Chapter 15: Only Gaining Fat, Not Brains

“Xingchen, your father was a great soldier. You’ll definitely be proud of him.” Zhou Anbang gently hugged Dabao. He couldn’t bring himself to disturb the sleeping Erbao, so he simply placed a hand beside the child and softly patted him in a soothing rhythm. “A’Yuan’s wife, you’ve taken good care of the children. Thank you for all your hard work during this time.”

“Don’t worry, Teacher,” Qiu Yinuo replied firmly. “I’ll take care of them. He never had to worry about this family before, and in the future… he never will.”

Zhou Anbang choked up. He looked at Qiu Yinuo, but no words came out.

After carefully laying the child in the crib, Zhou Anbang took out a thick stack of money wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket. It included subsidies from the army, as well as his personal contribution. “A’Yuan’s wife, this is the compensation issued by the army. Take it and use it to care for the children. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, I’ll do everything I can to help.”

Ah… this!

Qiu Yinuo knew the plot. Shao Chengyuan wasn’t dead. He had been swept away by the sea to the enemy’s base and was even pretending to have amnesia while working undercover there.

She figured that once things stabilized over there, he would definitely try to contact the army.

Once this mission ended, he’d surely be rewarded with a promotion.

Taking this compensation money would be like selling her conscience. Even if she accepted it now, once Shao Chengyuan returned, she’d still have to hand it back to the army.

Thinking of that, she had no intention of being a temporary god of wealth. When the time came to return the money, she feared the pain might just kill her.

With a righteous air, she pushed the money back. “Teacher, without seeing A’Yuan’s body, I will always believe he’s alive. So I can’t accept this compensation.”

She was dropping a subtle warning—just in case Shao Chengyuan contacted the army out of the blue, better to prepare Zhou Anbang now than have him keel over from shock.

Hearing this, Zhou Anbang felt even more heartbroken.

He felt that Qiu Yinuo was refusing to accept reality and was still holding onto the hope that A’Yuan wasn’t dead.

But after searching for so long without finding him, and with the enemy forces staying still, the only explanation for this was that A’Yuan had sacrificed his life. They couldn’t think of any other reason.

“Teacher, give this money to those who need it more than I do.”

Qiu Yinuo was moved by her own “selfless greatness.” Looking at Shao Chengyuan’s teacher, she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. He was crying more sincerely than she was.

Even He Ziqing, who had prepared the water to bring over, found herself at a loss for what to do.

The teacher’s crying was so intense that she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt.

Before Zhou Anbang could try to convince A’Yuan’s wife further, a piercing, shrill scream suddenly rang out from outside, almost making Zhou Anbang’s crying voice falter.

Even Erbao child in the crib opened their bleary eyes, looking around with confusion, their innocent face displaying an expression of “Who am I? Where am I?”

In the next moment, the door to the Shao household was slammed open.

Qiu Yinuo and He Ziqing instinctively moved back, each holding a child.

A thin, frail figure rushed in, then stopped and assessed the situation. Upon confirming Qiu Yinuo’s location, the person looked at her figure in disbelief.

She looked at the flabby waistline, then at the still-familiar face, and tentatively called out, “Niu’er?”

That ridiculous nickname brought back a wave of memories, and Qiu Yinuo reflexively snapped, “Don’t call me that. I have a name. I’m Qiu Yinuo.”

Seeing how confident she looked when she said that, Cheng Hongying was instantly certain—this was her daughter.

Without another word, she lunged forward and threw herself at her. “Wuwuwu, my daughter, my poor daughter! How did you become a widow at such a young age?!”

Qiu Yinuo’s ears rang from the woman’s loud voice, and before she could dodge, she was pulled into a tight embrace.

Sandwiched between them was Dabao, who had just been picked up—and his face was full of panic.

Shao Xingchen suddenly felt something hard as an iron plate slam into his face, followed immediately by an overwhelming stench that wrapped around him like a cloud.

That smell!

It was overpowering.

Where did this old woman come from? Had she not bathed in years? She was going to suffocate the poor kid!

Qiu Yinuo, jolted by the hug and the familiar voice echoing in her ears, saw the weathered face from her memories merge with the woman in front of her.

Cheng Hongying—her biological mother.

In the original Qiu Yinuo’s memories, Cheng Hongying wasn’t exactly a good mother.

But when the original father tried to sell her, it was Cheng Hongying who stood up first and helped her escape.

That single act left the original owner with a lasting longing for familial love.

However, Qiu Yinuo didn’t have any complex feelings for her biological mother. She didn’t feel the love the original owner had, nor did she harbor hatred. Instead, she viewed it all very calmly.

She had thought that if fate allowed, they could continue being mother and daughter; if not, then it would be even better to live without disturbing each other’s lives.

But now, her mind went blank, and waves of intense emotion surged within her. Qiu Yinuo knew clearly—this was the original owner’s feelings bubbling up from deep inside.

“Mom?”

When Cheng Hongying heard that one word, her heart shattered completely.

She began crying even harder. “My precious daughter, only twenty years old this year—how did she end up a widow? Heaven must be blind!”

Zhou Anbang, standing to the side, felt his eyes redden again. Every word hit him right in the heart.

“Mom, please let go. Otherwise, your eldest grandson is going to suffocate.”

Shao Xingchen: No, suffocating from the stench is more accurate.

Cheng Hongying quickly loosened her arms and looked down at the teary-eyed Dabao in her arms, his little nose red and his expression aggrieved. Her heart broke all over again.

Then she turned to glance at the younger grandson lying in the crib—yawning endlessly, even squeezing out a couple of teardrops from the corners of his eyes. She was about to wail again, thinking about how miserable her daughter’s life was, but was stopped cold by one sharp glare from Qiu Yinuo.

With a frustrated sigh, she lightly pounded her daughter’s shoulder. “You’ve been gone for two years with no word. Now you’ve lost your man and are dragging around two kids. What do you plan to do with your life?”

Qiu Yinuo frowned. “I’ll do whatever needs to be done. Life goes on, doesn’t it?”

Cheng Hongying was furious. “And how do you expect to remarry like this? Who would take you in with two sons?”

“Would I die without a man? I’m living just fine on my own. Why should I remarry?”

“You’re still so young…”

Qiu Yinuo cut her off mercilessly. “And you think it’s appropriate to talk about remarriage in front of my husband’s superior?”

Only then did Cheng Hongying notice Zhou Anbang. She quickly wiped her tears and scolded her daughter in a hushed tone, “You brat! Why didn’t you say someone was here?”

Zhou Anbang suppressed the bitterness in his heart. “A’Yuan’s wife, you’re still young. You can’t be expected to stay single forever. If you’re thinking about remarriage, I’ll fully support you. If you can’t find the right person, my wife and I are happy to help. There are many suitable young men in the army.”

Qiu Yinuo nonchalantly nodded. “Teacher, let’s talk about this another time.”

Zhou Anbang turned to Cheng Hongying, speaking sternly. “By the way, you’re A’Yuan’s mother-in-law. You should talk to your daughter. She can’t refuse the compensation from A’Yuan’s sacrifice.”

“What nonsense! You can’t refuse the compensation. How else will you support the children?” Cheng Hongying almost wanted to slap her daughter, frustrated that after two years, all she had gained was weight and no wisdom.