Chapter 14

Since arriving in this world, Tian Mi had been reflecting on the contents of that novel during her spare time.

Unfortunately, she had read it too hastily, and most of the details were now a blur in her memory.

Last night, while lying in the haystack, whether it was due to feeling too constrained or something else, she finally managed to dig up a couple of pieces of Liu family dirt from her hazy memories.

For example, Liu Xiangdong’s father, Liu Shu, the head of the grain management bureau, was not just a scoundrel who beat his wife but also had a roving eye for other women.

By the time this incident was exposed in the novel, the original character had already married into the Liu family and been working like a servant for over a decade.

The exposure happened because Liu Xiangdong was competing for a position against a rival, who dug up this scandal.

However, by that time, Liu Shu was long retired, and the social climate had changed drastically. The revelation ended up being just some gossip at tea parties, causing no real harm.

In the original text, this plot point was only briefly mentioned, so recalling it was quite a feat for her.

Now, what Tian Mi needed to do was to expose Liu Shu’s misdeeds a full decade earlier.

In this era, such scandals weren’t something that could be brushed off as mere affairs; they could lead to severe consequences like being criticized in public or sent to a farm for re-education.

Tian Mi firmly believed that by the time this scandal came to light, Liu Xiangdong wouldn’t have the time to trouble her, and she was annoyed with herself for being so slow to remember this. Otherwise, how would there be an opportunity for someone with the surname Liu to make a fuss in her life?

There was also another matter: when Liu Shu was younger, during campaigns against landlords, he had exploited his position to line his own pockets.

He was cunning, and during the division of wealth, he specifically chose easily concealable gold, accumulating enough to fill a small box, all of which he hid in the fish pond behind their house.

Even during the turmoil, he managed to keep that box of gold safe, and after the situation improved, he often boasted about it at home.

The fact that the Liu family had gold came to Tian Mi while she was fishing yesterday. Initially, she hadn’t planned to go too far, but now she changed her mind.

She decided that in a few days, once Liu Shu’s scandal broke, and Liu Xiangdong was preoccupied, she would sneak into their fish pond and take the gold.

No matter what, even if it was donated, it shouldn’t benefit the Liu family.

This way, she could at least take some satisfaction for herself and avenge the original character, who had suffered for a lifetime.

It was important to note that the original character had no idea that Liu Xiangdong was a scoundrel. Although she didn’t like him, she couldn’t resist his external advantages.

Moreover, with all the elders in the family pushing her, the naive girl couldn’t hold out for long and was married off to Tian Hongxing, leading to her tragic life.

Thinking about how the original character had devoted herself her entire life, enduring the humiliation from her in-laws, the violence from her husband, and the indifference from her children, only to hear a kind word on her deathbed made Tian Mi shiver.

She… absolutely! Absolutely would not live that kind of life!

So, when the call connected and a completely unfamiliar voice came through, although Tian Mi felt awkward about reaching out for help, she gritted her teeth and said, “…Jie Fu^[1]Older sister’s husband. Brother-in-law, I’m Tian Mi, Tian Yu’s younger sister.”

It wasn’t surprising that she introduced herself like this; in the original character’s memories, she had only seen this brother-in-law a couple of times.

Once was at her elder sister’s wedding when the original character was just a few years old, younger than her little brother now. The other time was eight years ago when he came to pick up her sister to join the army.

That year, Tian Mi was 12.

So, even though he was her legitimate brother-in-law, they were practically strangers.

Tian Mi had reason to believe he didn’t recognize her at all.

However, after she identified herself, her brother-in-law immediately reacted, his voice becoming more enthusiastic, “Er Mei? Did you receive the package your sister sent back?”

After saying this, Chen Gang felt something was off with the timing; by the usual pace, the package should still be on its way.

Sure enough, before he could voice his doubts, a surprised voice came from the other end of the line: “Did Da jie^[2]Eldest sister send a package? We haven’t received anything at home yet.”

Chen Gang laughed heartily, “Looks like Jie fu remembered the time wrong; it should take another week to arrive…”

Since they weren’t familiar and phone calls were expensive, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he intended to ask the second sister why she had called.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tall, slender figure striding into his office. Chen Gang silently thought, “Ah, there he is,” and gestured for the newcomer to take a seat before asking, “Did Er Mei call for any particular reason?”

As he spoke, Chen Gang purposely glanced at the newcomer, and as expected, he met a pair of cool, probing phoenix eyes.

Instantly satisfied, Chen Gang silently flashed a grin while keeping his tone gentle, “Alright, I’ll have someone go get your sister. It’ll take about twenty minutes. Er Mei, please give me the number; when your sister arrives, I’ll call back… Hmm… Okay, got it. I’ll hang up now.”

After ending the call, Chen Gang summoned a soldier to help fetch someone.

Once the young soldier dashed out like the wind, he turned to the newcomer, “What brings you here?”

Lou Luhui pressed his lips together, “The first regiment is organizing a small team to take the locals hunting in the mountains. Do you want to join?”

“Why are you asking me? Where’s Lao Tang?” Chen Gang was the political commissar of the third regiment; for matters like this, they usually consulted the Regiment Commander. Tang Dahai was his longtime partner and the leader of the third regiment.

“There’s something going on at Qiao Tuan’s house.” The man didn’t even raise an eyebrow, keeping his response succinct.

Chen Gang smacked his forehead, “Look at me, almost forgot… Then let’s join in; it’ll be a good chance to give those little rascals some real food.”

The two of them discussed the participants for a bit.

After they finished talking, noticing that the man still had no intention of leaving, Chen Gang couldn’t help but chuckle. He poured a cup of water for him and teased, “You little rascal, you weren’t like this before! So many people were introduced to you, yet you barely glanced at them. If the BrigadeCommander knew what you looked like now, he’d definitely scold you!”

Lou Luhui accepted the water and drank it, neither confirming nor denying, just sitting there quietly.

Seeing this, Chen Gang felt a twinge of discomfort and couldn’t help but entertain a mischievous thought, “By the way, Er Mei suddenly called—does she have something going on?”

In this era, phone calls were quite expensive, costing as much as a catty of meat per minute.

Seeing that the usually silent Lao Lou finally turned his head, Chen Gang couldn’t help but chuckle internally, although his expression feigned confusion.

He stroked his chin and exaggeratedly said, “Your sister-in-law hasn’t contacted the family for over three months now. It wouldn’t be that the second sister found a partner and is getting married, would it?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Gang felt two sharp, piercing gazes aimed at him.

Ah… he’s angry.

However, Chen Gang’s teasing smile quickly stiffened as he locked eyes with the cold-faced man.

No… it couldn’t be, right?

If the second sister really was getting married, that would be awkward…

=

Tian Yu arrived quickly, running over with her little daughter in her arms.

Once she entered the room, she completely ignored the silence between her husband and Lao Lou. Gasping for breath, she shoved the child into her husband’s arms and pointed at a string of numbers on a notepad, urgently asking, “Is this the number?”

Chen Gang walked over, freeing one hand to rub his wife’s back, and reassured her, “It’s the right one, dear. Don’t worry; from the tone of the second sister, it shouldn’t be anything bad.”

However, Tian Yu wasn’t convinced. She had been accompanying the military for eight years, and her family hadn’t even sent a telegram, let alone an expensive phone call.

But at that moment, her anxiety flared, and she didn’t have time to explain. Grabbing the receiver, she quickly put it to her ear and dialed the number… “Hello! Is this the guesthouse?”

Realizing it was a guesthouse and not a post office, not only did Tian Yu’s expression worsen, but the two men also looked more serious.

Tian Yu felt an inexplicable sense of panic rise in her heart. Unconsciously, she tugged at the phone cord and forced a smile, politely saying, “Could you please call my Er Meito the phone? Her name is Tian Mi. She’s the young girl who called me about twenty minutes ago. Yes… I’m her elder sister. Thank you…”

As she waited, Tian Yu felt as if she were about to explode, wishing she could dive through the phone line back home.

Fortunately, that unbearable feeling didn’t last long—about half a minute later, there was a sound on the other end of the line.

Tian Yu’s heart tightened, and she immediately spoke up, “Hello! Hello? Is it Mi Yatou?”

On the other end, Tian Mi finally got through to her elder sister. Hearing the concern in her voice, she couldn’t help but feel a bit choked up, “Da jie, it’s me.”

“What happened? Is it Mom and Dad? Or…”

“It’s neither!” Tian Mi quickly interrupted her sister, not wanting her to continue guessing. Before she could speak again, she briefly explained her purpose for calling.

At first, Tian Yu’s brows relaxed slightly.

But as her sister spoke more, her frown deepened, and her expression grew increasingly troubled.

After a moment, when the second sister paused, she darkened her face and pressed, “Are you saying that a man wants to marry you, and when you refused, he resorted to underhanded tactics to have Chang Qing locked up? He’s forcing you to go to him to ask for marriage?”

As soon as she said this, the two men who had been waiting in the room also darkened their expressions.

From a distance, Chen Gang couldn’t grasp the full story from just a few words, so he hugged the little girl closer to his wife.

Seeing this, Lou Luhui hesitated for a moment and awkwardly moved closer.

Tian Yu, fully engrossed in her conversation, didn’t notice the two men’s movements at all. After receiving her sister’s confirmation, her first reaction was to express doubt: “Are you sure that Tian Chang Qing is innocent?”

Tian Mi…

Realizing she had blurted out her honest feelings, Tian Yu cleared her throat a few times and awkwardly shifted the topic. “Ahem… Anyway, let’s not talk about Chang Qing getting caught for now. Don’t worry about him; it’s smarter to hide yourself. However, the guesthouse isn’t safe, so if it comes down to it, go hide at your Jie fu’s place. No one will think to look for you there. As for Chang Qing, he still has his grandparents and parents, so I’ll ask your Jie fu to find out what’s going on. But you… you’re quite handsome, and there probably won’t be just one rascal after you. Hiding away all the time isn’t a solution. Why don’t you come stay with me? I can find you a soldier!”

Lou Luhui quietly perked up, instinctively holding his breath.

However, just then, Tian Yu seemed to realize something. She told her sister on the other end of the line to “hold on a second,” then covered the receiver with one hand and waved the other hand to shoo the men away silently.

Chen Gang…

Lou Luhui…

Seeing the two men dawdling and not wanting to move, the little girl thought her mother was playing with her and giggled, waving her chubby little arms.

Tian Yu, impatient, raised her fist at her husband. “Hurry up and go out! You two are standing here, and how am I supposed to tell my sister about Lou Luhui?”

Praising him in front of Lou Luhui would make the girl feel awkward; she still needed to be reserved at the right times.

“Ahem… I’ll step out first.” Since his sister-in-law was so clear, Lou Luhui couldn’t pretend anymore. As he left, he considerately pulled Chen Gang out with him.

Chen Gang… thank you.

With the three of them out the door, Chen Gang stealthily grabbed Lou Luhui and crouched down by the door to eavesdrop.

Of course, as a good father, even while being nosy, he didn’t forget to wrap his daughter’s chubby face up snugly.

Lou Luhui helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no intention of cooperating with Chen Gang’s foolishness; he absolutely wouldn’t eavesdrop on something like this.

Moreover, he was still thinking about the trouble Tian Mi had encountered that his sister-in-law had mentioned earlier.

Lou Luhui’s expression grew serious. No matter whether Tian Mi chose him or not, as a soldier, once he knew about this situation, he wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

With that in mind, he ignored Chen Gang and turned to leave.

At that moment, Tian Yu’s cheerful and penetrating voice came through:

“… Yes, he’s a colleague of your Jie fu’s, from Beijing. Tall, handsome, and if you two get together, just standing side by side will look like a golden boy and a beautiful girl…”

This was truly embarrassing. Lou Luhui had heard too many compliments throughout his life.

He hadn’t thought much of it before, but this time, he didn’t know why his ears were burning. Perhaps it was because the person on the other end of the line was that sweet “water lily”?

“… Yes, his rank is equal to your Jie fu’s, and he’s a regiment commander. Yes! Mi Yatou, you can trust your sister; Lao Lou is a really good person, just a bit older…”

“Bang!”

“Ow! Lao Lou, how did you fall for no reason?”