novelraw Chapter 1406 - 927: Advice and Comfort
Chapter 1406 - 927: Advice and Comfort
Second night.
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Returning to the division headquarters, it was already past ten in the evening. After a brief hesitation, Zhou Hanliang went to the Division Commander’s office. The wife wasn’t there; usually, the Commander would stay at the base, so he shouldn’t have gone back to the dormitory at this hour.
Sure enough, from afar, he could see that the light in the Division Commander’s office was still on. Somehow, the suffocating feeling he had eased a bit.
As the office door was pushed open, Zhou Mikang looked up, glanced at Zhou Hanliang, and closed the folder in front of him: "What is it? Got reprimanded again?"
Zhou Hanliang rubbed his cheeks hard and looked at the Commander with a bitter face: "Boss, is my expression really that obvious?"
"What do you think?" Zhou Mikang leaned back, leisurely looking at him, "Hasn’t your mother-in-law accepted you? So who else is giving you a hard time?"
"Ah!" Zhou Hanliang sighed heavily and recounted what happened in the evening, "..., Commander, I’m not blaming others; I’m just upset with myself for botching things.
Doudou is young and has little social experience, and doesn’t understand people’s hearts well. But I’m much older, having been through society for so many years, yet I still make such foolish mistakes. I can’t forgive myself."
"So what’s your purpose in coming to see me?"
"Purpose..." Zhou Hanliang hesitated, then smiled awkwardly, "I just habitually wanted to talk to you, Boss. As for a purpose, I don’t think I have one."
Zhou Mikang: "..."
"Boss, I know you’re busy, but I really don’t know who else to talk to about this. If I don’t talk it out, I feel suffocated inside..." Zhou Hanliang explained with an awkward smile.
With a helpless sigh, Zhou Mikang asked, "You said your mother-in-law was angry with you after the incident. What happened afterward? Did your father-in-law say anything when he got back? What was the family’s attitude when you left?"
"My father-in-law first asked about Guoguo’s thoughts when he returned, and Guoguo’s answer was that she is the elder sister and should protect me and Doudou, so it’s natural for her to hold our hands.
Then, my father-in-law looked at us and said, understand? Guoguo’s innocent thoughts turned into a big deal in your eyes.
Outsiders gossip because some people like to stir up trouble. Why follow along? Just let things happen naturally. Over time, others will get used to it and won’t say anything.
Initially, my mother-in-law didn’t say anything, but later, she seemed to agree with my father-in-law’s opinion. However, he also instructed Guoguo not to hold hands with any other man besides him in the future.
Anyway, my father-in-law gave Guoguo a lesson on gender relations. Judging by her reaction, she didn’t fully understand it, but she probably won’t act so stubbornly in the future.
By the time I left, everyone’s emotions had calmed down. My mother-in-law even apologized to me, saying she was upset by outsiders’ nonsense, and that’s why she blamed me at first. Looking back, she realized I’m not to blame.
Though she said that, I still can’t get over it. I promised Doudou that when her parents pass one day, we would take Guoguo in to live with us, but... Ah..." Zhou Hanliang sighed heavily and said no more.
"I understand your feelings. You don’t want Yun Doudou to be unhappy, so when she made this request, you quickly agreed, because in your heart, Yun Guoguo isn’t a grown woman, but a pitiable child, so you agreed without hesitation.
Afterwards, you might have thought that taking Yun Guoguo to live with you could lead to gossip and malicious misunderstandings, but since you’ve already promised Yun Doudou, you’re embarrassed to refuse.
So when the fears you had became a reality, you’re upset with yourself and with Yun Doudou. Don’t rush..." Seeing Zhou Hanliang eager to explain, Zhou Mikang gestured to him, "Let me finish first.
You might not want to admit my perspective right now, but if it weren’t the case, with the clear stance the Yun Family has already given you, and how they said to continue interacting as before, why can’t you move past this?
Yun Guoguo will forever remain at the mental age of eight or nine. She only has Yun Doudou as a sister, and having her care for her future life is a given.
Her parents are very clear about this: despite concerns over what others say, the happiness of their elder daughter in reality is more important than anything. To achieve this, they can only entrust their elder daughter to her younger sister’s care.
From this matter, they are competent parents who did not let personal pride overshadow their daughter’s happiness. It’s simple to say, but many cannot achieve it.
From another perspective, it shows they trust your character and are confident that you can take good care of their elder daughter with their younger daughter.
This matter was a question without an answer to begin with; what you can choose is what to abandon and what to retain. Everyone else has stopped caring about it, why do you still care?
To be blunt, from the moment you chose Yun Doudou, it was destined that Yun Guoguo would also become your responsibility. Or I could ask you, if you could have a happy life with Yun Doudou and send Yun Guoguo to an orphanage, would you feel at ease?"
"No." Without even thinking, Zhou Hanliang replied.
"Then that’s the end of it." Zhou Mikang sighed, "I still maintain the same point: the initial choice has already determined the final outcome, so instead of worrying, just let things flow naturally.
Many people are gossiping now because they see the sisters’ age, but after you get married, Yun Guoguo will definitely live with her parents. When she really comes to live with you, she should be past the age where people would gossip, so why trouble yourself with needless worries?"
"Yeah..." Zhou Hanliang suddenly slapped his forehead, "I really got myself stuck in a rut. Boss, it’s not that I blame Doudou, it’s just that when I think about three people living in that kind of atmosphere, it makes me terribly uncomfortable."
"Actually, this is a kind of subconscious resentment. Put it this way, if the three of you were living together now, you wouldn’t say you blame Yun Doudou, but you would show that you are unhappy. Tell me, who would feel the worst?"
"Boss..." Zhou Hanliang looked at Division Commander Tongzi with helplessness, "Not only do you have a knack for handling military matters, but also a knack for handling emotional matters. Is this what you’ve honed after marriage?"
"You’re just too involved to see clearly. Also, I surmise that your family elders have been pressuring you again, so your emotions are inexplicably agitated."
"Boss..." Zhou Hanliang widened his eyes in shock, "Will I even dare tell a single lie in front of you anymore? This is way too scary!"
Zhou Mikang just glared at him: "Get out of here!"
"Hehe..." Zhou Hanliang laughed ingratiatingly, "Boss, you’re wise, I truly admire you from the bottom of my heart. You know, after your analysis, I immediately feel relieved.
It truly is too exhausting to live while constantly trying to keep everyone from gossiping. It’s better to let things happen naturally; it’s enough if you have a clear conscience!"
"Alright, stop the highfalutin talk. If there’s nothing else, hurry back to rest..." Glancing at the calendar on the desk, Division Commander Tongzi said, "Why don’t you go home and take a look tomorrow? You haven’t returned for almost a month, don’t blame them if they have complaints about you."
Zhou Hanliang grimaced bitterly: "Boss, please, don’t send me home. I’m most afraid of going home now; the combative conversations there could practically take my life!"
"Ah!" Hearing this, Zhou Mikang sighed, also feeling somewhat helpless.
Zhou Hanliang, who is about his age, originally planned to get married by the end of this year. But with the current situation, the mission came, and there’s no telling when he’ll leave, making it impossible to guarantee time at the end of the year.
In order not to let the family elders’ efforts go to waste, he discussed with Yun Doudou about postponing the wedding to next year. This was something the elders couldn’t accept.
Especially Zhou Hanliang’s grandparents, who are so old, and have been eagerly waiting to hold their grandchild. They finally see some hope, but it turns into a mirage again, it’s no wonder they can’t accept it.
But in this matter, one can’t blame the old man and old lady for being unreasonable; they are both over eighty. In their words, they don’t know where they’ll be tomorrow, they can’t afford to wait...
Pausing for a moment, Zhou Mikang looked at Zhou Hanliang and asked, "Have you never considered getting married during this time?"
"I have, but..." Zhou Hanliang looked seriously at Division Commander Tongzi, "We clearly know what the situation is like right now. Doing so would be too selfish..." Realizing that this seemed to classify Division Commander Tongzi into a certain category, he hurriedly explained, "You and sister-in-law are different; you were married long ago."
Zhou Mikang waved his hand: "Alright, don’t butter me up. I’ll tell you straight, when it comes to feelings, I am selfish. From the moment I knew she was the person I wanted to marry, nothing could stop me from marrying her.
Honestly, before marrying her, I already knew there would be a military campaign to face, yet I still married her on schedule. It’s a lie to say I didn’t feel guilty, but if I were to choose again, I would make the same decision."
...
The next morning, when he called his little wife, Zhou Mikang truthfully told her about his conversation with Zhou Hanliang, and solemnly asked: "Xia, are you quite disappointed to have married such a selfish man like me."
"Yes..." The person on the other end chuckled lightly, "But to prevent me from feeling more disappointed, you must keep your promise, or you’ll regret it!"
"How... How would I regret it?" Division Commander Tongzi asked, somewhat nervous. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)