After returning home, Zhang Yaqin grew increasingly uneasy and decided to call her husband’s office.
But it was his bodyguard who answered the phone.
Upon learning that General Yu was attending a meeting at the General Military Headquarters and wouldn’t be back anytime soon, Zhang Yaqin had no choice but to hang up.
She ended up waiting for more than three hours.
Around six in the evening, as General Yu Changqing’s car pulled into the residential compound, he encountered several elderly gentlemen holding red invitations.
He was about to ask whose celebration it was.
But his bodyguard interrupted, and the question slipped his mind.
Hearing that his wife had made several calls to his office that afternoon, Yu Changqing felt a bit puzzled.
As soon as he got home, he put down his briefcase and asked, “I heard from the bodyguard that you called several times this afternoon. What’s going on?”
“Old Yu, it’s not good,” Zhang Yaqin said, quickly recounting what she had witnessed earlier that day.
“Last time, you lost to Huo Zhendong by just a narrow margin.”
“If he beats you again this time, our family will never have a chance to rise above!”
Though they both held the rank of full general and received the same benefits, the difference was that Old Yu lacked real power!
Hearing this, Yu Changqing frowned. “Where did you hear this from?”
“Do you even need to ask? The whole compound is buzzing with the news,” Zhang Yaqin sighed.
Because she had managed to get in touch with someone, she was restless and went out for a walk that afternoon.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Yue Ling, Huo’s mother, being surrounded by a group of people as they walked toward the auditorium.
From a distance, Zhang Yaqin couldn’t catch what they were saying.
But Yue Ling’s face was practically beaming with joy.
She vaguely heard words like “congratulations.”
She was sure Yue Ling saw her too, but instead of greeting her, Yue Ling just rolled her eyes!
Zhang Yaqin fumed, “Didn’t you see the looks on their faces? Ugh! They’re all fair-weather friends.”
“And Yue Ling, of all people! How old is she now, yet she still dared to glare at me…”
“Enough, it’s all nonsense. Why are you overthinking things?”
“Nonsense?” Zhang Yaqin sat up straight with a start. “Old Yu, you’re not just saying that to cheer me up, are you?”
“I have no reason to lie to you,” Yu Changqing said, pressing his temples and lowering his voice. “The year’s almost over, and the north is in such chaos right now. Who would have the heart to care about this kind of thing?”
Then, as if recalling something, he asked, “Has anyone in the compound been planning a celebration recently?”
A celebration?
Zhang Yaqin thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I haven’t heard of anyone.”
Seeing the troubled look on her husband’s face, she was puzzled.
“No matter who it is, they’ll definitely send out invitations. Maybe you’ve just been too busy lately?”
“If you don’t have time, I can go myself. It’s just a matter of bringing a gift.”
Yu Changqing felt that things were more complicated than they appeared.
If he wasn’t mistaken, those elderly gentlemen he saw earlier usually socialized quite a bit with Old Master Huo.
Could it be the Huo family?
With that thought, he immediately called over his bodyguard.
“Go to the compound and find out what’s going on.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard moved quickly, returning in about ten minutes.
“Commander, it’s the Huo Family.”
“They’ve scheduled a banquet in the community hall of the residential compound for New Year’s Day.”
“Quite a few families in the compound have already received their invitations…”
After hesitating for a moment, the guard reported the information truthfully.
“It seems that among families of the same standing, you’re the only one who hasn’t received an invitation.”
This outcome caught Yu Changqing completely off guard.
“The others all got invitations, but ours didn’t? Are you sure?”
The guard: “Yes, sir.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yaqin instantly exploded with anger. “What’s the Huo Family playing at? Is this some kind of warning to us?”
It wasn’t surprising that Zhang Yaqin was upset. No matter how fierce the rivalry between the two families had been, matters of face were usually handled with some restraint.
After all, they all lived in the same compound, constantly crossing paths.
Yu Changqing knew this well, which was why he sensed something was amiss.
After a moment of thought, he told the guard to leave first.
Once the door was closed, he turned to Zhang Yaqin with a stern expression.
“Be honest with me. You haven’t been provoking the Huo Family recently, have you?”
“I…”
Facing her husband’s grim face, Zhang Yaqin found it hard to argue back with confidence.
“I didn’t say much, just… I mentioned that their daughter-in-law, Sun, is the daughter of a capitalist family.”
“I knew it was you!”
Yu Changqing’s chest heaved with anger. “How many times have I told you to stop gossiping about others behind their backs?”
“I’m not making things up. She really is from a capitalist family.”
Zhang Yaqin didn’t think she was wrong. “Her background is bad, so what? We can’t talk about it?”
“Besides, I’m just trying to help you.”
It was strange how the Huo Family thought. Among the four daughters-in-law they had chosen, apart from being good-looking, none of them had an impressive family background or social standing.
Seeing her belittle the Huo daughters-in-law, Yu Changqing couldn’t help but interrupt.
“The second son’s wife works at the city’s sports bureau. She’s already a section chief at a young age and plays excellent table tennis.”
Zhang Yaqin was about to say “playing around like that is a waste of time,” but her husband shot her a sharp glare.
Yu Changqing snapped, “Haven’t you noticed how the government has been pushing sports development these past couple of years?”
“Especially table tennis. How much investment has been poured into it?”
“Do you think the authorities would make such a big investment if they didn’t have long-term plans?”
“Then there’s the fourth son’s wife—she’s a dedicated researcher. Do you think she got into the Chinese Academy of Sciences because of the Huo Family?”
“The third son’s wife looks delicate and is also from a capitalist family, but she’s incredibly capable.”
Although Yu Changqing didn’t know much about her, someone who earned praise from both the public security and national security agencies couldn’t be mediocre.
As for the eldest son of the Huo Family who had gone missing—
He managed to establish himself in the border province, climbing the ranks step by step. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was exceptionally talented.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yaqin curled her lips. “No matter how capable she is, what use is that? She’s still just a capitalist’s daughter.”
“Changqing, the authorities are cracking down hard right now. Why don’t we write a denunciation letter too?”
“Just to give them a thorough investigation into their family, what do you think?”
What else could she think?
Yu Changqing was about to lose his temper. “You, with your long hair and short sight, what do you know?”
“You only know she’s a capitalist’s daughter, but do you understand their family’s situation?”
“Do you know how much they’ve donated to the country, how much money they’ve given?”
“That’s a ‘red capitalist’—a title personally endorsed by the leaders, someone who’s even stood on the city tower and been received by them!”
“Do you really think a few light words and a denunciation letter could bring them down?”
“That’s just wishful thinking! Nonsense!”
“If it were that easy, the Su Family wouldn’t still be standing…”
The Su Family?
Zhang Yaqin blinked in confusion. “What does that have to do with the Su Family?”
“Nothing.”
Yu Changqing’s face darkened as he changed the subject, as if something had crossed his mind.
“Get some things ready. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go with you to the Huo Family.”
“To the Huo Family? What for?”
Zhang Yaqin asked, but deep down, she already had a rough idea.
Sure enough, just as the thought crossed her mind, Yu Changqing said, “What else could it be? If you weren’t going to do those things, would I need to clean up this mess for you?”
Zhang Yaqin hadn’t even opened her mouth to reply.
Yu Changqing continued, “I’ve already arranged for Manli’s military registration to be transferred back to the Capital City. Tomorrow morning, you call her and tell her to pack up. She has to be in the Capital by the fifth.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yaqin’s mood finally lightened a bit.
Her youngest daughter hadn’t even given her a heads-up before signing up to go to Qiongzhou Island.
Even though her eldest son was there, she still didn’t feel at ease.
But Zhang Yaqin didn’t understand, “Old Yu, why must she be in the Capital by the fifth? Is there something going on?”
Yu Changqing was silent for a moment. “A marriage alliance.”
There was a deeper reason behind it, but at the moment, he wasn’t sure if it would work out.
If it did, it might kill two birds with one stone.
Zhang Yaqin wasn’t interested in those details. She asked three questions in a row.
“Whose family is it?”
“What’s the child like?”
“And such a big matter—why didn’t you discuss it with me?”
Yu Changqing told her everything he could. Finally, he said, “It’s not yet time to burn bridges with the Huo Family. For now, you’ll have to swallow your pride and accept this apology tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, Zhang Yaqin had no choice. Just as Old Yu said, now was not the time.
That night, she prepared everything.
The next day happened to be Sunday. Early in the morning, the couple set off with their things to the Huo Family.
When they arrived, Huo Tingzhou was just about to leave.
The few of them bumped into each other right at the Huo Family’s front gate.
The matter of the Yu Family secretly buying those shoes for Jiang Si had already been discussed by the patriarch with everyone the night before.
So Huo Tingzhou didn’t even bother to show them any kindness.
As they brushed past him, Yu Changqing suddenly stumbled for some unknown reason.
If it weren’t for Zhang Yaqin giving him a hand, he would have definitely taken a nasty fall.
“This kid really has no manners!”
Luckily, her daughter Manli doesn’t like him. Otherwise, if a guy like this became her son-in-law, she’d be furious!
Zhang Yaqin thought she was speaking quietly, but Huo Tingzhou still heard every word.
He turned around and cast a cold glance at the two of them.
“People with manners don’t talk behind others’ backs.”
“Out of respect for your age, I’ll let it slide this time. But if there’s a next time, it won’t just be a simple embarrassing fall.”
Just then, Jiang Si arrived and happened to catch that last remark.
Wow, it’s rare to see her man stand up and talk back like that!
The weather was cold, so she wasn’t rolling up her sleeves, but when it came to protecting the people she cared about, she was all in.
“Azou, who are these two?”
