Li Huai joined the army after graduating from high school.
Even after enlisting, he would read newspapers and books to enrich himself whenever he had the chance.
It's naturally possible to distinguish between junior high school textbooks and elementary school textbooks.
"Qinglan, why did you take a liking to this?"
"I was just thinking that since I'm idle anyway, I might as well learn something new," she said with a smile.
Li Huai naturally supported his wife's ambition and simply nodded in agreement.
"Let's eat first." Zhao Qinglan closed her textbook.
The family sat down together.
Looking at the children, Li Huai knew they had gone out today.
Although the clothes weren't very dirty, the marks were still quite noticeable.
"What did you go out to do?" he asked casually, picking up a steamed bun.
"They play war games and hide-and-seek," Erwa answered quickly.
No wonder his clothes were all messy, Li Huai realized.
Compared to before his remarriage, his two sons are much more well-behaved. He can still accept it if they mess up their clothes while playing outside.
They're just kids, after all. Do you really expect them to sit obediently at home all day and do nothing?
After answering the question, Erwa immediately buried himself in his food, while Xiaoduo seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Although it was only for a moment, Zhao Qinglan noticed it.
Their family didn't have the strict rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping, so Zhao Qinglan asked directly, "Xiao Duo, what do you want to say?"
Xiao Duo quickly swallowed the steamed bun in her mouth. "Mom, someone asked about Erwa's younger brother's family matters today."
Perhaps because she was bullied by her older siblings from a young age and was not valued by the rest of the Wang family, Xiao Duo was more precocious and sensitive than her peers.
In addition, girls are more sensitive than boys, so she felt that this situation was not right.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qinglan and Li Huai exchanged a glance, their eyes showing a hint of seriousness. Someone was actually inquiring about their family's situation; this was not something to be taken lightly.
Setting down her chopsticks, Zhao Qinglan asked seriously, "What exactly happened?"
Seeing the adults' reactions, the two children realized that this matter was very important.
The eldest child stopped eating and no longer cared about the embarrassment of losing a front tooth.
He scratched his head and said, "It's just an auntie. She's come to see me and Erwa a few times before, always saying that stepmothers are no good." As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Qinglan shyly.
"Why didn't you say anything about this before?" Li Huai's heart tightened, and he quickly glanced at Zhao Qinglan.
What kind of person is this? He's been trying to seduce his son all along. No wonder the two brothers are so resistant to his remarriage.
Zhao Qinglan never expected that there were such people hiding in this residential area.
The older child said a little embarrassedly, "She used to be very nice to me and the younger child, and she would even give us food." So he thought that the aunt was a very kind person.
Using sweet talk to win over children can actually be quite effective, especially in times of scarcity.
They are especially concerned about children.
Having had a heart-to-heart talk with Li Huai in her past life, Zhao Qinglan also learned about Zhu Kexin's behavior through various channels in this life.
It's fair to say that both the eldest and second children are lacking in love.
It's no wonder they had a good impression of a woman who suddenly showed them such care and kindness, just like their mother.
After all, they are still young children, and their judgment and sense of self-protection are not very strong.
Li Huai was speechless, but like Zhao Qinglan, he also thought of the root of the problem.
Therefore, he felt embarrassed to blame his sons, and simply continued to ask, "Do you know whose aunt that is?"
The eldest and second children both shook their heads.
"That auntie doesn't live around here, and I don't know which family she belongs to," Da Wa honestly confessed.
"Then next time you see her, will you be able to recognize her?" Zhao Qinglan asked.
"Yes." The eldest child nodded immediately.
"That's good." It seems that when I have the chance, I'll have to take the kids to stroll around the residential area more often.
"The family quarters are only so big. I don't believe we can't find this troublemaker," Zhao Qinglan sneered.
"Qinglan, I really didn't know these things before, and I'm sorry you had to suffer," Li Huai said apologetically.
Zhao Qinglan smiled indifferently. "How can you blame yourself? You should blame that ill-intentioned person. Don't worry, it won't be long before I find out who it is."
Having witnessed her many facets, Li Huai also believed that she had the ability.
"Don't rush, take your time. Once we find out who that person is, don't confront her directly. Tell me, and we'll investigate further to find out why she did this."
Zhao Qinglan was also puzzled. According to Da Wa and Er Wa, this person had started contacting the children before she married Li Huai.
Logically speaking, it wasn't entirely targeted at her.
After all, neither she nor Li Huai knew at that time that they would remarry each other.
If you think about it that way, that person was actually targeting Li Huai; they just didn't want Li Huai to remarry.
But what good would it do for others if Li Huai didn't remarry?
Could it be someone who used to be on good terms with Zhu Kexin?
But if that's the case, she understands it even less.
It wasn't Li Huai who insisted on the divorce; it was Zhu Kexin who didn't want to stay in this family anymore, and she had no attachment to her two biological sons, Da Wa and Er Wa.
You're saying she doesn't care about this family anymore, and after leaving, she'll deliberately trip up Li Huai to prevent him from remarrying? What's the point of that?
Not only Zhao Qinglan couldn't understand it, but Li Huai was also completely baffled.
The truth will only be known after they find the person who did the dirty work in the shadows and then follow the clues to investigate further.
The matter couldn't be clarified in a short time, so the family picked up their chopsticks and continued eating.
Having already alerted the enemy, the person who had failed to make contact with Erwa and his group suddenly thought of a useful method.
It was no secret in the family residential area that Zhao Qinglan and Qian Hongxia had clashed several times.
It's said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the person who knows me best might be my enemy. Perhaps Qian Hongxia knows a lot about Li Huai's family.
With this idea in mind, the woman deliberately timed her arrival near Qian Hongxia's house and began to wait for her to come to her.
Qian Hongxia is not the kind of person who can sit at home all day.
Even in the dead of winter, nothing could stop her from visiting neighbors and chatting.
Although because of her personality and past actions, many people in the family quarters do not like her.
But they still have a few people they can chat with, the kind who gossip and talk behind people's backs.
After finishing her meal, Qian Hongxia rested for a while, and as soon as her husband left home, she went out.
Qian Hongxia had only walked a short distance when she was bumped into by a woman carrying a basket.
"Who is it that can't watch where they're going in broad daylight?" she shouted angrily after being bumped and staggered.
"I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry. I was so lost in thought that I didn't pay attention to where I was going," the woman carrying the basket said apologetically.
"Who are you?" Qian Hongxia felt that the person looked familiar, but she couldn't remember who the person in front of her was for the time being.
"Hello, I'm Deputy Battalion Commander Wei's wife, my name is Zhu Yuqin," the woman said with a shy smile.
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