RYEY – Chapter 240 Someone Has Been Killed

“Qiao, this brat is rotten to the core. Tell Mom exactly what’s going on.”

Li Huan was a little anxious. He was afraid Cheng Qiao would mention that his elder brother had been injured, so he kept blinking at her desperately—but Cheng Qiao seemed not to notice at all.

Mother Li was furious. She walked to the door and grabbed a broom. That wretched kid—if he dares to stir up trouble again, I’ll beat his backside till it blooms.

Cheng Qiao finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Then she lavishly praised Jiang Meili, naturally putting special emphasis on how well she had taken care of the injured Li Bing.

“What? Bing’er was injured?”

“Yes, but it was just a scrape. Jiang Meili was so worried she didn’t dare slack off—she ran everywhere borrowing ration tickets, buying meat and nutritional supplements for Big Brother, and fed him until he actually gained weight. Big Brother even complained that Meili said he’d have to step up his training again.”

“That ungrateful brat! A good girl treats him with such devotion, and he still dares to complain. When he comes back, I’ll give him a proper beating.”

“Mm. Mom, Big Brother said there’s no need to prepare a bridal room. They’ll just come back to stay a few days—after that they’ll still return to the army.”

“But your Big Brother is only a company commander. How could Meili be eligible to follow the army?”

“Mom, Big Brother has earned merit. This year he should be promoted to deputy battalion commander. And Jiang Meili is a local—her parents live there too—so it’s very convenient for them to stay.”

“Oh, I see. Still, getting married is a big deal. We should get some new furniture and such, otherwise the girl might think our family doesn’t value her.”

Cheng Qiao nodded. Thinking of how, when she married into the family, Mother Li had given her a gold bracelet, she wondered what Mother Li would give Jiang Meili when she entered the household.

“Qiao, Mom wants to discuss something with you.”

“Go ahead, Mom.”

“Mom will give you two hundred yuan. Can you help me get a gold bracelet?”

“You mean…?”

“Mom can’t favor one over the other. I have two sons. When you married in, I didn’t spend a single cent on the bride price—it was all earned by Huan himself. I only gave you a gold bracelet. So for Jiang Meili, I’m planning to give her one too.”

“Alright. I’ll help you look for one. Gold isn’t expensive these days—once I bring it back, you can give me the money then.”

“Good. Let’s eat first. After we’re done, I’ll tidy up the house.”

Grandma Xu was so happy she insisted on helping too. The two of them cheerfully went off to clean up. Li Huan mounted his bicycle—he was going to find Shouhou to get a gold bracelet.

Two months later, it happened to be Little Cheng Li’s first birthday. Mother Li invited some close neighbors for a simple birthday feast. The food was plain: mixed-grain steamed buns stuffed with thick slices of salted pork, plus a bowl of thick white rice porridge.

Even so, Aunt Wang ate with great gusto. The white rice porridge was fragrant, the salted pork tasted wonderful, and even the mixed-grain buns were satisfyingly chewy.

Several educated youths from the youth point came as well. Han Chunmei happily announced that in August, Zhang Yuefang would be marrying Chen Damao.

Cheng Qiao smiled at Zhang Yuefang, who blushed and lowered her head. In the end, she had bowed to fate and decided to marry Chen Damao. Fortunately, he was at least a worker–peasant–soldier university student.

Cuihua stood to the side with an awkward smile. She was actually a bit dissatisfied with Zhang Yuefang—not because she was poor, but because she had no support from her natal family. Everyone knew that women without backing from their birth families tended to have thinner luck.

If Zhang Yuefang’s family background were even half as good as Cheng Qiao’s, she would have been satisfied. But since her son had taken a liking to Zhang Yuefang, she had no choice but to accept it.

Excited shouting came from the entrance: “Brother Huan! Auntie! Big Brother Li Bing is back—and he’s brought a young girl with him!”

Mother Li was thrilled. She quickly grabbed Cheng Qiao and asked her to check whether her clothes were neat and her hair tidy. Cheng Qiao smiled and shook her head, picked up Little Cheng Li, and pulled Mother Li toward the village entrance.

Before long, a pair in green uniforms approached. Li Bing and Jiang Meili were both dressed in green military uniforms, striding home proudly, each carrying a military backpack.

“Mom, why did you come out? Let me introduce you—this is Jiang Meili, your eldest daughter-in-law. Meili, this is my mom.”

“Hello, Auntie. I’m Jiang Meili, twenty-two years old, working in the cultural troupe.”

Mother Li felt as though she were hearing a skylark singing. Why was this girl’s voice so pleasant? No wonder she worked in a cultural troupe.

“Ah, Meili, good. Come, let’s go home.”

“Stop right there, Li Bing—where’s my daughter?”

Just as they were about to head home, a voice rang out. Everyone turned to look. It was Fenqiu, holding a wood-chopping knife, glaring fiercely at Li Bing.

Mother Li’s heart tightened. Right—back then, Li Bing had left together with Miao Qing. Now he’d brought back Jiang Meili instead. No matter how you looked at it, their family seemed to be in the wrong.

“You’re asking about Miao Qing?”

Fenqiu rolled his eyes. If not asking about Miao Qing, was he supposed to ask about that fox spirit beside him?

“Uncle Fenqiu, this is a letter Miao Qing wrote to you. Oh right—you can’t read. You can ask Chen Weidang to read it for you.”

Chen Weidang immediately stepped forward, took the letter, and read aloud:

“Dad, Mom, back then you wanted to sell me to an old bachelor deep in the mountains for two hundred yuan. That’s why I begged Li Bing to pretend to marry me and take me away. Now I’m married. From now on, we’ll never have anything to do with each other again. I wish you an early return to the afterlife.”

When he finished reading, Chen Weidang looked at Fenqiu in disbelief. Fenqiu’s old face flushed red—this was something he and his wife had secretly discussed. How had that damned girl found out?

“She’s married? Who did she marry? Where’s the bride price?”

“The bride price? I already gave it to you back then. Her husband returned that money to me.”

Li Bing’s mocking gaze provoked Fenqiu. He cast a sinister look at Jiang Meili, suddenly raised the wood-chopping knife in his hand, and slashed toward Jiang Meili’s face.

Jiang Meili was terrified. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. Mother Li was frantic too—this young girl had just arrived; she mustn’t get hurt.

Just as the blade was about to reach Jiang Meili, Li Bing moved. One hand clamped tightly onto Fenqiu’s knife-wielding wrist; the other curled into a fist and smashed hard into Fenqiu’s stomach.

“Ah—!”

Fenqiu couldn’t withstand Li Bing’s full-force blow. His whole body flew backward, and the back of his head and his back struck a tree trunk with an unfortunate precision. With a loud bang, countless little stars exploded before Fenqiu’s eyes.

“Old man—what’s wrong with you?”

Fenqiu’s wife ran over. Fenqiu glanced at her, blinked, then closed his eyes. At first she didn’t understand, but when she saw her husband collapse, she immediately got it.

“Murder! Someone’s been killed! The PLA has killed someone! Help! Someone save my husband!”

Li Bing was also startled. If the head had hit at just the wrong angle, it really could cost a life. Ye Jun stepped forward, placed his hand on Fenqiu’s wrist, and within a few seconds took out a silver needle from his medical kit.