Chapter 11: Great-Aunt

Chapter 11: Great-Aunt

【Sandalwood detected, can be recycled!】

Tang Qiyue looked at the system notification, then at the sandalwood boards she had split on the ground. After careful consideration, she refused the system's trade.

It wasn't that she didn't want the money; it was that the Plane Trading System was her greatest secret, and she dared not expose it.

Even if she wanted to trade, she would wait until she was certain of her own safety.

After collecting the broken wooden boards from the floor, Tang Qiyue didn't idle. She opened all the dowry trunks and began to take inventory of their contents.

Only after laying everything out did she realize just how disgusting Father Tang and that stepmother truly were.

They had likely swapped things out at the last minute after learning that their biological daughter, Tang Chunlan, had fled the marriage, resulting in many of the items being useless junk from around the house.

The trunks would certainly be taken away, but the contents needed to be properly sorted.

The Tang family’s main business was textiles. To make the dowry look impressive, they had stuffed it mostly with fabric. This actually worked out in Tang Qiyue’s favor.

After categorizing all the fabric, she found that cotton was the most abundant, while silk was extremely scarce. She figured that stepmother must have a black heart, unwilling to part with anything of real value.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?"

Zhan Chunying had been shooed out by Mother Zhan to check on Tang Qiyue and Zhan Zeye, fearing that the two might feel awkward since they weren't familiar with each other; she thought having someone else present might help.

When Zhan Chunying entered the room and saw the bed covered in fabric and miscellaneous items, she forgot all about not seeing Zhan Zeye, her eyes widening in shock.

Tang Qiyue invited Zhan Chunying into the room. Seeing that there were quite a few pieces of brightly colored fabric that a young girl would like, she picked out two pieces and handed them to her.

"The colors of these two pieces are quite nice, suitable for you to wear. When the weather gets warmer, you can take them to a tailor to have a dress made!"

How could a young girl resist the temptation of new clothes? Zhan Chunying, who had originally intended to be a bit snarky, felt her face flush instantly as she excitedly hugged the fabric.

"Sister-in-law, are you really willing to give these to me?"

She had rarely worn new clothes growing up. Mother Zhan was a frugal woman who managed the household well, and her sewing skills were decent. Although everyone’s clothes had patches, they were neatly mended by Mother Zhan’s skilled hands.

But no matter how well-mended, they were still old clothes. Who wouldn't crave something new?

Tang Qiyue pointed to the fabric on the bed: "My maiden family is in the textile business, so fabric is what I have the most of in my dowry. It’s just two pieces of cloth; as long as you like them, that’s all that matters!"

Only then did Zhan Chunying recall Tang Qiyue’s background. Even if her family status wasn't great, they were undeniably wealthy.

She wanted to say something sour, but the fabric in her arms kept her from speaking. She could only ask dryly about Zhan Zeye.

"Your brother said he had something to take care of and went to make a phone call. He should be back soon!"

Tang Qiyue didn't hide it and pointed to the other items: "See if there’s anything you like and take whatever you want. I’m going to follow your brother to the military base to live, and I can’t take all of this with me!"

It wasn't that she was showing off, but she was forced by reality.

She could have let the system recycle everything, but the dowry list was public knowledge. Even if she could explain how things disappeared, she didn't want Zhan Zeye, who was already suspicious of her, to notice anything strange.

In all likelihood, she would have to leave some of these things behind.

Zhan Chunying’s eyes lit up. Everything looked fresh and exciting to her, but remembering how Mother Zhan usually taught her, she suppressed her urge and shook her head: "These are your dowry; you should keep them safe. I’m already very happy to have received these two pieces!"

Having successfully won over her sister-in-law, Tang Qiyue picked up a piece of military-green fabric from the bed: "This piece isn't very big, but it’s enough to make a few crossbody bags. I saw that the bag you were carrying yesterday was washed thin. Use this to make a new one; consider it a small token of my affection!"

Though she wanted to refuse, Zhan Chunying couldn't bring herself to. Recently, all the girls had been looking for this kind of fabric to make imitation military uniforms. She looked at the piece; while not large, it was enough for a jacket.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law! Is there anything you need me to do? I’m very strong, I’ll help you!"

With her sister-in-law’s dissatisfaction completely gone, Tang Qiyue didn't stand on ceremony. She couldn't finish packing alone anyway, so she pulled Zhan Chunying in to help.

The two sisters-in-law had just finished tidying up the bed when Zhan Zeye returned with his comrades.

Zhan Chunying was still a young girl, after all. Seeing her brother’s comrades enter, she politely greeted them and then scurried out.

Zhan Zeye had already introduced his comrades to Mother Zhan. Bringing them here now was to inspect Tang Qiyue’s dowry trunks and figure out a reasonable way to transport everything.

"Chen Dazhuang, Hu Peng!"

Zhan Zeye introduced his comrades to Tang Qiyue, and she greeted them in turn.

Chen Dazhuang and Hu Peng were a bit embarrassed. The women they usually encountered were sharp-tongued and tough; suddenly seeing a delicate beauty like Tang Qiyue, they didn't know how to react.

Zhan Zeye couldn't stand it anymore and gave each of them a kick: "Look at the trunks!"

Only then did they snap out of it, not daring to look at Tang Qiyue again. Privately, they grumbled: where did a rough, reckless guy like Zhan Zeye get the luck to land such a wonderful wife?

Even if her family background wasn't great, she was beautiful!

Regardless of how sour the two comrades felt, upon seeing the dowry trunks and weighing them by hand, their faces were filled with ecstasy.

"Brother Zhan, are these really all for us to handle?"

Hu Peng rubbed his hands in excitement. Others might not know, but he and Chen Dazhuang knew very well that after Zhan Zeye was injured, their old commander, fearing he would be reckless with his life again, had dumped a new recruit company on him. Nominally they were recruits, but they were actually the best seeds selected from various camps, intended to be trained into all-around soldiers like Zhan Zeye.

But to train all-around talents, besides excellent equipment, they needed food.

Times were tough, and while the military provided rations, the portions weren't nearly enough. Those young recruits could each put away two or three pounds of food per meal, some even five, not to mention the need for meat and eggs.

They could be eaten into poverty just by feeding them.

If they weren't at their wit's end, they wouldn't have had the nerve to come to their old commander under the guise of visiting relatives to cry for help, all for the sake of getting money to feed their men.

They never expected that the old commander was also struggling and had very limited military funds to approve. Just as they were at their wits' end, Zhan Zeye’s new wife offered to donate supplies.

"Nonsense, it’s my wife’s dowry. Who else would you donate it to?"

Zhan Zeye boasted, then realized he had previously wanted to call off the marriage, so he coughed awkwardly: "We’re heading back the day after tomorrow. Whether you go cry or make a scene with the old commander, get me a truck. We need to haul this stuff away properly!"

Hu Peng and Chen Dazhuang’s faces turned red with excitement. They stood straight and saluted Tang Qiyue in unison, shouting: "Sister-in-law, from now on you are our Great-Aunt! If Brother Zhan ever bullies you, I’ll bring the recruits from the company to help you deal with him!"