The first watch of the night has arrived.

--------------

Truth be told, Chuxia’s family should be considered on the in-law side of Luo Xiaoqiong’s family, after all, Zhao Yulan and Zhao Yushan are siblings, but given the relationship between Chuxia and Luo Xiaoqiong, plus the friendship between Zhao Yulan, Lin Baohe, and Fat Auntie with Luo Gangshun, saying Chuxia’s family is like her natal family isn’t too far off.

It’s not necessarily about distinguishing closeness or distance, but because both families’ elders came from their hometown for this, they had to discuss where the bride would officially leave from. Upholding the tradition of the groom’s side giving way to the bride’s, Zhao Yushan and Li Aiyuan agreed to let the sister’s family act as the bride’s natal family.

Luo Gangshun and Fat Auntie apologized profusely and ultimately acceded to the decision, which also dissolved any lingering reluctance in Fat Auntie’s heart.

The Zhao family truly considers everything for their daughter. Therefore, she couldn’t selfishly plan only for her daughter without considering the son-in-law’s potential risks. Giving the Zhao family a new baby was necessary.

Being straightforward by nature, once she made up her mind, she immediately found her daughter and seriously instructed her to quickly give the Zhao family a child...

Luo Xiaoqiong’s face turned bright red, truly at a loss for words. Just moments earlier, she was secretly blaming her for not planning for her and subtly hinting at delaying having a child. Now she was suddenly urging her to have one. What’s real and what’s not?

"Mom didn’t want you to have a child so early initially because she didn’t want you to..." ahem, Fat Auntie waved her hand, "Forget it, why talk about inauspicious things on this happy occasion? Either way, having the next generation early will make your husband’s side very happy, and your dad and I will be very happy too."

Chuxia gave her a sideways glance, "Mom changed her mind because my parents-in-law agreed to let us start from the Zhou family, right?"

"Yes." Fat Auntie admitted frankly, "That’s indeed the main reason, but not the only reason. In the past few days of arranging the wedding, your in-laws have prioritized everything for us. I’m not someone who doesn’t reciprocate. When they’re all in for us, we can’t play tricks, can we?"

"I didn’t intend to play tricks..." Seeing her mother about to get mad, Luo Xiaoqiong quickly said, "Of course, I know you’re doing this for my good. But my relationship with Zhao Qiliang is not like those simple matchmaking meetings. I have genuine feelings for him, which is why I want to marry early. Otherwise, I would’ve listened to you, and none of what you were worried about would exist, right?"

"You silly girl, you were just fooling me before, weren’t you?" Fat Auntie poked her daughter’s forehead, "I really took myself seriously, even took you aside to give you advice. And here you are, digging a hole for your mom! You’re really my good daughter!"

"Mom..." Luo Xiaoqiong smiled in a pleasing manner, "Why would I dig a hole for you? Rest assured, even after I get married, I will still be as close to you as before, honoring you.

Your and dad’s place in my heart hasn’t changed at all. My in-laws treat me well, and I will honor them as I honor my parents, but they can’t compare to you."

"You think saying that makes me happy?" Fat Auntie gave her a side glance, "If you already think your in-laws are more important than your parents, then raising you as a daughter was for nothing, hmph!"

"Mom, weren’t you just happy, and now why are you so angry?" Luo Xiaoqiong said as she glanced towards the door, "Looks like my mother-in-law is coming out. If she sees your face, she might think you’re putting on a happy front but actually don’t want me to get married."

Fat Auntie quickly rubbed her cheeks, put on a smile, and looked towards the door... "You silly girl!" The doorway was empty, not a single person in sight. Deceived by her own daughter, Fat Auntie instantly went berserk again...

Though they made a fuss outside, the mother and daughter came back inside beaming with joy, looking jubilant. Chuxia pulled Luo Xiaoqiong aside and asked quietly, "Has Fat Auntie really figured it all out now?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"You’re so smart!" Luo Xiaoqiong gave Chuxia a thumbs-up, "You guessed it right on the spot."

"Because you’re counting our family as your natal family?"

"Exactly!"

Chuxia smiled, "When Fat Auntie took you out, I told my mom it must be that uncle and aunt’s actions touched her, specifically advising you on how to be a good daughter-in-law."

"My mom is just that straightforward. She says what she thinks and wears everything on her face. I guess..." Luo Xiaoqiong scratched her head in embarrassment, "I guess your uncle and aunt have realized it too."

"That’s okay. They did it so that Fat Auntie and Uncle Gangshun could see their sincerity. Not to hide from you, because you took the initiative to get married, my aunt is extremely grateful to you.

She told my mom yesterday that in the future, they will treat you as their own daughter with no less affection, and said that if the two of you ever have a conflict, regardless of who is at fault, they will put all the blame entirely on my brother."

Xiaoqiong, yesterday you said that after I married Zhou Mikang he would be utterly devoted to me, but now, besides my brother being utterly devoted to you, your father-in-law and mother-in-law are also utterly devoted to you.

I guess my grandma and grandpa think the same, that you can completely relax at our house now. Wow, it’s like the treatment of an empress!"

"Actually..." Xiaoqiong hesitated slightly, then looked at Chuxia, "Actually, I don’t intend for it to be like this. I truly want to marry Zhao Qiliang, so that he has a reason to care as he leaves.

But I don’t want the husband’s family feeling indebted to me over this, treating me as a priority when getting along with me. After all, I’m the younger one, and it makes me feel a lot of pressure."

"That’s also true..." Chuxia thought for a moment, then said, "But you don’t need to overthink it. Ultimately, their attitude will depend on yours. You can wait to talk about these things once you’ve married into Zhao’s house and spent some time there. You can honestly tell them your feelings.

My grandma, grandpa, and eldest uncle and aunt are open-minded people. They will definitely understand your thoughts and make your relationship very comfortable."

"You’ll need to help me with this."

"Alright, I’ll convey your feelings to them too..." Chuxia smiled as she hugged her, "How could I not follow my sister-in-law’s instructions?"

"You’re impossible!" Luo Xiaoqiong rolled her eyes at her, coincidentally seeing Liu Lianbao blushing while talking to Zhao Qihui, and tugged on Chuxia’s arm, indicating for her to look.

"Okay, let them be, let’s not get involved in this matter." Chuxia said as she forcibly pulled Luo Xiaoqiong away from the two of them. Ever since Luo Xiaoqiong mentioned this yesterday, Chuxia had been observing. Liu Lianbao indeed had feelings for Zhao Qihui, strong feelings, but Zhao Qihui seemed polite but not close, likely not having any feelings for Liu Lianbao.

So she thought, for future interactions with Liu Lianbao to be more natural, they should actively distance themselves now and pretend they don’t know anything.

Though she intended to keep her distance, unexpectedly, Zhou Mikang came to ask her about it in the evening: "Do you know what’s going on between Zhao Qihui and Commander Liu?"

"What do you mean?" Chuxia looked puzzled at Zhou Mikang, "Why did this come to your ears? Did Commander Liu find you, or did you hear it from someone?"

"Zhou Hanliang specifically told me about it, saying Liu Lianbao fancies your sister and goes to help every day. He also said he gave Liu Lianbao two days off purposely to help him have something to look forward to."

Chuxia suddenly realized, earlier she was puzzled why Luo Hongqi only took half a day off to help at his sister’s wedding, while Liu Lianbao could stay there every day. Turns out someone made it convenient for him...

"I guess my sister isn’t interested, but I haven’t asked her about it," Chuxia said.

"If she’s not interested, don’t let Zhou Hanliang interfere blindly. He ran over like he’s made a big contribution and told me about it, and I actually believed him..." Zhou Mikang paused, then added, "That said, Liu Lianbao is a good man and a good soldier. If he really could be together with your sister, it would be a pretty good choice."

"Why are all of you thinking of him? What’s the reason?" Chuxia looked at him disapprovingly, "Not to mention anything else, the fact that he liked Zhong Hongying initially made me think his judgment is average."

"You can’t say it like that; men view women differently than women view women. Luo Hongqi was also mesmerized by Zhong Hongying at first, wasn’t he? If given enough time together, once they see each other’s true nature, they’ll surely make the right choices."

After some pondering, Chuxia said, "Did Liu Lianbao perform outstandingly on the battlefield?"

"It’s not just outstanding; he’s downright fearless. Zhou Hanliang is so eager to find him a tether, hoping that on future missions he’ll at least be a bit more cautious with his life.

During this mission, he also performed the best. If not for his lack of seniority, he could have been promoted by another level. Overall, his future prospects are quite favorable.

You might want to test Zhao Qihui’s attitude, and share Liu Lianbao’s achievements and qualities with her. If she’s interested, let them develop things further; if not, just leave it.

This isn’t forcing anything; after all, Zhao Qihui is still single. If nobody mentions this, even if she has some interest, she might feel embarrassed to bring it up, right?"

"Got it, if you want to put a Golden Hoop Spell on your beloved soldier, just say so..." Chuxia rolled her eyes at him, "Why bother coming up with so many fancy reasons? If you keep playing mind games with me, I’ll fall out with you."

"I’ve been straightforward enough, how can that be roundabout?" Zhou Mikang chuckled, looking at his young wife, "Didn’t you say you felt your previous attitude towards me wasn’t gentle enough and wanted to change? It’s not even been a day since you changed, are you planning to revert already?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)