Chapter 48
If we were to say the person most affected by Xing Xingyue's arrival, it wasn't the general or Yao Chunnuan, but Wang Lang. It could be said that Xing Xingyue's arrival startled him. Clearly, this kind of thing happened two years later in her previous life, so how could it happen so much earlier in this life?
For a long time, Xing Xingyue's betrayal of her brother was regarded by him as a landmark event, marking the fall of the great general Xing Changfeng and the beginning of his rise to prominence.
Only then did he realize that his original thought of having ample time to slowly deploy his forces was wrong. Now all his plans were completely messed up.
The next day, Manager Wu came out in person to formally introduce Yao Chunnuan and Yu Chen to each other.
The members of the shogunate were all very nervous. There couldn't be two tigers in one mountain. Would they start fighting?
Obviously they were overthinking it. Both of them smiled and said nice to meet each other in a friendly manner.
Then came the division of labor. Yu Chen's responsibilities were more military-oriented, while Yao Chunnuan's were more government-oriented. When it came to the division and handover of work, both were very straightforward, not clinging to power or dragging their feet.
During the handover, Yu Chen said to her, "Let's work together to expand this business."
"Okay." That's what she meant.
Xing Xingyue stayed as she wished and was not sent back. Because it was almost Chinese New Year and she was pregnant, the doctor said it was indeed not suitable for her to travel long distances. The general relented and allowed her to be sent back after the Chinese New Year.
As Yao Chunnuan had anticipated, Xing Xingyue's arrival had indeed affected her. For some reason, the Fourth Young Lady often appeared in the places she had been. Whenever she saw the Fourth Young Lady from a distance, she would avoid her. Members of the shogunate also provided cover for her.
Looking at Xing Xingyue, who had been fooled away again, Yao Chunnuan bowed and thanked his colleague. Although he didn't know what she wanted to talk to him about, it was most likely related to her mess, and she really didn't want to get involved.
It was lunch time for them, and Yao Chunnuan complained, "You said that our shogunate has more than ten people. Why didn't she look for you, but targeted me?" When Yu Chen came, he brought the rest of the shogunate staff with him. Now there are more than ten members of the shogunate.
When the members of the shogunate mentioned her, their expressions were indescribable.
"Maybe they think you're easier to talk to as a woman?"
Others echoed, "Well, they probably think you're more likely to be soft-hearted. Plus, you're also pregnant, so you're more likely to stand in her shoes and think about her."
"The most important point, of course, is that they think you have a lot of respect in front of the general and Chief Steward Wu, and that you have more influence than us."
Yao Chunnuan made a bitter face and said, "Forgive her. She can't bear this favoritism."
Everyone else laughed.
In the evening, Yao Chunnuan went to work as usual. Before entering the house, she was stopped by someone, "Sister Yao, wait a minute——"
Yao Chun turned his head and saw Xing Xingyue standing in the yard next door, staring at him hungrily.
She avoided the first day but not the fifteenth. Yao Chunnuan said helplessly, "What a coincidence." Yao Chunnuan simply ignored her familiarity. Isn't it just a name?
"Sister Yao, can you talk to me?"
"What do you want to say?"
Xing Xingyue had a lot to say. She caught him and began to recount how she and her lover had met, gotten to know each other, and fallen in love. After their sweet romance, she mustered the courage to resist the marriage her family had arranged for her, then was forced to break up the relationship, and finally eloped with her lover to the northern border to find her brother.
After finishing her poignant love story, Xing Xingyue pleaded with her, "Sister Yao, I heard that my brother listens to you a lot. Can you please plead for us?"
Yao Chunnuan kept complaining in her heart, your own brother can't make sense, and you want me, an outsider, to plead for you, what are you thinking?
Xing Xingyue was still staring at her. Yao Chunnuan cleared her throat and said, "Actually, I think it would be more appropriate for you two to go and talk to the general together." As she spoke, she glanced at the closed door next door. She was speechless about this man who never went out of the house and let a woman take the lead in everything.
Xing Xingyue frowned and said aggrievedly, "I told you, but my eldest brother didn't listen at all."
Honey, I was talking about you guys, not you. Little sister, you still don't understand why your brother is angry. He's not angry because you rebelled against the marriage arranged by your family, but because your brother doesn't like that guy and thinks you have poor judgment and won't listen to advice.
"Sister Yao, please help us."
"I'm so sorry, but the baby in my belly has grown so big lately that I'm running low on energy. I really don't have the strength to do anything else. The fourth young lady is also pregnant, so I think you can understand, right?"
Xing Xingyue quickly said, "It's just a conversation, it doesn't take much energy."
Yao Chunnuan chuckled, "Cao Duo is speechless. Talking to your boss is effortless? Shouldn't you be careful and cautious when interfering in your boss's family affairs?" Forget it. What could she say to her? They were on different wavelengths, so it wouldn't make sense, okay?
"Sister Yao, I really like Jingzhou, and we have a child together. I hope to give the child a complete family. Can you understand?"
Sorry, she can't understand love brain.
"You are also a mother, you should be able to understand, right?" When saying this, Xing Xingyue's eyes fell on her round belly.
You forced me to do this. Yao Chunnuan took a deep breath, then tightened her face and said calmly, "I am a mother, yes, but I divorced the father and severed all ties with him. Now I live in the South District, and he and his family of more than a dozen people are crammed into the North District. Do you think I can understand?"
Xing Xingyue was frightened, his eyes wide open, "This this——"
Finally, Yao Chunnuan smiled and said, "I can't help you. It's dark and the roads are slippery. You should go back. Be careful when you walk, or you might accidentally drop the precious child of you and your lover."
But her smile was terrifying in Xing Xingyue's eyes. She stepped back and looked at Yao Chunnuan as if she were a devil.
Yao Chunnuan walked into the house in a leisurely manner, humming a tuneless song. She thought to herself, Xing Xingyue probably won't block her this time, right?
The New Year was approaching, and the military settlement had begun recruiting soldiers, so the atmosphere was lively and cheerful. Since they were recruiting new soldiers, they had to arrange for housing. Currently, the settlement wasn't big enough, so it was necessary to expand. Yu Chen and Yao Chunnuan were jointly responsible for this, dividing the work and working together.
Yao Chunnuan is responsible for the design of the entire recruits' accommodation, and of course there will be relevant personnel to assist her.
Yao Chunnuan felt this job suited her perfectly. She had the experience of later generations; the Flower Country wasn't known as the "Infrastructure Maniac" for nothing. In architecture, what you see is what you get. Because she'd seen so much, even Yao Chunnuan, a non-architect, could explain it all—though, of course, that was just layman's talk. Now, with the need to build a new barracks, and her support staff, it was a piece of cake. Her suggestions were adopted if they worked, discarded if they didn't. She didn't insist on having her say, which relieved the veterans who assisted her.
The old master breathed a sigh of relief and sorted out the feasible suggestions she had made. Oh, it seems Chief Secretary Yao's suggestion wasn't a complete waste after all. The result was quite impressive, comparable to the barracks at the Yichun camp, and it also saved some manpower and financial resources.
After gathering the opinions of several old guys, everyone made a decision and said, "Okay, let's fix it!"
The coordination of human resources is left to Yu Chen.
The expansion has sufficient manpower. The entire military settlement is hibernating, so the prisoners will be given some work, like snow shoveling, to keep them occupied. The labor intensity is the lightest of the year. When they are needed for work, they are rotated three days a week, one day off, and are not overly exploited.
The military settlements were busy with construction projects, and the settlers and laborers were working hard. Soldiers and officers were out recruiting, leaving in the morning and always returning with a group of new recruits in the evening.
The military settlement was thriving. Apart from the occasional slight discord caused by the often gloomy Xing Xingyue, everything was beautiful and positive for the residents.
That day, a small group of elite soldiers, carrying a large banner, passed the gate of the General's Mansion. They were heading to the gate of Yichun City to replace their fellow conscripts. Just then, they encountered Xing Xingyue, who was also leaving. They quickly stopped and let her pass before they left.
Xing Xingyue walked forward with a frown on his face, looking extremely distressed and worried, not noticing anything else.
As they walked, the young soldier couldn't hold it in any longer, "Why is she always frowning? She is like this almost every time I see her, never smiling." It's really unlucky.
"I don't know. Her life should be easy, right? It shouldn't be like this." What is there for the general's sister to worry about?
One of the soldiers said slowly, "What she's worried about is probably related to the man she came with."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's faces looked strange.
Regarding Xing Xingyue's matter, Manager Wu wanted to cover up for her, but she always went to the military family area to look for that man, so it was impossible to hide it.
Seeing that they were talking more and more out of line, the team leader hurriedly shouted, "Hurry up and leave! What are you talking about? Are we allowed to talk about the general's sister?" At least give their general some face.
Upon hearing this, his soldiers curled their lips and muttered, "She? It's really embarrassing for the general."
"Isn't it? She has such a sad face every day that people who don't know her would think the general treats her badly. If I had a sister like that, I'd be so angry I'd die."
"That's right, Yao Zhubo looks more like our general's sister than she does." Yao Zhubo is an honorable sister.
Seeing how unruly they were, the team leader kicked them directly, "You still want to talk? Are you itching for trouble?!"
The soldiers covered their buttocks and ran away, and some even turned back to be angry with him, "I didn't kick you, I didn't kick you!" Don't think they don't know that although the captain scolded them, he might agree with what they said in his heart.
"Little bastard!"
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