Chapter 79: Bantering with Her Is Quite Amusing

“Sigh, why did Captain Lin have to choose someone with such a questionable reputation?”

“Who are you calling questionable?” A cold voice came from behind the group.

Someone replied instinctively, “Who else could it be? That Xia Yan, of course.”

As soon as she spoke, she sensed something was off. Turning around, she saw Zhu Yan standing there, her face dark.

“Dr. Zhu, what are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed? You’re gossiping behind someone’s back without even knowing the facts. Don’t you realize idle talk like that can ruin lives?” Zhu Yan reprimanded them, her expression severe.

She had come by because the hospital at the foot of the mountain had called, asking her to come down. Passing through, she’d hoped to ask Xia Yan if she wanted to send anything to Lin You.

But just as she entered the courtyard, she overheard the group badmouthing Xia Yan.

Following her principle that only a rival can insult her own rival, Zhu Yan stepped in to scold them herself.

“We saw it with our own eyes—a strange man went to her house. He’s still there. You don’t believe it? Go see for yourself,” the woman with the red headscarf said, mustering her courage.

Zhu Yan was, after all, the daughter of a division commander, and her cold demeanor intimidated the women of the family compound.

“When your own mind is dirty, you start seeing everyone else as dirty too.”

With that, Zhu Yan strode off toward Xia Yan’s house.

The others watched her leave.

“Bah, if it weren’t for her father being the commander, who’d be afraid of her…” The woman in the red headscarf spat on the ground in Zhu Yan’s direction.

“Exactly. She acts so superior—does she think she’s so capable? Even her man got stolen!”

“But since when did Dr. Zhu get so close to Xia Yan? She doesn’t seem at all upset about losing her man—now they’re acting like sisters.”

With a few more muttered complaints, the women finally dispersed to prepare dinner.

Zhu Yan pushed open the gate and glanced at Huang Qiang, who was standing in front of Xia Yan. This man’s looks and manner couldn’t compare to Lin You’s—he wasn’t even as impressive as Zhang Jun. The idea that Xia Yan would try to seduce him was laughable.

“Zhu Yan, what brings you here?” Xia Yan smiled when she saw her.

That smile, in turn, left Huang Qiang momentarily stunned.

“I’m heading down the mountain. I wanted to ask if you had anything to send to Lin You.”

“I do—wait just a moment and I’ll get it together for you, Huang…”

“Huang Qiang,” he prompted immediately, seeing that Xia Yan had forgotten his name.

“Huang Qiang, I have something to take care of right now. I don’t have time to entertain you. Weren’t you looking for Captain Jiang? You’d better go.”

It was only the first time she’d met Huang Qiang, and though she didn’t like him, he’d brought corn as a gift, so Xia Yan politely saw him out.

At her mention of “next time,” Huang Qiang perked up. “Alright, alright, till next time then—if you’re free, come to the ranch.”

He left, and as he passed Zhu Yan, he nodded in greeting.

As soon as he was gone, Zhu Yan asked bluntly, “What’s going on?”

“It’s not what you think. He was in the class next to mine in high school, but I barely know him. Yesterday at the ranch, I ran into a former classmate from high school, and Huang Qiang heard about me from her and came looking.”

That was all Xia Yan could say by way of explanation.

Zhu Yan shot her a look. “You really do attract a lot of unwanted attention. Do you know those women at the gate were gossiping about you again just now?”

“What can I do? They have mouths—I can’t exactly go and tear them off. Come in and rest a bit. The kettle’s on the table; help yourself to some water.”

With that, Xia Yan went inside and began packing some of Lin You’s spare clothes in a large travel bag.

Zhu Yan followed her in, taking in the house that was both familiar and strangely changed. In just over half a month, everything inside had shifted, especially the double bed in Lin You’s room, which stood out conspicuously.

“You two are living together now?” Zhu Yan leaned against the doorframe, watching Xia Yan fold clothes.

“What?” At first, Xia Yan didn’t understand. But seeing Zhu Yan’s gaze fixed on the bed, her cheeks flushed. “Don’t get the wrong idea. That room is for Nuannuan now. Lin You was worried I’d crowd her, so he bought the bed.”

“There’s nothing wrong with living together—you’re getting married, after all. The other day when I brought him lunch, wasn’t he filling out the marriage application?”

Zhu Yan’s tone carried a hint of bitterness. She had once tried to become mistress of this house herself, but that man had always remained unmoved.

At the mention of the marriage application, Xia Yan straightened up and sighed heavily. “Don’t bring up the marriage application. I got a letter the day before yesterday—our application was rejected.”

“Rejected?” Zhu Yan immediately wondered if her own father had interfered, but then reconsidered. Her mother had never approved of her marrying Lin You, and though her father admired him, he would never go against her mother.

Xia Yan nodded. “But Lin You has already spoken to the leaders. It shouldn’t be a big issue.”

Zhu Yan let out a long sigh, half joking, “How can it not be a big issue? If it were, I’d have another chance at him.”

“If Lin You and I don’t get married, I can compete with you fair and square.”

Xia Yan finished packing the clothes and handed the zipped bag to Zhu Yan.

“Fair and square? I’ve been with him for years, and I never once heard Xiao Zhuo call me ‘Mom.’ I’ve already lost—completely.” Zhu Yan’s voice was tinged with acid as she took the bag.

“Don’t say that. Didn’t Xiao Zhuo always call you ‘Auntie Zhu’? ” Xia Yan remembered the first time she met Lin Hongzhuo, the little guy was constantly calling for Auntie Zhu.

“Hey, Xia Yan, you can be so annoying sometimes. ‘Mom’ and ‘Auntie Zhu’ are not the same. One has a surname, the other doesn’t. There can be several ‘Mom’s with surnames, but only one without.” Zhu Yan stopped, glancing back at Xia Yan in mock annoyance.

In the past, she’d have argued with Xia Yan over this, but now she found she couldn’t get angry anymore—instead, she almost enjoyed their banter.

“Alright, if you really want to be the kids’ mom, I’ll have them call you godmother. Is that good enough?”

“I don’t want that. You’ve already stolen the man—what do I want with the kids? The car is still waiting for me. I’ll go now.”

“Thank you, Zhu Yan.”

“Don’t just thank me—buy me a meal sometime. This empty gratitude is pointless.”

After seeing Zhu Yan off, Xia Yan finally stretched out in a chair in the courtyard. “So comfortable…”

Before long, the sound of drums and gongs came from the compound. Curious, Xia Yan went out to find a crowd gathering. “Aunt Wang, what’s going on? Such a celebration—someone’s getting married?”