RYEY – Chapter 227 The Reward

“Comrade Jiang Meili, can you tell us about your troupe leader?”

Jiang Meili felt incredibly calm inside. Cheng Qiao had already told her that the real winners in life are those who can play dumb, feign ignorance, and even pretend to be wronged.

So, her face instantly went pale. She was scaring herself—she had never imagined that her future sister-in-law could be so ruthless. At this point, she began to wonder if she even wanted to marry into the Li family.

“I originally had my eye on that piece of cloth and even borrowed some fabric tickets from my comrades. But just as I was about to go out, the troupe leader said she liked it too and asked me to give her my ticket first.”

Hearing her daughter’s words, Yuan Qin, Jiang Meili’s mother, visibly frowned with anger. How many times had this troupe leader bullied her daughter, openly and covertly? It was utterly infuriating.

The two investigators recorded everything with blank expressions, occasionally giving Jiang Meili a look to indicate she should continue.

“I didn’t expect so many people at the supply and marketing cooperative to scramble for that piece of fabric. The troupe leader panicked and pushed her way in. I didn’t go in because I had no ticket anyway.”

“And then?”

“Then people started shouting that someone had fainted. I realized it was the troupe leader, so I went to find Dr. Shen Ying. After that… well, you know what happened. I still don’t understand it myself, and I was nearly scared to death.”

The two investigators closed their notebooks and randomly pulled a few more troupe members for questioning, especially the deputy leader, who carefully inquired about the relationship between Jiang Meili and the troupe leader.

The deputy leader, of course, knew that Liu Xiaojuan’s face had been ruined and that she had been transferred from her original position. He was quietly scheming, wondering if the troupe leader’s position might one day fall to him.

To win Jiang Meili’s valuable support, he began defending her, recalling old grievances even Jiang Meili had almost forgotten.

The investigators’ faces darkened. They hadn’t expected Liu Xiaojuan’s reputation to be so bad—abusing the weak, stealing others’ creative works. They wondered what the higher-ups would think when they saw these records.

After the investigators left, the deputy leader kindly suggested that Jiang Meili rest for a couple of days. Her mental state had been poor, and she needed time to recover.

“Dad, Mom… I… I don’t want to marry Li Bing anymore.”

Back home, Jiang Meili tearfully looked at her doting parents, sobbing in grievance. Yuan Qin was so shocked that she didn’t know what to say.

“Darling, tell your father why.”

Jiang Meili wiped her tears and recounted everything clearly: how the troupe leader had trapped her into speaking, how Li Bing came to confront her and demanded to cut ties, how she sought Cheng Liguo’s help to salvage the relationship, and finally, how Cheng Qiao intervened.

“Dad, Cheng Qiao is like a beautiful snake—stunning on the outside but deadly when she strikes. Even if I marry into the Li family, what if…”

Jiang Hua exhaled, lowered his head in thought, and when both Jiang Meili and Yuan Qin grew impatient, he finally looked up with unusually firm tone and shining eyes:

“Darling, give me a month. I’ll investigate Cheng Qiao’s background. In the meantime, stay distant from Li Bing.”

“This…”

Seeing his daughter in such pain, Jiang Hua smiled, patting her head, and spoke earnestly:

“If Cheng Qiao truly has a strong background, even if you have to fight tooth and nail, you must get into the Li family. With someone like that there, your future will surely soar.”

“But I…”

Jiang Meili’s feelings were extremely conflicted. She truly loved Li Bing, but she genuinely feared Cheng Qiao. These two opposing emotions left her helpless.

“Darling, don’t worry. If Cheng Qiao is truly strong, you just need to do one thing—stay close to her. Usually, powerful people don’t attack the weak.”

Yuan Qin also looked at her daughter with mixed emotions. She understood her husband’s meaning: if Cheng Qiao really has a deep background, and their daughter marries into the Li family, the Jiang family would certainly benefit.

“During this time, if Li Bing comes to see you, stay distant. After all, he already said such hurtful things. If you forgive him too easily, he’ll just take advantage of you later.”

Here, Jiang Hua and Yuan Qin were teaching their daughter how to handle Li Bing. Meanwhile, Li Bing was preparing to depart on a special mission assigned by his superiors—to inspect the border.

“Li Bing, we have to leave at midnight. You still have time to find Cheng Qiao and ask her for some emergency medicine.”

Seeing Qin Daqiang so anxious, Li Bing nodded. This mission came sooner than expected. He was grateful to Liu Xiaojuan’s man—if he could complete it successfully, things would be just fine.

When Li Bing arrived at the cave dwelling, Cheng Liguo greeted him with a smile. Today, the meal was good, and he invited Li Bing to sit and have a drink.

Li Bing anxiously inquired about Cheng Qiao. Cheng Liguo exchanged a nod with Yuan Guangming and brought Li Bing into his dwelling.

“Uncle Cheng, where’s Cheng Qiao?”

“Why are you looking for my daughter?”

Cheng Liguo was a bit displeased. Li Bing, as Cheng Qiao’s eldest uncle, constantly involving her in his affairs seemed inappropriate. Li Bing hadn’t considered Cheng Liguo’s feelings and quickly explained his needs.

Cheng Liguo became even more unhappy. He really didn’t want his daughter dragged into that complicated and unmatched world. Yet, thinking of the dangers at the border, he sighed:

“A few days ago, Cheng Qiao went to the Qilian Mountains with Xiao Dan’s father. Here, she left some medicine for me—you can take it first for emergencies. Hopefully, you won’t need it.”

Li Bing’s heart raced hearing that Cheng Qiao had gone to the Qilian Mountains. It was far more dangerous than his hometown’s mountains. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

“Uncle Cheng, how could you let Cheng Qiao go to the Qilian Mountains? The deep forests there are too dangerous—even the best hunters wouldn’t dare enter.”

“Don’t worry. Cheng Qiao just wanted to see the scenery, she won’t go deep into the mountains.”

Cheng Liguo had tried to stop her, but Cheng Qiao felt that something in the Qilian Mountains was calling her. Seeing Cheng Liguo so opposed, she only promised to go to the mountain’s foothills.

Cheng Liguo knew he couldn’t stop her. Seeing Cheng Qiao put Cheng Li into her magic tool, he felt somewhat relieved. She didn’t depart immediately but discussed it with Xiao Dan’s father, who then drove them there.

Xiao Dan knew this violated regulations, but Cheng Qiao told him that the herbal package was a reward, and when they returned it to Commander Qin, he wouldn’t make things difficult.

Two days later, Xiao Dan returned to the base, coinciding with Li Bing’s return. Qin Daqiang was anxious seeing Li Bing with only a small package of medicine. Seeing Xiao Dan, he naturally wanted to confine him.

But Xiao Dan took out the small basket on his back, lifted the cloth covering it, and revealed it full of herbs. Qin Daqiang was stunned.