Chapter 36: Want to Beat the Mandarin Ducks

Lan Jingtian returned home close to ten o’clock. Apart from Lan Mo, who was still excitedly stealing and planting vegetables in the space, everyone else had already gone to sleep.

There was no other way—he had to personally escort Lin Xiangqian back to the Police Station and arrange for someone to interrogate him about the whereabouts of the human traffickers.

Then, without a moment’s rest, he rushed to the hospital with his team to check on the injured female comrade and gather information about the traffickers from her.

This kept him busy until past nine in the evening. He was so occupied that he didn’t even have time for dinner, but fortunately, his wife had saved some food for him.

After finishing his meal and taking a bath, Lan Jingtian returned to the bedroom. Seeing her husband back, Su Mei quickly sat up.

“Jingtian, why are you back so late? Have you had dinner yet?”

“I just ate. Su Mei, did you invite that Comrade Xiao Gu to stay for dinner tonight? Let me tell you, the reason he got injured was because he took a blow meant for our Momo. If he hadn’t blocked it, our Momo’s head would have been smashed open.”

Su Mei shot Lan Jingtian an annoyed look. Did she really seem like someone so lacking in manners and gratitude?

“Do I look that stingy to you? I know he’s not only Momo’s savior but also someone Momo likes.”

“What? No wonder that kid ran faster than I did earlier. When I asked him to help the injured female comrade, he looked so reluctant. But when Momo was in danger, he stepped right up. So he likes our Momo!”

At first, he thought it was an act of bravery, but it turned out to be motivated by attraction? If he had known earlier, he should have just taken him straight to the hospital for treatment.

Why did he ask Momo to bring him home for bandaging? What a miscalculation, truly a miscalculation!

Su Mei continued, “His leg was treated by Momo. He’s been chasing after our Momo and has even followed her to our neighborhood. Dad knows him too…”

“What happened to his leg?”

“He used to be a soldier. I heard he injured his leg during a mission. He came to Haishi to complete his final task and also to treat his leg, which is how he met our Momo. But he’s already demobilized now.”

“Momo originally agreed to be his girlfriend, but she refused as soon as she found out his family is from Jingshi. This Comrade Gu wasn’t willing to give up, so he started hanging around our neighborhood every day. In just a few days, he even befriended your dad.”

“Today, he took another blow for our Momo. Don’t you think he and Momo are fated to be together?”

Lan Jingtian suddenly grew interested and said with a smile, “So, Momo hasn’t started dating him yet, right?”

“They didn’t work out before, but it seems like they’ve started again tonight. When Xiao Gu left, Momo talked with him at the door for almost half an hour.”

Lan Jingtian couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. His precious daughter rarely clung to him after growing up, and they were lucky to talk for ten minutes a day.

Su Mei sighed and added, “Sigh…! If they end up together, our Momo will have to marry into Jingshi. We probably won’t get to see her all year round.”

“Then let’s just make sure they don’t end up together. I’ll find someone else for Momo in Haishi.”

Lan Jingtian thought it would be great if they didn’t work out. He could just find someone for his daughter within his own unit.

Su Mei continued, “Momo seems to like that Comrade Xiao Gu too. If you try to break them up, what if she blames us later? To be honest, that Comrade Xiao Gu is handsome and exceptionally capable—he’s a perfect match for our Momo in every way.”

“So what? He’s from Jingshi. Are you willing to marry your precious daughter off to Jingshi? I certainly am not!”

Su Mei retorted, “What if you’re not willing? Do you want Momo to marry someone she doesn’t love? I want our Momo to be happy, to marry a man she loves and who loves her back. Comrade Xiao Gu was even willing to risk his life for your daughter—what more are you worried about?”

Lan Jingtian frowned deeply. Did he not want his precious daughter to be happy?

Haishi was so far from Jingshi—what if their beloved daughter got mistreated?

“Su Mei, do you know what Comrade Xiao Gu’s family is like? What do they do for work?…”

Su Mei explained everything she knew about Gu Yan’an’s family situation clearly and in detail to Lan Jingtian.

Lan Jingtian hadn’t expected Gu Yan’an’s personal conditions to be so good, and his family background turned out to be even better than theirs.

“If his family’s conditions are better than ours, what if they look down on our Momo?”

“Lan Jingtian, what’s wrong with you? Boosting others’ morale while dampening our own? Our Momo is so outstanding—how could they possibly look down on her? If they really do, then they’re blind!”

Lan Jingtian chuckled in agreement, “Right, if they can’t appreciate our Momo, they’re blind! But Ziwan is also in Jingshi. If Momo lives in Jingshi…”

“Jingshi is huge—they might not even run into each other. And even if they do, so what? Do you think your younger sister would try to reclaim Momo?

Let me tell you, Lan Jingtian, your sister hasn’t raised Momo for a single day all these years. If Momo really marries Xiao Gu and your sister dares to show up looking for handouts, I’ll make her regret it!”

Trying to pick the fruit without planting the tree? No way!

Su Mei grew more agitated as she spoke, gritting her teeth as if she could tear Lan Ziwan to pieces!

Back then, Lan Ziwan gave birth to the two children and dumped them on her in-laws to raise, never taking care of them herself. She spent a full hundred days just recovering from childbirth, and then after a minor argument with her husband, she ran off with someone else in a fit of anger.

What use is such a selfish, irresponsible woman to Momo? Keep her around to worship?

“Alright, dear, don’t be angry! If Momo really wants to marry Xiao Gu, I’ll support her, okay? If his family tries to bully our Momo, I’ll fight with everything I’ve got and go to Jingshi to teach them a lesson.”

“Alright, let’s sleep! We shouldn’t stop Momo from dating Xiao Gu. Who knows if it’ll work out? Let things take their natural course!”

Gu Yan’an had never been as happy as he was today. He returned to his aunt’s house with a silly grin plastered on his face.

Pan Huiqiao asked with concern, “Yan’an, why are you back so late today? Have you had dinner? What happened to your hand?”

Gu Yan’an chuckled foolishly, “Oh, I accidentally bumped my hand. Aunt, I’ve already had dinner—at my girlfriend’s house.”

Girlfriend? What girlfriend? Has my cousin run into a ghost or started hallucinating?

Yang Wei furrowed his brow and asked, “Cousin, Doctor Lan already rejected you. Where did you get a partner from? You’re not so angry that you’ve gone crazy, are you? Did you just grab some random person on the street and call them your partner?”

Gu Yan’an sneered, “Xiao Wei, just because you can’t find a partner, does that mean your cousin can’t either? Let me tell you, Doctor Lan agreed to be my partner again tonight.”

“What? She agreed to be your partner again? She’s not just messing with you, is she?”

“I’ve already visited her home, and her family is extremely satisfied with me now! They even want me to be their live-in son-in-law.”

Anyway, Momo and the others weren’t here, so bragging a little wouldn’t hurt.

Yang Wei couldn’t stand Gu Yan’an’s smugness. “Cousin, are you really planning to become a live-in son-in-law? If you do, will your children take the Gu surname or the Lan surname? I think they might as well take my surname, Yang!”

Gu Yan’an kicked Yang Wei hard. This damn guy even had the nerve to take advantage of him.

“Don’t worry, my Momo doesn’t want me to become a live-in son-in-law at her home. She’ll come back to Jingshi with me to live in the future. My children will naturally take the Gu surname, but if Momo is willing to have a few more, even taking the Lan surname wouldn’t be bad.”

Pan Huiqiao said with some concern, “Yan’an, should you talk to your parents about this? What if they don’t agree to you marrying a girl from Haishi?”

“Aunt, I’ll send a telegram back tomorrow. Whether they agree or not, I’m definitely marrying Momo.”

Back when she married far away to Haishi, all her siblings opposed it, and even her parents didn’t approve of them.

Life was tough back then, and she only returned to her parents’ home once every two or three years. Now that conditions are better, she no longer has the time to go back.

With the eldest sister’s family being so well-off, would they agree to Yan’an marrying a girl from Haishi?