Chapter 11

“What can we do?” Yuan Heping asked her, forcing himself to stay awake. “Our family can’t even borrow a penny right now. What else do you expect? Stop embarrassing our son here. Let’s go back home!”

Zhu Guiyun’s chest rose and fell violently. “I said there is a way, and there is a way.”

Yuan Heping closed his eyes and ignored her. If there was a way, why would he wait for the deputy battalion commander to come and chase them away in person?

Later, Yuan Qing’an came back and Zhu Guiyun told him what happened today.

Yuan Qing’an frowned tightly and stood up. “If they think it’s noisy, they can move out. What right do they have to ask us to move out? I’m the company commander. This is the room allocated to me by the military area. Why can’t I live here?”

“The main reason is that your father coughs too much.” Zhu Guiyun signaled her son to speak softly so that Old Yuan would not hear. If there was anything, they could discuss it with their mother.

“I’m not going back to my hometown. We have to rent a yard in the city,” Zhu Guiyun said. “That way, no matter what happens at home, it won’t disturb others.”

This is a solution, Yuan Qing’an frowned, but the key problem is that he has no money.

“Mom, if it really doesn’t work out, you can go back to your hometown and live there for a while. When I have more money, I’ll bring you back to enjoy life.”

“I can’t go back.” Zhu Guiyun sighed, “We’ve sold all our homesteads. If we go back to our hometown, we’ll have to rent a house. Qing’an, in the end, it’s all about money.”

Yuan Qing’an didn’t expect that his parents had no way out at all, and his mind suddenly went blank.

“Qing’an, there is another way now.” Zhu Guiyun said hesitantly, “It’s your sister.”

Yuan Qingan thought his mother meant that his sister would not go to school. “Mom, even if you don’t let my sister go to school, it still won’t solve our current problem. Besides, going to school is the only way out.”

The most important thing is that my sister has good academic performance and will definitely be admitted to university.

Even if one of the younger brothers and sisters cannot afford the tuition and needs to drop out of school, the younger brother with worse academic performance will be considered first.

Yuan Qing’an didn’t consider these for the time being. The most important thing right now was to settle his parents down first.

Then there’s Dad’s medical expenses.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant to marry your sister off.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qing’an looked at Zhu Guiyun in disbelief, “What?”

Zhu Guiyun’s eyes were red. “Do you think I want to? What else can I do? Only by marrying your sister off and getting her a betrothal gift can all the problems our family faces be solved.”

Yuan Qing’an shook his head with a dull look in his eyes. “This isn’t marrying off my sister; this is selling her off.”

“Don’t say such harsh words. Girls will get married sooner or later.”

Zhu Guiyun raised her hand to wipe away her tears and continued, “While your sister is still young, we can find her a good match! There’s nothing wrong with getting married and having children early.”

Yuan Qing’an sat down in a daze, not knowing what to say.

If my sister gets married now, it will mean her life is over.

Going to college and not keeping up with college are two completely different lives.

After all, he, as the older brother, was incompetent and had to make a choice.

As Yuan Qing’an thought about this, he couldn’t help but think of Xu Zhihuan.

If this woman agreed to marry him, he wouldn’t have to make a choice here.

Yuan Qing’an took a deep breath and said, “Mom, let me think about it again.”

“There’s no time.” Zhu Guiyun said anxiously, “Your father’s condition cannot be delayed.”

Yuan Qingan finally gritted his teeth and agreed with his mother, “Okay.”

Zhu Guiyun finally breathed a sigh of relief, as she was afraid that her son would not agree.

It doesn’t matter if Lao Yuan doesn’t agree, we can keep it a secret for now.

Keep it a secret for as long as you can, and wait until you can no longer keep it a secret.

When the time comes, I will first arrange my daughter’s marriage, and he will have to agree even if he doesn’t agree.

Ever since Yuen Woo-ping realized that coughing would affect the neighbors around him, he would rather endure it at night and not cough out loud.

Her chest felt so tight, her face flushed red, and she was so anxious she was spinning around in circles. “If you want to cough, just cough. Don’t hold it in like this. It’ll kill you if you suffocate again!”

Yuan Heping stuffed a pillowcase into his mouth and insisted on not making any sound.

“…”

Zhu Guiyun opened his mouth and cursed Xu Guoqiang, “You said you were a good brother, but you didn’t help us when you were so sick.”

Yuan Heping glared at her and shouted weakly, “Shut up!”

Zhu Guiyun kept patting his back, hoping that this would relieve his cough.

The nights were especially difficult for Yuen Woo-ping.

…

State-owned hotel.

It had been a while since Xu Jinnan had met his good friend, so he drank a little too much, but not to the point of passing out.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhou Yichuan, who was obviously drunk, and smiled, “Tell me, what do you want from me?”

“If it’s alright, can’t I invite you out for dinner and drinks?”

Zhou Yichuan opened his thin lips slightly.

“You’re such a busy man, how could you possibly have time to treat me to dinner and drinks!” Xu Jinnan chuckled. “The last time we met was half a year ago, and you didn’t even exchange a few words before you were busy going on a mission. How many years have you been brigade commander? Are you about to be promoted to deputy division commander?!”

Zhou Yichuan took the bottle and filled Xu Jinnan’s glass again.

“Almost.”

For a moment, Xu Jinnan thought he had misheard and asked again unsurely, “What?”

“I came back this time to be appointed as deputy division commander,” Zhou Yichuan said in a light voice, but the official notice had not yet come down, and few people in the military region knew the news.

Xu Jinnan half-opened his mouth and looked at Zhou Yichuan in disbelief, “Brother, you’re awesome!”

He was originally the youngest brigade commander in the military region, and now he is the youngest deputy division commander in the military region.

“Once the official notice comes down, the military district won’t assign me any missions. We’ll have more time to see each other.” Zhou Yichuan said, pausing, “Just don’t bother me then.”

“How could I possibly find you annoying!” Xu Jinnan hooked his arm around Zhou Yichuan’s shoulder and smiled. “Deputy Commander Zhou, tsk tsk, tell me, with such an outstanding man like you, which lucky woman will marry you in the future?”

Zhou Yichuan stared at him and said word by word, “Do you want to keep the wealth within your family?”

Xu Jinnan slowly retracted his arm, stretched out his hand to grab the collar of his shirt, and looked at Zhou Yichuan warily, “What are you doing? Let me tell you, even though I don’t have a partner yet, I do have a female comrade I like. Although I know I’m not bad looking, I have no desire to like men at all, not even if you’re the leader!”

Zhou Yichuan laughed the first time he heard what he said.

What is Xu Jinnan thinking about?

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in you.” Zhou Yichuan twitched his lips lightly, “You like women, and I like women too.”

“So what did you mean by ‘keeping the wealth within the family’?” Xu Jinnan asked with a strange expression. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he opened his eyes wide and said, “I know!”

Zhou Yichuan waited for him to speak with a calm expression.

“You like my cousin!”