Chapter 175: Sparring
It was precisely because Xie Changning was so formidable that the younger family members didn’t dare make a scene.
They knew before they came that Yue Yihan’s wife was a Beijing University graduate.
People have a natural reverence for the strong.
"Grandpa, Grandma, we haven’t said anything out of line, have we?" the eldest grandson said, frowning. "All these years, you never mentioned our youngest uncle. You only just recently told us he existed. It’s perfectly normal that we can’t accept it right away."
The expressions of the old commander and his wife flickered at his words.
They looked at their other children in disbelief.
"On the anniversary of the day Ashan was lost, we pray for him at home every single year. Did none of you ever tell your children?"
Yue Yihan frowned. "It’s all in the past. There’s no need to argue about it."
The younger members of the Han Family didn’t like him, which was fine, because he didn’t like them either.
Just as Yue Yihan was about to say something else, the eldest grandson who had just spoken suddenly stood up. He walked over to Yue Yihan. "I hear you were an incredible soldier back in the day, Uncle. I’d like to spar with you."
He hadn’t been very noticeable while sitting down.
It was only when he stood up that Xie Changning noticed he was covered in corded muscle and was about two or three centimeters taller than Yue Yihan.
He looked like a soldier himself.
He was clearly challenging Yue Yihan.
Xie Changning wasn’t worried that Yue Yihan couldn’t beat him, but she frowned and said, "Is this how the Han Family raises their children?"
The Han Family was the one who initiated this reunion, and yet, the moment they meet, one of their younger generation wants to put Yue Yihan in his place?
Xie Changning was displeased as well.
She turned to the old commander and his wife. "If the bar for rejoining the Han Family is this high, you should have told us on the phone. It’s not as if Yue Yihan is desperate to come back."
At the end of the day, Yue Yihan was her husband. Naturally, she wouldn’t stand by and watch him get bullied.
A flash of delight appeared in Yue Yihan’s eyes at Xie Changning’s words. He looked at her and squeezed her hand. "It’s fine. It’s a good thing for young people to have some fire. I’ll just consider it... training a new recruit."
Yue Yihan wasn’t old, but he had served in the military for a very long time.
That remark from Yue Yihan was enough to set his nephew off.
Xie Changning looked him over and figured he probably had no real rivals in training, which explained his arrogance.
It would be good for Yue Yihan to knock him down a peg.
"Since you put it that way, I won’t interfere," Xie Changning said, falling silent.
She had spoken up to make their position clear to the Han Family.
The Han Family’s standing was indeed high, but not everyone aspired to be part of a high-status family.
Most importantly, Xie Changning believed she could reach the Han Family’s level of prominence on her own. There was no need to endure their cold shoulders.
Infuriated by Yue Yihan’s words, Han Jiu was ready to fight right then and there.
Yue Yihan didn’t refuse.
And so, the group left the main conference room to watch the match between Yue Yihan and Han Jiu.
He Liuzhang was a little worried. He said to Xie Changning, "Is this really okay? ’Won’t it affect Yihan’s standing in his parents’ eyes?’"
"Uncle He, parents who truly love their children won’t be biased no matter what their children do. Don’t worry." Xie Changning’s voice was loud enough for the old commander and his wife to hear.
The couple looked at Xie Changning, and far from being angry, they were actually pleased.
They were happy that Yue Yihan had managed to marry such a wonderful wife.
The second-oldest brother of the Han Family and his wife, who were in the back, exchanged a look. The wife couldn’t help but mutter, "Are they just going to let their nephew make such a scene? The youngest uncle is the apple of our parents’ eye. Isn’t he afraid of being disciplined? And the eldest brother isn’t even trying to control his own son!"
The Han Family’s daughter and her husband exchanged a look without speaking, a flash of disapproval in their eyes.
It wasn’t that they had any deep feelings for Yue Yihan—they didn’t—but they felt that Han Jiu’s actions were too aggressive.
He shouldn’t have been in such a rush.
With their own thoughts swirling, the group arrived at the training grounds.
Yue Yihan and Han Jiu stood facing each other. They took off their cumbersome outer layers of clothing and, under the curious gazes of the surrounding soldiers, began their match.
Seeing their regimental commander about to fight a stranger, the soldiers quickly gathered around to watch.
It had to be said, Han Jiu had the right to be arrogant. He was highly talented with considerable fighting prowess.
Most people would have been no match for him.
However, he was facing Yue Yihan, Xie Changning’s husband, the male protagonist of this story (not really—it was actually because he had taken on more missions and had far more combat experience).
At first, Yue Yihan didn’t counterattack, instead calmly evading Han Jiu’s attacks.
Only after identifying his opponent’s weakness did he begin to fight back.
In just two moves, he had Han Jiu completely restrained, unable to budge.
The crowd: "..."
Han Yuanzhong stood beside the old commander and his wife, watching his son with a leisurely air. "I told you that you were no match for your uncle. But you just had to be stubborn. See? You got taught a lesson, didn’t you?"
Far from being angry that his son had been taught a lesson, he was actually delighted.
He seemed to thoroughly enjoy seeing his son taken down a notch.
Hearing his father’s words, Han Jiu snorted. After Yue Yihan released him, he dutifully returned to stand behind Han Yuanzhong. "You’re just gloating. Every time I lose a fight, you’re even happier than the person who beat me!"
’Makes you wonder who his real son is!’
Han Yuanzhong walked up to Yue Yihan and apologized. "Sorry about that, little brother. We haven’t seen each other in years, and the first thing that happens is I have you discipline your nephew for me again."
Yue Yihan was silent. ’Why does that sound so strange?’
’Did I really used to discipline Han Jiu when we were kids?’
Han Jiu’s face turned as black as soot. His memories of his early childhood were hazy, but he did remember getting beaten up a lot before he was four or five.
He just never knew who did it.
"Alright, the spar is over. Let’s go back and talk!" the old commander interjected, putting an end to the conversation.
The rest of the conversation was much simpler. The old commander and his wife knew that neither Yue Yihan’s nor Xie Changning’s jobs could be transferred, so they used their connections to buy a house in Chuncheng, planning to stay there for a while.
As for the rest of the family, they were free to go wherever they pleased.
No one else tried to persuade the old commander and his wife; once the two of them made a decision, no one could change their minds.
So, they suggested that the family have a reunion dinner together before everyone left.
Of course, before the reunion dinner, the Han Family had to visit He Liuzhang’s family to thank them for taking care of Yue Yihan for so many years.
Since there were so many members of the Han Family, He Liuzhang and his wife ended up booking an especially large private room at a state-owned restaurant just to accommodate everyone.
"Why didn’t you ask your sister to come?" He Liuzhang asked Xie Changning just before the meal began.
Xie Changning shook her head. "Today is for the Han Family to thank you. It wouldn’t be appropriate for my sister to be here."