It was already ten o'clock at night, and Xu Shu and Lin Yao were lying down talking when a rustling sound suddenly came from the courtyard.
Lin Yao was startled and shrank into Xu Shu's arms, her fingers gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.
"What's all that noise in the middle of the night?"
The sound was like someone walking on tiptoe, or like the crunching of teeth biting into something hard, and it was especially clear in the quiet night.
Xu Shu frowned and sat up, groping around on the edge of the bed before finally finding his slippers.
He reached into the corner of the wall and touched an iron shovel. "Don't be afraid, I'll go take a look."
He lowered his voice to comfort him, but his own voice was trembling.
Lin Yao shakily grabbed the flashlight from the bedside table, and it took several tries to get a dim yellow light on.
She jogged after Xu Shu, the sunlight shimmering on his broad back.
"Could it be a rat? If it is, just smash it with a shovel!"
"Hmm! I reckon this rat is quite big!"
Xu Shu's throat tightened, and he swallowed hard.
He tightened his grip on the shovel and slowly pushed open the door.
Squeak—
The old wooden door made a sound, and as the flashlight beam swept across the ground, a pair of worn-out canvas shoes came into view.
The uppers of the shoes were worn white; they were the same pair that Old Xu usually wore.
Xu Shu's head buzzed. He saw his father hunched over on the ground, his withered fingers pinching half a braised pig's trotter and stuffing it into his mouth.
Xu Shu suddenly felt extremely embarrassed, both ashamed and ashamed, and even his voice changed tone.
"Yaoyao, it's so dangerous. You stay inside, I'll go check it out!"
He snatched the flashlight from Lin Yao's hand and pushed her back into the house.
After slamming the door shut, he rushed to his father's side, bent down, and tried to pull him up.
"Dad! What are you doing! We thought it was a mouse! We almost killed it with a shovel!"
Xu Shu lowered his voice, sounding both anxious and annoyed.
Old Xu was suddenly pulled up by his son, and the pig's trotter fell to the ground with a "thud," covered in dust.
He didn't seem to mind, wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve, took a big bite of meat, and laughed indistinctly.
"Dad was thinking that there's still a lot of meat in these pig's trotters, and it would be a shame to just throw them away! You know, Dad loves them the most!"
Xu Shu felt somewhat helpless.
"You can't just come to our doorstep in the middle of the night to pick things up! Didn't I tell you? Yao Yao is a city girl, she can't stand seeing you like this! Alright, alright, go back now!"
As he spoke, he pushed his father toward the courtyard gate, afraid that Lin Yao might suddenly come out.
After sending his father back to his house, Xu Shu wiped his face and forced himself to remain calm as he returned to his room.
Lin Yao was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes full of doubt.
He scratched his head, his eyes darting around.
"It's your dad. He saw that it was getting windy outside and was worried you'd catch a cold, so he wanted to remind you to cover yourself with more blankets!"
Lin Yao originally disliked her father-in-law the most because of his yellow teeth, but after Xu Shu said that, her dislike for him immediately increased.
She pursed her lips and poked Xu Shu's chest with her finger.
"I never imagined your dad, who seems so dull, could be so caring. Now I finally understand why you're so good at taking care of people."
Xu Shu took the opportunity to grab her fingers and gently kissed the fingertips. "Of course, but I only love you!"
Lin Yao blushed with amusement and was about to say something when Xu Shu suddenly became serious.
"By the way, Yao Yao, my parents are here. When will your parents arrive?"
Lin Yao bit her lip, feeling somewhat uneasy.
"I didn't dare tell them myself, so I asked my brother to pass on the message. He should be here in a couple of days. But when they come over and find out that you and I have registered our marriage, they'll definitely be angry. You'll have to make them happy!"
With money from his family, Xu Shu felt more confident and patted his chest.
"Don't worry! By the way, didn't you say you wanted to hold it at a state-run restaurant? I've already told my parents, and they're willing! I'll make sure the wedding is grand and impressive, and your parents definitely won't be angry anymore!"
Lin Yao's eyes darted around, and a smug smile appeared on her face.
“The state-run restaurants are too far away and too expensive. Yesterday I went to see Director Zhou. Although she is no longer the director, she is still the wife of the political commissar and can talk to the logistics department. It has been arranged that our wedding banquet will be held in the military auditorium, and the meals will be in the military region canteen! She will help arrange everything.”
She tilted her head back, her chin slightly raised, "No matter what, I'm a doctor at the military dependents' district health center, so I'm qualified!"
Xu Shu pulled Lin Yao into his arms and kissed her hard on the forehead.
"That's great, Yao Yao! You really know how to manage money! We don't need to spend money renting the military auditorium anymore, and the military canteen is definitely more affordable than the state-run restaurant! It'll also make us look good!"
Lin Yao leaned against Xu Shu's chest, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips.
Only she knew that this wedding wasn't just about saving money.
A few days ago, she specifically asked Qiu Chunfang about it. After Zhou Qiqi came to join the army, the two of them did not hold a wedding or even a proper ceremony. They just started living together directly.
Many military wives didn't even know that Commander Shen had gotten married until Qiu Chunfang "publicized" his story.
Zhou Qiqi had surpassed her in many ways.
Now, she finally has a chance to vent her anger!
She's going to throw a big wedding and give Zhou Qiqi a good slap in the face! She'll win against Zhou Qiqi in a grand and glorious way!
Both men had their own ulterior motives, but they were both extremely satisfied with the decision.
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