Whether he liked this woman or not, she was going to be his wife—that fact wouldn't change.
Unless she insisted on being with Jiang Chi.
Moreover, she had helped him protect his mother's keepsake today, indicating she intended to build a life with him.
If he turned a blind eye to the bullying she endured, it would only prove he was a man lacking responsibility and dignity.
Outside the door, Jiang Yao's deputy officer hurried over and called out, "Chief!"
Jiang Yao turned his head and met his gaze.
The deputy officer wore a complicated expression, hesitating as if he wanted to say more. He glanced uneasily at Xu Changxia behind Jiang Yao but didn't continue.
After a moment's consideration, Jiang Yao lowered his voice and said to Xu Changxia, "I need to step out for a moment."
Xu Changxia watched them leave one after the other, thoughtfully observing their backs disappear around the corridor corner.
She could roughly guess why Deputy Officer Lu had looked so troubled.
"Xiaxia, you don't need to stay here watching over me. It's just two IV drips—you have your Hui Men Jiu today! You should go attend to that." On the hospital bed, Xu Jin noticed it was almost noon and that Xu Changxia had already spent too much time on him, growing somewhat anxious.
"The Hui Men Jiu is hosted by our Xu family—we can't let the Jiang family think we lack manners."
"It's fine, Third Uncle." Xu Changxia knew Xu Jin was concerned for her, worried she might face difficulties in her in-laws' home later.
But no matter how perfectly she behaved, Jiang Yihe would never treat her well, so why should she suffer unnecessarily?
"Besides, since you can't attend, with the family incomplete, wouldn't the Jiang family be more likely to think we're impolite?" Xu Changxia gently reassured him.
"I was thinking—why not postpone the banquet until you're better? It wouldn't be too late, right?"
Xu Jin found this reasoning sound and, after some thought, added, "Our family currently lacks someone to make decisions. Discuss this properly with Jiang Yao yourself—don't let it cause discord between you."
"I understand. I'll go talk with him shortly," Xu Changxia replied obediently.
Just then, a nurse knocked on the door and brought in the payment slip: "Bed ten, please settle the bed fee."
"Alright." Xu Changxia took the slip, gave Xu Jin a few reminders, and went downstairs to pay.
When she reached the payment window and checked her pocket, she didn't even have a single ten-yuan bill left.
Between the earlier medical fees and the bed charge, she wasn't sure how much would be enough.
"Eighty cents total," the nurse at the window told Xu Changxia.
"Eighty cents?" Xu Changxia was surprised.
"Yes, that comrade already paid earlier—only the bed fee is left." The nurse looked up and pointed behind Xu Changxia.
Turning to follow the nurse's direction, Xu Changxia saw Jiang Yao standing not far away at the inpatient department entrance, speaking with two other soldiers in uniform.
She examined their epaulets carefully—they were likely Jiang Yao's superiors or subordinates from the same troops.
Covered in blood as she was, being seen wouldn't be good. After a moment's thought, she turned and moved to a nearby corner to avoid notice.
"What a coincidence!" The two men had also just run into Jiang Yao and greeted him cheerfully.
"What brings you here?" Jiang Yao had just finished instructing Deputy Officer Lu and was surprised to encounter the political instructors from his troops here.
"Last night Commander Hu's family member suddenly fainted at home and went into premature labor. Their house isn't far from yours, right next door actually. How come you didn't know about this?"
"Of course I knew." Jiang Yao paused briefly before saying, "Wait here for a moment."
Within two minutes, Jiang Yao returned carrying an exquisitely packaged pink gift box and handed it to the instructor. "Please take this gift up for me first. I'll join you shortly."
Xu Changxia had noticed a beautifully wrapped pink box on the passenger seat during the car ride earlier, glimpsing it in her flustered state.
There was an invoice placed beside it, clearly indicating it was a recent purchase.
During breakfast, when Jiang Yao asked her to wait for about ten minutes, she had thought… he went to the department store next door to buy her a gift.
Turns out, it was a gift for his superior's wife.
Fortunately, her mind had been preoccupied with concerns about Third Uncle at the time, so she hadn't asked about it. Otherwise, it would have been awkward between them.
"So what were you doing here just now?" The instructor couldn't resist asking curiously before heading upstairs.
"Some family matters came up." Jiang Yao smiled and offered a brief explanation.
Knowing that Jiang Yao had recently held an engagement banquet, the instructor nodded understandingly. "Alright then, we won't pry further. You go handle your business!"
Only after the two went upstairs did Jiang Yao turn to look in Xu Changxia's direction.
He had noticed Xu Changxia hiding there when he first entered.
Their eyes met through the glass, and Xu Changxia obediently walked over.
Because of his earlier use of the word "family," she felt a little happy inside.
Standing before him, she smiled with curved eyes. "If you have urgent matters to attend to, please go ahead. I'll be fine on my own."
"It's nothing urgent," Jiang Yao replied.
"With the house in such disarray, and your mother and eldest uncle currently at the Public Security Bureau, I've temporarily canceled the noon homecoming banquet. Alternatively, we could reschedule it after your third uncle's condition improves. What do you think?"
Unexpectedly, they had both arrived at the same conclusion.
Xu Changxia hadn't realized Jiang Yao was such a thoughtful person.
"Alright, let's decide based on Third Uncle's recovery progress," Xu Changxia nodded in agreement.
With so many incidents happening in the Xu family today, probably no one would be in the mood for this meal anyway. Moreover, there was no telling what Zhou Yun might say at the dining table.
The original homecoming visit wasn't scheduled for today anyway, and Xu Changxia particularly wanted Third Uncle to attend as her most important elder.
"Also, if you're worried, I can arrange for someone to take Third Uncle to Haicheng for examination tomorrow." Jiang Yao paused before suddenly adding, "They have a recently imported CT machine there that can clearly show what's happening inside the body."
Xu Changxia was taken aback by this.
She hadn't expected that he could discern her unspoken concerns, even though she hadn't voiced them in the hospital room upstairs.
Most importantly, in the early 1980s, there were very few CT machines available throughout China, typically reserved for critically important patients and research purposes.
That Jiang Yao offered to help voluntarily surprised her somewhat.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she asked softly, "Won't it be too much trouble?"
Jiang Yao smiled at her. "The leadership at the military general hospital there are life-and-death comrades of mine. It's just a CT scan – no trouble at all."
After thinking for a moment, Xu Changxia replied, "Very well, then Third Uncle and I will go to Haicheng together tomorrow."
Since Jiang Yao didn't treat her as an outsider, there was no need for her to be coy either. Unnecessary politeness wasn't required between husband and wife.
With his support, she felt considerably more at ease.
"There's one more thing I want to ask you." Jiang Yao fixed his gaze intently on Xu Changxia.
Noticing his serious expression, Xu Changxia smiled and said, "What is it? Go ahead."
Frowning, Jiang Yao took her hand and pulled her aside into a quiet, secluded corner.