Chapter 31.1

Ruan Mingfu glanced at Lu Yang and left.

Pah!

Does he really think that Miss Ruan is someone anyone can marry just because they want to?

What a daydream.

As soon as she reached the entrance of the guesthouse, a desperate cry erupted from inside. A large crowd surged past Ruan Mingfu and rushed inside.

Ruan Mingfu was momentarily stunned.

Fortunately, she hadn’t walked right into the middle of the crowd, or she would have been swept along.

“Comrade, are you alright? Did they step on you?” The landlady, standing not far away, waved at her and complained, “These people, even in their haste, should have been more mindful of who was in front of them.”

Ruan Mingfu approached. “Comrade, what happened?”

“Ah!” The landlady sighed, her face showing sympathy. “A young soldier from the army passed away on a mission, and his family just arrived… You don’t know, it’s a terrible situation.”

Ruan Mingfu looked at her in confusion.

The landlady, who spent her days in the guesthouse with a constant flow of people, had no one to talk to.

She was very distressed every day.

Seeing Ruan Mingfu’s curiosity, she could no longer contain her urge to share.

She lowered her voice and explained, “The young man lost his father when he was two or three years old and was raised by his widowed mother. A few years ago, he got married and had a child, and just when life was getting better… Alas! I heard that when the news reached their hometown, the widowed mother couldn’t handle it and passed away suddenly.”

“They first had to handle the elder’s funeral in the hometown before coming here.”

Ruan Mingfu’s heart shuddered. “It’s so tragic?”

“Not just that,” the landlady sighed again. “His wife only had one daughter, and the relatives over there wanted to cut off the family line. They kept the mother and daughter locked up for several days, and the child survived only by drinking the mother’s blood.”

Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed tightly.

“This is a crime. Doesn’t the police handle it?”

“How could they?” The landlady gave her a ‘you’re so naive’ look. “If it weren’t for the mother’s quick thinking and escape, they’d already be buried by now.”

Ruan Mingfu’s frown deepened.

“His wife is quite determined too. She came straight here,” thelandlady said, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, she acted decisively. If she had come a few days later, even the husband’s compensation would have been swallowed by those greedy relatives.”

“They still have the nerve to claim the compensation?”

Ruan Mingfu felt her worldview being shaken.

But then she thought it made sense. Even fifty years later, there are still cases of such cutthroat behavior. It would be even more prevalent in this era.

“Of course,” the landlady said. After working at the guesthouse for years, she had seen many such incidents, and some were even more shocking.

One could write a book of ethical dramas.

“Those people were already eyeing the money. Otherwise, why would they go to such lengths?”

Ruan Mingfu pursed her lips. “Have those people been punished?”

“Punished?” The landlady looked as if she already knew the answer. “According to the rules, they’re also relatives, so they’re entitled to the compensation. As for the rest, it depends on whether his wife decides to sue.”

The landlady was used to such things. “It’s actually better now. It used to be even more horrifying. It would happen several times a month, going back ten or twenty years…”

She couldn’t continue.

Being a soldier is like having your life on the line every day. You never know when you’ll be gone.

Ruan Mingfu felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her heart.

Recalling what the dog man had said yesterday, Ruan Mingfu’s mood grew even gloomier.

She was feeling troubled.

It seemed she had misunderstood Xie Yanzhao…

“Hey?” The landlady noticed Ruan Mingfu and said, “I remember now, isn’t your partner also a soldier? This is a lifelong commitment, you need to think it through.”

The landlady had a deep impression of Ruan Mingfu and an even deeper impression of Xie Yanzhao.

One was so beautiful, and the other so fierce. They seemed like an odd match. But they were together, which puzzled people.

The landlady was also a military wife.

She sighed. “Being a military wife is tough. The husband is unreliable, and you have to handle everything at home and outside yourself. It’s exhausting.”

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the staircase, and Ruan Mingfu looked up.

A group of people in military uniforms came down the stairs, with a mother and daughter in the center.

The daughter, obediently leaning on her mother’s shoulder, looked around with curious yet timid eyes. The child seemed very frail, with dry, yellowed hair from malnutrition.

The mother wasn’t in any better condition.

Her hair was a mess, her clothes were filthy and covered in patches. She looked to be in her early twenties but appeared ten years older due to her worn-out appearance.

Her face was expressionless, resembling a walking corpse.

The mother and daughter were both very thin, as if a gust of wind could blow them away.

Seeing this scene, Ruan Mingfu felt a pang of discomfort.

The landlady sighed again. “It’s tragic.”

……

Ruan Mingfu went upstairs with a lot of mixed thoughts in her mind.

Her throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, making her extremely uncomfortable. She pursed her lips, her pretty brow furrowing even more.

These few days, her frowning had exceeded the number of times she had in an entire year!

Ruan Mingfu stood at the door, about to take out her key to unlock it, when Lu Yan suddenly appeared from somewhere, pressing his hand against the doorframe and glaring at her with hostility.

“What did my brother just say to you?”

The chubby boy Li Zheng, not as quick as Lu Yan, followed behind him.

Watching this scene, he advised: “Lu Yan, big brother said that if you cause trouble again, he will punish you severely.”

I’m already married, but I was punished by my elder brother. It would be so embarrassing if it got out.

Lu Yan likely came to the same conclusion. His fierce expression softened, but he still looked at Ruan Mingfu without any politeness.

“Quickly tell me, what did you just say to my brother?”

He had been stuck at the guesthouse all day, unable to go out or cause trouble because Lu Yang forbade it. He felt like he was going to go stir-crazy. When he opened the window, he happened to see Lu Yang talking to Ruan Mingfu.

Lu Yan was curious, but being on the third floor, he couldn’t hear their conversation. He was so anxious he was practically tearing his hair out.

The chubby boy, having Lu Yang’s orders, was blocking the door and not letting him out. Lu Yan had no choice but to be patient.

He planned to ask Lu Yang when he came up, but saw him leave right after meeting Ruan Mingfu.

He left!

Lu Yan couldn’t believe it. Was his elder brother here just to see Ruan Mingfu? Was his brother really planning to marry this superficial woman?

No way.

He would not agree!

Any woman could marry his brother, except Ruan Mingfu. This woman had only a pretty face and was an empty shell inside. How could someone like her be worthy of his extraordinary brother?

At this point, Lu Yan could no longer sit still.

He tricked the chubby boy and happened to run into Ruan Mingfu, who was heading back to her room.

With a wary look, Lu Yan demanded, “What did you just say to my brother?”

Ruan Mingfu originally didn’t want to bother with him, but his persistent questioning was getting on her nerves.

“Guess.”

Lu Yan, irritated, was about to lose his temper when the chubby boy grabbed him. “Lu Yan, Comrade Ruan didn’t provoke you this time.”

The chubby boy didn’t know what was going on in Lu Yan’s head. He thought Ruan Mingfu was quite decent and didn’t seem as scheming as Lu Yan described. In fact, Lu Yan was the one always causing trouble.

Even if Ruan Mingfu slapped him twice at the station yesterday, it wasn’t wrong. If it were him, he would have slapped Lu Yan back just to vent.

“Alright,” seeing his clothes nearly torn by the chubby boy’s grip, Lu Yan quickly said, “I’m not bullying her, just asking a few questions.”

The chubby boy, seeing Lu Yan calm down, let go of him.

“What did you just say to my brother?”

Ruan Mingfu rolled her eyes at him. “I already told you, guess.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“If you think so, then yes,” Ruan Mingfu said, her eyes showing a hint of impatience as she looked at Lu Yan blocking the door. “Good dogs don’t block the way.”

Lu Yan wanted to get angry again but suddenly remembered the chubby boy beside him. He held back his temper.

“I warn you, don’t have any designs on my brother. Otherwise…”

Ruan Mingfu wasn’t at all intimidated by his threats. She lifted her delicate chin. “What? Are you planning to kill someone?”

“I, I…” Seeing Ruan Mingfu’s arrogant demeanor, Lu Yan’s anger flared even more. “I’ll definitely show you my strength.”

Ruan Mingfu smiled.

Her smile captivated the chubby boy next to Lu Yan.

“Lu Yan, when will you stop being so ridiculous?” Ruan Mingfu said, her chin slightly raised, making her already stunning face even more defiant. “Anyone can make threats.”

The chubby boy realized something was wrong and quickly pulled Lu Yan back.

He was like a firecracker, ready to explode at any moment.

Indeed, it was the case.

“Ruan Mingfu, don’t go too far!”

If the chubby boy hadn’t firmly held Lu Yan back, he probably would have rushed up to Ruan Mingfu by now.

Ruan Mingfu gave Lu Yan a disdainful glance, took half a step back, and waved her hand in front of her nose.

The insult was strong, though the actual harm was minor.

Even without Ruan Mingfu saying anything, her disdain was clear from her gestures.

Li Zheng: “…”

Lu Yan was initially stunned, then erupted in fury.

“Ruan Mingfu, you damn woman! You wait, I will never let you go!”

Truth be told, Lu Yan’s enraged, red-eyed look was rather amusing. If it weren’t mealtime, Ruan Mingfu could have had a big bowl of rice just by looking at his expression.

Li Zheng tightly held Lu Yan around the waist.

The effort made the veins on his forehead bulge.

“Lu Yan, calm down,” Li Zheng added another warning. “Brother Yang specifically said not to let you out today.”

Lu Yan: “…”

Since childhood, Lu Yan had been a domineering character, uncontrollable even by his parents. Yet, curiously, Lu Yan was afraid of Lu Yang and always listened to him. Even after Lu Yang joined the army, Lu Yan, despite being an adult, wrote him four to five letters every month.

For Lu Yan, no woman was worthy of his perfect brother.

Ruan Mingfu’s mind was too cluttered to be entangled with them right now.

“Good dogs don’t block the way. Step aside.”

Lu Yan, stubborn, refused to move even when insulted, “What did my brother say to you?”

“Ask your brother yourself,” Ruan Mingfu said with clear impatience. “Why are you harassing me? Believe it or not, I’ll have someone take you away.”

The chubby kid also tried to persuade him. “Lu Yan, Comrade Ruan is right…”

Two big men making things difficult for one woman didn’t look good to others.

If Lu Yang hadn’t asked him to keep an eye on Lu Yan, he wouldn’t have cared.

“No, she definitely has designs on my brother. I can’t let her succeed.”

Seriously,Ruan Mingfu had probably rolled her eyes more in the past two days than in her entire life.

“Yes, yes, yes, I’m interested in Lu Yang. Just now downstairs, I was forcing him to marry me, and he agreed,” she said, looking at Lu Yan. “Are you satisfied now?”

Lu Yan struggled to get free. “See, she really does have her eyes on my elder brother,” he said. “She’s trying to make a move on him.”

Li Zheng: “……”

Didn’t he realize that she was speaking sarcastically?