Chapter 107
Since spring arrived and the weather has started to warm up, the pavilion near the gate of the residential compound has become lively again.
Every day, many family members gather at the pavilion, doing some handicrafts while chatting about this and that, and gossiping about other people's business.
The newly arrived Battalion Commander Xiang has become the focus of attention in the family compound. Every time everyone gets together, they talk about him.
The reason is simple: this Battalion Commander Xiang is young, beautiful, and single with a child.
Single! With a child!
These four words attracted a lot of attention, and everyone secretly inquired about Battalion Commander Xiang's situation, especially those family members who had unmarried or single sisters, nieces, or other relatives who secretly harbored ambitions.
Putting aside the fact that Battalion Commander Xiang was raising two children alone, his appearance alone, and the fact that he was a battalion-level officer at such a young age, made him a perfect son-in-law in the eyes of many mothers-in-law.
Some well-informed individuals quickly found out about Battalion Commander Xiang's situation.
The two children in Battalion Commander Xiang's family are not his; they belong to his brothers. His brother and sister-in-law passed away in an accident, and there were no other relatives in the family, so the two children could only be raised by him, their uncle.
So, he is still single and has never been married.
For a time, many people were interested in him and wanted to act as matchmakers for him.
This situation is similar to that when Shen Mingzheng was first transferred here. Back then, he didn't live in the family compound yet, and he was still being watched by many people.
Xiang Changchuan is now considered a good son-in-law by many elders, and they all want to settle down with him as soon as possible.
However, although she wanted to act as a matchmaker for Xiang Changchuan, she needed to be able to meet the person in question first.
Xiang Changchuan had just been transferred here, and given his young age, it was inevitable that some people would be resentful of him. He hadn't had an easy time lately, spending most of his time at work and barely having time to take care of his two children.
Fortunately, the two children were well-behaved and sensible, and they were very self-reliant. Xiang Zhao could also do laundry, cook, clean, study, and take care of his younger sister. He didn't need to take care of them much. On the contrary, he, as the uncle, was actually taken care of by the two children. When he returned home at night, he could even eat the food they had left for him.
Xiang Changchuan was deeply moved by this.
Touched by their plight, he also tried to spend some time each day caring for the brother and sister, asking about their situation at school, and worrying that they might be bullied since they were new to the area and unfamiliar with the people.
“Uncle, don’t worry, no one bullies us,” Xiang Zhao said. “Aunt Gu and Aunt Xu introduced us to their friends, who are all kids from the family compound. We go to and from school with them.”
Xiang Yun smiled, looking soft and sweet, and said, "Uncle, look at my clothes, Aunt Xu made them, aren't they pretty?"
Although Xiang Changchuan was a rough and uncultured man with no taste in women's clothes, he had eyes to look and thought that his little niece's clothes fit her exceptionally well. The small floral print made her look as pretty as a little princess, and he nodded with a smile.
He exclaimed, "She's beautiful! Our Xiaoyun is as pretty as a fairy in a traditional opera."
Xiang Yun was overjoyed by the praise, her face flushed, and she continued, "Uncle, you don't need to worry about us. We've made a lot of friends here, and Aunt Gu, Aunt Xu, and Aunt Huaisheng are all very caring towards us. They were worried that we wouldn't know how to cook, so they invited us over for meals."
Xiang Zhao said, "But if we go to Aunt Gu's house for dinner, you won't have any food. We should go home and cook for ourselves so we can save some for you."
When he goes to someone else's house for a meal, he feels embarrassed to take food with him, so he brings back a portion of food for his uncle.
I'd better cook for myself. Although his cooking isn't as good as Aunt Gu's or the others', it's still cooked. And my uncle seems to enjoy his food. He's easy to take care of.
Xiang Changchuan was both amused and touched.
He reached out and hugged the two children, feeling very grateful to Gu Xi and Xu Yuansheng and their sisters. Fortunately, they were there; otherwise, the two children would not have been able to integrate into the new environment so quickly, nor would they have become so cheerful.
After Xiang Changchuan went back to his room to sleep, the brother and sister sat on the bed and talked.
Now there's an extra bed in the room, with two beds placed on either side and a passageway in the middle.
Fearing that Xiang Yun might be afraid to sleep alone, the siblings currently sleep in separate beds but not separate rooms. They will switch to separate rooms when Xiang Yun is older and less afraid.
Xiang Yun quietly asked her brother, "Brother, did Auntie stop you again today and ask you about Uncle?"
Xiang Zhao gave a soft "hmm," his face showing displeasure.
"Should we tell Uncle?" Xiang Yun asked, glancing at him.
"No need," Xiang Zhao said. "Uncle is so busy with work, he has to earn money to support us, we can't bother him with these things. If he wants to get married, he will do it himself, we kids don't need to worry about it."
He disliked what the older women said, saying that his uncle, a grown man, had worked too hard to support and take care of them, and that he should marry a woman to take care of them, and that they should take the initiative to tell his uncle they wanted a wife...
Unexpectedly, besides their uncle and aunt, there were other people here who wanted to introduce potential partners to their uncle.
Even without a aunt, they can take care of themselves; there's no need for the uncle to specially marry a aunt to take care of them.
**
On this day of rest, Xiang Zhao took his younger sister to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things.
Xiang Changchuan was so busy that he wasn't even home on his days off. Whenever the family needed something, the brother and sister would take money and coupons to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it.
On their way back, the brother and sister encountered an elderly woman who stopped them. She was plump and looked like she was living a good life.
"You must be Battalion Commander Xiang's children, right? You're quite handsome, though not as good-looking as my son... By the way, when is Battalion Commander Xiang free? Go back and tell him to come to my house for a meal sometime, it's the home of Deputy Regiment Commander Kong from the Third Brigade. I can also take you there to meet him..."
The brother and sister were both a little confused as she talked to herself.
Xiang Zhao asked warily, "Auntie, who are you?"
"My name is Wan Cuihua, you can just call me Aunt Wan." Wan Cuihua smiled and had a kind and amiable appearance. She was plump, but her smile was quite gentle and didn't frighten the children.
Xiang Yun peeked out from behind her brother and asked softly, "Aunt Wan, why did you invite my uncle to your house for dinner?"
Wan Cuihua said matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's to introduce a girl to Battalion Commander Xiang. How could a grown man like him take care of a child? Once he gets married, someone will take care of you."
The brother and sister were stunned by what she said.
Lately, many people have stopped them, asking about their uncle and whether they'd like a aunt. But no one has stopped them and directly told them to tell their uncle to come to their house for dinner and offered to introduce them to potential partners.
Xiang Zhao was very unhappy and said, "Auntie, I can take care of my sister. I don't need anyone else to take care of her."
"Oh dear, what do you know, kid!" Wan Cuihua didn't take his words seriously, muttering, "Having a woman in the house is different from not having one. With a woman around, not only can she manage the house and take care of you kids, but she can also give Commander Xiang a child, so he won't be so lonely at his age without a child..."
"Sister-in-law Wan, what nonsense are you spouting in front of the two children?"
A suppressed angry shout rang out, and a person strode over and blocked the brother and sister's path.
Wan Cuihua looked closely and was not happy: "It's Comrade Xu. What are you doing? I was talking to the two children, not to you."
Xu Yuansheng said coldly, "What are you talking about? How could you say such things in front of a child? That's going too far."
“Where did I go too far? I was just introducing a potential partner to Battalion Commander Xiang!” Wan Cuihua argued. “Battalion Commander Xiang isn’t young anymore. Even if he has two children, they’re not his children. He still needs to get married and have his own children…” Then she added, “My niece is beautiful and has a big bottom. She looks like she’s fertile and likely to have sons. If Battalion Commander Xiang marries her, he can definitely have two children in three years, and having ten or eight wouldn’t be a problem.”
Xu Yuansheng's lips twitched upon hearing this. Ten or eight children? Are you suggesting they have piglets? Can you even afford to raise them?
However, she also knew that Wan Cuihua was unreliable, so she was too lazy to argue with her and directly threatened her with what she feared most: "If you keep talking nonsense, I will go to Director Chai and report you for arranging a marriage!"
"What?" Wan Cuihua's scalp tingled. "What nonsense are you talking about? I never had an arranged marriage."
She dared not bear the blame for this arranged marriage.
Wan Cuihua was most afraid of Director Chai, because she often clashed with the people in the family compound, either arguing or fighting. Eight out of ten times, she was criticized and warned by the Women's Director. Over time, she became very afraid of facing the Women's Director.
Director Chai is Commander Chang's wife. Given her status and her competence, only she could keep these rather difficult women in the family compound in check.
Xu Yuansheng said, "What's the difference between your behavior and an arranged marriage? Battalion Commander Xiang isn't even here, and he hasn't said he wants to date your niece, yet you come to his child's house and spout nonsense... Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think you've already arranged their marriage. Isn't that an arranged marriage?"
In the end, her eyes sharpened and her expression turned icy.
Wan Cuihua was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously said, "I... I didn't have an arranged marriage, don't talk nonsense..."
Xu Yuansheng ignored her, put his arms around the two children, and said, "If you dare to stop them again or talk nonsense in front of them, I will report you, understand?"
Wan Cuihua: "...Understood."
Xu Yuansheng snorted coldly at her, then took the two children and left.
The two children looked up at her, their eyes sparkling.
After walking for a while until no one was around, Xu Yuansheng let go of them and asked, "Have people been stopping you a lot lately?"
Xiang Yun nodded.
Xiang Zhao frowned and said, "But there's only one like Aunt Wan today."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuansheng patted their heads, knowing that recently everyone in the family compound wanted to arrange a marriage for Xiang Changchuan.
The battalion commander is so young and handsome, and I heard he even went to military academy. He has a bright future ahead of him, and even if he has to raise two children, there are plenty of people eyeing him.
Anyway, they're not Battalion Commander Xiang's biological children. Battalion Commander Xiang isn't remarried, so it doesn't matter if he has two children.
She said, "This Aunt Wan is a bit unreliable. If you encounter her in the future, just stay away from her. If you can't avoid her, just tell her that you need to go see Director Chai."
The brother and sister obediently agreed.
When Xu Yuansheng learned that Xiang Changchuan was not home today and that only the brother and sister were there, he decided to take them home, saying, "We made milk cakes and brown sugar steamed buns today, quite a lot, why don't you come over and help us eat some?"
Since the two children came here, they have often visited Commander Shen's house and have gotten used to it, so they have not refused to go.
Xiang Yun took her hand and asked, "Aunt Xu, where did you go just now?"
"I'm going to the performing arts troupe to deliver clothes to the pretty ladies," Xu Yuansheng explained, while telling her what the performing arts troupe was.
When Xu Yuansheng got home, he found that there were still guests at home.
Ye Fenghua and Qiao Hui were both there, while Gu Xi held Qiao Hui's daughter and sat there talking and chatting with them.
Xu Huaisheng was in his study working on the homework assigned by Gu Xi, struggling with his assignment.
Seeing Xu Yuansheng return with two children, Gu Xi was somewhat surprised, "Why did you two come together?"
"We met on the road," Xu Yuansheng said casually.
She told the brother and sister to wash their hands, then put some milk cakes and brown sugar steamed buns on a plate and told them to go to the study to eat with Xu Huaisheng and read some books.
Thanks to Gu Xi's efforts, there are quite a few books in the study. Xiang Zhao is a book lover and really likes Gu Xi's study.
After sending the two children away, Xu Yuansheng suppressed her temper and told her sister about her encounter with the brother and sister.
Gu Xi's smile vanished instantly.
Ye Fenghua exclaimed, slapping her thigh, "This is exactly the kind of thing Wan Cuihua would do. When your Commander Shen was first transferred here, she did the same thing. I heard she stopped Commander Shen in public and offered to marry her niece to him, demanding a thousand yuan dowry. Anyone who didn't know the situation would have thought Commander Shen and her niece were already engaged..."
At this point, she couldn't help but sneer.
Qiao Hui's eyes widened. "There's actually such a thing?"
“That’s right.” Ye Fenghua found it amusing. “You weren’t here yet. This matter caused quite a stir. But at the time, Commander Shen directly said that he already had a fiancée, arranged by his family, which shut Wan Cuihua up. Otherwise, he really would have been unknowingly involved with her niece.”
Xu Yuansheng was furious, even more furious than when Wan Cuihua talked nonsense in front of the two children.
Wan Cuihua actually did such a thing! That was her brother-in-law, her sister's man!
Ye Fenghua then said to Gu Xi, "When your Commander Shen first arrived here, he caused just as much of a sensation as the current Battalion Commander Xiang. Commander Shen is young and promising, a graduate of military academy, handsome, and from Beijing... Everyone is eager to bring him home and introduce him to potential partners." She added with a smile, "No wonder everyone is so enthusiastic; Commander Shen is just too good a catch. Anyone with eyes wouldn't let him go."
Gu Xi smiled and nodded, "Yes, my Commander Shen is indeed well-off."
A man's excellence is his wife's glory. Anyway, Commander Shen has already been won over by her, so it's no use for others to be envious.
Ye Fenghua and Qiao Hui both laughed. They liked Gu Xi's open-minded attitude and her lack of pettiness.
Then Ye Fenghua added, "But Battalion Commander Xiang's conditions are quite good too. Although he doesn't have many family members, his own conditions are really good. I saw him once when I came back last week. His face is really handsome. What young girl doesn't like a handsome man?"
She was young once too, and she also liked handsome men.
Qiao Hui couldn't help but laugh and said, "Indeed, Battalion Commander Xiang's face is undeniably handsome."
Not only is he handsome, but he also seems to tan very easily. Even if he does tan, he turns white very quickly. Standing among a group of men who are tanned dark, he is still quite fair-skinned, like a crane standing among chickens, which is really eye-catching.
Chief of Staff Gao even muttered to her that the new Battalion Commander Xiang was too attractive; his skin was so white it looked like a pretty boy's...
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