Chapter 34.1

Perhaps due to its remote location, the army had thoughtfully set up a line internally for family members to contact their relatives.

Ruan Mingfu walked over, and the operator’s eyes brightened.

He said loudly: “Sister-in-law!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

There was no need to shout so loudly.

Ruan Mingfu nodded, took the receiver, and the operator, understanding the situation, left and kindly closed the door.

Just as she was about to speak, Gu Yilin’s voice came through the receiver, filled with resentment.

“…I’ve been waiting for you at the station all day.”

The amount of resentment in that voice could probably sustain thirty evil sword immortals.

Ruan Mingfu felt it even from here.

“I forgot…”

As soon as she spoke, a sharp scream came through the receiver, nearly deafening Ruan Mingfu.

“What?! You actually forgot, you damn woman! Do you know that I was afraid that I would miss you, so I stayed here from morning till night, and now you say you forgot? Do you think you’re worth my time?!”

“Ah!!!!”

“I’ll show you how crazy I can get!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Listening to Gu Yilin’s frantic shouting on the other end, she moved the receiver away a bit and rubbed her ears.

“You actually forgot this… Wait! Did you not get on the bus at all?”

Angry, Gu Yilin still picked up on the key words in Ruan Mingfu’s speech.

So, she became even angrier.

“You never cared about me at all! You heartless woman!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…Calm down first.”

“Hahaha, who told me to calm down! Do I need to calm down?” Gu Yilin continued, “Hahaha, I am very calm!!!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

I can feel it. Gu Yilin is crazy.

Ruan Mingfu was silent for a while.

Her plastic friend’s mental state was really deteriorating.

She decided it was better to have Gu Yilin calm down a bit before continuing the conversation.

“Speak!” Gu Yilin, hearing the silence from the receiver, started screaming. “Why aren’t you speaking? Are you annoyed with me? You damned woman, you have no heart!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Having a drama queen plastic friend was really annoying.

She felt that, as a normal person, she had to tolerate her problematic plastic friend.

As Gu Yilin was about to continue her outburst, her aunt came downstairs, looking at her with visible anger. “Gu Yilin! Are you out of your mind? I can hear you from upstairs.”

Her aunt gave her a stern look. “Be quiet.”

Gu Yilin’s aunt had just gotten off a night shift and had barely settled down when she heard Gu Yilin’s commotion.

Anyone would be intolerant of that.

Gu Yilin: “… Oh.”

Hearing the noise from the receiver, Ruan Mingfu asked, “… Are you calm now?”

Gu Yilin rolled her eyes.

How could she stay calm?

If she kept this up, her aunt would definitely pack her bags and throw her out.

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Gu Yilin said, “Didn’t you say you were done with that bastard? Now you’ve reconciled? Ruan Mingfu, can’t you have some backbone?”

Her plastic friend was pretty and could talk well, but she had a love-struck brain. Just a few sweet words from a man could make her lose her mind.

Such a pity!

“I realized I misunderstood him,” Ruan Mingfu said, feeling a bit awkward. “He’s actually quite nice.”

On the other end, Gu Yilin wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Look, look, her plastic friend’s love-struck brain was truly hopeless.

“Men say nice things, but when it’s crucial, they disappear,” Gu Yilin said disdainfully. “He’s not nice at all. He’s just after your body, he’s despicable!”

A sudden light laugh came from the receiver.

It was clearly a man’s voice.

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Gu Yilin: “…”

Damn! Talking badly about someone and getting eavesdropped on.

Neither of them felt like continuing the conversation, so Gu Yilin said wistfully, “Have you decided to marry him then?”

“Mm.”

Ruan Mingfu replied, and after thinking for a moment, she said, “We’ve been allocated a house.You can come over to play when you are free. I will pick you up.”

“Really?!”

Gu Yilin’s eyes lit up as she eagerly rubbed her hands together. “Are there many single young men over there? How do they look? What’s their build like? I don’t like the weak, scholar type. I prefer strong and muscular men.”

Preferably like her plastic friend’s partner—handsome, muscular, with an eight-pack…

Gu Yilin touched the corner of her mouth.

Calm down!

She couldn’t let her impatience show and make her plastic friend smug.

Gu Yilin composed herself.

Taking advantage of the distance, Ruan Mingfu couldn’t see her expression, and her voice sounded a bit forced.

“Since, since you have invited me, I will… I will give you this honor.”

As if afraid Ruan Mingfu might say something unpleasant, she quickly hung up with a ‘click.’

“Who were you talking to on the phone just now?”

Gu Yilin’s aunt, feeling thirsty, saw Gu Yilin as she came downstairs and casually asked.

“It was Ruan Mingfu,” Gu Yilin said, moving to the pile of things she had bought and starting to organize them. “You’ve met her before.”

She thought these things were useless, but now her plastic friend was getting married again.

Hmph!

She had to make sure to mock her properly and make her feel ashamed!

Gu Yilin’s aunt came over with a cup of water and asked, “Isn’t she going to the army? You still keep in touch with her. You seem to have a good relationship.”

“Who has a good relationship with her!”

Gu Yilin, like a cat with its tail stepped on, almost jumped up.

She tore at the packaging with force.

Hmph!

They were just plastic friends—friendly on the surface but not in their hearts. Sooner or later, she would trample all over Ruan.

Gu Yilin’s aunt ignored her and asked:

“Why are you unpacking these things? Aren’t they meant to be gifts?”

She just wants to tear it down.

To avoid sending new items and letting Ruan Mingfu be pleased. She wanted to show Ruan Mingfu that she only deserved these used items!

No!

There weren’t enough items to achieve the desired effect of mockery. She needed to buy more…

Watching Gu Yilin’s bustling figure, her aunt shook her head. Putting down her cup, she went back upstairs to sleep.

Young people these days are really becoming harder to understand.

……

Life in the army was quite peaceful.

Apart from being a bit remote, there was hardly anything to complain about.

Ruan Mingfu had almost grown to like this kind of life.

This morning, when she woke up and saw Xie Yanzhao sitting at the dining table, she was momentarily dazed.

“Sister-in-law, come and have breakfast,” Hu Wanning called out to Ruan Mingfu when she saw her.

The new house was still under renovation, so it wasn’t ready to be lived in. For now, they continued staying at Xu Zhu’s place. Occasionally, Ruan Mingfu would help Hu Wanning with some chores, and they got along quite well.

A chubby little boy with bright, round eyes stared unblinkingly at Ruan Mingfu.

“Sister, carry me.”

Hu Wanning smiled and touched the fat boy’s butt, and scolded him with a smile: “You little bastard, you only care about your sister. Do you not want your mother anymore?”

The little boy turned his head, his eyes like shining grapes, staring at Hu Wanning.

Just as she thought he might say something, the little boy turned away again, refocusing on Ruan Mingfu.

“Sister, hug,” he insisted, stretching out his small, chubby hands, persistent in his request.

“It’s over,” Hu Wanning sighed and gave him a light smack. “This little guy is already so focused on appearances at such a young age.”

She chuckled, imagining how he might turn out to be a little flirt in the future.

“Alright, sister will hold you,” Ruan Mingfu said, smiling as she reached out to take the little boy. However, before she could, Xie Yanzhao, who was nearby, intercepted and scooped the boy into his arms.

“Your brother will hold you,” Xie Yanzhao declared.

Xu Zhu, sitting beside them, was speechless.

Good grief, he thought, somehow this kid just jumped a generation ahead of Old Xie.

Xie Yanzhao was getting more childish by the day, even getting jealous over this.

Although Xie Yanzhao was eager to hold him, the little boy wasn’t cooperative. He squirmed restlessly in Xie Yanzhao’s arms, showing clear signs of resistance.

The little boy didn’t say a word, but his large, bright eyes remained fixed on Ruan Mingfu, his stubbornness softening her heart.

“Let me take him,” Ruan Mingfu offered.

The little boy was always so well-behaved—never causing a fuss or making a scene. Since Ruan Mingfu didn’t have to handle his daily needs, she naturally liked him a lot.

Hu Wanning kept the little boy neat and tidy, unlike other children who were often messy.

Once in Ruan Mingfu’s arms, the little boy finally stopped struggling.

He nestled quietly against her, his small face even showing a hint of contentment.

Hu Wanning laughed and scolded, “You little rascal, just wait and see how I deal with you later!”

The little boy wasn’t afraid at all.

He closed his eyes and began to rest peacefully, his calm demeanor bringing a smile to Xu Zhu’s face.

“This little guy, who does he even take after?”

Xu Zhu thought back through the generations, but none of his ancestors had such a personality.

“Are you blaming me?” Hu Wanning glared at him.

Xu Zhu knew better than to argue. If he said anything wrong, he’d end up sleeping on the couch that night.

“My mistake, he takes after me,” Xu Zhu quickly said, trying to appease her. He picked up a dish with his chopsticks and offered it to Hu Wanning, “Wife, eat up. The food’s going to get cold…”

The dinner table was filled with dog food from these two people.

Ruan Mingfu inexplicably felt a little full.

She hadn’t been lost in thought for long when a piece of food was placed in her bowl. Ruan Mingfu looked up to see Xie Yanzhao.

His dark eyes seemed to say, “No need to envy others, you have this too.”

Damn! This dog man knew how to work his charm.

Ruan Mingfu’s heart began to race, and her face flushed slightly.