"The Commander was held up by the Su family."
"The Su family?"
Guard Chen nodded, his expression equally complicated.
"This morning, Old Lady Su took the other branches of the Su family to the old residence."
"They made a scene outside the family compound for hours. The Commander was so entangled he couldn’t break free."
Hearing this, Mother Huo wasn’t the least bit surprised.
Over the years, only the branch led by Old Man Su had managed to thrive.
If Old Man Su fell, the other branches would inevitably suffer.
So, no matter how reluctant they were, they had no choice but to hold their noses and come to rescue him.
As for her in-laws, Mother Huo neither understood them nor cared to comment.
But the Su family had crossed a line—they should never have laid a hand on the person Old Third held dearest in his heart!
Mother Huo only learned later that when Old Third was found and brought home, he had been severely injured.
For the first three years, he could barely string together a complete sentence. It wasn’t until her daughter-in-law was born that he began babbling after her, slowly learning to speak again.
To Old Third, his daughter-in-law wasn’t just his childhood sweetheart—she was the light of his life!
Harming her was no different from carving out his heart.
And as her precious daughter-in-law had rightly pointed out yesterday, when the Su family acted, didn’t they know she was the Huo Family’s daughter-in-law?
Didn’t they realize the consequences a single anonymous report could bring in these times?
No, they knew.
Yet they did it anyway.
To claim the Su family had no ulterior motives—who would believe that?
Mother Huo was no fool. Having managed the Huo Family for so many years, she never took things at face value.
In her opinion, the Su family’s actions weren’t just about rescuing their youngest daughter.
They likely aimed to use this opportunity to suppress the third branch and pave the way for the Eldest Son.
After all, a son-in-law was half a son. If the Huo Family fell into the Eldest Son’s hands, the Su family would rise along with him!
The more Mother Huo thought about it, the angrier she became. Back then, if not for the Eldest Son’s stubborn insistence on marrying into that family, she would never have agreed to such an alliance.
But now that grandchildren were involved, there was no point dwelling on it.
"What did the Commander say?" Mother Huo asked.
Knowing her husband, she was sure Father Huo had other plans in motion.
Sure enough, after loading their luggage into the trunk, Guard Chen replied,
"The Commander said he’ll handle the Su family and not to worry."
"Also, the house in the Western Hills compound has been prepared since this morning."
"The Commander suggests you both stay there for now and return to the old residence over the weekend."
The Capital City’s military headquarters was located in the Western Hills compound. Given Father Huo’s rank, the authorities had assigned him a standalone two-story house. Though not as prestigious as the old residence, it was peaceful and conveniently located.
Mother Huo was thoroughly pleased with this arrangement.
She hadn’t traveled all this way to bring her daughter-in-law back just to let her suffer.
"Staying in the Western Hills compound is perfect. I’ll take you around the Capital City in the next few days."
"Alright," Jiang Si replied with a smile.
She had visited the capital often in later years, but this was her first time seeing it in the late 1960s. She was eager to explore.
The drive from the airport to the Western Hills compound crossed the entire city, and it was already past three in the afternoon when they arrived at the military headquarters gate.
After registering at the entrance, the car drove straight into the family compound, stopping in front of a two-story gray-brown house.
The moment they stepped out, Mother Huo spotted two familiar figures.
"Mom, Dad, weren’t you supposed to be recuperating in Daihe? When did you return?"
"We just got back this morning," Grandma Huo said before eagerly taking her granddaughter-in-law’s hand.
Honestly, with Jiang Si here, what was the point of recuperating?
If not for the hassle of dealing with the Eldest Son’s branch, they wouldn’t have left in the first place.
"Jiang Si, you must be exhausted from the trip."
She looked thinner than the last time they met.
Jiang Si shook her head with a smile. "Grandma, I’m fine."
Noticing Old Master watching them eagerly, she sweetly added, "Grandpa."
The affectionate address melted the old couple’s hearts.
Just then, neighbors began stepping out, drawn by the commotion.
Seeing the Huo elders fussing over a lovely young woman, curiosity grew.
Remembering something, Mother Huo retrieved several bags of wedding candies from the car.
"Mom, Dad, wait a moment. I’ll introduce Jiang Si to the neighbors."
The old couple exchanged glances. Though surprised, they said nothing.
Once the two women were out of earshot, Grandma Huo sighed.
"Do you think our daughter-in-law has new plans?"
"Of the children, the Eldest Son is decisive but arrogant and overly ambitious."
"Old Second is honest and cautious—a good boy, but too conservative, lacking boldness."
"Old Fourth is irrelevant; he never had such ambitions."
"Only Old Third has the iron resolve a leader needs, along with the magnanimity to tolerate others."
"Only under him can the Huo Family rise further."
Old Master knew this all too well.
But would Old Third even agree to shoulder the family’s responsibilities?
Seeing his troubled expression, Grandma Huo guessed his thoughts but wasn’t worried.
"Just because he refused before doesn’t mean he will now."
"His opinion doesn’t matter—what matters is Girl Si’s stance."
She gazed admiringly at Jiang Si.
Just her poise and grace in handling people were things the Eldest Son’s wife could never match.
"Let’s go reheat the dishes."
Old Master nodded. "I’ll boil the dumplings."
Meanwhile, Jiang Si and Mother Huo made rounds through the compound.
Residents here held ranks similar to Father Huo’s. In just this short walk, Jiang Si met wives of ministers, generals, and political commissars.
These women were sharp. Seeing Mother Huo’s attentiveness, they quickly grasped the situation.
Compliments flowed effortlessly—"What a blessed mother-in-law," "This daughter-in-law is clearly a treasure."
Amid the lively chatter, Mother Huo smiled, satisfied.
"Alright, alright, we’ve delivered the wedding candies, so we’ll head back now. We’ll catch up properly another day when we have time."
Back at home, steaming hot dishes and plump, round dumplings were already laid out on the table. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Huo Family knew Jiang Si loved yellow fish wontons, so Grandma Huo had specifically instructed Guard Chen to head to the West Market fish stalls early that morning to fetch freshly caught yellow croakers.
The filling was prepared by her, while the dough was rolled out by the Old Master.
The elderly couple had been busy since lunchtime, working all the way until now.
It had to be said—the Huo Family truly had a knack for cooking. Jiang Si accidentally overate again, stuffing herself until she was full.
Perhaps it was the carbs making her drowsy, but as soon as the meal ended, Jiang Si could barely keep her eyes open.
Under the urging of Grandma Huo and Mother Huo, she finally made her way upstairs.
The bedding in the room had been freshly changed, and the quilts had been sunned for over two hours at noon.
Jiang Si had barely lain down for five minutes before she drifted into a light, peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Huo Family had descended into utter chaos.
