Chapter 45 Commander Xie, is your wife called Fatty?
The cicadas and frogs outside the window kept croaking.
Unable to sleep, Qiao Xingyue carefully climbed down from the upper bunk and sat on the edge of the lower bunk, watching An An and Ning Ning sleeping head to head together.
After summer arrived in Jincheng, the weather got hotter day by day.
The two sisters had beads of sweat on their foreheads, and their stray hairs were sticking together with the sweat.
Qiao Xingyue gently brushed the hair from the two sisters' foreheads, wiped their sweat, and then picked up the fan beside her and gently fanned the two children.
The two children look exactly like their mother in every way—eyes, lips, forehead, nose, and face shape—but one child is allergic to peanuts, and the other has congenital asthma.
Coincidentally, among the Xie family members, Uncle Xie had congenital asthma, and his brother also had congenital asthma, all caused by congenital tracheal stenosis. Qiao Xingyue, who was studying medicine, knew that most patients with congenital asthma had similar causes, so such similar causes were quite normal.
But what's even more coincidental is that An'an's peanut allergy is exactly the same as Huang Guilan's and Commander Xie's.
That's a bit unreasonable.
Adding to the fact that when Fatty's mother Zeng Xiuzhu and Fatty's lazy brother Liu Dazhu came to Jincheng Military Region to look for Fatty's man, she unexpectedly learned that the platoon leader she had slept with years ago was still alive, and that the platoon leader's salary had increased from forty-eight yuan to more than one hundred yuan, which meant that the platoon leader had at least been promoted to regimental commander.
In addition, this evening, she caught a glimpse of Commander Xie's burned wedding photo on a missing person notice.
At this moment, even without getting an answer from Commander Xie, Qiao Xingyue was already seven or eight parts certain—it was very likely that Commander Xie was the man she had slept with back then, and that Commander Xie was An An Ning Ning's father.
The answer would be revealed when dawn breaks.
But at this moment, as she fanned An An and Ning Ning, her heart was like a cat's claws, unable to calm down at all.
That night, she fanned herself in front of An An and Ning Ning for a long time. When her arm got sore, she stopped, rested for a while, and then continued fanning.
It wasn't until late at night that she climbed back onto the upper bunk and lay down.
But even after lying down, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Even though she only slept for four or five hours that night, Qiao Xingyue still got up at six o'clock the next morning.
I was going to cook some porridge for breakfast, but I saw that there was no rice in the rice jar, so I steamed a pot of buns and cooked a pot of corn porridge instead.
After breakfast, Qiao Xingyue took her food coupons and went alone to the service center in the military compound to buy rice.
This noon, she, An'an, Ningning, and the Xie family were all going to Commander Chen's house for lunch, so she didn't need to buy any vegetables. She just used her grain coupons to weigh out twenty jin of rice, put it in a cloth bag, and carried it back to the Xie family.
...
The Chen family compound, within the military compound.
Commander Chen got up early and started preparing lunch for Qiao Xingyue and the Xie family.
Around 8 o'clock, he cooked a pot of pork belly, intending to use it to make braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens.
He turned over the pieces of pork belly in the pot and said to Chen Jiahui, who was standing in front of the stove:
"Jiahui, to show our sincerity, go to the Xie family again and ask Comrade Qiao and your Uncle Xie and Aunt Lan's family to come to our house for lunch today. Tell them that I have already prepared the dishes and that they should come over for tea as soon as possible."
Chen Jiahui stuffed two pieces of firewood into the stove, clapped her hands, and stood up. "Alright."
When she smiled, there were shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth.
But her dimples quickly disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. She continued, "Dad, after Uncle Xie and Aunt Lan come today, please don't mention anything about me dating Commander Xie again. Even if Commander Xie's divorce papers are approved, you're not allowed to mention it. Commander Xie likes Comrade Qiao, and I don't want to be the one who pesters him."
In front of the stove, Chen Shenghua placed chopsticks on the cooked pork belly.
The rising steam from the pot reflected the bittersweet yet relieved expression on Chen Jiahui's face.
Chen Shenghua sighed deeply, "Jiahui, I am so proud to have such a kind and insightful daughter like you!"
Despite his pride, Commander Chen felt immense heartache for his daughter.
His daughter is outstanding in every way, and many gay men like her, but she doesn't like any of them.
The only one I liked, I missed again and again due to unforeseen circumstances.
When Chen Jiahui smiled, the shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth carried a hint of bitterness. "The person I've liked for so many years doesn't like me back. If I don't come to my senses and choose to let go, wouldn't I just be asking for trouble?"
With that, Chen Jiahui smiled and said, "Dad, I'm going to the Xie family."
...
Xie Family Compound.
Today is a day off. After finishing his morning exercise, Xie Zhongming was chopping firewood in the yard.
The firewood was pine wood that he carried down from the mountain, split it into pieces, and then neatly stacked it under the eaves.
He stood firmly in a horse stance, raised his axe, and swiftly split a round piece of wood in two. Sweat soaked his clothes, clinging to the strong muscles between his waist and chest, revealing his ruggedness.
As the firewood was half-cooked and he bent down to pick up the pine logs, Qiao Xingyue pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard carrying a bag of rice.
Seeing that she was carrying a bag of rice on her shoulder, which looked to weigh about 20 or 30 pounds, Xie Zhongming quickly put down the axe in his hand and strode forward.
"Comrade Qiao, why didn't you tell me you were going to buy rice? It's so heavy, how did you manage to carry it back? Let me help you."
As he spoke, he reached out to take the rice bag from her shoulder.
Although Qiao Xingyue was thin, she nimbly dodged Xie Zhongming's outstretched arms. "No need, it's not very heavy. I can carry it in. It's not like I'll miss a few steps."
Her voice was crisp and clear, carrying a sense of detachment, and even a hint of annoyance that Xie Zhongming couldn't quite grasp.
What did he do to upset Comrade Qiao?
As she spoke, Qiao Xingyue didn't even glance at Xie Zhongming.
She thought, if this man is An Anning's father, yet he has ignored her for more than five years and doesn't care whether she lives or dies, what kind of couple is this? She felt a lot of resentment and was very wronged.
But this feeling of being wronged was inexplicable.
She hasn't even confirmed if he's An An Ning Ning's father yet!
But it's probably true in all likelihood.
Xie Zhongming, who went to help but ended up with nothing, still had his hands frozen in mid-air, in a position where he was trying to carry the rice bag for Qiao Xingyue but couldn't even touch it.
His hands felt empty, just like his empty heart.
He had a feeling that Comrade Qiao was deliberately keeping his distance from him, and this feeling made his chest feel heavy and suffocated. Why was Comrade Qiao chatting and laughing in front of the old lady and his mother, without any restraint?
When she was in front of him, she even refused his help?
This feeling is very unpleasant.
He stood in the sun, watching Comrade Qiao's slender figure carry a sack of rice weighing twenty or thirty pounds into the main room. Even after he could no longer see him, he was still staring in the direction of the main room, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with frustration.
Comrade Qiao doesn't like getting too close to him, and doesn't like him helping her with chores?
Besides, this isn't helping her with chores. The whole family needs to eat this rice, so it's only right that he helps carry it. Why can't he carry it?
In the compound, other women had liked him and pursued him. He never liked those women, and when they got close to him, he would deliberately maintain a safe distance.
So, Comrade Qiao deliberately kept his distance from him because he didn't like him at all?
Under the sun, Xie Zhongming stood there, hesitating for a long time.
That look of disappointment and frustration caught the eye of Chen Jiahui, who was standing in front of the courtyard gate.
Chen Jiahui was all too familiar with this feeling of loss.
Before Commander Xie married Fatty, she also tried to get close to him. Once, she made the corn pancakes that Commander Xie liked the most, but she handed them to him under the pretext that they were made by her father and she wanted him to try them.
Commander Xie didn't even glance at it, coldly refusing, saying he didn't like it, and then walked away without saying another word.
At that time, the disappointment in her eyes was exactly the same as the disappointment in Commander Xie's eyes now.
Chen Jiahui was absolutely certain that Commander Xie truly liked the dazzling Comrade Qiao.
And it's absolutely certain that Comrade Qiao doesn't seem to have any feelings for Commander Xie. Is it because Commander Xie's divorce application hasn't been approved yet, and Comrade Qiao is worried about the negative impact?
Comrade Qiao is indeed different from Deng Yingying. She has a very clear sense of propriety and knows that Commander Xie is a married man, so she cannot cross the line. But is Comrade Qiao's behavior a sense of propriety or does she not have any feelings for Commander Xie?
Chen Jiahui knew that even if Comrade Qiao didn't like Commander Xie, she had no chance. If there had been even the slightest chance, given that she had grown up with Commander Xie, he wouldn't have been so cold towards her.
After entering the Xie family's courtyard, Chen Jiahui warmly invited Qiao Xingyue and the Xie family members.
The old lady of the Xie family had difficulty walking, so Chen Jia Hui helped her to their house early in the morning.
As noon approached, Qiao Xingyue and Huang Guilan did not go empty-handed.
Huang Guilan carried a net bag full of fruit for the Xie family, and Qiao Xingyue also went to the service store to buy a bag of white sugar, a bag of dates, and two pounds of peach shortbread wrapped in kraft paper.
Seeing that Qiao Xingyue had brought so much food, Wang Shufen pretended to be angry, "Comrade Qiao, why are you being so polite? Bringing so much food is too much of a waste."
Wang Shufen knew it wasn't easy for her to raise two children alone. "This child, always wasting money like this. Next time Aunt Wang invites you over for dinner, don't bring anything, or Aunt Wang will get angry. Take all these things back with you for the children to eat, and Aunt Wang will also bring some White Rabbit milk candy for them."
"Aunt Wang, I'm coming to your house for dinner, how can I come empty-handed?"
"It's settled then, or Aunt Wang will get mad at you."
Qiao Xingyue thought that Commander Chen and Aunt Wang were both very nice people.
The awkward thing was that during the meal, Uncle Xie and Aunt Lan each held An An and Ning Ning and sat in one corner of the square table, Chen Jia Hui and Grandma Xie sat in another corner, and Commander Chen and Aunt Wang sat in the third corner.
On the remaining side, Qiao Xingyue and Xie Zhongming could only sit together.
Qiao Xingyue always felt that Chen Jiahui deliberately arranged for her to sit with Commander Xie when she arranged the seats.
But she sat down decisively.
On a long bench painted red, she and Xie Zhongming were spaced quite far apart, a distance that made Chen Jiahui somewhat worried.
Chen Jiahui handed chopsticks to everyone, and when she handed one to Qiao Xingyue, she said with a smile, "Comrade Qiao, come a little closer, don't fall."
"It's okay, I'm sitting quite steadily."
Then, Qiao Xingyue changed the subject, "Commander Chen, thank you for cooking today!"
Xie Zhongming, sitting on the bench, appeared calm and composed, his eyes unmoving, yet a sense of loss emanated from him.
Even when Comrade Qiao sits next to him, he keeps a safe distance.
Do you dislike him?
Chen Jia Hui noticed his subtle emotional changes—she was so worried, could it be that the king was interested but the goddess was not?
During the meal, Qiao Xingyue wanted An'an and Ningning to get off Uncle Xie and Aunt Lan, but the two elders refused. They insisted on holding the two children and kept putting food on their plates.
At that moment, Qiao Xingyue felt a blood bond between An Anning and the Xie family.
It's impossible for such a coincidence to exist in this world. It's impossible for An'an's peanut allergy and Ningning's asthma to coincide with the Xie family's.
It must be because Commander Xie was the man she slept with that night.
After dinner, she insisted on inviting Comrade Xie along to take a walk in the cornfield outside the compound so she could ask him privately if his wife's name was Pangya.
Wang Shufen served everyone food, saying as she did so, "Zhongming, Guilan, I know you two are allergic to peanuts, so I told Lao Chen not to put any peanuts in. You can eat without worry."
At the square table, Huang Guilan noticed that An'an liked the brown sugar steamed buns, so she gave her another one and then smiled, "At this dinner table, it's not just Zhongming and I who are allergic to peanuts. An'an is also allergic to peanuts. These two kids are especially destined for our Xie family. Old Chen, Shufen, you may not know, but Ningning's asthma, like Old Xie's, is hereditary."
Wang Shufen joked, "What a coincidence! If you didn't know better, you'd really think An'an and Ningning were your granddaughters."
As Qiao Xingyue picked up some food, she thought to herself: Isn't this just fate?
It is very likely that An An and Ning Ning are Xie's biological granddaughters.
During the meal, her mind was far from at peace.
During the meal, everyone sat together and chatted about everyday things.
After the meal, Chen Jiahui made tea for everyone.
Xie Jiang and Chen Shenghua were playing chess together.
Wang Shufen brought melon seeds and candy.
For some reason, Huang Guilan and An'an scratched their bodies at the same time, both complaining of being itchy.
"Mom, I feel so itchy all over, and my throat is itchy too." An'an rushed to Qiao Xingyue.
When Qiao Xingyue looked, she saw that the child had red spots on his body and his eyelids were swollen. She then looked at Huang Guilan and saw that she had the exact same symptoms.
Oh no, it's a peanut allergy.
"Aunt Lan, you and An'an might be allergic to peanuts."
Wang Shufen was almost dumbfounded. "That's impossible. Today's meal was cooked by our husband, Lao Chen. He didn't add a single peanut or any peanut butter or other condiments."
Chen Jiahui said, "Could it be that plate of brown sugar steamed buns? Uncle Li gave them to our family. Could they have peanuts in them?"
Seeing that Huang Guilan and An'an were getting more and more uncomfortable, Wang Shufen became anxious. "How could there be peanuts in brown sugar steamed buns? I didn't taste any peanuts."
Xie Zhongming interjected, "I didn't eat those brown sugar steamed buns. I'm also allergic to peanuts, but I didn't have any symptoms. It's probably just that plate of brown sugar steamed buns that's the problem."
An'an's throat hurt. "Mom, I can't breathe. I feel so uncomfortable."
Seeing that the child's complexion was not right, Xie Zhongming quickly picked her up and ran outside, saying, "To the hospital."
...
Jinjiang Military Region General Hospital.
Huang Guilan, an older woman, and An'an, a younger woman, had exactly the same allergy symptoms: they developed rashes all over their bodies, respiratory edema that caused difficulty breathing, and severe abdominal pain.
Chen Shenghua, Wang Shufen, and Chen Jiahui, along with their family, felt extremely guilty.
Qiao Xingyue was extremely anxious. Last time, An'an had a peanut allergy and suffocated due to throat edema, almost failing to survive.
Although she is also a doctor, she was not allowed to enter the room during the emergency treatment.
She waited anxiously outside the emergency room.
When the nurse wearing a white cap came out, Qiao Xingyue quickly went up to her and asked, "Nurse, how is she?"
"The older woman is out of danger, but the little girl is in some danger."
Qiao Xingyue's chest felt heavy, as if filled with lead, and she suddenly felt a wave of panic. Her palms were sweating profusely. "Nurse, I'm a doctor too. Please let me in to help with the rescue."
"I'm sorry, you're not from our unit. Even if you were a doctor, you wouldn't be allowed in. Please rest assured, our director will do everything in his power to save you."
Ningning, standing beside Qiao Xingyue, clung tightly to her clothes. "Mommy, when will my sister come out? Will she be in danger?"
For some reason, when Xie Zhongming heard that Huang Guilan was out of danger but An'an was still in danger, his chest tightened terribly. He was usually calm and collected in the face of any dangerous mission, but now he panicked.
When he knelt down to comfort Ningning, his voice trembled with a fear of losing a loved one, "Ningning, your sister will be out soon, she'll be alright."
But at this moment, Xie Zhongming was also uncertain. He kept all his worries stuck in his throat, and the tightness made it difficult for him to breathe.
...
Fortunately, two hours later, Huang Guilan and An'an were both safe and sound. They were taken out of the emergency room and transferred to the inpatient department to receive intravenous infusions.
An'an's eyes were still swollen, but the red rash on her face had subsided by more than half, and she had the strength to call out to her mother, her sister, Uncle Zhongming, and Grandpa Commander.
After politely greeting everyone in the ward, the child turned his gaze to Qiao Xingyue, a smile appearing on his lips, and comforted her, "Mom, I'm fine! Don't worry."
Qiao Xingyue shed tears of relief.
She, who is usually so decisive, resolute and strong, did not shed a single tear when An'an was being rescued. But now that An'an is alright, her tears suddenly flowed like a burst dam.
Large tears welled up in her red eyes and trickled down her fair cheeks.
Xie Zhongming, who was standing next to him, felt a pang in his heart. He wondered how many times Comrade Qiao had faced such fear and anxiety while raising two children alone all these years.
At that moment, Xie Zhongming suddenly had a strong desire: he wanted to rebuild a family with Comrade Qiao, to take care of An An and Ning Ning as if they were his own children, and to share the burden with Comrade Qiao.
He was acutely aware of his own feelings at that moment, and his tender gaze lingered on the mother and her two children for a long time.
...
Huang Guilan and An'an need to be hospitalized for observation.
Before sunset, Qiao Xingyue went back and cooked millet porridge, packed it in an aluminum lunchbox to take to the hospital, and also took an enamel cup, a towel, an enamel basin... to prepare for her night watch.
While she was cooking millet porridge, Xie Zhongming sat in front of the stove to help stoke the fire.
After everything was ready, Xie Zhongming rode his family's old bicycle, took the things from Qiao Xingyue's hands, and hung them on the handlebars. "Comrade Qiao, get on."
Sometime during the night, a soft cushion had been tied to the iron frame seat at the back of the old bicycle.
But Qiao Xingyue didn't notice this detail. She planned to ask Comrade Xie about it when she was alone with him later.
After she got in, Xie Zhongming drove her through the farmland outside the military compound and headed towards the military hospital in the city.
This man possessed the bearing and strength of a soldier, and was very likely the man she had slept with five and a half years ago. Qiao Xingyue gripped the metal frame of the chair beneath her tightly, her fingers clenching, feeling an inexplicable sense of oppression.
With each bump on the ridge of the field, Qiao Xingyue gripped the seat tighter, her chest tightening as well.
It got dark quickly.
The jingling of the bicycle seemed to be absorbed by the twilight, leaving only the voice in Qiao Xingyue's heart—was this man really the man she slept with that year?
Finally, facing the evening breeze in the twilight, she clenched her sweaty palms and asked decisively, "Comrade Xie, is the wife you married in Chadian Village named Fatty?"
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