When Aheng first met the captain, he was already a big shot in the military.
Ning Yuan slowly hummed in agreement.
Ah Heng quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic: "But he's only been back in China for less than a year, and I don't know why he's become so rebellious. He's bullied his younger siblings, pushed his stepmother to the ground, skipped school, and fought so hard he was unbeatable in the compound..."
"Although Uncle Rong was so angry that he tied him up and whipped him with a belt, everyone jokingly called him Young Master Rong, and he gathered a bunch of boys in the compound to be his followers."
“A bunch of rascals are causing trouble everywhere. Only Sister Ye Qiu can keep them in check. Even Uncle Rong can’t do anything about it.”
Ah Heng started talking as she remembered something, tilting her head: "Oh, I forgot to mention, Sister Ye Qiu is three or four years older than my brother. Whenever my brother gets beaten up by his father or gets injured in a fight, it's Sister Ye Qiu who treats his wounds."
Ning Yuan said calmly, "Well, as you deal with it, feelings develop?"
Ah Heng quickly said, "No way, no... Sister Ye Qiu was engaged back then. She was dating Brother Xiang. Besides, my brother was only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time. When he was so young and disliked everything, what did he know!"
Ning Yuan was taken aback: "Ye Qiu is dating someone? How could she be involved with Rong Zhaonan?"
Ah Heng said, "Yes, at that time, the eldest son of the Xiang family and Sister Ye Qiu were dating, because Sister Ye Qiu was the only person in the compound who could keep my brother in check."
She frowned: "So He Su... is what my brother's stinky stepmother said, that if my brother marries Sister Ye Qiu, maybe it will make him settle down. She said that a woman three years older than a man is like a golden brick."
Upon hearing He Su's name, Ning Yuan frowned: "And then?"
This stepmother is such a troublemaker; how can she say such things so casually?
Ah Heng nodded and said, "At the time, everyone thought it was just a joke... But one year, when the children of the compound went on an autumn outing, Sister Ye Qiu and my brother got lost and stayed in the mountains overnight. Later, when Sister Ye Qiu came out, she broke up with the eldest son of the Xiang family."
Ning Yuan was stunned: "What..."
Ah Heng sighed: "Sister Ye Qiu has always been steady. At that time, the elders of the Ye family and the Xiang family were discussing marriage, but she suddenly changed her mind and said that she had the right to choose her future partner through free love."
Ning Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
Ah Heng continued, "That was the first time Ye Qiu acted willfully. Ye's father was very embarrassed. His family and the Xiang family had a good relationship. He beat Ye Qiu up. In the end, somehow the news spread that Ye Qiu and my brother had an affair that night."
"I heard that my brother neither admitted nor denied it. His father even pointed a gun at my brother's head, but he didn't say anything. Later, Sister Ye Qiu ran out and stopped my uncle, saying that it had nothing to do with my brother."
"Then Ye's father got furious and chased after her to beat her up."
Ning Yuan frowned: "What did your brother say?"
Ah Heng shook his head, then secretly glanced at Ning Yuan. Seeing that she wasn't angry, he whispered—
“I only heard about it from others… My brother held Ye Qiu’s arm, protecting her and preventing Ye’s father from hitting her.”
Ning Yuan: "..."
Well, the pretty older sister protects the unruly boy, and the unruly boy in turn protects the pretty older sister.
They look like a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Seeing Ning Yuan frown, Aheng quickly said—
"...This matter got so big that after that incident, my brother's father held a gun to my brother's head and forced him to join the army."
Ning Yuan said casually as she walked, "And then? Do they still have contact?"
Ah Heng chuckled twice: "Yes... Xiang's eldest brother later went to work in the south and left the compound, but I heard that Xiang's fourth brother, who is Xiang's eldest brother's most beloved younger brother, always felt sorry for his brother and caused a lot of trouble for Sister Ye Qiu. Sister Ye Qiu probably felt guilty and so she endured it."
"After my brother found out, he came back from his military leave and beat up the fourth son of the Xiang family... and that's how they became enemies."
Ning Yuan: "Oh...no wonder everyone in your compound thinks they're a couple. Continue."
Seeing her expressionless face, Aheng whispered, "Later, my brother went back to the army, but Xiang Xiaosi still didn't stop causing trouble for Sister Ye Qiu. She had no choice but to apply to go to the mountainous area to support local medical construction..."
She paused for a moment, then said, "I heard... there was an earthquake. Sister Ye Qiu went to rescue people and got trapped under the building. She never woke up again. My brother came back from the army to see Sister Ye Qiu off on her final journey. In the mourning hall, he beat up the fourth son of the Xiang family severely and said he would never forgive him."
Ning Yuan remained silent, unsure of what to say; these tales of love and hate seemed too distant to her.
But that belongs to Rong Zhaonan's past.
She'll listen even if she doesn't like it.
My heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Seeing that Ning Yuan was in a bad mood, Ah Heng immediately coughed lightly.
"Actually, at that time, my brother was already making a name for himself in the army and had agreed to be engaged to Qin Hongxing. If Sister Ye Qiu hadn't died, perhaps none of what happened later would have occurred."
Ning Yuan was taken aback: "What is it?"
Ah Heng sighed: "Not two years later, Xiang Xiaosi died. He fell from a very high bridge. My brother happened to be back on vacation, and he and his half-brother, Rong Xiangdong, were both there. Everyone, including the Xiang family, believed that my brother did it."
Ning Yuan was silent for a moment: "Because your brother said he wouldn't forgive the young master of the Xiang family, so when that young master died, everyone assumed your brother killed him?"
Aheng nodded: "That's right, but because there was no concrete evidence, the police ruled it an accident. However, the Xiang family couldn't forgive my brother and made a huge fuss. In the end, my brother was forced to leave the team and was sent to the countryside. That's when he met you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
