Chapter 43: Adoption
"Cao Daqiang, I’m here to inform you that you can’t take indefinite leave without cause. You need to follow regulations."
He stood with his back straight, his expression solemn.
"Command has warned you multiple times. If you keep this up, you’re well aware of the consequences."
"Fuck off! Who the hell do you think you are? You dare lecture me?"
The alcohol had gotten to Cao Daqiang. His face was beet red, his eyes cloudy.
Hearing this, his temper instantly exploded.
CRASH!
He smashed the liquor bottle hard on the ground.
Glass flew everywhere, and liquor splashed across the floor.
He balled up his fist and swung it right at Yang Dapeng’s face.
"What do you think you are? If it wasn’t for Mr. Ling giving you a leg up, would you be in this position? You really think that uniform makes you hot shit? Bah! You’re nothing but a spineless coward who rode someone’s coattails to get here!"
Yang Dapeng’s eyes narrowed. He dodged nimbly, retreating to the center of the courtyard.
"So that’s it. You’ve been holding onto this resentment the whole time. In all these years, you never truly accepted it."
"Resentment? My ass!"
Cao Daqiang roared, stumbling but still lunging forward.
"Who are you trying to kid with that high-and-mighty act? Aren’t you just better at kissing ass than I am? When I was fighting for my life on the battlefield, where the hell were you?!"
Yang Dapeng sidestepped slightly and grabbed Cao Daqiang’s wrist with his right hand.
With a smooth pull and press, he easily forced him to the ground.
Cao Daqiang’s face slammed into the dirt, his nose throbbing with pain.
He got a mouthful of dust and still tried to struggle.
But when Yang Dapeng pressed his knee down, he was instantly immobilized.
In the military, for a soldier to dare strike a superior officer is a serious breach of discipline.
According to regulations, throwing him in solitary confinement on the spot would not have been excessive.
But out of respect for their past and the bigger picture, Yang Dapeng didn’t press the matter to the fullest extent.
He was lucky he wasn’t hauled away in handcuffs right then and there.
The result was that disciplinary action was taken.
Cao Daqiang received a major demerit, was demoted two ranks, and transferred to a desk job in the logistics department.
On the day he received the disciplinary notice, Cao Daqiang squatted in a corner by the back wall of the barracks, his head in his hands, silent for a long time.
"Yingzi... I’m useless."
His voice was hoarse, thick with regret.
"That girl latched onto someone powerful, got in with Mr. Ling. With her around, I’ll never be able to make a comeback. The Ling family won’t tolerate me, and they won’t let me off the hook..."
"Daqiang, don’t say that!"
Liu Yingzi quickly squatted down and took his hand.
"The Lings don’t call all the shots here. The rules are made by people. As long as you’re willing to work hard and humble yourself, you’ll have your day sooner or later."
That’s what she said, but inwardly she had long since run out of patience.
’A military family’s standing depends on the husband’s rank and reputation. If he really falls from grace, how are we supposed to live?’
But no matter how she tried to persuade him, Cao Daqiang just kept his head down, not saying a word.
"You don’t understand, Yingzi..."
He finally looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"This whole system is rigged. I can’t climb back from this. In this camp, from top to bottom, is there anyone who doesn’t have to walk on eggshells around the Ling family? I can’t touch them, but they can crush me whenever they feel like it."
"Go back to your parents, ask them to help me pull some strings at another camp. You know what I’m capable of. Training, combat, leading troops—which one am I not a master at? As long as no one is sabotaging me behind the scenes, I’m sure I can get back on my feet."
"Do you really want to live this miserably for the rest of your life? Watching our daughter get bullied, watching me be so pathetic I can’t even wear this uniform anymore?"
He gripped his wife’s hand, a final glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Now, she was all he could count on.
「In the blink of an eye, the news reached Ling Anxun’s ears.」
He was standing by the stove, about to add some water to the medicine pot.
Little Shanshan was on her tiptoes, stretching her arms as far as they could go, earnestly stirring the medicinal brew in the pot.
Ling Anxun watched her, his gaze softening involuntarily.
"Shanshan,"
he said softly.
"That bad man won’t be able to hurt you anymore."
"Really?"
Shanshan stopped what she was doing, turned her head, and gave him a sweet smile.
"That’s great! He won’t dare come and scare me anymore?"
Ling Anxun nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as well.
"No one will bully you again. I’m here."
But when he asked, "So, how do you want to live your life from now on?"
she just tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowed, and looked at him blankly.
"What do you mean? I don’t understand."
Ling Anxun looked at her innocent expression and gave a helpless smile.
’This child is too precocious. At such a young age, she already knows how to read people and be considerate of others.’
He had almost forgotten that she was only three and a half.
’How could she possibly understand things like life plans or future arrangements?’
"I mean..."
He bent over, slowly squatting down, and gently placed his hands on her small shoulders.
"From now on, how about I be your father? Would you be willing?"
At the doorway, Zhang Yunhua was walking in, carrying a lunchbox.
The moment she heard this, she froze.
She could hardly believe her ears.
’Mr. Ling himself actually said he wants to adopt Shanshan as his daughter?’
’But then again, who is Mr. Ling? He’s a major figure who holds a lot of power. If Shanshan could really join the Ling family, her future would be made in an instant.’
Zhang Yunhua’s heart pounded, her mind already conjuring images of Shanshan decked out in gold and silver.
But she quickly calmed down and quietly backed away.
After returning home, she quickly shut the door and pulled her husband aside to whisper.
"Mr. Ling is willing to adopt Shanshan. That’s a wonderful, heaven-sent opportunity, but... we can’t just decide for her."
"We have to ask Shanshan what she wants first. What if she’s not willing? A child might be small, but she has her own thoughts."
"Right, right!"
Her husband nodded repeatedly.
"That little one is sharp as a tack. She gets things right away."
"We can’t just think about the benefits and make the decision for her. If she’s not willing in her heart and we force her to go, wouldn’t that be harming her?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yunhua slapped her thigh, as if struck by a revelation.
"Isn’t that the truth! Shanshan isn’t the kind of child who fawns over the rich and looks down on the poor."
"If she really doesn’t want to go and we send her away anyway, how sad would she be?"
"A child’s heart is the most sensitive. One misstep, and you can leave a scar for life."
She paced back and forth in the room, her brow sometimes furrowed in worry, sometimes smooth with hope.
One moment, she hoped Shanshan would nod and agree, so she could live a good life from then on, with no worries about food or clothing.
The next moment, she was afraid Shanshan would actually nod, and leave her forever.
「That evening, three people sat around the small dinner table, the atmosphere heavy.」
Ling Anxun solemnly asked Shanshan again.
"Shanshan, are you willing to live with Uncle from now on? I’ll take care of you, protect you, and be your father."
Zhang Yunhua and her husband exchanged a look, neither daring to make a sound.
Shanshan didn’t answer right away.
Instead, she looked up, her gaze fixed on Zhang Yunhua’s slightly swelling belly.
Her small hand reached out quietly and gave it a gentle touch.
Then, she pulled her hand back and nodded seriously.
"Yes, I’m willing."
When Zhang Yunhua saw that Shanshan had really agreed, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
She hurriedly bowed her head, using the back of her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.
But the tears wouldn’t stop falling.
"Don’t cry, Auntie. It’s not good for the baby."
Shanshan reached out her little hand and gently stroked Zhang Yunhua’s cheek.
Zhang Yunhua froze.
Her hand trembling, she gently placed it on her own belly.