Chapter 41 A Powerful Break with My Brother! I'll Protect My Man!
Qin Lie's words were like a heavy hammer, striking Jiang Wu's heart hard.
She looked at the man in front of her. The anger in his eyes was not because he had been tricked, but purely because he felt it was unfair and he felt sorry for her.
The feeling of being unconditionally protected brought a lump to Jiang Wu's throat.
Whether in a past life or this one, this is the first time.
She sniffed, suppressing the surging emotions, and her eyes regained their clarity and determination.
"You don't need to do it, I'll do it myself."
She couldn't let Qin Lie be tainted in any way because of her family affairs.
Qin Lie looked at her, as if he wanted to say something.
Jiang Wu had already stood up, spread a clean sheet of paper on Qin Lie's desk, and picked up the fountain pen.
She wants to write a reply.
She wanted to sever this inappropriate connection in the most direct and decisive way.
"I want to cut all ties with them." Jiang Wu's words were calm, yet carried an undeniable force.
Qin Lie didn't say anything more, but stood silently behind her, like a mountain, shielding her from all the wind and rain.
Jiang Wu unscrewed the pen cap, and the pen tip landed on the paper.
Her handwriting, unlike the original owner's delicate small handwriting, carried a sharp, modern aesthetic.
"Father, Mother:"
She doesn't even bother using affectionate terms like "father" or "mother".
"The letter has been received. I regret that I cannot agree to the matters mentioned in the letter."
"Firstly, regarding the two hundred yuan betrothal gift. I married Qin Lie, and he already gave me the highest standard of betrothal gifts. Logically, after I get married, I am a member of the Qin family and have no obligation to pay for my younger brother's wedding. Out of consideration for his kindness in raising me, I still have twenty yuan here, which I will send back this time."
“But this twenty yuan is not for my brother’s wedding. It is the last bit of kindness I, Jiang Wu, am giving back to you. From now on, my relationship with the Jiang family is settled, and we will have no further connection.”
She paused here, and dipped her brush in ink.
Qin Lie watched from behind her, feeling that every word Jiang Wu wrote was like a sharp blade, tearing through the veil of hypocritical kinship.
Jiang Wu continued writing.
"Secondly, regarding my younger brother Erniu. Qin Lie is a soldier of the country, and his power is for protecting the country, not for using as a tool to seek personal gain for my maternal family."
"The military has its own discipline. If you want to join the army, you have to register, undergo a physical examination, and go through a political review according to the rules. You have to rely on your own abilities to get in. Using back channels or pulling strings is a bad practice. It's undermining the military and will only harm Qin Lie."
“As a military family member, I am the first to object. If you truly care about me, you should understand this principle, instead of making such absurd demands that would put my husband in an unjust position.”
Her words were resounding and powerful.
She wasn't just refusing; she was stating her position.
She was protecting Qin Lie!
Qin Lie felt a surge of heat in his chest as he read those words.
His wife is not only beautiful and capable, but her ideological awareness is also higher than that of some of his subordinates!
Finally, Jiang Wu wrote the ending.
"That's all I have to say. I hope you two take care of yourselves and don't write again. From now on, you have your lives, and I have mine. Just pretend you never had a daughter like me."
The signature consisted of only a solitary name.
"Jiang Wu".
After she finished writing, she put down her pen, blew the paper dry, and folded it neatly.
Then, she counted out twenty dollars from her small wooden box containing her "secret stash of money," wrapped it in another piece of paper, and prepared to put it in the envelope along with the letter.
Qin Lie frowned as he looked at the twenty yuan.
"Why give them money back? These ungrateful wretches don't deserve a single penny!"
“This money must be given,” Jiang Wu said calmly. “It’s not for them, it’s for myself to have peace of mind, to end things once and for all.”
“I don’t want them to use the words ‘gratitude for raising’ to ruin my reputation and yours in the future. The money has been given, the relationship is severed, and if they cause trouble again, we can stand on the moral high ground.”
She considered everything very thoroughly, even anticipating potential future disputes.
Qin Lie remained silent after listening.
He had to admit that Jiang Wu's thoughts were deeper and farther-reaching than his.
He only thought about how to solve problems with his fists, while Jiang Wu used her brain to cut off the root of the problem.
"Well written!" Qin Lie picked Jiang Wu up from the chair and sat her on his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked at the letter, his eyes full of admiration and pride.
"My wife, Qin Lie's wife, should have this kind of spirit! No one should dare to bully her!"
He held her in his arms, feeling that the person in his arms was so petite, yet so powerful.
Jiang Wu felt a little embarrassed by his praise, her cheeks flushed, and she nudged him.
"Stop messing around, I haven't sealed it yet."
"I'll do it!"
Qin Lie took the envelope and the money, stuffed them inside himself, and then carefully sealed the envelope with the paste on the table.
His serious expression suggested he was undertaking an extremely important military mission.
"I'll go to the post office right now and mail it! Send it as fast as I can!" Qin Lie took the letter, stood up, and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Jiang Wu grabbed him.
"What's wrong? Are you worried I'll lose it?"
“No,” Jiang Wu took the letter back from his hand and said with a smile, “Let’s go tomorrow. We caught so many fish today, didn’t you say you were going to invite a few of the brothers over to try them?”
She didn't want this to ruin her good mood today.
Qin Lie looked into her smiling eyes and his heart softened instantly.
"I'll do whatever you say."
With a heavy weight lifted from their hearts, both of them felt much lighter.
Qin Lie excitedly went to call his "brothers who had risked their lives for him," including his bodyguard Xiao Li and several company commanders from the First Battalion.
Jiang Wu then showed off her culinary skills in the kitchen.
She prepared the largest sea bass in two ways: steamed and braised.
The other small fish were simmered into a pot of milky white fish soup.
She then took out the cured pork that her sisters-in-law had given her from her "secret stash" and stir-fried a large plate of cured pork with garlic sprouts.
Add a few refreshing vegetarian dishes.
A large table laden with dishes, the aroma filling the entire courtyard.
As soon as Xiao Li and his friends entered, they smelled the delicious aroma and their mouths watered.
"My goodness! Sister-in-law, did you invite the head chef from the state-run restaurant?" Xiao Li exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"You're such a smooth talker!" Qin Lie said with a laugh, but his face was full of smugness.
The men were clinking glasses at the table, chatting about interesting things that happened in the army.
Jiang Wu served them more rice and then went back to her room.
She doesn't like those kinds of occasions.
She sat by the window, watching Qin Lie and his brothers laughing and talking loudly in the courtyard, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.
This peaceful yet lively atmosphere gave her a real sense of "being alive".
Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open.
The political commissar's wife, Zhou Nianci, walked in with a happy expression.
"Xiao Wu! Commander Qin! This is great news!"
Her voice came through before she even got close.
The men at the table all stopped eating and turned to look at her.
Qin Lie put down his wine glass, stood up, and went to greet him.
"Sister-in-law, what's making you so happy?"
Zhou Nianci ignored him, walked straight to the door, grabbed Jiang Wu's hand, and said excitedly, "Xiao Wu, the army is going to hold a Mid-Autumn Festival party! The division issued a notice that our regiment should also put on some high-quality performances!"
"This is a good thing," Qin Lie said with a smile.
"It's a good thing, but this program is not easy to organize!" Zhou Nianci slapped her thigh. "I was thinking, the clothes you drew are so beautiful, you must have your own ideas about beauty. Could you... help those girls in the art troupe and give them some ideas on costumes?"
Zhou Nianci looked at Jiang Wu with anticipation in her eyes.
"If our group's outfits can amaze the audience, then winning first place will be a piece of cake, right?"
P.S.: Two more chapters to go.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com