Chapter 13 Who is your brother?

Several of Commander Xue’s men, who had originally been heading to dinner, gathered around the communications room. One bold soldier teased, “Commander, you should’ve told us your sister was coming!”

Xue Fengrong licked his teeth with a dangerous edge and snapped, “Get lost, punk! I’m giving you extra drills tonight. You dare joke about that?”

Xue Qingdai placed the shoes she’d chosen by her second brother’s side and looked at him curiously with her sparkling eyes. Turns out they really did look alike—those clear, bright eyes appeared just as striking and dignified on a man. This was what true blood kinship felt like.

Xue Fengrong covered his mouth and lowered his voice into a gentle tone, “Daidai, your brother isn’t normally like this. I’m actually very gentle, and I don’t curse.”

“Yeah right~” came the chorus of doubt from outside the window, followed by a long, admiring gaze directed toward Commander Xue’s famous little sister.

She was beautiful—like a fairy.

Unfortunately, whenever someone asked about her, Commander Xue would always say she was already engaged, though her fiancé remained a total mystery.

Xue Fengrong gritted his teeth. He had already planned to make those punks do extra drills tomorrow.

“I know, Second Brother,” Xue Qingdai replied sweetly. “Try on these shoes—size 45. They said it’s the biggest size. See if they fit.”

Standing up, she was as tall as her seated second brother. She casually rested her arm on his shoulder as she took a breather.

Third brother Xue Yongkang, realizing he’d been thoroughly outshone, didn’t want Second Brother to smugly take all the spotlight. “Second Brother, little sister got me a pair too!” he said proudly, lifting up the cloth shoes on his feet.

Second Brother Xue Fengrong, who had been basking in the joy of being favored, saw the annoying little brother and restrained his grin.

“Daidai, no matter what you buy, your brother loves it.”

“Third Brother, sounds like it’s been too long since you got your butt kicked—you itching for a beating?”

Xue Yongkang replied cheekily, “Second Brother, honestly, I am due for a scrub.”

Seeing that there were many people around, Xue Qingdai leaned in and whispered into her second brother’s ear, “Brother, is my fiancé in the military district? I want to see him.”

Xue Fengrong felt the shoes on his feet were a bit tight, but he didn’t dare say anything. Hearing his little sister ask about her fiancé, his lips pressed into a firm line.

“What do you want to see him for? I asked if he wanted to meet you—he said no.”

Xue Yongkang casually stretched his legs and rubbed the thick calluses on his hands. His second brother was even darker-skinned than he was—definitely ran in the family.

Xie Yan had stared so hard at the girl—his eyes practically glued to her face—and still hadn’t recognized either of them. His secrecy game was impressive. Hopefully, the old man wouldn’t beat him when he got home.

Xue Yongkang caught his brother’s warning glance and gave him a thumbs-up. He cleared his throat and said gently, “Daidai, don’t feel sad. Your fiancé just isn’t great at socializing. We haven’t heard anything from him in years. But you’ve got us—who cares?”

Xue Fengrong looked at his third brother with warmth in his eyes. He’d reward him with three White Rabbit candies later. The rest would go to Daidai.

“Third Brother is right. Second Brother even got you leather shoes and a red dress—you’re the only girl in the whole village with something like that,” he added. He slipped the ill-fitting shoes under his legs, worried she might try to take them back.

“Okay, Second Brother.”

Xue Qingdai understood. In the original book, the male lead’s arranged engagement dragged on with long, painful writing, and he clearly showed his displeasure toward the match.

Xie Yan’s obvious lack of interest put her at ease. Both of them wanted to break off the engagement. If they each handled their families, it should be a straightforward task. Her grandfather’s opinion represented the entire family. All she had to do was convince the one who loved her the most.

“Brother, do your shoes fit?” Xue Qingdai asked, remembering how her third brother had tried his pair on three times before they finally fit.

“They don’t, right?” Xue Yongkang said. He remembered all too well how painful it was when his second brother’s big feet had kicked his butt.

Xue Fengrong didn’t want to lie to Xue Qingdai. “Sigh, your second brother’s too tall—feet too big. Doesn’t deserve the shoes Daidai gave.”

Tears welled behind Xue Qingdai’s long lashes. In the book, after Second Brother was discharged, he heard she had been bullied into a divorce. He went alone to the Northwest military district to seek justice and didn’t come back for a whole year—his fate unknown.

“Okay. Since the shoes don’t fit, I also bought a sweater for you. You can wear it under your uniform,” she said.

She didn’t have much money right now and was trying her best to take care of the whole family.

She sighed. She really shouldn’t have spent all the clinic’s consultation fees on supplies and traditional medicine. But it seemed the new version of the RMB didn’t work in this timeline anyway. She’d have to reopen her clinic soon to help her family live better.

Xue Qingdai helped her second brother put on the black sweater.

“Second Brother, stop smiling so much. You’ve got even more wrinkles on your face now.”

Xue Yongkang was definitely jealous. His little sister had personally dressed Second Brother.

Xue Fengrong said cheerfully, “Ay, this sweater’s warm. Third Brother doesn’t have one. Say whatever you want—even if it annoys me, I’ll let you.”

Xue Yongkang: “…” Second Brother was harder to deal with than the old man.

The three siblings laughed and joked together happily.

Outside, some soldiers genuinely felt envious. Neither the clean cloth shoes nor the warm sweaters were things they had. Most of their wages and allowances had to be sent home, and not all of them even received appreciation from their families.

Tomorrow, they’d still be enduring grueling training. Slowly, the crowd around the communications office began to disperse.

On the way to the canteen, some bumped into Xie Yan.

“Good evening, Captain Xie.”
“Good evening, Captain Xie.”

Salutes were given one after another—military order clear and firm.

Xie Yan nodded slightly and strode quickly toward the communications office, where a few people still lingered.

People in the crowd murmured:
“Captain Xie wants to see Commander Xue’s little sister too?”
“No way. Captain Xie’s cleaner than my wallet when it comes to women.”

Xie Yan had always been highly efficient and professional in carrying out his duties—so much so that others couldn’t even compare. Many had tried to set him up with women, but he always turned them down with the excuse of already having a fiancée.

That fiancée was even more mysterious than Commander Xue’s future brother-in-law. Only a few of Xie Yan’s close comrades knew anything about her.

Everyone believed Captain Xie simply had no interest in women. His only passion seemed to be target shooting.

“Ha ha ha ha ha…” The laughter gradually died down as they rushed to the canteen. In the current international climate, there was no time to truly relax.

They had people and a homeland to protect.

Dignity lay only at the edge of a blade. Enemies would only be subdued by force.

Xie Yan gently pushed open the door to the communications office. The door was scratched and dusty. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, just like his breathing. Once this door opened, everything would change.

“Fengrong, something came up, so I’m a bit late. Hope you all weren’t waiting too long,” he said.

His uniform wasn’t even straightened yet. His heart pounded like a drum. He tried not to pant and kept a composed appearance.

Xue Fengrong’s easygoing smile froze on his face. His right hand clenched into a fist. “Oh,” he said flatly.

That overly familiar tone made his scalp tingle. Were they even that close?

Xue Fengrong turned his head away—he didn’t want to look at Xie Yan’s face. He might not be able to stop himself from punching it.

Xue Qingdai sat on a wooden bench, curiously eyeing the man who had come to see her brother. Her second brother must’ve offended someone important to get dragged into the downsizing list.

Making friends with well-connected comrades was useful. The more allies, the more chances for opportunity.

She tugged at Xue Fengrong’s sleeve. “Second Brother, don’t be so cold.”

Xue Yongkang gave a cold chuckle and stood from his chair. Even now, he wasn’t taller than Xie Yan. He had only been polite before because he’d been hiding his temper.

“Little Sister, that’s the man you won’t believe is your fiancé,” he said. “Your Second Brother’s just sticking up for you.”

Both families had their own agendas when arranging this engagement, but the two brothers would never allow anyone to make their little sister unhappy.

Xue Fengrong gave a nod to Xue Qingdai, silently confirming his judgment of Xie Yan—a man who, after all these years, still hadn’t written a single letter. He clearly didn’t take the engagement seriously.

Xue Fengrong gently rubbed his little sister’s thick, dark hair, trying to soothe her emotions.

Xie Yan said, “So this is Daidai, right? I’m Xie Yan.”

He had no real experience with women. The only relationship model he’d ever seen was from his father, Xie Songshan, whose greatest success was being thick-skinned—a lesson passed down firsthand.

Compared to the neighbors in their alley, his parents had a very loving relationship. Because of that, Xie Yan’s views on marriage were often different from most people’s.

Xue Qingdai stayed close, protected under her second brother’s arm. In a soft, sweet voice, she said, “My name is Xue Qingdai.”

She didn’t want the male lead, Xie Yan, calling her Daidai—that name was reserved for family only.

Xie Yan stepped closer, hearing that familiar voice from his dreams. His arms didn’t follow proper military form by staying at his sides; instead, he raised one slightly, his hand hovering in the air as if to reach out.

“Mm, Daidai,” he said.

His phoenix-shaped eyes burned as they locked onto her slightly baby-faced features. “How about this—Second Brother, Third Brother, I’ll take you all to Quanjude for some roast duck. We can eat and chat at the same time.”

“Who’s your Second Brother?”
“Who’s your Third Brother?”

Xue Fengrong and Xue Yongkang responded in perfect unison—something that had never happened before.

From the safety of Xue Fengrong’s embrace, Xue Qingdai poked her head out. Seeing that both Second and Third Brothers were giving the male lead a hard time made her feel relieved.

“Xie Yan, we won’t trouble you,” she said politely and coldly.

Her clear, bright eyes took in the image of Xie Yan—he was the same cold-faced officer from the train. A flicker of something unreadable passed through her gaze.

He looked like someone with a frosty personality. If she brought up breaking off the engagement, surely he wouldn’t get mad, right?

Thankfully, she had her second and third brothers by her side.

On the train, Xie Yan had proven himself—direct and dependable. He had protected her and Third Brother. As long as he agreed to end the engagement, it would go smoothly.

Xie Yan could clearly see that the three of them were presenting a united front. He lowered his raised arm.

“My mom said she has to see Daidai,” he said quietly. “She wants to bring her home.”

“Fengrong, you know how warm and enthusiastic my mom can be.”