Chapter Thirteen: The Stage is Set
He Mingzhou actually still remembers her?
She thought her husband, who ran away on their wedding night, probably didn't intend to love her anymore, but to her surprise, he remembered to bring her a gift before he came back.
It seems this man doesn't dislike her that much after all.
Xin Li curled her lips, just about to subtly establish a persona and generously say, "I don't want anything, I just want him to come back safely," when she caught a glimpse of Xu Haiyu peeking around from the side. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
"I want some things for girls."
Xin Li feigned shyness: "Also... since we're newlyweds, I thought I'd ask you, as the deputy division commander, to buy some things that a young couple should use."
The black-faced soldier's face was a patchwork of black and red, a truly multicolored black.
"Could you explain in more detail...? I'm not married, so I don't understand..."
The dark-faced soldier lowered his head awkwardly. He wasn't just unmarried; he hadn't even had a girlfriend all these years.
What Xinli said was like a foreign language to him.
Xin Li rubbed her hands together: "Oh dear... how can I just say something like this directly?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Xu Haiyu, who was eavesdropping in the shadows. Watching Xu Haiyu's face turn from blue to purple, then back to blue again, she finally felt satisfied.
"Then just tell him that you like anything he brings."
After saying that, Xinli squeezed through the doorway and said, "Thank you for your hard work, brother. Here, take this and eat it."
Xin Li shoved the things in her hand into the arms of the dark-faced soldier and slammed the door shut.
The black-collar soldier was stunned for several seconds before he reacted. He wanted to return the item, but the door was tightly closed. He had no choice but to take the item out of his pocket.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he found it was an egg.
Fortunately, it wasn't anything too valuable, otherwise he really wouldn't have dared to accept it.
The dark-faced soldier carefully put the eggs away and turned to leave.
Only after he left did Xu Haiyu emerge from around the corner.
"Xinli!"
Xu Haiyu stomped her feet in anger.
This shameless woman actually dared to say such shameless things to Mingzhou's soldiers!
She's ruining Mingzhou's reputation!
Xu Haiyu wanted to complain to someone, but she was worried that others would say her behavior was wrong if they found out she had been eavesdropping.
After much internal struggle, she could only leave, seething with anger. Before leaving, she glared fiercely at the closed door, wishing her glare could pierce through the door and strike Xin Li.
After she left, Xinli peeked out from the balcony.
During this time, Xin Li had seen how others were targeting her. Those people were easy to talk to; they just followed the crowd and disliked her because of hearsay. When she tried to prove herself and explain the situation, she ended up being the one who lost.
And those people might not even believe it.
Time reveals all, and seeing is believing. After spending enough time with her, people will naturally know what kind of person Xin Li is.
Only Xu Haiyu.
If one plan fails, she will surely have another.
He Mingzhou's return gave Xu Haiyu the best stage.
With what she just did to him, he's bound to get angry and cause trouble.
There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Xin Li wanted to force Xu Haiyu to take action, preferably a big one, so that everyone on the island could see Xu Haiyu's true colors.
That way, anyone who wants to cause her trouble in the future will think twice, and her life on the island will be more stable.
...
Dinner was, as usual, at Zhang Jinhua's house.
She took out the dried goods she had hidden in her space and gave them to Zhang Jinhua. She cooked a few meals for everyone to eat together, and now Zhang Jinhua's family treats her with the utmost kindness.
Xu Haiyu tried to cause trouble several times but was rebuffed, so he became more subdued afterward.
However, she was upset today, and during dinner she couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law Lu, is Brother Mingzhou coming back soon?"
Zhang Jinhua smiled and said, "He'll be back soon. What's wrong? It's only been a short time since we last saw each other, and you already miss him?"
"Of course I want to see him. I thought I would see Brother Mingzhou when I came back, but I didn't expect him to go out again after I returned."
"Hey sister-in-law, I heard that Brother Mingzhou left on your wedding day? You're not angry with Brother Mingzhou, are you? Brother Mingzhou must have been in a hurry. He always told me before he went out to sea and would repeatedly tell me to be careful at home."
Xu Haiyu said this to Xin Li.
She was clearly trying to sow discord with these words, to tell Xin Li and He Mingzhou that they didn't care about her at all.
Xin Li raised an eyebrow, but before she could reply, Zhang Jinhua said, "Xiao Yu, that's not how it works. This mission was urgent, and Xiao He was only sent off at the last minute. Otherwise, do you think your brother Ming Zhou would have abandoned such a beautiful wife and run away?"
“Yes, yes!” Xinli nodded vigorously: “He won’t leave me home alone. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We can celebrate our wedding night again when he comes back.”
Xu Haiyu clenched her fists.
This is blatant boasting by Xinli!
That damn woman!
She actually dared to talk about her wedding night so openly! Does she have no shame at all?!
Zhang Jinhua, being an experienced person, smiled knowingly and gave Xinli a reproachful look: "Xinxin, Xiaoyu is still an unmarried girl after all."
Xin Li seemed to have just remembered this, and nodded obediently: "Look at me, I had forgotten."
She put on a loving expression and looked at Xu Haiyu with a smile, saying, "Xiaoyu, I think you're not young anymore. When your brother Mingzhou comes back, I'll talk to him and ask him to introduce you to any good men he knows."
Xu Haiyu's eyes widened: "I don't want to—"
"Oh, don't be shy. I know you're easily embarrassed. They say an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, so I'll go and speak on your behalf."
“Your brother Mingzhou loves you so much, he will definitely find you a good husband.”
Xu Haiyu was so angry she almost cried.
She doesn't want any ideal husband!
She wants Brother Mingzhou!
But she didn't dare say these words to Zhang Jinhua's face.
She could only stomp her foot after hearing Zhang Jinhua echo her sentiment, using shyness to mask her raging anger: "Sister-in-law Lu, please stop teasing me! I don't want to get married!"
Zhang Jinhua took it as a joke: "Who doesn't get married? Don't worry, we've all watched you grow up, and we all care about your situation."
Xin Li watched this scene quietly, and only after noticing that Xu Haiyu's hands, which were clenched so tightly on his knees, turned blue, did she smile with satisfaction.
She's already spurred this fire to a great extent.
He Mingzhou is almost home. Hopefully, Xu Haiyu won't disappoint her and will put on a spectacular show.
...
On the early morning when news came that the ship was about to dock, Xin Li was arranged by Zhang Jinhua to go to the dock with Xu Haiyu to pick up people.
Xu Haiyu was unusually enthusiastic this time, and along the way she kept showing off a watch to Xin Li that was supposedly her brother's heirloom.
"That's expensive, it costs twenty yuan."
“Before my brother passed away, he asked Mingzhou to give me this watch as a keepsake. I’ve never been willing to wear it.”
Xin Li's gaze fell on the watch, a knowing look flashing in her eyes.
Why did you suddenly start wearing it again now, even though you were reluctant to wear it before?
Got it, it seems today's show is related to this watch.
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