Chapter 41

Seeing that Shen Xiao’s face looked unhappy, Qiao Baozhu felt a little unsure as to what he meant.

Was he blaming himself? Or did he feel that he shouldn’t have asked about money since they had just gotten married?

“Even you know about this… Alas, I finally understand why people outside misunderstood me and Sister Wei.”

Shen Xiao felt that it must be Bai Hongmei who talked nonsense outside, which caused other people’s misunderstanding.

But in fact, this matter was a mistake made by Qiao Baozhu herself.

In a hurry, Qiao Xifeng said that Shen Xiao gave Bai Hongmei 20 yuan in subsidies every month and she had remembered the time wrong.

In the previous life, Shen Xiao did subsidize Bai Hongmei 20 yuan every month. Only Bai Hongmei and Shen Xiao knew about this, and Bai Hongmei never mentioned it to anyone else.

Later, Qiao Xifeng caused Bai Hongmei to have a miscarriage. Shen Xiao proposed to continue to give Bai Hongmei 20 yuan in compensation every month as long as Bai Hongmei did not hold Qiao Xifeng responsible.

Shen Xiao explained this matter, but Qiao Xifeng believed that Shen Xiao lied and deliberately put the blame on herself. In a hurry that day, she blurted out everything.

“I gave Mrs. Wei 800 yuan before and promised that I would arrange jobs for the three children when they grow up. I will also try my best to make up for any difficulties in life.”

“Not long after, Wei’s wife found out she was pregnant, so she applied for unpaid leave and came to the family compound. The organization gave her 450 yuan in pensions as per regulations, and the local government also gave her 300 yuan in compensation. She said that the 1,000 yuan that my comrades and I collected was all swindled away by her in-laws. With no money in her pocket and a baby on her body, she didn’t know whether she should give birth to the child.”

The military leaders want to take charge, but where can they get so much money?

Shen Xiao proposed to give Bai Hongmei 20 yuan in nutrition expenses every month, and Bai Hongmei gladly accepted it.

Qiao Baozhu understood that Bai Hongmei wanted money and also wanted to recruit her as a person.

“Captain Wei didn’t die because of you, did he?”

When the two of them reached the door of their home, Qiao Baozhu suddenly blurted out something.

Shen Xiao was stunned, then grabbed Qiao Baozhu’s wrist and half-dragged her into the house.

Seeing Shen Xiao’s big reaction, Qiao Baozhu became more certain of her guess.

When Shen Xiao walked into the house, he was stunned for a few seconds when he saw the interior. He didn’t say anything.

“What makes you think that?”

Shen Xiao sat on the edge of the kang with a majestic look, staring at Qiao Baozhu with a sullen face.

“Is that hard to guess?”

Qiao Baozhu ignored Shen Xiao’s cold face and turned around to sit on the kang. She put her elbows casually on the kang table and smiled lightly.

“If he really died saving you, there wouldn’t be so many strange rumors in the family compound.”

“You don’t need to ask me how I guessed it. You can tell from the tone of voice of those family members how much contempt they have for Bai Hongmei.”

“The most important point is, if Wei Yanda really died to save you, you wouldn’t give him just 800 yuan.”

Qiao Baozhu had felt that something was wrong about this matter in her previous life. Shen Xiao could give a dowry of 500 yuan to marry a wife, but how come he only gave 800 yuan as compensation to his savior?

Eight hundred yuan a year for living expenses until all three children grow up is about right.

In her previous life, she didn’t have the time to worry about her brother-in-law and Bai Yueguang. In this life, Shen Xiao has become her husband, so Qiao Baozhu must think about it carefully.

Shen Xiao’s eyes lit up. He didn’t expect that Qiao Baozhu could guess it based on this.

He nodded and admitted generously: “What I can tell you is that Yanda did not die to save me, but he did die in the execution of the mission. I cannot tell you how he died.”

“It’s true that he saved my life. He did save me on the battlefield before.”

After Wei Yanda died, Shen Xiao, out of gratitude for saving his life that day, personally took care of Wei Yanda’s funeral, comforted his family, and paid a large sum of compensation out of his own pocket.

He did too many things, and many people speculated whether Wei Yanda’s sacrifice was related to Shen Xiao.

“It is true that I owe Yan Da my life, and it is my duty to help his wife and children. I have no choice but to do so. As long as it is within my ability, I will continue to help them.”

Qiao Baozhu nodded in understanding. The truth was indeed similar to what she had guessed.

“I totally understand. You just got back so take a break. I’ll go make dinner.”

Qiao Baozhu was in a good mood. As long as Shen Xiao had no direct relationship with Wei Yanda’s death, Bai Hongmei had no right to hold on to him. She could just wait for her to give birth smoothly and then leave with her bedding.

“I’ll help you light the fire.”

Shen Xiao felt embarrassed to ask Qiao Baozhu to cook for him. Although he had talked about Bai Hongmei’s matter, they both still had their own issues to deal with.

She is the wife who will accompany him for the rest of his life, not a nanny who will cook for him. Shen Xiao cannot wait for dinner with peace of mind.

Shen Xiao chopped wood, fetched water, and lit the fire, while Qiao Baozhu cooked a pot of noodles and fried green peppers and eggs as toppings.

“I went to the barn just now and saw a lot of autumn vegetables inside. Did you buy these from the village?”

Qiao Baozhu took a bite of noodles, chewed a few times and swallowed it, then shook her head and said, “I didn’t buy it in the village, my dad brought it here.”

When Shen Xiao came back, he heard that his newlywed wife was amazing. The dowry alone took up six carts, making his comrades-in-arms envious.

“I should have prepared these furniture. We got married so hastily that I didn’t have time to prepare them. I was thinking of buying them according to your preferences after the wedding. Now that my father-in-law has bought them, we should give him the money.”

“You can calculate how much these things in the house are worth later and take them when you return home.”

Seeing that Shen Xiao didn’t seem to be polite, Qiao Baozhu couldn’t help but ask in a low voice: “Do you really want to give me money?”

Shen Xiao asked confidently, “Of course I have to give it to you. It’s not easy for your father-in-law and mother-in-law to save some money in that situation. Can you bear to spend his money?”

“What if I say that all these furniture were bought with the betrothal money?”

Shen Xiao put down his chopsticks and said seriously, “Then you should return the money. I know your family’s situation. The two elders can use this money as a pension, or give you half as a dowry.”

“But filling the room with furniture is where I fell short.”

Qiao Baozhu said disapprovingly: “My dad said that no matter who I marry, I will give these furniture as a gift. Whether it’s you or not, the result will be the same.”

Having said this, Qiao Baozhu took a deep breath and looked at the man opposite calmly.

“Shen Xiao, I believe that marriage is sacred and must be done on the basis of equality, mutual respect and love.”

“Unfortunately, ideals and reality are different. The reality is that I want to bring good luck to my grandfather. So whether it’s Zhao Haiyang or you, I will complete the wedding process according to my family’s requirements.”

Shen Xiao listened to Qiao Baozhu seriously, with scrutiny in his sharp eyes.

Qiao Baozhu did not avoid his gaze, and her clear eyes were full of frankness.

“I understand. If you feel that we are getting married too hastily, I will give you time to adjust. Let’s get to know each other first. If you feel that we are not suitable, I am willing to cooperate with you at any time and end this marriage.”