After dinner, Jiang Yao was about to go out for a walk to digest her food when Commander Lin’s family of three arrived.
After Qin Mu introduced them to her and Grandma, both of them instinctively looked at Lin Shu, who was standing behind the commander and his wife.
Lin Shu had her hair in two braids and wore a floral dress. Her skin was fairly pale—better than most people of this era.
As for her looks, they were average, but she had good taste in clothing, and what she wore suited her well. No wonder she had been able to join the art troupe.
Lin Yuanchao walked into the living room and said sincerely, “Grandma Qin, I’m Qin Mu’s superior, Lin Yuanchao. I brought my daughter here today to apologize to you and Qin Mu’s wife for what happened before.”
After speaking, he glanced at Lin Shu, signaling her to apologize.
Reluctantly, Lin Shu said, “Grandma Qin, Comrade Jiang Yao, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
Jiang Yao suddenly interrupted her. “Comrade Lin Shu, my husband is older than you. It wouldn’t be inappropriate for you to call me ‘sister-in-law,’ would it?”
Lin Yuanchao immediately glared at Lin Shu and quietly scolded, “Call her sister-in-law.”
Lin Shu clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. With reddened eyes, she repeated, “Grandma Qin, sis… sister-in-law, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
Jiang Yao interrupted again. “Comrade Lin Shu, weren’t you supposed to kneel and apologize to my grandma?”
Lin Shu choked up. Ling Xue pressed her down to kneel. “Kneel and apologize!”
“Grandma Qin, sister-in-law, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forged a suicide note, nor should I have taken the living expenses that Commander Qin was sending to you… I know I was wrong. Please forgive me.”
Lin Yuanchao added, “Lin Shu has already resigned voluntarily and will no longer work in the art troupe. Tonight, I’ll have her move out of the residential compound and she will not appear in front of you again.”
Lin Shu seemed to have already known about this decision and said nothing.
Since the other party had gone this far, Jiang Yao and Song Yulan decided not to make things harder. Pushing further would only make them seem petty.
So the two of them silently let ten minutes pass before allowing her to stand up.
Before leaving, Jiang Yao even gave her a “big gift.”
“Commander Lin, I think Comrade Lin Shu is no longer young. It’s about time she found a suitable husband and got married. I married Ah Mu at eighteen, and she’s only a year younger than me. She should hurry—otherwise all the good men will be taken.”
Lin Shu didn’t expect Qin Mu’s wife to say such things in public. Was she cursing her to never find a good husband?
How disgusting. No wonder she was just a country woman—no manners at all.
Lin Yuanchao and Ling Xue, however, nodded in agreement.
Qin Mu went to see them off. At the gate, Lin Yuanchao had Ling Xue take Lin Shu home first, while he and Qin Mu walked to a nearby corner.
“Commander, do you have something else to say?” Qin Mu asked.
Lin Yuanchao organized his thoughts. “Qin Mu, I’m sorry. As a father, I admit I failed to educate my daughter properly and caused trouble for you.”
Qin Mu replied, “Commander, there’s no need to say more. This matter is already over.”
Seeing Qin Mu’s indifferent expression, Lin Yuanchao sighed silently and left.
Inside the house, Jiang Yao brewed a pot of tea and poured two cups.
“Grandma, you’re not mad at me for speaking out of turn just now, are you?”
Song Yulan took a sip and smiled. “What you said hit the point exactly. From the way Lin Shu looks, she doesn’t seem like someone who can truly change. If that’s the case, it’s better to arrange a marriage for her.”
Jiang Yao felt a bit pleased after being praised, but as she looked at the darkening sky outside, her heart suddenly tightened.
Would what she said affect Qin Mu?
A few seconds later—
[Forget it. Grandma even praised me—what could Qin Mu possibly say? If he really argues with me over a few words, then he’s not worth keeping anyway.]
She finished her tea in one gulp and went to take a shower.
When Qin Mu came back, she was already lying on the bed in the bedroom, having applied body lotion, her back turned to him.
After the sound of clothes rustling—
Qin Mu got into bed. Just as Jiang Yao was about to speak, a hiccup suddenly burst out.
And once it started, it wouldn’t stop.
“Hic—hic—hic—hic—”
The sound was especially loud in the quiet night.
“Do you want me to help you?” Qin Mu asked.
Jiang Yao tried covering her mouth to suppress it, but it didn’t work. In the end, she looked at him to see what kind of strange idea he had.
As she turned over, Qin Mu leaned closer, his breath brushing lightly across her face.
She caught a faint scent of soap. Though it was a bit cheap, it still had an oddly alluring effect.
“You…” Jiang Yao managed to say a word, about to ask what he was doing.
But his attention was on her exposed right hand. “I’ll press it for you.”
Jiang Yao: … She really shouldn’t have expected anything.
Time seemed to stretch. Under the beam of the flashlight, Qin Mu sat beside her, gently pressing her finger.
At first, she thought he seemed a bit husband-like, until the pressure started to hurt.
“Ow—what are you doing?”
[Is he treating my hand like a trigger?]
Xiao Hei explained: [Shao Shang point. Pressing it can stop hiccups.]
[Oh? He knows traditional medicine?]
[More like a folk remedy.]
[Oh.]
After pressing for a while, her hiccups really did stop. Just as she was about to bring up something important, Wen Zhongcheng’s voice came from outside.
“I’m heading out for a bit. You sleep first.”
After the sound of hurried dressing, the tall figure of the man left, closing the door behind him.