Chapter 61 This man isn't all that bastard.
When the old man asked Qiao Xingyue if she wanted to join the army as a military wife, Qiao Xingyue glanced at Xie Zhongming beside her.
He was still holding the four bundles of money that she had just taken from Zeng Xiuzhu's box. Except for one bundle which was in yuan notes, the rest were all in ten-yuan notes, which amounted to about three or four thousand yuan. The villagers were all watching him.
Every villager's eyes gleamed, as if they were saying: How can this man be so rich!
She mumbled a response, "Mmm."
Qiao Xingyue kept it a secret from everyone, and there was no need for these people to know that she and Xie Zhongming were preparing for a divorce.
Anyway, she has already achieved her goal of attracting everyone here today, letting everyone prove that she is Fatty and criticizing Zeng Xiuzhu.
"Grandpa, Auntie, Sister-in-law, thank you for speaking up for me just now. I'm so grateful to you."
"Fatty, come back and visit more often when you have time. After all, this is our hometown. I heard you gave birth to twin daughters for Commander Xie. Bring them back to see them too."
Qiao Xingyue: "I'm not coming back. Zeng Xiuzhu and Liu Dazhu will eat me alive."
"That's true. Your mother beat you from childhood to adulthood, and your brother beat you too. It's better that he didn't come back. Now you have Commander Xie. Live a good life with Commander Xie."
"The way this chubby girl looks after losing weight really makes her a perfect match for Commander Xie."
"That's called a perfect match, not a good match between a talented man and a beautiful woman."
“I didn’t study much, but now that Fatty has lost weight, she and Commander Xie look very well-matched.”
Qiao Xingyue thought to herself, if she were still that fat and ugly girl weighing over 200 pounds, the villagers would probably say that she was a toad trying to eat swan meat and was not worthy of such an outstanding and handsome man as Xie Zhongming.
However, Qiao Xingyue stopped worrying about it.
She waved her hand decisively, "Folks, I'm leaving."
Before leaving, Qiao Xingyue didn't forget to pick a handful of plums from in front of the Liu family's courtyard.
Those plums are so sweet! They're grown without pesticides or fertilizers, purely naturally sweet. One bite and your mouth is filled with honey-like juice.
Just as Qiao Xingyue was taking a bite of a plum, Liu Dazhu's wife, Jinhua, holding her four-month pregnant belly, came forward with a smile and said:
“Fatty, I’m your sister-in-law. Look, this is your first time coming home, how can you not come in and have a meal at home? I’ll have your brother go kill a chicken and prepare lunch.”
Liu Dazhu looked at Jinhua and quickly retorted, "That won't do, Hua'er. That chicken is for you to eat during your postpartum period. It would be a waste to give it to Pangya."
"Your sister finally came home, and I asked you to slaughter the chickens in the coop, so hurry up and do it." Jin Hua held her stomach with one hand and shoved Liu Dazhu with the other.
He glared at Liu Dazhu, then glanced at the bundles of yuan in Xie Zhongming's arms, and kept giving Liu Dazhu meaningful looks.
It was obvious to anyone that Jin Hua was after the bundles of money in Xie Zhongming's arms.
Liu Dazhu was a simpleton and had no idea what "golden flower" meant.
"No, I have to save this chicken for you."
Jin Hua was about to say something more when Qiao Xingyue interrupted, "I'm not eating anymore, Liu Dazhu's wife. I was kicked out of the Liu family by Zeng Xiuzhu and Liu Dazhu. At that time, they kicked me out of the house despite my pregnancy, so I was no longer a member of the Liu family. Therefore, you are not my sister-in-law, and don't even think about taking these bundles of money. This is what my husband sent back to Chadian Village for me to live on over the years, and Zeng Xiuzhu took it all. Today, I'm taking it back openly and honestly."
Qiao Xingyue repeatedly mentioned that Xie Zhongming was her man.
Xie Zhongming, standing beside him, smiled several times.
Suddenly, I felt that even the wind in this tea shop village was sweet, and my heart was filled with sweetness too.
After Qiao Xingyue finished speaking, she pulled Xie Zhongming away, leaving Jin Hua, who was unwilling and angry, to pinch Liu Dazhu hard.
"I asked you to kill the chicken so that you could get the money that Fatty took back. How could you be so stupid?"
"Now look what's happened, all the money is gone, how am I supposed to live with you?"
"And your mother really fooled me. She told me she only had a few hundred yuan in savings, but when Fatty searched her place, she found three bundles of unpaid bills and one bundle of one-yuan bills. That's at least three or four thousand yuan. If your mother had given me the money earlier, would Fatty have been able to steal it?"
“Since the money is gone, we’re not going to live like this anymore. Liu Dazhu, when your mother comes back, tell her that whenever she returns the money that Fatty took, she’ll give it all to me, and that’s when I’ll come back to live with you.”
With that, Jin Hua casually packed her bags and left the Liu family.
Liu Dazhu panicked. What should he do?
"Hua, don't go, Hua, you're still pregnant."
"Get out of the way. If you don't get your money back, I'll abort your Liu family's offspring."
...
Qiao Xingyue and Xie Zhongming walked along the country road back to the village guesthouse.
Seeing that Xie Zhongming was carrying several bundles of money in his arms, which was too conspicuous, Qiao Xingyue stopped on the ridge and said, "This money can't be so conspicuous. Take off your shirt and put the money away."
"Okay, whatever you say." Xie Zhongming quickly took off the grass-green military uniform shirt he was wearing on the outside.
It was a shirt made from an old military uniform; the badges on the shoulders had long been removed. Although it was a bit old, it was washed very clean.
After taking off his short-sleeved shirt, Xie Zhongming was left with only a white vest tucked into his military green trousers, which made his tall and imposing figure appear even more robust.
The white vest clung to his waist and abdomen, highlighting the increasingly firm and powerful muscles in his waist and abdomen.
He used his light green shirt, which he had taken off, to quickly wrap up three bundles of "Great Unity" notes and one bundle of "Yuan" notes.
The sun was blazing overhead.
Damp sweat trickled down his straight neck and soaked into his vest; Xie Zhongming was now drenched in sweat.
Qiao Xingyue quickly took out a handkerchief from her canvas bag and handed it to him, saying, "You're covered in sweat, wipe it off."
Xie Ming took the handkerchief, and when it accidentally touched her hand, he felt as if he had been burned and quickly pulled it back, his ear tips immediately turning red. "Thank you!"
Seeing that his ears were red, Qiao Xingyue recalled the first time she performed surgery on him in Shantang Village. When she took off his pants, he looked just as shy.
This man clearly has a handsome face with a tough and resolute look, and his whole body is covered in firm and powerful muscles. However, he is thin-skinned, and the way his ears are red creates a strong contrast with his military bearing, making him look rather cute with his shyness.
"The sun will get stronger soon, let's hurry back." As Qiao Xingyue turned and walked away, her smile shone brightly in the sunlight.
This man is quite amusing when he's shy.
I don't know if it's because all gay men these days are as simple and honest as him, but he was actually shy just because his fingers touched him.
The sun beats down fiercely on the paddy field ridges.
Qiao Xingyue walked in front, and Xie Zhongming walked behind. Whether it was because she had gotten more than three thousand yuan back from Zeng Xiuzhu, or because Xie Zhongming was funny when he was shy, Qiao Xingyue actually felt that the sun was not so hot.
On the contrary, I felt that she and Xie Zhongming walking one after the other was quite pleasant.
Xie Zhongming, who was walking behind, didn't even look at the road he was walking on; his gaze was fixed on Qiao Xingyue.
He couldn't bear to use the handkerchief Qiao Xingyue handed him to wipe his sweat; he carefully held it in his hand.
Back at the village guesthouse, Xie Zhongming quickly fetched a basin of hot water, wrung out a hot towel, and handed it to Qiao Xingyue. "Xingyue, wash your face and wipe your sweat."
Coming back from outside in the sweltering summer heat, my body was covered in sticky sweat.
Washing your face and wiping your arms and neck with a hot towel does indeed make you feel much cooler.
Qiao Xingyue took the towel and washed her face. Xie Zhongming then poured her a bowl of hot water. "Xingyue, have some water."
"You should wash your face too," Qiao Xingyue said, wringing out her washcloth. "I'll go get you another basin of hot water."
She wanted to change his water, but Xie Zhongming took his own towel, took the enamel basin from her, placed it on the stool, and soaked his own towel directly in it.
"I washed those..." Qiao Xingyue tried to stop her, but it was too late.
She remembered that Aunt Liu brought over noodles that morning, but only took one bowl. Xie Zhongming didn't mind that the noodles were ones she had eaten from and the chopsticks were ones she had used. After she finished eating, he ate what was left over.
At this moment, Xie Zhongming quickly wrung out his washcloth from the enamel basin, saying, "It's alright, the water is clean."
Because of the way he wrung out the towel, his forearm muscles taut out smooth lines.
He then washed his face, tilted his head back slightly, and his neck immediately formed a clean and upright curve. The bluish veins were faintly visible under his wheat-colored skin. When the rough towel wiped his Adam's apple, it rolled gently, with a nonchalant air, which made Qiao Xingyue unable to look away.
It has to be said that this man's good looks really captured her heart.
Good-looking men definitely have an advantage.
At that moment, Qiao Xingyue actually felt that Xie Zhongming wasn't such a scoundrel after all.
At noon, Aunt Liu cooked lunch for them and brought it over.
After the meal, Xie Zhongming let Qiao Xingyue rest for a while, and then went with her to the production brigade of Chadian Village.
The production brigade has three thatched huts.
The village secretary's office was on the far right. When Qiao Xingyue and Xie Zhongming walked in, the village secretary had already prepared the household registration certificate for Pangya.
The village secretary knew Xie Zhongming. When Pangya married him, he felt that his good cabbage had been eaten by a pig. Now, seeing Xie Zhongming leading Qiao Xingyue across the threshold, his suspicious and shocked gaze fell on Qiao Xingyue.
Is this really Fatty?
Although I heard from the villagers that Fatty had become thinner and prettier, I really couldn't believe it when I actually saw Qiao Xingyue.
"Are you really fat?"
Qiao Xingyue stood in front of the village secretary's old and worn-out desk, watching the fan beside it slowly turn, and couldn't help but praise, "Secretary, you really save money for the village. I remember this Seagull brand fan of yours is quite old."
Then she added, "Uncle Tang, do you remember that time my mom starved me for three days and three nights, and I fainted from hunger? It was you who gave me a bowl of corn porridge, and that's how I recovered. You lectured my mom and gave my family a bag of flour, but instead of thanking you, she tried to extort money from you."
"You really are a chubby girl. How come you've gotten so thin?"
The village secretary looked Qiao Xingyue up and down, "But you've really become much prettier after losing weight."
As they spoke, the village secretary poured water for the two of them, then took out Qiao Xingyue's household registration certificate from the drawer. "Fatty, I heard from Commander Xie that you encountered some trouble when you were trying to get your marriage certificate renewed. I've already prepared the household registration certificate for you. Go back to Jincheng and get your marriage certificate renewed with Commander Xie as soon as possible, then live a good life with him. Commander Xie is a very responsible man. Even though your mother used those methods back then, Commander Xie still married you out of a sense of responsibility. Over the years, Commander Xie has sent you most of his military allowance every month, but your mother isn't a good person; she pocketed the money."
Qiao Xingyue took the household registration certificate.
This certificate isn't just for getting a replacement marriage certificate; it's so that after the marriage certificate is issued, An'an and Ningning's household registration can be transferred to Xie Zhongming's household registration so that An'an and Ningning can start school as soon as possible.
"Uncle Tang, thank you!"
As Xie Zhongming walked out of the thatched hut in the village, he looked at the sky and realized it was getting late.
"Xingyue, let's stay at the village guesthouse for another night. Tomorrow morning we'll take a bus from the county town to the provincial capital and then buy train tickets back to Jincheng."
"OK."
...
It was past 1 a.m.
Under the old locust tree outside the village guesthouse, several masked people were hiding furtively.
Amidst the croaking of frogs in the countryside, these furtive individuals whispered amongst themselves.
"Knock them out first, rob them of their money, and run away quickly."
"I heard that the regimental commander is incredibly skilled. When he was on a mission in Chadian Village, he took down several criminals with his bare hands. Are we going to mess things up later? Little brother, maybe we should just give up?"
"Look at you, you coward. If you want to back out, then get out of here. That's several bundles of ten-yuan notes, several thousand yuan. Once we get our hands on it, we'll escape to the border."
This guy, called Lao Yao, was just released from jail for robbery.
I heard today that Commander Xie and his wife took several bundles of "big unity" bills from the Liu family's house. Each bundle probably contains about one hundred "big unity" bills.
He had never seen so much money in his entire life.
"If all else fails, just..." The youngest brother, uttering these harsh words, made a throat-slitting gesture, "...give me the knife."
Xie Zhongming woke up with a start when he heard footsteps outside the courtyard.
The footsteps grew louder as they approached. Xie Zhongming counted them in the moonlight; there were five people in total.
The visitor is not friendly.
They must be after the money on them.
Today, Xingyue received money from the Liu family, and all the villagers who were watching saw it. This news spread like wildfire, sowing the seeds of danger.
...
As Qiao Xingyue was drifting off to sleep, she suddenly heard the sounds of fighting outside.
There were also screams.
"Don't move, behave yourself, or I'll break your arm."
Is that... Xie Zhongming's voice?
"What's going on outside?" Qiao Xingyue put on her coat, buttoned it up, got up, and opened the door. "Xie Zhongming, what happened?"
Under the moonlight, several young men were thrown to the ground, looking extremely disheveled.
Xie Zhongming turned and glanced at Qiao Xingyue. "Xingyue, go inside and lock the door. Hurry up and don't come out. I'll handle things here."
The one on the ground who was the leader, called Lao Yao, picked up a dagger, got up, and rushed towards Qiao Xingyue.
The gleaming blade was aimed straight at Qiao Xingyue's heart.
The village night was thick with darkness.
The blade's cold glint was blinding.
Xie Zhongming, several meters away from Qiao Xingyue, felt a sudden jolt in his heart, but he didn't forget to kick a brick at his feet and smash it hard into the wrist of the guy called Lao Yao.
With a clang, the dagger fell to the ground.
Suddenly, a flashlight shone from a distance.
Knowing they might end up in jail if they failed to steal any money, the youngest member yelled, "Kill that woman..."
Another thug, wielding a knife, lunged at Qiao Xingyue with astonishing speed.
But Xie Zhongming caught the gleaming knife with his bare hands. The thug's knife was a step too slow, and Qiao Xingyue's silver needle was also a step too slow.
"Xie Zhongming, how could you be so foolish? That's a knife..."
How could a man be so stupid as to block a knife with his bare hand?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com