Chapter 3 Three-Year Contract Marriage
I got off the train.
The unique warmth and hospitality of Northeast China is palpable.
Grandma Xu's eldest grandson, Xu Qiaolan, was already waiting on the platform, his well-fitting military uniform making him stand tall and straight.
Seeing her grandmother bring over a strange girl, she was stunned at first, then quickly stepped forward: "Grandma, who is this?"
"This is Ning Tang, my savior."
Grandma Xu held Ning Tang's hand tightly, showing great affection, but when she looked at her grandson, her face immediately fell.
“If she hadn’t saved me, you would never have seen your grandma again in your life.”
After hearing about what happened on the train, Xu Qiaolan quickly looked at Ning Tang. When she saw Ning Tang's eyes, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes, and she thanked her, "Comrade Ning, thank you very much."
"If you encounter any problems in Fengtian, come to me, and I will definitely help you."
"It's too late today, Comrade Ning, why don't you just come to my house and stay for the night? Our family compound is very close by, it's only a ten-minute drive."
Ning Tang originally planned to find an excuse to part ways with Grandma Xu as soon as she got off the bus.
There are many human traffickers these days, and she's not stupid enough to go and stay at a stranger's house.
But upon seeing Xu Qiaolan in military uniform, she immediately changed her mind. Since she didn't have a letter of introduction and couldn't stay at a hotel, she had no choice but to go with them.
After getting into the military jeep, the vehicle slowly drove into a large compound.
The sentry at the gate saw the license plate and immediately stood at attention and saluted.
Finally, we stopped in front of a two-story villa. There were several pomegranate trees in the yard and a vegetable garden in the corner, which looked particularly pleasing.
An old man in a Zhongshan suit came out. Grandma Xu repeated what happened on the train, implying that he was her savior and that everyone should treat him with respect.
Ning Tang felt extremely embarrassed and became restless.
Grandpa Ning looked Ning Tang up and down, quite liking the girl; she looked like she had a blessed appearance.
He said gently, "Are you tired?"
"Come on, Grandpa will take you to choose a room, and we'll put your luggage down while we're at it. Then we'll treat you to braised pork in the cafeteria."
As soon as the two went inside, Grandma Xu's expression changed instantly.
Grabbing his eldest grandson Xu Qiaolan's arm, he said urgently, "Go, hurry up and bring that good-for-nothing Xu Qiaofeng back to me from the team!"
"Qiaofeng just returned from a mission and is resting."
Xu Qiaolan was puzzled. "Grandma, we can talk about it tomorrow."
"You don't know anything!"
Grandma Xu glared at her, barely suppressing her anger, "Can this matter wait? If we wait any longer, it'll be too late! That girl is carrying your brother's child!"
"What?!"
Xu Qiaolan almost cried out, "Grandma, you're not kidding, are you? Qiaofeng, he..."
He knew his younger brother's personality well; all he cared about was training and missions, and he always avoided girls like the plague, finding them troublesome. How could he possibly get on the bus first and then buy a ticket later?
"You can't call him now. Qiaofeng hasn't slept for days. He just fell asleep and you're waking him up again. You can't be so joking."
"Sleep? What's he supposed to do? He still has the nerve to sleep?"
“If this gets out, he’ll make our Xu family lose all face. Go now and drag him away. If he dares not to come, just say I had a heart attack and am about to die.”
Seeing that his grandmother had already made a harsh statement, he knew there was no room for negotiation.
Xu Qiaolan turned around and ran out quickly.
...
I drove straight to the team.
At this moment, Xu Qiaofeng had just finished a meeting and had been lying down with his eyes closed for less than half an hour when he heard a loud banging on the door outside.
"Qiaofeng, open the door!"
"It's your older brother, he needs to talk to you about something."
Xu Qiaofeng suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes still filled with lingering anger and bloodshot veins.
He had just finished a two-week training mission and then worked non-stop for three hours in a meeting. His bones were about to fall apart. Now that he was being tortured like this, even his own brother's face was so gloomy that it looked like water was about to drip from it.
"I want to sleep, just stand at the door and say so."
"Grandma's heart condition has flared up, she's about to die, you need to go back and check on her right away."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qiaofeng sprang out of bed, grabbed a coat haphazardly, put it on, and rushed outside.
I only remembered to ask what happened after I got on the bus.
When I turned around, I saw my older brother mumbling incoherently while frantically pressing the accelerator.
Xu Qiaofeng's eyes instantly turned cold: "Brother, are you trying to fool me?"
"Qiaofeng, listen to me."
"Grandma almost didn't make it, but now there are bigger things waiting for you to go back and deal with."
Xu Qiaofeng didn't believe it and was about to jump off the speeding car.
Startled, Xu Qiaolan shouted, "You got that girl pregnant, and now they're coming to our door! You have to go back and admit your mistake!"
"Nonsense, I wouldn't even glance at a female mosquito, let alone touch a woman. Do you think that's possible?"
Xu Qiaolan: "How would I know? The girl is fair-skinned and looks like an honest person, not someone who would lie."
"There are no outsiders here. Tell me the truth, do you know this girl surnamed Ning?"
Surname Ning...
Xu Qiaofeng seemed to have thought of something, and his expression turned ugly.
A month ago, he visited the Ning family and drank too much, staying overnight in the guest room. In his dream, a girl was clinging to his side, with skin as white and tender as snow and eyes that were surprisingly bright, like a little beast with its fur standing on end.
When he woke up, he was alone in the room. He assumed it was just a ridiculous dream caused by the pressure of the mission and didn't take it to heart.
After all, people are very protective of a girl's reputation these days, so who would send their daughter to his bed?
Upon hearing Xu Qiaolan's words, Xu Qiaofeng realized something was wrong. He was a heavy drinker, so how could he get drunk from just two cups of wine? It turned out someone had used underhanded tactics.
According to his brother, that Ning Tang was also a scapegoat, implicated by the Ning family mother and daughter.
Now that things have come to fruition, he's not the type to turn his back on someone.
As soon as the car arrived, Xu Qiaofeng practically jumped out and strode into the courtyard.
Ning Tang was giving Grandma Xu a follow-up examination to see if she had recovered when she heard a noise. She looked up and saw the man from that night.
Startled, her eyes widened, and she made a move to leave.
"Tangtang, we know what happened. You're pregnant now. How are you going to live all alone out there?"
“Listen to Grandma, hurry up and get the marriage certificate with Qiaofeng. Our family has no objections.”
As Grandma Xu spoke, she nudged Xu Qiaofeng, urging him to take the initiative.
When the two stood face to face, everyone around them left, leaving them room to talk.
Xu Qiaofeng looked the woman in front of him up and down. She wasn't tall, only reaching his shoulder, but she was quite pretty, like a movie star. However, she was too thin, and it looked like she would break if he exerted too much force.
He broke the silence first: "It's my fault, I admit it, we'll go get our marriage certificate this afternoon."
"But don't expect love. I, Xu Qiaofeng, will only focus my energy on the training field. Women will only hinder my calmness."
"After we get married, you will live at home and I will move out. For the sake of my grandmother's health, I don't want things to get too ugly. This period will last for three years, after which we will get a divorce."
"But I will not lack the material necessities and responsibilities that are due."
Ning Tang considered the options in her mind. With money and power, she could get her child registered. With the Xu family's help, she wasn't afraid even if the Ning family came looking for her.
He was immediately tempted and made the decision: "Words are no proof, let's sign and put our fingerprints on it!"
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