Chapter 90.1

Ruan Mingfu stood in the courtyard, curiously glancing around.

She noticed people moving furniture outside while Old Lady Wang stood to the side, several pieces of luggage at her feet, looking mournful.

Eventually, Wang Manman walked out of the house.

Old Lady Wang went over, gently grasping her icy hand. “Manman…”

Wang Manman didn’t say a word, but her gaze lingered on Ruan Mingfu for several seconds when she saw her.

“Sister-in-law?”

A voice suddenly called from outside. Ruan Mingfu turned to see Li Xiaoyue standing a short distance away, holding a child, with Captain Gu beside her.

“Come in quickly,” Ruan Mingfu urged them, “It’s so cold outside. Why did you bring the baby?”

The warmth of the indoors enveloped her, making her nose itch, and she couldn’t help but sneeze.

Ruan Mingfu wrapped her long military coat tighter around herself, feeling an uneasy premonition. When she looked up, she found that the annoying man, Xie Yanzhao, was staring intently at her.

For some reason, she suddenly felt a little guilty.

“Sit down,” Ruan Mingfu turned her face away, avoiding his gaze. “What brings you here today?”

Li Xiaoyue glanced at the child before smiling and responding, “I called for you yesterday at the courtyard entrance, but no one answered. Sister-in-law, did you go out yesterday afternoon?”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Ah, this… Remembering yesterday’s events, she couldn’t help but shoot a glare at the annoying man.

“Yes, I had to step out for a bit.”

“Is that so?” Li Xiaoyue said, not thinking much of it. “My father-in-law made some soy sauce duck and specially brought half for you to taste.”

She gestured to Captain Gu, who promptly handed the duck to Xie Yanzhao.

The aroma of the soy sauce duck was enticing, and even from a distance, Ruan Mingfu could smell its deliciousness. It looked like it weighed at least two jin.

“I can’t accept this,” she insisted.

“If you don’t want to accept it, just take back the fifty yuan!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

She looked over at Xie Yanzhao, only to see him already accepting the duck.

He spoke slowly, “We also brought back some roasted duck from the capital. Old Gu can take some back to try.”

“This…”

Captain Gu hesitated, glancing at Li Xiaoyue.

It was clear that Captain Gu was now prioritizing whatever Li Xiaoyue wanted.

“Then thank you for your kindness, sister-in-law,” Li Xiaoyue replied directly, not holding back. “Sister-in-law, your place is so much cozier. The fire here is so warm that even the wall next door feels hot. Unlike my home, where we didn’t get the pipes fixed before we moved in.”

At that time, Li Xiaoyue was pregnant, and Captain Gu was busy with work and couldn’t pay much attention.

The renovation of the house was left to Mother Gu. But she was not from here and had not thought about winter. Li Xiaoyue’s house was now filled with thick smoke when a fire broke out. No matter how long the fire burned or how big it was, the house was still cold.

“What will you do then?”

It was only early winter, and when the deep cold set in, they would be freezing.

“My father-in-law plans to take the two of us back,” Li Xiaoyue said, looking at the sleeping face of her child with a smile. “We’ll come back when it warms up.”

It was too late to dig in now.

This was a major project that would take at least ten days to complete.

Ruan Mingfu nodded. “That works too; it saves you from having to travel back and forth. But what about your mother-in-law?”

While the two women chatted quietly, Captain Gu and Xie Yanzhao were engaged in their own conversation nearby, neither interrupting the other. When Ruan Mingfu spoke, she didn’t have to worry about anything.

“It’s fine, she doesn’t dare to do anything to me now.”

Mother Gu was most afraid of her husband divorcing her. Because of this, she was willing to do anything to make sure Gu Xi was taken care of, hoping to dissuade Father Gu from having that terrifying thought and keep her from causing trouble for the two of them.

“Now I can relax,” Ruan Mingfu sighed in relief. “You’ve really weathered the storm. I can see Captain Gu listens to you.”

A smile appeared on Li Xiaoyue’s face.

“Just watch his performance! By the way, sister-in-law, did you know that Wang Manman and Captain Qiao are divorced?”

They had been fighting in the morning, and by afternoon, they were officially divorced. As the first couple to divorce in the family compound, they had provided plenty of gossip for the bored sisters-in-law these past few days.

“Really?”

Ruan Mingfu was taken aback.

Thinking about what had happened yesterday and what she had seen this morning, it didn’t seem so surprising after all.

“Yeah, they really did.”

Although Li Xiaoyue didn’t like Wang Manman, she still felt a sense of regret talking about it.

“I heard Captain Qiao gave all his money to Wang Manman,” she said, her face full of gossip. “Old Lady Wang tried to convince him to stay, but Captain Qiao’s mother shot that down right away. Old Lady Wang must really dislike that mother-daughter duo.”

“While I feel sorry for Captain Qiao, I can’t help but pity Wang Manman in her current state.”

Ruan Mingfu remained silent.

She had no good feelings towards Wang Manman.

Dealing with her was like encountering a rabid dog. Sometimes, just passing by her door could lead to a nasty bite.

“Let’s not talk about her,” Ruan Mingfu said as she handed Li Xiaoyue some pea pudding made by Aunt Zhang. “This is a specialty I brought back from that side. Do you want to give it a try?”

Li Xiaoyue looked at it, took a piece of the pudding, and after tasting it, her eyes lit up.

“Sister-in-law, it’s delicious!”

“This was made by a master chef,” Ruan Mingfu opened the box and handed it to Xie Yanzhao. “If you like it, take a couple of boxes home.”

Aunt Zhang had made a lot, and she had also brought some for Hu Wanning yesterday.

“Then I won’t be polite!”

Gu Xi seemed to be attracted by the sweet aroma of the pea pudding in Li Xiaoyue’s arms. She opened her big, round eyes and curiously looked at the treat in her mother’s hands. She reached out, but her little arms were too short to grab it.

Gu Xi’s lips pouted, and her eyes turned red all of a sudden.

“Is she hungry?”

Ruan Mingfu leaned over, looking at Gu Xi curiously as she asked Li Xiaoyue.

“I don’t think so. I just fed her before coming over,” Li Xiaoyue replied, gently tapping Gu Xi’s nose. “Is it because you see Mama eating, and now you want some too?”

Just as Gu Xi was about to start crying, Li Xiaoyue quickly shoved her into Captain Gu’s arms.

“She’s your daughter, you hold her.”

Captain Gu was startled but naturally caught Gu Xi. The way he held her showed he had done it many times before.

Once in her father’s arms, Gu Xi stopped crying. She reached out her little hand to touch Captain Gu’s face, giggling happily.

Li Xiaoyue let out a sigh of relief, but then felt a bit dissatisfied.

“I’ve been taking care of her for months, and it doesn’t compare to her dad holding her once,” she shook her head. “This child is naturally closer to her father.”

There was an almost suffocating resentment in her words.

Ruan Mingfu glanced over at Captain Gu, “How old is she that she can recognize people already?”

“Kids are surprisingly perceptive,” Li Xiaoyue let out a slow breath. “Once you have your baby, Sister-in-law, you’ll understand.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

How did the conversation turn to having babies?

Meanwhile, Captain Gu gazed at Gu Xi in his arms, and his heart melted. He held her gently, afraid that he might hurt her by accident.

Gu Xi, with her dark, shiny eyes, stared at Captain Gu intently.

Captain Gu felt an overwhelming love that had nowhere to go… As he held the baby, he proudly looked over at Xie Yanzhao.

“Commander Xie, this is my daughter.”

He was beaming with pride, almost like a parent showing off their child on social media decades later!

Perhaps it was because Gu Xi was nestled in Captain Gu’s arms, her gaze was now fixed curiously on Xie Yanzhao. She tilted her head, her eyes full of wonder.

Xie Yanzhao paused.

“Commander Xie, would you like to hold her?”

Captain Gu’s expression of pride resembled those of family members who flaunted their kids on social media fifty or sixty years later.

Xie Yanzhao’s eyes landed on Gu Xi.

Her big, round eyes looked like dark grapes, and her soft baby fat made her appear delicate and tender. He felt a twinge of interest, and while he moved his hand, he hesitated for fear of hurting her. But as he locked eyes with the little girl, the words of refusal that rose to his lips were swallowed back down.

“Sure.”

Captain Gu: “…”

He was just being polite. Why did you agree?

However, seeing that Xie Yanzhao had already extended his hands, and they were on his territory, refusing didn’t seem right either…

So, Captain Gu reluctantly passed Gu Xi over.

“Be careful, don’t hurt my little girl.”

He looked nervous, as if he wanted to take her back himself.

Xie Yanzhao ignored Captain Gu’s warning and took the child. As he had expected, the three- or four-month-old baby was soft and squishy, like a piece of delicate tofu, making him afraid to hold her too tightly.

Inhaling the lingering scent of milk from her, his heart calmed a bit.

To his surprise, Gu Xi actually smiled at Xie Yanzhao, revealing her toothless grin. She happily waved her little hands and squirmed, nearly causing Xie Yanzhao to drop her, and he broke out in a cold sweat in the winter air.

Her laughter attracted everyone’s attention.

“Commander Xie looks so stern,” Li Xiaoyue remarked as she stole a glance before turning back to tease Ruan Mingfu. “Who knew he would be so popular with the baby?”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Isn’t your child just bold?

There are plenty of kids around, two or three years old in the family compound, and they run away faster than Wangcai when they see Xie Yanzhao.

“Sister-in-law, aren’t you planning to have one?”

Ruan Mingfu’s face flushed red.

Seeing Li Xiaoyue look at her, she stammered, “Well, that depends on fate. It’s not something you can just decide to do.”

Li Xiaoyue nodded, “That’s true.”

Compared to Li Xiaoyue, who is a hands-on mother, Captain Gu seems a lot more complicated. And ever since Gu Xi ended up in Xie Yanzhao’s arms, she has completely ignored her own father.

Jealousy nearly showed on her face.

“Commander Xie likes girls so much, you should have one too, Sister-in-law.”

As soon as she said this, Li Xiaoyue turned to glare at Captain Gu.

He seemed to realize he had misspoken, “Commander Xie, I… I didn’t mean it that way.”

“It’s fine, if she wants to have a child, she can, and if she doesn’t, that’s okay too,” Xie Yanzhao said nonchalantly. “Besides, girls are cuter.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Damn!

Family members, who understand? When the dog man speaks, he looks so handsome…

Waaah~

Watching their relationship, Li Xiaoyue felt a pang of envy.