Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 352: It’s Just a Matter of People Leaving and Tea Cooling
Xue Qianhao’s arrest left Xia Weiguo with a mountain of work for the foreseeable future.
As the team leader, he not only had to investigate and interrogate but also accept the ensuing criticisms. Having two incidents occur under his watch didn’t reflect well on his leadership.
Fortunately, Su Yijia had long ago sensed something amiss and brought even her slightest suspicions to Xia Weiguo’s attention.
Thanks to her early warnings, precautions had been taken, and no real damage was done in the end.
That afternoon, Qin Kaize was busy in the space, constructing and organizing.
In no time, he had set up racks and small buildings, neatly arranging the sacks, plastic bins, and water tanks.
Su Yijia brewed three large vats of fruit wine with spiritual spring water and seven more vats of medicinal wine using ordinary water mixed with spirit-enriched fruits.
The remaining dozen or so vats were used to cultivate seafood in seawater—coconut snails, abalone, prawns, groupers, green crabs, and giant oysters.
She also specifically collected mantis shrimp, Spanish mackerel, and Qing fish.
The sight of all this seafood left the villagers utterly astonished.
These particular catches weren’t eaten locally—they were usually just composted for fertilizer.
Hearing this, Su Yijia was both shocked and distressed. Without hesitation, she scooped up all the plump and fresh seafood they considered waste.
Building houses, however, was not only a physically demanding task but also required meticulous attention to detail.
When Su Yijia saw Qin Kaize busy and sweating, she offered to help, but he flatly refused, preferring to shoulder the burden alone.
Drenched in sweat, he carelessly tossed his shirt aside, revealing a muscular build with beautifully defined lines.
Initially engrossed in her book, Su Yijia soon found herself entirely distracted.
Resting her chin on her hand, she watched intently as her husband bent over and laid bricks, her fiery gaze practically setting the "dry wood" before her ablaze.
Qin Kaize, feeling the heat of her stare, gritted his teeth and finished laying two more rows before finally losing his composure.
With determined strides, he approached the young woman sitting cross-legged in the rocking chair, exuding an aura so intense it seemed he might devour her whole.
Su Yijia froze for a moment before leaping off the chair, intending to flee.
But Qin Kaize caught up in just a few strides, scooping her up by the waist as if she weighed nothing.
Laughing and teasing, the two tumbled together onto the soft bed.
What little free time they had carved out ended up being half-spent in playful indulgence.
After emerging from the space, Qin Kaize dutifully carried the soiled sheets and bedding, intending to wash them in the bathroom.
Just as he reached the living room, a cacophony of voices rang out from beyond the door.
"Boss!"
"Are you in there?"
Frowning, Qin Kaize returned to his room to set the bedding down, worried his grandparents might wash it if he left it in the bathroom. He then saw Su Yijia hurriedly changing clothes and kissed her cheek.
"Don’t worry; it’s all my former teammates. You should rest while you can; no need to go out."
Su Yijia shot him a reproachful look. "You’re one to talk! I told you to stop messing around! Now go on; I’ll be right out."
How could she not go out?
If people came over with smiles and goodwill, and she stayed hidden inside, someone was bound to think she was deliberately putting on airs.
She already didn’t have the best reputation in the team—there was no need to make things worse by throwing in the towel entirely.
Once Qin Kaize left the room, Su Yijia stretched her sore back.
No wonder the ancients said... it’s not good to overindulge in pleasure. She resolved that no matter how tempted she might feel in the future, she wouldn’t let herself get carried away with this reckless and insatiable man again.
Meanwhile, outside the house, Qin Kaize sneezed as he stepped out, rubbing his nose before opening the fence gate.
Before he could even speak, a group of over a dozen people stormed in, their faces full of righteous indignation.
"Boss! We knew it! With your skills, how could you have gotten so seriously injured on a mission? Turns out it was that damned Xue Qianhao! He must have stabbed you in the back and caused all this!"
"Exactly! That guy is truly shameless to the extreme. After everything he’s done to you, he still has the gall to show up in our unit!"
Everyone started talking at once, venting their anger about Xue Qianhao.
One person, however, hesitated, stealing a sheepish glance at Qin Kaize.
"Boss, we’re also here to apologize on behalf of our wives to yours. Back then, they didn’t realize what kind of scum Xue Qianhao and his family were. They just thought we’re all in the same unit and didn’t want to sour relations."
Qin Kaize’s gaze turned icy as he looked at them, his expression calm but sharp.
He knew all too well what their wives had been thinking.
It didn’t matter if they were indifferent to someone falling from grace, but he absolutely wouldn’t allow anyone to wrong his wife.
"Alright, when she comes out, you can apologize to them yourselves," he said, not even considering refusal.
"Boss, how about we celebrate by having dinner together tonight? We brought food!"
They raised the dishes they had prepared at noon, though they regretted not bringing their wives along since they couldn’t keep their mouths shut and might upset them further.
"Sure," Qin Kaize smiled, thinking it was worth celebrating Xue Qianhao’s capture.
Leading them inside, they quickly spotted Su Yijia and shouted in unison, "Sister-in-law, we’re sorry! We were misguided by our wives into thinking we could resolve things peacefully."
Su Yijia was startled but smiled and waved her hands, "It’s okay, I know you meant well. Let’s just move on and not dwell on it."
Given that Qin Kaize would likely not bring them along to Jingdu City again, she wasn’t too concerned about their intentions.
That evening, to keep the atmosphere lively for the group of men, Su Yijia chose not to sit with them. Instead, she borrowed a large round table from a neighbor and set them up outside to eat as they pleased. Meanwhile, she and her grandparents enjoyed the Hu City dishes Qin Kaize had specially prepared for them, savoring a meal far superior to what most people would have in a month. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
Grandpa and Grandma Lin were increasingly impressed with Qin Kaize’s culinary skills, while Qin Kaize, sitting outside with his former subordinates, was distracted by their chatter, his mind filled with thoughts of Su Yijia.
Suddenly, someone asked, "Boss, when are you returning to the team? Last time we saw you leap down from the building to take on Xue Qianhao, you wiped the floor with him! Your body should be all healed by now, right?"
The raucous dining scene fell silent as everyone turned expectantly to Qin Kaize. With him around, they felt like the best team, even though they knew he would likely be promoted. They couldn’t help but hope they’d remain close.
