Chapter 81.2

She slammed her hand on the table in frustration, startling Xie Yanzhao, who was already feeling guilty.

He looked at her, his rare expression of panic showing.

“Tell me! What happened to this?”

Just as Xie Yanzhao was about to confess, he realized that Ruan Mingfu was questioning Wangcai, not him.

For some reason, he felt a wave of relief.

“Wangcai, did you sneak into the house?” Ruan Mingfu asked, holding up the ruined nightgown. “Good dog, but no more stealing things.”

Wangcai, with its tiny dog brain, couldn’t understand a word she was saying.

Thinking she was playing with him, the dog barked excitedly, wagging its tail even faster.

“That’s right,” Xie Yanzhao chimed in from the side, adding fuel to the fire. “It was Wangcai.”

If Wangcai could understand human speech, it would definitely bite this traitor!

Ruan Mingfu glanced at the soiled fabric on the ground, too disgusted to even look at it any longer.

“Wangcai, where did you find this? Take me to see.”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

Go see?

Ruan Mingfu patted Wangcai’s head.

As a smart little puppy, Wangcai thought she wanted to play, and it got even more excited. Its tail wagged like a propeller, barking excitedly at Ruan Mingfu.

It sprinted wildly around, tearing through the vegetable patch and lawn, behaving like an overexcited puppy.

Ruan Mingfu covered her forehead in frustration, while Xie Yanzhao effortlessly restrained Wangcai.

“Puppies at this age are always like this—mischievous and love to grab things,” Xie Yanzhao casually shifted the blame to Wangcai while giving its head a pat. “It’ll grow out of it soon.”

Once Wangcai was held by the scruff of its neck, it stopped moving in Xie Yanzhao’s grip. However, when Ruan Mingfu glanced over, its fluffy ears twitched, and its tail wagged slightly.

“Wangcai, no treats for the next three days!”

Xie Yanzhao cleared his throat. “…It’s not that big of a deal. Just take away treats for one day.”

Ruan Mingfu looked at him skeptically.

Xie Yanzhao, who was always the harshest when punishing Wangcai, was now speaking up for it? This was a surprise.

Xie Yanzhao felt his heart race, worried Ruan Mingfu had caught on to something.

“…What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ruan Mingfu softened at the sight of Wangcai’s round, innocent eyes. “Fine, one day without treats.”

After all, there was more fabric. She could always make another one.

Xie Yanzhao sighed in relief.

Wangcai, oblivious to the fact that it was taking the blame for something much bigger, tilted its head, its little tail wagging again.

For once, Xie Yanzhao found Wangcai less annoying.

He ruffled the dog’s head, considering how to make it up to Wangcai, but was met with a growl instead.

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

Ruan Mingfu chuckled at the sight, shaking her head.

Despite his age, the man still couldn’t win over Wangcai. It seemed that whether it was Wangcai or other pets, none of them liked being around him, probably sensing his naturally stern demeanor.

Just as Ruan Mingfu was about to tease him, someone rushed into the house looking anxious.

“Commander Xie, the Commander has had an accident.”

It was Xiao Zhou.

He had taken Commander Xie to the hospital, leaving Xiao Lin to watch over him, and then rushed to find Xie Yanzhao. Even though the two didn’t get along, they were still father and son in name.

Ruan Mingfu raised her eyebrows, surprised by the news.

She had seen Commander Xie not long ago. Back then, he had been in great spirits, even going as far as threatening Xie Yanzhao. He hadn’t looked ill at all.

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

Xie Yanzhao spoke calmly, without the slightest hint of concern.

“Commander Xie’s condition is critical. Someone needs to be there,” Xiao Zhou said urgently.

“Then you’ve really come to the wrong person,” Xie Yanzhao replied, his gaze steady and indifferent, as if he truly didn’t care about Commander Xie’s fate. “With my relationship with him, I’d be glad if he were dead right now.”

Xiao Zhou: “…”

“Go find the nanny. Isn’t she his wife?”

Commander Xie had been responsible for the death of Xie Yanzhao’s mother. The two had been estranged for years. Now that Commander Xie was in trouble, Xie Yanzhao would rather celebrate than visit him.

Ruan Mingfu shook her head.

Xiao Zhou was indeed asking the wrong person.

“This is the commander’s life and death moment,” Xiao Zhou said bitterly, “You are his son, you must go.”

“His life or death has nothing to do with me.”

Xie Yanzhao remained unmoved.

Any remaining father-son bond between them had long since dissolved.

“Commander Xie is still your father, no matter what!”

“If Commander Xie doesn’t mind, my old Xie can also be Commander Xie’s father.” Ruan Mingfu interjected, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Having lived this long, Ruan Mingfu detested emotional manipulation. Considering all the terrible things Commander Xie had done, he would have been crucified on the internet if this were modern times. And now they expected Xie Yanzhao to be the bigger person? The nerve!

Just because of some shared bloodline, did that mean Xie Yanzhao owed him anything?

Ridiculous!

Xiao Zhou: “…”

He was left speechless, feeling suffocated by the sheer frustration.

“Commander Xie, I still hope you’ll reconsider.”

“He’s a commander with a title. The hospital will take good care of him.”

Evil people live long lives.

If Commander Xie were really so fragile, he’d have died long ago.

Xiao Zhou gave Xie Yanzhao one last disappointed glance before leaving.

“What was with that last look?” Ruan Mingfu stood up, clearly irritated. “It’s not like Commander Xie even deserves it!”

When things were going well, Commander Xie had tried to kill his own son, and now, when things had gone south, he suddenly remembered him? How convenient!

Was Commander Xie just expecting to have the best of both worlds?

“Don’t get angry.”

Xie Yanzhao took Ruan Mingfu’s hand, the warmth of his palm seeping into her cold fingers.

“I stopped caring about him a long time ago.”

Of course, whether Commander Xie lived or died was none of his concern.

Ruan Mingfu took a deep breath and sat back down.

“I am curious, though…”

…

She didn’t have to be curious for long.

Commander Xie was a public figure, and the news of his injury caused quite a stir in the military. Soon, the details of what had happened were uncovered.

When Ruan Mingfu heard, she was shocked.

“Is that really true?”

“The entire compound has been buzzing about it for days,” Hu Wanning said while working with some cotton. “I didn’t believe it at first either.”

Li Xianglan’s eyes were wide.

“I thought I must have misheard.”

“That’s right,” He Cuixiang said as she put down her needlework. “Nine out of ten people in the compound are talking about it. I’ve heard it so much my ears are about to grow calluses.”

Ruan Mingfu remained silent.

“If you ask me, it’s deserved!” Hu Wanning, whose in-laws were close to Commander Xie, knew more than Ruan Mingfu.

“I knew that woman wasn’t any good,” He Cuixiang, who had seen Bai Qianzhu during the commotion, chimed in. “She looked sharp and mean. You could tell just by looking at her that she didn’t have a fortunate face.”

After saying that, He Cuixiang suddenly realized she’d said something wrong. Frightened, she covered her mouth.

“We’re all family here, no harm done,” Hu Wanning patted her on the shoulder. “But be careful what you say outside.”

Li Xianglan took a deep breath. “This is too messy.”

“There are worse stories out there,” Hu Wanning sighed. Seeing Li Xianglan and He Cuixiang looking at her curiously, she gave a few examples.

“During the war, men abandoned their wives and children, claiming arranged marriages were invalid and marrying new, younger women… All in the name of ‘shared ideals.'”

Li Xianglan frowned deeply. Hearing Hu Wanning’s stories made her budding romantic ideals wither.

“We had a case like that in our village,” He Cuixiang added. “A man went to join the army right after getting married. His wife got pregnant and waited for over twenty years. When she finally found him, he had already remarried in the military, and his new child was over ten years old…”

“He gave them some money to send them away. The mother and child were left pitifully poor in the village.”

Li Xianglan was speechless.

Suddenly, she started finding her own husband, Old Wang, less appealing.

Ruan Mingfu looked disgusted.

Scum like that, no matter what kind of respectable front they put on, couldn’t hide their true nature.

“If you ask me, Commander Xie’s suffering is just karma,” Hu Wanning shook her head in disdain. “You all don’t know how miserable Old Xie was growing up. The nanny tormented him relentlessly. Once, she made him kneel at the staircase for four hours straight.”

“Hiss—”

Li Xianglan and He Cuixiang gasped in shock.

That cruel?

And this was his biological father, not a stepfather?

“Sister-in-law, don’t take what those people say seriously. They’re full of hot air.”

These people were just bored and looking for something to talk about.

Li Xianglan and He Cuixiang nodded in agreement.

Although they’d felt some sympathy for Commander Xie when they heard he was in the hospital and still in critical condition, learning about his actions now made them wish he would die as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

“Those people are just jealous of you. Don’t pay attention to them.”

“Exactly…” Li Xianglan’s face still showed lingering fear as she thought of Xie Yanzhao’s childhood. “The thought of my child being bullied like that makes me want to fight.”

Ruan Mingfu nodded.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let those people’s words affect me.”

Ruan Mingfu had heard the recent rumors around the family compound. Aside from gossiping about Commander Xie’s situation, some people with an overly sympathetic nature were criticizing her and Xie Yanzhao for their lack of humanity.

Their father was hovering between life and death, yet they hadn’t even gone to see him.

That was just the public version. Who knew what kinds of nastier things were being said in private?

Ruan Mingfu could only shake her head at this.

Unless you’ve experienced someone else’s suffering, don’t lecture them about kindness.

Sometimes, it’s best to reflect on your own actions first.

“Let’s change the subject. It’s bad luck. I have some good news—Cuixiang’s pregnant!”

Li Xianglan, rubbing her own barely showing baby bump, smiled happily at He Cuixiang.

“Really?”

Ruan Mingfu looked at her, pleasantly surprised.

“Yeah, I’ve had no appetite lately and felt nauseous. Sister Lin was the one who noticed something was off right away. A few days ago, Old Wu and I went to the hospital for a checkup, and it turns out I’m just under two months pregnant.”

Talking about her pregnancy, He Cuixiang’s face blushed, radiating maternal pride.

She had been anxious before she got pregnant.

Mainly because her mother-in-law was so kind, and she didn’t want to disappoint her. Now, whether the baby was a boy or a girl, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“You three all got your marriage licenses around the same time. Now both Xianglan and Cuixiang are pregnant,” Hu Wanning teased, her gaze falling on Ruan Mingfu. “Sister-in-law, you and Old Xie need to step up your game.”

Ruan Mingfu was speechless.

What?

Are they really urging me to have a baby now?

“We’re in no rush. We’ll let nature take its course,” Ruan Mingfu replied.

Hu Wanning had only mentioned it in passing and didn’t press further. Thankfully, Sister Lin wasn’t here today. Otherwise, Ruan Mingfu would have to sit through a long lecture.

She was genuinely tired of that.

“The weather’s cooling down now, sister-in-law…”

Hu Wanning was about to offer some advice when a young soldier rushed in through the door, panting.

“Sister-in-law, something’s wrong! Commander Xie has been taken away!”

Ruan Mingfu’s hand trembled.

The sharp needle she was holding pricked her fingertip, and a drop of blood surfaced.

But she couldn’t care about that right now. She stepped forward urgently, “What did you say?!”