PWE – Chapter 176

Madam He’s earlier praise had been intended to make a good impression on Xiao Wange. But who would have thought that Qin Xiaoling would pick up the thread and say even nicer things?

Madam He frowned slightly, secretly a little annoyed that Qin Xiaoling had stolen her moment. But in the next instant, she continued praising Xiao Wange: “Exactly! Zeyan’s wife is so capable—having the chance to meet her, I wonder what kind of blessing I’ve accumulated over my past lives.”

Xiao Wange, holding chopsticks and wine glasses, smacked her lips softly. She had heard both Qin Xiaoling’s and Madam He’s compliments. Honestly, they didn’t need to go so far. Although she didn’t dislike flattery, being praised like this made her… a little embarrassed.

She curled her lips into a small smile and quickly walked out of the kitchen.

Madam He, sharp as ever, noticed the faint smile on Xiao Wange’s profile. Seeing her smile made Madam He happy, and she continued to lavish praise, raising her voice a little to make sure Xiao Wange heard: “If I could have a daughter-in-law like Zeyan’s wife in my lifetime, I’d wake from sleep laughing. Unfortunately, my son doesn’t have that luck. Zeyan’s wife is truly one in ten thousand.”

Qin Xiaoling: “…” Unwilling to be outdone, she picked up the thread: “If I had an older sister like her, I’d be so happy I couldn’t sleep. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luck—I can’t be sisters with my sister-in-law. But at least, I get to live in the same residential compound with her. Being in the same compound means we’ll see each other every day from now on.”

Madam He glanced at Qin Xiaoling, smiling as she continued: “Exactly. From now on, you really will get to see each other every day. Even if she can’t be my daughter-in-law, seeing her every day is still a joy.”

Qin Xiaoling smiled and quickly added more praise.

They went back and forth—once Qin Xiaoling finished, Madam He added more, then Qin Xiaoling followed up again.

The battalion commanders’ wives nearby: “…” What’s going on? It feels like Madam He and Qin Xiaoling are competing to praise Xiao Wange. Sure, Xiao Wange looked nice and had a good presence, but do they really need to praise her this much? They’re almost making her blossom like a flower.

One battalion commander’s wife, noticing how Madam He liked to praise Xiao Wange, felt moved and joined in: “The first time I saw sister-in-law, I thought she was extraordinary. Not only is she beautiful, but her aura is exceptional. She looks like a movie star.”

Madam He & Qin Xiaoling: “…” Now there’s a third person? Can’t they just leave it to the two of us?

The other battalion commanders’ wives noticed and also began praising Xiao Wange.

Xiao Wange, arranging chopsticks and wine glasses in the living room, could hear all the praise coming from the kitchen. She: “…” She felt too embarrassed to go in. Better to stay here in the living room—if she went in, she might blush.

The women’s compliments also reached the men in the living room.

Qi Jiancheng and his deputy and the battalion commanders: “…” Are these women crazy? Why are they all scrambling to praise Xiao Wange? Sure, she looks nice, but does it have to be this much?

Qi Jiancheng glanced toward the kitchen, frowning. He could understand Qin Xiaoling and the battalion commanders’ wives praising Xiao Wange—after all, her husband’s rank was higher than theirs, so flattering her made sense. But what about Madam He? She’s Commander He’s wife! Why would a general’s wife go out of her way to praise a regiment commander’s wife? Has she lost her mind?

Qi Jiancheng, confused, looked at Commander He to see his reaction. After all, Commander He’s rank was high—surely he’d be annoyed if his wife praised a regiment commander’s wife so effusively.

But…

Commander He smiled warmly, showing no hint of annoyance. He even said to Zhan Zeyan: “You really hit the jackpot. How did you manage to marry Comrade Xiao? If only my son could marry a wife like her! Too bad, your luck got in the way.”

Qi Jiancheng: “…” He realized it wasn’t just Madam He who had lost her mind—Commander He seemed crazy too. How could they all behave like this?

Ten or so minutes later, all the dishes were on the table, and everyone sat down.

Commander He lifted his wine glass and made a toast to everyone. He had wanted to toast Xiao Wange individually, but seeing Qi Jiancheng and the others at the table, he abandoned the idea.

Hou Dayong and Qin Xiaoling, worried that Xiao Wange and Zhan Zeyan might feel uncomfortable at the table, kept talking to warm up the atmosphere. With Qi Jiancheng here, they feared he might affect Xiao Wange and Zhan Zeyan’s appetite.

But they were wrong—Xiao Wange and Zhan Zeyan’s appetites were completely unaffected, and neither was Zhaozhao’s. They all ate happily, finishing all the dishes.

Qi Jiancheng had come tonight partly to annoy Hou Dayong and Zhan Zeyan, ruining their meal, and partly because he feared Zhan Zeyan might try to curry favor with Commander He, gaining more preferential treatment. Even knowing he shouldn’t have come, he still did.

He looked at Commander He at the head of the table, thinking of raising his glass, but Commander He talked to Zhan Zeyan about a previous mission.

Qi Jiancheng: “…” Every time he tried to toast, Commander He was talking to someone else. By the end of the meal, he never managed to make a toast.

After dinner, Zhan Zeyan prepared to leave with his wife and child.

Qin Xiaoling returned to her bedroom with a bag of items and handed it to Zhaozhao: “This is from the department store in the city, just for you. Take it home. If you like it, your auntie will buy you more next time.”

Zhaozhao pursed his lips, looking at the bag but didn’t take it immediately, instead glancing at his parents.

Xiao Wange looked at the bag, which contained candy and chocolate. In this era, chocolate was very precious, something ordinary people couldn’t afford. Qin Xiaoling buying chocolate showed her intentions.

Xiao Wange remained silent for two seconds, then told Zhaozhao to accept it: “Take it—your auntie bought it especially for you.”

Zhaozhao smiled slightly, took the items, and politely said: “Thank you, Auntie Qin.”

Qin Xiaoling smiled, unable to resist patting Zhaozhao’s head: “No need to thank me. As long as you like it, that’s enough.”

Madam He, seeing the bag, furrowed her brow. She decided she should invite Zhan Zeyan’s family for a meal too, and pick out some nice items from the city’s department store. Right now, the most important thing to Zeyan’s wife was Zhaozhao—if she pleased the child, she could win over Zeyan’s wife as well.

Yes, tonight she would discuss hosting a meal with her husband, and tomorrow head to the department store.

Qi Jiancheng looked at the bag and snorted silently.

Hou Dayong and Qin Xiaoling were really trying their hardest to curry favor with Zhan Zeyan, just like Guan Hongwen had said—they were like lapdogs.

The battalion commanders’ wives were also reflecting. Tonight, they realized that Madam He seemed intent on befriending the regiment commander’s wife. They didn’t understand why a general’s wife wanted to get close to a regiment commander’s wife, but that didn’t stop them from wanting to curry favor with Madam He. They thought that if Madam He wanted to get close to Xiao Wange, they could invite Xiao Wange’s family over for a meal. Inviting Xiao Wange’s family would naturally include Commander He and Madam He.

They planned to carry out the dinner invitation the next day.

But the next day, they realized that inviting Xiao Wange’s family wasn’t as simple as they thought. They couldn’t just invite her whenever they wanted.

…

Back home, Xiao Wange went to the kitchen to heat water. Although she had already showered today, after going out, her hands and feet were cold. Even though she didn’t mind the cold, Zhan Zeyan and Zhaozhao did. She wanted to heat water for them to soak their feet.

As she tended the fire, Zhan Zeyan entered, carrying a small stool and sitting beside her.

Looking at the bright flames in the stove, his brow twitched slightly. He said to Xiao Wange: “Tomorrow, the Tang Sect is coming. They’re sending several elders. I guess… they’re coming for you.”

“…” Xiao Wange smiled, holding the tongs, adding some wood to the fire.

She chuckled softly and said slowly, “Let them come. If they don’t, I’d be the one worried.”

“My wife, I’ll take leave tomorrow to stay with you. Even though your magic is strong, I feel…”

“No need.” Xiao Wange interrupted, glancing at him: “You do what you need to do. I don’t need you to stay. Besides, I’m not afraid of them. If they try anything, it’s impossible for them to succeed.”

Zhan Zeyan pressed his lips together.

He looked at his wife’s profile and sighed: “But I still worry about you. There are several elders coming—if they try something underhanded, I’m afraid you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

Xiao Wange turned to him and smiled slightly: “If I really get into trouble, I’ll call for help. You know, even the underworld judges take my orders.”

Zhan Zeyan thought of the judges he had seen before. His brow furrowed, eyes flickering slightly.

He fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Xiao Wange saw he had stopped speaking and said nothing either.

The two of them sat quietly by the stove, watching the flames.

After five or six minutes, as Xiao Wange was about to stand, Zhan Zeyan stared at her: “Wife… I want to know… who are you, really? I know you’re not that girl from Qinhuai Village. After everything that’s happened, if I still believed you were just a girl from Qinhuai Village, I’d be a fool.”