Chapter 62 Relatives from the Maternal Family Arrive! The Younger Brother Came to the Island to Freeload Off His Parents!
"You're Jiang Qiang?"
Zhong Tinglan sized up the young man in front of her, her gaze filled with undisguised scrutiny.
Jiang Qiang felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and shrank back.
But when he saw the ginseng and deer antlers in the yard, he immediately puffed out his chest. He felt that he now had a powerful backer.
"Yes, I am Jiang Wu's younger brother." He grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, and smiled somewhat obsequiously. "You must be my sister's mother-in-law? My mother asked me to give you my regards."
As he spoke, he handed the tattered canvas bag in his hand forward.
"These are peanuts that we grew ourselves. They're not worth much, so please don't mind them."
Zhong Tinglan didn't even glance at the canvas bag, letting out a cold snort.
"Come in."
She stepped aside to make way, her attitude indifferent, as if she were dealing with a peddler who had come to her door.
Jiang Qiang didn't mind. As soon as he entered the yard with his bag, he couldn't take it all in.
This courtyard is truly magnificent! The ground is paved with blue bricks, and flowers are planted in the corners. The house is also taller and more spacious than the tiled houses in the village. He touched this and looked around.
When he saw Jiang Wu come out of the house, his eyes lit up even more.
"sister!"
He ran over there as fast as he could.
You're getting more and more beautiful!
"This outfit is made of really good material. Did you buy it in the city?" he said, reaching out to touch Jiang Wu's clothes.
Jiang Wu subtly took a step back, dodging his hand.
"Why are you here?" she asked casually.
“Mom sent me!” Jiang Qiang said matter-of-factly. “She said that my brother-in-law is a high-ranking official now, and you’re pregnant, so you’re destined to enjoy a life of luxury. She also said that you can’t forget your roots and have to support the family.”
He quoted Liu Cuifen verbatim, speaking so directly and bluntly.
The military wives who hadn't yet dispersed all looked on with disdain upon hearing this.
This family's behavior is appalling. The older sister is newly pregnant, and the younger brother is already coming to their door to "beg for money"?
Zhong Tinglan's face was so dark it could drip water. She was now absolutely certain that letting Jiang Qiang move into her home was a huge mistake.
Qin Lie stepped forward and stood between Jiang Wu and Jiang Qiang.
His tall stature was like a wall, giving Jiang Qiang a tremendous sense of pressure.
"I am Qin Lie." His voice was deep, and his gaze towards Jiang Qiang carried a scrutinizing and authoritative quality unique to soldiers.
"Hello, brother-in-law." Jiang Qiang felt a little uneasy under his gaze. He only knew that Qin Lie was the regimental commander, but he did not expect his brother-in-law to have such a powerful aura.
"You must be tired from your journey," Qin Lie said politely.
Then, he changed the subject.
"I've already arranged a room at the guesthouse. You can put your luggage there and rest for a bit. I'll take you out for dinner tonight."
Qin Lie carried out his mother's orders directly.
Jiang Qiang was stunned when he heard this.
"guest House?"
"Brother-in-law, I'm not going to the guesthouse! I'll stay at my sister's place!"
“How can a younger brother come to visit and not stay at home, but instead stay outside? If word gets back to the village, people will gossip about my sister, saying that she has become estranged from her family after getting married.”
He brought out the two mountains of "filial piety" and "reputation" in an attempt to overwhelm Qin Lie.
Qin Lie frowned. This brother-in-law didn't seem like much, but he was quite cunning.
"Your sister, she..." Qin Lie was about to say that Jiang Wu was pregnant and needed to rest.
Jiang Wu, however, gently tugged at his sleeve from behind.
Then, she stepped forward with an embarrassed smile on her face.
"Qin Lie, let Xiao Qiang stay at home. There's plenty of room."
"Besides, it's rare for him to come all this way, so it's really not appropriate to let him stay in a guesthouse."
Qin Lie looked at Jiang Wu with a puzzled expression.
Jiang Wu winked at him, her eyes carrying a hint of the cunning Qin Lie was familiar with.
Qin Lie immediately understood. His wife was going to "act" again. Moreover, this time she was trying to "lure the snake out of its hole."
"Well... alright then." Qin Lie pretended to be reluctant but relented. "However, the rooms in the house are small, so you'll have to make do with the storage room for now."
"Storage room?" Jiang Qiang's face fell.
He imagined that once he arrived, he would at least have a single room with a large window. But it turned out to be a storage room?
However, he then thought that being able to move in was the first step to victory. The rest could be dealt with later.
"Okay, a storage room it is!" he readily agreed.
Zhong Tinglan watched all this coldly from the sidelines. She didn't understand why Jiang Wu had invited this "trouble" into the family, but she chose to trust Jiang Wu. She always felt that this daughter-in-law wasn't the type to let her suffer.
For dinner, Zhong Tinglan cooked herself. She prepared a table full of dishes, including fish and meat, as lavish as a New Year's feast.
Jiang Qiang sat at the dining table, his eyes glued to the screen.
Without a word, he picked up his chopsticks and began to wolf down his food. His mouth was greasy, and he made loud smacking noises as he ate. He looked like a starving ghost reincarnated.
Zhong Tinglan frowned in disgust and put down her chopsticks.
Qin Lie shook his head as he watched. He now understood why Jiang Wu insisted on letting her younger brother move in. Some people's true nature can only be clearly seen when they are exposed to the light of day.
After a hearty meal, Jiang Qiang patted his round belly and let out a burp.
He glanced at Jiang Wu, who was clearing away the dishes, and then turned his gaze to Qin Lie.
"Brother-in-law, um... my mom asked me to ask you." He rubbed his hands together, looking expectant. "Look, I'm already here. Could you, while I'm at it, also arrange some work for me?"
"I'm not picky. As long as it's not too tiring and I can get paid on time, that's fine."
The moment he said that, the air in the whole room seemed to freeze.
Before Qin Lie could speak, Zhong Tinglan sneered.
"Not too tiring, but I can still make money?"
"Tell me, where in the world is there such a good thing as a free lunch?"
"Why not?" Jiang Qiang retorted, sticking his neck out. "My brother-in-law is a regimental commander! He has so many people under his command. It would be a piece of cake for him to arrange a job for me, like guarding the gate or sweeping the floor."
He felt this was perfectly reasonable.
"The military is a place to protect our country, not a place for idle people like you to retire!" Qin Lie's voice turned cold.
"You can find a job in the military. But you'll have to rely on your own abilities."
"Tomorrow, I will arrange for you to participate in the logistics department's recruitment assessment. If you pass the exam, you can stay. If you don't pass, you will go back to where you came from."
Qin Lie presented his conditions, which were fair, just, and reasonable.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiang became unhappy again.
"There's an exam?"
"Brother-in-law, we're all family, there's no need to be so formal."
"Could you please make an exception for me?" He started shamelessly trying to get closer to Qin Lie.
“In the army, there are no families, only discipline.” Qin Lie interrupted him coldly. “This is the only way. You either accept it, or buy a boat ticket home now.”
Qin Lie's attitude was very firm.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Qiang knew that continuing the argument was pointless. His eyes lit up, and he set his sights on Jiang Wu.
"Sis! Say something!"
"I'm your own brother! Are you just going to stand by and watch me suffer poverty in the village?"
"Now that you're living a good life, you can't be ungrateful!" He began to morally blackmail Jiang Wu.
Jiang Wu put down the bowl in her hand, raised her head, and looked at him quietly.
"Jiang Qiang, your brother-in-law is right."
"You can stay if you want, but you'll have to rely on your own abilities."
"If you're really serious about it, then prepare well for tomorrow's assessment. If you're not, then no one can help you."
Jiang Wu's words were calm, but they blocked all of Jiang Qiang's escape routes.
Jiang Qiang never expected that even his sister could be so heartless.
His face turned a deep purplish-red.
"Good! Good! You're all so great! You all look down on me, a poor relative!"
He suddenly stood up, slammed the door shut, and stormed into the small storage room.
Silence returned to the room.
Zhong Tinglan looked at the tightly closed door and snorted coldly, "Useless mud to make a wall."
Qin Lie looked at Jiang Wu with some worry in his eyes: "Wife, don't be angry. It's not worth it for someone like that."
"I'm not angry." Jiang Wu shook her head, a mysterious smile appearing on her face instead. "The show is just beginning."
Qin Lie was taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind her words.
That evening.
In the dead of night, Jiang Wu got up to use the restroom and passed by the door of the storage room.
She heard Jiang Qiang making a phone call in a low voice from inside.
In those days, private telephones weren't common. He was probably contacting someone in the village who could make a phone call.
All that could be heard was Jiang Qiang speaking fiercely into the microphone: "Mom! Don't worry! My sister is currently bewitched by that official!"
"But don't worry, I won't let this go!"
"The more she tries to make things difficult for me, the more I'll stay!"
"Hmph, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. This Qin family fortune will be mine sooner or later! Just wait for my good news!"
Jiang Wu stood outside the door, listening to these words, her eyes gradually turning cold.
Family fortune? That's just insatiable greed.
She turned around and quietly went back to her room.
Since you want it so badly, I'll see if you have the ability to take it.
ps:
Tomato is undoubtedly the top star in the universe.
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