Chapter 28

Zhang Family.

Dai Jia swiftly served the dishes from the pot onto plates and carried them out. “Dinner’s ready. Hurry up and wash your son’s hands.”

Zhang Xiangqian quickly responded, “Okay.”

He lifted his son onto his shoulders. With his view now elevated, the child wasn’t afraid of heights and hugged his father’s head, laughing until his little face turned red.

Dai Jia called out anxiously from behind, “Be careful. Aren’t you afraid of dropping him?”

Zhang Xiangqian said casually, “It’s fine. My son isn’t that timid.”

The table was set with two dishes: stir-fried black fungus with eggs, braised cabbage with meat, and a bowl of steamed egg specially made for the child.

As Dai Jia ate, she curiously asked, “When I came back, I heard from people in the family compound that Xu Zhao got married. Is this true?”

Zhang Xiangqian, who was focused on eating after a long day of training, said, “Yes, he got married in Mingjiang City. Otherwise, the people wouldn’t be allowed to come along with the troops. By the way, this black fungus and egg dish tastes good.”

His wife’s cooking skills were inconsistent. Sometimes the dishes were a pleasant surprise, other times quite alarming, leaving him anxious every time he came home for a meal.

Dai Jia’s expression changed slightly. “So sudden. I thought Xu Zhao would delay it. I’ll find some time to visit home and tell my sister-in-law about this.”

Zhang Xiangqian looked at his wife. “What does this have to do with your sister-in-law?”

Dai Jia didn’t hide anything from her husband and explained, “My sister-in-law’s older brother has a daughter who is quite good-looking and just graduated from high school last year. Since Xu Zhao hadn’t found a suitable match, my sister-in-law asked me to help find someone in the army. I thought of Xu Zhao. If it worked out, it would be great. If not, it’s no big deal. It’s just getting to know someone.”

Who would have thought that Xu Zhao, who had been so hard to marry off, would suddenly get married, catching everyone off guard? It turned out that her sister-in-law’s niece and Xu Zhao weren’t meant to be.

Zhang Xiangqian frowned. “You should persuade your sister-in-law to abandon this unrealistic idea. Xu Zhao is already married, and his wife is with him. What you’re doing could be considered interfering with a military marriage, which is a serious offense.”

Dai Jia gave Zhang Xiangqian a look. “I live in the army quarters, so I know what interfering with a military marriage entails. I was just talking. I didn’t know Xu Zhao was married. Since things have changed, and he’s already married, there’s no need to pursue this. I’ll let my sister-in-law know about it tomorrow.”

Her sister-in-law’s niece wasn’t her daughter, and there was no need to offend Xu Zhao for a stranger. Moreover, Xu Zhao was a good friend of Zhang Xiangqian, and out of respect for him, she didn’t want to offend Xu Zhao.

Zhang Xiangqian reminded Dai Jia, “It’s best if you think like this. We shouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs. We should just live our own lives well.”

Dai Jia couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Tell me, what’s the girl who married Xu Zhao like? Is she easy to get along with? What’s her family background? How did they meet?”

Zhang Xiangqian was momentarily speechless. “Why do you have so many questions?”

Dai Jia tugged at Zhang Xiangqian’s arm. “If I don’t know about them, naturally I’ll have many questions. You get along with Xu Zhao, you should know. Hurry up and tell me.”

Zhang Xiangqian reluctantly said, “I don’t know much. Their families were old acquaintances. Xu’s family moved away, and they only recently reconnected. As for her character, you’ll find out when you meet her.”

He, being a man, felt uncomfortable discussing a female comrade and changed the subject.

Dai Jia rested her chin on her hand, full of anticipation. “Childhood sweethearts, how romantic!”

It was like a story from a novel coming to life right around her. She was eager to visit Xu’s family and hear this romantic childhood sweetheart story firsthand.

Zhang Xiangqian felt a bit exasperated. “How is this romantic?”

*

Xu Family.

Worried that her younger brother might be scared in the new environment, Jiang Suihan went to check on him. “Are you afraid to sleep alone at night?”

“I’m not afraid. I’m grown up now and can sleep by myself,” Jiang Leyun said, first nodding and then shaking his head, secretly clenching his fists to encourage himself. Being afraid of the dark wasn’t a behavior for a boy.

Jiang Suihan tried not to laugh and stood up. “I’m leaving now.”

Jiang Leyun looked at his sister with longing as she walked to the door, almost calling out to her to stay a bit longer.

Jiang Suihan quietly mocked her brother for being stubborn and suffering unnecessarily. She turned around and sat back down by the bed, adjusting his blanket. “Alright, I’m not teasing you anymore. I’ll wait until you fall asleep before leaving. Close your eyes and go to sleep.”

Jiang Leyun felt as though he had just eaten a piece of candy; he was very happy.

He held Jiang Suihan’s hand and said with his eyes closed, “I’m going to sleep now.”

The child had no worries and was exhausted from the day’s activities. Within two minutes, he was fast asleep, completely unaware when his sister had let go of his hand.

Jiang Suihan envied his rapid sleep and gently pinched the child’s nose. “Just like a little pig.”

Xu Zhao sat on the bed reading, the dim light casting a soft glow on his face, adding a touch of haziness.

After brushing her teeth and returning to the bedroom, Jiang Suihan took out the new face cream she had bought and applied a little to her face, moving slowly.

She sat down on the other side of the bed, and there was a slight awkwardness between them when they were silent. “Reading at night isn’t good for your eyes.”

Xu Zhao closed the book and set it aside. “Yes, it’s just to pass the time. Is Leyun asleep?”

Jiang Suihan replied, “He’s asleep.”

Xu Zhao walked to a wooden box, opened it, and took out an iron box.

Jiang Suihan looked at him, puzzled. “For me? What is it?”

It was a biscuit tin, square with several colorful flowers printed on it.

She opened it and saw a jumble of money and various tickets. She picked up the passbook and her eyes widened in surprise.

Three thousand six hundred yuan!

Seeing this amount, her first reaction was, “So much money!”

Xu Zhao really had money!

With inflation and currency devaluation not being an issue in this era, even a popsicle only costs one or two cents. Three thousand yuan was out of reach for many ordinary families. In the countryside, a whole family might not save up even a hundred yuan in a year despite working hard.

Jiang Suihan looked at Xu Zhao with bright eyes. “Is all of this for me?”

Xu Zhao smiled. “You are the mistress of the house. If I don’t give it to you, who else would I give it to? Keep it well. If you want to buy or eat something, you don’t need to tell me.”

Jiang Suihan tilted her head and joked, “You’re giving me all this money. Aren’t you afraid I’ll spend it all and leave you penniless?”

Xu Zhao said generously, “Spending money is a woman’s job; earning money and supporting the family is a man’s job. Since I’ve given it to you, how you spend it is up to you.”

He was skeptical that she would suddenly change her spending habits and blow through all the money, considering how she fretted over buying an extra piece of clothing at the department store.

He wanted her to know that the family had money and that she didn’t have to be frugal. If it made her happy, she should buy whatever she wanted.

Jiang Suihan gave him a thumbs up and teased, “Very generous, Captain Xu. Keep up the good work and double your efforts. I have high hopes for you.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, holding her stomach and almost falling over from laughter.

Xu Zhao shook his head helplessly. “Is it that funny? Don’t laugh yourself out of breath.”

Jiang Suihan lay down on the bed, still laughing. “Yes, it’s very funny. Don’t you think what you just said sounded very much like a domineering CEO?”

If the money in the iron box were replaced with a bank card, and accompanied by his disdainful expression, it would be even more fitting.

Xu Zhao asked, “What’s a domineering CEO?”

Jiang Suihan, catching her breath, said, “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

She got up, carefully counting the money in the box. After counting the ten-yuan bills, she placed them aside and sorted the small change into another pile.

There were also many tickets, including grain tickets, supplement tickets, and industrial tickets. She noticed some were about to expire and needed to be used soon.

Xu Zhao lay back with his hands behind his head, watching her count the money with interest. Every time she counted a bill, her smile grew brighter.

He asked with a grin, “Do you really like money this much?”

Jiang Suihan replied without looking up, “Of course. Is there anything cuter than money? With money, there are countless possibilities. Without money, there’s nothing you can do. It’s a very simple and straightforward preference.”

Xu Zhao was amused by her words. “Indeed, very simple and straightforward.”

Jiang Suihan said seriously, “I call it honesty. Unlike those who say they don’t love money but are secretly obsessed with it, I like money but earn it through proper means. I won’t do anything illegal or unethical.”

Xu Zhao nodded. “That makes sense. You have principles.”

Jiang Suihan set a goal for Xu Zhao. “There’s one hundred and twenty-six yuan here. With the three thousand six hundred in the passbook, Captain Xu, if you work harder, our family will soon have over four thousand yuan.”

She made a cheering gesture towards Xu Zhao. “Keep it up.”

Xu Zhao was both amused and helpless. “I’ll do my best.”

Hearing her refer to it as “our family” made him happy. Her attitude over the past few days had shown she wasn’t opposed to this family and was making an effort to be a part of it.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go to sleep.”

Seeing her obsessively examining the passbook, her money-loving look was rather endearing. Xu Zhao couldn’t help but gently poke her forehead.

Jiang Suihan reluctantly closed the box, having searched the entire room for a suitable place to hide the money but finding none. “Next time, I need to get a lock to secure the box.”

With so much money just lying in the wooden box, there was no security, which was unsettling.

The moon was dark and the wind was high. With only the two of them in the room, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Jiang Suihan lay on her side, facing away from Xu Zhao, with a distance of over half a meter between them. She was almost pressed against the wall.

She now regretted that the bed wasn’t larger, otherwise, she could have rolled even further away.

Xu Zhao felt that she seemed a little nervous, and rubbed his forehead helplessly: “Do I eat people?”

Jiang Suihan: “Ah?”

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