When Lin Shu was in high school, she really did a few wrong things. After she and Lin Yuanchao used money to smooth things over, she also wrote a letter of guarantee.
They thought she wouldn’t cause trouble again, but who knew she would set her sights on Qin Mu and insist on marrying him.
But Qin Mu was already married, so they had to completely extinguish the idea in Lin Shu’s mind.
So Ling Xue spent several months talking sense into Lin Shu. Coincidentally, Qin Mu was away on a mission, and Lin Shu was eventually persuaded to back down.
Just when they thought everything had settled, Lin Shu secretly did this behind their backs.
“Go. Bring the money down.”
Lin Shu wiped her tears and, under pressure from her parents and Qin Mu, brought the money over.
Qin Mu glanced at the thickness of the money but didn’t take it. He raised his head and asked coldly, “Is this all of it? Three years, 20 yuan per month—that’s 720 yuan in total. That also includes ten cloth coupons, four sugar coupons, four jin of cotton coupons, and ten industrial vouchers.”
Seeing Lin Shu hesitate, Lin Yuanchao was completely disappointed. Even at this point, she still wouldn’t honestly hand everything over!
Lin Yuanchao snatched the money and said, “Qin Mu, I’ll count it clearly for you right now. If anything’s missing, we’ll make it up.”
Qin Mu still respected Commander Lin. “Alright.”
Lin Yuanchao spread out the money and vouchers, grouping bills of the same denomination together.
It didn’t take long to finish counting. There were only 660 yuan left. Only one cloth coupon and one sugar coupon remained, and six industrial vouchers were missing. With a dark expression, Lin Yuanchao made up the difference.
After taking the money, Qin Mu left immediately, not caring about the chaos in the Lin family.
When he got home, Qin Mu handed the money and vouchers to Song Yulan, explained the situation, and also mentioned the matter of the will.
It was the first time Song Yulan had heard of such a girl, and she was so angry her teeth itched. Jiang Yao, who was listening nearby, complained to Xiao Hei.
[In the novels I’ve read before, the “villainess” is always beautiful, scheming, and smart. But this one… does she have brain damage? Is her brain shriveled? Doing something that doesn’t even benefit herself—she’s just courting disaster!]
Xiao Hei: [Isn’t that great? Usually the villainess is handled by the female lead, but here the male lead deals with his own romantic troubles. Saves all the scheming and drama.]
Jiang Yao: [Hehe, the key point is Qin Mu attracted a rotten romance. No need to deal with it—it’s rotten to the core already. Sooner or later, it’ll collapse on its own.]
Qin Mu glanced at Jiang Yao without showing it, and their eyes met.
Jiang Yao quickly looked away, muttering in her mind, [Don’t look at me, don’t look at me.]
Xiao Hei: [Sis Yao, when did you get so cowardly?]
[I’m not cowardly—I feel guilty. I feel like he can hear me talking behind his back.]
Qin Mu looked away. “Grandma, why didn’t you finish the buns?”
Song Yulan sighed. “I’m getting old, can’t eat much anymore. One bun is enough. Your wife ate two. You can finish the rest so they don’t spoil in the heat at noon.”
Qin Mu nodded. He ate half a bun in one bite, and within two minutes, all the buns on the plate were gone.
“Grandma, I borrowed a car for the day. Let’s take care of everything we need to arrange today.”
“Alright.” After speaking, Song Yulan handed the money on the table to Jiang Yao. “Yao Yao, you keep this. When a couple lives together, the woman should manage the household money.”
Seeing this, Qin Mu went into the room and brought out a bankbook. “You can keep this as well.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
Knowing the old lady meant well, Jiang Yao accepted it with a smile, deeply touched.
[Xiao Hei, what should I do? I want to take Grandma with me and leave Qin Mu behind.]
Xiao Hei: [You’re already taking the money and now you’re abandoning him? You’re married now—leaving without even enjoying the “benefits” doesn’t really suit your personality.]
Jiang Yao: [Honestly, I’m a bit scared of Qin Mu. You know, in this line of work, you either fear the police or the military—and my husband happens to be one of them.]
A soldier’s sharp instincts were far beyond ordinary people. She would have to hide herself well in the future.
Xiao Hei: [Don’t worry. He’s too busy with military affairs to pay attention to you.]
[That’s true.]
…
After hearing the conversation between the girl and the system, a glint flashed in Qin Mu’s eyes.
Qin Mu drove them out to buy things, which made some of the military wives quite envious.
“Commander Qin treats his wife really well.”
“What do you mean ‘well’? If he really treated her well, he would’ve brought her here earlier instead of waiting three years. I think she only married him by taking care of his grandmother.”
“Hey, what are you saying? If she could dutifully take care of his grandmother for three years, that proves she’s filial. I think the grandmother and granddaughter-in-law get along very well.”
“Exactly. Look around—how many mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in our compound don’t argue? Li Cuicui, if you’re jealous, just say so. You think having a son makes you superior? Didn’t you still have to work during your confinement period?”
That hit Li Cuicui right where it hurt. The resentment from her postpartum period was something she could never forget. She gave birth to a big, healthy son for the Zhou family, yet received no special treatment—she even had to cook and wash diapers herself.
“Liu Dahua, your own life is a mess, and you still have the nerve to talk about me? You gave birth to a bunch of useless daughters and can’t even have a son.”
“So what if they’re daughters? Your mother-in-law doesn’t value your son either. He eats coarse food with my daughter every day. My little girl even said your mother-in-law is greedy—whenever there’s good food, she eats it with Battalion Commander Zhou, while you and your son are left with scraps.”
Li Cuicui already had issues with her mother-in-law, and hearing this made her explode.
“What? I serve her good food and drinks, and she won’t even give my son anything good to eat…!”
Li Cuicui stormed off angrily. Liang Hong, who loved gossip the most, leaned in and asked Liu Dahua, “Is that true? If it is, I’m going to watch the drama right now.”
Previously, Li Cuicui would storm home angrily like this, but every time she entered the courtyard, the argument would die down quickly.
Every time Liang Hong took out her sunflower seeds to watch the show, the crowd would disperse before anything happened.
This time, she had to confirm it in advance.
Liu Dahua shrugged. “Kids say all kinds of things. How would I know if it’s true?”
Hearing that only made Liang Hong more eager to watch. Even if she couldn’t see Li Cuicui fight with her mother-in-law, she might see her clash with Liu Dahua instead.
No matter what, she’d have some entertainment today!
…
The car stopped at the entrance of the department store, and the three got out.
Qin Mu suggested they first take care of the major household items.
The “three turns and one sound” were a must-buy—first, to make up for the promises not fulfilled during the wedding, and second, to help Jiang Yao hold her head high in the compound.
Among the wives in the compound, comparisons were mostly about betrothal gifts, children, and education.
The first thing he wanted to resolve for her was the issue of the bride price.
Song Yulan shared the same idea. Holding Jiang Yao’s hand, she said, “Listen to Xiao Mu.”
Jiang Yao: [Then I’ll gladly accept.]
After entering the department store, the three headed straight for the goods section.
They started with watches. As expected of a provincial capital, there were many styles. Jiang Yao didn’t know which one to choose, so she let Qin Mu decide.
“This one—the Shanghai brand watch. It suits you perfectly.”
Song Yulan agreed, “Yao Yao, this watch is good. Buy it.”
After that, Qin Mu chose, and the old lady nodded: “Buy it.”
In no time, all the “three turns and one sound” were purchased. Qin Mu left an address for delivery.
As they were leaving, even the store manager came out. Seeing that Qin Mu was preparing bride gifts for his wife, he praised Jiang Yao, saying she looked blessed at first glance.
Jiang Yao was so happy she couldn’t stop bragging to Xiao Hei.
[Ah, I’m naturally beautiful—can’t help it!]
Xiao Hei: [Wake up. Go look in a mirror first.]
[It’s obviously because you spent a lot of money, that’s why they’re flattering you.]
Jiang Yao snorted: [Is it so hard to admit I’m beautiful? I’ve got cool-toned fair skin that doesn’t tan, a perfect oval face, I’m 168 cm tall, slim waist, long legs—okay, maybe my chest is a bit small, but what’s wrong with the rest?!]