Chapter 55 Brother and Sister Reunion Work can be found again, but... there's only one...
"Mianmian, what are you doing here?"
"Big brother?!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Chen Mian abandoned her argument with Ji Yu and instantly jumped up to pounce on the other person.
"I really missed you, brother! How did you end up in Wumu City?" Chen Mian smiled and hugged Chen Mubai's lean waist, looking up as she asked.
Chen Mubai gently hugged him back, his smile becoming even more genuine. "I was selected by my superiors to study at the military academy in Wumu City for a year. I just got a day off today and thought I'd come out and have some fun."
"I was originally planning to ask Ji Yu about you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Yu walked over naturally, opening his arms to welcome his brother back.
God knows how irritating it was for him to see the brother and sister hugging each other just now.
He's never hugged Mianmian like this before.
Mianmian's name could only be called out secretly in her heart.
Chen Mubai didn't think much of it at the time. He just patted his sister's shoulder and hugged Ji Yu as well.
He and Ji Yu hadn't seen each other for over a year.
Ji Yu casually put her arm around Chen Mubai's shoulder, "Come on, let's all have dinner together, it's on me!"
Chen Mubai smiled and politely declined, "That won't do. I haven't thanked you in person yet for taking care of Mianmian for me. I'll have to treat you today."
Upon hearing this, Ji Yu felt a pang of guilt. His gaze darted to Chen Mian, who was sitting across the table. He had indeed taken good care of her, but this care…
Before we knew it, a little bit of other affection had developed.
Ji Yu gave an awkward smile and changed the subject, "How are you doing here? Are you adjusting to the climate?"
"It's great, I think it's more comfortable than Kashgar." Chen Mubai picked up the teapot on the table to pour himself a drink.
Seeing this, Ji Yu snatched the cups and quickly filled all three cups, saying, "Let me do it, let me do it. How can I let you do the work?"
"It's been a year, why are you being so polite!" Chen Mubai glanced at the empty table. "Have you not eaten yet? Why don't we order first?"
"OK."
Chen Mian looked at the interaction between the two men opposite her and sighed helplessly. Ji Yu's sycophancy was just too obvious.
I wonder when my older brother will realize this.
While waiting for the food, Chen Mubai asked his sister what her plans were for this year. Upon learning that Chen Mian wanted to open a farm, her first reaction was, "Are you short of money? I have some here."
Chen Mian teased with a smile, "Brother, didn't you send all your salary home? How come you still have some secret stash of money?"
"It was a reward given to me by the organization a few days ago after I completed my mission. I didn't even have time to write home before I was sent here to study."
"Here, it's perfect for you to use." Chen Mubai smiled gently, his eyes filled with doting affection and tenderness as he looked at his younger sister.
Seeing that her brother was serious, Chen Mian quickly refused, saying, "Really, it's not necessary. I have money. Mom and Dad gave me all their savings, but..."
"What's wrong? Is there some kind of problem?"
Chen Mian glanced at her brother, paused, and then slowly said, "I've been trying to contract out a farm these past two days, but several companies have said I don't meet the requirements. I can't think of a better solution right now."
She considered asking her brother or Brother Ji to inquire and see if they could make an exception, but then she felt that it might not be the right thing to do.
Moreover, even if the two of them did inquire, they might not necessarily get a good result.
Chen Mubai noticed the hesitation on her face and comforted her with a smile: "It's alright. I just met a few people from the Production and Construction Corps at the military academy. I'll ask them to help me find out when I get back today."
"Let's see if there's any way we can get Mianmian to the farm."
Seeing this, Ji Yu was also afraid of being left behind, so she quickly chimed in, "I'm here for you too. I can help you inquire. If all else fails, I'll ask my dad to help you find connections. He knows a lot of leaders!"
"No need to trouble you so much, Uncle. I'll try again myself. If it really doesn't work, I'll have to give up on running the farm."
Chen Mian couldn't help but feel depressed when she thought about the peach saplings she had worked so hard to get and her parents who were still at home looking forward to coming to Xinjiang for a reunion.
If she gives up running the farm, what else can she do?
All of her current plans for the future revolve around opening a farm.
It would be too painful to give up just because of identity restrictions.
Chen Mubai's unintentional remark pierced a corner of the fog: "If all you want is a farm to grow peaches, can't we do it back in our hometown?"
“Our family already owns land. If you think it’s too little, there should be extra land in the village that we can rent to you.”
I don't know much about flat peaches, but the climate and soil in my hometown should be fine for growing them.
Chen Mian's first reaction upon hearing this was not to be happy that she had a new opportunity to start a farm, but rather to look at Ji Yu, who was becoming increasingly silent, with a hint of conflict in her eyes.
She wanted to tell her brother that this method wouldn't work, that Xinjiang's soil and climate were the most suitable for growing the Pan Tao No. 5 peach variety, and that their hometown didn't have as many policy supports for agricultural development.
Many reasons eventually boiled down to one sentence: she wanted to stay here, because of this city, and also because of someone.
Ji Yu saw the struggle in her eyes. Although she felt sad that she was about to be left behind, she still spoke up to defend herself.
“Going back to your hometown is a good idea, as your parents can take care of you. I haven’t been there before, so I’d like to go back with you to visit.”
Chen Mian understood his unspoken words and asked in shock, "Are you coming with me? What about your job then?"
"I can find another job, but... there's only one." Ji Yu saw that her sweetheart hadn't rejected her, and a hint of joy appeared on her face. But the next second, she immediately realized that she hadn't been officially hired yet, and forcibly swallowed the two words in the middle.
Their oblivious interaction finally alerted Chen Mubai, who was standing beside them, to the unsettling atmosphere. He narrowed his eyes, glanced around, and asked with barely perceptible anger, "What's going on between you two? Are you hiding something from me?"
Chen Mian was still pondering how to explain their current relationship to her brother after hearing his words.
Ji Yu, who had been Chen Mubai's partner for many years, immediately sensed that the other party was really angry and quickly slid to his knees.
He pulled the chair back a step with one hand, "Brother, don't be angry, let me explain, no, let me explain!"
Hearing the word "elder brother," Chen Mubai became even angrier, his usually gentle face turning cold. "You, Ji Yu, I asked you to take care of my sister, and this is how you take care of her?"
"I can't accept being called 'elder brother' by you. If I remember correctly, you're actually two years older than me."
"An old cow eating young grass, and you're a public official? How could you even do that?"
Chen Mubai got up, grabbed Ji Yu by the collar, and walked out.
Ji Yu didn't dare to resist. She just met Chen Mian's worried gaze and comforted her, "We're fine. We just haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's go outside and talk alone. When the food is served, you can eat first. Don't go hungry."
Chen Mubai also suppressed his anger and echoed, "Yes, I just want to go out and catch up with him."
Chen Mian didn't believe it and got up to go out with them. "Are you really not going out to fight?"
"Definitely not, I promise," the two men promised in unison.
After leaving the restaurant, they turned into a deserted alley and started fighting. However, coincidentally, the attacks were all concentrated on the area below the neck.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Ji Yu mainly focused on defense.
Chen Mubai raised an eyebrow and sneered, "What, are you looking down on me, or are you too scared to fight back, future brother-in-law?"
Ji Yu continued to dodge while begging for mercy, "How could I dare? You know I never hit you back in basic training."
"Besides, I've suffered so many injuries before, and I'm getting old now, I can't fight anymore." He observed the other party's slightly softening expression and continued to play the victim.
Chen Mubai was initially taken aback, but quickly realized, "I visited you when you were discharged from the hospital. The doctor said you have a strong ability to recover. You were discharged because your aunt made a scene, not because you couldn't fight anymore."
He grabbed Ji Yu's arm, pulled her in front of him, and threatened in a low voice, "It's good that you're old. Being old means you can stay away from my sister. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you."
Ji Yu gave a stiff smile, "No, brother-in-law, I'm not even twenty-six yet, only five years older than Mu Mian, just right, just right."
"Hmph..." Chen Mubai released the other person with disinterest, then suddenly remembered the phone call from last year and questioned,
"When exactly did you two get together? You weren't already together before I called you last year, were you?"
"No...no, I wouldn't dare. I haven't been officially hired yet; I'm still on probation," Ji Yu replied timidly to her brother-in-law.
He wanted to pretend, but he was afraid that the other party would turn around and exaggerate the story to Chen Mian, and if Mian got angry and deducted points from his score, what would happen?
Upon hearing this, Chen Mubai finally relaxed. He looked his friend up and down, then pursed his lips and said, "Then I guess you're in trouble. You haven't caught up after all this time. Is there something wrong with you?"
"I've recently met a few classmates who are tall, handsome, and young and promising. Maybe I should invite them out to get to know them sometime?"
He thought the two of them were already together, which startled him. It turned out it was just unrequited love.
"You..." Ji Yu was provoked by these words and raised her fist. This time, she really wanted to fight.
But as I said before, he was now afraid of both sides. After all, Chen Mubai and Chen Mian were siblings, and he couldn't afford to offend either of them.
All he could do was retort in a cowardly tone, "Are you even my brother anymore? Can't you wish me well for once?"
After graduating from high school, they both chose to join the army, and they were in the same platoon during basic training.
Later, they were selected together for the "sharp knife team" and participated in various training programs, transforming from comrades-in-arms into best partners with a life-or-death bond.
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Author's Note: By the way, does anyone want to read about the story of the older brother and the male lead in the military? If so, I'll try to write it in the next chapter.
The male lead suddenly became timid when his brother arrived, haha. It's not an easy thing to pursue your best friend's sister.
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