Chapter 22

Xu Zhao said, “We should buy some motion sickness medicine later. It might help you feel better.”

Jiang Leyun wasn’t much affected by the journey. His curiosity as a child kept him glued to the car window, watching the scenery outside.

When they entered the state-run restaurant, Zhang Xiangqian teased the child with a smile, “Kid, what did you see?”

Jiang Leyun took a sip of water from his cup and replied, “There’s nothing fun here. It’s far worse than our home—everything is old and rundown, not nice at all.”

Mingjiang City, being a coastal city near the provincial capital, is relatively well-developed, with many factories and convenient sea and land transportation. Compared to this small county town, it’s no wonder that a child raised in a big city would find this place unimpressive.

Zhang Xiangqian chuckled, “Where’s your home?”

Jiang Leyun replied, “Mingjiang City. Have you been there?”

Zhang Xiangqian said, “I haven’t, but I’ve heard of it. You live by the sea, so there must be plenty of delicious seafood. My hometown, however, only has small fish and shrimp from the river, which can’t compare to the taste of seafood.”

His hometown is an inland city, far from the sea. He once spent some time in a coastal city during a mission, where he found the seafood delicious and ate it every day. Now, having not had it in a while, he misses it.

Zhang Xiangqian poured himself a cup of water and began to scare the child. “This is just a small, rundown county town. How can it compare to a big city? When you get to the army base, be prepared—it’s even worse than here. The base is in the mountains, full of mosquitoes as big as your fingers that bite hard. There are also snakes, and you have to grow your own food. It takes a long time to travel just to buy something. Aren’t you scared? Don’t you want to go home?”

Using such tactics to intimidate a child is rather pointless.

Jiang Suihan and Xu Zhao quietly observed, letting the child answer for himself. They were curious to know what he was really thinking.

Jiang Leyun’s face turned a bit pale, but he shook his head and said, “I’m not scared. Wherever my sister is, that’s where I’ll be. I want to stay with her.”

Well, truthfully, he was a little scared—of snakes. But when he thought about his brother-in-law being there, he felt there was nothing to fear. After all, his brother-in-law was so strong that he could chase away bad guys, so a mere snake was nothing.

Glancing at Xu Zhao sitting across from him, Jiang Leyun added quickly, “And with my brother-in-law. We’re family, and families should stay together. I’m not listening to you, Uncle Zhang. You’re too mean.”

Zhang Xiangqian laughed, “Hey, how am I the bad guy? I just asked if you wanted to go home. What kind of judgment is that? I’m your brother-in-law’s peer, so you should call me Brother Zhang or Brother Xiangqian. You mustn’t mix up generations, understand?”

Being scolded by a child under ten, Zhang Xiangqian felt a bit disheartened.

Am I really that old? I’m only two years older than Xu Zhao, but this little rascal sure knows how to make distinctions.

Jiang Leyun gave Zhang Xiangqian a disdainful look, refusing to address him as “brother.”

Zhang Xiangqian ruffled the little guy’s hair—hard. Annoyed, Jiang Leyun swatted his hand away and scooted over, putting some distance between them.

“Wait a minute, did you just call him brother-in-law? I didn’t hear that wrong, did I? You two are married?”

Zhang Xiangqian’s eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth hanging open enough to fit an egg. He stared dumbfounded at Xu Zhao, his face full of shock and astonishment.

It’s out in the open now. The kid calls him brother-in-law, yet they claim there’s nothing between them.

It’s only been a few days since he went to Mingjiang City, and this guy already settled his life’s major event. That speed, that efficiency—it even makes me bow down in admiration.

Just the other day, the political commissar was worrying about Xu Zhao’s marriage, muttering about introducing him to someone. Well, now the commissar will be relieved. Xu Zhao has already brought a fresh, young bride back to the nest.

Xu Zhao pressed his lips together. “If your ears are bad, go see a doctor. The hospital’s just down the street.”

By not denying it, Xu Zhao essentially confirmed the situation. Zhang Xiangqian was incredulous, his eyes wide. “You actually got married!?”

The Xu Zhao, who had difficulty finding a wife, somehow quietly settled his major life event. Incredible!

He did it even faster than I did when I got married. Back home, my wife and I met through a matchmaker. At first, she wasn’t interested in me, thinking that soldiers spend most of the year away from home and wouldn’t be able to return quickly if something happened.

Luckily, my mother gave birth to a fairly decent-looking face, and after my persistent efforts, my wife finally agreed to date me, and eventually, I won her heart.

It took us over a year from meeting to getting married, during which time she even considered breaking up. I had to coax and promise her a lot before she agreed to marry me.

But look at Xu Zhao—he found a young, beautiful bride in just a week, who was willing to follow him to the army. Comparing myself to him is truly infuriating.

Before, I could at least flaunt my warm family in front of Xu Zhao, but now that’s no longer the case.

Zhang Xiangqian’s loud voice drew the attention of other customers, who looked over at their table. Seeing two soldiers, they quickly lowered their heads and resumed eating.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t help but twitch her lips. Zhang Xiangqian’s incredulous expression made it seem like Xu Zhao was the one who had wronged him.

Xu Zhao picked up the teapot and poured Jiang Suihan half a cup of tea. Lifting his eyelids, he gave Zhang Xiangqian a casual glance, “What? Can’t I get married?”

“Not really,” Zhang Xiangqian laughed awkwardly, taking a sip of tea to cover his embarrassment. He then lowered his voice and said, “But, you didn’t forget what the commissar said, did you?”

He blinked hard at Xu Zhao, feeling anxious and wishing he could just shout it into Xu Zhao’s ear.

The food in Li Province tends to be spicy, so Xu Zhao, fearing that Jiang Suihan might not be used to it, specifically ordered a non-spicy bowl of rice noodles for her. But even without the extra spice, the side dishes still carried a bit of heat.

Seeing how Xu Zhao was focused on taking care of Jiang Suihan and couldn’t be bothered to even glance at him, Zhang Xiangqian muttered to himself, “You’re letting beauty cloud your judgment.”

Xu Zhao caught the remark, raised his head, and asked, “What did you say?”

Zhang Xiangqian pursed his lips and lowered his voice, “I said, did you forget something important? The last time I told you, the commissar was planning to introduce you to someone. It seems they’ve already found a candidate and are just waiting for you to return. Now you’ve brought back a girl without giving the commissar a heads-up. Don’t let it end up being awkward for everyone.”

“Also, Comrade Jiang has traveled all the way from Mingjiang City, so you need to explain things properly to her. You can’t treat her unfairly. I’ve already reminded you of this; how you explain it to her is your business.”

“I’m just bored out of my mind, haven’t even sorted out my own mess, and yet I’m still worried about your situation. With a good brother like me, you should be grinning in your sleep.”

A few days ago, he overheard the commissar intending to introduce his niece from his wife’s side to Xu Zhao. This clearly showed that the commissar considered Xu Zhao one of his own, and wanted their families to become one. Yet Xu Zhao, without even a word, brought back a young wife, making the commissar likely to have some opinions about it.

Alas, his kind heart was practically worn out. It was because he was too good-natured.

Zhang Xiangqian didn’t intentionally keep anything from Jiang Suihan. He did it for Xu Zhao’s sake, hinting to her indirectly that Xu Zhao wasn’t aware of the commissar’s matchmaking intentions beforehand, hoping she wouldn’t place all the blame on Xu Zhao.

The four of them were sitting at a table, eating noodles, when suddenly this big piece of gossip related to her was dropped. Jiang Suihan wasn’t paying attention and almost choked.

Xu Zhao handed her a handkerchief. She took it and wiped her mouth, but her eyes stayed fixed on him.

Before the two involved could speak, Jiang Leyun, as the little brother-in-law, couldn’t hold back and glared at Xu Zhao. “How could you do this! You already have my sister! As expected, men are all no good—eating from one bowl while eyeing the pot, fickle, unfaithful, easily swayed. I really misjudged you!”

The little guy puffed up his cheeks, his face full of indignation, looking like he was accusing Xu Zhao of being the bad man who wronged his sister.

“Did you hear that? Your little brother-in-law said you’re no good.”

Zhang Xiangqian grinned cheekily, full of mischief, completely unafraid of Xu Zhao’s cold stare. He winked at Jiang Leyun. “Your idioms are spot on. It seems you’re doing well in your studies. Keep it up.”

Having stirred the pot, he no longer cared and buried his head in his noodles. The state-run restaurant’s chef really had great skills. Unfortunately, since he didn’t live in the county, he rarely got to eat such delicious noodles. He planned to have another bowl later, since someone else was treating.

Xu Zhao glared at Zhang Xiangqian in exasperation. This guy was just here to cause trouble and wasn’t satisfied unless he made a scene. But now wasn’t the time to argue with him; there would be plenty of time to settle the score later.

Zhang Xiangqian suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He shivered, shrugged his shoulders, and took a big gulp of soup.

Xu Zhao’s expression turned a bit awkward, but he braced himself and said, “Let me explain.”

Jiang Suihan placed her chopsticks on her bowl, adopting a listening posture. “Alright, go ahead, I’m all ears.”

She was skeptical about Zhang Xiangqian’s words, thinking there must be something overlooked. Although she hadn’t known Xu Zhao for long, she trusted that he wasn’t the type to be fickle or indecisive.

Indeed, she had an inexplicable confidence in him—her instincts were usually spot on.

Jiang Leyun unconsciously perked up his ears, glancing at Xu Zhao, curious to hear what he had to say.

Xu Zhao rubbed his nose, finding it somewhat embarrassing to explain this kind of thing to Jiang Suihan, especially in front of others, including a child.

However, he didn’t have the luxury to overthink it now. If he didn’t clarify things here, she might hear a twisted version of events from others in the future, and by then, even if he had a hundred mouths, it wouldn’t be enough to clear things up.

He didn’t hide anything. “The commissar did mention this to me the day I left, but I declined. I told him my family had already arranged a marriage for me and that I had no intention of breaking the engagement.”

“This trip was specifically to fulfill that engagement. After I explained everything, the commissar didn’t bring it up again. Don’t listen to Zhang Xiangqian’s nonsense. He just loves to stir things up and meddle in everything.”

**