On the other side.
After finishing his morning run, Jiang Chen went to get breakfast for his sister. As he passed by the family compound, he saw Wen Ci walking alongside a man he had never seen before. It looked like they had just come out of Old Chief Huo’s courtyard.
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, remembering the slap he had taken for no reason. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, his eyes icy cold. “If he isn’t a lover, then who is?”
With that, Jiang Chen charged towards the two.
Trained year-round, he was in excellent physical shape. In just a few strides, he reached Wen Ci’s side, lifted his foot, and violently kicked the man to the ground. He spat on the ground and said, “Trying to steal someone’s wife while my brother-in-law is injured, is that it?”
He needed a legitimate excuse to hit someone.
Xu Jinghe, completely caught off guard, was kicked to the ground. His handsome face was full of confusion. “Who are you?”
Wen Ci frowned and scolded, “Jiang Chen, are you out of your mind? This is Huo Jingyuan’s childhood friend! What the hell are you thinking all day?”
“Childhood friend? Hah.” Jiang Chen completely disbelieved her. If he was Huo Jingyuan’s childhood friend, how come he had never seen him before? Huo Jingyuan was also an army brat growing up.
Wen Ci cursed, “Idiot!”
It was mealtime, and family members passing by gathered around to watch the commotion. Some even asked outright, “Who’s stealing whose partner?”
Wen Ci’s face was dark. “Explain yourself.”
“Explain what? Was I wrong? You’re a married woman. Walking out with another man first thing in the morning, doesn’t that raise suspicions?”
Wen Ci: “…”
She had seen favoritism from a brother before.
But she never thought Jiang Chen would go this far.
In the 1980s, gossip was a fearsome thing, especially in a compound like this. If rumors spread, not only would the Jiang family become a laughingstock, but it could even affect promotions.
Xu Jinghe got up from the ground, dusting off the dirt from his pants. He scanned the crowd around them and asked with a smile, “Auntie Wang, do you still remember me?”
“Who are you calling?” There were several aunties surnamed Wang in the crowd.
“Your husband used to be Xu Jinguo’s guard? I’m Xu Jinghe, Xu Jinguo’s grandson. I lived in the capital district compound when I was little too.”
Xu Jinguo was a name from a long, long time ago.
But some people still remembered.
“Old Chief Xu’s grandson?”
“Yes.” Xu Jinghe nodded.
Huo Jingyuan’s grandfather had died of old age.
Xu Jinghe’s grandfather had died in battle.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen felt a surge of dread. Although he had never met Old Chief Xu Jinguo, he remembered his father mentioning that he had once served under him.
Wang Cuiping stepped forward, looked Xu Jinghe up and down, and smiled. “You look very much like the old chief.”
Seeing that others didn’t recognize Xu Jinguo, Wang Cuiping explained, “Back in the 60s, he was the commander of the 17th Army’s elite corps.”
The 17th Army was a legendary corps.
Xu Jinghe: “Huo Jingyuan and I really are childhood friends.”
“When he was a kid, this rascal lived in the military compound too. In the blink of an eye, he’s so tall now. Time flies.”
Jiang Chen wanted to slip away.
But Wen Ci grabbed his arm. “Apologize!”
She didn’t care about the Jiang family at all. Slandering her reputation meant nothing to her. But Xu Jinghe had been kicked to the ground for no reason. An apology was necessary.
Jiang Chen touched his nose guiltily. “I’ve never seen him before. Besides, I was thinking of my brother-in-law, worried someone might be trying to steal his wife.”
“What do you mean by that?” Xu Jinghe’s tone was clearly angry. As a former army compound kid, he knew exactly how gossipy the aunties in the compound could be. If he hadn’t brought up his grandfather’s name…
Leave a Reply