Hearing Ji Shuyu’s question, He Ze and He Han thought for a moment before replying, “We haven’t decided yet.”
Although it was a post-graduation assignment, there were still choices to be made.
They could choose to stay on the island, as promotion there was relatively straightforward.
The benefits they would enjoy after retirement would also be better than in other places.
For them, it was a stable iron rice bowl.
Ji Shuyu thought about how, in modern times, people would cross a single-plank bridge in a massive army just to secure an iron rice bowl.
(The phrase “people would cross a single-plank bridge in a massive army just to secure an iron rice bowl” combines two powerful Chinese idioms to describe a situation of extreme, desperate competition for job security. )
Then she thought about the current era.
No wonder everyone thought this period was good.
Jobs were assigned, and everyone had drive.
“Third Sister-in-law, actually, I want to go south to do business, but Mom definitely wouldn’t agree.”
He Ze scratched his head, seeming quite troubled.
Hearing this, Ji Shuyu raised an eyebrow slightly.
This kid had ideas, but doing business would need to wait at least another ten years.
By then, catching the wave of reform and opening up, he might even become one of the first ten-thousand-yuan households.
“Don’t even think about it. Mom and Dad said since we chose to be soldiers, we should work steadily within the system.”
He Han cut off He Ze’s train of thought.
Back then, it was only with Third Brother’s help finding connections that they could go to the artillery unit.
Was it easy to get into the military?
Being a soldier was an honorable thing; everyone wanted to send their children into the army.
After expending so much effort, how could He Junshan and Wang Shufen let He Ze simply leave the military?
“Doing business is possible, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
Ji Shuyu poured a glass of water for each of them, glanced at He Yuan first, then looked at the two young men.
He Ze’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing Ji Shuyu’s words.
“Your third aunt is right. You’ve just graduated. The military is assigning you units. If you leave now, wouldn’t all the manpower, material, and financial resources invested in you earlier go to waste?”
He Yuan sat on the small sofa, legs crossed, looking quite relaxed.
Sitting like that, he really had a bit of a big shot vibe.
The three brothers were talking here. Ji Shuyu planned to go find He Min.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out, she saw He Qiang sneaking furtively towards the kitchen.
A chill ran through Ji Shuyu’s heart. Without saying a word, she followed him.
She saw He Qiang walk to the water vat in the kitchen, look around, and upon seeing no one, pull a packet out from his clothes.
Ji Shuyu hid in the shadows, watching.
“Take that for talking about my mom, take that for being so arrogant,” he muttered viciously as he shook the packet of powder into the water.
He Qiang, of course, felt wronged. Back then, he had apologized to Ji Shuyu so sincerely, and she actually didn’t forgive him.
If she wouldn’t forgive him, fine, but she even said she had no relation to him.
Mom was right; she looked down on him from the bottom of her heart.
Since that was the case, He Qiang would use croton powder in the water to give her diarrhea.
He refused to believe it wouldn’t make her miserable.
He Qiang had clearly forgotten that Ji Shuyu was currently pregnant.
He bent over the edge of the water vat, his butt sticking up. Most of the powder had already been shaken into the water, dissolving quickly.
This vat of water was usually used by Ji Shuyu.
Ever since she made that advanced water filter last time, she would filter the water every time He Yuan fetched it for her.
So this water looked clearer than the water others used.
As the last bit of powder fell in, he straightened up.
As soon as he turned around, he saw Ji Shuyu standing at the doorway.
“Oh?”
“Who do you want to kill?”
He Qiang’s entire body stiffened. The smugness on his face hadn’t even faded yet when it was frozen in place by Ji Shuyu’s icy gaze.
The paper packet in his hand fluttered to the ground, and he couldn’t help but swallow.
“I… I didn’t…”
He Qiang’s voice trembled, his eyes darting nervously towards the water vat before hurriedly looking away.
“Third Aunt, you saw wrong. I was just checking if there was enough water in the vat.”
Ji Shuyu took a step forward, her gaze sweeping over the water vat, a cold smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
“Checking the water? Does checking the water involve sprinkling something into it?”
“That… that was just some powdered starch I accidentally dropped in!”
He Qiang stubbornly lied, his neck stiff, but his hands unconsciously moved behind his back, and his feet shifted subtly, trying to slip towards the door.
How could Ji Shuyu let him succeed?
She moved to block the doorway, her voice rising significantly.
“Powdered starch? He Qiang, do you think I’m blind or stupid? The things you were muttering just now, did you think I didn’t hear?”
“You put in croton powder. You really want me dead, don’t you?”
He Qiang, after all, was young. Hearing this, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the spot.
“Third Aunt, I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please forgive me this time!”
He fell to his knees with a thud, tears and snot instantly covering his face. “I just had a momentary lapse! I shouldn’t have been so bewitched! You’re magnanimous, please don’t tell my Third Uncle, or he’ll beat me to death!”
Ji Shuyu looked down at him, not a trace of pity in her eyes.
She had seen clearly the vicious look on his face when he was sprinkling the powder into the water just moments ago.
This wasn’t a momentary lapse; it was clearly premeditated.
“I just wanted you to have diarrhea for a few days, I didn’t really want to harm you…”
“Didn’t really want to harm me?”
Ji Shuyu scoffed coldly, raising a hand to rest on her lower abdomen.
He Qiang was rendered speechless by the question, could only kowtow repeatedly. “I forgot! I really forgot! Third Aunt, please forgive me, I won’t dare again!”
He had just seen the croton powder Li Cuihua left on the table and couldn’t suppress his anger in the moment.
It was because of Ji Shuyu’s arrival that his parents were getting divorced.
He didn’t want Ji Shuyu to die; he just wanted her to have diarrhea.
Just then, He Yuan, He Ze, and He Han arrived upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing the scene before them, He Yuan’s face instantly darkened.
“What’s going on?”
He Yuan’s gaze fell on He Qiang kneeling on the ground, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
He Qiang was trembling all over, too scared to speak.
Ji Shuyu moved aside to let him see the water vat, saying coldly, “He put croton powder in the water I drink. Said he wanted to give me diarrhea until I die.”
He Yuan’s eyes suddenly turned sharp as a knife. He strode over to He Qiang, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him up.
“Say that again?”
He Qiang was scared out of his wits, crying and shouting, “Third Uncle, I was wrong! I was really wrong! I was bewitched, please spare me!”
But the next second, He Yuan directly slapped him across the face.
He Qiang fell to the ground, blood trickling from his nose.
“Mom! Mom!”
He shouted for Li Cuihua at the top of his lungs. Li Cuihua, who had been rummaging through things in the west room, hurried over.
Seeing He Qiang’s bruised and bloody face, she rushed over to shield him.
“What’s this? What happened?!”
“Third Brother, calm down!”
He Ze and He Han pulled back He Yuan, who was still trying to hit He Qiang.
He Yuan had been on the battlefield. One punch from him was more than He Qiang could take. If He Yuan landed another punch, wouldn’t it kill him?
“He Qiang, I’ll kill you!”
“You’re not even grown and you’re not learning anything good, learning from your mom to kill people, is that it?”
He Yuan was beyond listening. He kicked He Qiang several times, his eyes icy.
“Qiangzi, what did you do?”
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