CHAPTER 214: 204 CONFRONTATION

"Yeah, Sangsang used to run a small business in town and opened a snack shop. The business was really good," Shui Lian said softly. "I’ve eaten the food she made a few times."

"That’s right." Tian Sangsang nodded. "Shui Lian was a teacher in town back then. Honestly, coming to the military base to work as a kindergarten teacher feels like a bit of a downgrade. Why did you suddenly decide to come here to teach?"

Jiang Jinghuai hadn’t expected that the two women, despite being from the same place, would actually know each other and seem to get along quite well. Whether their friendliness was genuine or not didn’t matter—at least on the surface, it appeared harmonious. He crossed his arms and stood idly by, not saying a word; there wasn’t much he could chime in on during this conversation anyway.

"I just wanted a change of environment, to broaden my horizons," Shui Lian replied. "For me, switching to a different environment is also a form of growth and experience. The military base is a simpler setting, and the children of military families are all quite endearing."

As she spoke, her gaze fell tenderly on Meng Shuyan. "Yanyan’s foot injury, was it caused by the earthquake? Has he been to the hospital?"

"Yes, we’ve had it checked. He’ll recover after some time."

"That’s good," Shui Lian said, her expression of concern easing. She then suggested, "Once his foot heals, why don’t you consider enrolling him in kindergarten? There are lots of children there, so he won’t feel lonely."

"He’s still too young. We’re thinking of keeping him at home for another year or two."

"That’s true; he is quite young," Shui Lian replied with a warm smile, exchanging amused glances with Tian Sangsang.

"Dad!" Sitting in the wheelchair, Meng Shuyan suddenly stretched out his chubby little hands, his dark eyes gazing at Jiang Jinghuai.

Jiang Jinghuai instantly understood what his son wanted. He bent down and scooped him up, wrapping his large hands around the boy’s small body. His actions were unthinking and natural, and as he held his son close, a faint smile softened his typically sharp and handsome features, exuding an indescribable masculine charm.

Shui Lian watched the interaction between Jiang Jinghuai and Meng Shuyan, momentarily startled, a fleeting sense of fascination brushing through her heart.

"Dad, is today’s newspaper still available for reading?"

"It is. I’ll read it to you later," Jiang Jinghuai said warmly, brushing the boy’s head with his hand. His voice was deep and affectionate. "You all keep chatting; I’ll take Yanyan upstairs. Sangsang, could you see Shui Lian off for me?"

"Sure." Tian Sangsang replied promptly, then turned to ask politely, "Ms. Shui, have you eaten yet? Would you like to come to my house for a meal?"

Shui Lian glanced at Jiang Jinghuai’s retreating figure before giving Tian Sangsang a reserved smile. "No need to bother. I’ll invite Jinghuai for a meal another day to properly express my gratitude—after all, he helped me find work here when I was unfamiliar with the place. Don’t misunderstand, though; I’m simply very thankful."

"It was just a small favor, nothing worth mentioning. You don’t need to dwell on it. We have a little dog at home; whenever he’s hungry, Jinghuai likes feeding him," Tian Sangsang remarked casually.

Shui Lian’s smile stiffened slightly. "Still, it deserves a thank-you."

**

"Shui Lian, what were you talking about over there for so long?" Ji Yao’er and several other attractive women from the performance troupe strolled over from a short distance away.

"Oh, nothing much," Shui Lian said, shaking her head calmly. "Just the pleasant surprise of running into an old acquaintance in a foreign land. I happen to know Jinghuai’s wife, so we had a bit more to chat about."

"You know her?"

"We’re from the same place."

The reason Shui Lian came to work at the military base was entirely due to a life-saving debt.

But Jiang Jinghuai hadn’t mentioned it publicly, and Shui Lian had intentionally refrained from clarifying the truth. Whenever others asked, she would speak vaguely about their acquaintance, glossing over the life-saving debt. This ambiguity inevitably led people to speculate, wondering if Captain Jiang and her had some sort of ambiguous relationship.

Therefore, when Tian Sangsang appeared as a sudden "third party," those with preconceived notions couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

"Captain Jiang is such a catch; how could he be interested in a woman like that?" one young woman asked, her tone tinged with jealousy.

Although Jiang Jinghuai’s rank and position in the military weren’t particularly high, what couldn’t be denied was his connections in Beijing, along with those of Lu Chi—they’d both been transferred from there. On top of that, his good looks naturally stirred the hearts of many young women. For Shui Lian, it might have been understandable, but for someone like Tian Sangsang—ugly and dark-skinned—they couldn’t accept it.

"Exactly!" someone echoed. "They don’t make a good match at all. That woman is unbelievably lucky."

Ji Yao’er sneered. "A mountain chicken turning into a phoenix—that’s all it is." She was direct with her words, not bothering to hide her disdain. Her cousin had recently suffered a miscarriage because of Guan Kunling, and although Guan Kunling had been expelled from the military, it still didn’t seem like enough punishment. Now that Tian Sangsang appeared friendly with Guan Kunling, Ji Yao’er naturally didn’t like her, planning to seek justice for her cousin someday.

"Good luck is one of life’s unfair realities," another woman reasoned. "She’s already had a child with Captain Jiang. What else could people say or do?"

"I believe winning Captain Jiang’s heart must involve more than just having a child. Maybe there’s a romantic story between the two—something like Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy," a more imaginative girl in the performance troupe mused, resting her cheek in her hand dreamily. "Shui Lian, since you know her well, surely you know their story. Tell us more..."

"Ahem." Shui Lian avoided the question, her delicate face betraying a hint of awkwardness.

"Come on, Shui Lian," Ji Yao’er urged.

"Actually, although we’re from the same place, I only know her in passing," Shui Lian clarified, subtly distancing herself from Tian Sangsang in front of Ji Yao’er.

"Everyone where we’re from knows their story. You could ask almost anyone about it. I wouldn’t dare gossip recklessly—it’s hard to say whether the rumors are true or not; it wouldn’t be fair to tarnish someone’s reputation unfoundedly."

The group perked up. There was definitely a story here.

"If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear," Ji Yao’er said pointedly. "There’s no smoke without fire."

Curiosity flared among the group as they leaned in. "Tell us, Shui Lian! We’re asking you to share; we swear we won’t spread it."

"You absolutely must keep this to yourselves," Shui Lian sighed, her reluctance evident but giving in nonetheless. "Tian Sangsang used to be very overweight—not just heavy, but also dark-skinned. She was lazy and gluttonous, and no one in the village wanted to marry her."

"What?" Ji Yao’er asked in disbelief, covering her mouth in shock. "She’s like coal now; how much darker was she back then? And she’s still quite plump—was she even bigger?"

"She truly was dark-skinned; it was astonishing at the time. A neighbor’s child would cry whenever they saw her, simply because she was so dark. Word has it that a few years back, Captain Jiang was injured and wandered into this small mountain village where she saved him. She... She used her imposing figure to do something to Captain Jiang, and later, she became pregnant. Back then, Captain Jiang was furious and left, never returning. It’s likely due to this earthquake that Tian Sangsang managed to find him again."

The group clutched their chests, astounded and incredulous.

"Seriously?"

"There are women who do that?"

"She’s utterly shameless."

"Poor Captain Jiang."

"So Captain Jiang married her purely because of the child?"

"What else could he do? A child needs their mother in their life, doesn’t he?"