“Don’t you dare bully my little sister.” Zhou Yunzhou moved in front of Zhou Wantang, shielding her as he glared at the domineering little girl.
If they’d been in the village, he would have shoved her aside already. She’d nearly poked Zhou Wantang in the face with her finger.
But this was Beicheng. He and his mother had only just arrived, and they couldn’t make enemies so easily.
It would cause trouble for Mom.
“You’re a little bitch too.” Du Nianchu’s small face was twisted with hatred as she glared at Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang. “You and your sister are both little bitches. Your mom’s a bitch too. Your whole family are a bunch of bitches.”
Mom had said that if it weren’t for that bitch Su Qing, Dad Zhou would have been her real dad long ago.
Zhou Yunzhou was startled. He pulled his sister back two steps.
He couldn’t understand why Du Nianchu hated them so much when this was the first time he and his sister had ever met her.
Su Qing hadn’t expected anyone to bully Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang. She hurried over.
She kicked Du Nianchu in the bottom. “You little brat! Who are you calling a bitch?”
Du Nianchu burst into tears.
Her shrill cries pierced the air.
“Su Qing hit me! Su Qing hit me!”
Su Qing froze.
She actually knew her name?
Taking a closer look, Su Qing realized this was Han Mei’s daughter from the book, Du Nianchu.
She was so rude and domineering. It was clear her mother, Han Mei, was no good either.
Du Nianchu’s cries brought out all the families who had come outside to enjoy the evening cool.
They didn’t know Su Qing, but that didn’t stop them from standing up for what was right.
“Hey, who are you? How can you hit a child?”
“Nianchu is Doctor Han’s precious daughter. Colonel Zhou dotes on her too.”
Everyone in the military family compound knew that Colonel Zhou couldn’t stand his country wife, was close to Doctor Han, who was divorced, and treated her daughter as if she were his own.
Out of consideration for Zhou Huaijin, whenever people in the compound saw Du Nianchu, they told their own children to give her a wide berth.
Now that they saw someone giving Du Nianchu a hard time, of course they stepped in to defend her.
Su Qing glanced around at the crowd, then at the few children who had just been playing with Zhou Yunzhou and the others.
Children didn’t weigh their words against their interests the way adults did.
She took a handful of fruit candies from her bag and said with a smile, “Whoever tells the truth gets candy.”
The children couldn’t resist the colorful sweets.
They promptly gave Du Nianchu away.
“We were playing when Du Nianchu ran over and shoved Zhou Wantang. Then she called her a little bitch born to a bitch!”
Su Qing gave all the candy in her hand to the little boy who had spoken, then looked at the other children. “Did you see it too?”
The others nodded in unison, their eyes fixed on her bag.
Su Qing gave each of them two candies. She also explained that she’d given the first child a whole handful because he’d been the first to tell the truth.
Several of the adults looked embarrassed and led their children home.
Du Nianchu stared in disbelief. Why had everyone left?
Su Qing looked down at Nianchu coldly. “If I catch you bullying my children again, I won’t just kick you in the bottom. I’ll beat your backside until it blooms.”
No matter how domineering she was, Du Nianchu was still just a child. At Su Qing’s words, she hunched her little shoulders in fear, her face turning deathly pale.
A military-green jeep drove into the compound.
Yang Fang spotted Zhou Yunzhou at once and nudged Tang Lanzhi with her elbow. “Eldest Sister-in-law, look at that little boy. He looks almost exactly like Huaijin!”
Tang Lanzhi rolled down the window and followed Yang Fang’s gaze. Her eyes widened instantly.
Zhou Yanqing, who was driving, and Zhou Yanbai, sitting in the passenger seat, both looked over too.
“Eldest Brother, there’s no need for a test. We all know that child is Huaijin’s. He looked just like that when he was little,” Zhou Yanqing said excitedly.
Zhou Yanbai was just as excited.
He had always envied the people in the compound his age who had grandchildren. He never imagined that now he would have grandchildren too.
Du Nianchu looked around. She was afraid Su Qing would hit her while no one was watching. Then she saw the Zhou family members getting out of the jeep.
At once, she let out a deafening wail.
“Grandpa Zhou, Grandma Zhou, this woman bullied me!” Du Nianchu said through her tears, pointing at Su Qing.
Her cries and expression made it seem as if Su Qing had crippled her.
Su Qing couldn’t help rolling her eyes. That little brat was such a schemer.
Tang Lanzhi, who had been so eager to hold her grandchild, frowned when she heard Du Nianchu and looked at Su Qing.
“How can you bully a child? She’s Han Mei’s daughter.”
If the Su family hadn’t set Zhou Huaijin up back then, and he and Su Qing hadn’t ended up rolling around in a cornfield, Han Mei—who had grown up with Zhou Huaijin and been his sweetheart—would be her daughter-in-law now.
After Han Mei found out, she married someone else in a fit of anger. Her marriage later fell apart, and she divorced and raised her daughter alone.
The Zhou family owed Han Mei.
To Su Qing, Tang Lanzhi’s words meant she was defending Han Mei: because Du Nianchu was Han Mei’s daughter, no matter what she did, Su Qing wasn’t allowed to teach her a lesson.
Su Qing said mockingly, “Your son isn’t here, so you’re protecting the person he wants to protect in his place.”
Tang Lanzhi frowned.
She looked toward Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang. This wasn’t the time to argue with Su Qing. The children came first.
Zhou Wantang looked more like Su Qing, but her chin and mouth were quite like Zhou Huaijin’s.
Tang Lanzhi walked over and crouched in front of Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang. She said gently, “Children, I’m your grandma.”
From the moment they got out of the jeep, Zhou Yanbai and Zhou Yanqing had kept their eyes on Zhou Yunzhou.
He looked so much like Huaijin.
Zhou Wantang was a little frightened. She hid behind her mother, peeking out with her small, fluffy head as she looked at Tang Lanzhi curiously.
Tang Lanzhi found her granddaughter adorable and reached out to pick her up.
Su Qing stopped her.
“Don’t touch my children.”
Tang Lanzhi stood up. With so many people watching, she couldn’t bring herself to apologize to Su Qing.
She lowered her voice. “Su Qing, I know I went too far with what I said this afternoon. But the children are part of the Zhou family. You can’t deny that.”
“If I were going to deny it, I wouldn’t have brought them to Beicheng,” Su Qing replied.
Tang Lanzhi was at a loss for words.
Knowing that her eldest sister-in-law was proud, Yang Fang walked over with a smile.
“Su Qing, I’m your Second Aunt.”
Zhou Yanbai and Zhou Yanqing came over too.
Su Qing watched them warily. “What are you going to do? Are you going to steal my children from me?”
“We won’t,” Zhou Yanbai said quickly. “You’re their mother. They’ll only be happy if they’re with you.”
Su Qing let out a breath, though she wasn’t fully reassured.
Seeing that the Zhou family were all watching Zhou Yunzhou and Zhou Wantang, she understood.
They were here to confirm whether the two children were Zhou Huaijin’s.
After observing them up close, Zhou Yanbai was certain: both children were his son’s.
“Su Qing, don’t worry. I’ll take care of the household registrations for you and the children right away. Then I’ll have someone arrange a house for you in the military family compound. You’re Huaijin’s wife, so you can join the army.”
Su Qing didn’t refuse.
They couldn’t stay at the guesthouse forever, and she had no idea when Zhou Huaijin would return.
The Zhou family acted quickly. Two days later, they had everything arranged.
Su Qing stood with her two children in front of a two-story house with its own courtyard.