CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402 SETTLING ACCOUNTS

No matter how Tang Chuxia and Wang Aihong came up with ideas, Zheng Duoqing was nervous. He prepared to stake out his biological father, thinking it necessary to discuss with him first.

Tang Chuxia gave him spiritual encouragement before she linked arms with Wang Aihong and left.

The two parted ways at the mouth of the alley. As soon as Tang Chuxia stepped through her front door, she was greeted by her younger brother’s resentful gaze, startling her enough to retract her foot and consider taking a detour back to her own home.

Tang Jianbing obviously had seen Tang Chuxia: "You, get inside!"

Tang Chuxia chuckled awkwardly and stepped back into the courtyard.

"Tang Chuxia, have you got guts now? You also took part in such a dangerous thing?"

Tang Chuxia, feeling awkward, knew exactly what her brother was referring to. She guessed the whole town’s idlers must have gone to see, and even if her brother hadn’t, his coworkers who did would likely have spotted her in the crowd attempting to grab someone.

"Brother, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Weren’t you at the factory today? Didn’t your master discuss this year’s work plan with you?"

Tang Jianbing grew even more depressed.

Originally, he told his master he wanted to quit and join the military, but his master berated him, saying his main talent lies in mechanical manufacturing. To abandon his strengths for military service would waste his talents.

The country isn’t short of one soldier, but it lacks highly skilled mechanical engineers.

In the end, Tang Jianbing was so thoroughly scolded by his master that he almost swore never even to think about joining the military again.

Tang Chuxia was laughing so hard her belly was about to burst.

"Brother, aren’t you just looking for trouble? Our family already has three soldiers. If you go too, how distressed would Mom be?"

Tang Jianbing: ...

It wasn’t that Tang Chuxia looked down on Tang Jianbing’s desire to join the military; it was just that his physical ability and personality weren’t cut out for it. He was too naive and had been overshadowed by his three older brothers since childhood, fully aware he couldn’t surpass them.

If Tang Jianbing joined the military, his morale would probably implode.

Rather than being compared and found wanting in the military, it was better for him to achieve something in a field where he excelled.

This was why Tang Chuxia was not keen on the idea of her brother joining the military.

After a good heart-to-heart with her brother, Tang Chuxia expressed her desire to go back and rest.

"Don’t run off just yet. Aren’t you going to check on your elder sister-in-law?"

Tang Jianbing pointed towards the elder sister-in-law’s room, suggesting Tang Chuxia should go and see her.

Ever since the elder brother and sister-in-law had a falling out, the atmosphere at home had been quite strange.

Tang Chuxia sighed, "What should I, a young aunt, say when I go over there? Should I join in cursing our brother or criticize the elder sister-in-law? Either way, I feel like it’s offending someone!"

She wasn’t stupid; why would she do something like that?

Tang Jianbing stated, "Marriage is troublesome, I’ll wait a few more years!"

Due to the matter with Yu Meiyu, he had developed a complete fear of marriage and was unlikely to consider it for many years.

Tang Chuxia agreed. After all, her brother had a job and wasn’t short of friends. Dating or marrying was all about his own happiness.

Speaking of marriage, Tang Jianbing remembered that Tang Chuxia and Gu Beihuai hadn’t had their wedding yet.

"When are you and Huai planning the ceremony?" he asked.

Faced with Tang Jianbing’s question, Tang Chuxia didn’t know how to answer.

She had been tricked into marriage by her Third Brother, who was now untraceable, and as for Gu Beihuai, he was too busy to even think about wedding plans for now.

"What ceremony? As a woman of the new era, I should actively respond to the call for simplicity and strive to be a role model of the new era, to become the most valuable person!"

Tang Chuxia made a passionate speech, which only earned her a look from Tang Jianbing as if she were an idiot.

"Just put it plainly, it’s about not having a wedding, right?

What’s the use of talking so grandly?

Let’s not even talk about whether he can get past this, it’s hard enough to imagine Madam Tang and Mrs. Gu would agree to not having a wedding.

You can’t take wishful thinking for the real deal.

Tang Chuxia was obviously irked by Tang Jianbing’s gaze.

"Little brother, stop nagging me. Didn’t you say a few days ago that you were training with Gu Beihuai? How did that go? Did you gain any insights?"

When this topic came up, Tang Jianbing got heated.

He was promised military training, but Gu Beihuai was too much, he just sparred with him without mercy, and the conclusion was that even if he joined the army, he’d just get thrashed.

No wonder his eldest brother didn’t take him, and his two other brothers would always say to him, "Just focus on your Mechanical research!"

So they all knew he was just deadweight.

That kind of sad feeling is hard to articulate, but seeing Tang Chuxia now, his mood became even more complex.

If he couldn’t compare with his three brothers, the fact that he couldn’t even surpass his own sister made it worse.

Out of five siblings, why was he the only one to achieve the ’wounded’ milestone?

The feeling was far from pleasant.

Tang Chuxia had no idea about her little brother’s inner turmoil. Just then, she saw Gu Beihuai return, with Qin Zhan and two others following him. Curious, she gave them a brief look, recognized them, although not as familiarly as Qin Zhan.

They well-manneredly called her ’sister-in-law’, and in that spirit, she was about to greet them when Tang Jianbing’s face drooped down.

Even a chat with his sister was getting interrupted. Was his luck so bad it needed changing?

Could it be because his zodiac year was approaching?

All kinds of messy thoughts popped up in Tang Jianbing’s mind when Qin Zhan patted his shoulder, "What’s wrong with you? Did Brother Huai’s training actually leave you with issues?"

Tang Jianbing sighed, "Not at all, I’m just amazed, I realized today just how strong Xiaxia’s fighting ability is.

After he said that, Qin Zhan burst into laughter.

So, did Tang Jianbing have no clue about his sister’s capabilities?

"Don’t dwell on it here, we’re all used to it. As strong as Beihuai is, wasn’t he still thrown out by little Xiaxia? As Xiaxia’s elder brother, you should be proud!"

Tang Jianbing was stunned but then came to his senses.

Right.

No matter what, Tang Chuxia was his sister, and even someone as formidable as Gu Beihuai had been handled by her. That alone was something to be happy about.

The two walked arm in arm towards the side courtyard.

Tang Jianbing was in high spirits, all his previous discontent vanished.

Meanwhile, Tang Chuxia and Gu Beihuai returned to their courtyard. After Gu Beihuai gave the two men some items from his study, they quickly left. Qin Zhan and Tang Jianbing chatted in the front yard.

When Gu Beihuai found Tang Chuxia, she was murmuring to herself, busy with something.

"What are you doing crouching there?"

The sound of Beihuai’s voice startled Tang Chuxia, and she let out a noise, almost sitting on the ground.

Gu Beihuai also saw clearly what Tang Chuxia was really up to, and his face darkened.

He rushed over to stop Tang Chuxia from destroying the evidence, his gaze dangerous.