Chapter 75: I Wish I Could Sew Her Mouth Shut

Lin You was nearly choked speechless by Peng Zhenguo’s flat refusal. “Commander, after everything I’ve said, why is it still not acceptable?”

Peng Zhenguo gave a disgruntled smile and shook his head with deliberate mystery.

Lin You scratched his head in mock frustration. “Commander, what do you mean by shaking your head? Do you not believe what I said?”

Peng Zhenguo shook his head again, still silent, though his smile didn’t change.

“Commander, are you doubting a fellow revolutionary comrade?”

“Don’t you pin that kind of accusation on me! How could I not trust a revolutionary comrade? I personally trained you from the start—how could I not believe you?”

Peng Zhenguo stood up, walked over, and patted Lin You’s shoulder lightly. “You’re certainly capable, but your temper matches your skills. I heard your sister is coming to our Northwestern Military District soon?”

“How did you know?” Lin You was taken aback, surprised that such a senior figure already knew about his sister’s enlistment.

“Ha! Do you think anything in this military district can escape my notice?” Peng Zhenguo declared with confidence, taking a drag from his cigarette.

“I’m just surprised. Someone of your rank usually deals with major affairs. I didn’t expect you to know even about something as minor as my sister joining the army.”

“When did you learn to flatter me, boy? Still, Xia Yan does seem rather impressive. I can see you’ve changed a lot; at the very least, you talk much more than before.”

Peng Zhenguo was amused. He hadn’t expected Lin You to say something like this. In the past, whenever Lin You came to meetings and Peng Zhenguo tried to talk to him, the guy barely managed to get a word out.

“That’s for sure. If you met Xia Yan and spent some time with her, you’d know she’s truly wonderful.”

Whenever Lin You mentioned Xia Yan, a smile naturally lifted the corners of his mouth.

Peng Zhenguo sincerely hoped Lin You would settle down soon, but marriage was a lifelong matter. As an elder to Lin You, he had eaten more salt than the young man had eaten rice. He hadn’t met Xia Yan and didn’t know her merits, and considering a previous incident, he was determined to set a high bar this time.

“All right then. This weekend, bring this Xia Yan to my house for dinner. Let your aunt have a look—if she approves, then I’ll give my consent.”

At Peng Zhenguo’s concession, Lin You’s aim for this visit was achieved. What he’d worried about most was Peng Zhenguo’s refusal. As for what came next, he trusted Xia Yan.

Both Zhou Shimao and Peng Zhenguo were among the people Lin You felt closest to in the military district, so he was certain that after spending time with Xia Yan, they too would be won over by her character.

As soon as Peng Zhenguo finished speaking, Lin You stood up.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Now that I’ve finished my business, of course I’m heading back to the hospital to rest. My wife said I need to take care of myself.”

Lin You perfectly demonstrated what it meant to say the most enviable things with the coldest expression.

“A grown man, head of the household, you should be calling the shots at home. Don’t just do everything your wife says. Tonight, listen to me—stay for dinner, let your aunt cook you a few dishes, and we’ll have a drink together.”

Peng Zhenguo looked at him with undisguised disdain.

“Didn’t you notice I’m injured? How could I drink? If I have a relapse, will you take responsibility? And as for what you just said, I’ll make sure to relay every word to Auntie.”

Lin You dodged Peng Zhenguo’s attempt to drag him home for drinks, even lifting his shirt to show off his wound.

“That little pinprick, you call that an injury? And who taught you to tattle like that—was it Xia Yan?” Peng Zhenguo glared at him in mock annoyance.

“Don’t you dare blame her. I don’t like hearing that,” Lin You replied coldly, defending his wife.

Peng Zhenguo hadn’t even sat down before Lin You’s words made him laugh in exasperation. He waved his hand impatiently at Lin You. “You don’t like it? Well, I don’t like it either! Don’t act like I’m forcing you to drink. Go on, get out of here—stop hanging around in front of me being an eyesore.”

Lin You straightened up, snapped to attention, and saluted. “Yes, Commander.”

***

When Xia Yan and the others arrived at the ranch, she was overwhelmed by the sight of cattle, sheep, and horses galloping across the vast grasslands. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “This place is truly enormous.”

“An Yan?”

At that moment, Xia Yan heard someone call her name. She turned curiously and saw a woman with glasses and two thick braids walking toward her.

“And you are…?”

Xia Yan searched her mind but couldn’t recall the woman’s name.

The young woman beamed at her. “It’s me, Zhuang Lili. We were in the same class in high school—don’t you remember?”

Zhuang Lili?

Xia Yan tried hard to remember. Gradually, a blurry image of a bespectacled girl surfaced in her mind—there might have been such a person, but that was as much as she could recall. Everything else was a blank.

Still, she pretended to recognize her. “I remember now. What are you doing here?”

“Our school organized a campaign for educated youth to go to the countryside. When I heard I could come to the Northwest, I volunteered… But you, I was really surprised when you suddenly dropped out of high school. Your family was so well-off—why quit just like that? Such a pity.”

Zhuang Lili naturally linked arms with her, as if they were close friends.

Xia Yan felt a little awkward. Were they really that close?

“Ah, well, back then I…”

Xia Yan glanced at Wang Guilan, who was looking at her curiously, unsure how to explain.

“Oh, right! I remember your family arranged a marriage for you back then. You even mentioned it in class. A lot of our classmates envied you, saying you’d soon marry into the Huo family and become a wealthy young mistress.”

Zhuang Lili exclaimed in surprise.

“That… was a long time ago,” Xia Yan replied helplessly, thinking Zhuang Lili really had no filter.

“By the way, what brings you here? Has the Huo family’s business expanded all the way to the Northwest?” Zhuang Lili looked around, as if searching for someone. “Did Huo Ting come with you?”

“Lili, things changed later on. I didn’t marry Huo Ting.”

Xia Yan noticed Liu Yuanchao’s confused look, scratching his head as he tried to work out who Huo Ting was, almost as if those very words were written on his face.

“You didn’t get married?” Zhuang Lili shrieked. “Back then, the whole school was talking about you marrying Huo Ting!”

Xia Yan frowned. What was with this Zhuang Lili? She wished she could sew her mouth shut…

“I was young and foolish then…”

In the end, Xia Yan didn’t know what else to say, blaming it all on the original Xia Yan’s youthful recklessness.

But Zhuang Lili had no intention of letting things drop. She was determined to get to the bottom of it. “So who did Huo Ting marry?”