Chapter 322
Liu Dongdong pretended to have only just realized what was happening and followed along. She didn't really want to leave Fu Yang, but since Zhang Cuimei had come out, it wouldn't be appropriate for an unmarried girl like her to stay alone in a room with Commander Fu; people would inevitably gossip.
So not long after Zhang Cuimei left, she followed as well.
She just intentionally kept her distance.
Because Fu Yang's attitude made her feel that something wasn't quite right.
Although she also hoped Si Nian would be driven away, it wasn't good for her to actively help. She didn't want to seem as overbearing as Zhang Cuimei and risk being disliked.
But she never expected that her intuition would save her this time. She never imagined that Si Nian's husband was actually a regiment commander in this military district.
Others might be unwilling to believe it, but Liu Dongdong had heard before that Zhou Yueshen used to be a soldier.
She just never thought about it in this context, since Zhou Yueshen had long been discharged and returned to the village.
Now, learning that he held a position here that was no less impressive than Fu Yang's...
This filled Liu Dongdong with both shock and jealousy.
She felt Si Nian's fate was just too good.
She originally thought that even if Si Nian married a butcher who could make money, there wasn't much to envy.
But she never expected Zhou Yueshen to have this additional layer of status.
This also explained clearly why Si Nian appeared here with the Zhou family's son.
And why Fu Yang's expression turned so ugly whenever Si Nian was mentioned.
So Si Nian wasn't here to see him at all, but to see Zhou Yueshen.
Liu Dongdong's heart was a tumult of mixed feelings.
Seeing Zhang Cuimei's fate, she felt relieved that she hadn't rushed forward immediately.
Otherwise, she might have been thrown out too by now.
If Zhou Yueshen was really a regiment commander here, then even Fu Yang probably couldn't really stand up for her.
Plus, Fu Yang didn't have much goodwill towards the Si family to begin with, so it was even less likely he'd step in to help.
Liu Dongdong pretended to run over in a panic, stopping just inside the iron gate as if someone had blocked her, and called out with feigned concern, "Auntie Zhang, are you alright? How did things turn out like this?"
Zhang Cuimei snapped back to reality and tried to re-enter, but was stopped. Her face turned pale then flushed, looking utterly terrible. Just as she was about to say something, Liu Dongdong spoke up, "Don't worry, Auntie Zhang, I'll go find Commander Fu right now and put in a good word for you. They'll definitely let you back in."
After saying that, she turned and ran off.
Zhang Cuimei's expression was grim, and her heart was even more panicked.
She hadn't fully processed the fact that Si Nian's husband was a regiment commander in the Northwest Military District; her mind was still reeling.
So she didn't dwell on the fact that Liu Dongdong hadn't come out to support her.
Only when she saw the two guards looking at her with disdain did she belatedly realize how shameful her earlier behavior had been. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
She couldn't help but resent Si Nian in her heart. Why hadn't she told her about this beforehand? If she had, she wouldn't have had to lose so much face!
Maybe she deliberately didn't say anything, just to make her look bad.
Considering this possibility made Zhang Cuimei so angry her nose felt crooked.
April in the northwest was still very cold. She stood at the gate, unable to enter, yet unwilling to leave.
She could only hope Liu Dongdong would hurry back.
Her legs grew stiff from standing, but still there was no sign of Liu Dongdong.
Muttering a curse about her uselessness under her breath, she was hungry, tired, and couldn't stand it any longer.
She approached again. Even when the guards blocked her, she didn't get angry this time, having lost her previous arrogance. Instead, she fawned, "Comrades, I've thought it over, and I was indeed too impulsive earlier. I realize my mistake now. To be honest, that girl Nian Nian is my daughter. I was just misunderstanding her earlier, which is why I got so angry. Please don't take it to heart."
Hearing this, the two guards exchanged glances, their expressions turning even more contemptuous. "Even a vicious tiger doesn't harm its own cub. What kind of mother treats her daughter like that? Do you think we're fools?"
Just then, Si Nian returned from buying groceries. The two guards immediately saluted, "Regiment Commander's wife."
Si Nian raised an eyebrow, glanced at Zhang Cuimei's ashen face, and asked, "What's going on now?"
"This crazy woman is making trouble here, ma'am. Don't worry, we won't let her in."
Given her previous behavior towards Si Nian, the two guards didn't dare let her in, afraid she'd cause trouble for Si Nian.
Zhang Cuimei grew anxious. "But I didn't know the full story then! How can you blame it all on me?"
"Right, Nian Nian, hurry up and tell them to let me in. I am, after all, your adoptive mother. Zhou Yueshen is my son-in-law. How can they treat me like this!"
The two guards looked at her suspiciously, then turned to Si Nian for confirmation. "Regiment Commander's wife, is that true?"
Si Nian nodded. "That's right, she is my adoptive mother." Zhang Cuimei immediately snorted smugly, thinking, 'Good — you know your place.'
But then she heard Si Nian continue, "However, we severed ties long ago. You can treat it as if she's not."
With that, ignoring Zhang Cuimei's drastically changing expression, Si Nian took the curious Second Child by the hand and walked inside.
Zhang Cuimei, coming back to her senses, grew frantic and tried to chase after them.
Unexpectedly, the two guards immediately stepped forward, blocking her path and making a gesture as if to draw their weapons.
Zhang Cuimei was so frightened her legs nearly gave way, a mix of cowardice and fury.
Watching Si Nian's retreating back, not once looking back, she was nearly driven mad. "Si Nian! You heartless, ungrateful wretch! Treating me like this will bring you retribution!"
Si Nian returned to the ward. The Second Child ran angrily to Zhou Yueshen to complain, "Dad, Dad, that nasty grandma at the gate is picking on Mom again! She even yelled at Mom!"
Zhou Yueshen was taken aback. "Grandma?"
Si Nian put the groceries aside. The hospital had a dedicated cooking area. Since Zhou Yueshen had arranged it, she could cook there, so sometimes she didn't need to go back to where Zhou Yueshen was staying.
She explained, "It's my adoptive mother, Zhang Cuimei. She heard Fu Yang was injured and came to visit. Seeing me here, she thought I was pestering Fu Yang again and said some unpleasant things."
On the way back, the Second Child had said how much he hated Zhang Cuimei and asked why Mom didn't yell back.
Si Nian said, if a dog bites us, can we bite it back? She didn't want to get entangled with Zhang Cuimei.
But the Second Child was still holding his breath, saying that even if you can't bite a dog back, you can hit it back.
Si Nian thought her son made a good point, but the thing was, Zhang Cuimei was, after all, her adoptive mother and an elder. Zhang Cuimei could scold her, but if Si Nian scolded her back, it would be considered disrespectful and defiant.
Si Nian was more adept at making her opponents retreat in disarray without tarnishing her own reputation. Of course, in the Second Child's eyes, it just meant Mom got yelled at and couldn't yell back, which was utterly frustrating.
Now he was complaining to his father with an aggrieved air, almost wishing his father would go and beat up Zhang Cuimei.
Zhou Yueshen's brow furrowed slightly.
Although he knew the Si family wasn't sincere towards Si Nian, he hadn't expected them to be this absurd.
Si Nian had been married to him for so long, yet they still thought she was hung up on Fu Yang.
What a nuisance.
His voice was low. "We're going back in a couple of days. Pay her no mind."
When Fu Qianqian and Fu's mother returned, they were quite surprised to see Liu Dongdong.
"Dongdong? What are you doing here?"
Liu Dongdong hurriedly explained the reason.
Hearing that Zhang Cuimei had brought her, Fu's mother's expression didn't brighten; instead, it became somewhat unnatural.
She couldn't figure out what Zhang Cuimei was doing coming here.
Feeling displeased but unable to vent her anger at Liu Dongdong, she only said, "Tell Zhang Cuimei she doesn't need to pretend to be kind. Our Xiao Yang doesn't need her help. You should hurry back."
She was thoroughly annoyed by the pestering, feeling the Si family was like vampires, following them wherever they went.
Liu Dongdong bit her lip and lowered her head. "Auntie Zhang said that Regimental Commander Fu is injured now, his body is weak, and conditions here in the northwest are harsh. The food surely can't compare to what's at home, so she sent me over. The soup I make is quite liked by Regimental Commander Fu and can help nourish him. I know this is very presumptuous, but Auntie Zhang just hopes Regimental Commander Fu can recover quickly..."
These words struck right at Mother Fu's heart.
Earlier, when they went to the cafeteria to eat, they only had stir-fried cabbage and greasy meat. The taste was mediocre and not really to their liking.
Her son was already picky with food—no wonder he had lost so much weight in just over a month.
He looked terribly pale too.
Mother Fu's heart ached for him.
The problem was, neither she nor her daughter knew how to cook.
Liu Dongdong's appearance was simply a godsend.
Although she was very annoyed with Zhang Cuimei, she also wanted her son to recover quickly so they could leave. The medical facilities here weren't great, and she worried her son might suffer some lasting effects, which would be a terrible loss.
Besides, her son had indeed eaten the things Liu Dongdong brought before.
Mother Fu immediately let her stay but pretended not to hear anything about Zhang Cuimei.
Liu Dongdong gratefully promised she would take good care of Fu Yang, not mentioning a word about Zhang Cuimei being stopped outside.
Fu Qianqian, a toothpick dangling from her mouth, watched her thoughtfully.
Liu Dongdong was very pleased. Just as she stepped out, she saw Si Nian leading a child into the neighboring ward and was startled.
So Zhou Yueshen was injured too.
But since Si Nian had come in, she must have seen Zhang Cuimei being stopped outside earlier.
She was truly heartless. Although Zhang Cuimei wasn't a great person, she had raised her for eighteen years after all.
Now she herself got in but didn't let Zhang Cuimei in. It spoke volumes.
In Liu Dongdong's eyes, this behavior was nothing but ingratitude.
She went to the entrance, saw Zhang Cuimei looking disheveled, but didn't go out. As if forgetting there was a door right beside her, she stood inside and told Zhang Cuimei, with added drama, that she had tried asking Fu Yang for her, but the Fu family didn't want to offend Zhou Yueshen and refused.
She also said she pleaded with Si Nian, but Si Nian even scolded her, saying Zhang Cuimei deserved it.
This nearly made Zhang Cuimei faint from anger.
Seeing her hatred for Si Nian reach its peak, Liu Dongdong then sent her away, telling her to find a hotel to rest first. She said she really wanted to go out but couldn't get back in if she did, and besides, Mother Fu wanted someone to help cook and nourish Fu Yang. This was a good chance to improve relations between the two families.
Sure enough, Zhang Cuimei, in her rage, was completely fooled and didn't suspect a thing. She even told Liu Dongdong not to come out, adding gratefully, "It's a good thing I brought you along, Dongdong. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do."
She also instructed her to keep an eye out and not let any other women get close to Fu Yang before leaving.
...
When Si Nian went to cook in the afternoon, she saw Liu Dongdong busy in the kitchen.
She raised an eyebrow. She had just heard that Zhang Cuimei had left, but Liu Dongdong was still here?
Could it be that Zhang Cuimei deliberately left her behind to take care of Fu Yang?
Liu Dongdong saw her and was also startled.
For some reason, she felt a fear of Si Nian's gaze.
Now, seeing Si Nian's thoughtful scrutiny, she hurriedly lowered her head, picked up the chicken soup, and quickly left.
Si Nian turned her head and glanced at Liu Dongdong's hurried retreating figure.
Fu Qianqian, bored, offered her brother a few words of symbolic comfort and then went out to wander around.
She ended up getting lost. Just as she was about to ask someone for directions, she caught a whiff of a familiar, tantalizing aroma.
She was astonished, immediately following her nose toward the source of the smell.
And then she ran right into Si Nian, who was in the middle of cooking.
"Holy crap? Si Nian?" Fu Qianqian's expression was one of utter shock.