The tense atmosphere between the two women had gone unnoticed by everyone else, but Aunt Liu saw through it immediately.
After everyone had finished eating and left, she and Qin Yue’e quietly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Unable to hold back any longer, Aunt Liu asked,
“Xiao Qin, do you know that Team Leader He from the arts troupe?”
“No, I don’t.”
Qin Yue’e answered casually.
Aunt Liu moved closer, frowning unhappily.
“That woman only met you today, right? Why do I feel like there’s something strange about the way she treats you?”
Aunt Liu was a genuine country woman. She didn’t understand all those complicated schemes, but she was old enough to recognize the little games women played with each other.
When it came to jealousy and rivalry, the village women were no less skilled than city girls. They simply made everything much more obvious.
Aunt Liu’s face darkened.
“I thought this Team Leader He was one of the stars of the arts troupe! How can such a young woman have no shame? She only arrived yesterday, and she’s already calling him ‘Brother Huo’! Is Captain Huo’s name something she can just casually call?”
Qin Yue’e’s hands paused.
But she had a different thought.
They said it took two people to make something happen between a man and a woman. If Huo Guangji hadn’t encouraged that girl in some way, would she really have such a strong hostility toward Qin Yue’e?
In the end, it was always the man who couldn’t control himself, yet the woman was the one who suffered the consequences.
Qin Yue’e had no intention of taking He Jiaojiao seriously, much less fighting with her.
There was simply no need.
He Jiaojiao might treat Huo Guangji like a treasure, but Qin Yue’e certainly didn’t.
“Aunt Liu, that man has legs of his own. If he wants to run away, can I stop him? If I had that kind of ability, I wouldn’t have been left in the countryside for more than three years, nearly starving to death.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word hit the mark.
Huo Guangji had just walked through the doorway and happened to hear Qin Yue’e’s words.
His brows immediately furrowed.
What’s wrong with her again?
Fortunately, he had finished his work early today and slipped away, thinking about how strangely Qin Yue’e had been treating him these past few days. He decided to come to the kitchen to pick up the children.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have heard how she talked about him behind his back.
From the sound of it, she was still holding a grudge against him for abandoning her and the children back then.
But at that time, wasn’t he helpless too?
He couldn’t help sighing as he strode into the kitchen.
When Aunt Liu saw him, she immediately picked up a basin and went outside to wash the dishes. Before leaving, she couldn’t resist giving Huo Guangji a meaningful look.
“She’s angry. Hurry up and go coax her!”
“Thank you, Aunt Liu.”
Huo Guangji lowered his voice before walking over.
Qin Yue’e’s expression darkened. Without saying anything, she quietly moved farther away from him.
Huo Guangji didn’t say anything either. He simply helped her clean up the leftover food in the kitchen.
He gathered the pots, bowls, and dishes and placed them all into a large basket nearby, ready to be washed later.
The two children, Xiaozhuyue and Xiaoqingfeng, were still playing with the ducklings nearby.
Huo Guangji walked over and gently rubbed each of their little heads. Then he pulled two pieces of candy from his pocket and placed one in each child’s hand.
He had just gone off and caused trouble with He Jiaojiao, yet now he was back here playing the loving father.
The anger in Qin Yue’e’s heart only grew stronger.
She couldn’t help saying,
“I don’t have any wages to pay you here. Even if you help me work, you’re doing it for free!”
“I don’t need your money.”
Huo Guangji immediately pulled a thick bundle of money from his pocket and handed it to her.
“You said before that you wanted me to pay child support for Xiaofeng and Xiaoyue, didn’t you? This is the money for the first three years. It’s all here. I also included some grain coupons. It’ll make things easier for you and the children when you’re out there.”
Qin Yue’e stared at the thick envelope in his hand and froze.
Is he trying to drive us away?
But why would he only give her three years’ worth of child support?
What about the years after that?
Or could it be…
He wanted to keep the children and only drive her away?
Sure enough, He Jiaojiao had only been here for two days, and the male lead was already eager to cut ties with his original wife.
Qin Yue’e felt a surge of anger. She almost wanted to slap him right then and there.
Although she couldn’t exactly consider herself his real wife, the little ducklings in the backyard had only just started growing their adult feathers. In another month or two, they would be laying eggs.
Things were finally starting to improve.
Why did he have to drive her away now of all times?!
Huo Guangji still hadn’t figured out what was going on. He only noticed that Qin Yue’e’s face had suddenly turned dark.
Thinking she felt the amount of money was too little, he quietly explained,
“It’s not that I won’t give you the rest later. I just don’t have that much on hand right now. Take this first and use it for emergencies. I’ll figure out a way to get you the rest later.”
The money was actually his wages, which he had withdrawn in advance through the company commander.
He had withdrawn an entire six months’ worth of salary, and that was already the maximum he could get.
Even that had only been possible because the company commander had vouched for him. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been allowed.
As for the grain coupons, he had collected them bit by bit from his fellow soldiers. He had barely managed to gather enough.
He knew Qin Yue’e cared about money and probably wouldn’t think much of this amount, but this was genuinely everything Huo Guangji could give her at the moment.
“And then?” Qin Yue’e asked coldly.
“Then are you going to tell me to get lost?”
Huo Guangji frowned slightly.
When had he ever said he wanted her to leave?
Then Qin Yue’e spoke again, her voice filled with emotion.
“Captain Huo, I know you think I’m in the way. But let me be honest with you. I have nowhere to go if I leave. So I’m staying here at the unit for now. But don’t worry, I won’t cling to you. Just let me stay here for another six months. Once I’ve saved enough money to rent a small place in the city with the children, I’ll leave on my own.”
She paused before adding,
“If you’re worried about it, we can get divorced first.”
“Divorced? Why are you talking about divorce again?!”
Huo Guangji’s face immediately darkened.
He had finally managed to scrape together enough money, hoping that she would at least let him come back and sleep in their room.
How had the conversation suddenly turned into divorce again?
The two of them stood silently facing each other for a while.
In the end, Huo Guangji didn’t lose his temper.
Instead, he focused on what Qin Yue’e had just said.
“You said you have nowhere to go after you leave. What do you mean? Can’t you take the children back to your hometown?”
So he really wants me gone.
Qin Yue’e rolled her eyes.
“Nothing. Just assume I don’t want to go back.”
She looked at him and added coldly,
“But let me give you some advice. Don’t flatter yourself. I have absolutely no interest in you!”
This woman is really impossible to communicate with!
Huo Guangji felt a pounding headache from sheer frustration.
He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Qin Yue’e by the wrist.
His broad body pressed her against the stove at the edge of the kitchen. The cramped corner was instantly filled with the intense presence of a grown man.
Huo Guangji’s sharply defined face suddenly loomed close to hers.
He reached out, gently but firmly pinched her cheek, and his voice carried a dangerous undertone.
“You have absolutely no interest in me?”