It was unclear whether Jiang Yongqiang had recognized her or not.
Qiao Xingyue recalled an incident from four years ago, when Ningning was less than two months old and she had taken the baby to the provincial capital for medical treatment. She had encountered Jiang Yongqiang in a dilapidated temple where he attempted to assault her. At that time, she hadn’t fully lost weight yet, weighing around 140 jin.
She truly had been a chubby girl back then.
Holding the clothes she had just taken down from the bamboo pole, she nodded slightly. “I was indeed a bit heavier than now, but that was a long time ago.”
As she spoke, she unconsciously tightened her grip on the clothes in her arms, forcing a faint smile at the corners of her mouth.
Xie Zhongming knew that female comrades were usually very conscious of their appearance. Not wanting to embarrass her further, he didn’t press about her past as a chubby girl.
“Comrade Qiao, did you know Jiang Yongqiang before?”
“It’s a long story. Let’s just say it wasn’t anything good, so I’d rather not talk about it.”
Back then, she had been in a hurry to take Ningning to the hospital. Otherwise, she would have definitely reported to the police and had Jiang Yongqiang arrested for his despicable behavior. During those times, charges of hooliganism were treated very seriously. However, now if she were to accuse Jiang Yongqiang of misconduct, she would have neither witnesses nor evidence, making it not so straightforward.
“Well, Comrade Qiao, since you’ve signed up for the college entrance exams, you should focus your energy on studying. Regarding Jiang Yongqiang, my parents and I will handle it. Our family won’t let him harbor any ill intentions toward you.”
“Alright, thank you, Comrade Xie.” Qiao Xingyue felt warmth in her heart. Carrying this sense of gratitude, she continued gathering the laundry.
Seeing her arms full of dried clothes and unable to hold any more, Xie Zhongming stepped forward to help her. Standing at 188 cm tall with broad shoulders and a straight back, he effortlessly reached up to take down the remaining clothes from the bamboo pole. The muscles in his forearms tensed slightly under his sleeves as he easily retrieved the laundry, even grabbing two bedsheets she couldn’t reach.
From the doorway of the main hall, Huang Guilan watched the scene unfold. Xingyue and her fourth son stood bathed in the fading sunset—one handsome, tall, and majestic like a mountain; the other beautiful and delicate, leaning gently against him.
What a perfect match!
This was how a married couple should look!
If they could start a family together, they would surely develop deep feelings for each other and build a wonderful life. Huang Guilan couldn’t help but think about that lazy, gluttonous Pang Ya from the countryside who weighed over 200 jin—how she had ruined her fourth son’s life. The thought alone was enough to make her worry.
After gathering the clothes, the two walked toward the main hall. Seeing Huang Guilan, Xie Zhongming called out, “Mom, was Jiang Yongqiang invited by Aunt Jiang today?”
“Yes.” Even when angry, Huang Guilan’s voice remained gentle. “Your Aunt Jiang always comes up with terrible ideas.”
Xie Zhongming’s expression tightened thoughtfully before he replied, “I understand.”
The clothes and bedsheets in his arms belonged to his grandmother, so he carried them to the old lady’s room.
Left alone with Qiao Xingyue, Huang Guilan took the clothes from her. “Xingyue, let Aunt Lan take those.”
“Alright.” Qiao Xingyue handed over the clothes. “Then I’ll go to the Zaofang to prepare noodles.”
For dinner that evening, she made Saozi Noodles. She had prepared two types of toppings: one spicy and savory, the other with a rich sauce. Division Commander Xie and Regiment Leader Xie could handle spicy food, but Aunt Lan couldn’t. Both versions were made with diced pork stir-fried with seasonings, then simmered with diced potatoes, carrots, and wood ear mushrooms until tender. Topped with a generous amount of broth, the dish was rich and fragrant.
When Huang Guilan entered the Zaofang, she happened to see Qiao Xingyue pouring minced meat sauce over a bowl of drained noodles. The aroma nearly made Huang Guilan drool. “It smells wonderful! Xingyue, Aunt Lan would like to chat with you for a while.”
“Aunt Lan, what’s the matter?” Qiao Xingyue paused her sauce-pouring motion.
“Xingyue, the circumstances surrounding my Zhongming’s marriage are rather complicated. He and his wife never had genuine feelings for each other. Moreover, Zhongming is preparing to get a divorce. Aunt Lan wanted to say…”
Look at her—so afraid that Xingyue might not be interested in her fourth son, and worried Xingyue would reject him, Huang Guilan grew so nervous she didn’t know how to speak properly.
These past few days, not only had Jiang Chunyan wanted to introduce Xingyue to potential partners, but many aunties in the Compound also wanted to set Xingyue up.
Huang Guilan hadn’t agreed to any of them, so she hadn’t mentioned this to Xingyue.
She seemed afraid Xingyue would be snatched away by someone else. “Xingyue, what do you think of my fourth son?”
At the stove, Qiao Xingyue continued ladling minced meat sauce into the noodle bowl. She already understood Aunt Lan’s intentions but deliberately said, “Aunt Lan, Comrade Xie is a good person—upright, honest, responsible, and morally sound. I regard him like an older brother.”
It’s over—Xingyue really has no interest in Zhongming.
It seemed Zhongming would have to finalize his divorce first before she could continue trying to match him with Xingyue.
Huang Guilan tentatively asked again, “Xingyue, recently many aunties in the Compound have wanted to introduce you to potential partners. Aunt Lan doesn’t know how you feel about it. If you…”
“Aunt Lan, I have no plans to date anyone,” Qiao Xingyue interrupted. “Aunt Lan, if any more aunties want to introduce partners to me like Aunt Jiang did, please help me decline directly. Right now, I just want to do my work well at your home, then take the college entrance exams. In the future, I hope to have a more stable job and raise An An and Ningning to become useful members of society.”
Hearing this, Huang Guilan felt relieved. As long as Xingyue had no intention of dating anyone else, there would be an opportunity once her fourth son divorced Pang Ya.
Feeling more at ease, Huang Guilan said cheerfully, “Xingyue, Zhongming’s eldest brother’s wife will be bringing their two children over soon. The eldest son and his wife are going on a long trip, so the two kids will stay with me temporarily. We’ll need to cook extra portions for them, which will mean more work for you.”
Qiao Xingyue carried the cooked noodles toward the main hall. “Aunt Lan, this is all part of my duties. It’s no trouble at all. Are the eldest brother’s children boys or girls?”
“Boys. My second son’s wife also gave birth to two boys.” Huang Guilan helped by carrying a bowl of noodles and followed her to the main hall.
Seeing this, Deng Yingying hurried to the Zaofang to lend a hand. She wanted to join the conversation, but Aunt Lan was so engrossed in talking with Qiao Xingyue that she couldn’t get a word in.
“Aunt Lan, you’re truly blessed—you gave birth to five sons and now have four grandsons.”
“What kind of blessing is that? Aunt Lan always wanted a daughter, but all five were sons. Hoping for a granddaughter, my eldest and second sons’ wives gave birth to four children in a row, all boys. Aunt Lan’s fate is bitter—no daughter, no granddaughter. If An An and Ningning could be my granddaughters, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams.”
In this era, people generally favored sons over daughters, but Aunt Lan’s family preferred girls—a rare sight indeed.
Just now, Aunt Lan had asked her by the stove what she thought of Comrade Xie, specifically mentioning that Comrade Xie was about to get divorced—was this meant to set her up with Comrade Xie after his divorce?
The Xie family adored An An and Ning Ning and had been especially considerate toward her. If she could be with a responsible comrade like Xie, it would be a blessing for both her and the children.
But look at her—how could she entertain such wild hopes? Even if Comrade Xie were truly getting divorced, he was still a married man now.
Qiao Xingyue tightened her grip on the noodle bowl, quickly suppressing all those improper thoughts.
During dinner, Jiang Chunyan brought it up again at the table, “Guilan, Division Commander Xie, my Yongqiang is honest, kind-hearted, tall, handsome, and has never been married. This Qiao Xingyue…”
“Aunt Jiang, stop with these misguided ideas!” Xie Zhongming was the first to speak up.
He cut off Jiang Chunyan, pausing his noodle-eating to glare at her with icy intensity. “What kind of person Jiang Yongqiang is, don’t you know, Aunt Jiang? If he were any good, would he still be unmarried in his thirties? If it weren’t for my dad arranging a logistics soldier job for him in the Logistics Department, he’d be idle, lazy, and wouldn’t even have food to eat. Someone like him isn’t fit to even polish Comrade Qiao’s shoes.”
“Zhongming, how can you slander my Yongqiang like this…”
Xie Zhongming stated firmly, “Aunt Jiang, I’ve already reported to the organization that you’ve returned to the Jincheng Military Region Compound. The Logistics Department will soon assign you a room. When the time comes, you and Deng Yingying can move out.”
After understanding the situation, Xie Jiang also criticized, “Comrade Jiang Chunyan, how could you introduce Comrade Xiao Qiao to your lazy, good-for-nothing nephew? Jiang Yongqiang isn’t even worthy of a single strand of Comrade Xiao Qiao’s hair.”
“Division Commander Xie…”
Before Jiang Chunyan could finish, Xie Jiang interrupted, “Comrade Jiang Chunyan, as it happens, Squad Leader Feng from the kitchen team told me the day before yesterday that Jiang Yongqiang stole two pounds of cured meat from them. If you keep pushing Comrade Xiao Qiao into a pit of fire, I’ll directly tell Squad Leader Feng to fire Jiang Yongqiang without considering my face. Better to remove one bad apple than let it spoil the whole barrel.”
Hearing Division Commander Xie and Regiment Leader Xie defending her so staunchly, Qiao Xingyue felt her eyes grow warm.
This wasn’t just her employer’s family—they were truly like her own family.
That warmth was something Qiao Xingyue had never experienced since crossing over to this era.
At this point, Jiang Chunyan grew fearful, “Division Commander Xie, please don’t! Yongqiang’s father is sick and bedridden, relying on Yongqiang to support him. If you order Yongqiang fired, how will Yingying’s second uncle’s family survive? Besides, my Old Deng sacrificed himself to save you back then. You promised to take good care of us mother and daughter for Old Deng’s sake.”
Huang Guilan snorted and retorted, “Chunyan, all these years we haven’t just taken care of you and your daughter—we’ve looked after your relatives too. What, are you still not satisfied?”
Seeing this, Deng Yingying wiped her tears and said, “Aunt Lan, it seems we mother and daughter have been nothing but trouble for you. Maybe we should move out after all.”
Without a single polite word, Huang Guilan replied directly, “Then you should move out. You two have indeed caused us quite a lot of trouble.”
This… this… Deng Yingying was stunned. Usually, whenever she shed a few tears, Aunt Lan would comfort her and compensate them even more.
Now that Qiao Xingyue had arrived, why had Aunt Lan completely changed into a different person?
How could she possibly save face in this situation?
Did she really have to move out?
Jiang Chunyan righteously interjected, “I don’t care, Guilan, Division Commander Xie. When my Old Deng died, you promised to take good care of us mother and child in his place. If you drive us out to live elsewhere, that would be ingratitude. Anyway, we mother and child won’t move out.”
…
As dusk fell, the Xie family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Shen Liping, returned to the main hall of the Xie residence with her two sons, Xie Zhiyuan and Xie Mingyuan.
The moment Shen Liping stepped into the main hall, Qiao Xingyue, who was tidying up the room, found her somewhat familiar. The more she looked, the more familiar she seemed—wasn’t this the female comrade who had saved her four years ago when she was nearly harmed by Jiang Yongqiang in the dilapidated temple? At that time, they were a couple traveling together and had taken shelter from the rain in the temple. They happened to come across her and rescued her. Learning that Ningning had asthma and she had no money for medical treatment, they kindly took her and her two children to the hospital and even left her a sum of life-saving money.
So the people who saved her back then were the Xie family’s eldest brother and sister-in-law?
Just as Huang Guilan was about to introduce her eldest daughter-in-law to Qiao Xingyue, Qiao Xingyue’s grateful gaze fell upon Shen Liping. “Sister Liping, what a coincidence! You’re actually Aunt Lan’s eldest daughter-in-law.”
“You are…” Shen Liping also found Qiao Xingyue somewhat familiar, especially those big eyes, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen her after thinking for a long time.
Seeing her savior, Qiao Xingyue’s eyes warmed. Grabbing Shen Liping’s hands, she, who was usually composed and calm, suddenly became somewhat emotional. “Sister Liping, I’m Qiao Xingyue! In the dilapidated temple, you saved me and also saved my Ningning. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, I remember now.” Shen Liping had indeed found this female comrade somewhat familiar. “You’re that little chubby girl from the dilapidated temple?”
Huang Guilan was utterly confused, unable to make head or tail of the situation. “What? Pingping, you know Xingyue? What little chubby girl?”
Shen Liping hadn’t expected that after four years, Qiao Xingyue would have slimmed down so much, becoming both slender and beautiful now. She studied Qiao Xingyue’s current pretty appearance—no wonder she hadn’t recognized her earlier.