Chapter 86 She's from Another Time Travel
A dim light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, warm glow on Xie Zhongming's buzz-cut face.
The towel in his hand was gently placed on her soft, damp hair. "Daddy is giving Ningning a nice, fragrant hair treatment."
The voice was as soft as cotton.
He pressed and rubbed very gently, as if afraid of hurting the little baby in his arms.
Ningning stared with her big, round eyes at Xie Zhongming, whose features were distinct and whose eyes held the strength of a soldier. For some reason, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
"What's wrong with Ningning?" The observant Xie Zhongming immediately noticed that the little girl's eyes were wet, like black grapes soaked in water.
My chest was suddenly gripped tightly.
He stopped drying Ningning's hair, pulled her onto his lap, and asked in a voice as soft as cotton, "Ningning, what's wrong? Did Daddy pull your hair? Does it hurt?"
"No." Ningning sniffed, shook her long-haired head, and choked up, unable to speak.
"Dad, don't worry, Ningning isn't sad, she's just so happy. We finally have a dad now."
The one who said this was An'an, whose voice was choked with emotion.
She sat on a small stool next to me, raised her long-haired head, and her bright eyes were filled with tears. "Daddy, tomorrow we can tell the uncles, aunts, grandpas, grandmas and other children in the compound that you are our daddy, right?"
My dad is tall and strong.
When he puts on his military uniform, he exudes a strong sense of energy.
With him leading the two sisters to kindergarten, let's see who dares to say behind their backs that they are fatherless bastards.
An'an sniffed and said, "Dad, you don't know, that Grandma Zhou's grandson Luo Xiaobing, and Gou Dan and Xiao Hua behind him, always say that my sister and I are fatherless bastards. I've fought with them several times."
Speaking of this, An'an's eyes held a mixture of grievance and pride, "But don't worry, Dad, I didn't lose. I scratched their faces, so they can't beat me."
Xie Zhongming witnessed An'an fighting with someone.
Last time, Grandma Zhou wrongly accused An'an of stealing two cents from her family. Grandma Zhou's grandson, Luo Xiaobing, was bigger than An'an and couldn't beat her.
But a small tuft of An'an's hair was also pulled out by Grandma Zhou and her grandson Luo Xiaobing.
Despite her small size, An'an possesses remarkable strength, suggesting that she has frequently fought with others due to humiliation, ridicule, and bullying.
Her reckless nature is exactly like Xingyue's.
It was in this harsh upbringing that he had to develop such courage.
During the time he wasn't around, how much scorn, humiliation, and ridicule did these two kids suffer?
Xie Zhongming's throat tightened, and his nose tingled. He quickly pulled An'an onto his lap and hugged the two children tightly.
In the past, when he held these two babies, since they were girls, he was always careful not to hold them too tightly or for too long.
At this moment, it felt as if the two children had become an integral part of her life. She held them tightly, her chin resting against their heads, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
"Tomorrow, Dad will take you to school. When we see you, I'll tell everyone that you are my daughter, Xie Zhongming's daughter. Let's see who dares to bully you then."
At this moment, Qiao Xingyue, having taken a shower, emerged from the toilet wearing a cotton coat with sleeves reaching her arms and trousers reaching her calves, her long hair flowing down her shoulders.
Under the dim light of the living room bulbs, the three men and women embraced tightly.
Xie Zhongming's broad and strong arms encircled his two small daughters in his embrace.
An'an curled up in his left arm, her little hands clutching his clothes, her face buried in the crook of his neck, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes.
Ningning buried her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly, her soft sobs still lingering, "Daddy, you won't abandon me and my sister anymore, right?"
"From now on, the four of us will be together forever and never be separated again. Dad has never abandoned you and your sister."
"Dad loves you all so much."
Xie Zhongming's voice was also choked with sobs.
Qiao Xingyue stopped at the doorway, her mind instantly captivated by the scene before her.
This was a scene that An An Ning Ning had longed for countless times in her dreams.
Although she acted as both father and mother and protected her two children very well, every time she woke up in the middle of the night, the two children would call for their father in their dreams.
An'an and Ningning finally have a dad!
Qiao Xingyue's eyes also welled up with tears.
Also with tears in their eyes were Xie Jiang and Huang Guilan, who had been standing silently to the side, and the old lady Chen Suying, who was sitting in the armchair.
Qiao Xingyue couldn't bear to interrupt Xie Zhongming's hug with the two children, so she didn't say anything and just watched quietly.
At this moment, Xie Zhongming noticed that she had finished showering, and his embrace of his two daughters loosened slightly. "Xingyue, are you done showering?"
He continued drying his two daughters' hair, adding as he did so, "Just leave the dirty clothes you and the kids wore today there. I'll wash them all together after I take a shower."
"It's okay, I'm done washing." Qiao Xingyue was holding an enamel basin filled with the clothes that she and her two daughters had washed. "I'll go outside to hang them up to dry."
Having just showered and washed her hair, she left a faint scent of soap as she passed Xie Zhongming.
Her wet hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders, the jet-black strands glistening with moisture. A few unruly locks clung to her fair cheeks and neck, making her skin appear like water-soaked white jade, radiating a lustrous glow.
Xie Zhongming's gaze followed her as she walked from the main room to the courtyard, and he stopped wiping An Anning's hair.
The moment my gaze fell upon her back, my breath caught in my throat.
Suddenly, his back tensed, his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his gentle voice, which had been soothing his daughter, came to an abrupt halt.
The images of Xingyue forcing him to take off his pants and riding on him last night quietly surfaced in my mind.
He tried to calm himself down, but his mind was like a lake that had been stirred up, and he couldn't calm it down no matter what he did.
A faint blush crept up her ears.
She clearly wanted to continue drying the hair of the two children sitting on her lap, but her gaze was drawn to Xingyue's slender figure as she carried the enamel basin out, lingering for a moment longer.
"Zhongming, go help Xingyue hang up the clothes." Huang Guilan took the towel from his hand. "I'll dry An'an and Ningning's hair."
Huang Guilan snatched the towel from his hand and took the two children off his lap. His fingertips curled slightly in tension.
When she got up, her voice was lower than usual, with a hint of stiffness. "Mom, I'll go outside and help Xingyue hang up the clothes."
Huang Guilan couldn't help but laugh, "Hurry up and go!"
The courtyard was very quiet at night.
The vegetables and fruits in the yard were bathed in a soft, moonlit light, and the yard was filled with their fragrance.
In the corner of the courtyard, amidst the loofah and pumpkin vines that climbed along the trellis and covered the entire red brick wall, crickets and frogs chirped and scurried about, seemingly vying for attention.
Under the full moonlight, Xie Zhongming stood in front of Qiao Xingyue.
The bamboo pole above their heads was a bit too high, so he took the clothes from her hands, stretched out his long arm, and hung them on the bamboo pole to dry.
Qiao Xingyue had to stand on tiptoe to hang the clothes to dry, but he did it effortlessly.
"Being tall really makes a difference!"
Qiao Xingyue then handed him An Anning's little dress from the enamel basin, saying, "You'll have to do more housework from now on. Although I promised to live with you, I'm not going to wait on you. You'll have to do all the laundry, cooking, sweeping, and tutoring the kids, and you'll have to do it well."
She spoke crisply and decisively.
She then added, "Also, from now on, I will always be in charge of the family finances."
Since she's going to live with Xie Zhongming, she'll definitely have to be the housekeeper.
Especially this power over finances.
As the saying goes, a man's heart is where his money is.
Qiao Xingyue was still thinking of saving more money to invest after the market economy reforms in a few years and the individual economy was allowed.
Only when they earn more money can the whole family live a prosperous and happy life.
After Xie Zhongming finished airing out An An Ning Ning's little dress, he used a wooden clip with springs to secure the dress to a thin bamboo pole. Then, looking at Qiao Xing Yue, he stood ramrod straight, appearing completely obedient.
“Okay, from now on, I’ll hand over your salary and allowances to you as soon as they’re paid each month. Also, you never let me do any housework, I’ll do it.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xingyue gave a smile that said, "That's more like it."
All the clothes were hung out to dry.
The bamboo poles were covered with clothes of various colors, and the hems swayed gently in the wind.
The two did not go inside immediately, but stood together in the courtyard looking at the moonlight.
Seeing that Qiao Xingyue's freshly washed hair was still wet, Xie Zhongming pulled off the dry towel draped over his shoulder, stood behind Qiao Xingyue, and wrapped it around the ends of her hair.
"Xingyue, let me dry your hair too."
The fresh scent of soapberry wafts through the air.
He wiped her hair carefully, afraid of pulling it.
Under the moonlight, cucumber vines in the vegetable patch stretched upwards along the bamboo poles.
The leaves swayed gently in the wind, casting dappled shadows.
In the moonlight, the shadows of the two people huddled together were also reflected.
The world is peaceful and serene!
Inside the main room.
An An Ning Ning sat on the straw mat spread on the ground, playing marbles.
Huang Guilan and Xie Jiang discussed, "Old Xie, go to the division headquarters tomorrow and ask for leave. Hurry up and tidy up Zhongming and Xingyue's little courtyard so that the young couple can have a warm little home as soon as possible."
"I think it's a good idea," Xie Jiang agreed. "I'll take some people to the young couple's courtyard tomorrow morning and get it ready as soon as possible."
Huang Guilan pondered, "Tomorrow morning I have to go to the post office of the service center early to call the eldest, second, third, and fifth brothers and ask them to come back when they have time so that they can have a good get-together with Xingyue, An'an, and Ningning."
Xie Jiang grinned from ear to ear, "The four children in the eldest and second eldest families have been clamoring for their parents to have another little sister. If they knew that An'an and Ningning were their little sisters, they would be overjoyed."
"Of course!"
The Xie family all adored their daughters.
There wasn't a single girl among them.
An An and Ning Ning suddenly became the niece of those uncles and elders, which made them incredibly popular.
This is fantastic news!
As the elderly couple were chatting, Xie Zhongming entered the main room, picked up two small stools, and said, "Mom, Xingyue and I are going to cool off in the yard."
"Wait a moment." Huang Guilan handed over a banana leaf fan and a box of cooling balm. "There are a lot of mosquitoes in the yard. Take this and let Xingyue apply it to her arms and legs. You should also use the fan to shoo away the mosquitoes for Xingyue."
"good!"
Xie Zhongming returned to the courtyard and let Qiao Xingyue sit on a small stool.
He opened the menthol balm cap, applied a layer of the menthol ointment, and smeared it on Qiao Xingyue's calves, saying, "Don't let the mosquitoes bite you."
The two sat down, and Qiao Xingyue rubbed the cooling balm on her arm again.
Under the cover of night, Xie Zhongming casually fanned Qiao Xingyue with his banana leaf fan, his gaze seemingly fixed on the night scene in the courtyard, but his peripheral vision couldn't help but drift towards Xingyue.
Xingyue, with her long hair cascading down her shoulders, had her jet-black hair bathed in a soft glow from the moonlight.
A few stray hairs were blown by the wind and clung to her fair face, rising and falling gently with her breath.
He looked away, composed himself, and said, "Xingyue, can we have a proper talk?"
Qiao Xingyue tilted her head slightly and looked at Xie Zhongming, while casually combing her long hair.
Her hair was already mostly dry. "What do you want to talk about?"
Xie Zhongming thought for a moment, then asked seriously, "Xingyue, what happened to you after Zeng Xiuzhu drove you out of Chadian Village? Also, how did you learn to read and write, and how did you study medicine?"
Fearing Xingyue might misunderstand, he paused, looking at her slightly furrowed brow, and added, "I mentioned to you last time that there are spies trained overseas who have infiltrated the military. Starting tomorrow, you will definitely be staying in the compound as Pangya. But Pangya is just an illiterate village girl from Chadian Village. I'm afraid that if the higher-ups investigate, it will be detrimental to you. Xingyue, I absolutely believe you are not a spy."
He spoke with firm conviction.
His gaze and voice were filled with trust in her.
She was also filled with worry, "Xingyue, if you trust me, can we have a good talk about your experiences over the years?"
Qiao Xingyue frowned and thought for a moment, "..."
Xie Zhongming was very good at judging people. From the moment she saved him in Shantang Village and then suddenly appeared at the Xie family home, he suspected that she might be a spy planted by foreign forces.
But after spending a few days together, one can completely eliminate any suspicion about her.
Even his father, Xie Jiang, said that Xingyue was definitely not a spy with a suspicious identity.
But others won't see it that way.
He, Xie Jiang, and Chen Shenghua were not the only ones who knew that there were spies infiltrated into the army; his father Xie Jiang and Chen Shu's comrade-in-arms Zhao Guangliang also knew.
In the past two years, my father Xie Jiang, Uncle Chen, and Zhao Guangliang have all been candidates for the next commander of the Jincheng Military Region.
Zhao Guangliang was also his father Xie Jiang's mortal enemy.
It is said that Zhao Guangliang was also pursuing his mother, Huang Guilan, back then, but his mother's heart was only with his father, Xie Jiang, and Zhao Guangliang has always held a grudge about this.
Furthermore, Zhao Guangliang's only son served under his father Xie Jiang and died while on a mission with Xie Jiang.
Zhao Guangliang harbored resentment, believing that Xie Jiang had deliberately ordered him to cover the rear and had intentionally withdrawn the reinforcements.
And that's how the feud began.
With deep concern in his heart, Xie Zhongming suddenly grabbed Qiao Xingyue's hand and held it tightly. "Xingyue, what happened to you afterwards? Can you tell me?"
This is a ridiculous thing.
Qiao Xingyue couldn't very well tell Xie Zhongming that she was from the future, that she died suddenly from exhaustion after performing several surgeries, and that she had transmigrated into Fatty's body the moment she opened her eyes, which was why she had all that knowledge, culture, and medical skills.
How should she tell him about this?
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