Chapter 56
He Qiming wrote a letter back that day, telling He Dali and Yang Fuzhen to take care of themselves and that he didn’t need them to worry about him.
Secondly, the rooms in the old house were enough to live in. Their house was a new one, and they did not plan to lend it out.
He Dali only found out after reading the reply that He Qigao and Li Hehua actually wanted to borrow He Qiming’s house.
In his opinion, borrowing the house was a small matter. The fact that the eldest son and his wife wanted to move out and live separately was the big deal.
“What, you also want to split the family?” He Dali asked, looking at the eldest son and his wife with a grim face.
If it weren’t for Xu Baoli forcing them to split the family with her pregnant belly, and he had to agree because of his reputation, he would have been firmly against splitting the family.
Besides, He Qigao was the eldest son and would definitely have to support them in their old age. It was impossible for him to be split off.
“No, it’s not like that. How could we want to split the family?” Li Hehua quickly denied it. “It’s just that Qiming’s house is empty. We have many children, so it would be more spacious if we moved over.”
“Is that really what you think, Big Sister-in-law? I think you just don’t want to serve Mom and Dad,” Wang Xiuhua said sarcastically from the side.
Hmph! Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law are really cunning. They actually secretly asked He Qiming to borrow his house. If He Qiming had agreed, this house would have become theirs after living in it for a while. At that time, not only would the eldest branch have a house, but they also wouldn’t have to serve their in-laws. What a beautiful dream.
“Third Sister-in-law, don’t talk nonsense. When did I ever not want to serve Mom and Dad? I mean, Qiming’s house is brighter than our old house. Since it’s empty anyway, we can all move over together,” Li Hehua said, shooting Wang Xiuhua a sideways glance and cursing in her heart.
She had originally thought that if He Qiming agreed, they would just move over directly, acting first and reporting later. She had not expected He Qiming to refuse outright, and Wang Xiuhua was even stirring up trouble here. The second and third branches were no good.
As for He Dali, when he heard that the eldest son and his wife were planning to take them to live in the new house together, his anger immediately subsided a lot. But that house belonged to the second son. Since the second son did not agree, of course, they could not move over.
“Alright, since Qiming doesn’t agree, you don’t have to think about it. There are so many rooms at home. Isn’t it enough for you to live in?” The second son was the most successful and brought him the most glory. He Dali did not want to be estranged from him. Besides, their house was quite good to live in.
In Daye Village, Ye Shuiping’s family was also talking about Ye Qingzhi.
“Big Brother, you still haven’t gotten Qingzhi’s contact information? Does she really plan to cut off ties with the family?” Ye Qingzhi’s second older brother, Ye Qingfeng, asked irritably.
Ye Chunshan squatted in the corner and glanced at Ye Qingfeng indifferently. He had gone to find Auntie Ye three or four times but couldn’t get the contact information at all.
After so long, Auntie Ye must have already told Qingzhi that they were looking for her. But Auntie Ye had never relented, which could only mean that Ye Qingzhi did not want to contact them.
“As expected, a married daughter is like spilled water. Now that her life is better, her parents’ family can’t even get her to do a small thing. If I had known she was so unfilial, I wouldn’t have given birth to her in the first place,” Ding Aixian said, getting angrier the more she thought about it.
Ye Qingsong, Ye Qingzhi’s younger brother, who could be said to have been raised on Ye Qingzhi’s back, had just wanted to say a few words in her defense when he heard what Ye Shuiping said. But his younger sister, Ye Qinglan, pulled his sleeve, and he saw her gently shake her head, signaling him not to speak.
Ye Shuiping was in a rage at the moment and was just looking for someone to vent on. If Ye Qingsong contradicted him now, a scolding would be a light punishment. He might even be beaten.
Ye Qingsong lowered his head and silently listened to his parents and his two older brothers and sisters-in-law criticize Ye Qingzhi, but in his heart, he did not agree with them.
When Fourth Sister was in such a difficult situation before and wanted her parents’ help, they had ignored her. Last year, when Fourth Sister’s husband passed away, no one from the family had gone. Now that Fourth Sister had found a new regiment commander as a brother-in-law, the family wanted to take advantage. It would be strange if Fourth Sister was willing.
In any case, if it were him, he would not have any contact with the family again either.
Of course, Ye Qingzhi did not know how these people back home were criticizing her behind her back. Even if she did, she would not care. It wouldn’t hurt her.
She had been making shoes with Li Jinfeng these few days. Children’s feet grew fast, and they ran and jumped around every day, so their shoes wore out very quickly.
A few days ago, a military wife had gotten some scraps of cloth. They had also gotten some. They were definitely not enough to make clothes, but they were just right for making shoe uppers for the children.
“Have you heard? Regiment Commander Xu is about to be a groom again,” Li Jinfeng said in a low voice.
Ye Qingzhi looked at Yang Xiaorou. “Is it true?”
“I don’t know either,” Yang Xiaorou said, looking at Li Jinfeng in confusion. “Where did you get the news?”
Ever since Bai Xue had left, she had never been to the Xu family’s house again, so of course, she did not know the news about the Xu family.
As for Li Jinfeng, she had even less contact with the Xu family. Where did she get the news?
“Of course I have my sources,” Li Jinfeng said, raising her chin proudly. “It’s true. I also know that the woman is Zeng Huijun from the art troupe, the one who did a solo dance at the last performance.”
“Zeng Huijun? If it’s her, then it’s really possible,” Yang Xiaorou said. Seeing them all look at her, she introduced Zeng Huijun’s family background to them.
She was from Beijing. Her father was a soldier, and her mother worked at the Women’s Federation. She herself could sing and dance, was beautiful, and most importantly, had a gentle personality. She was the type that Su Liuli would take a fancy to.
“With such good qualifications, why would she be willing to marry Regiment Commander Xu?” Gu Yao couldn’t help but ask.
It wasn’t that Xu Kaisheng was not good. Xu Kaisheng was tall and handsome, and a regiment commander at a young age. Even though it was his second marriage, he was still a golden bachelor. It was just that Zeng Huijun’s qualifications were not bad either. There was no need to find a second-hand man.
“Zeng Huijun’s qualifications are not bad, but compared to the Xu family, they are still a notch lower,” Yang Xiaorou said, stopping there.
Xu Kaisheng’s father was Zeng Huijun’s father’s superior. For Zeng Huijun to marry Xu Kaisheng was to marry up.
“Regiment Commander Xu is still not bad, it’s just his mother…” Gu Yao felt that with such a mother-in-law, it was better to find someone of equal social standing to marry.
Li Jinfeng had a different opinion. “Regiment Commander Xu’s mother is actually not bad. Any daughter-in-law who hasn’t been pregnant for five years, her mother-in-law would definitely be anxious.”
In the countryside, if a wife did not get pregnant for a year, she would be made to drink all sorts of folk remedies. If she still did not get pregnant after two years, some would be sent back to her parents’ home. The rest who were not divorced were because they could not afford a second wife. But they would torture this wife in various ways, either beating her or scolding her. Life was a living hell.
A few days later, many people saw Zeng Huijun go to find Xu Kaisheng. Although the two of them were not very intimate, Xu Kaisheng did not clarify the news of their marriage. It seemed that a happy event was approaching.
For this, Yang Xiaorou’s mood was not very good. She felt that Xu Kaisheng was heartless. It had only been a short time since Bai Xue had left, and he had already found someone new.
“They’re already divorced. They’re free to marry whomever they want. It’s normal for Regiment Commander Xu to remarry,” Ye Qingzhi said with a soft sigh.
“I’m sad for Bai Xue. To have a child, she suffered a lot. In the end, she just left in disgrace. It’s only been a short time, and Brother Xu is already going to marry another woman. I’m not happy,” Yang Xiaorou said. She suddenly felt that there was not a single good man in the world.
Not two days after she said this, Yang Xiaorou learned that Bai Xue had a partner and was about to get married. The other party was also a soldier.
“Are you still sad for Bai Xue?” Ye Qingzhi asked her with a laugh.
Yang Xiaorou looked at Ye Qingzhi, speechless. She had been sad for Bai Xue for nothing, wasting her feelings.
But their relationship had been so good before. It had only been a short time since their divorce, and they each had a new home. It made Yang Xiaorou suspect that their previous marital bliss had all been an act.
No matter the reason, not long after the first lunar month, Xu Kaisheng submitted a marriage report and soon got his marriage certificate with Zeng Huijun.
Interestingly, Bai Xue got her marriage certificate on the same day as Xu Kaisheng, as if she were doing it out of spite.
“Bai Xue’s actions, she must still have Brother Xu in her heart. She didn’t just marry herself off in a fit of pique, did she? No, I have to ask my mother who Bai Xue’s second husband is,” Yang Xiaorou said, sitting at Ye Qingzhi’s house for a while, then leaving in a hurry.
She made a phone call, so she came back very quickly. “I’ve found out. Bai Xue married the second son of the Wu family. You might not know, but this Second Son Wu has always liked Bai Xue, but Bai Xue did not like him. I didn’t expect that after all this, Second Son Wu still got the beauty.”
“If that’s the case, Bai Xue will be very happy in the future. You should be happy for her,” Gu Yao said with a smile.
“Yes, if it’s Second Son Wu, he will definitely be good to Bai Xue,” she said. Even without a child, Second Son Wu would not divorce Bai Xue.
At night, after Ye Qingzhi had washed up and was about to go back to her room to sleep, she saw Xu Kaisheng come over, braving the cold wind.
“Where’s Old He?” Xu Kaisheng asked directly.
“He’s taking a shower. Is it urgent? I’ll go and call him now,” Ye Qingzhi said. Seeing him nod, she quickly went to the bathroom to call He Qiming out.
Hearing that Xu Kaisheng was looking for him, He Qiming quickly took a shower, put on his clothes, and ran out.
“Old He, there’s an urgent mission. We’ll talk on the way,” Xu Kaisheng said, nodding at Ye Qingzhi and waiting for He Qiming outside the door.
“Qiming?” Ye Qingzhi asked, looking at him with concern.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon,” He Qiming said, hugging Ye Qingzhi and kissing her forehead, then turning and leaving quickly.
“Ma, where’s Dad?” Ye Anmin asked, coming out from the room when he heard the noise.
“There’s an urgent mission for your dad. It’s fine. You should go back to sleep. Tell Jingyan and Anjie not to worry,” she said. Although she said that to the children, Ye Qingzhi herself tossed and turned all night and did not sleep well.
The next morning, when Li Jinfeng and the others came to find Ye Qingzhi, they saw her haggard face and bloodshot eyes and were all curious.
“Did you go out and do something bad last night? Why do you look so haggard?” Li Jinfeng asked, looking her up and down.
“You didn’t sleep well last night?” Yang Xiaorou asked, knowing the reason. She sighed softly. “It’s common to go on an urgent mission. You have to get used to it slowly.”
“Did Regiment Commander He go on an urgent mission?” Li Jinfeng asked, nodding in understanding. “Qingzhi, Xiaorou is right. You have to get used to it slowly. You can’t be so worried every time Regiment Commander He goes on a mission. Sooner or later, your own body will collapse.”
Gu Yao also persuaded her, “Don’t worry. It’s not like before. It’s not that dangerous.”
This was not something they could just comfort her about and make her not worry. She had to figure it out herself.
Fortunately, He Qiming came back the next night. He held Ye Qingzhi and kissed her for a while, telling her not to worry.
“Wife, in a couple of days, I have to go out again. This time, it’s just an ordinary mission. You really don’t have to worry,” He Qiming said, holding Ye Qingzhi’s hand and kissing the back of it. “This time, it might be a little longer. I’ll have someone send a message to you to report that I’m safe.”
“Then you must report that you’re safe,” Ye Qingzhi said, hugging He Qiming and saying seriously.
He Qiming had been gone for more than half a month. During this time, he had sent a message to Ye Qingzhi to report that he was safe, and then there was no more news.
“Qingzhi, don’t worry. My Old Li is with Brother He. They’ve been old partners for many years and have a good understanding. They’ll definitely be fine,” Gu Yao said with a smile, comforting her.
“That’s right. And my Old Shen is also there. He’s smart. With him making plans, the only ones who will be unlucky will be the enemy,” Yang Xiaorou said proudly.
“I’m not worried, really,” Ye Qingzhi said with a laugh, looking at them. She really wasn’t that worried this time.
Another half a month passed. During this time, Ye Qingzhi had not received a single safety letter from He Qiming. This time, she was really a little worried.
Not only her, but Yang Xiaorou and Gu Yao also started to worry. They secretly prayed to the gods and Buddhas, hoping to bless He Qiming and the others to return safely.