Chapter 126 Wedding Plans Fall Through 2: His engagement to the Wu family's granddaughter was cancelled...

At lunchtime, Wu Meinian made a special trip back to the villa.

Today is a workday, and none of the Wu family members who have jobs or studies came back for dinner.

In the large living room, there was only Wu Cichou, the retired old man, his three good-for-nothing grandsons, and a granddaughter who had been specially invited over for dinner.

Wu Meinian was a little helpless. Looking at the old man with a worried expression in the living room, she could only sit down next to him and try to persuade him: "Dad, my eldest sister wants me to tell you that Wenzhuo already has a girlfriend over there. If you suddenly ask my eldest sister to bring him back, they won't be able to explain it to the girl."

Wu Cichou, his face dark, reluctantly opened his eyes and glanced at her: "You think I don't know? Things have come to this point, and Wen Zhuo is the only one I can still offer. Your son is too young, and you don't have custody of him. What can I do?"

Wu Meinian smiled awkwardly. Indeed, she was divorced and had left the children with her ex-husband. Given her in-laws' temperament, they would absolutely not allow the Wu family to interfere in her children's marriage.

He could only sigh and try a different approach, saying, "In my opinion, a marriage alliance isn't necessary, is it? Shen Qinghuai's daughter is only eighteen years old. Isn't it a bit too early to talk about these things now?"

Wu Cichou couldn't help but sneer: "Do you think I don't want to? Pay money to bribe her? Do you think that will work? Old Wen is such a shrewd person, he would never be interested in a profit-driven junior."

“If we can’t bribe her, how about letting Lily try? They’re about the same age, and Lily happens to be a police academy student. After she graduates this summer, we can have Lily go to the police dog base to get in touch with her. They’ll have a working relationship then, and maybe they can become good friends.” Wu Meinian really didn’t want to see her older sister in a difficult position, so she could only try to think of other ways.

Wu Cichou rolled his eyes: "Does Lily listen to you? Or to me? Don't you know how much of a decision that child has?"

“But Dad—” Wu Meinian wanted to try again, after all, her older sister didn’t want to offend anyone.

Unexpectedly, Wu Cichou interrupted her directly: "Alright, you don't need to say anymore. There are countless ways to exchange benefits in this world, but none of them are as solid as marriage. As long as we persist for two years, and when that woman surnamed Qiu is old enough to get a marriage certificate and have children, we'll tie her to our family's boat completely, and that will be the end of it."

Wu Meinian fell silent. The logic was sound, but the child might not be willing to accept it.

In this day and age, many girls pursue individuality and value self-realization, and may not be willing to enter into marriage so early, thus putting themselves at a disadvantage.

In short, she wasn't optimistic about this approach, so she asked tactfully, "What if Qiu Xiaoman isn't willing? Or... or what if someone else makes the first move?"

This was what Wu Cichou was most worried about. His face, which was usually well-maintained, suddenly showed several deep wrinkles, each one a sign of a bad premonition.

After a long silence, he could only lift his eyelids and look at his grandson with dyed yellow hair sitting on the opposite sofa. This kid was the seventh among the Wu family's grandchildren, and he was nineteen years old this year. Although he was not a good student, he had not done anything bad, and he was considered one of the few with clean hands.

This kid's biggest flaw is that he doesn't like studying and doesn't want to work. His biggest strength is that he's quick-witted, has a sharp mind, and is quite intuitive about changes in business trends.

So this kid is really good at making money; he's made money in the stock market several times. This means the elders in the family can't say anything to him—after all, he can support himself, doesn't steal or rob, and is a law-abiding citizen, unlike others who have some kind of trouble or a dirty past. Even worse, some are currently doing shady things.

Fortunately, Wu Cichou built a vast network of relationships through bribery, mutual promotion of each other's family members, and marriage alliances; otherwise, the Wu family would have collapsed long ago.

Putting everything else aside, just the things the eldest son did are enough to bring bad luck to the whole family for eight generations.

Thinking of this, Wu Cichou sighed silently and called out, "Seventh Brother, didn't you raise a Tibetan Mastiff?"

Old Wu was handsome with fair skin and red lips, but unfortunately, he had a head of blond hair, making him look particularly rebellious and eccentric. At the moment, he was playing a video game. Hearing this, he didn't even look up and asked, "What's wrong, Grandpa? Don't you dare try anything with me. I'm still young. Besides, all the girls these days are spoiled and pampered. I don't want to be a burden to them. I've already decided that I will never get married. I'll be a bachelor. I'll be single and have nothing to worry about. I won't be a burden to you."

Wu Cichou glared angrily, but after a moment of restraint, he asked, "Doesn't your Tibetan Mastiff poop and pee everywhere? Why don't you use that as an excuse to get close to that Qiu Xiaoman?"

Wu Laoqi laughed: "Grandpa, what are you thinking? They don't even know me. Even if my aunt introduces them, it's just a one-time encounter, and we have no real relationship. Why would they help me train the dog?"

"No need for your aunt's introduction. When your Uncle Chen comes over for dinner this weekend, take the initiative and sit next to him." Wu Cichou had to make two preparations. If his only presentable grandson was unwilling to come back, he could only let his grandchildren approach Qiu Xiaoman first and try to become friends.

In this way, we can keep track of Qiu Xiaoman's movements, cultivate a relationship, and drag things out for a while. Maybe the eldest grandson will break up with her.

Even if they don't break up, their other grandchildren and great-grandchildren will grow up, and they will have other options then, so they won't be too passive.

In short, the matter was settled. To end this pointless argument, he held up five fingers: "I'll give you this amount after it's done."

Wu Laoqi finally looked up, glanced at his grandfather, and laughed, "Fifty thousand? I'm not going."

"Five hundred thousand." Wu Cichou knew what kind of person his grandson was. Although the kid didn't like going to work, he was obsessed with making money.

Sure enough, 500,000 was a very tempting number. Wu Laoqi smiled and bargained, saying, "500,000 is not auspicious enough, 660,000!"

"Alright, alright, six hundred and sixty thousand." The old man compromised. Anyway, the money was going to his grandson, not to outsiders, so it wasn't a loss.

Old Wu, taking advantage of the situation, said, "I don't believe empty words. Give me the money first."

Wu Cichou nodded readily: "I'll transfer the money to you after we finish eating."

Wu Laoqi laughed: "Okay, I'll go with you. By the way, Grandpa, when is Qiu Xiaoman free?"

"I don't know, she went to the army. We'll ask your Uncle Chen when he gets here." Wu Cichou glanced at the black car parked in the yard, knowing that Fang Jiadong had arrived, and waved his hand, telling his granddaughter to go out and see.

Poor Fang Jiadong, he had no idea that the Wu family was preparing a trap for him. He even bought some tonics for Wu Cichou and a set of earrings for his girlfriend.

When he sat down to eat, he realized he had been met with indifference.

In front of him, Wu Cichou called his grandfather and canceled his marriage to Wu's granddaughter.

In the end, he pretended to be a good person and said that as compensation, he could be transferred to the Economic Crime Investigation Detachment as a deputy squadron leader.

All of this happened so suddenly that Fang Jiadong was completely unprepared. He could only take the phone and see what his grandfather had to say.

Unexpectedly, his grandfather told him to be grateful for the Wu family's support and to work hard in the Economic Crime Investigation Division.

With things having come to this point, Fang Jiadong had no choice but to accept his fate.

The most regrettable thing is that a good marriage that was within reach slipped away, after all, power can be passed down through blood.

As long as he has a child with someone from the Wu family...

Okay, let's leave it at that for now and find another opportunity later.

He forced a smile, picked up his chopsticks, and although every dish looked and smelled delicious, it tasted like cardboard to him.

*

Qiu Xiaoman refueled halfway and quickly left the Beidu urban area. Fortunately, her system had a built-in map, so she could clearly see her current location.

She had entered the province of Behe, and after many twists and turns, she finally stopped in a remote mountain area.

Inside, there is a complete set of modern architectural facilities, but it is not visible from the outside. You have to go through a guard post and pass through a long and narrow entrance to see traces of modern civilization.

To use a vivid analogy, this place is like a gourd, with the entrance being the gourd's mouth and the troop encampment being the gourd's two bellies.

The belly near the mouth contains meeting rooms, canteens, dormitories, classrooms, indoor training grounds, recreation rooms, etc., while the large belly next to it is a row of special training grounds.

Climbing walls, obstacle courses, artificial swamps, forests...

It looks very professional.

Qiu Xiaoman parked the car in the parking lot at the entrance and followed Deputy Captain Sun inside, not letting her curiosity get the better of her by asking around.

This piqued Deputy Captain Sun's interest, and he asked with a smile, "Don't you want to ask anything?"

"I'm only responsible for training the dogs," Qiu Xiaoman gave a perfect answer.

Deputy Squad Leader Sun smiled broadly, returning the salutes to passing soldiers and officers as he walked.

Qiu Xiaoman followed suit, sincerely expressing his respect for the People's Liberation Army soldiers.

Soon, Qiu Xiaoman followed Deputy Captain Sun to a three-story office building and entered the captain's office on the top floor.

After knocking, a strong voice rang out from inside: "Come in."

Deputy Captain Sun pushed open the door, went in first to report the situation, and then invited Qiu Xiaoman in. He was meticulous and disciplined.

Naturally, Qiu Xiaoman also had to restrain herself in the same way, and wouldn't ask a single question that she shouldn't.

Soon, Captain Lu introduced himself and then handed her a task sheet.

There are twelve dogs here, and they need to be trained to become top-notch bomb disposal and drug detection dogs within two months.

As for where these dogs will go on their mission two months from now, don't ask, they won't tell you even if you do.

Qiu Xiaoman signed his temporary work permit and then followed Deputy Captain Sun to the logistics department to get his meal card before going to the canteen for dinner.

Deputy Captain Sun explained, "Your meal card has been pre-loaded with two months' worth of food allowance. You can order whatever you want to eat. You'll stay here tonight and won't go back home. You'll have one day off each week, but you need to be back before lights out that night. Can you do that?"

Qiu Xiaoman understood that this was military-style management, and it was to be expected.

She nodded and asked curiously, "Do I need to run and train with you?"

“You can participate in the morning exercises, but you don’t need to do any other training. By the way, we originally had two trainers here, but they couldn’t train five problem dogs no matter what they did. The other seven also have more or less minor issues, and they can’t reach the top level. However, these dogs are all exceptionally fit, so don’t worry. For the next two months, you will work with the other two trainers to train these twelve dogs to be up to standard.” Deputy Captain Sun was very approachable, and always had a smile on his face when he spoke.

Qiu Xiaoman asked curiously, "If those five dogs can't be trained properly, shouldn't we consider getting a different one?"

"We're not considering it for now. Our mission is very challenging, and these twelve dogs were carefully selected based on their physical condition. Since you have the ability to communicate with the dogs, then give it a try. Try not to replace them. If we replace them with other dogs, they might not be able to endure the hardships of the special environment," Deputy Captain Sun said tactfully.

However, Qiu Xiaoman had already guessed it.

The mission requires bomb disposal and drug detection, which most likely means a devastating blow to a cross-border drug trafficking gang.

Such gangs are typically active along the Yunnan border.

It seems that the military region of Beidu is going to join forces with Yunnan.

Although there are police dogs in Yunnan, the special forces want to prepare their own batch of military dogs to avoid any lack of coordination when needed.

This line of thinking is absolutely correct.

So Qiu Xiaoman decided to take on the challenge. She followed them to the cafeteria window, picked out two dishes at random with her plate, and said, "Take me to see them after we finish eating. I need to know what kind of personalities they have so I can communicate and train them in a targeted way."

"No problem." Deputy Captain Sun had also gotten his food and went straight to a seat in the corner.

It was past lunchtime, so the two of them ordered the last leftovers to make do with.

Seeing that she showed no sign of dissatisfaction, Deputy Captain Sun was quite pleased and said with a smile, "You're late at noon, so I'll arrange two stir-fries for dinner to welcome you back properly."

"It's okay, I'm not picky about food." Qiu Xiaoman smiled and picked up a piece of stir-fried bean sprouts with shredded pork. The taste was alright.

After finishing the meal, I followed Deputy Captain Sun to the kennel.

They were all Kunming dogs; it seems she guessed right.

This is a dog breed that my country began to cultivate independently in the 1950s, in order to adapt to the special climate and complex terrain of the southwest region. Therefore, this breed has a clear advantage over other breeds - a compact body and hind legs that are closer to upright. This flat-back body shape reduces unnecessary energy consumption and greatly improves endurance. Therefore, the Kunming dog is very good at long-distance running.

Furthermore, their thin faces and long snouts give them a greater advantage in bomb disposal and drug detection.

Their ears are large and thin, and their hearing is exceptionally acute, allowing them to capture subtle changes in the surrounding environment. Combined with their keen sense of smell, this enables them to quickly, accurately, and reliably pinpoint the enemy's location.

However, such breeds are inevitably characterized by high excitability; they are very fierce and aggressive, and sometimes naturally disobedient.

Fortunately, although they have difficult personalities, their physical fitness is top-notch. They have very few genetic diseases and their hip joint development is much better than that of German Shepherds.

Therefore, this breed of dog has a unique advantage when fighting in the southwestern mountainous areas.

Qiu Xiaoman, who grew up in the mountainous region of Southwest China, is naturally more familiar with the characteristics of Kunming dogs than other trainers.

She glanced around and noticed that the twelve Kunming dogs here were only of two colors—wolf blue and straw yellow.

I probably didn't choose it because the black-backed color is easily confused with German Shepherds.

She walked over and greeted each of the dogs.

After getting to know the dog, she finally decided to rest for a while and followed Deputy Captain Sun to the dormitory.

Fortunately, there were a few female soldiers in the special forces, so she was assigned to the female soldiers' dormitory and moved into a double room on the second floor.

After knocking and pushing the door open, I found a female soldier sitting by the window reading a book. She had a buzz cut, wore a thin shirt, and was leaning against the radiator, looking quite content.

Qiu Xiaoman introduced herself: "Hello, I'm Qiu Xiaoman, a military dog ​​trainer who's temporarily helping out. May I ask your name?"

The woman looked up and said calmly, "Yang Miaomiao, just call me Sister Miao."

Qiu Xiaoman nodded, carried the bedding she had just received to the empty bed, and, finding nothing to say, simply took off her shoes and went to take a nap.

She had just lain down when the phone rang. She picked up the mobile phone and said hello.

Shen Qinghuai's yawning voice came from the other end: "Xiaoman, Captain Meng said you went to the special forces? When are you coming back?"

"I'll have a day off this weekend, but I just arrived and it's already Friday, so I guess I'll have to wait until next week to rest."

"You're staying at the military base?"

"Um."

Do you need me to send you some clothes and bedding?

"I brought a set of clothes, but I didn't know I would be staying here, so I didn't bring enough. Could you bring me two sets? As for bedding, we have some here."

"So you rejected the Wu family, right?"

“I refused. Go by yourself. I don’t think they have any good intentions. If they want to introduce me to someone, just make it clear that I won’t date or get married before I’m thirty.”

"Is thirty too late? How about twenty-six?"

"I'm thirty. Thirty is the age to establish oneself. Besides, I said this to shut them up. Do you expect them to keep track of my time with a calendar, controlling whether I'm a day over or under?

"Okay, thirty it is then. By the way, the key to your room—"

"I forgot to save one for you. I'll give it to you when you bring me the clothes later."

"Where should I take you? To the military base? Will they let me in from there?"

"I don't know, I'll ask around and call you back later."

"Okay, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

“There’s a cat. I promised to bring her food, but I couldn’t find her when I went there. Could you keep an eye out for her when you go to the Wu family’s for dinner?”

"What does it look like?"

"A calico cat, female, heavily pregnant, about to give birth."

"What if they were there?"

"Find a way to bring her back! I promised to take care of her!"

"I might not be very good at it, but I'll try my best."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Shen."

After hanging up the phone, Qiu Xiaoman realized the battery was almost dead, so she quickly got out of bed to find a power strip.

The beds here are all bunk beds with desks underneath. As I got down, Yang Miaomiao's curious voice came from behind me: "President Chen? Which President Chen are you talking about?"

"Shen Qinghuai." Qiu Xiaoman took out a charger from her canvas bag to keep her mobile phone running.

Yang Miaomiao seemed to remember something and asked, "You're from the police dog base, right? Is your captain Meng Heping?"

"Yes. You know them?" Qiu Xiaoman didn't get on the bed, but turned around and sat in front of the table, looking at the female soldier whose rank was unknown.

Yang Miaomiao smiled slightly: "Of course I know Shen Qinghuai, he has business dealings with my dad. Meng Heping is my cousin's classmate, let's get acquainted. Didn't you guys save a girl named Yang Mengmeng before? That's my sister."

Qiu Xiaoman suddenly realized: "So you're Yang Mengmeng's older sister. No wonder your names sound so similar."

Yang Miaomiao changed the subject: "I don't go back often, but I heard that Shen Qinghuai has a daughter who was abandoned outside, surnamed Qiu, but I didn't pay attention to her name. Is that you?"

Qiu Xiaoman smiled but did not give a direct answer.

Yang Miaomiao laughed and said, "It's okay not to talk about it. People who have been abandoned are all superstitious about these things."

Judging from this conversation, it seems Yang Miaomiao was also abandoned? However, Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to pry into other people's privacy, so she didn't ask.

She pointed to the top bunk: "I'm going to sleep now, I'm a little sleepy, let's talk later."

"Why don't you call Shen Qinghuai? I'm off this weekend, I'll come get your clothes for you, he can't deliver them." Yang Miaomiao was ready to lend a hand, since living alone was quite boring anyway, it would be good to have someone to keep her company.

Qiu Xiaoman picked up the mobile phone, dialed the number, and handed it to Yang Miaomiao.

Yang Miaomiao was very impolite and addressed him by his first name.

Shen Qinghuai laughed: "It's Miaomiao. When did she join the special forces? Your dad never mentioned it to me."

“He no longer cares about his previous wife’s child, so of course he won’t mention me.” Yang Miaomiao was clearly dissatisfied with Shen Qinghuai, and her words were somewhat sharp.

Shen Qinghuai smiled awkwardly: "You're overthinking it, kid. Your father isn't that kind of person."

“Of course you know him better than I do,” Yang Miaomiao said bluntly. “Your daughter lives in my dorm. Get her clothes ready, and I’ll pick them up from downstairs at your company this weekend.”

"Okay." Shen Qinghuai forced a smile and asked, "Over there, are you an ordinary soldier, or..."

"Captain, I can take care of your daughter, don't worry. I'm not like you, unwilling to help with even the smallest favor." Yang Miaomiao said, then hung up the phone.

There is no doubt that the two have a past grudge.

Qiu Xiaoman, however, restrained her curiosity and did not ask any more questions. She fell asleep less than two minutes after getting into bed.

On the contrary, Yang Miaomiao was quite angry.

When Qiu Xiaoman woke up, Yang Miaomiao had already gone out to train.

In the large room, Qiu Xiaoman was all alone, so she could indulge her curiosity without worry.

She called Shen Qinghuai: "Do you have a grudge against Yang Miaomiao?"

"Your aunt's best friend stole her father."

"No wonder she said she was abandoned... It's okay, go on, what does this have to do with you?"

"She cried and begged me to persuade her father not to get a divorce, but I couldn't persuade him."

"So that's why she hates you?"

"Not only that, when her mother was suicidal, she also called me. I was on a business trip abroad at the time and couldn't come back in time, so I let you... let Liang Yuting go. I don't know what Liang Yuting said to her mother, but anyway, her mother readily got a divorce, took the money and ran away, never to return."

It's no wonder Yang Miaomiao would hold a grudge against Shen Qinghuai, since Liang Yuting had successfully persuaded them to break up.

For a child who hopes their parents will stay married, this is like the end of the world.

Qiu Xiaoman sighed silently: "Are you still going to ask her to bring me clothes?"

"There's nothing I can do, I'll just have to apologize to her a few more times." Shen Qinghuai said, both amused and exasperated. Then, remembering something important, he reminded her, "Jiang Mingyuan told me that Fang Jiadong has been transferred to the Economic Crime Investigation Division."

"He's stopped training dogs?"

"Who knows him?"

Why was he suddenly transferred?

"I heard it was compensation from the Wu family, and his marriage to the Wu family was called off."

"The Wu family must be so powerful, with connections everywhere!"

"Didn't I say that their family has intermarried with several other large families? They are very well-connected. Some things that you find unbelievable are just commonplace for them."

Qiu Xiaoman was a little angry but helpless, and asked, "Is it because of Chai Dafei that you kicked Fang Jiadong?"

That's most likely the case.

Where is Chai Dafei now?

"He's been arrested."

"It's somewhat ironic that they were arrested only because they offended the Wu family."

"Son, don't rush. Finish the mission with the military first. I'll find a way to gather evidence for you in the next two months. If you want to take down this big tree, you'll have to be patient."

“I understand. You should also be careful. I don’t want to help you raise your child.”

This is a subtle way of saying that we hope he will live.

Shen Qinghuai replied with a smile, "Don't worry, the wronged will be held accountable, and I will take full responsibility for the four of them."

"Good to know." Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone and went to find the twelve Kunming dogs.

Upon arriving at the training ground, I saw a wolf-gray Kunming dog chasing a handler in military uniform, looking as if it was about to bite him.

Qiu Xiaoman rushed forward to act as a peacemaker between the man and the dog.