Chapter 21 - 21 21 Got it Wrong

Words : 1287 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

21: Chapter 21: Got it Wrong 21: Chapter 21: Got it Wrong “Little comrade...” The middle-aged soldier took a step forward, blocking in front of Chuxia and the young soldier. Before he could speak, Chuxia rudely interjected, “Are you his nanny?” In this era, being a soldier was supremely honorable. No matter where they went, they generally received looks of admiration, respect, and envy... But right now, this frail young girl, with her neck stretched and her little face flushed red, her eyes watery with grievance... was clearly genuinely angry. It was just a small bump; was it really necessary? The smile on the middle-aged soldier’s face noticeably faded. “Little comrade...” “Could it be that he is mute?” Chuxia once again challenged the middle-aged soldier’s patience. Well, normally she wasn’t one to fuss over things, but who could blame her when they had just happened to catch her in a bad mood today? “What do you want?” the young soldier finally spoke up. A flash of surprise passed through the middle-aged soldier’s eyes, which Chuxia caught squarely. From this, she deduced that the young soldier’s rank was higher than the middle-aged soldier’s and also that the young soldier probably had a bad temper! A bad temper... Glancing at the other’s tall, well-built figure, then at her own petite frame, Chuxia felt a bit nervous. But in a moment, the little head that had hung low defiantly lifted again. What was there to fear? The People’s Army was here to serve the people; would they dare to hit her? The emboldened Chuxia stared unyieldingly at the young soldier. “I don’t want to repeat what I’ve said; don’t you know what I want?” The young soldier’s narrow eyes slightly squinted, his expression unreadable as he stared at Chuxia, his chin nodding toward the ground: “First understand clearly, then decide whether or not you want me to apologize.” Huh? How was there a sharp-edged stone at the spot where they collided? If she had stepped forward one more step... Clearly, he had stepped forward intentionally because it was inappropriate to reach out to help her, since she was a girl, making her bump into him instead... Thinking of her defiant demeanor just now, Chuxia’s face immediately started burning up, and her ears and neck quickly turned a shade of rouge. Seeing the feisty little kitten suddenly transform into a caged little hamster, the young man’s lips curled with a hint of a smile as he looked towards the middle-aged soldier gawking at him, “Let’s go.” “Wait!” Chuxia called out urgently, “Aren’t you going to Yuanbao’s house? Wait for me, I’ll bring you there after I get some soy sauce.” Was getting soy sauce that important? The middle-aged soldier silently turned his gaze towards the young soldier, having truly broadened his horizons today. He didn’t know how to react, but, to his surprise, the colonel actually nodded slightly: “Alright, hurry up!” The middle-aged soldier was instantly petrified, the young soldier merely glanced at him briefly: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” “When in Rome, do as the Romans do?” The middle-aged soldier continued to be petrified — don’t blame him for being overly shocked; indeed, in this era, such eccentricities were absolutely unique! “Let’s go.” After a moment, Chuxia returned with a small bottle of soy sauce, took the lead, and explained, “His family and my grandmother are neighbors. His mom isn’t very well, and his grandfather isn’t doing too well either.” Was this a subtle reminder for them to be careful about whom to speak to later? The middle-aged soldier glanced at her, surprised, yet said nothing. However, it was apparent that he was in a bad mood, and the young soldier’s lips were tightly pursed as the three of them walked silently to Chuxia’s grandfather’s house, “That’s Yuanbao’s house.” Chuxia pointed at the gate next door, then without looking back entered her own house. “She...” The middle-aged soldier stared at the spot where Chuxia had disappeared, disbelief on his face. “She just... just...” “What else do you want to do?” The young soldier’s gaze returned, and he started walking toward Yuanbao’s house, his intention for the visit clear, he sighed deeply and quickly followed. “Xia, who did you encounter just now?” Old Master Zhao had heard Chuxia’s voice in the yard just now; as soon as he saw her come in, he nodded towards the door and asked. Chuxia hesitated slightly and said, “Grandpa, let’s talk inside the house.” “What’s the matter, making it so mysterious?” Old Lady Zhao, who was chopping stuffing, said with a grin, “Did something happen while you were buying soy sauce?” Even though she spoke lightly, Old Lady Zhao wiped her hands and followed Chuxia and Old Master Zhao into the house, “Did you run into someone getting cozy? Don’t worry, Chuxia, no matter whose kid it is, you’ve got your eldest uncle. Nobody can bully us.” Chuxia’s eldest uncle was the village secretary, so her words carried weight. “It’s not that.” Chuxia then told the elders about encountering the two soldiers on the road, and sure enough, the old couple’s faces darkened after hearing it. “Our Qiliang wouldn’t also send good news without the bad, would he?” Old Master Zhao quickly interrupted Old Lady Zhao, “Don’t think nonsense.” Saying this, he stood up, “I’ll go cut some more meat, we should send more over to Yuanbao’s house since those far-traveled military officers will need something warm to eat. Yuanbao’s mother and grandparents can’t handle all this themselves, alas...” “Whoo, whoo, whoo...” “...” A wail came through the courtyard wall; Old Master Zhao paused momentarily, sighed, and stepped out. Sitting beside the kang, Old Lady Zhao closed her eyes, letting tears roll down her cheeks. Chuxia knew that half of her grandmother’s tears were for Zhao Yuanbao and the other half was due to concerns about Zhao Qiliang, but at this moment, she truly didn’t know how to comfort her. After thinking a while, she sat in front of the chopping board and picked up the knife, chopping the filling “thud, thud, thud...” “Is Chuxia here?” “Chuxia, are you planning to chop through my chopping board?” Eldest maternal aunt Li Aiyuan and cousin Zhao Qihui, coming back from work with a hoe, saw Chuxia, and both wore joyful expressions. “Hello Auntie, hello Sister Hui.” Chuxia forced a smile and greeted them. “Chuxia, what’s wrong?” Zhao Qihui crouched down, looking at her reddened eyes, “Did you have another fight with your sister-in-law?” The calmed Old Lady Zhao came out from the house, “Everyone, come wash your hands and get ready to make dumplings.” “Grandma always plays favorites, every time Chuxia comes, we get delicious food.” Zhao Qihui joked while pinching Chuxia playfully, “Tell me, did you fake a conflict with your sister-in-law just because you were craving something tasty?” “Hui!” Li Aiyuan glared at her daughter, looked at Chuxia’s face, saw she wasn’t about to storm off, then continued, “Chuxia, whenever you want to eat something, just come over to Grandma’s house, your aunt will cook for you.” “Grandma, what’s happened at Aunt Bao’s?” Zhao Qihui listened intently then looked puzzled at Old Lady Zhao, “Grandma, what happened at Uncle Xing’s house? Why do I hear Aunt Bao and Grandma crying?” “Ah!” Old Lady Zhao sighed, “We still don’t know. When Chuxia went to buy soy sauce, she ran into two soldiers who went to his house.”

Chapter 21 - 21 21 Got it Wrong

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