Chapter 162

Chapter 162

The Red Dress

The two sisters-in-law bustled about with smiles on their faces—both gracious women. Grandma Lu couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

The best decision she’d ever made in her life was marrying her two sons to such kind-hearted daughters-in-law. It had spared the family no end of trouble and conflict.

Back when A Hang returned injured, the household had been thrown into chaos. The one comfort was that no matter what happened, the family stood united, impervious to any attempts at stirring up discord.

She knew full well that villagers and even members of the Pan family had tried to incite her younger daughter-in-law to push for a split, urging them to abandon A Hang. Fortunately, her younger son was steadfast, and his wife appreciative—unmoved by outside interference—and so the family remained intact.

“Bright red!” One of the bundles was opened, revealing an oil-paper package. When Pan Xiaoping unwrapped it, she gasped in surprise. She pulled out a long red dress—dazzlingly red, eye-catching and stunning. She could already picture the kind of woman who would truly do justice to its beauty.

Zhang Xiaofeng was just as captivated, unable to take her eyes off it.

At their age, they had never worn anything so bold.

“This was from Big Brother for Sister-in-law!” Lu Ming exclaimed the moment he saw the dress, his excitement making it seem like he thought it was for his own wife.

Zhang Xiaofeng examined it closely and said to Pan Xiaoping, “I used to worry how A Hang, with his temper, would ever learn to cherish a wife. But look at this—do we even need to say anything?”

Pan Xiaoping let out a soft laugh. “Feeling envious, are you?”

“Envious? I’d be thrilled if he treated Nan Nan well. If not for Nan Nan, he’d never have recovered,” Zhang Xiaofeng replied casually, turning her gaze back down.

But Pan Xiaoping froze, thinking she must have misheard. She asked nervously, “Sister-in-law, what did you just say?”

“What?” Zhang Xiaofeng hadn’t caught on.

“You said A Hang is better—is it true? Did Nan Nan cure him?” Pan Xiaoping’s voice trembled with emotion, nearly in tears.

Realizing they had forgotten to mention it, Zhang Xiaofeng awkwardly explained, “He got better some time ago. But while he was bedridden, people kept targeting him. If they found out he had recovered, who knows what schemes they might pull. So we kept it under wraps. Later, when A Hang left, we were too busy watching out for that woman Qiao Lu to remember to tell you.”

Understanding the risks involved, Pan Xiaoping didn’t dwell further. Instead, she turned to Lu Ming and asked, “You knew too?”

Sensing danger, Lu Ming guiltily nodded. “I only found out after I arrived. I didn’t want to leave my brother alone, but he said I’d only hold him back. I had no choice but to come back.”

“And you didn’t even say a word when you got back? You know we’ve been waiting anxiously!” she shot back, hands on her hips.

Lu Ming looked conflicted, then silently dug into his noodles after receiving a scolding.

Grandma Lu chuckled at her grandson’s woebegone expression, which earned her a sulky glare from Lu Ming.

He was starting to think he shouldn’t have come back at all.

He should’ve gone straight back to school…

“How is your brother doing now? Do you know?” Grandma Lu calmly asked, meeting Lu Ming’s grumpy stare.

Lu Ming shook his head. “We parted ways. I don’t know what he’s up to, but I saw Commander Zhang personally pick him up. To throw others off the trail, I immediately found a classmate to help me escort her onto the train back to school. These things were all sent later by my brother.”

He understood that his brother had arranged it that way to protect him, keeping him out of harm’s way.

“What classmate did you meet?” Pan Xiaoping’s attention always seemed to land differently than others. Especially when she noticed the hint of a smile on her son’s lips, it reminded her of Lu Zheng’s dopey grin back when he was courting her—the kind that would make someone get swindled and still thank the con artist.

“Just… a classmate. We were in the same train car when I traveled with my brother,” Lu Ming replied awkwardly.

“A girl?” Pan Xiaoping cut straight to the point. Lu Ming nodded.

Pan Xiaoping caught on right away and eagerly asked, “Is she into you?”

“Mom, you can’t just ask that!” Lu Ming’s face turned red with embarrassment before he quickly changed the subject. “We still have stuff to unpack—come on, let’s go!”

“Quit nagging me!” Pan Xiaoping shot back as she kept sorting things out with her sister-in-law. They noticed that Lu Hang had sent a bunch of random but handy stuff for the house.

Grandma Lu was helping tidy up when she suddenly said to Lu Ming, “Go to the backyard and call your sister-in-law over!”

Lu Ming had already finished his noodles. He looked at his grandma and asked, “Wait, isn’t sis-in-law out farming? Why’s she in the backyard?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started!” Grandma Lu made a face, clearly annoyed thinking about Qiao Lu.

Lu Ming, stuffed and lazy, was all ears for some drama…

As Grandma Lu cleared the dishes, muttering bits and pieces under her breath, combined with what his aunt and mom had mentioned earlier, Lu Ming pieced together the whole story. He now understood exactly why his sister-in-law hadn’t gone out but stayed home instead.

When Lin Nannan saw Lu Ming come back, she jumped at the chance to ask about Lu Hang, only to be told he knew absolutely nothing—which totally bummed her out.

Still, at least she could be sure Lu Hang was safe.

Zhang Xiaofeng held the red dress up against Lin Nannan and nodded approvingly. “A Hang’s got good taste—the bright red looks amazing!”

Pan Xiaoping smiled as she praised, “Hehe, our Nan Nan’s like a little fairy. She’s gonna kill it in this dress.”

Lin Nannan, zoned out, let them go on and on until the color finally registered. She noticed the red dress and couldn’t help asking, “Where’d this come from?”

Zhang Xiaofeng and Pan Xiaoping exchanged a glance. Their praise had totally flown over her head.

“A Hang bought it for you. Check it out—do you like it?” Zhang Xiaofeng handed her the dress.

Lin Nannan went to wash her hands and then gently cradled the dress in her arms, her heart twisting—equal parts sweet and sour...

This man hadn’t sent a single message, yet he'd bought her such a beautiful dress, leaving her torn between warmth and frustration.

“I think A Hang felt guilty about how things went during the wedding,” Pan Xiaoping suddenly said, eyes lighting up as she turned to Zhang Xiaofeng. “He probably wants to make it up to Nan Nan—that’s why he bought the red dress. Bet it’s for a do-over wedding!”

Zhang Xiaofeng thought back to the decent enough feast they’d had, then remembered her son lying in bed, unable to take part in anything. Maybe there was something to what her sister-in-law said. “Hey, as long as he’s good to Nan Nan, we’re good,” she said with a smile.

“Exactly! There’s nothing wrong with throwing another party,” Grandma Lu added happily.

That way, the whole village would know her grandson was back on top.