In her sleep, Xiao Xiao seemed to sense his return. When Lu Hanchuan lay down, she turned over and nestled into his arms.

"Sleep now."

Lu Hanchuan patted Xiao Xiao gently, reassuring her as she drifted off.

The next morning, Lu Hanchuan left early, making sure to remind Xiao Xiao before leaving.

"Don’t go out today. There’s a ton of snow outside."

Ye Xiaoxiao pulled the blanket up to cover her chin. "I’m taking it easy today. Be careful when you go out."

Hearing this, Lu Hanchuan felt at ease.

"Mm, I know."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead before leaving.

With no work today, Ye Xiaoxiao could sleep in.

Before leaving, Lu Hanchuan cleared the snow from the yard and front walk. The snow outside the compound still needed clearing, but usually, whoever was free in the compound pitched in.

In the morning, a few army wives were already out shoveling snow outside.

Though it wasn’t mandatory, anyone who skipped out would get talked about behind their backs.

While Gao Yanfei was outside shoveling snow with her two children, Jia Xiaofen called her over.

"Sister Yanfei, the two households next to you haven’t shown up yet."

At first, Gao Yanfei didn’t understand who she meant, but after thinking carefully, she realized Jia Xiaofen was referring to Ye Xiaoxiao and Kong Xuelan.

Gao Yanfei leaned on her shovel. "Xiaofen, they’re pregnant. You can’t expect them to come out in this heavy snow?"

Jia Xiaofen scoffed. "The Chairman said women can do anything men can. Does pregnancy get them out of chores?"

Gao Yanfei had known Jia Xiaofen before but had no idea she’d be this nitpicky.

"Enough. The Chairman never said pregnant women should risk their necks shoveling snow. Wait till you’re pregnant—see if you’ll be out here then."

Gao Yanfei's tone had turned quite stern by now, and Jia Xiaofen also felt she might have gone too far.

So Jia Xiaofen forced a smile, "Yanfei, that's not what I meant. I just think pregnant women aren't made of glass. Besides, I even saw Dr. Ye out last night."

Their voices seemed to have risen a bit too much, and Aunt Wu, who was shoveling snow nearby, caught their conversation.

Ever since Xiao Xiao had saved her son last time, Aunt Wu had always had her back.

Now, hearing Jia Xiaofen's words, she immediately snapped, "Jia Xiaofen! If you don’t want to work, just go home. This is volunteer work anyway. You haven’t done much all morning—too busy badmouthing others."

Seeing Aunt Wu speak up, Gao Yanfei took her shovel and moved aside to clear snow elsewhere.

She needed to stay away from Jia Xiaofen—this girl was clueless.

Jia Xiaofen's face turned red, though it was unclear whether from the cold or embarrassment.

"Aunt Wu, what do you mean I haven’t worked? This whole area was shoveled by me!"

Aunt Wu rolled her eyes at her. "You barely made a dent—that counts as work? If we rely on people like you to hold up half the sky, the sky would collapse."

Jia Xiaofen was no match for Aunt Wu’s sharp tongue. After being scolded, she stormed off angrily toward home.

As she walked away, she shot back, "If Aunt Wu thinks I’m too slow, then I’ll just leave."

Aunt Wu scoffed, "Always quick to criticize others—when you yourself don’t want to work either."

The others worked quickly, and the little incident didn’t slow down the snow-clearing progress.