Seeing how clever, quick-witted, and sharp-tongued Qiao Xingyue was in dealing with Aunt Jiang, Xie Zhongming looked up and gave her a glance.
His chopsticks, holding a piece of food, paused mid-air.
His gaze, gentlemanly and polite, lingered on Qiao Xingyue for a moment.
This female comrade had saved him in Shantang Village, then immediately appeared as a nanny in the Xie family. Moreover, she understood traditional Chinese medicine, could perform surgery, and seemingly had a good grasp of English. Although her identity was suspicious, so far, he had found no concrete evidence to prove she was the female spy described by the organization—the one who approached him with a gentle demeanor to extract classified information.
After more than ten days of interaction, she appeared to be nothing more than a female comrade struggling through life with two children, yet resiliently fighting back.
Her sharp retort to Aunt Jiang likely stemmed from countless instances of being gossiped about, honing her agile thinking and clear articulation.
He wondered how difficult her life had been, raising two children alone all this time.
Meanwhile, Huang Guilan, watching Jiang Chunyan stammer speechlessly with a face as purple as liver, couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
Since childhood, Jiang Chunyan had been notoriously sharp-tongued.
She was always the one leaving others tongue-tied; no one had ever been able to put her in her place.
Who would have thought that their Xingyue was so capable, rendering this “shrew” utterly speechless?
Huang Guilan felt a sense of relief, as if all the blocked blood vessels in her body had suddenly cleared. In short, she felt refreshed and invigorated.
Noticing Huang Guilan’s suppressed laughter, Jiang Chunyan shot her an annoyed glare.
“Huang Guilan, we’ve been sisters since we were kids! Yingying’s father even saved Division Commander Xie’s life. How can you just stand there laughing when your nanny sarcastically cursed me to choke on my own saliva? Aren’t you going to say something in my defense?”
There was no trace of smug laughter on Huang Guilan’s face now.
She turned serious and earnest. “Chunyan, when did Xingyue curse you? She clearly said it was an aunt she once knew who choked on her own saliva. You’re the one insisting on taking it personally—how can you blame Xingyue for that?”
Jiang Chunyan listened as Huang Guilan repeatedly called her “Xingyue,” as if Qiao Xingyue weren’t just their nanny but some treasured daughter-in-law they adored.
Furious, Jiang Chunyan retorted, “She was obviously making insinuations, cursing me to choke on my own saliva! Gui—”
“Chunyan, you’re being unreasonable,” Huang Guilan interrupted before Jiang Chunyan could finish. “Weren’t you just insinuating that our Xingyue is a widow plagued by bad luck? What, are you allowed to set fires while forbidding others to light lamps? Can only you make veiled accusations?”
Huang Guilan added emphatically, “Chunyan, let me tell you, even though Xingyue works for us, I already consider her half a daughter. You can bully me all you want usually, but you are not to bully our Xingyue, nor are you to bully An An and Ningning.”
Huang Guilan hadn’t expected that she, who usually didn’t dare speak a harsh word to Jiang Chunyan, would muster the courage to say so many firm things when it came to Qiao Xingyue.
Even she was impressed by her own bravery.
Hearing these words, Qiao Xingyue, An An, and Ningning felt a warm glow in their hearts.
The gazes of the mother and her two daughters toward Huang Guilan were filled with gratitude. They inexplicably felt a closer bond with her, as if there were some special connection between them, yet Qiao Xingyue couldn’t quite articulate what that connection was.
At that moment, Jiang Chunyan demanded, “Huang Guilan, am I still the sister you grew up with?”
Huang Guilan retorted, “Chunyan, if you truly were my sister, would you make things so difficult for my Xingyue?”
“Huang Guilan, you…”
“Alright, Mom, that’s enough.” Deng Yingying interrupted Jiang Chunyan, tugging at her arm. She then whispered in Jiang Chunyan’s ear, “It’s our first day at Aunt Lan’s house. Let’s not make things so tense.”
Jiang Chunyan, unable to contain her anger, shook off her daughter’s arm. “Since when do I need you to teach me? If you’re so capable, why didn’t you speak up for your mother when that little maid was bullying me?”
Deng Yingying glanced awkwardly at everyone in the Xie family, tugged at Jiang Chunyan’s sleeve, and lowered her voice. “Mom, you were the one who started with the sarcastic remarks. How can you still act like you’re in the right?”
Huang Guilan chimed in, “I think Yingying is much more reasonable and sensible. Yingying, don’t learn from your mother.”
Originally, Deng Yingying had wanted to watch the drama unfold and see Qiao Xingyue humiliated. She hadn’t expected Qiao Xingyue to be so sharp-tongued, leaving even her mother speechless. Yet, she couldn’t side with her mother openly. She needed to maintain her image in front of Aunt Lan and Division Commander Xie. After all, once Xie Zhongming divorced, she still hoped to gain their support to marry him smoothly. So, she had to keep up appearances.
She smiled and responded to Huang Guilan, “Aunt Lan, don’t worry. My mother was in the wrong here. I’ll talk to her properly later.”
“Hey, Deng Yingying, whose side are you on? Is she your mother, or am I?” Jiang Chunyan was so furious she felt her lungs might explode. She slammed her chopsticks on the table, ready to erupt.
Seeing the situation escalate, Deng Yingying frowned and spoke with utmost seriousness, “Mom, are you trying to turn Aunt Lan’s house upside down on our very first day? Have you forgotten why we came to rely on Aunt Lan? If you keep causing trouble like this, we might as well move out and spare you the frustration here.”
No matter how foolish Jiang Chunyan was, she wouldn’t forget why she and her daughter had come to the Xie family—she was waiting for Xie Zhongming to divorce his wife so her daughter, Deng Yingying, could marry into the Xie household. Thus, Jiang Chunyan fell silent, reining in her temper and refraining from further outbursts.
Relieved to see her finally calm down, Deng Yingying sighed inwardly. She then turned to Qiao Xingyue with a guilty expression. “Sister Xingyue, my mother was wrong today. I apologize on her behalf. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Qiao Xingyue was somewhat surprised! Had she just encountered a skilled, manipulative “green tea” type who knew how to put on an act?
She responded straightforwardly, “It’s fine, Aunt Jiang. I shouldn’t have been so sharp with my words either. I’m sorry, and I hope you won’t take it to heart. But I believe in not provoking others unless provoked. As long as you don’t bother me, I’m actually quite easy to get along with.”
This was her way of stating her stance and principles, letting Jiang Chunyan and her daughter know that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Deng Yingying quickly nudged Jiang Chunyan. “Mom, Sister Xingyue has already apologized to you. Can you be more polite and say you’re sorry too?”
“I…” Jiang Chunyan was reluctant.
After being glared at by Deng Yingying, Huang Guilan knew she had to prioritize the bigger picture and reluctantly spoke up, “Comrade Qiao, I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful with my words in the future.”
Seeing the atmosphere ease, Xie Jiang’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed, and he urged everyone to start eating. “Chunyan, getting along with others requires harmony. You need to work on that fiery temper of yours.”
“I…”
“Mom, eat!” Deng Yingying shot Jiang Chunyan a warning look, signaling her not to say anything more.
…
After the meal, Deng Yingying and Jiang Chunyan went to the room of the Xie family’s fifth child, Xie Mingzhe. From now on, this room would belong to the mother and daughter.
They had originally wanted to stay in Division Commander Xie’s former study—the room had good lighting, was spacious, and had a nice view outside the window—but it had been vacated for Qiao Xingyue and her mother. Jiang Chunyan still held resentment and dissatisfaction toward Qiao Xingyue, but at least they had finally moved into the Xie family compound.
Using tidying up the room as an excuse, the mother and daughter began whispering to each other.
“Mom, that Qiao Xingyue doesn’t seem easy to deal with. I find her quite challenging to handle. From now on, don’t provoke her anymore. Don’t forget our main purpose for coming to the Xie family.”
“How can I not say a word when a mere maid acts so arrogantly? It’s simply outrageous!”
“Haven’t you noticed how much Aunt Lan likes this maid? I have a feeling that once Brother Zhongming gets divorced, Aunt Lan wants this maid to marry him and become her daughter-in-law.”
“How can a second-hand woman with two burdens compare to a beautiful, untouched maiden like you?”
When it came to her daughter’s appearance, aside from her skin not being fair (a bit dark), everyone praised her daughter’s beauty. The key point was that she was still an untouched maiden.
How could she not measure up to that second-hand woman?
“Mom, the more Aunt Lan likes this maid, the more we shouldn’t oppose her. Instead, we should build a good relationship with her. That way, Aunt Lan will like me even more, and I’ll have a better chance of marrying Brother Zhongming. Do you understand?”
“Yingying, if Huang Guilan likes this maid, why don’t we just get rid of her? Why do we need to build a good relationship with her?”
“Mom, why are you so stubborn? Can’t you be a bit smarter?”
So stupid!
…
Early the next morning, Qiao Xingyue was in the vegetable garden in front of the Xie family compound, putting yesterday’s fruit and vegetable scraps into the fermentation bin to make compost and watering the vegetable seedlings. Seeing how well the seedlings were growing, she felt a sense of accomplishment, knowing that by summer, there would be plenty of fruits and vegetables to harvest.
Before crossing over, she had actually been a wealthy young lady from a well-off family. Her grandparents on both sides were prominent figures in society, and her parents were industrialists who had made significant contributions to society. She was doted on by her entire family and, aside from studying medicine, loved growing fruits and vegetables in her family’s estate.
In the years since crossing over, she had struggled just to make ends meet, experiencing nothing but hardship. Unexpectedly, after coming to Aunt Lan’s house, she was able to live her ideal life of tending to a vegetable garden.
But she knew she couldn’t stay at Aunt Lan’s house forever. She needed to plan for the future.
In the morning, after finishing her work at the Xie family, she went alone to the Cultural and Education Office in the military compound.
“Comrade, I’d like to sign up for the college entrance exams.”
That year, the college entrance examination had just been reinstated with relatively lenient registration requirements. Many workers, peasants, educated youth who had been sent to the countryside, demobilized soldiers, and recent high school graduates were eligible to take the exam.
The staff at the Education Office had her fill out the forms.
“Comrade Qiao, you’re about to turn 26?”
“Yes, I’ll be 26 in May.”
“Married?”
“Yes, married, but widowed.”
“Comrade Qiao, the policy states that applicants must be under 25 years old and unmarried. I’m sorry, but you don’t meet the requirements.”
“Comrade, couldn’t you make an exception? I know traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, foreign languages…”
She had many skills, but she was burdened by Pang Ya’s identity and lacked a diploma.
In this era, high school graduates were highly sought after, let alone college graduates. It wasn’t like later generations where many unemployed college graduates ended up delivering food or driving for ride-sharing services. If she had a diploma in this day and age, she could find better jobs and live a better life.
“Comrade, I’m truly sorry, but the policy is set this way.”
Qiao Xingyue was terribly worried. Why didn’t she meet the conditions?
What should she do?
…
In the afternoon, Huang Guilan went to the Education Office to handle Deng Yingying’s enrollment procedures for Elite High School. By chance, she noticed a discarded form placed on top of the pile.
It actually had Qiao Xingyue’s name on it.
Looking closely, she realized Xingyue wanted to take the college entrance exam?
This girl, why didn’t she tell me she wanted to take the exam? I could have helped her with just a word.
Xingyue must have been afraid of troubling us.
This girl is so thoughtful it breaks my heart.
In the evening, when Xie Zhongming returned to the Xie household, Huang Guilan went to his room and locked the door from the inside.
Xie Zhongming removed his military cap and was about to take off his coat when Huang Guilan locked the door and approached him.
“Mom, what’s the matter? Why lock the door?”
“Old Fourth, Xingyue is quite ambitious. She actually went to the Education Office to sign up for the college entrance exam. But she’s just over 25 and married, so she doesn’t meet the requirements. Actually, if she had just told me, I could have pulled some strings to get her registered. But Xingyue didn’t come to me—this girl is afraid of burdening our family.”
At this point, Xie Zhongming paused while unbuttoning his military uniform, revealing the white shirt underneath.
“Mom, are you saying Comrade Qiao wants to take the college entrance exam?”
He had previously heard Qiao Xingyue mention that although she wasn’t well-educated, she had learned many things from her deceased parents who were sent to the countryside. Her medical skills came from them.
It seemed she wanted to take the college entrance exam to get a diploma and change her fate?
Xie Zhongming thought for a moment. “Mom, then you should help Comrade Qiao. Have the Education Office personnel make an exception for her as a special talent.”
Huang Guilan smiled. “That’s what I thought too. I want to help Xingyue. She shouldn’t be trapped long-term working as a nanny in our household—she deserves better development prospects.”
Then Huang Guilan added: “Old Fourth, have you noticed that Xingyue is different from ordinary female comrades?”
Xie Zhongming casually asked: “How is she different?”
Huang Guilan smiled: “Comrade Qiao has many shining qualities.”
This, Xie Zhongming couldn’t deny.
Not only was she skilled in surgery and cooking, but she also kept every corner of the house—the kitchen, main hall, toilet—bright and spotless. Even the vegetable garden thrived under her care. Moreover, she was quick-witted, calm, rational, and exceptionally courageous.
Huang Guilan was scheming: whether Pang Ya was found after her disappearance or not, she hoped Lao Si would divorce Pang Ya. Once Lao Si and Pang Ya were divorced, she intended to matchmake Lao Si and Xingyue to start a new family together.