novelraw Chapter 1427 - 941: Unusual Feelings
Chapter 1427 - 941: Unusual Feelings
Chapter One
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Upon hearing that her parents had already booked tickets to A City, Luo Xiaoqiong’s face lit up with joy. But when she called home, her mom turned against her right away, and although her dad was a bit more firm, he obviously wasn’t thrilled either.
Worried that Zhao Qiliang might cancel the wedding if he knew about her parents’ attitude, she didn’t dare to tell the truth, although she remained anxious. What if her parents didn’t come, Zhao Qiliang guessed the reason, and then backed out?
Initially, she thought about discussing it thoroughly with Chuxia in the evening, so if Zhao Qiliang did change his mind, Chuxia could help persuade him. But now, all her anxieties vanished suddenly!
"I’ll be sure to tell Fat Auntie later, you don’t know her as well as I do," Chuxia whispered into Luo Xiaoqiong’s ear. Earlier, when the other party mentioned it, she felt that regardless of whether Fat Auntie and Uncle Gangshun were angry, they wouldn’t possibly not come.
Luo Xiaoqiong smiled wryly; when Chuxia had analyzed things for her earlier, she’d said she knew her own parents best. Isn’t this just slapping herself in the face?
Yun Doudou placed her hand on Luo Xiaoqiong’s shoulder and laughed lightly, "People say daughters aren’t to be kept at home, and sure enough, as soon as you tried keeping them slightly, you overturned your understanding of the past twenty years."
"Annoying..." Knowing she couldn’t win against the two, Luo Xiaoqiong scoffed and then busied herself tidying up the lunch boxes, calling out, "Let’s eat, let’s eat, if it gets cold, it won’t taste good."
"Brother, where are you going?" Seeing Luo Hongqi heading outside, Luo Xiaoqiong instinctively called out to him, "No matter what, eat first before going."
"I... I’m going to see if Erniu’s done." With that, Luo Hongqi rushed out like he was escaping, "I really have a pig’s brain!" Luo Xiaoqiong sighed and quickly chased after him.
"They..." Yun Doudou was completely confused, "What’s this supposed to mean?"
"Xiaoqiong is afraid that Luo Hongqi would directly go to the canteen with Zhang Erniu..." Chuxia shrugged, "You see how robust Luo Hongqi looks, but he’s actually sensitive."
Yun Doudou was speechless, "Well, I honestly don’t know what to say. Family talks being this sensitive is really something I can’t understand." Moments later, Luo Xiaoqiong returned, and she looked at her worriedly, "Did you make it clear to your brother?"
"Yeah." Luo Xiaoqiong nodded, sighing helplessly, "My brother is actually insecure; he feels that among us, he’s the one who hasn’t achieved much, and sometimes he just overthinks."
Yun Doudou looked sympathetically at Zhao Qiliang, "Moment of silence for you."
"It’s not as serious as you think..." Zhao Qiliang laughed, "He’s actually easy to get along with. It’s just that he missed the recent mission we all attended, so there’s a hurdle in his mind he can’t get past."
"Yeah, Brother Hongqi minds that a lot..." Luan Dajiang chimed in, "After Brother Hongqi got promoted to Squad Leader, some people were gossiping that since he hadn’t taken part in the mission, he wasn’t qualified for the position and that he only got promoted thanks to his sister. It made him feel really hurt."
"There’s talk like that?" Zhao Qiliang looked at Luan Dajiang suspiciously, "No wonder he seems quieter now. Do you know where this rumor started?"
"No idea." Luan Dajiang shook his head, then said, "I’ll ask Zhang Dongzi later; he runs around everywhere and is well-informed, maybe he knows."
Ever since tagging along with Luan Dajiang and the group on outings, Zhang Dongzi has practically become Luan Dajiang’s little follower, gleefully completing whatever tasks Luan Dajiang assigns him.
"Division Commander..." Zhao Qiliang looked anxiously at Zhou Mikang, who sat silently beside his sister, "Do you think what I’m doing is appropriate?"
"What’s inappropriate? You never accused anyone wrongly. Putting personal affairs aside, as a Company Commander, when a situation affects your soldiers’ morale, it’s definitely your job to sort things out."
Zhou Hanliang quickly added, "If you can’t even protect your own men, how can you manage? If it turns out the rumors came from within your company, deal with it directly and report the results.
If it came from your battalion, let Commander Liu handle it. If it’s from another battalion or regiment, you and Commander Liu should report it. Issues like this should never be tolerated. The military isn’t a marketplace, where gossip-mongers can just stir up trouble."
With both the Division Commander and Instructor having spoken, Zhao Qiliang naturally felt reassured. He regretted asking earlier, worried they’d misunderstand his actions as a personal vendetta... Looking back, he was definitely overthinking.
Ten minutes later, Luo Hongqi and Zhang Erniu arrived, with Zhang Erniu looking quite sheepish. Since she was on duty today, she felt bad about not being able to help out and even more so about coming to eat now.
On the way, she’d already fretted for quite some time, but since Luo Xiaoqiong had specifically asked Luo Hongqi to ensure they came for the meal, saying it would mean not treating her like a real sister if they didn’t, they dared not refuse.
"Xiaoqiong..." Feeling uncomfortable, Zhang Erniu looked at her sister-in-law, unsure of what to say.
Luo Xiaoqiong complained, "Sister-in-law, if you keep this up, I’m going to get upset. We’re family, isn’t it normal to have a meal together? My brother and I were already awkward with each other, now you’re awkward with me too. Are you not going to treat me as family after you get married?"
"No, no..." Zhang Erniu waved her hands repeatedly, "I just feel embarrassed. I’m too clumsy and didn’t do my job well, so I had to work overtime. I want to help you, but I can’t..."
"Sit down quickly..." Chuxia reached out and pulled her back, "The food is getting cold, and I’m here waiting as a pregnant woman. If you keep chatting, I’m really going to get mad."
The Division Commander’s Tongzi had already served soup for his little wife: "Ignore them, just eat."
Chuxia: "..." Division Commander, is this really okay? I’m just trying to lighten the mood and get everyone to eat quickly, but as soon as you speak, you really do lighten the mood...
With Zhou Mikang and Zhou Hanliang here, the dinner was really awkward. Zhao Qiliang was alright; after all, he’d been on missions with these two big shots before, and one of them is his brother-in-law. Although he felt a bit of awe, he could still communicate comfortably.
Luan Dajiang, Luo Hongqi, and Zhang Erniu, however, couldn’t manage it. Throughout the meal, they hardly dared to lift their heads. Thankfully, they were eating steamed buns; otherwise, even picking up dishes would have been troublesome.
This kind of tension isn’t something that can be dispelled with a few words. Although Chuxia felt tired for them, she didn’t say anything. Once everyone put down their chopsticks, she got up with Zhou Mikang to leave, and took Luo Xiaoqiong with her. This girl is about to become a bride, so she needed to take care of her looks. It’s never too late to make a last-minute effort.
Planner Zhao Yulan and her husband originally intended to visit Dalin Village, but because of the sudden wedding, they had to change their plans. Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao weren’t disappointed; their son and daughter-in-law would still come over, and they’d be helping with their grandson’s wedding, so they could only be happy.
Several elders were sitting in the hall chatting when they raised their heads and saw the youngsters. Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao grinned with joy, quickly busied themselves, while Chuxia forcibly took Luo Xiaoqiong to her room.
"Sigh, it’s clear the elders care about their granddaughter-in-law..." Chuxia joked, glancing at the red-faced Luo Xiaoqiong, "Here I am, standing aside. If I weren’t pregnant, Grandma and Grandpa might not even bother with me."
"Is that so?" Luo Xiaoqiong was so familiar with her that she wouldn’t fall for it, and just laughed, "You start getting jealous already? Just wait, there’s plenty of jealousy for you in the future."
"You’re annoying..." Chuxia gave her a sidelong glance and pointed to the bathroom, "Go wash your face and hands, exfoliate a bit, and I’ll mix you a facial and hand mask. I’ll make sure you’re a beautiful bride the day after tomorrow."
"What beauty can come from just two days?" Luo Xiaoqiong grumbled but obediently went to the bathroom to freshen up.
Zhou Mikang pushed the door open and came in, reaching out to touch his wife’s cheek: "Are you tired?"
"I’m alright." Chuxia looked up at him, "What’s up?"
"Well, I have to go to the Capital City for a meeting. I’ll rush back tomorrow afternoon. Early tomorrow morning, Wang Zhongliang will pick up both sets of parents. Tell Luo Xiaoqiong not to worry."
"Okay." Chuxia agreed, standing up, "Need me to prepare anything for you?"
"No need, I’m just getting some materials from the division and going straight there..." Zhou Mikang tousled her hair as he walked out. At the door, he added, "Lin Wenbin returns early tomorrow. Don’t rush to go out then; if you need anything, let him take care of it."
Chuxia nodded: "I got it. Drive safely tonight."
"Don’t worry." Zhou Mikang stopped his little wife from following him out, "Alright, don’t see me out. Take good care of yourself and don’t be too stubborn. If there’s anything, talk to Mom; she’ll help you sort it out."
"Tut-tut, can’t bear to part..." When Chuxia returned to the bedroom, Luo Xiaoqiong was sitting there, smiling mischievously at her.
Chuxia gave her a sidelong glance: "Jealous? Or just envious."
"Yep, I’m both jealous and envious. Look at your brother, he’s never been so attentive to me. I don’t care, if we have a conflict after marriage, you have to side with me."
"Oh, cut it out! You’re not even married yet and already thinking about conflict..." Chuxia gave her a sidelong glance and pointed to the sofa, "Sit properly, rest your head on the back, let’s get started!"
Bored as well, Chuxia covered Luo Xiaoqiong’s face with a mask and applied a hydrating one for herself. The two sat on the sofa, idly chatting back and forth.
After finishing homework, Yingying opened the door and came in, only to see two ghostly white faces. She let out an "ahh" and dashed out.
"Stop pretending!" Chuxia helplessly called towards the door, "Whenever I’m not home, you go mess around with my masks. Stop acting innocent, get in here!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)