Asking for an Exorbitant Price
“Uncle? Uncle?!”
Guobaorou and Little Tangyuan both remembered their little uncle, but the pale and glowing version of him standing before them felt completely unfamiliar.
Little Tangyuan tilted her head, her big, dark eyes shimmering with curiosity. She stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to get a better look at her uncle before turning to her brother.
“Brother?”
She realized something shocking—her uncle and her brother looked alike!
Was it that her uncle looked like her brother? Or that her brother looked like her uncle?
Would her brother grow up to look like her uncle?!
“Brother, you’re so white…”
Zhan Aiping’s expression turned blank. She suddenly noticed that her son was actually fairer than her daughter.
Little Tangyuan was naturally more energetic and playful, always running around the yard and playing outside, which had tanned her skin slightly. Meanwhile, Guobaorou was more reserved—proud, composed, and acting like a little adult. He disliked “silly kids’ games” like running and chasing, which meant he hadn’t tanned as much.
“Mommy!”
Little Guobaorou threw himself into his mother’s arms, suddenly filled with worry. With a troubled tone, he said, “Mommy, I want to be like Daddy.”
He hugged his mother’s neck and buried his face against her before looking up at her with serious eyes.
He wanted to be tall and strong like Daddy—a powerful, commanding man who stood tall and proud.
Not someone pale and delicate like his uncle.
Zhan Mingzhao: “…Are my niece and nephew rejecting me now?”
Why did it feel like they were disgusted by him?
Zhan Aiping twitched at the corners of her mouth. “Your uncle pulled off the ultimate transformation, and these two little ones don’t even recognize him.”
“You look like a completely different person—how did you get this pale?”
Zhan Mingzhao: “…”
Gu Sheng smirked. “Well, this is exactly the type my sister likes.”
____
Zhan Mingzhao’s sudden transformation was shocking enough, but when the Gu siblings saw their aunt, they were completely stunned.
Even she looked different!
Gu Xiangyi had chopped her hair into a short, practical military cut before the New Year. She had also tanned a lot, and because of it, her baby fat had disappeared. Her jawline was now sharp and well-defined, giving her the strong, cool appearance of a real military woman.
—That was, until she opened her mouth.
The moment she spoke, her entire image shattered.
“Ahhhh! Zhan Xiao’er! How did you turn into this?!”
Gu Xiangyi was shocked.
The handsome little pretty boy standing in front of her was nothing like the Zhan Mingzhao she used to know.
He was way too good-looking!
“I was such an idiot before! My eyesight must have been terrible! If I had known you’d turn out this good-looking, I would have clung to you as a kid and never let go!”
Her eyes sparkled with admiration. Forget Wu the doctor or Liu the doctor—none of them could compare to the stunning man standing in front of her.
Just this face alone—she could stare at it for a lifetime without getting bored.
Zhan Mingzhao was momentarily speechless. “…I also didn’t expect you to look so dashing.”
It was truly strange.
After getting a tan and cutting her hair, Gu Xiangyi, dressed in military uniform, actually looked even sharper than Zhan Aiping.
While Aiping was undeniably beautiful, her features had a natural charm that softened her sharpness. In contrast, Gu Xiangyi’s brows carried an unmistakable fierceness.
“Of course, that’s only if you don’t speak.”
Gu Xiangyi instinctively took a step back and covered her mouth. “Then I won’t say anything.”
Since her transformation, she had mysteriously gained a ton of respect.
People saw her as the perfect example of a disciplined female soldier—someone who was not to be messed with.
Male officers and soldiers in the hospital suddenly became extremely polite around her, treating her as if she were a high-ranking officer instead of a nurse.
No one wanted to accidentally provoke her.
_____
The two of them stood there, staring at each other in stunned silence.
Meanwhile, Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng, being excellent older siblings, did not intrude on their little romance.
Instead, they took Guobaorou and Little Tangyuan outside to water the flowers and play with Zongzi.
More accurately, Gu Sheng was entertaining the kids and training Zongzi—giving commands, making him sit, shake hands, and even play fetch with a frisbee.
Meanwhile, Zhan Aiping was pruning the roses and Chinese roses in the garden.
Since they would be leaving for her in-laws’ house to celebrate the New Year, they would be away for a while. But since the flowers were planted directly in the ground, they didn’t need much care—they would survive on their own.
She clipped the flower stems, preventing them from blooming for the next month or two. By the time spring arrived, the whole yard would be bursting with flowers.
“Leave it, wife. I’ll clean it up.”
Gu Sheng walked over and started gathering the trimmed branches. Roses and Chinese roses had thorns, and it was easy to get pricked.
Zhan Aiping nodded and smiled slightly. “Alright, you handle it.”
She fully trusted her husband to take care of it.
She glanced up at him—his tanned skin, muscular arms, and sharp, handsome features. Yet, when he spoke to her, his eyes always carried a touch of warmth.
She knew how terrifying he was when training soldiers in his regiment.
Back when she was working at the military hospital, countless people had come to her to complain about him.
But at home, in front of his wife and children, he was calm, patient, and never raised his voice.
Regiment Commander Luo had once called him a two-faced man.
—The only person in the world he feared was his wife.
Commander Luo had even tried to egg him on. “How come you never argue with your wife?”
Gu Sheng had simply turned the question around.
“How come you never argue with yours?”
Regiment Commander Luo: “…”
“You always say my wife is virtuous. Well, she is virtuous, so why would I argue with her?”
Commander Luo felt suffocated.
Right now, Gu Sheng and his family were all outside in the courtyard, but strangely enough, Commander Luo himself didn’t come out. Instead, his wife, Zhang Lirong, stepped outside and took the initiative to speak to them.
Since giving birth, Zhang Lirong had gained some weight and become noticeably plumper. Staying indoors during her postpartum confinement had also made her fairer. She had been drinking all kinds of nourishing soups and broths—she refused to let herself suffer.
She called out loudly, “Why is the whole family outside? Doctor Zhan, didn’t your brother come over?”
Zhang Lirong glanced at Zhan Aiping’s youthful and beautiful face, then at her incredibly handsome husband, and felt her blood pressure spike.
Comparisons really are infuriating.
They were both regiment commander’s wives, but look at the difference! How old was Commander Luo? And how old was Gu Sheng?
On top of that, Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng were each other’s first marriage, childhood sweethearts. They already had two kids—a son and a daughter, perfect twins.
Why did all the good things seem to land in her lap?!
Zhang Lirong felt stifled.
She was someone who loved showing off, but she couldn’t find a single thing to flaunt in front of her neighbours.
That was why she had always avoided interacting with the Gu family. She simply couldn’t stand people who lived better than she did.
She had convinced herself that out of sight was out of mind. She wouldn’t interact, she wouldn’t talk, she wouldn’t acknowledge their existence.
But no matter how much she ignored them, she couldn’t erase their presence.
As long as that couple next door remained happily married, she never had a chance to step out and flaunt anything.
Because of Zhan Aiping’s existence, Zhang Lirong’s marriage wasn’t admired—it was a joke.
In ancient times, King Goujian endured hardship to take revenge.
**Nomad: King Goujian of Yue was an ancient Chinese ruler who, after being defeated and humiliated by the State of Wu, endured years of hardship while secretly rebuilding his strength. He later took revenge, defeated Wu, and restored Yue’s power, becoming a symbol of perseverance and strategic patience.**
In modern times, Zhang Lirong had spent years patiently waiting for her neighbours’ marriage to fall apart.
She didn’t believe in so-called “true love” between couples. No matter how good a marriage was, it would eventually be worn down by the trivialities of life.
And men? There wasn’t a single good man in this world.
Sure, Gu Sheng could play the role of a loving husband for three years, but could he do it for a lifetime?
Impossible.
Men always lost interest in their wives as they aged.
It was only a matter of time before Commander Gu got tired of his wife and set his sights on another young, beautiful woman.
There were plenty of pretty young nurses at the hospital.
Men always preferred youth and beauty.
Infidelity was inevitable.
Unfortunately, their family had been living next door for over half a year, and no matter how long she waited, she still hadn’t seen them fight or even argue about divorce.
Zhang Lirong gritted her teeth.
When she heard that Zhan Aiping’s younger brother had come to visit, she decided it was time to take action.
If her maternal family was here, there had to be drama.
Surely, some petty squabbles would surface?
“Doctor Zhan, your brother’s here? Is he dating someone? Is he getting married soon?”
She fired off questions like a machine gun.
Zhan Aiping answered, “He probably has a girlfriend.”
Zhang Lirong’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Perfect.
She smiled even more deeply. “Then it’s time to start discussing the wedding, right? Doctor Zhan, you only have this one younger brother. As his big sister, you must have had a tough time. And I’m sure he’s struggled as well…”
She knew about Zhan Aiping’s family situation.
Her birth mother was a martyr. She had a stepmother. Her biological mother had been gone for over ten years now.
Zhan Aiping only had Zhan Mingzhao as her full-blooded sibling.
Zhan Aiping simply waited, watching her with amusement.
What exactl was Zhang Lirong trying to pull today?
Zhang Lirong continued, “Your brother’s getting married soon, right? How much are you contributing as his big sister? As his older sister and brother-in-law, you should help him out more! He’s your only brother—surely you’re not stingy about his wedding expenses?”
After saying this, Zhang Lirong glanced at Gu Sheng, her heart bubbling with glee.
—What man would be happy about his wife spending his money on her younger brother?
“These days, girls are picky,” Zhang Lirong went on. “They need multiple sets of brand-new clothes. Marriage is one of the biggest events in life. As the big sister, you must make sure the wedding is done properly and beautifully.”
Zhan Aiping shrugged. “That’s up to them.”
Zhang Lirong intentionally provoked her. “Listen to yourself! What do you mean, ‘that’s up to them’? Could it be that you’re unwilling to help out? You’re just going to stand by and do nothing? Your husband is a regiment commander now—your family is well-off! If you don’t contribute generously to your brother’s wedding, how will his bride’s family see him?”
Gu Sheng, completely unfazed, said, “They haven’t even set a date yet.”
Hearing this, Zhang Lirong’s eyes sparkled.
Look at that!
Commander Gu wasn’t willing to shell out money for his wife’s brother’s wedding.
Men were all stingy when it came to their wives’ families!
She pressed on, turning to Zhan Aiping. “Doctor Zhan, you and your husband are really being unhelpful. Your brother is already dating, yet your husband is acting like it’s nothing? How can he deny his responsibility?”
Zhan Aiping touched her nose. “If my brother is getting married, that makes me part of the groom’s family. I’m in no position to say much.”
She had never been a big sister-in-law before!
Their situation was too awkward—one of them was the bride’s family, the other was the groom’s family.
Gu Sheng smirked. “Whatever my wife says goes.”
Zhang Lirong: “…”
“Can you two be a little more practical? How much are you actually giving? ‘Three-turns-one-sound’—what’s your budget? We need a reference.”
“Your husband is a regiment commander, after all. He can’t be stingy.”
“Doctor Zhan, this is your only younger brother. If youdon’t take care of him, who will?”
Zhan Aiping said casually, “Of course I’ll take care of my brother. As for how much… that depends on his fiancée’s brother.”
Zhang Lirong chuckled mockingly. “What if your brother-in-law demands an outrageous amount? You’d still agree?”
Zhan Aiping smirked. “If my brother-in-law dares to open his mouth too wide, I’ll beat him up.”
Zhang Lirong: “…?”
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