Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen...
Chapter Sixteen
That evening, after returning home from get off work and learning that Yao Anhui and Lu Yuanqing were dating, Guan Kangde had a serious conversation with Yao Anhui.
After confirming that Yao Anhui had chosen Lu Yuanqing based on her own wishes, Guan Kangde expressed his respect for her choice.
Guan Kangde meant that when she was with Lu Yuanqing, she shouldn't feel insecure because she was an orphan. He said that the Guan family would support her in the future, and he and Xiang Jinghe would also prepare a dowry for her, so she would never suffer any injustice without someone to rely on.
However, Guan Kangde made some things very clear, such as that the Guan family would be her maternal family from now on, and that he would support her if she suffered any grievances.
However, Guan Kangde, who looks tough and is in charge of training soldiers in the army, also has a sensitive side. He was worried that Yao Anhui lacked confidence because of her family background, that she was too sensitive, and that if he said too much, she would be saddened by thinking about her family. So he spoke these words very subtly.
Fortunately, Yao Anhui had lived in the complex environment of the palace in her previous life and was already used to saying things that could have seven or eight meanings in one sentence. Otherwise, Guan Kangde's words would probably have been like flirting with a blind man.
However, Yao Anhui was still very touched. She had experienced the saying "when people leave, the tea cools" far too often in her previous life.
Guan Kangde claimed he was grateful to Yao's father for saving his life, but in reality, he wasn't the only one who wanted Yao Ruifeng. However, it was only Guan Kangde who took care of the original owner and her daughter in every way after Yao's father passed away. If it weren't for the Yao family's objections, Guan Kangde would have even wanted her to be his daughter-in-law.
However, despite being touched, Yao Anhui still refused Guan Kangde's offer to help Xiang Jinghe prepare her dowry. Instead, she asked Xiang Jinghe to help her change her sewing ticket.
As someone from hundreds or even thousands of years ago, Yao Anhui didn't understand the working principle of a sewing machine, but she was deeply impressed and said that she deserved to own one. With a sewing machine, who would want to sew clothes by hand stitch by stitch?
As for the dowry, forget about it. Admittedly, Yao Anhui will be inseparable from the Guan family in the future, and she is determined to maintain contact with Guan family relatives as long as both sides remain unchanged.
However, Yao Anhui did not want to be involved in financial matters. If Guan Kangde gave Jinghe a gift or added to her dowry when she got married, Yao Anhui would not refuse, but it was unnecessary for him to help her prepare a dowry.
Money and feelings should not be mixed up. No matter how good the relationship is, once it becomes entangled with interests, the relationship will change.
Moreover, it should be noted that the Guan family is not just Guan Kangde and Xiang Jinghe; they also have children and grandchildren. Yao Anhui does not believe that everyone will not have objections, and she will not agree even for the sake of peace and quiet in the future.
Everyone here is a smart person, and they won't argue about this kind of thing. Both sides have reached a consensus.
That evening, Yao Anhui carefully examined the items she had brought back from the recycling station in her room: a cup and a dish shaped like a bowl. They were so dirty that a layer of grime covered them, making it impossible to tell what their original material was. Yao Anhui bought them entirely on instinct.
After returning home, Yao Anhui washed the two cups and saucers and discovered that they were not cups or saucers at all, but rather lacquerware pen holders. They looked quite old, but Yao Anhui was not familiar with the history of this world and did not know which dynasty they came from. The only thing she knew was that they were quite valuable.
It wasn't actually a bowl, but a ceramic brush washer, a brush washer with an antique shape that resembled a bowl. Yao Anhui guessed that it might have been used as a vessel for feeding animals.
Yao Anhui put the two pen holders and pen washers into the Red Star box and stored them away carefully, thinking that they might come in handy in the future.
————
That evening, Lu Yuanqing, posing as Yao Anhui's boyfriend, arrived at the Guan family home carrying large bags of gifts. Not to mention that Guan Kangde was a leader Lu Yuanqing greatly admired, given Yao Anhui's current relationship with the Guan family, Lu Yuanqing dared not be careless in the slightest.
The large and small bags that Lu Yuanqing was carrying were naturally seen by everyone.
One curious person couldn't help but ask, "What's Battalion Commander Lu doing carrying so much stuff?"
"It looks like they're heading to Commander Guan's house."
"In broad daylight, in front of everyone, bringing so many gifts to Commander Guan's house, isn't that a bad idea?" A person in the group chatting after dinner said with a flicker in their eyes.
Hua Fangling happened to be there as well, and she looked down on the person who spoke: "It's just giving something to your partner, it's not bribery, what's so shameful about it?"
Hua Fangling's words caused a huge stir. Everyone was stunned. The personal problems of many soldiers in the army were a headache for the political commissar, especially some older unmarried young men. Although Lu Yuanqing was not the most troublesome for the political commissar, he was almost there.
Many military wives speculated whether Lu Yuanqing would be like Wu Chengan and the others, not wanting to get married even though he was getting on in years. But Hua Fangling said that Lu Yuanqing had a boyfriend, which made everyone very curious.
"Fangqin, how did you know that Battalion Commander Lu has a girlfriend? Didn't you just come back from the city this afternoon? Your information network is much better than ours."
"Yes, Sister-in-law Hua, who is Battalion Commander Lu's girlfriend? How did you know?"
"Fangling, the girl you're talking about, Battalion Commander Lu's girlfriend, isn't she the relative from the countryside that came to visit Commander Guan's family a few days ago?"
"She's not some relative from the countryside. Aunt Li should know that twelve years ago, there was a Battalion Commander Yao in our military region who was discharged due to injury. The girl that Commander Guan's family took in was Battalion Commander Yao's daughter."
One of them, who knew a little about the inside story, was Xiang Xiaowen. She was a cousin of Xiang Jinghe's family, separated by five degrees of kinship. She was a very proud person. Because of her childhood experiences, she believed in relying on herself and not taking advantage of anyone. She was afraid that others would misunderstand that her man got the job through Guan Kangde's connections, so she never let anyone know about her relationship with Xiang Jinghe. However, she had a pretty good personality and spoke her mind. Hua Fangling had a good relationship with her.
Aunt Li has a kind and gentle face, and looks a bit older than Xiang Jinghe. Her son is Wu Chengan, and she knows Yao Ruifeng.
"What? You mean Battalion Commander Lu's girlfriend is the girl that Division Commander Guan brought back a few days ago?" Aunt Li asked in a shrill voice.
"Aunt Li, why are you shouting so loudly? You're making my ears go deaf!" The military wife next to her was startled by Aunt Li's shrill voice.
"Uh, sorry, sorry, I didn't control my voice for a moment. Oh, right, I have something to do, so I'll head back first." Aunt Li immediately apologized, then turned and hurried home.
"What's wrong with Aunt Li today? She's not even curious about gossip anymore?" the woman asked, rubbing her ears in confusion.
Hua Fangling smiled secretly. Living next door to the Wu family, she knew why Aunt Li wanted to go back. Last night, Wu Chengan told Aunt Li that he had taken a liking to Yao Anhui, but Aunt Li disliked that Yao Anhui was too beautiful and didn't look very healthy, so she strongly objected.
Haha, you have no right to look down on him. Whether in the book or now, Yao Anhui looks down on Wu Cheng'an.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
