mtl008 Chapter 152 Do you know my cousin?
Chapter 152 Do you know my cousin?
Nuonuo tugged at her clothes and cautiously looked at Cheng Baichuan.
"Mom, what's wrong with Dad? Why is he staring at me?"
It gave her the creeps!
Following Nuonuo's gaze, Li Wanqing looked at Cheng Baichuan and just happened to see his eyes trying to cover up his misunderstanding.
Li Wanqing: ......
childish!
Li Wanqing gently patted her daughter's back and whispered, "It's nothing. Daddy got so angry with Grandma that he lost his mind."
Upon hearing this, Nuonuo's little face was full of surprise, and her eyes were filled with sympathy as she looked at Cheng Baichuan.
Cheng Baichuan: ? ? ? ?
What did the mother and daughter say?
Why does my daughter look at him with a hint of... pity?
Li Wanqing knew why Cheng Baichuan was staring at Nuonuo, but as a local, Cheng Baichuan probably didn't have the kind of superpower that allowed him to read minds.
Li Wanqing ignored Cheng Baichuan; after all, she wasn't the one who was anxious and restless.
And so, the two of them lived peacefully, seemingly without incident.
Nono could clearly sense that something was wrong between her parents, but no matter how much she asked her mother, her mother wouldn't say anything.
"Nono, you're still a child. Adults have their own ways of solving problems. Just be happy every day," Li Wanqing comforted her.
Nono felt that she was not comforted at all.
"Mom, are you and Dad getting a divorce?"
Nuonuo was extremely worried. She had heard from her brother Xingguo that there was another brother in the family compound whose family was in the same situation.
His parents suddenly stopped talking, and then they divorced not long after. Then his mother brought him to the family quarters.
She doesn't want her parents to get divorced.
Li Wanqing knew that Nuonuo was sensitive, but she didn't expect her to connect it to the divorce.
She did consider divorcing Cheng Baichuan, but that was based on the premise that Cheng Baichuan would protect Liu Yufen.
Li Wanqing rubbed Nuonuo's head and then flicked her forehead.
"What do you mean by divorce? Even if you get divorced, it doesn't mean your parents don't love you."
Nuonuo covered her forehead, looking at her with an accusing expression, but she no longer had any of these messy thoughts in her mind.
Liu Yufen stayed at the guesthouse, and the longer she stayed there, the more anxious she became. But every time she said she wanted to return to Shou County, Cheng Baichuan would refuse her on the grounds of a letter of introduction.
"The military region is even less efficient than the village," Liu Yufen complained. "They drag their feet even getting a letter of introduction. How much suffering must your older brother be going through inside!"
Cheng Baichuan said calmly, "It's the Spring Festival holiday now, and the people who issued the letters of introduction haven't returned yet. You should wait a few more days."
“I’ve been trying to take leave lately, and I’ll go back with you then.”
Liu Yufen frowned. "You always say that!"
Cheng Baichuan remained silent for a while before leaving.
As soon as he stepped out of the guesthouse, Cheng Chi's bodyguard found him. "Commander Cheng, the commander wants to see you."
Cheng Baichuan frowned. It seemed that the matter in Shou County had finally come to a conclusion.
It's almost the Lantern Festival, and the kids will be going back to school soon.
After a fun-filled winter break, most kids are now staying up late to finish their homework.
The choir rehearsals were temporarily put on hold, and Li Wanqing no longer needed to go to the performing arts troupe every day.
Li Wanqing took Nuonuo to the surrounding villages. Last time He Mei came, it was too rushed, and she hadn't prepared anything.
Since she had some free time today, she went to collect some dried goods and local specialties from the surrounding area and planned to send them to He Mei in a couple of days.
Just after the New Year, most households in the village had some stock left over.
The most abundant item was dried mushrooms, along with some dried vegetables, dried cowpeas, and the luckiest thing was that Li Wanqing also received two pieces of cured meat and sausages.
The villagers knew she was a military wife, so they always paid her half the market price.
Li Wanqing was unwilling to take advantage of this, after all, these days, no one is having an easy time.
Therefore, Li Wanqing always settles accounts according to market prices.
Just as she was about to leave, Li Wanqing heard a quarrel and saw a young man in a striped shirt arguing with a villager.
Li Wanqing initially didn't want to pay attention, but when she heard the young man introduce himself from the crowd, she immediately stopped in her tracks.
"Uncle and aunt, my name is Fan Hua, I'm from the county town, I'm really not a thief, I was just passing by!"
Fan Hua was covered in sweat, his expression revealing tension and helplessness.
Upon hearing the name, Li Wanqing raised an eyebrow slightly, as if He Mei had mentioned this name when she came over last time.
However, the villagers did not accept Fan Hua's explanation.
"Lying around suspiciously in the village in broad daylight, what else could it be but a thief?"
"Exactly, these thieves these days are really bold. This is a military region, aren't they afraid of getting shot?"
Fan Hua looked at a few people in the crowd, hoping they could testify on his behalf.
But the people he saw all lowered their heads, not daring to get involved at all.
The villagers didn't care about any of that; this area was under the jurisdiction of the military region, and the security was always good.
That's because the military region's security department is very good at motivating everyone. As long as someone who has committed a crime is caught, there is a reward for reporting it.
Not only did the military provide rewards, but the commune also offered them.
Li Wanqing could tell that Fan Hua was probably coming up the mountain to collect mountain goods for the first time.
They are young and inexperienced.
The market is not yet open, and large-scale private transactions are still not allowed.
But for someone like her, going down the mountain to trade with the villagers for some local products is no big deal.
However, if you receive too many items, it will inevitably attract attention.
Fan Hua looked unfamiliar, and there was a large bag on his back, which looked like it was full of things.
Perhaps because it was her first time doing something like this, she seemed very nervous.
In the eyes of the villagers, he became a shifty-eyed bad guy.
Fan Hua wiped the sweat from his forehead, so anxious he didn't know what to do.
Just as everyone was discussing whether or not to send the person to the security office, Li Wanqing stepped forward.
"Uncle and Auntie, this is my younger brother. He came to help me with my things."
Fan Hua didn't know who the woman who came out to help him was, but her words changed the villagers' attitude.
"Oh, so he's Xiao Li's younger brother. You should have said so earlier. It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple."
The villagers dispersed, leaving Fan Hua cautiously scrutinizing Li Wanqing. "Why did you save me?"
Li Wanqing smiled faintly and asked in return, "You're not from the county town, you're from the provincial capital, right?"
Fan Hua's eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"
"He Mei is your cousin, isn't she?" Li Wanqing replied, seemingly ignoring the question.
Upon hearing He Mei's name, Fan Hua's wariness eased slightly. "You know my cousin?"
Li Wanqing didn't deny it. Fan Hua's eyes darted around. This was the military region, and he even knew his cousin...
"Are you the sister my cousin mentioned who married a military officer?" Fan Hua asked uncertainly.
Li Wanqing smiled faintly, "If your cousin only has one friend who married a military officer, then it would be me."
Upon hearing this, Fan Hua completely lowered his guard.