Chapter 85: Moving Away and Going to the City

The following night, the Han family was startled by a sudden knock at their door. The visitor turned out to be Feng Junwei.

His lips were chapped, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his whole person looked worn out, as though he hadn’t rested in days. As soon as he saw Su Yue, he solemnly bowed and said, “Sister-in-law, what happened this time was entirely my wife’s fault. You suffered because of her. On her behalf, I sincerely apologize to you.”

After speaking, he stepped back and bowed deeply to her.

“Battalion Commander Feng, you…” Su Yue was momentarily at a loss for words.

Feng Junwei didn’t wait for her reply. Straightening, he turned to Han Aiguo with a grim expression.

“Aiguo, come out. I have something to say to you.”

Han Aiguo nodded silently and followed him.

The two men walked to a deserted corner before Feng Junwei finally stopped. His eyes were dark with anger as he gritted out, “Aiguo, we’ve worked side by side for years, and I’ve always treated you as a brother. Yet you did this to me?! I know what happened was my wife’s fault. After I found out, I was so angry I nearly divorced her. I wanted to drag her to your home to apologize to your wife, but before I had the chance, she was taken away for investigation. Only then did I realize; it was you who reported her!”

His fists clenched tightly, his voice hoarse with accusation.

“If you were angry, you could’ve told me face to face. Whatever compensation you wanted, I would’ve given it. Even if you asked my wife to kneel and kowtow to your wife, I would’ve made her do it. But you didn’t give us a chance to make amends! You just struck back without a word. Is this how you treat your brother?”

Han Aiguo’s voice was calm, but each word struck coldly.

“Then when your wife schemed against mine, did you think of our brotherhood? When her uncle forced my wife and nearly made her confess to something she didn’t do, did any of you consider our bond? If Zhuzhu hadn’t rushed to find me that day, my wife might still be rotting under false charges. Did you think of the consequences then?”

Feng Junwei froze, breath coming hard. After a long moment, he dragged his hands down his face and growled, “I know my wife went too far. Her uncle has already been dismissed, even expelled from the army so his life is ruined. Isn’t that punishment enough? Why must you go further and ruin my wife too? Couldn’t you let it go for my sake?”

Han Aiguo’s tone didn’t waver.

“In my eyes, this is the punishment she deserves. And I didn’t frame her; the evidence is solid.”

Feng Junwei’s face darkened. He knew the truth. Fang Xiaoli had indeed resold scarce goods, and he had turned a blind eye to it. Now, confronted, he had no defense left. After a long silence, he jabbed a finger at Han Aiguo and spat,

“Fine! Han Aiguo, you’re ruthless. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other!”

With that, he spun around and strode off.

Han Aiguo merely glanced at his retreating back, and then turned away himself, his expression unreadable. When he returned home, he didn’t mention a word of the matter to Su Yue.

It wasn’t until two days later that Su Yue learned the truth from Xu Can.

That day, Xu Can had just come back from the hospital with her newborn. Su Yue brought Dabao and Xiaobao to visit.

The two boys had never seen a baby smaller than themselves. Hearing that Aunt Xu Can’s little brother had been born, they were bursting with excitement. Xiaobao’s short legs ran so fast he fell in the snow, but he jumped up without a tear and dashed forward again.

When they finally reached Xu Can’s home, the boys rushed to the bedside eagerly. But as soon as they saw the tiny, wrinkled infant, both froze with wide eyes and open mouths, their expressions indescribable.

Xiaobao, always the blunt one, immediately pouted and declared in disappointment,

“Mom, little brother is so ugly.”

Dabao said nothing, but quietly nodded in agreement. With a sigh, he turned away and plopped himself down beside Su Yue.

Su Yue nearly choked. She gave both boys a light swat.

“What nonsense are you two saying? Your brother isn’t ugly! When you were born, you were just as wrinkled. Not even as good-looking as him.”

Xiaobao’s eyes widened in disbelief. He shook his head vigorously.

“No! I was handsome! Handsome, not ugly!”

Xu Can, lying in bed, burst into laughter.

“Don’t scold them. They’re right, my boy really is ugly. Even I was embarrassed when I first saw him. Just like a little monkey. I almost cried, wondering if he was really mine.”

Su Yue rolled her eyes and lightly tapped her.

“Nonsense. All newborns look like that. Dabao and Xiaobao were the same wrinkled little monkeys. Give it a year or two, your son will be chubby and fair, then you won’t stop bragging about him.”

Xu Can laughed again. “Fine, I’ll wait and see. But if he’s still ugly, I’ll cry for real.”

The women chuckled together until Xu Can’s smile faded slightly.

“That day was too much of a coincidence. I only found out later, if I hadn’t been in labor and rushed to the hospital, you wouldn’t have been left alone like that.”

Su Yue’s lips curled coldly.

“Coincidence? More like she planned it. Han Aiguo wasn’t home, and you happened to be in the hospital. Fang Xiaoli must have picked that moment deliberately. She knew no one could save me.”

Xu Can’s face darkened.

“You’re probably right. That morning, when my husband carried me out, many neighbors saw us. Fang Xiaoli must have seen too, and seized her chance. She’s truly vicious. Women bicker all the time, but to stab someone in the back like that, it’s beyond cruel. But at least now she’s reaping what she sowed. She’s lost her job, and even her husband got demerits on his record. Let’s see if she dares again.”

Su Yue froze.

“What? She lost her job? But didn’t her uncle take all the blame? How is she punished?”

Xu Can blinked. “You really don’t know?”

Su Yue shook her head. “Tell me everything.”

Xu Can sighed.

“Fang Xiaoli abused her position at the supply and marketing cooperative to hoard scarce goods and resell them at high prices. Someone reported her. The investigation found solid evidence, and she was convicted of illegal profiteering. Normally, she’d have been sent to a labor camp. But her father is still Master Lin, and their family pulled strings. After much pleading, she escaped the labor camp, but she lost her job at the cooperative. And because of her, even her husband Feng Junwei was punished by the army. His career will suffer for sure.”

Su Yue’s eyes widened in shock, so this was Han Aiguo’s doing.

Su Yue blinked and suddenly remembered that night when Feng Junwei had come over to apologize. Later, he pulled Han Aiguo outside with an ugly expression on his face. At the time, she felt something was wrong. She had asked Aiguo about it afterward, but he said nothing. Could it be because of this incident?

Seeing that Su Yue didn’t know anything, Xu Can explained everything in detail:

“The person who reported her must have been your Han Aiguo. I don’t know what methods he used, but he managed to dig out both witnesses and evidence. Fang Xiaoli couldn’t deny a thing. She fell hard this time.”

Su Yue was stunned. After a long pause, she muttered, “He didn’t even tell me.”

Xu Can smiled knowingly. “The results only came out recently. He probably wanted to wait until everything was settled before saying anything to you. After all, Fang Xiaoli’s family still has some influence. If she had slipped away unscathed, then all his efforts and your worries would have been for nothing.”

Su Yue understood. That was exactly the type of person Han Aiguo was; silent until everything was truly resolved. He never spoke carelessly when he wasn’t certain.

Still, she couldn’t help being surprised. He had carried out such a big move behind her back. She had thought he had let the matter go, but instead, he had quietly nursed his anger and struck back when the time came.

—-

That evening, after Han Aiguo returned from the army, Su Yue waited until he was bathing and feeding the twins before asking him about it.

Han Aiguo only gave a low “hmm” and admitted it.

“Then that night when Battalion Commander Feng pulled you outside, you two were talking about this, weren’t you?”

Han Aiguo gave a light nod, his expression calm as ever.

Su Yue cupped his face, gazing into his eyes. “Tell me the truth, did you two fall out because of this?”

There was a short silence before he finally said, “Yes.”

Su Yue sighed softly. “What a pity. After all, you and Battalion Commander Feng have been comrades for years, brothers through life and death. I know you were angry on my behalf and wanted Fang Xiaoli punished. But since you had evidence in your hands, couldn’t you have just confronted her? Why go straight to reporting it? Of course Battalion Commander Feng would be upset. Now the two of you probably can’t be brothers anymore.”

Han Aiguo’s tone didn’t waver. “If that’s the price, then so be it. You are the most important person in my life. When his wife plotted against you, did she care about our so-called brotherhood? What’s the use of confronting her? At most, I’d get some hollow apology. That’s not enough to make up for what you suffered.”

Su Yue froze; her heart swelling with warmth. After a long silence, she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, her voice soft and teasing against his ear.

“Why are you so good, Comrade Han Aiguo?”

The corner of his lips curved faintly. He reached up, stripped off her clothes in one smooth motion, and pulled her into the tub. His voice was low and playful, “Then repay me. Don’t they say the greatest kindness should be repaid with your body?”

Su Yue: ………

That night, the two of them stayed in the bathroom far longer than usual. The two little ones outside were so anxious that they almost ran in to find their mother, but were firmly blocked by a chuckling Old Lady Han.

—–

The next day, Su Yue was busy in the kitchen. Xiaobao and Dabao came running back hand-in-hand. Xiaobao dashed straight to the kitchen doorway, his little finger pointing outside excitedly.

“Mom, there are so many people!”

Su Yue, rolling rice for sushi, asked casually, “So many people? What for?”

These days, she often experimented with snacks for the children. In times of scarce supplies, she still wanted her little ones to eat as well as possible. Today, since the rice turned out extra, she decided to make sushi for them.

But when Xiaobao lifted his head, his round eyes immediately caught sight of the colorful sushi rolls. The glistening rice, with strips of red and green vegetables inside, looked so delicious that he instantly forgot what he had meant to say.

He swallowed hard with an audible “gulp,” then sucked on his chubby finger and asked sweetly, “Mom, what yummy thing are you making?”

Su Yue almost laughed out loud. This greedy little foodie; no wonder she had been so hungry when pregnant. He had probably been the culprit even then.

Shaking her head in amusement, she pinched two pieces of sushi and popped one straight into his mouth.

Xiaobao’s eyes lit up, his little cheeks puffing as he chewed happily. He even flattered her between bites. “Mom, so delicious! You’re amazing!”

Beside him, Dabao silently nodded in agreement, equally satisfied.

Su Yue wiped their mouths and then asked, “By the way, what did your brother say just now?”

Dabao, who was always the clearer speaker, explained, “Moving things.”

Su Yue froze. She quickly set aside the food, walked to the door, and looked out. Sure enough, there were people moving furniture in and out of the apartment next door.

She didn’t ask further. With the bad blood between them, there was no need for small talk.

But that afternoon, Auntie Sun came by and told her the news: the Feng family had moved to a building farther away.

Su Yue was taken aback at first, then quickly felt relieved. Probably Fang Xiaoli didn’t want to live so close anymore. That was fine, it’s better not to see each other than to clash every day.

She only hoped that the new neighbors who would move in next door would be normal, unlike Fang Xiaoli’s family. She was tired of endless scheming and quarrels.

—–

The Feng family moved out, leaving the unit next door empty for a while.

Time passed, and by May the weather was already getting hot. One day, Su Yue received a letter from Han Aimin, saying he would soon graduate and wanted to visit his nephews during the school break.

Su Yue suddenly remembered, Aimin was finishing junior high this year. He’d be starting high school soon.

Then, it hit her like a flash: the college entrance examination was about to resume! She slapped her forehead in frustration. How could she have forgotten such an important matter?

That evening, when Han Aiguo came back, she told him her idea of bringing Aimin to the provincial capital for high school.

Han Aiguo was stunned. “Why bring him here for high school?”

Su Yue explained patiently, “Mother and I are here. Aimin is still young, only half-grown. In the village, no one can properly look after him. Second and third brother have their hands full with their own children. But if Aimin comes here, at least he can visit us often, eat better, and Mother will be happy. She worries about him the most.”

Han Aiguo fell into deep thought. As the youngest of the four brothers, Aimin was indeed their mother’s greatest concern. Han Aiguo had originally thought about guiding Aimin into the army later. But high school? That wasn’t in his plan.

He hesitated. “But does Aimin even want to go to high school? These days, few rural kids do. Even if they finish, they just go back to farm work.”

Su Yue understood his doubts. After all, no one knew the college entrance exams were about to resume. She leaned closer, her voice firm, “Even if high schools don’t teach much now, he can study on his own. It’s better than being idle at home. I believe the country won’t always stay like this. It will need talent for development. And where do talents come from if not through learning? Sooner or later, the exams will resume. By then, Aimin’s grades will carry him to university, and then his whole life will be different.”

Han Aiguo looked at her in surprise, shaken by her certainty.

She poked his nose with a smile. “Comrade Han Aiguo, if you believe me, then trust this too; the exams will definitely return. All we can do is prepare in advance. Aimin is hardworking. He’ll make it.”

Han Aiguo wanted to ask how she could be so sure, but the words caught in his throat. Strangely, deep down, he believed her completely.

Finally, he said, “Alright. I’ll arrange it. Let the fourth brother come here for school.”

Su Yue’s eyes lit up. She wrapped her arms around his neck with a mischievous smile.

“Comrade Han Aiguo, then let me tell you something else~”