A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 54

Shen Sisi’s scalp suddenly tightened. Is that… my cousin, Chen Ting?

She turned around to see Chen Ting walking toward her with an air of self-importance, her arm linked with a greasy-faced man wearing glasses.

“It really is my cousin!”

Chen Ting was dressed quite fashionably for the time; her hair was permed into the trendy “big waves” of the era, her makeup was heavy, and her high heels clacked loudly against the floor.

“Cousin!” Shen Sisi greeted her with a warm smile. She had previously promised her aunt that she would send some chili sauce to Chen Ting, but she had been so busy since arriving that she had completely forgotten.

Seeing her aunt, little Niuniu called out sweetly, “Hello, Auntie!”

Chen Ting’s expression shifted into an unnatural smile, though a flash of resentment flickered in the depths of her eyes.

“I heard from my mother that you found a man from Jiangcheng. You’d only known him for a few days before you hopped on a train and left with him. You didn’t even look me up after arriving in Jiangcheng; I almost thought you’d been kidnapped by human traffickers and sold off to the mountains.”

The words sounded like concern, but they were laced with heavy irony.

The man beside her, his hair parted down the middle and slicked with oil, adjusted his glasses and sized Shen Sisi up with a look of pure amazement. “Tingting, is this the cousin you’re always talking about?”

Shen Sisi immediately felt a sense of offense.

Chen Ting gave a dismissive grunt, her chin tilted high. “Yes. She trusts men so easily—no wonder she had a child out of wedlock.”

Though she framed it as a “worry,” she couldn’t hide the deep-seated disdain in her voice. The man, Yang Huaidong, looked at Sisi with an even more lecherous gaze, playfully licking the corner of his mouth.

Shen Sisi finally realized the reality of the situation. She had greeted Chen Ting with the joy of seeing an old relative in a strange city, but Chen Ting viewed her with nothing but contempt, wishing only to grind her into the dirt.

The smile on Sisi’s face gradually faded, replaced by a sharp edge. “Cousin, you needn’t trouble yourself with my affairs. On the contrary, have you and ‘Brother-in-law’ gotten engaged yet? When will you be inviting me to the wedding?”

Mentioning this was a sore spot for Chen Ting. Her blood-red lips pursed tightly, and her features twisted with suppressed rage.

She has the nerve to bring that up… If it weren’t for Shen Sisi, she and Yang Huaidong would have been engaged long ago. Though she was fuming inside, she kept up a front of indifference.

“We… it’ll be soon. Just you wait! The invitation will definitely find its way into your hands.”

Since they were children, Shen Sisi had always outshone her. She had finally hoped to surpass Sisi now that the Shen family had fallen on hard times and Sisi’s parents were gone. Chen Ting had joined the Art Troupe and thought she finally held the upper hand, only to lose face over the matter of marriage.

So what if the dowry was large? she thought. Shen Sisi is still raising a child alone.

She noted Sisi’s clothes—a style from two years ago with a patch on the hem. It seemed that man wasn’t treating her well; he probably beat her three times a day. Thinking this made Chen Ting feel slightly better, though her anger remained.

“By the way, why are you alone? Why didn’t your husband accompany you?”

Just as Shen Sisi was about to speak, Chen Ting covered her mouth and laughed. “Don’t tell me he’s ashamed to be seen with you… Well, it makes sense. For a woman who had a child out of wedlock, it’s normal for him to have reservations.”

Chen Ting’s voice was loud, sharp, and shrill. Soon, the other patrons in the restaurant began casting disdainful looks toward Sisi. In those days, what “decent” person had a child out of wedlock?

Those judgmental stares burned against Sisi’s skin like fire. “Such a pretty girl, how could she do something like that?” “If she were in my family, I wouldn’t have the face to keep living…”

Shen Sisi took a deep breath, her cold, sharp gaze sweeping across the room, forcing the onlookers to shut their mouths. Her gaze eventually landed back on Chen Ting, who began to feel a bit unnerved.

“Cousin, regardless of my past, I am a military wife, legally married with a truckload of betrothal gifts sent to my door.”

“Even someone like me is being fought over and cherished like a treasure. Meanwhile, for you and ‘Brother-in-law,’ the ‘eight characters’ of your marriage haven’t even been written yet. So, is the problem with me, or is it with you?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but her tone was as calm as still water, ensuring everyone present could hear her clearly. Compared to the loud, flippant woman in the leather coat, the cold beauty holding the child seemed much more reasonable. If she had married a soldier, her background must have passed a strict political check.

The crowd’s perception shifted. For the first time in her life, Chen Ting was the one being scrutinized with disdain. Her eyes turned red with fury as she pointed at Sisi’s nose and screamed.

“Who do you think you are to compare yourself to me?” “I am the pillar of the Art Troupe! The lead soprano!” “You’re just a ‘mud-legged’ youth sent to the countryside who had a bastard child. What right do you have to speak to me…”

Before Shen Sisi could respond, someone in the crowd couldn’t stand it anymore. “What’s so great about a soprano? Does that make you superior?” “If you trace your family back three generations, aren’t you from ‘mud-legged’ stock too?” “The grain you eat and the cotton you wear—which of those wasn’t grown by ‘mud-legs’ in the fields? Who are you looking down on?”

The crowd grew heated, abandoning their meals to join the verbal assault. Chen Ting hadn’t expected a casual insult to trigger such public outrage. Panicked, she turned to Yang Huaidong for help, only to find the man staring at Shen Sisi with eyes full of lecherous longing. She could guess exactly what was on his mind.

Damn that Shen Sisi, seducing men everywhere, even my Huaidong!

Shen Sisi didn’t even notice Yang Huaidong’s wretched gaze. Unfazed, she spoke up: “Cousin, you’ve seemingly forgotten that before the age of ten, you lived in the countryside yourself.”

“Before your parents entered the factory, they were salt-of-the-earth farmers—the very ‘mud-legs’ you despise. Don’t think that because you’ve lived in the city for a few years, you can look down on those who work the land.”

“That gentleman was right. The material for the clothes you wear and the food you eat was sent to the factories by those ‘mud-legs.’ You may look more ‘respectable,’ but in essence, we are all serving the people. There is no high or low rank.”

“I advise you: never forget your roots.”

Shen Sisi’s words were like a heavy stone dropped into a quiet pond, creating a thousand ripples. The people who had looked down on her moments ago now gave her thumbs-up; some even started clapping.

The burst of applause felt like successive slaps to Chen Ting’s face. Beside her, Yang Huaidong felt thoroughly humiliated. He shook off Chen Ting’s arm, his face flushed with shame. “You’re an embarrassment!”

Leaving her behind, he ducked into a private room. Chen Ting felt as though she would explode from the grievance, but she didn’t dare lash out at the crowd. Instead, she glared at Sisi and screeched at the server:

“You people running this shop should open your eyes! You’ll serve any pauper who walks in—be careful they don’t leave without paying!”

Before she could finish, a large, veiny hand pushed the restaurant door open. Gu Chengfeng stepped inside, bringing a gust of cold winter wind with him.

“Who says she can’t afford it?”