Back To The 80s: President's Doted Wife Chapter 1523 - 1524: The New Neighbors, the Song Family

Folks come and go just like that; you depart today, another shows up tomorrow—everyone's merely a transient in life.

A fresh household has settled in, matching the platoon leader rank. They carry the Song family name. Platoon Leader Song, fully named Song Cheng, arrived via the yearly troop transfer. Around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, he's a quiet type brimming with rugged charm. He seldom speaks, merely giving a brief nod to folks he meets. He truly fits the mold of a standard soldier—stern and imposing.

His spouse, Sister-in-law Song, features tanned skin, a booming voice, and a explosive temperament. She represents the classic village woman, strangely indifferent to cleanliness. Her hair stays forever tousled. Probably from endless labor over the years, she seems a bit older than Song Cheng—scarcely past thirty yet appearing forty-one.

The couple has a single child, which turns out to be twin boys, merely five years old. Still, since Sister-in-law Song dislikes cleaning, the pair constantly looks filthy, faces smeared with snot.

Hualing and her husband previously squeezed into a one-bedroom-one-living-room apartment, hardly spacious enough for two. Hualing still whined it felt tiny. Now with the Song family arriving—a group of four hauling plenty of gear and with kids who'll grow—the area feels downright suffocating.

After a couple of days, Cheng Su passed by and saw how cluttered and tight it was. She couldn't picture how they managed to live there.

"I grabbed the moment to lend a hand and peeked inside. Two beds fill the room, no spot left for a cabinet. So many people and belongings, stuff stacked in the living room—it's a real mess," Chunhua shared with Cheng Su one evening, stopping by to watch TV at her place.

Cheng Su had checked out their apartment earlier. Even with one bedroom and one living room, the space stays pretty compact. Fitting two beds inside? And the kids being that age already, it's hard to believe the entire family crams into a single room.

"How do they manage two beds in there? If it were me, I'd carve out a spot in the living room for the two boys. And that's not all; the kids are getting so big. What if the couple gets intimate and the children catch sight—how would you handle that?" Chunhua tsked her tongue.

Cheng Su was drinking her bird's nest sugar water and nearly sprayed it out from Chunhua's remark.

Spotting her cough, Chunhua gave a bashful grin, "I didn't say anything off, did I?"

Cheng Su patted her mouth dry with a handkerchief and replied, "They might not have considered it yet. They only just arrived, so things are still all jumbled up."

"You're right."

"It'd be smart to arrange a bed area in the living room. Their place lacks extra rooms, but the living room's fairly spacious," Cheng Su suggested.

"I think so too, but they're newcomers and we're not close, so I'm reluctant to mention it. We hardly know them. If they accuse me of sticking my nose in, it'd throw away my kind gesture," Chunhua answered.

"True enough. We'll watch and see for now," Cheng Su concurred.

True nature shows through little things, and it often stands out clearly. Still, Cheng Su refused to judge hastily—building real familiarity requires patience.

With neighbors, warm up to the decent ones, but for the rest, polite distance works; if relations sour completely, simply avoid contact.

As for true personality—sure, one might pretend briefly, but how long can that last?

Therefore, only through time and daily dealings can you tell if this family becomes true allies or remains mere nods in passing.