Although he still hadn’t set foot in their home, which made Yang Chunmei a little resentful, she reminded herself that he was a battalion commander—as long as he treated Lian Qiao well, that was what mattered.
At the very least, he could spare this much money.
Lian Qiao was still a bit dazed, unaccustomed to someone giving her money to use. As the pillar of the family who had always been the breadwinner, she was used to being the one who paid for everything.
In her past life, Zhao Hongbin’s salary had only been enough for his own expenses, and she hadn’t even wanted that little bit of money, focusing solely on earning her own.
Seeing her still in a daze, Yang Chunmei laughed.
“You should replace those few clothes of yours when it’s time. Other girls wear skirts every day, but you—you don’t dress brightly at all. When your brother-in-law has a day off, let’s go out shopping together.”
“Alright.”
Lian Qiao put the money into her travel bag, planning to go out and buy clothes for her cousin’s whole family.
She had been eating and staying here without paying a single cent.
Now, with a sponsor, things were much better.
Late at night, the compound was so quiet that only the cicadas could be heard.
After her big argument with her father, Meng Qing lay in bed, unable to sleep.
Her eyes, swollen from crying, felt painfully hot, and her mind kept circling back to the same face.
Distant, indifferent eyes, a tall and broad back.
Somehow, the sky brightened. She got up and sat at her vanity, pressing a chilled towel over her eyes.
When she finally managed to open her eyes, she made two phone calls, then changed into a newly bought dress and went to work.
As soon as the lunch break arrived, Meng Qing returned from the outpatient clinic to her office. She didn’t have to wait long before the person she was expecting arrived.
Chen Li had just knocked when Meng Qing opened the door to greet her.
“If you hadn’t come soon, I would’ve given the snowflake cream to someone else.”
Chen Li quickly grabbed her arm and cooed, “Sister Qing, I know you care about me the most.”
There was a hint of guilt in her coquettish tone.
She had thought Meng Qing would become her sister-in-law, but who would have guessed that her brother was getting married, and the bride was someone else?
Meng Qing wasn’t just young and beautiful—her temperament was top-notch, and her family background was even more impressive. Her father was a regiment commander, her brother’s direct superior. Even though she hadn’t left school yet, she understood what such a family meant.
Besides, they had known each other since childhood, and their bond was solid. Although they had never made things official, everyone had been waiting for the day they would marry.
She didn’t know why her brother had suddenly decided to marry, and why the bride wasn’t Meng Qing.
It must be that woman’s underhanded tricks!
The day she saw her new sister-in-law, she had immediately reported back after the meal. But the next day, everything at home remained calm. Her grandmother was just giving her brother the cold shoulder, and the matter of the new sister-in-law seemed settled. She hadn’t heard her brother mention changing his mind.
She also felt too embarrassed to see Meng Qing again.
If things really couldn’t be changed, her relationship with Meng Qing would become awkward. Meng Qing might even be reminded of this whenever she saw her—it would be like rubbing salt in the wound.
Unexpectedly, Sister Qing had called her early in the morning, leaving her feeling somewhat flattered.
Wanting the snowflake cream was just an excuse; what she really wanted was to maintain her connection with Meng Qing.
Seeing that Meng Qing’s eyes were still slightly swollen, she felt even more indignant.
“Sister, my brother is an idiot! Don’t pay him any mind. There are plenty of good men out there!”
Meng Qing’s hand paused. When she turned around, the door was half-closed.
“Xiao Li, there are some things I don’t know if I should say…”
Chen Li grabbed her hand, “Qingjie, I really do wish you could be my sister-in-law, but that’s not up to me. From now on, you’re my own sister! I won’t accept that woman either! If you have anything to say, just say it!”
Meng Qing’s eyes reddened, “Do you know that this new sister-in-law of yours has been divorced?”
Chen Li felt as if struck by lightning, stammering:
“D-divorced?”
Meng Qing lowered her head, wiping the corner of her eye, “Your brother didn’t tell you?”
“He just brought her back to show her off once, and we haven’t seen her since. She dressed so shabbily, like she came from the countryside.” The more Chen Li thought about it, the angrier she became. “Has my brother been hit by a cannonball and gone crazy! He’s a battalion commander, how could he marry a divorced woman? Could she even have a child with her?”
“I heard she’s the sister-in-law of the Seventh Company Commander, just arrived recently…” Meng Qing said softly, as if recalling something.
“Sister-in-law?! How did she meet my brother as soon as she arrived at the compound? I’m going to find my brother right now!”
Chen Li was so angry she stamped her feet, but Meng Qing held her back. “Don’t be impulsive.”
“Impulsive? I think my brother doesn’t want to live a peaceful life! If Grandma finds out, she’ll break his legs! He’s all grown up in size, but his brain hasn’t grown at all. How can it be a good thing for an unmarried man to marry a divorced woman? Maybe that woman is just trying to trick him, clinging to my brother’s coattails. Who knows what trouble she might cause later!”
Chen Li kept talking like a machine gun, growing more and more alarmed as she spoke.
She now felt that her eldest brother was truly foolish. She had to rush home immediately and let Grandma know what a huge mess he had made.
Meng Qing held her back, trying to persuade her. “Xiao Li, go home first. Keep everything behind closed doors. This matter must not be known by others…”
Chen Li was so furious her head was spinning with heat, wishing she could take off on the spot, pull out her brother’s brain, and see how much water was inside.
Crazy, absolutely crazy!
If her eldest brother really married that new sister-in-law, their family would become the laughingstock of the compound.
“Qingjie, thank goodness you told me. There’s still time. I won’t say more now, I have to hurry home.”
Chen Li rushed out the door and bumped right into a large, round face.
“Ouch—”
Chen Li was startled, and Zhang Daju was also taken aback, stepping back several times.
She glared fiercely at Zhang Daju, who was blocking the way, and charged out without a second thought. Her mind was filled with the words “marriage fraud,” and she didn’t even notice Zhang Daju’s expression.
“Dr. Meng, I’m here to pick up the medicine.” Zhang Daju slipped into the office through the crack in the door, bowing with a wide smile on her face.
Meng Qing took a box of medicine from the drawer. “Didn’t you say a few days ago that the headache powder from the clinic wasn’t working? I happened to have some in the medicine I asked someone to bring from Shanghai. This one is strong, just right for you.”
“Oh! Dr. Meng, how much is it? I’ll pay you.”
“No need, I have several boxes. Giving you one is nothing.”
Zhang Daju bowed repeatedly and showered her with compliments, while Meng Qing politely saw her out.
“If there’s nothing else, you should go back. I need to rest for a while; I still have to work this afternoon.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Meng. You rest, I’ll be on my way.”
The office door closed softly, and Meng Qing leaned back in her chair, exhausted.
She opened the window, and the cool breeze slightly dispelled the frustration in her heart.
Summer had truly arrived.
The summer heat was unbearable. These past few days at noon, after finishing his training, Li Guozheng would rush home, sometimes carrying a watermelon, sometimes a bunch of grapes.
Baozhu was now covered in heat rash. According to Auntie Zheng, this was due to internal heat, and she needed to eat some fruit to cool down.
He and Yang Chunmei didn’t understand any of this, so they simply followed the advice.
But halfway home, he saw a woman squatting by the roadside, covering her face. If it weren’t for the clothes she was wearing, he wouldn’t have recognized her.
He patted her shoulder. “Chunmei? What’s going on?”
Yang Chunmei suddenly looked up, her cheeks streaked with tears, making Li Guozheng’s heart race.
“What’s wrong, dear? Don’t scare me.”
Seeing Li Guozheng’s face, Yang Chunmei burst into loud sobs.
There were still many people on the road, but Li Guozheng didn’t care about appearances. He quickly pulled her up from the ground and led her to a secluded spot under the shade of a tree, gently patting her shoulder.
At times like this, he had to wait until she was ready to speak.
After crying for a while, Yang Chunmei finally spoke between sobs.
“Those… those gossipers said… said…”
“Said what?”
Yang Chunmei punched his chest hard, her hand aching from the impact.
“They said you’re trying to climb the social ladder by sending your sister-in-law to the battalion commander’s bed!”
There were even uglier things that Yang Chunmei couldn’t bring herself to say.
Filthy, vile, fabricated gossip washed over her like a tidal wave.
This wasn’t just idle talk.
It was malicious slander, twisting the truth, pushing someone to the brink.
Li Guozheng patted her shoulder to comfort her. “You’re crying so much, with tears and snot all over your face. What will Lian Qiao think when she sees you at home? Just endure it for a few more days. Once the application is approved and they’ve had their fill of gossip, we’ll just ignore them.”
Yang Chunmei’s eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. All the grievances she had endured growing up couldn’t compare to what she felt now.
She finally understood what “gossip is a fearful thing” truly meant.
She only had one mouth—how could she argue against so many?
“When good things happen, bad things always follow. Lian Qiao has already had it hard enough. Why does heaven treat people so unfairly…”
Li Guozheng sighed. “From now on, don’t let her go out to buy groceries. She should stay home and take care of Baozhu.”
Kind-hearted people are always like this—they’d rather take a detour than face conflict head-on.
But Lian Qiao was not that kind of person.