Chapter 26: Where Did You Get Those Eggs?  

She must have used some kind of underhanded trick!  

She must have!  

Xu Chunxiang thought viciously to herself.  

After the wives had all left the Zhou household, she had no choice but to sneak away, afraid of being discovered.  

But no matter how much she thought about it, she simply couldn’t figure out how Jiang Rou had managed to resolve such a serious “class background” issue.  

So.  

Xu Chunxiang sent Aunt Xu out to gather information.  

When Aunt Xu returned after asking around, the news she brought back left Xu Chunxiang utterly speechless.  

“Chun’er, you wouldn’t believe what I saw! Not only did the people in the compound refuse to drive that capitalist’s daughter away, but they even started sending things to her home!”  

“What?!”  

Xu Chunxiang’s eyes widened in shock, and she shot up from her chair.  

She pressed on anxiously: “Mom, are you sure you got the information right?”  

“I’m sure! Absolutely sure! It wasn’t just me who saw it—everyone saw it! Those military wives, one after another, kept delivering things to the Zhou family. And you know, anything they’re willing to give must be something valuable…”  

“And tonight, I even saw Regiment Commander Zhou personally bring her a meal! He delivered it himself! It must have been something really good—probably a proper meal with meat…”  

As Aunt Xu spoke, her greedy nature began to show again.  

But at this moment, Xu Chunxiang was no longer thinking about whether those goods were valuable.  

She was thinking about why Jiang Rou deserved such good fortune!  

Could it be…  

Had everyone already accepted Jiang Rou as Zhou Chongshan’s woman?

So, this was a welcome gift?

No, no way!

With this woman around, where would there be a place for her, Xu Chunxiang?

Her dream of becoming the Commander’s Wife was shattered just like that.

At the thought of this, Xu Chunxiang felt as if she were dying inside.

“Mom, what should I do… what should I do… Now that there’s this woman, how can I get close to Regiment Commander Zhou… There’s no place for me anymore, no place at all…”

A moment ago, Xu Chunxiang had been arrogant and domineering, but now that she faced a real problem, she panicked.

At this moment, however, the older Aunt Xu remained calm and more scheming.

“Chun’er, don’t panic just yet. Let me think of a way, let me think of a way…”

Aunt Xu comforted Xu Chunxiang.

Aunt Xu, who was determined to marry her daughter into a good family, quickly formulated a plan in her mind.

“Chun’er, you’re still helping Regiment Commander Zhou take care of his children, which means you still have a chance to get close to him! As long as Regiment Commander Zhou doesn’t say anything, you remain the Zhou family’s nanny. Even if that woman wants to drive you away, she can’t do anything about it.”

“Those two children of Regiment Commander Zhou, I can tell they’re not easy to deal with. Especially that boy—he’s extremely fierce. You’ve been taking care of them for months, and he has never given you a good look. A thankless little White-eyed wolf like that—do you think he would like a stepmother who appeared out of nowhere?”

“This is what you should do… Tomorrow, continue taking care of the children as usual, and make sure to tell them stories about stepmothers mistreating children. You must make that little brat listen carefully. When the time comes, if the children start making a fuss… Regiment Commander Zhou, who dotes on them so much, will surely listen to them!”

At first, Xu Chunxiang didn’t think much of Aunt Xu’s words, but as she listened, her eyes gradually lit up.

Using the children as tools—it was like borrowing a knife to kill.

She wouldn’t have to do anything herself; she could throw the Zhou family into chaos and take the opportunity to kick out that wretched woman, Jiang Rou.

“Mom, I didn’t expect you to be so smart. This move is truly vicious! Tomorrow, I’ll act like I know nothing and continue picking up the children.”

As Xu Chunxiang spoke, the corners of her mouth curled into a mocking smile once again.

The next day.

It was another sunny day.

After breakfast, Jiang Rou was in the courtyard doing laundry.

She calculated the time—Xu Chunxiang should be arriving soon to pick up the children.

Last night, Jiang Rou had carefully analyzed Xu Chunxiang’s schemes and the way she behaved.

Yesterday’s scheme had failed, but Xu Chunxiang herself had not been exposed, nor did she suspect Jiang Rou.

Given Xu Chunxiang’s personality, she would definitely act as if nothing had happened and continue coming over.

She would also look for another opportunity in the coming days to plot against her again.

Jiang Rou thought about her own situation.

She had only arrived at the compound a few days ago, and her marriage report with Zhou Chongshan had not yet been approved. The two of them were not officially husband and wife.

She was not truly Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua’s stepmother either.

To dismiss Xu Chunxiang, Zhou Chongshan would have to be the one to speak up.

If she made the first move, Xu Chunxiang would surely seize the chance to stir up trouble.

Xu Chunxiang would paint herself as the victim, spreading rumors everywhere that Jiang Rou was already turning hostile before even officially entering the Zhou family. She might even go so far as to accuse her of being a “vicious stepmother.”

This would completely ruin Jiang Rou’s reputation in the compound.

Therefore, Jiang Rou’s best approach for now was to remain unchanged and wait for the right moment.

She needed to strike in one decisive move—only by hitting Xu Chunxiang’s weak spot could she completely eliminate this malignant tumor.

But in the meantime…

The ones who would suffer the most were the two children. They would have to continue staying with Xu Chunxiang.

However, Jiang Rou had also considered that now that Xu Chunxiang had an enemy, she would need allies.

She might act against her usual nature—not mistreating the children, but instead trying to win them over, making them her pawns.

If that happened, Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua’s days wouldn’t be too hard.

Still, Jiang Rou needed to be cautious.

“Xiaohua.”

Jiang Rou wiped her hands dry and called out to Zhou Xiaohua, motioning for the little girl to come over.

The moment Zhou Xiaohua heard Jiang Rou’s voice, she eagerly ran toward her, her little legs moving quickly.

Behind her, Zhou Xiaochuan followed closely.

Zhou Xiaochuan was even more protective of Zhou Xiaohua, staying by her side without leaving even half a step.

In fact, Jiang Rou had called for both of them.

“Xiaochuan, Xiaohua, Aunt Xu will be taking you two over to take care of you later. I’ve prepared something for you—make sure to hide it well. If you get hungry, take it out and eat.”

Jiang Rou carefully instructed them.

As she spoke, she took out the boiled eggs she had prepared earlier that morning.

The eggs were still warm.

She placed one in each of Zhou Xiaohua and Zhou Xiaochuan’s coat pockets.

In addition to that…

Jiang Rou also prepared White Rabbit Creamy Candy—three pieces per child—carefully tucking them into their pockets as well.

Zhou Xiaohua’s pockets were now bulging.

She looked at them with innocent curiosity, not understanding why, and even patted them lightly with her small hands.

Zhou Xiaochuan, on the other hand, furrowed his brows deeply.

Whether it was the boiled eggs or the White Rabbit Creamy Candy, both felt unfamiliar to him.

“Where did you get the eggs?”

Zhou Xiaochuan’s tone was firm as he directly questioned her.

He clearly remembered that there had been only three eggs, and they had all been used to make egg custard last night.

There shouldn’t be any eggs left.

So where did these boiled eggs come from?

Jiang Rou raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at his words.

Because this was, in the truest sense, the first time Zhou Xiaochuan had spoken directly to her.

Finally, he was no longer calling her “that pregnant woman.”

While straightening their clothes, Jiang Rou casually answered: “The eggs came from the little chicks.”

“You’re lying. Little chicks are too young to lay eggs.”

Zhou Xiaochuan exposed the truth directly.  

He was already six years old, not an easy child to fool.  

Jiang Rou, of course, knew that Zhou Xiaochuan was not easy to deceive, but those two eggs were something she had purchased early that morning from “Tao Duoduo Mall.”  

They cost fifty cents each.  

Two eggs, exactly one yuan.  

She had specially prepared them for the two children.  

How could she possibly tell him that?  

Zhou Xiaochuan frowned tightly, his dark, handsome eyes fixed on Jiang Rou, unwilling to let go.  

Despite his young age, he was extremely persistent.  

Zhou Xiaohua, on the other hand, remained as innocent as ever, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere between her brother and Jiang Rou.  

She had never seen White Rabbit Creamy Candy before and had no idea what it was.  

She simply thought the blue-and-white candy wrapper looked pretty.  

She held the wrapper in her little hands, trying to take out the White Rabbit Creamy Candy for a closer look.  

“Tell me quickly, where exactly did the eggs come from?”  

Zhou Xiaochuan questioned her again, clearly determined to get to the bottom of the matter.  

Jiang Rou had no choice.  

While holding back Zhou Xiaohua’s restless hands with one hand, she used the other to unwrap two White Rabbit Creamy Candies.  

She gave one to each child and stuffed them directly into their mouths.  

“Just take what you’re given and eat. Why do you have so many questions at such a young age?”  

With candy, she successfully silenced the little wolf cub.  

Zhou Xiaochuan didn’t want to be fooled so easily, but as soon as the milky white candy entered his mouth, a rich, creamy fragrance filled his senses.  

When the candy met his saliva, an instant burst of sweetness spread through his mouth.  

So fragrant! So sweet!  

So delicious!

It was so delicious that they couldn’t make a sound!  

Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua had only ever received one or two fruit candies from the neighbor aunties before.  

The fruit candies were orange-flavored, very sweet, and very tasty.  

But the candy in their mouths right now was a hundred times better than those fruit candies!  

It was so good that even the little wolf cub was left speechless…