Chapter 131: Chapter 129: Seeing Old Friends Again

That evening, Su Tang told Lu Xiao about Su Xinyao’s visit.

Hearing his wife’s words, Lu Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly.

He hadn’t expected Su Xinyao to be so brazen as to come here looking for Su Tang.

“After all, she didn’t actually do anything that day. It’s not enough to be a crime, just a disruption of discipline at most.”

After speaking, Su Tang’s thoughts drifted back to what Su Xinyao had said.

“You’re still thinking about what she said.”

Lu Xiao asked, noticing Su Tang’s pensive expression.

“What she said today makes me even more certain that my guess that day was correct.”

Su Tang had guessed before that Su Xinyao must want something from Lu Xiao, which was why she was so persistent.

And what Su Xinyao said today only strengthened Su Tang’s conviction.

’If Lu Xiao didn’t have something Su Xinyao wanted, why would she try to persuade me to leave him time and time again?’

“Alright, whatever she’s planning, we can just ignore her. I’ll protect you and the baby.”

After he spoke, Lu Xiao pulled Su Tang into his arms, patting her back gently to soothe her.

Su Tang didn’t say any more, but once a seed of suspicion is planted, it grows wildly until it becomes a towering tree.

Lu Xiao could see that Su Tang was still weighed down by her thoughts. He mulled it over and came up with a good idea.

One day, when Su Tang got home from work, she heard a lively hubbub inside. Listening closely, she thought she recognized some of the voices.

“Look who it is! Our busy bee is finally home.”

Sister-in-law Zhang Cui’s cheerful voice rang out from inside. A flash of delight crossed Su Tang’s eyes, and she quickened her pace.

“Whoa, slow down, slow down! We’re right here, we’re not going to run off.”

Seeing Su Tang’s hurried steps, Sister-in-law Zhang Cui was startled and rushed out of the house to steady her.

“Sister-in-law, and Lin Qian, Brother Li, Sister Qiu, what are you all doing here?”

After speaking, Su Tang glanced around the room and was surprised to also see Sister Li and Aunt Wang.

“Listen to you! You’ve been living here for so long, and we haven’t even come to see you.”

“It was Chang Jia who went back and told us you were pregnant. I was so thrilled, so of course we had to come over right away!”

Sister-in-law Zhang Cui was always forthright. After she spoke, a broad smile spread across Su Tang’s face.

“Actually, it was our Deputy Commander Lu who thought you might be feeling down because of the pregnancy, so he asked us to come keep you company.”

“And you call yourself a good friend! You moved here and haven’t come back to see me even once.”

Lin Qian chimed in.

Su Tang, a little embarrassed, took her hand.

“A lot has been going on recently, so I just haven’t had the time.”

Lin Qian huffed and turned her head away, pretending to be angry.

“I’ll stop being mad if you lend me that book you said you’d show me last time.”

Everyone chattered and laughed together in a lively jumble.

In the kitchen, the head chef for the day was Zhang Cui’s husband, Li Haixin. He was a bona fide, professionally trained cook, and the delicious aroma of the food wafted out long before it was ready.

When Lu Xiao returned, he saw everyone talking together.

Sister-in-law Zhang Cui was directing Li Haixin as he brought dishes to the table, while Lin Qian, holding a red cloth bundle, was close to Su Tang, holding up a piece of floral fabric for her to see.

“What do you think of this peacock blue? It would make a lovely little jacket that would brighten your complexion. It’ll be perfect for you to wear after you give birth and finish your postpartum confinement.”

Su Tang looked up and her gaze met Lu Xiao’s smiling eyes. The sharp lines of his brow were relaxed, his usual intensity replaced by a gentle warmth that seemed to melt away everything else.

“Deputy Commander Lu is finally back!”

Li Haixin, wearing an apron, poked his head out of the kitchen, still flipping a spatula.

“Just three more minutes! The last dish, candied sweet potatoes, will be all done!”

Lu Xiao nodded and said, “Thanks for your hard work.” He walked over to Su Tang and spoke to her.

Zhang Cui, ever sharp-eyed, slapped Li Haixin on the back. “Look at Deputy Commander Lu! Now that’s how you dote on your wife. Not like you. Last time I sprained my ankle, you complained that I was keeping you from your drinking.”

The whole room erupted in laughter. Li Haixin scratched his head and tried to defend himself, “But it was a rare get-together with my old army buddies…”

The dinner table was even livelier.

The small house was packed with people, filled with family and friends.

Su Tang was very happy. She later learned from Lin Jianqiu that this was all Lu Xiao’s doing.

He had personally gone to their homes to invite them to come and keep her company.

“It’s such a long way. He was worried it would be inconvenient for us, so he even drove over specifically to get us.”

“Su Tang, Lu Xiao is a really, really good man.”

Hearing Sister Qiu’s words, Su Tang’s heart filled with warmth.

She knew, of course, that Lu Xiao was a good person, dependable and responsible.

It felt as though as long as he was there, she wouldn’t be afraid, no matter what dangers lay ahead.

After dinner, Lu Xiao showed them to the rooms he had prepared for them to rest. The journey was long, so there was no way they could go back that night.

Back in their room, Su Tang looked at Lu Xiao and asked, “How come Chang Jia didn’t come today?”

“Still thinking about Chang Jia? Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing plenty of him from now on.”

Hearing his wife mention another man, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but feel a little sour.

Even though that other man was his best friend and most loyal comrade-in-arms.

“Why do you say that?”

“Chang Jia got promoted. He’s being transferred here to be my deputy. From now on, you’ll not only get to see Chang Jia, but you’ll get to see Sister Qiu, too.”

Hearing this, Su Tang’s eyes widened slightly, a flash of happy surprise in them.

She was, of course, thrilled to be able to see old faces and old friends here.

“Happy now? No more thinking about all that upsetting stuff, okay?”

Hearing Lu Xiao’s words, Su Tang nodded. Everything he had done today was to make her happy.

It would break his heart if she continued to worry about such foolish matters.

About seven or eight days passed just like that, and sure enough, Chang Jia’s transfer orders arrived. Along with them came Lu Xiao’s own promotion.

Lu Xiao was successfully promoted to full Commander.

This made Su Tang marvel; when it came to the speed of promotion, no one could compare to Lu Xiao.

’No wonder the book said he becomes the most powerful person in the end.’

But there was even better news than that.

After an investigation by the higher-ups, Mr. and Mrs. Su had their positions successfully restored. They could now return to Shanghai.

Back to their own home.

When they received the news, Mr. Su said nothing, but his eyes grew red. Mrs. Su was already beside him, sobbing uncontrollably.

They had waited for this day for a long, long time. The elderly couple had even thought they might not live to see this matter resolved, that they would have to bear a tarnished reputation for the rest of their lives.

“Mom, Dad, you can go back to Shanghai now. Whether you choose to go back or stay here, I’ll respect your decision.”

Su Tang said with a smile, holding her parents’ hands.

They were used to living in Shanghai, after all. Even now, living in the Northwest felt like they were just forcing themselves to adapt.

’Perhaps returning to Shanghai is the lifestyle that suits them best,’ Su Tang thought.

The only problem was, she couldn’t return to Shanghai anytime soon, which meant she couldn’t take care of her parents.

Su Tang felt a headache coming on.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep