Yue Mingyuan didn’t know the exact details, but as he had passed through the residential area earlier, he noticed people pointing and whispering behind his back.
Now, hearing Yaya’s words, he had a general idea of the situation, but he still needed to investigate the specifics.
“Yaya, Daddy needs to take a bath and change clothes first before holding you, okay? Daddy’s dirty and has germs on him.” Yue Mingyuan softened his voice.
Yaya nodded. Yue Mingyuan was overjoyed. “Zhiqiu, Yaya can nod now!”
“She knows all kinds of tricks.” Ye Zhiqiu looked at Yaya. “Yaya, show Daddy how you roll over.”
Yaya rolled onto her stomach, lifted her head, and grinned at Yue Mingyuan.
Yue Mingyuan desperately wanted to pick up his daughter and cover her with kisses, but he still had a shred of reason left.
“Let me find you some clothes.”
Ye Zhiqiu went back to the room with Yue Mingyuan. She took some clean clothes from the wardrobe and handed them to him, then took his hand. “Mingyuan, I want to tell you something first.”
She didn’t know how long Yue Mingyuan would be home this time, but regardless, the rumors about her and Chen Can needed to be cleared up as soon as possible.
Such matters were a major taboo between husband and wife. She cared deeply, and she believed Yue Mingyuan felt the same.
After recounting the events of that day in detail, Ye Zhiqiu was filled with anxiety. “Mingyuan, since I chose you, I have absolutely no feelings left for Chen Can.”
“You know my temperament. Even without you, nothing between us was possible. After that incident, it was completely over.”
“Zhiqiu, I believe you.”
Yue Mingyuan held Shen Zhiqiu (Note: Translator’s note – the text earlier uses Ye Zhiqiu, but here it’s Shen Zhiqiu, likely a continuity error in the original. We’ll maintain ‘Ye Zhiqiu’ for consistency), stroking her back to comfort her. “No matter what happens, I believe you.”
“We are husband and wife; we must trust each other. I believe if a similar situation occurred, you would trust me too.”
Ye Zhiqiu nodded. “I would.”
Truly counting the time they’d spent together, it hadn’t been long at all. Yet, she trusted Yue Mingyuan implicitly.
It wasn’t just because of his feelings for her, but also because of his character.
No matter whom he married, he would never betray them. His morals wouldn’t allow it, just like hers.
Even if not for the other person’s sake, they wouldn’t do such things.
“I will handle this matter,” Yue Mingyuan said.
Ye Zhiqiu shook her head. “No need. The truth should come to light very soon.”
“Oh?” Yue Mingyuan raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already arranged everything?”
“I won’t let them bully me for nothing.”
Ye Zhiqiu leaned against Yue Mingyuan’s chest, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat.
“Mingyuan, I can take care of myself. If I couldn’t handle something, I wouldn’t be stubborn. You are my husband; I would ask for your help.”
“But if I don’t ask, let me handle things myself, okay?”
“Okay.”
Yue Mingyuan lowered his head and planted a kiss on Ye Zhiqiu’s forehead.
By the time Yue Mingyuan finished his bath, Ye Zhiqiu had already brought Yaya back to the room.
“Yaya.”
Yue Mingyuan picked Yaya up. “Mmm, Yaya is amazing. You’ve gained quite a bit of weight.”
Yaya was a bit speechless. It was indeed the same clueless dad. Who praises their daughter like that?
Father and daughter played for a long while until Yaya fell asleep.
Xiao Bai quietly slipped in through the crack in the door, climbed onto the small bed, curled up in a ball, and snuggled close to Yaya.
Ye Zhiqiu explained to Yue Mingyuan, “This is Yaya’s little cat, named Xiao Bai.”
Yue Mingyuan found it amusing. “A black cat named Little White.”
Ye Zhiqiu sat down beside Yue Mingyuan, leaning against his shoulder. “You don’t know Yaya yet—she’s full of mischief.”
“Oh, right, what’s with the stray dogs at our door?” Yue Mingyuan asked Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu whispered in his ear, “It seems they’re all here to protect Yaya. Not just dogs, but cats too. Haven’t you noticed there are quite a few cats on our courtyard wall?”
“Most people in the compound say nice things, but there are also some gossips who secretly whisper that Yaya is some kind of monster.”
As she said this, Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.
“As it happened, a mother cat in the air-raid shelter had a litter of kittens, so I brought them all home.”
“Partly to shut some people’s mouths, but mainly because Yaya likes them.”
“Sister-in-law Er said it’s good for babies to be around animals. In foreign countries, every household keeps pets. Letting children be around animals from a young age can boost their immunity and even prevent some respiratory illnesses.”
“Anyway, I don’t have much else to do, and I keep these kittens very clean.”
“Zhiqiu, it’s been hard on you with me not being home.” Yue Mingyuan felt deeply guilty.
Even with the rest of the family helping, Zhiqiu was still the one shouldering most of the worries.
“You focus on defending the country. I’ll take care of our little home. Isn’t that what we agreed?”
Ye Zhiqiu straightened up and looked at Yue Mingyuan. “How many days can you stay home this time?”
“I have a three-day leave. I didn’t originally have it; I earned it myself.”
Yue Mingyuan reached up and touched Ye Zhiqiu’s face. “I was afraid if I waited for my regular leave, you’d already have gone to Jiangning.”
“I was afraid too.”
Ye Zhiqiu leaned back against Yue Mingyuan’s shoulder. “Getting to see you one more time before I go sets my mind at ease.”
“By the end of the month, I plan to go back to work. My body has recovered very well.”
The Yue family had taken exceptionally good care of her. Plus, with the tonic medicine Dr. Dong prescribed for her, she felt her current health was even better than before she had Yaya.
“But still, take it easy. Don’t overdo it.” Yue Mingyuan knew Ye Zhiqiu’s nature. She appeared gentle and delicate, but deep down, she was incredibly resilient.
Ye Zhiqiu pouted playfully. “I know my limits. You’re the one who needs to be careful and not get hurt.”
Yue Mingyuan couldn’t guarantee that, his confidence wavering. “I’ll try my best.”
After dinner, Yue Mingyuan and Ye Zhiqiu took Yaya to the auditorium to watch a movie.
The auditorium usually showed movies every weekend, and occasionally there were performances.
They happened to run into Tan Jianping and Tian Man, who had also brought Tan Nan and Tan Bei. The two families sat together.
Midway through, Tan Jianping called Yue Mingyuan outside.
“Mingyuan, take a look at this.” Tan Jianping handed Yue Mingyuan the notebook.
After quickly reading through it, Yue Mingyuan asked Tan Jianping, “Brother Tan, where did you get this?”
“Nan Nan found it in the air-raid shelter.”
Tan Jianping took a drag of his cigarette. “If the things written in here are true, once an investigation starts, it’s bound to implicate quite a few people.”
He had originally intended to go to General Yue, but hearing Yue Mingyuan was back, he thought it was more appropriate to go through him.
“This can’t be left uninvestigated.”
The materials mentioned included those for their own unit. But regardless of whether their unit was involved, now that he knew about it, he couldn’t pretend to be ignorant.
Corruption can appear in all walks of life, but it absolutely cannot be allowed in the military—it concerns the very foundation of the country.
“But it depends on how we investigate?” Tan Jianping shared his thoughts. “We need a starting point. And before that, we need to gather evidence, not giving those involved time to react.”
