Brother-in-law
After causing a commotion in the courtyard, Zhan Aiping didn’t immediately go to the He family. Instead, she changed her appearance, took her prepared items, and waited quietly at a secluded alley entrance.
When He Mingzhang appeared, she covered him with a sack and immediately started beating him.
What Gu Sheng had said that day gave her inspiration. In this day and age, without surveillance and evidence, when encountering such a disgusting scoundrel, she had to give him a beating with her own hands and then take ruthless revenge.
She didn’t need someone else to do it for her. Granny Zhan from the Zhan family would handle it herself!
Today was just the beginning.
She started by giving him a good beating, humiliating him in front of his family. She would make sure they lost everything they had.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!” The punches and kicks rained down on him like a violent storm. He Mingzhang was already in so much pain that he couldn’t speak. Compared to someone like Gu Sheng, a big man, Zhan Aiping might not have as much strength, but she was agile, had sharp eyes, was familiar with the body’s structure, and aimed each strike at the most vulnerable spots.
She twisted his bones, making a “crack, crack, crack” sound. He Mingzhang’s glasses had long fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces, and Zhan Aiping heartlessly kicked them away. She raised her foot and aimed it at the centre of his legs.
“!!!!!” Inside the sack, He Mingzhang was in agony, his eyes almost popping out. “Who are you? Why are you hitting me? I—”
Zhan Aiping kicked him in the chin and then lifted him up like a dead dog. She thought, “Why do I need to choose the right moment to beat you? I’ll just beat you now.”
She punched him again. He Mingzhang felt like a human punching bag, enduring each blow as if his flesh was being torn apart.
He Mingzhang endured each day like an eternity inside the sack. Every minute and every second of the past made him extremely miserable. It felt like every bone in his body had been crushed over and over again. This person was beating him to within an inch of his life.
If he ever caught the scoundrel who had beaten him, he would make sure they ended up behind bars.
A pungent smell of urine emanated from beneath him, soaking his pants. Zhan Aiping threw him into a corner, covered her nose, left a note behind, clapped her hands, and walked away.
She didn’t make a single sound throughout the entire ordeal.
When the person was gone, when everything around him was calm, He Mingzhang’s body ached terribly. The areas that had been beaten felt like they had been scalded with boiling water, stinging intensely and swelling severely.
What embarrassed him even more was that he not only wet himself but also experienced something else related to his bowels.
Right there on the busy street, he had soiled himself.
“That person’s a lunatic! A complete lunatic!”
He Mingzhang lifted the burlap sack off his head, his pants heavy with embarrassment. While cursing the person in his heart, he accidentally noticed a note that read, “Having an affair with a widow, do you think nobody knows?”
Even though he was in pain all over, when He Mingzhang saw that sentence, a cold chill ran down his spine.
His face turned pale as he walked home with his head down. He tried to avoid people along the way, but as soon as he entered the courtyard, everyone’s eyes were on him. Zhou’s wife spoke up first, “Professor He, you’re back. Just now, Professor Zhan came.”
He Mingzhang stepped back, his heart pounding. “She came?”
He couldn’t let her see him like this.
“Professor Zhan has a new partner now. She broke up with you. We didn’t expect it either. She’s with the child from the leadership’s family.”
“They were childhood friends with no secrets between them. Fate has brought them together, and nothing can stop it.”
“Ugh… What’s that smell? It’s so unpleasant.”
He Mingzhang’s face turned as red as a pig’s liver. He didn’t look at anyone else, tightly held his body, and walked towards his house. As he walked, he brought with him a foul odor.
Many people covered their noses and commented, “Why does it smell so bad?”
“I smell something like poop.”
“Is it coming from Professor He? Did he step into a pit latrine or something?”
“His pants look wet. Could he have urinated on himself?”
He Mingzhang returned home, and by this time, even Zhou Jiacui had heard the news that Zhan Aiping had found a new partner. “It’s fake, this must be fake!”
“How could she find a new partner so quickly?”
“What’s that smell on you? It’s so foul.”
“I need to go to the police station.” He Mingzhang changed into clean clothes and realized that, aside from the redness and swelling, there were no other injuries on his body. Even if he went to the police station to report that he had been attacked by a criminal, the police wouldn’t bother with him.
“What’s wrong with you? Tomorrow, go and talk to Zhan Aiping. Try to appease her. This… How could this be possible?” Zhou Jiacui was already panicking. It had only been a few days, and everything had gone off course. If she had known, she would have advised He Mingzhang to stabilize Zhan Aiping first. Who would have thought she would replace him so quickly?!
“She has feelings for you. Try to talk to her and make amends.”
He Mingzhang said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go and talk to her.”
The important thing was to win Zhan Aiping back first.
“Bang, bang, bang!!! Open the door, open the door!!! Bang, bang!!!”
The thunderous knocking on the door echoed outside the house, startling both Zhou Jiacui and He Mingzhang inside. They both jolted awake, and Zhou Jiacui opened the door to find a group of people wearing red armbands bursting in.
They were here for an inspection!
As soon as they entered, they began to rummage through things without any hesitation. Zhou Jiacui anxiously asked, “What are you doing here? What are you doing?”
“We received a report from the public,” one of the men with a high chin sneered. “What good deeds has your family done? Don’t you know?”
He Mingzhang, standing nearby, became anxious. “I didn’t have an affair with the widow!”
The man conducting the search was taken aback. “You even had an affair with a widow, and you still dare to be a role model? Alright, search!”
Not only did this man become stunned, but also the crowd of onlookers outside were also stunned. What kind of events were happening today? What was going on?
When they asked him what good deeds his family had done, he immediately said, “I didn’t have an affair with the widow.” Wasn’t that a case of protesting too much?
The He family was not clean, and the search party found many “inappropriate” items. Moreover, they discovered evidence of He Mingzhang’s father embezzling public funds. The report letter was extremely detailed, and everything they searched for seemed to be right on target.
He Mingzhang’s father returned home, and both father and son were taken away for investigation.
What’s even more amusing is that the search party actually found some of the widow’s belongings in their home, and it was their helpful neighbours who identified them.
“It’s over, it’s all over,” Zhou Jiacui collapsed to the ground. Her husband and son had been taken away, and the hidden “antiques” were confiscated. Their family was in ruins.
Now there was only one person who could save their family, only one person who could protect her son, and that person was Zhan Aiping.
At that moment, Zhan Aiping, whom she was thinking of, was on the phone with her younger brother, Zhan Mingzhao. She had wanted to call him earlier, but he had been unreachable. Now that she finally got through, Zhan Mingzhao was excitedly talking, “Sister, I can drive a tractor now. I’ve been helping the military transport things these days, and regular folks can’t even drive it. My skills are top-notch.”
Zhan Aiping replied, “That’s amazing, really amazing. My little brother can drive a tractor now, that’s so impressive.”
On the other end of the phone, Zhan Mingzhao was taken aback, “…”
While he admitted that he had a bit of a show-off and praise-seeking element in what he just said, in their family, getting cold water poured on them and receiving harsh criticism from the elders had become a habit. It wasn’t easy to hear a few kind words from family members.
If it weren’t for the genuine sound of her voice, he would have suspected that the person on the other end of the phone wasn’t his own sister.
Zhan Mingzhao said, “Sister, are you okay today? Your tone sounds a bit strange…”
Zhan Aiping replied, “As the older sister and like a mother, I just plan to give you some praise and education in the future. I want to praise my good little brother more.”
Zhan Mingzhao felt his scalp tingle and said, “… If you don’t know how to praise someone sincerely, it’s better not to praise at all. Your compliments sound insincere, more like sarcasm, and it’s giving me the creeps.”
There was a moment of silence on the phone between the two. Then Zhan Mingzhao spoke, “Sister, I wish you a happy wedding.”
“I really want to meet you and see my brother-in-law.”
Zhan Aiping smiled gently, “I’m sure I’ll introduce you to him, and maybe there will be some surprises.”
She planned to keep her marriage a secret from her younger brother for now and surprise him when she visited him in Yunnan Province after the New Year. She changed the topic and said, “After you went to the countryside, Gu Wugang came to see you.”
“Yeah, Gu Wu-ge also brought me a lot of things,” Zhan Mingzhao on the other end of the phone rubbed his nose.
As soon as he heard about Gu Sheng, Zhan Mingzhao couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Could it be that they had another falling out?
Zhan Aiping replied, “Well, at least he has a bit of a conscience.”
Zhan Mingzhao had a good relationship with Gu Sheng, and Zhan Aiping also got along well with Gu Liu Mei. When Zhan Aiping had a conflict with Gu Sheng, she would persuade his sister, and Gu Sheng would coax her brother. They both cared deeply about their siblings.
Despite being family, how could they not stand up for their own side?
This was a long-standing issue from their history.
“Jie, Gu Wuge (**fifth older brother, a nickname**) is actually a pretty decent person. You’re all grown up now, don’t dwell on the past. He’s reliable now. He’s a company commander and has even received commendations. He’s on the verge of becoming a battalion commander. In the future, he might even become a division or corps commander. As for you becoming a general, that’s out of the question, but he—”
Zhan Aiping interrupted, “Why do you praise him for becoming a general when he joins the army, but when it comes to me being a soldier, you complain so much? You keep calling him ‘Gu Wuge’ so affectionately. Are you part of the Zhan family or the Gu family? Are you my brother, Zhan Mingzhao, or his brother, Gu Sheng?”
“Of course, I’m your little brother.” Maybe it was because they hadn’t spoken in a long time, or maybe it was the distance that had softened their hearts. They had argued before Zhan Mingzhao went to the countryside, and they both felt guilty about it. They hadn’t contacted each other since, but now, in this phone call, they were able to have a heart-to-heart conversation.
“Being a soldier is tough. I don’t want you to go through that hardship, especially since you’re so competitive. You always want to be the best at everything and shoulder all responsibilities. As for Gu Wuge, I can talk about it from a comfortable position. He’s a general, he goes through hardships… Jie, you’re doing well in Shanghai. Stay there and continue teaching.”
“Jie, I never thought you’d leave the army. Although I’ve never liked you joining the military, when you actually leave, it feels… like you’re not my sister anymore.”
After all these years, thinking back to their shared history, Zhan Aiping smiled contentedly, “No matter what, I’m still your sister.”
“When you see me after the New Year, don’t be too surprised.”
Zhan Mingzhao blinked, “Jie, are you coming to visit me?”
Zhan Aiping smiled, “I’ll bring your brother-in-law to visit you too. When you see your brother-in-law, don’t get too shocked.”
“How scary can the new brother-in-law be?” Zhan Mingzhao didn’t expect his sister to tease him like this. “If we’re talking about being scary, it’s even scarier for Gu Wuge to become my brother-in-law.”
“Seriously, I used to think it would be nice if Gu Wuge became my brother-in-law.”
“You’re quite imaginative,” Zhan Aiping was curious. “Why did you want Gu Sheng to become your brother-in-law?”
“You, sis, only Gu Wuge can handle you.”
Zhan Aiping chuckled, “You’re overestimating him. I handle him, not the other way around.”
“You like to argue and be competitive, but in the end, it’s Gu Wuge who can keep up with you. Anyway, Gu Wuge can never be my brother-in-law for real.”
“What if he actually becomes your brother-in-law?”
Zhan Mingzhao chuckled, “Then I’ll go join the army.”
It was precisely to avoid joining the army that he chose to go to the countryside as a “sent-down youth.”
Both of these scenarios were as improbable as “Snow in June.”
Zhan Aiping said, “…Don’t be too sure about that.”
After hanging up the phone, Zhan Aiping felt a mixture of amusement and frustration. Even her own younger brother couldn’t imagine her marrying Gu Sheng. Not to mention her younger brother, there was also Gu’s little sister, Gu Liumei.
Zhan Aiping had a bit of a headache.
Gu Liumei used to admire her, she was like her little follower. Zhan Aiping had taken care of her and even convinced her to call Gu Sheng “Big Sister” when they were kids. Now, one day, she would become her sister-in-law…
It all felt a bit surreal.
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