Chapter 62: Stunning Everyone at the Market

“My little sister wouldn’t do something like that.” Maybe she was just feeling a bit down after hearing about Sheng Zexi’s wedding. She’d probably be fine after a while.

Thinking this, Peng Yude finally breathed a sigh of relief and left.

—

In the blink of an eye, the day of the big market arrived.

Gu Jianing had already arranged to go with Zhang Shuwan.

Although it was still snowing today, the sun was out and the temperature had risen a little.

Thinking about how she was going to amaze all those military wives who spread rumors about her being ugly, Gu Jianing still wore her military coat, but this time she didn’t wrap her red scarf around her face. Instead, she let her delicate, fair, and beautiful face show.

When Zhang Shuwan arrived and saw Gu Jianing’s exposed face, her eyes practically lit up.

“Let’s go, then.”

At this time, all the other military wives were also making their way to the market.

Sure enough, they ran into Zhang Shuwan and Gu Jianing on the road.

But when their eyes landed on Gu Jianing, they all stared in shock.

Where did this beauty come from?

How come they’d never seen her around the base before?

Was she from the art troupe? Or a relative of one of the soldiers?

She was just too pretty. Look at that face—under the sunlight, it was practically glowing, not a single flaw in sight.

Her features were exquisite, her cheeks rosy, her lips full and red—she looked so healthy and vibrant.

Her eyes were especially beautiful, bright and sparkling, as if they could speak, like autumn water shimmering.

As some of the women stared at Gu Jianing, she happened to glance back at them. Just one look from those eyes sent a shiver down their spines—it was like an electric current.

Beautiful, so beautiful.

She looked so young too, probably not even married yet.

Immediately, these military wives started thinking about whether there were any unmarried young men in their own families or among their relatives.

If they could match this girl up with someone, that would be great.

With looks like hers, any man would be smitten.

Zhang Shuwan could feel all the attention focused on the person beside her, eyes shining with amazement. She was delighted.

That’s right, this is exactly what I wanted—to shock them, to make their jaws drop.

Gu Jianing also felt all the stares, but she was used to it. Maybe because she’d gotten such attention since she was a child, she didn’t mind it at all.

“Oh, I remember you! You’re Captain Lin’s wife, right? Hello, I’m the wife of Captain Cui, your husband’s comrade...” At that moment, a military wife in her thirties came over to greet them.

She didn’t know Zhang Shuwan very well—she seemed new—but she’d heard a little about her.

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the girl next to Zhang Shuwan. “And who is this young lady?”

Zhang Shuwan had been waiting for someone to ask. When she saw this sister-in-law approach and noticed the other wives pricking up their ears to listen, she couldn’t help but smile.

She’d been waiting for this moment to clear Gu Jianing’s name.

“You don’t know who she is?”

“You all know Captain Sheng Zexi from our base, right?”

Of course they knew Captain Sheng Zexi.

Could this girl be a relative of his?

Because of the previous rumors, no one thought she could be Sheng Zexi’s wife. After all, everyone said his wife was ugly, and this girl was so beautiful—she looked just as good as Captain Sheng himself. So, it seemed more likely she was a relative.

But in the next second, Zhang Shuwan’s words shocked them all.

“This is Jianing. She’s Captain Sheng Zexi’s new bride,” Zhang Shuwan introduced warmly.

Looking at the wide-eyed faces around her, she felt completely satisfied.

“What? You’re Captain Sheng’s wife? How is that possible!”

“Didn’t they say Captain Sheng’s wife was some ugly country bumpkin?”

“Yeah, they said she was so ugly, her face was covered in pockmarks, so she always wrapped herself up tightly when she went out.”

At this point, someone realized something.

“You all said she wrapped herself up tightly, but has anyone actually seen what she looks like?”

“She could be beautiful for all we know. If no one’s seen her, how can you just assume she’s ugly?”

Once someone said this, everyone suddenly understood.

That’s right—no one had actually seen her face. They’d just made wild guesses because she was always bundled up.

But now, seeing her in person, they realized how ridiculously wrong the rumors had been.

A country girl?

With that figure and poise? She looked even more elegant than girls from the big city.

And that face—who could possibly call her ugly with a straight face?

She was a stunning beauty, like a fairy come to life.

Just look at those features, that fair, smooth skin.

If she was considered ugly, then what did that make the rest of them? Wouldn’t they be accused of ruining the city’s appearance just by going out?

Those rumors had spread way too fast.

“So you’re Captain Sheng’s new bride? You’re gorgeous! Hello, I’m Captain Cui’s wife. My husband and Captain Sheng are good friends. I’m a bit older than you, so just call me Sister Yu...”

Even though she now knew the girl was already married to Captain Sheng and couldn’t introduce her to her own brother, Sister Cui was still very enthusiastic. She didn’t have many hobbies, but she loved chatting with good-looking people, regardless of gender.

As she liked to say, just looking at beautiful people put her in a good mood.

Gu Jianing didn’t mind socializing with these military wives.

She just wasn’t very good at it, but she didn’t dislike it either.

Besides, Captain Cui—she remembered Sheng Zexi mentioning that he was a good friend. They were planning to invite him and his wife to the housewarming.

“You’re headed to the market too? Let’s go together.”

So the three of them chatted as they walked to the market.

The rest of the women whispered among themselves.

As they gossiped, the news spread: Captain Sheng’s wife wasn’t ugly at all—she was a stunning beauty.

Gu Jianing followed the two sisters-in-law to the market.

The market was a joint event organized by several nearby villages and the military base, held on days ending in zero every month.

Farmers could bring their surplus produce and goods to sell at the market.

By the time the three of them arrived, the place was already bustling with people selling and buying all sorts of things.

Gu Jianing had thought there wouldn’t be much to see, but to her surprise, there were plenty of stalls and goods for sale.

Maybe the heavy snow hadn’t blocked the roads yet?

“Sisters, how about we split up for now to buy what we need, and meet back here in an hour and a half?” Gu Jianing suggested.

“Sounds good,” Zhang Shuwan and Sister Yu agreed.

After all, everyone had different things to buy, so it made sense to split up.

So, Gu Jianing parted ways with them and started browsing the market on her own."