Chapter 48.3

“Well, I agreed to help someone,” Ruan Mingfu sighed. “I’m so busy that I feel I’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“Have Old Xie make up for it.”

Hu Wanning then got to the main topic.

“Do you know that Li Xiaoyue had a difficult delivery?”

“I know,” Ruan Mingfu was a little confused. “I just happened to see her having a difficult labor when I came back yesterday. It was Old Xie who sent them to the hospital. What’s wrong, sister-in-law? Did something bad happen?”

She had heard Xie Yanzhao mention severe bleeding in the morning—could it be that the person had died?

Thinking of Li Xiaoyue’s gentle and kind face, she felt a pang of sadness.

Such a good person, gone just like that…

“Exactly!”

Speaking of this, Hu Wanning was filled with anger.

She continued, “You don’t know, her mother-in-law was so upset when she found out she had given birth to a girl. She turned around and left when she found out Li Xiaoyue had a heavy hemorrhage and was injured and couldn’t have another child.”

“What?!”

The person didn’t die?

Ruan Mingfu let out a breath of relief.

It turns out she had misunderstood.

Hu Wanning was startled by her reaction. “Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ruan Mingfu waved her hand. “You said Li Xiaoyue’s mother-in-law just turned and left because she had a daughter?”

Isn’t that ridiculous?

Isn’t a daughter just as much their child?

“It’s because she can’t have any more children,” Hu Wanning added. “Li Xiaoyue will have a hard time in the future.”

The old lady was a peculiar character.

In the time she had been in the family compound, she had offended quite a few people with her mouth.

Hu Wanning continued with the gossip. “I heard that Li Xiaoyue’s difficult labor was actually caused by the old lady pushing her.”

What?

Ruan Mingfu was truly shocked.

The old lady didn’t seem like someone who would push her daughter-in-law, based on how she had acted before.

Speaking of the old lady, Hu Wanning shook her head.

“You don’t know how difficult she is,” Hu Wanning said. “I heard that Captain Gu only brought the old lady over because Li Xiaoyue was about to give birth. Who would have thought something like this would happen.”

Ruan Mingfu frowned. “What about her family?”

Childbirth is something that should involve the maternal family. The old lady was only concerned with having a grandson and didn’t care about Li Xiaoyue’s well-being.

“I heard her family is gone,” Hu Wanning sighed. “She grew up with her uncle’s family and lost contact with her own family after she married.”

Ruan Mingfu understood.

No wonder the old lady dared to behave like this, showing no consideration for appearances.

“The old lady is also a Women’s Federation worker,” Hu Wanning said with disdain. “After working in the Women’s Federation for a lifetime, she doesn’t know how to treat her daughter-in-law well.”

With such cadres, the Women’s Federation isn’t much better.

No wonder the old lady was so particular about her appearance when Ruan Mingfu first met her.

But her actions…

Tsk, even a dog would shake its head.

Ruan Mingfu nodded. “Indeed.”

“Having suffered so much,” Hu Wanning continued, “Sister Lin and Sister Wang are thinking of visiting her. I came to ask for your opinion.”

“That’s necessary.”

After all, they were neighbors in the same family compound, so Ruan Mingfu should go see her.

“When do you plan to go, so I can prepare?”

“She’s just had a baby and is still resting,” Hu Wanning thought for a moment. “In a couple of days, we’ll go together. It’s better to have company.”

If they were closer, it wouldn’t be a big deal to visit now.

But Li Xiaoyue didn’t hang out in the family compound, so no one knew her very well. They felt a little embarrassed to visit her rashly, even if they had good intentions.

Ruan Mingfu sat up straight. “Sister-in-law, you said the old lady pushed Li Xiaoyue. What about Captain Gu, how does he plan to deal with it?”

After all, she is his wife. Could Captain Gu really just let this go?

Compared to Ruan Mingfu’s optimism, Hu Wanning wasn’t very hopeful about the situation.

“After all, she’s his own mother. Could Captain Gu really make her pay with her life?”

Ruan Mingfu considered this and agreed.

“Fortunately, my mother-in-law doesn’t live with us.”

In families like Xu Zhu’s, the mother-in-law also has her own job. Since Hu Wanning is following the army and doesn’t live with them, it naturally reduces many conflicts. Moreover, with a grandson now, her mother-in-law wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

Hu Wanning looked at Ruan Mingfu with envy.

“You’re lucky. You don’t have a mother-in-law to deal with.”

Everyone in the military district envied Ruan Mingfu for marrying so well.

Xie Yanzhao was a regiment commander with a high allowance. Adding in the money he had saved up before, Ruan Mingfu certainly didn’t need to worry about money.

The older women in the family quarter regretted it deeply.

They lamented missing out on a good match like Xie Yanzhao because they were looking through the keyhole.

…

After Hu Wanning left, Xie Yanzhao walked over from the backyard. Seeing Ruan Mingfu in a daze, he approached her and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

She snapped out of it. “Nothing.”

As Ruan Mingfu tried to stand, he grabbed her hand.

She didn’t react in time and ended up falling into his lap. Ruan Mingfu scrambled to get up, but he held her waist.

“Tell me, what were you just thinking about?”

Xie Yanzhao’s fingers caressed the delicate skin on the back of her neck.

It was a very intimate gesture.

Feeling the tickling sensation on her neck, Ruan Mingfu couldn’t help but shrink her head.

“If I had a daughter, would you dislike her?”

In this era, the preference for sons over daughters was common.

Thinking of this, Ruan Mingfu’s expression turned fierce.

If that man were also poisoned by such thoughts, she would divorce him!

Xie Yanzhao’s movements paused.

But his lips couldn’t help but curve into a smile.

In an instant, it seemed like a plump, three-headed little girl with fair skin appeared before him. She looked about three years old, wearing a pink dress with two little puffs on her head.

The most important thing was that she resembled Ruan Mingfu.

She spread her arms as if asking to be held. Her little mouth moved as if calling for her father…

Xie Yanzhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his eyes burned with warmth.

His chest swelled with emotion, and he held Ruan Mingfu even tighter.

“… No.”

He was too happy to feel any dislike.

“Really?”

Ruan Mingfu lifted her head and looked at him suspiciously.

“You’re not just making this up?”

“Of course not.” Xie Yanzhao cleared his throat, his gaze drifting as he thought of that chubby little girl. “As long as it’s your child, whether a boy or girl, I’ll like it.”

Of course, he would prefer a soft and chubby daughter who would call him Daddy.

Ruan Mingfu gave him a disdainful glance.

Pah!

He was dreaming. She didn’t want to have a child at all.

Ruan Mingfu buried her face in Xie Yanzhao’s chest to hide her smirking smile.

The next day, just as she was about to find Professor Hu, someone blocked her way.

Ruan Mingfu frowned and looked at the person in front of her.

“Move aside.”

“What’s your relationship with the person who picked you up yesterday?”

“What does it have to do with you?” Ruan Mingfu was annoyed to encounter this troublemaker so early in the morning. “Move aside!”

Xie Yin pursued her relentlessly. “Tell me quickly, what exactly is your relationship with him?”

“Can’t you understand plain speech?”

Seeing that she was about to leave, Xie Yin quickly added, “You’re the wife that my eldest brother married, right?”

Ruan Mingfu stopped and turned to look at her.

“Who are you?”

“I’m from the Xie family,” seeming to fear that Ruan Mingfu wouldn’t understand, she continued, “Xie Yanzhao is my brother, my biological brother…”

….

Meanwhile, Gu Yilin got out of the car with her things.

That bumpiness…

She rubbed her old waist and then said to the people in the car, “Thank you, Uncle Wang, for bringing me here. I’ll ask my parents to treat you to a meal when I return.”

The person in the car was none other than the plump manager from the supply and marketing cooperative.

“Xiao Yi, are you sure the person you’re looking for is here?”

Gu Yilin looked at the military district gate with a smug expression. “Don’t worry, Uncle Wang, you can go back now.”

The plump manager didn’t refuse. “Alright, call me if you need anything.”

He and Mother Gu were from the same system, so they knew each other. When Mother Gu heard that Gu Yilin was coming, she specifically asked the manager to pick her up. As for why she didn’t inform Ruan Mingfu, it was naturally to give her a surprise~

Seeing Ruan Mingfu’s startled expression, Gu Yilin thought that even just seeing her face was worth three bowls of rice!

Watching the plump manager’s car leave, Gu Yilin looked down at her luggage.

Oh no, how was she going to move all these things by herself?

If she had known, she wouldn’t have let the manager leave.

She looked around and finally focused on the security kiosk set up by the military district. Without knowing exactly what she said, two young soldiers immediately followed her and helped carry her things inside.

“Comrades, please wait here for a moment.”

Newly arrived, Gu Yilin was very curious about everything.

She nodded. “You go about your business, don’t worry about me.”

At this moment, a squad of soldiers who had just returned from training ran past her.

Gu Yilin didn’t even blink.

These strong chest muscles, these strong muscles…ah, and this masculine aura blowing in my face~