Before dawn.

------------

"You, child, suddenly become unreasonable. If your brother went to see you, wouldn’t that break the rules?" Fat Auntie pokes her daughter’s forehead with her finger, "You’ve become someone’s wife, yet still so immature. Fortunately, Qiliang has a good temper, and your father-in-law and mother-in-law are open-minded. Otherwise, with your antics, wouldn’t they be annoyed?"

"Hehe..." Luo Xiaoqiong chuckled sheepishly, "Qiliang and my father-in-law and mother-in-law understand that I’m not unhappy living with them, I just wish for everyone to be together.

As we were walking here today, my in-laws said when we go back tonight, we won’t have to follow such customs anymore, they’re feeling the restrictions too."

"Actually, it’s not necessary to be so particular. When Chuxia got married, she didn’t follow these customs, and things went just fine." Fat Auntie said as she glared at Luo Gangshun, "It’s all because of you, always finding faults."

"Ah..." Luo Gangshun sighed, "I also don’t want it this way, but the old couple at home said such harsh words, what am I supposed to do? If something really happened to the old couple, I’d feel guilty."

"That’s superstition." Fat Auntie snorted, looking at Zhao Yulan, "What kind of society is this now? The old couple still talks like that, maybe they’re afraid we won’t listen. Before leaving, they said don’t just care about the daughter and forget the rest of the family’s affairs."

Zhao Yulan just patted her comfortingly, unable to say much; after all, the old couple are Luo Gangshun’s parents, and as an outsider, it really wasn’t her place to comment. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

According to Dalin Village’s custom, once the daughter is married, she must not meet her family before the return day, or else her family will never rise again.

Actually, the origin of this saying is that the husband’s family doesn’t want the newlywed bride secretly giving things to her family, so they intentionally make it sound serious to intimidate the bride.

Back home, nobody violates this because the husband’s family and bride’s family live close to each other and have lived together for years, making early visits unnecessary. But here, with only a few days off and considering they still need to hold another wedding back home, such customs aren’t necessary.

Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe initially thought it wasn’t necessary, but after Luo Gangshun explained the reasoning, everyone just had to follow the rules; even if they knew it was superstitious, they’d feel guilty for life if it really came true.

After some casual chats, everyone dispersed and started chatting leisurely.

After going out to clear her mind earlier, Little Jing’s state was better than before. She proactively made honey tea and served it to a few girls, with a smile finally showing on her face.

Luo Xiaoqiong, who previously stayed here, was aware of Little Jing’s situation. She now quietly asked Chuxia, "Has Little Jing reconciled with that Zhang Jun?"

"How is that possible?!"

"Then she must have met a suitable boy."

"No, she just went out with us for a walk, got some fresh air, and after returning, she felt much better." Chuxia sighed, "She’s also someone who easily gets caught in her own thoughts, and that guy simply isn’t worth it.

Fortunately, her grandparents are kindhearted and understand her emotions, always considering her. If it were someone else’s family, after such fuss, she might have been sent away."

"Exactly, last time she spilled water all over you, and certainly would have been driven away."

"Don’t make me sound so domineering, alright?" Chuxia, annoyed, gave her a push, and changed the topic, "By the way, in the past few days you were there, did Commander Liu visit?"

"Of course." Luo Xiaoqiong immediately beamed with delight, "It’s not a case of him visiting, but him visiting every day, and he even expressed his feelings openly; he confessed in front of all of us.

And he stated he would follow Sister Qihui’s advice, wait a year for Sister Qihui, and even if Sister Qihui chooses someone else then, he wouldn’t hold grudges. He said he’s especially grateful Sister Qihui was willing to give him this opportunity."

Chuxia looked incredulous: "Just straight up said it? In front of my eldest uncle and aunt?"

"Yes, he said it in front of my father-in-law and mother-in-law, and he also specifically promised them that if he could be with Sister Qihui in the future, he would cherish her like an eyeball, and treat my father-in-law and mother-in-law as his own parents with filial respect."

"I now finally understand why Zhong Hongying got together with Commander Liu so quickly; with Commander Liu’s personality, he probably confessed to Zhong Hongying just like that."

"Hehe..." Luo Xiaoqiong laughed, "Sister Qihui was more direct, she asked him straight out and his face turned red. He said at that time he really thought Zhong Hongying was a kind and hardworking girl."

Then Sister Qihui asked him if he were given a chance in the future, would he spend some time getting to know someone only to find out that they weren’t what he imagined, and then he would decide it just wouldn’t work.

He shook his head, saying absolutely not. He said this time he was serious, he’d made his decision after much observation and careful consideration."

"Come on now, he stuck to Qihui like glue the first time he met her, how many ways could he have observed? Oh, right, maybe when he was sticking to Qihui, he was already observing her..." Chuxia slapped her forehead, "This Commander Liu is quite sly, looks all honest and straightforward, but he’s full of little tricks."

"You and Sister Qihui really are sisters, she said the same thing at the time..." Luo Xiaoqiong laughed to herself for a while before saying, "I was so embarrassed to laugh in front of him, I almost suffocated."

"What did Commander Liu say to that?"

"He said his greatest quality is knowing how to seize opportunities and that he wouldn’t hesitate because he’s afraid of what others say, he’d neither advance nor retreat in indecision. He said he knew Sister Qihui would misunderstand him like that, but he didn’t mind. He said time is the best proof.

Chuxia, have you noticed that the way Commander Liu handles relationships is quite different from what you’d expect from his appearance? He’s got a whole different approach, it’s really impressive. But, it’s quite romantic. Your brother would never say such things. We’ve been married, and he still hasn’t confessed to me in that way.

Sigh, thinking about it makes me feel so at a loss. From the beginning, I was the one who took the initiative. I’m destined to be the passive one for the rest of my life, really lost out."

"Regretting it?" Chuxia grinned mischievously, beckoning Zhao Qiliang, "Brother, come over here for a moment." Luo Xiaoqiong, scared, kept pulling her sleeve, muttering under her breath, "I was wrong, I was wrong..."

"What’s up?" Zhao Qiliang came over and sat naturally next to his wife, glancing at her expression with confusion, "Why is your face so red, you got a fever?" He reached out to touch Luo Xiaoqiong’s head, then sighed in relief, but asked nothing more.

Chuxia saw the expression on her cousin’s face and knew he’d misunderstood what they were whispering about something inappropriate. Really, those misunderstandings just won’t do...

But she couldn’t explain anything, so she quietly pinched Luo Xiaoqiong, who looked at her in bewilderment, as innocent as could be. With no choice, she had to take the fall.

"We were just talking about how romantic Commander Liu is towards Sister Qihui, and Xiaoqiong said you’ve never been romantic to her. I called you over to ask about it, and she got scared like this.

Brother, this means you’re not doing enough. Otherwise, why would she be so scared over something so small, right? Brother, you have to work on being a good husband."

"Who...who was scared?" Luo Xiaoqiong stammered as she explained, "I was just...just embarrassed, not scared at all. Don’t wrong me, creating trouble between us as a couple."

Chuxia: "..."

Zhao Qiliang affectionately ruffled his wife’s hair, "Alright, I get it, but I might not be able to do it. On the flip side, until now, I’ve only liked you, and then I married you.

Commander Liu is romantic, but whoever he ends up marrying won’t be the only one. Thinking about it, it’s quite regrettable, isn’t it?"

Chuxia looked at her brother speechlessly, this was really like leaving someone else in trouble to save himself! If Zhao Qihui were here and heard her brother say this, would she still give Commander Liu a chance?

After speaking, Zhao Qiliang felt his actions weren’t entirely above board, so he tried to make up for it, "Of course, this just represents a difference in personality, nothing to do with character. I believe that once Commander Liu has chosen the right target, he’ll definitely commit to the end."

"Brother..." Chuxia’s expression suddenly turned serious, "I just thought of something. We all have a pretty good impression of Commander Liu and don’t really blame him for what happened with Zhong Hongying back then.

But you’re the one who’s been with him more often and knows him better, so what do you think of him as a person? If you don’t think well of him, isn’t there no need for Sister Qihui to give him a chance?"

With his sister saying this, Zhao Qiliang’s expression also became serious, "Commander Liu’s character is absolutely not a problem. On this mission, if it weren’t for him pushing me away in time, today’s wedding wouldn’t have taken place. Furthermore, it was quite dangerous for him to push me at that time. If he were the type to only care about himself, he absolutely wouldn’t have done such a thing then.

In dealing with relationships, he is indeed a more proactive person, which is related to his age. His elders at home are always urging him and want him to go back to his hometown for blind dates, but he doesn’t want to marry someone he’s not familiar with, so he wants to find someone himself.

The people he comes into contact with in the army are just these few, so if he’s not proactive, how could opportunities come to him? His behavior is entirely understandable."

"It seems that Commander Liu really sees Sister Qihui as a good match. With his family urging him so much, he still agrees to wait for a year. That’s not easy." Chuxia sighed and grew worried for Liu Lianbao, "What if after a year, his hopes turn to dust? That would be quite unfortunate." She suddenly regretted agreeing to help Zhou Mikang use Zhao Qihui to string Liu Lianbao along. Sure, it gives him hope, but what if that hope turns into nothing? (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)