CHAPTER 316: CHAPTER 317: ENVY, JEALOUSY, AND HATRED

Li Shengmei’s cries continued unabated, not deliberate and not feigned, but borne from genuine sorrow.

He Hongjun, meanwhile, slowly made his way out with his cane, leaving Li Shengmei to weep alone at home.

"Wipe your tears," He Xuegang told Dong Meihua. "Do you really want to cry all the way to the county town? People from the production team just saw you. They might think I’ve been bullying you."

Dong Meihua glared at him, "Aren’t you bullying me? Your whole family is. What have I gained from marrying into your family these years?"

Meihua felt wronged deep down, with a trace of regret for her hasty choice made so quickly in the past.

"Alright, alright, let’s say I bullied you, happy? That’s just how my mom is. Don’t hold it against her. And as for my dad, that was his personal savings. What’s there for you to resent?" He Xuegang handed the money to Dong Meihua.

"When your mom speaks, your dad doesn’t say a word," Dong Meihua held some resentment towards He Hongjun, feeling that he always indulged Li Shengmei.

"What can my dad say? Do you want him to scold my mom? My mom’s just like that, and she won’t change for the rest of her life. She’s already old. Can’t you just forgive her if she does something wrong? We can’t be too hard on our parents as their children," He Xuegang said.

Dong Meihua fell silent. Was she supposed to tolerate Li Shengmei like this forever?

Everyone thought Meihua and her mother-in-law, Li Shengmei, got along well, but only Meihua knew the truth. Ever since Li Shengmei became her mother-in-law, Meihua couldn’t stand her.

At that moment, Dong Meihua looked at He Xuegang, "When can I join you in the military? You said after ten years of service, right? Didn’t Liang Lili get to marry an old soldier who had served for ten years and join him?"

"I came back this time to discuss this very matter with you," He Xuegang said.

Dong Meihua’s eyes lit up, "Can I really join the military?"

He Xuegang slowly shook his head. "I asked about it, and it’s not possible yet. Spouses can join military personnel who have served for ten years if they are low-ranking officers or stationed in difficult border areas. The Dragon Training Corps where I serve is neither a border nor a hardship assignment, and I’m not an officer yet. It would take at least fifteen years."

Disappointment filled Dong Meihua’s eyes upon realizing that it would be another five years’ wait.

"Can’t you apply to be stationed in a border area then? Only tough places like that truly forge a person. You’ve already been with the Dragon Training Corps for ten years. Will staying longer help you advance? Even if my second brother is dating the colonel’s daughter, it’s not certain that you’ll immediately get an officer’s position. Xuegang, I want to be with you. I can’t bear us being apart like this, sometimes not seeing each other for a whole year."

With tears still in her eyes, Dong Meihua looked pleadingly at He Xuegang.

He Xuegang nodded, "Alright, I’ll find a way when I get back to the unit. However, the border regions are harsh and cold. I can handle it, but I wonder if you could endure it."

Dong Meihua laughed through her tears, assuring He Xuegang, "I can definitely handle it. I’ve faced all sorts of hardships at the production team. As long as I’m with you, I’m not afraid of hard work or suffering. Anyway, I don’t want us to be apart any longer. I want us to be together."

Meihua was tired of her time at the production team, and even more so of constantly being at Li Shengmei’s beck and call without being able to show discontent.

Sometimes Meihua wanted to rebel, but she knew He Xuegang was a filial son, and if she clashed with Li Shengmei, He Xuegang might not take her side. Moreover, He Hongjun also gave Meihua cause for concern.

Dong Meihua was very envious of Liang Lili who could join the military. Thus, she longed fervently for the same opportunity, observing how Liang Lili had barely worked at the production team before getting married and never had to toil there again.

"Fine, that’s your promise," He Xuegang said. His heart, however, truly wished for his wife to accompany the army so they could always be together.

Seeing that He Xuegang was listening and had taken it to heart, Dong Meihua breathed a sigh of relief.

Over here, He Xuebing had been running from home all the way until he finally saw Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao ahead, but he didn’t approach them. Instead, he followed them from a distance, feeling a mix of indescribable emotions, and even more so, a sense of melancholy.

Xia Xiao had put Shitou inside the space, so there was no Shitou to remind her that He Xuebing was following them from afar, so she was unaware of it.

As they entered the city, Wang Xueyong was just taking people to the Red Star Production Team, so they did not cross paths.

But the two did run into Wang Yuncai and Gao Guihua. As soon as she saw Gao Jiaxing, Wang Yuncai immediately shouted out, "Gao Jiaxing, we’re over here."

Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing looked over, and for a moment were at a loss for words. What did she mean by ’we’re over here’ as if they had come to the city specifically to look for them?

"Brother Jiaxing, are you going to my place?" Gao Guihua coincidentally approached and asked.

This was Xia Xiao’s first time seeing Gao Guihua. Although she had been in the production team for nearly ten years, Gao Guihua never left home and had not worked in the production team, so Xia Xiao had never encountered her.

Gao Guihua looked very much like Lin Xuebi but wasn’t as pretty as Lin Xuebi; she could only be considered ordinarily delicate.

"What are you doing here?" Gao Jiaxing frowned, also not expecting to run into Gao Guihua, who seemed to be on very good terms with Wang Yuncai.

"I just happen to be going over to Wang Yuncai’s to play," Gao Guihua said.

Xia Xiao raised an eyebrow. How did they know each other? Could it be that Lin Xuebi wanted to match Gao Guihua with Wang Xueyong? Thinking about it, it indeed seemed possible. But how had the old residence gotten involved with The Wangs?

Xia Xiao figured it wasn’t an alliance formed in the past but rather a recent development.

Right now, however, Wang Yuncai was staring straight at Gao Jiaxing with an audaciously bold gaze, completely disregarding Xia Xiao’s presence.

Xia Xiao smiled and said, "Miss, why are you looking at my husband like that?"

It was then that Wang Yuncai withdrew her gaze but gave Xia Xiao a look, appearing as if Xia Xiao was meddling in her business, and the look in her eyes towards Xia Xiao even held an unmistakable feeling of hostility. Xia Xiao met Wang Yuncai’s gaze openly, finding the whole thing rather amusing.

Wang Yuncai and Gao Jiaxing hadn’t even really interacted, but she harbored a liking for Gao Jiaxing in her heart. Seeing her now looking at Xia Xiao with enmity was just absurd.

Wang Yuncai hadn’t expected Xia Xiao to look over, and at that moment, she gazed at Xia Xiao with envy, jealousy, and resentment. She recognized Xia Xiao; she hadn’t thought Xia Xiao was very pretty before, but now she seemed excessively attractive, which made Wang Yuncai feel rather upset.

Wang Yuncai turned away and said, "Gao Jiaxing, where are you two headed?"

"Yeah, Brother Jiaxing, where are you going?" Gao Guihua also fixed her eyes on Gao Jiaxing and asked.