Chapter 84.1

Wang Manman was furious.

Ignoring Captain Qiao, who was chasing after her, she sprinted away on her two legs. As she entered the house, she glanced at Ruan Mingfu’s courtyard, and the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable.

“Manman, what happened?”

Seeing her daughter and son-in-law being called away, Old Lady Wang was very anxious.

She was already scared—afraid that her actions would affect her son-in-law’s future and strain the couple’s relationship.

Wang Manman had a gloomy expression, not saying a word as she stormed into the house.

Old Lady Wang: “……”

It’s over, it’s really over.

She slapped her thigh, convinced that her daughter must have been scolded!

Just as Old Lady Wang was anxiously pacing, her son-in-law walked in from outside.

“Xiao Qiao, how did it go?”

“Mom, it’s nothing,” Captain Qiao peeked in and asked, “Where’s Manman?”

“She’s in the room.”

Seeing that Captain Qiao appeared unfazed, Old Lady Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

“Xiao Qiao—”

“Mom, I’ll go check on her first.”

Old Lady Wang had intended to ask for more details, but seeing Captain Qiao’s demeanor, she swallowed her words.

“Go ahead,” she said, recalling Wang Manman’s sullen face, and grabbed Captain Qiao’s sleeve, advising him, “Manman is in a bad mood, so be sure to talk to her nicely. She has a quick temper. Don’t let it escalate into an argument.”

“Hey! Don’t worry, Mom.”

When Captain Qiao entered the room, Wang Manman was sitting there with a sullen expression.

Upon seeing him, she let out a cold huff.

“Are you here to lecture me, Captain Qiao?”

“Of course not,” Captain Qiao replied, turning to close the door. He waved his hand toward Old Lady Wang’s worried eyes. “Mom, I’m here.”

She understood her daughter’s temper well.

Old Lady Wang still wasn’t reassured and called out loudly, “Manman, if there’s something to discuss, talk to Xiao Qiao properly, don’t get angry!”

Inside the room, Captain Qiao walked over.

“Manman, don’t be mad.”

He reached out to grab Wang Manman’s hand, but she shot him a sideways glance and pulled her hand back in annoyance.

“Go and apologize. Why are you staying here with me?”

Remembering the earlier incident, her expression darkened further.

“Manman, this is really Mom’s fault. You should have advised her instead of escalating the conflict,” Captain Qiao said, frowning as he looked at her. “You even threw stones! There were pregnant women and children there. If something happened, I’d be in real trouble.”

“What do you mean? Are you scolding me?”

Wang Manman’s expression darkened even more.

Her voice rose sharply as she stood up to glare at Captain Qiao.

“Manman, that’s not what I meant,” Captain Qiao said, feeling a headache coming on as he watched her. “I’m just trying to analyze the situation and reason with you.”

Wang Manman’s anger grew.

“So what? In your eyes, I’m just someone who doesn’t understand reason!”

“Manman… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Captain Qiao stumbled over his words, unsure of what to say.

“Old Qiao, I haven’t even scolded you yet!” Wang Manman’s chest heaved with frustration, clearly very upset. “You apologized in front of so many people. How am I supposed to show my face here again?”

Captain Qiao fell silent.

“Manman,” he said patiently, “After the incident with Commander Xie, Mom turned around and started scolding others. That’s just kicking someone when they’re down. Who would dare associate with me after this?”

“…Mom just said a few things, it’s Ruan  Mingfu who is being petty.”

Wang Manman initially sounded a bit guilty, but as she spoke, her conviction strengthened.

“…Wang Manman, you weren’t like this before,” Captain Qiao said, looking at her with a complex expression, as if seeing her for the first time.

Wang Manman had grown up in a well-off family and was spoiled from a young age. She was beautiful and adored by those around her. Although she had high ambitions, her heart was kind. It was unclear when she became so caught up in petty disputes.

“You never used to blame me like this,” Wang Manman looked at him defiantly, her eyes reddening. “Old Qiao, you’ve changed…”

Captain Qiao sighed, feeling exhausted.

“Manman, the military can’t tolerate those who kick someone when they’re down. We argued with Sister-in-law, and no one is going to stand by us.”

“Isn’t it because you’re useless?” Wang Manman cut him off, not hearing his words at all. “If you were the regiment commander or the deputy commander, who would dare gossip behind your back? Then today, Commander Gu will side with me just like he favors Ruan Mingfu.”

“Wang Manman!”

Captain Qiao frowned tightly, as if he were meeting her for the first time.

“Is that how you really think?”

“Yes!” Wang Manman’s eyes were red and wild. “If you weren’t useless, I wouldn’t have to endure all this humiliation today!”

Captain Qiao felt powerless.

He didn’t know what to say to someone like her.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again.

“Manman, please calm down. I’m leaving for now.”

He had just turned when a thick book hit him on the back.

Wang Manman’s chest rose and fell violently as she glared at him in anger. “Leave! If you step out that door today, we’re done!”

“Manman, don’t say such things.”

Old Lady Wang, who had been listening anxiously at the door, couldn’t sit still upon hearing this.

“Mom, don’t interfere,” Wang Manman snapped, her temper flaring. She fixed her fierce gaze on Captain Qiao. “If he dares to leave today, he can forget about coming back!”

Captain Qiao stood still with his back to her, and it took a long time before he spoke.

“…Please calm down, I’m leaving.”

With that, he strode out.

Wang Manman watched in disbelief as Captain Qiao’s tall figure disappeared, and her anger surged again. She swept everything off the table in frustration.

“Get lost! If you’re leaving, don’t come back!”

Captain Qiao didn’t look back.

“Don’t—”

Old Lady Wang glanced at her daughter, anxious and unsure of what to say.

Seeing Captain Qiao almost at the door, Old Lady Wang hurried after him with a worried expression.

“Xiao Qiao! Xiao Qiao!”

Captain Qiao turned back.

“Xiao Qiao, Manman didn’t mean what she said. Please don’t take it to heart.”

He felt resentful towards this troublesome mother-in-law. He had considered speaking up, but every time he brought it up with Wang Manman, she would defend her mother, saying it was hard for her to raise her.

As a grown man, he didn’t want to confront his mother-in-law about such matters.

And now, look where it has led.

“I understand,” Captain Qiao said, feeling truly exhausted after managing his responsibilities at the unit and at home. “Manman is just upset right now, and I don’t want to provoke her further. Mom, please take care of her.”

“Hey,” Old Lady Wang dared not to express any objection, “Where are you going then?”

Captain Qiao sighed in his heart and said, “I’m going to find my comrades.”

With that, he left.

Watching his back, Old Lady Wang frowned even deeper. If she had known it would end up like this, why had she caused trouble for Ruan Mingfu?

The faces of those meddling old women floated in her mind, making her mood worsen.

It was all their fault!

Meanwhile, Ruan Mingfu was unaware of the couple’s argument next door. She was currently on a train heading north with Xie Yanzhao, and as she watched the scenery rushing past outside the window, her spirits lifted.

This was her first trip since arriving at the military district.

Thanks to Lin Xiao, they were traveling in a soft sleeper compartment. With a private cabin, they didn’t have to worry about noise.

Once aboard, Lin Xiao was called away, leaving only the couple in the cabin.

“Old Xie, how long will we be traveling?”

“Two days and one night,” Xie Yanzhao replied, handing her a thermos of warm water. “I’m here with you, so don’t worry.”

Ruan Mingfu shot him an exasperated glance.

Having a clingy man around only made her feel more bored.

Unlike the last time she rode a train, she was now curious about the capital city of this era. More importantly, she squeezed the brass key in her palm; she needed to go check out the house.

This was something Qi Yangyan had given her just before she left.

He called it a dowry.

Ruan Mingfu looked at the brass key in her hand.

She wondered if his brother had really gone all out and given her a siheyuan^[1]a traditional courtyard house. If so, she would indeed be a wealthy woman.

“Old Xie—”

Just as Ruan Mingfu was about to speak, Lin Xiao interrupted her.

“Mingfu, I’m in trouble. Come with me and help me.”

“What’s going on?”

Lin Xiao appeared anxious, grabbing Ruan Mingfu and pulling her away. Xie Yanzhao quickly stood up to stop him.

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

“One of the foreign guests traveling with us is having issues. The translator isn’t doing well,” Lin Xiao explained, usually so composed but now looking flustered. “Can you go check it out? I’ll be with you, so it won’t matter if it doesn’t work out.”

Xie Yanzhao glanced at Ruan Mingfu, who nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go too.”

Lin Xiao looked at the couple and quickly agreed.

Once they arrived, Ruan Mingfu recognized a familiar face.

Upon seeing her, Gu Qingsong visibly relaxed, relief washing over his expression.

“If I had known Comrade Ruan was coming, I would have sought you out sooner.”

“Gu Qingsong?”

Ruan Mingfu looked at him curiously.

As if knowing what she was about to ask, Gu Qingsong sheepishly scratched his head.

“After the trade fair, I was supposed to leave with my teacher. But my teacher thought I hadn’t been home for a long time, so he gave me a vacation…”

That’s why he had been sent to handle this matter.

“We’ll catch up later. Let’s hurry inside,” Lin Xiao interrupted their conversation.

Seeing his savior arrive, Gu Qingsong felt his anxiety fade.

“Let’s go.”

Ruan Mingfu barely had time to ask what was happening before being pushed into the room. If it weren’t for Xie Yanzhao and Lin Xiao accompanying her, she would have wanted to bolt.

“Oh, look who I found!”

As soon as Ruan Mingfu entered, Andre noticed her. He struggled to stand, his eyes shining. Despite still being sick, he bravely walked over to her.

Just as he reached for Ruan Mingfu’s hand, Xie Yanzhao stopped him.

“What a bummer, it’s this old man again.”

This sentence was spoken in F language, and no one present could understand it except Ruan Mingfu.

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

“It’s nice to see you again, my beautiful lady,” Andre began, wanting to repeat his previous flirtation, but noticed Xie Yanzhao watching him like a hawk. He shrugged. “Beautiful lady, how do you tolerate this boring, gloomy guy?”

Ruan Mingfu: “……Mr. Andre, you are quite humorous.”

“You two know each other?”

Seeing their reactions, Lin Xiao couldn’t help but interject.

“We met briefly at the trade fair.”

That clarified things for Lin Xiao.

“Andre, is this the beautiful lady you were talking about?”