Chapter 57

The wretched rich person, Ruan Mingfu had turned into a complete lemon of jealousy.

Monitor: “…”

Desperately covering his mouth, he was afraid of betraying even a hint of sound.

“Brother, are you planning to invest domestically?”

Qi Yangyan nodded, “Yes, I plan to invest one billion every year in domestic development.”

One billion might sound like a lot, but to Qi Yangyan, it was nothing.

He could increase his assets tenfold in a year, so doubling that was well within his capability. Besides, having grown up on this land, isn’t it only right to contribute something?

Ruan Mingfu wanted to scream.

One billion!

That was equivalent to tens of billions in the future.

Oh my heavens, what kind of wealthy person was her brother? She was completely stunned.

“Brother, you’re amazing.”

Ruan Mingfu said this sincerely.

“Alright, think about how you’re going to explain things to Mom and Dad when they come over.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Her refined face crumpled again.

She couldn’t help but calculate:

Qi Yangyan had gone straight to the border area after the trade fair, and apart from today, he should have spent…

“What are you thinking about?”

“Calculating my death date.”

Qi Yangyan: “…”

Now you’re scared?

He was a bit speechless.

“Don’t worry too much. With Dad around, Mom won’t be able to do much to you.”

But even after hearing this, Ruan Mingfu still felt anxious.

“If Mrs. Ruan really wants to beat me, Dad can’t stop her.”

When she went crazy, both father and daughter would be beaten together!

Qi Yangyan: “… Just take your time calculating.”

After hanging up, Ruan Mingfu was in a bad state. She looked panicked and hurried back to the family compound.

Two monitors, one putting down his hand and the other rubbing his injured thigh, both picked up the phone at the same time, starting to speak.

“Leader, I have something important to report!”

…

At the family compound, ever since the military had showcased Ruan Mingfu’s performance at the trade fair as an example, she had become famous.

Seeing Ruan Mingfu rushing back, the sisters-in-law gathered to talk.

“What’s wrong with Comrade Ruan?”

“Could it be that something happened? Should we go help out?”

“Now that you know she’s capable, you want to curry favor with her…what were you doing before?”

“Why do you have to speak so harshly? Isn’t it normal for us to help each other in the family compound?”

Another sister-in-law: “…”

You understand the art of language.

“You don’t know, that old woman used to criticize Comrade Ruan as a wasteful daughter-in-law. And now? She’s earning more than Commander Xie, leaving her embarrassed.”

“Deserved!”

“That’s right. I thought she was a decent person, but she turned out to be so malicious.”

“This is the first time anyone has treated a daughter-in-law like this in the family compound.”

“Don’t even mention her. Just hearing about her makes me angry. If it weren’t for that old woman, we wouldn’t have been dragged into ideological education or written those reports… Isn’t that just making things difficult?”

“Exactly, I can’t even write my own name…”

As if struck by a common chord, several military wives started complaining about the newly implemented ideological education.

When Ruan Mingfu returned home, she didn’t even spare a glance at Wangcai, who had come over to greet her.

She rushed straight to her husband, hugging his arm and anxiously saying, “Xie Yanzhao, something bad has happened.”

He was still flipping through a book, and only closed it when he saw her coming.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Ruan Mingfu’s expression, Xie Yanzhao furrowed his brow.

“My mom is coming,” she said, sitting on the sofa, looking distraught. “My mom is coming, Mrs. Ruan is coming.”

Ahhh…

She felt like going crazy.

Her mom was definitely going to give her a severe scolding!

Ruan Mingfu couldn’t help but shiver.

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

Is his mother-in-law that scary?

He also started to panic.

Ruan Mingfu stood up, pacing back and forth, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

“What should we do? What should we do?”

With a distressed expression, her mind was filled with Mrs. Ruan’s recent threats. Seeing her like this, Xie Yanzhao grew even more nervous.

Speaking of which, compared to Ruan Mingfu, he should be even more scared.

After all, he hadn’t informed her parents when he married Ruan Mingfu.

Ruan Mingfu, not content with making herself anxious, began to torment Xie Yanzhao, shaking his arm, “Old Xie, what should we do?”

“… Is Mom really that scary?”

Mrs. Ruan was more than scary.

If Ruan Mingfu was the Monkey King, then Mrs. Ruan was the tightening spell. She was Ruan Mingfu’s nemesis, and Mrs. Ruan was her nemesis.

When she was a child, she was curious and pulled out the flowers Mrs. Ruan had planted, getting a severe beating.

Later, she found out that they were snow lotus flowers…

“Have you ever been beaten?”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

What kind of question is that?

“Do you know how strong Mrs. Ruan’s hands are?”

A single slap was already light. The main issue was the pain. Every time, she could only cry, and Mrs. Ruan didn’t fall for that and just hit harder.

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

My mother-in-law is so fierce.

Ruan Mingfu suddenly fell silent. “I’m having a hard time, and since you can’t escape either, we’ll both face Mrs. Ruan’s wrath together as a pair of doomed lovebirds.”

Perhaps it’s true that when there are too many lice, they stop itching, and after all, she is the biological daughter, so Mrs. Ruan probably won’t kill her.

Just lie flat and give up.jpg

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

He started to wonder about Ruan Mingfu’s parents.

But if they raised a daughter like Ruan Mingfu, they couldn’t be that bad.

He amusingly ruffled Ruan Mingfu’s fluffy hair. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

If the mother-in-law wants to act, let her come at him.

Though he said this, Xie Yanzhao was still unsure inside.

Early the next morning, he sought out the military strategist, Xu Zhu.

Xu Zhu, with two huge dark circles under his eyes, looked up from his pile of documents. He stared at Xie Yanzhao with resentment and asked again, “What did you say?”

“Give me some advice,” Xie Yanzhao seemed hesitant, mumbling, “… How to win my mother-in-law’s favor.”

Xu Zhu: “…”

First stunned, then burst into laughter.

Old Xie, you’re finally having a day like this!

Xu Zhu felt refreshed, and the frustration from days of overtime was swept away. Even the documents he had to review seemed more bearable.

“Shut up!”

Xie Yanzhao gritted his teeth, his expression darkening.

He cast a stern look at Xu Zhu, who immediately stopped laughing and sat up straight.

“Speak quickly.”

Xu Zhu was delighted.

Old Xie, you’re making him suffer, adding to his workload. These days, he had been bitterly dealing with the materials sent up from below. Life has been tough.

Yet, the culprit still left work on time every day.

Xu Zhu felt both envious and jealous.

In fact, he had cursed Xie Yanzhao more times in the past few days than he had in the entire previous year.

Xie Yanzhao was impatient. “Hurry up!”

Xu Zhu looked at him, unable to suppress a sneer inside.

You’re having your turn today!

“My situation is different from yours,” Xu Zhu leaned forward slightly, “I met my wife through an arranged marriage.”

In an arranged marriage, one party had already checked the other’s family background and character before setting up a meeting. His relationship with Hu Wanning developed smoothly, without any obstacles.

His mother-in-law was extremely pleased with him.

She always greeted him with a smile.

Xie Yanzhao: “… So, how did you get along with your mother-in-law?”

“Buy more gifts, be a little sweet, and praise your mother-in-law a lot…”

Xu Zhu said, counting on his fingers.

“Old Xie, are you making a mistake?” He suddenly looked up at Xie Yanzhao. “The one you should be dealing with is the father-in-law, not just trying to please the mother-in-law.”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

Xu Zhu wanted to laugh, but he quickly stifled it under Xie Yanzhao’s glare.

“Hey,” Xu Zhu said seriously, “Your father-in-law and mother-in-law only have one daughter. As long as my sister-in-law is happy, they shouldn’t have any objections. And you’re not bad yourself.”

Young, holding a regiment-level position, and with a bright future.

Who wouldn’t want a son-in-law like that?

Oh wait, Xie Yanzhao is so fierce, ordinary people might indeed be scared off.

Xu Zhu looked at him with pity.

Tsk tsk, his brother has a hard time.

Just after enjoying a brief period of good days, he was about to be thrown back to square one.

Thinking about Ruan Mingfu, who couldn’t sleep all night because her mother was coming, Xie Yanzhao became more worried.

“Give me some useful advice.”

Xu Zhu: “…”

Hadn’t he already said that?

“Old Xie, it’s all about empathy. As long as you treat sister-in-law well, they’ll see it,” Xu Zhu suddenly looked at him. “Wait, why are you asking me this today?”

Xie Yanzhao was silent for a while. “My father-in-law and mother-in-law have been rehabilitated.”

“That’s great news!” Xu Zhu’s eyes lit up. “That means sister-in-law’s family can be reunited.”

Reunited?

Thinking of Ruan Mingfu trembling at the mention of his mother-in-law, Xie Yanzhao shook his head with a smile.

He didn’t know what kind of person his mother-in-law was to make Ruan Mingfu so scared.

“Hiss—”

Xu Zhu looked at him.

“Why are you suddenly asking me about this? Are you a new son-in-law meeting people for the first time? Are you afraid they won’t be satisfied with you and will break up the couple?”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

Speechless and could just shut up.jpg

“tsk tsk,” Xu Zhu shook his head, “So tragic~”

“The weather is so nice today. Let’s go out and practice.”

Xu Zhu: “…”

Damn, that was a bad idea.

…

Gu Yilin was rubbing Wangcai’s belly. “Such a cute dog, just come with me.”

Wang Cai, playing dead: …

It suddenly jolted, escaping from Gu Yilin’s hand and lying down at Ruan Mingfu’s feet. Its pair of black eyes stared at Gu Yilin, as if to say, ‘I have an owner.’

Ruan Mingfu reached down to stroke Wangcai’s smooth fur.

“Don’t even think about eyeing my dog.”

When alive, he is her dog. When dead, he is her dead dog.

Gu Yilin pouted.

Just making a joke, yet this plastic friend is so petty.

Hmph!

“I’ve been here for so long,” Gu Yilin rested her chin on her hand, “When are you going to take me to see a fierce… Oh, no, I mean the male comrades.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

If she dared go, that petty dog man would surely teach her a lesson!

For the sake of her own small body, she’d better be honest.

“Seeing is being responsible.”

Gu Yilin: “…”

She just wanted to see, not take responsibility…

Ruan Mingfu gave her a look.

Ever since she was brought out as a typical example, people have been watching her on the street.

Although Ruan Mingfu enjoyed the attention, it was a bit too intense. Some military wives even brought their children over, asking her to pat their heads.

Claiming it was for ‘blessing.’

Ruan Mingfu: “…….”

For these few days, she had confined herself to her room and hadn’t gone anywhere.

Just as she was about to say something, Hu Wanning came in carrying a pile of things. “Sister-in-law, I’m coming in.”

“Sister-in-law, come on in. The door’s not closed.”

Ruan Mingfu went inside and brought out a small stool for her.

“This is sauerkraut made from the cabbage I grew, specially brought for you to taste, and some mushrooms,” Hu Wanning teased them both. “I heard you had a mushroom poisoning incident?”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Please don’t mention it!

Another reason she doesn’t like going out.

Besides her achievements at the trade fair becoming a hit, her mushroom poisoning incident also became popular……

“Sister-in-law!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t mention it,” Hu Wanning knew she was sensitive about this, “These mushrooms are not toxic, they’re fresh and delicious, I specially brought some for you.”

Ruan Mingfu: “… Thank you, sister-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law, why do these mushrooms look different from the ones we had before?”

Gu Yilin, excited, peered into the basket.

“Of course, these are chicken mushrooms, very fresh.”

It was also good luck.

Hu Wanning had found a nest of chicken mushrooms, and since she and Xu Zhu couldn’t eat them all, she distributed some to each family.

Who doesn’t know the famous chicken mushrooms?

Ruan Mingfu had certainly eaten them before.

“Such a good ingredient, let’s stir-fry it.”

Gu Yilin’s mouth watered just from Hu Wanning’s description.

“Stir-frying would waste it. Let’s make soup.”

There was chicken in the fridge that the dog man had restocked, just right for this. Chicken mushroom soup, it sounded delicious.

“Sister-in-law should stay and have some.”

Hu Wanning shook her head. “I’ll pass, there are still two mouths to feed at home.”

“It’s fine, just invite them over too.”

The two families were close.

Hu Wanning took care of her, so having a meal together was no big deal.

“Sister-in-law, you haven’t tasted my soup yet.”

She hesitated for a moment.

Previously, when she asked Ruan Mingfu for a recipe, she had cooked it several times, but Xu Zhu always said it wasn’t quite right.

Hu Wanning didn’t suspect Ruan Mingfu had given her a fake recipe.

“Alright, then I’ll shamelessly stay.”

“It’s no problem,” Ruan Mingfu turned to Gu Yilin, “You go chop the chicken from the fridge.”

Plastic friend eats so much every day and still doesn’t gain weight.

How infuriating!

Gu Yilin: “…”

For the sake of the food, she endured.

Although Ruan Mingfu didn’t like cooking, she could make soup occasionally.

She put the chopped chicken into her special clay pot and sautéed it on low heat. Once the fat was rendered, she added water.

It was an old hen that had been raised for years, so it needed a longer cooking time.

When the chicken soup began to boil, Gu Yilin and Hu Wanning smelled the enticing aroma, and Ruan Mingfu added the cleaned chicken mushrooms.

Then, it simmered slowly. By mealtime, the meat was tender and seemed to melt into the soup.

That was the real deliciousness.

Hu Wanning observed her steps and saw they were no different from her usual soup recipes.

“Sister-in-law, don’t you add any medicinal herbs?”

In the last soup, Hu Wanning had seen her add quite a few, and the taste… She still couldn’t help but swallow when she thought about it.

“No need,” Ruan Mingfu put down her chopsticks, “Adding too many things to good ingredients will make them taste bad.”

Hu Wanning nodded.

That’s a good point, she thought the same way.

Gu Yilin didn’t care about their conversation. All she focused on was the pot of soup.

At that moment, Wangcai’s young bark suddenly came through. Then, a male voice followed, “Sister-in-law Ruan, are you there?”