Chapter 220: Chapter 218: The Tigress, Misjudging Someone

Wu Chuanzhong grinned foolishly and said, “The kids in the Special Service Company are quite brave, seems like they’ve picked up a trick or two from Commander Ling!”

The two exchanged smiles and then changed the topic to discuss arrangements and personnel changes in the district.

At the end of the first half, the Special Service Company led by eight points; by the end of the match, they had extended their lead to fourteen points, which was quite a significant lead.

The players of the Guard Company were somewhat demoralized, but Commander Wu Chuanzhong still maintained a cheerful demeanor, showing no hint of emotion.

Once they left the Special Service Company, Wu Chuanzhong’s smile faded away. He gave his subordinates a stern look and scolded, “Wipe those sour expressions off your faces, or people might think someone died at home! It’s no big deal, after all, the Special Service Company is composed of the cream of the crop, their physical condition is the best, and they have… Commander Ling, the elite of the elites. Losing to them is no shame. Buck up and focus on the upcoming games… making it to the semifinals or even the finals isn’t impossible!”

The soldiers of the Guard Company, after being reprimanded, dared not sulk anymore. They forced themselves to be energetic, walking with heads held high. One of the more mischievous ones nudged his comrade and joked, “What do you think our commander wanted to say? I heard a ’moth…’ Hey, do you think he meant to say ’mother tiger’?”

The comrade next to him turned to glare, but as soon as he looked around, he found Commander Wu Chuanzhong right behind him, which startled him. He quickly glared at his friend and turned his head forward again, keeping his gaze straight.

“Hey, what do you think? I never thought the commander would call her a mother tiger…” he continued, grabbing his comrade’s sleeve when the other ignored him.

“Cut it out!” His comrade, already scared stiff, couldn’t take it anymore and shook off his hand with a low growl.

“No need, keep fooling around, don’t stop!” Wu Chuanzhong’s voice came from behind, revealing no traces of anger or joy.

The young soldier’s hand trembled, and instinctively he turned to look back, only to see the commander closely following him.

Ling Chengyan paid no mind to the Guard Company. She watched as her team finished the game and had hot ginger tea brought over, while she put on a coat and sipped the tea, analyzing each player’s performance.

The match, including breaks, lasted an hour, and Ling Chengyan spent a full hour reviewing the game with her players.

Having won the first match, they had the afternoon off and didn’t need to play again, so they had the afternoon and evening to digest the lessons learned from the game.

After lunch, as they headed to the court, someone suddenly said, “The commander is truly impressive. With her guidance, everything that was unclear to me is now clear, like watching a movie.”

“More useful than a movie,” someone else said, giving him a friendly punch.

Everyone chimed in, feeling a newfound motivation: “For our commander, we can’t lose. Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Heh, why don’t you just admit you’re afraid of the commander punishing you?”

“Hey, you big mule, as if you’re not afraid! Don’t walk away!”

The group laughed and joked heartily as they headed to the basketball court. Meanwhile, Ling Chengyan drove the jeep she had requisitioned, leaving Huicheng and heading straight for the provincial capital, bringing along Xiao Xing and Shi Tou.

Wang Liansheng, along with Ling’s father and two brothers, arrived in the provincial capital early on the eighth. They had scheduled a visit to the hospital with an old professor from the provincial hospital for the ninth.

Ling Chengyan brought the children over because she wanted the elder to meet the kids and give Ling’s father a break.

Ling Chengyan arrived in the provincial capital at around four in the afternoon and found Wang Liansheng already waiting at the guest house entrance.

Ling Chengyan parked and let Wang Liansheng get in. She frowned and said, “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Wang Liansheng was not just thinner; he looked exhausted, with dry, cracked lips, and his cheeks sunken.

However, Wang Liansheng chuckled nonchalantly, “It’s alright. I came back on a sleeper train, so I slept mostly during the journey, not too tiring.”

Ling Chengyan glanced at him and said nothing further as the car pulled up and her brothers came out to greet them.

“Xiao Yan!”

“Xiao Yan!”

The two brothers called out simultaneously.

As Ling Chengyan got out of the car, she met their enthusiastic gaze with a calm expression, and they both paused.

“Elder brother, second brother.” Ling Chengyan greeted them with a smile on her face, but to the Ling brothers, their sister seemed polite to the point of being a stranger, even distant.

Wang Liansheng took the children out of the car, one in each hand, and presented them to the uncles: “Xiao Xing, Shi Tou, this is your uncle, and this is your second uncle, come on, say hello.”

Xiao Xing and Shi Tou had never met their maternal relatives, so while they didn’t show warmth, they were polite in their greetings.

The eldest uncle looked at Xiao Xing, suddenly his eyes reddened, squatted down, and hugged Xiao Xing tightly, his voice choked, “This girl looks so much like Xiao Yan when she was little.”

The second brother repeatedly agreed, “She does. Xiao Xing is well-fed, slightly plumper than Xiao Yan as a child.”

Ling Chengyan’s lips twitched at this. To be honest, both kids resembled Wang Liansheng more, especially Xiao Xing, who, aside from having her eyes inherited from Ling Chengyan, had features like her eyebrows and nose that followed Wang Liansheng.

This was the first time Ling Chengyan heard Xiao Xing was said to take after her. This was probably the bias of maternal relatives, where everything seemed to resemble their own family.

Resembling Ling Chengyan meant resembling the Ling family, like resembling the uncles!

Offspring resembling their uncles—no problem there!

“Ahem, has Xiao Yan arrived yet? Let them come in,” a weak voice called from inside the house, accompanied by gasps and coughs.

The eldest uncle quickly wiped his eyes, stood up, and led Xiao Xing inside, while the second uncle picked up Shi Tou and followed his brother into the room.

“Dad, this is Xiao Xing, and this is Shi Tou,” the eldest uncle introduced the children to their grandpa.

“Xiao Xing, Shi Tou, this is your Grandpa. Say hello to Grandpa!” the second uncle instructed the kids.

Ling’s father had been ill for a long time and was reduced to skin and bone, his once bushy eyebrows, big eyes, and burly frame now just a skeleton. Still, his gaze upon the children remained warm and tender.

Xiao Xing gently held her brother’s hand and politely greeted, “Hello, Grandpa.”

Shi Tou, not as sensible as his sister, after greeting, couldn’t help but ask, “Grandpa, are you Mom’s grandpa?”

His question lightened the room’s previously heavy atmosphere.

Even Ling’s father couldn’t help but laugh, coughing a bit before catching his breath and explaining, “I suppose I’m very old in your eyes, right? I’m your mom’s dad, not her grandpa. If I were grandpa, you’d call me ’old grandpa’!”

Ling Chengyan stepped forward, addressed him as dad without much hesitation: “Dad looks like he’s in good spirits. Once the illness is cured, you’ll be able to recuperate.”

“Yes, yes, Xiao Yan is doing well; your father isn’t mistaken after all,” Ling’s father replied, closely observing Ling Chengyan’s expression and feeling gratified.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep