Chapter 61: Xia, I Know Who Spread the Rumors

Xia Yan showed no courtesy to the old man, but her hands continued to tidy his clothes. “If anything happens, call home. I’ll come right away.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Lin You replied, his heart swelling with happiness from her gentle tone.

“Xiao Li, drive slowly on the way back. Make sure you get your sister-in-law home safely,” Lin You shot a stern glance at Li Guoxiang, who was stifling laughter behind his hand.

“Cough, cough… I promise to get her home safe,” Li Guoxiang choked on his laughter, stopped abruptly by Lin You’s glare, and recovered after a few coughs.

On the journey home, Li Guoxiang kept stealing glances at Xia Yan in the rearview mirror, until he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Sister-in-law, you really are something. You’ve got the commander completely under your thumb. I told some of my comrades about it last time, but they didn’t believe me.”

“Has he always been so stubborn?” Xia Yan took the opportunity to learn more about Lin You.

“I wouldn’t dare say. If the commander hears about it, I’ll be stuck with extra drills again,” Li Guoxiang quickly covered his mouth and shook his head.

“Oh? If you won’t tell me, I’ll let Lin You know you’ve been talking about him behind his back to the other soldiers…” Xia Yan teased.

Li Guoxiang was so startled he slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt halt. He turned to see Xia Yan smiling, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. Now I finally understand why the commander, who fears nothing, is afraid of you.”

He restarted the car and continued, “Actually, Commander Lin only looks stern and cold, but he has the softest heart. Whenever anyone in the company needs help, he’s always the first to lend a hand… Whenever we go on mountain missions, he’s always the first to take on the most dangerous tasks…”

Li Guoxiang recounted more than twenty incidents, each time emphasizing Lin You was always the ‘first’. With every story, admiration shone in his eyes.

Xia Yan listened, her own eyes brightening. It was her first time seeing such a complete picture of Lin You. Her man was truly outstanding—no wonder he was known as the toughest, and indeed, he was tough.

As they chatted, the uphill road felt much less arduous than usual, and Xia Yan felt as if she arrived at the base gate in no time.

As she stepped out of the car with her suitcase, she caught the attention of the women gathered at the courtyard entrance.

“Hey, look, she’s back.”

“She has the nerve to return? Flirting with Doctor Zhang and causing trouble for her own husband—shameless.”

“All that beauty is wasted on her.”

Someone snickered, “Don’t say that. Without that foxy charm, how could she seduce men?”

“Lin You must be blind. He could have married Doctor Zhu, but chose someone like her. She’s not even as good as Qian Xiulan.”

(Qian Xiulan: the first woman Lin You was matched with.)

Xia Yan suddenly remembered the gossip about Zhang Jun. Whose loose tongue had started such malicious rumors?

She ignored the women, carrying her suitcase home. At the door, she saw Zhu Yan feeding Lin Nuannuan.

The commotion caught Zhu Yan’s attention. “Nuannuan, look who’s back?”

The little darling saw Xia Yan and jumped from Zhu Yan’s arms with a smile. “Sister!”

“Oh, my sweet Nuannuan, did you miss auntie?”

“Mhm, Nuannuan missed sister so much.” The child hugged Xia Yan’s face, showering her with kisses. Zhu Yan stepped forward. “Why are you back now?”

“Lin You was worried and sent me home. He can take care of himself now,” Xia Yan replied, kissing Lin Nuannuan before setting the child down.

“Before you came, he’d go up the mountain for a month without a second thought. Now, he just doesn’t want to trouble me anymore,” Zhu Yan said, her tone full of disappointment, her expression dim.

She wiped away a tear. “Well, since you’re back, I’ll go. I have work at the hospital.”

Watching her leave, Xia Yan sighed softly. For a fleeting moment, she wondered: if she hadn’t come, would Zhu Yan and Lin You have ended up together?

As evening fell, Xia Yan was busy in the kitchen when Lin Hongzhuo’s voice echoed from the house.

“It smells amazing, brother! Aunt Xia must be back. Only she can make meat taste like this.”

No sooner had he spoken than the kitchen door swung open. Seeing Xia Yan, Lin Hongzhuo rushed over. “Aunt Xia, you’re finally home!”

“You little glutton, do you miss me or my cooking more?” Xia Yan ruffled his hair.

Lin Hongzhuo grinned. “Aunt Xia, you’re wrong. Missing your cooking is based on missing you first—if you’re not home, how could we have such delicious food?”

“Just a few days and you’ve gotten so clever! Go wash your hands with your sister; dinner will be ready soon.”

“Alright!” As Lin Hongzhuo left, Lin Hongzhe hurried in, looking anxious. “How’s my dad?”

“I’m back, aren’t I? Your father is fine, but he’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation for three weeks before coming home.”

Xia Yan wanted to pat his head, but Lin Hongzhe stepped back, avoiding her ‘claws’, and spoke coolly. “Don’t worry about the rumors going around.”

“What rumors?” Xia Yan smiled, surprised that Lin Hongzhe would bring it up.

“Never mind. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

He kept his cool expression; Xia Yan noticed he only changed his face while eating—otherwise, he was just like a little Lin You.

“Thank you for saying that. There’s nothing to those rumors,” Xia Yan replied.

He nodded, finally letting his gaze linger on the meat in the pot, his throat moving as he swallowed.

The contrast made Xia Yan laugh. “Go wash your hands, dinner’s almost ready. And go next door to invite the little Egg brother and Grandma Wang over.”

“Okay.”

That night, Xia Yan cooked a table full of dishes, making Wang Guilan shake her head. Truly, people of the same family walk through the same door—Xia Yan and Lin You were both ‘extravagant’.

“Xia, why did you make so much food? There’s no way we can eat it all.”

“It’s not much, Aunt Wang. With four kids, I think it’s too little—I’m considering making two more dishes.”

Wang Guilan waved her hands frantically. “Oh my, that’s not little! It’s more than we make for New Year’s!”

The meal left everyone satisfied, the four children with greasy mouths.

After dinner, Xia Yan and Wang Guilan cleaned up in the kitchen.

Wang Guilan seemed uneasy, glancing at Xia Yan again and again, often wanting to speak but swallowing her words.

“Aunt Wang, do you have something to tell me?”

Xia Yan’s question made Wang Guilan hesitate, but she finally nodded. “Xia, I know who started the gossip…”