Chapter 39

Liu Chuanzhi was at the military district when he heard that Li Pandi had returned. He rushed back immediately.

“Pandi, you’re back. This is Gu Li, whom I hired to take care of the children.”

“Oh, I see. Now that I’m back, you don’t need to take care of them anymore. You can leave.”

Li Pandi didn’t have a good impression of Gu Li. Hearing her words, Gu Li didn’t hesitate, put down her work, and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she asked Liu Chuanzhi,

“Commander Liu, does your promise to me still count?”

“It does.”

Only then did Gu Li leave with ease. Afterward, Li Pandi and Liu Chuanzhi entered the house.

“What did you promise her?”

“I just arranged a job for her younger brother. The cafeteria still needed an extra helper, so I recommended him.”

Li Pandi didn’t say anything but went out to inquire about the siblings’ situation. She learned that they were not doing well in the military district.

Their parents went missing on a mission, leaving only the two of them.

Li Pandi found it strange—given their situation, if they had sought help from the leadership, they would have been given a job.

Why did Gu Li insist on asking Liu Chuanzhi for help?

When she returned home, she told Liu Chuanzhi about her concerns.

Liu Chuanzhi didn’t think much of it. Everyone lived in the same compound, constantly crossing paths, so he felt that helping was just the right thing to do.

That evening, all the families in the military district gathered at the cafeteria for a farewell dinner, each bringing something.

Jiang Huaijing had been in the military district for years and was always helpful. He never refused anyone in need, so now that he was leaving, everyone was reluctant to see him go.

It was rare for everyone to gather, and after living together for so long, they had formed bonds.

Gu Nian sat beside Jiang Huaijing, watching him drink with his comrades without intervening.

The farewell party ended quickly, and everyone returned home.

Gu Nian decided to stay in the residential area for a few more days so that Jiang Huai Jing could visit his superiors.

—-

The next day, Jiang Huaijing and Gu Nian brought gifts to visit Commander Zheng.

Just as they reached the entrance, they heard Commander Zheng’s voice.

“Gu Li, what exactly do you want?”

“I don’t want much. Isn’t Liu Chuanzhi about to go on a mission? I want to go with him.”

“Nonsense! A mission is no trivial matter. What business does a woman have going along? Go home!”

“Zheng Youcai, all these years, you’ve owed my brother and me so much. Now, you won’t even grant me this small request?

If you refuse, I’ll go to your house and tell your wife and daughter that my brother and I are your biological children!”

Gu Nian and Jiang Huaijing exchanged looks, shocked to learn that Gu Li was actually Commander Zheng’s daughter.

Zheng Youcai was in a difficult position—he couldn’t let his wife and daughter know about Gu Li and Gu Qiang.

“Fine, I agree.”

Seeing his reaction, Gu Li found it amusing. The only thing he cared about was that family—he never considered her and her brother’s feelings.

“Zheng Youcai, my mother must have been blind to fall for you. You don’t deserve to be a father.

You only asked others to take care of us, but have you ever visited us even once?”

Zheng Youcai remained indifferent despite Gu Li’s outburst. To him, Gu Li and Gu Qiang were stains on his life. Allowing them to stay in the military district was already generous.

“I’ll give you money as compensation.”

Gu Nian and Jiang Huaijing realized it wasn’t a good time to visit Commander Zheng, so they left.

When they returned, Sister Xu came knocking, holding several large fish.

“Gu Nian, come out! Let’s go grill fish by the river.”

Gu Nian stepped out and saw the fish in Xu Hua’s hands. She went to the river with Sister Xu.

As they sat grilling the fish, they noticed that Li Pandi seemed downcast.

“Pandi, what’s wrong?”

“Sister Xu, I feel like Gu Li likes my Chuanzhi. Last night, I saw her come to him, saying her window was broken and asking him to fix it.”

Hearing this, Gu Nian recalled how Gu Li had insisted on going on a mission with Liu Chuanzhi.

It seemed that Gu Li had set her sights on him. As Li Pandi’s friend, Gu Nian decided to warn her.

“Pandi, is Chuanzhi about to go on a mission?”

“Yes, but I applied for leave with the leadership. I want him to escort me and the children to Beijing, and they agreed.”

“Don’t worry. Your Chuanzhi only has eyes for you.”

Sister Xu teased, and Gu Nian nodded. If that was the case, Gu Li would likely back off.

After chatting, the three enjoyed their grilled fish.

It smelled too good—they all ate more than they planned. Just as they were about to leave, Luo Heimei appeared.

“Sister, can you spare me a fish?”

Seeing Luo Heimei again, Gu Nian was a bit shocked. Not only had she become uglier, but she was also pregnant.

“There’s no more fish—we ate it all.”

“Sister, can you lend me some money? I need to buy something. You know that Lao Shang doesn’t want me anymore. How am I supposed to raise a child alone?

Sister, we were once family. You won’t just ignore me, right?”

Lao Shang had grown tired of his relationship with Luo Heimei and was now pursuing Widow Liu from the cafeteria. Luo Heimei was struggling.

But that wasn’t Xu Hua’s problem—she wouldn’t lend her money.

“You still have parents. If you have no choice, go back home. I won’t lend you money.”

Meanwhile, Gu Qiang saw Gu Li return home in tears and immediately knew she had been wronged.

He couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Zheng Youcai had ignored them for years, and now he was treating Gu Li like this?

“Sis, I’m going out for a bit.”

“Gu Qiang, where are you going? Don’t do anything reckless!”

Gu Li felt that at least Zheng Youcai was still giving them money—as long as they could survive, that was enough.

Besides, she had Liu Chuanzhi now. She believed he wouldn’t abandon them.

Gu Qiang ran straight to the military district’s headquarters and reported Zheng Youcai to the leadership.

The leadership took the report seriously and launched an investigation.

Unaware that he was under scrutiny, Zheng Youcai was still at home trying to appease his wife and daughter.

“Youcai, your younger sister hanging around here isn’t ideal. I found her a match—why not just marry her off?”

He Yao had a calculating look in her eyes. She found it annoying to deal with Zheng Rongrong all the time.

She wasn’t doing this out of goodwill—she and Zheng Rongrong never got along.

Zheng Youcai understood her intentions but didn’t refuse.

“Alright, it’s up to you.”

“Should we inform your parents?”

Zheng Youcai’s parents also lived in the military district, but since they were old and held little power, they didn’t dare interfere.

“No need—you decide.”

“Great! I’ll arrange for them to meet tomorrow. Honestly, your sister is a second-time bride and has a bad temper. I had to beg someone to set this up.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Facing his wife, Zheng Youcai acted as if she were his superior, completely at her mercy.

Seeing how easily he gave in, He Yao smirked. She just needed to wait until the marriage was finalized to get rid of this nuisance once and for all.