Chapter 572
Even though Su Xiaoxiao had already been married, with her face, she could still find a good match for her.
Once Su Xiaoxiao settled into a good life, she would surely thank her sister-in-law and her brother.
Finding ways to whisper in her ear, that’s what girls in the family were supposed to do.
Qiu Yulan kept calculating this in her mind.
She had even begun to filter through the people who might be the most suitable.
Jiang Yexun observed her calculating, venomous gaze, and his abyss-like eyes narrowed slightly.
“Xiaoxiao, darling, let’s not bother with such people who clearly aren’t very bright. Whatever it is, we’ll talk about it when your brother comes back,” Jiang Yexun said, taking his little wife’s hand and heading straight back into the house.
Aunt Guo had been pacing anxiously in the living room.
As soon as they walked in, she rushed over.
“What’s going on with those two women coming over?” Aunt Guo asked nervously.
“It’s nothing. They just want to marry my brother, so they came over to give me a warning,” Su Xiaoxiao shrugged nonchalantly.
When they were in Shanghai, whether at school or the family compound of the First Steel Factory, those girls who liked her brother would always try to please her.
She’d lived nearly 19 years and had never encountered someone who came to give her a warning.
It could only be said that those two women… or rather, the one named Qiu Yulan, was too confident.
“Is she your brother’s girlfriend?” Aunt Guo asked, a bit worried.
Although Su Xiaoxiao’s older brother cared for her, once he got married, he would have his own small family.
If her brother gradually transferred all his care to his wife, though understandable, Aunt Guo worried that Xiaoxiao might not handle it well emotionally.
With that in mind, Aunt Guo hurriedly said, “When your brother gets back, we’ll go straight to the village. Once I get there, I’ll figure out how to divorce Yexun’s dad. Now that Yexun has received a reward, we don’t need to worry about our status. While your pregnancy is still small and the weather’s not too hot, it’ll be easy to take a train back to Shanghai.”
Then, with her and Yexun there, plus Xiaoxiao’s parents pampering and taking care of her, she hoped Xiaoxiao wouldn’t be too upset about her brother’s situation.
“She’s not even my brother’s girlfriend! My brother probably doesn’t even know that she and her dad are trying to arrange a marriage for them. Yesterday, my brother told me he was going to follow the country’s policy of late marriage and late childbearing. He won’t even consider getting married until he’s 28,” Su Xiaoxiao proudly lifted her chin.
She then seemed to remember something and her expression turned serious.
“My brother also told me yesterday that someone in the army told him that he did exceptionally well in the two missions in Shanghai and Beijing. His promotion is basically guaranteed. Even if he can’t be promoted to regimental commander here, he’ll be transferred to Beijing to be a deputy battalion commander.”
That Qiu Yulan’s family must have heard some gossip, which is why they thought about arranging a marriage for her brother.
Otherwise, my brother has been in the army for so long, and she’s the main performer of the Art Troupe.
They’ve been in the same military district for years, and both of them aren’t exactly young. If they were really interested, they would have made a move long ago.
How could it be that just as her brother is out on a mission, this whole thing comes up?
“Then when your brother gets back, you should talk to him about this. He needs to find out who these people really are before he gets involved,” Aunt Guo quickly said.
“Before she even marries my brother, she’s already bringing her friends to bully me. I’m definitely going to tell my brother about this. Otherwise, if my brother really marries her, she’ll just keep bullying me! If my brother can’t think clearly and still wants to marry her, then I won’t recognize him as my brother anymore.”
Su Xiaoxiao fumed, her cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish.
Jiang Yexun mischievously poked her, only to be met with a fierce glare from his little wife.
He immediately switched to a flattering smile.
Aunt Guo couldn’t help but shake her head, speechless.
Her son was really something, knowing Xiaoxiao was upset and still trying to tease her.
But after thinking for a moment, Aunt Guo became very serious.
“Since Qiu’s family knows your brother’s about to be promoted, I suspect that many people in the army know as well. Your brother was just a company commander half a year ago, then promoted to deputy battalion commander four months ago, and now he’s about to get another promotion so quickly. This will definitely make a lot of people jealous.
While we’re here at the base, we should try not to go out too much. Normally, let Yexun do the shopping. He’s a grown man, and most of the people at the base are busy with training. It’s not like other female soldiers are going to be giving him trouble. Even if trouble does come our way, let’s try not to engage with them. The last thing we need is for someone to make trouble and create a conflict, making it seem like your brother’s promotion is in jeopardy.”
At this time, wherever there are people, there will be competition.
Even in the army, everyone wants to be the one who’s the most capable, the one who rises the fastest.
“Mom, don’t worry, I’ll make sure I stay at home every day and not go out. I’ll just walk around the house, that way if people are coming and going outside, I won’t be caught talking,” Su Xiaoxiao quickly agreed.
Su Xiaoxiao’s mother-in-law didn’t mention it, but it didn’t take long for her to realize it was a real possibility. It seemed inevitable that something would happen after her brother finished his task and returned; they would have to leave quickly to avoid being caught.
After all, it was already March 5th, and the end of the month wasn’t far off. Su Xiaoxiao had never trusted Jiang Yexun’s sister and brother-in-law, so it was a good opportunity to go over and help them resolve things. Hua Shoucheng was too refined and polite—if he was set up, he wouldn’t be able to handle it properly.
Su Xiaoxiao thought about this and couldn’t help but wish she could sprout wings and fly back immediately.
At noon, Jiang Yexun cooked a big spread of Su Xiaoxiao’s favorite dishes. Just as she was about to take a nap, someone began knocking on the door loudly.
Aunt Guo and Jiang Yexun exchanged glances, a feeling of suspicion growing between them.
Although neither of them wanted to deal with the person who clearly came with bad intentions, the person outside persisted, knocking for ten minutes without leaving.
“Xiaoxiao, how about you go back to your room and rest for now? If you can’t sleep, you can read a book or something. I’m worried that this person might make you angry,” Aunt Guo suggested with concern.
Jiang Yexun also tried to persuade Su Xiaoxiao to retreat to the bedroom, but she firmly rejected, “No way. This person is clearly here to cause trouble. How could I leave you both to face this alone? And as for people I don’t know, I never let them get to me.”
Seeing her insistence, Jiang Yexun and Aunt Guo realized there was no point in trying to stop her.
Finally, Aunt Guo reluctantly opened the door, only to find Su Xiaoxiao slipping out, trying to turn the confrontation into an outdoor showdown.
That way, even if the person said something unpleasant, they couldn’t deny it afterward.
Though Su Xiaoxiao thought she had planned it well, Aunt Guo and Jiang Yexun were caught off guard by her action.
“Xiaoxiao!” both of them called, rushing to follow her.
Aunt Guo quickly grabbed her, looking like her brow might fuse together with her frown. She wanted to scold her daughter-in-law but was met with Su Xiaoxiao’s big, innocent eyes, causing her heart to melt. She couldn’t bring herself to say a word of reproach.
Instead, Aunt Guo shot an exasperated glare at her son. “Are you dead? Xiaoxiao is right there, and you can’t even hold her steady. What if she trips and hurts herself?”
Jiang Yexun’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he nodded seriously, “I’ll make sure to hold Xiaoxiao properly from now on.”
On the other side of the door, Qiu Yulan and her mother stood fuming, watching as this family completely ignored them. Qiu Yulan, especially, felt her jealousy reach a boiling point.
She had never seen a mother-in-law so protective of her daughter-in-law, even scolding her son for her. And the husband, that “rube,” didn’t even spare her a glance, his focus solely on Su Xiaoxiao.
Hmph! It must be because they’re all country bumpkins that they treat Su Xiaoxiao like royalty. If she were the one married to this “rube,” she’d be the one getting all the attention.
Qiu Yulan’s pride flared, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. She, the daughter of a brigadier general, would never marry some rural “rube,” no matter how handsome he was.
She raised her chin and sized up Su Xiaoxiao, “So, you’re the younger sister of Deputy Captain Su?”
Su Xiaoxiao immediately fired back, “And who are you? Why do you look at me like I’m your servant? What are you even staring at?”
Mrs. Qiu’s face darkened. “What nonsense are you spouting? I came here to see who had the nerve to bully my daughter.”
“Isn’t it your daughter who came to my brother’s house this morning and started bullying me? She and her friend immediately called me shameless and said I shouldn’t be using my brother’s money and tickets,” Su Xiaoxiao raised her voice.
At that moment, everyone who had just finished lunch began peeking out from their rooms to see what was going on.
Mrs. Qiu and Qiu Yulan’s faces changed, and they quickly retorted, “Stop spouting nonsense!”
“How am I spouting nonsense? Your daughter even said her father is a brigadier general, and my brother’s direct superior. If my brother doesn’t marry her or treat her well, if I keep using his money and tickets, she’ll make sure he’ll never rise in the army,” Su Xiaoxiao shouted. “I had planned to let it slide, but then you came here this afternoon and knocked on my door like this. There’s no sense of justice here! I’m going to the higher-ups in the military to ask them to intervene. Just because your family is high-ranking doesn’t mean you can bully people!”
Su Xiaoxiao started to walk toward the door.
Jiang Yexun quickly grabbed her and followed without saying a word.
But Mrs. Qiu and Qiu Yulan’s expressions changed. They couldn’t let this brat go and complain to the higher-ups. That would ruin everything for them.
In a panic, the two of them rushed after Su Xiaoxiao, trying to grab her.
However, before they could even lay a finger on her arm, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching her lower abdomen and crying out in pain.
“My belly… it hurts so much!”
Though her face didn’t lose color, she cried in agony as she held her lower abdomen.
Jiang Yexun had been carefully supporting her, so he knew better than anyone that this fall was entirely staged by Su Xiaoxiao. But he quickly pretended to be frantic and nervous.
“Mom… Mom, what should we do? Is the baby alright?” he asked with great concern.
Aunt Guo was so scared that her legs turned to jelly. She threw herself in front of Su Xiaoxiao, frantic.