RYEY – Chapter 220 There’s an Inside Mole

Yuan Guangming gave Cheng Qiao a sense of déjà vu at first glance. After a moment’s thought, she understood where that familiarity came from—there was a temperament about him very similar to Yuan Mengzhi’s.

The smile on Yuan Guangming’s face instantly dimmed. Yuan Mengzhi—his own younger sister. It was precisely because she had been so ostentatious in the capital, drawing the attention of people with ulterior motives, that their entire family had been sent down to various places.

What was more, their parents could not withstand the sudden blow and both committed suicide. Friends and relatives became strangers overnight, and even their own children publicly declared in the newspapers that they were cutting off all relations with them.

So, he hated this younger sister of his. In daily life he did not dare think of her at all, fearing he might lose control. Yet today, the person he had buried deep in his heart had been dragged out by Cheng Qiao.

“How did you know I know Yuan Mengzhi?”

“There’s a sent-down couple in our village. The man is called Zhu Qingde, the woman Yuan Mengzhi. I’ve seen them once. I felt the temperament on you was very similar to hers—and you even look alike.”

Seeing Yuan Guangming’s face darken, Cheng Qiao guessed that their relationship was probably not good and immediately felt a bit regretful for bringing it up.

“She is my enemy—the enemy who killed my parents.”

Yuan Guangming’s expression was calm, but the words he spoke shocked both Cheng Qiao and her father. Could it be that Yuan Mengzhi was a murderer? If that were really the case, she would have to inform Li Huan and have her arrested.

“Because of her arrogance, because of her flaunting herself everywhere, she brought a catastrophic disaster upon our family. My parents hanged themselves because of her… yet she—she acted as if nothing had happened.”

Cheng Qiao’s nose stung. Men not shedding tears did not mean they felt no pain. Although Yuan Guangming spoke as if he were telling someone else’s story, it only showed how much endurance this man possessed.

“Brother Yuan, my daughter and grandson are here now. The kang is small, so I’ll move over to stay with you. This place can be left to my daughter and grandson.”

Feeling the atmosphere had grown too heavy, Cheng Liguo hurriedly changed the subject. Yuan Guangming also smiled and nodded. “Alright. Bring your bedding over.”

Cheng Liguo rolled up his bedding and went to the administrative office to buy coal, bringing along a few packs of cigarettes and two strips of cured pork as well. He was no longer a sent-down person and now stood on equal footing with the office staff.

“Ah, Brother Cheng, you’re impressive. You go out once and bring back so many good things. Such kindness can’t be repaid with words. How much was it? I’ll give you the money.”

“Money makes it sound distant. When I was at my hardest, you all helped me. How could I ever forget that kindness?”

Cheng Liguo waved it off, but at the same time made his request—he wanted to buy a ton of coal. His daughter and grandson were here. Even though he knew his daughter had her own ‘magic treasure,’ on the surface he still had to go through the motions.

Cheng Qiao took out a thick cotton quilt from her space and spread it on the kang. She helped Little Cheng Li take off his padded jacket and pants, changed him into a lighter little padded coat, then put him on the kang to play by himself, warning him not to go near the edge or he’d fall down and crack his head.

Little Cheng Li secretly rolled his eyes. He already had the intelligence of a three- or four-year-old—how could he not know that? His mom really had too little confidence in him.

Seeing him roll his eyes, Cheng Qiao didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him. After thinking about it, she chose to laugh—childlike innocence was too precious.

“Here—your toys, little biscuits, milk, and picture books. Play slowly by yourself. Mommy’s going to cook, make something tasty to reward Uncle Yuan, since Grandpa is moving over to stay with him.”

Little Cheng Li revealed two small pearly teeth and nodded solemnly in agreement. Cheng Qiao could no longer hold back her affection—she scooped him up and planted two loud kisses on his cheeks.

Next door, Yuan Guangming and Cheng Liguo heard Little Cheng Li’s giggling and smiled at the same time. With a child’s companionship, life would certainly be much easier.

Dinner was very sumptuous—not only fish and meat, but also a large pot of chicken soup. Of course, there was also minced meat and steamed egg custard specially prepared for Little Cheng Li.

“Cheng Qiao, your cooking is excellent. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten such delicious food—truly unforgettable.”

Cheng Qiao smiled. The things from her space seemed to be growing purer in flavor. After all, eating food from the space naturally boosted one’s energy, which was beneficial to both body and mind.

“Dad, tomorrow take me to see the shelterbelt. Let your daughter take a look at your work too.”

Cheng Liguo naturally knew what Cheng Qiao was thinking. If the water from her magic treasure really helped trees grow, future work would go much more smoothly.

While the three adults and one child enjoyed a warm, harmonious meal, eating well and drinking heartily, Qin Daqiang at the garrison was raging with fury—Qin Guoqing had woken up in the evening.

The moment he opened his eyes and saw his own father sitting by the bed, gazing at him with boundless tenderness, he was so startled he almost jumped up, forgetting that his leg was injured.

“Ouch…”

The pain made Qin Guoqing grimace, startling Qin Daqiang. “Son, what’s wrong? Is your leg okay?”

“Dad… am I going to die?”

“Nonsense. Cheng Qiao said she’s already cured your leg. The military doctor came too and said her skills are excellent—no idea what medicine she used. As long as you rest properly for a few days, your leg will be fine.”

Hearing the name Cheng Qiao, Qin Guoqing’s eyes lit up. He had never imagined that this sister-in-law could be so bold—killing when she said she would kill. Of course, those people deserved it.

“Dad, don’t look at me like that in the future. You’re making it seem like I’m about to die.”

Qin Daqiang: “……”

Forget it. The kid had suffered greatly and even earned merit. No scolding.

“What exactly happened? Weren’t those people supposed to have stopped? Why did they come out again?”

“Dad, I suspect there’s an inside mole.”

“How so?”

“Dad, originally I only made the round trip once a month. This time I set out after just half a month because I was going to pick up Uncle Cheng. Apart from our military district, none of the other brother units should have known about this.”

Qin Daqiang’s eyes practically shot flames. He was determined to dig out this traitor who ate from the inside and sold out to the outside. But Qin Guoqing’s van went in and out of the military compound gates—no one knew how many people had seen it.

“Tell me about what you encountered first.”

Suppressing his emotions, Qin Daqiang had Qin Guoqing recount everything, instructing him not to miss a single detail. Qin Guoqing began to speak.

But when he reached the part where two people were bitten by a bright red snake, his thick black eyebrows knit tightly together. It was winter—snakes should be hibernating. How could one crawl out of the Qilian Mountains to bite people?

“Could it be you saw it wrong? Or maybe it was some kind of hidden weapon—a red one? Something like a woman’s whip, barbs, or the like?”

Qin Guoqing thought back. That snake had appeared suddenly after Cheng Qiao and Cheng Liguo walked over. He had only seen a flash of red before his eyes, then heard the other party scream—and then he made his move.

“Mm, that’s possible. I was in front, with Cheng Qiao and Uncle Cheng behind me. Maybe I was too tense. I kept thinking that if I went down, Cheng Qiao and Uncle Cheng definitely wouldn’t be able to handle those people…”