——————
Afterward, Xie Jingchen and Zhang Shanni were ’invited’ to meet Chief Tao.
Upon seeing Xie Jingchen, Chief Tao had the immediate impulse to kick him, but when he caught a glimpse of Zhang Shanni smiling at him from the corner of his eye, Chief Tao could be said to have ’lost all composure’ as he stared at Zhang Shanni for quite a moment.
"...Hello." Zhang Shanni tilted her head, with a flicker of confusion in her heart. Seeing the other party come back to his senses, she followed her husband into the office.
Xie Jingchen, with his brows furrowed, protected his wife. Chief Tao’s startled gaze upon seeing Zhang Shanni’s face didn’t escape his keen eyes.
Tao Songjian was completely thrown off when he saw a young version of his grandma!
Even though his own thin-lifed aunt had died long ago, grandmother always kept her in memory the most, hence a photo of grandma [referring to a married daughter, aunt by relation] was in possession of everyone in the Tao Family!
"Chief Tao!" Xie Jingchen stood protectively in front of his wife, visibly displeased. Any man, upon finding his wife being stared at relentlessly by another man, even if the man is a middle-aged old man [clearly only thirty-nine years old] with close ties to oneself, would find it unbearable!
"Ah, oh~" Chief Tao touched his face in discomposure and then with a bitter smile said to Xie Jingchen, "Old Xie, I didn’t do it on purpose, sit down, let’s talk. Ah, miss, slow down, be careful, don’t move too hastily..."
Seeing Zhang Shanni, with her pregnant belly, sit down effortlessly, Chief Tao was even more anxious than Xie Jingchen.
Here’s another one! Zhang Shanni looked straight at Chief Tao and it took Tao Songjian a good three to five minutes before he realized he had said too much.
"Ahem, can we have a proper conversation now?" Xie Jingchen frowned, realizing after Yan Jinchang’s odd behavior that Chief Tao’s reaction upon seeing his wife would be quite similar.
After all, the Tao and Yan families had always been related by friendly marital ties. Even after Elder Yan married a widow, that widow was also related to the Tao Family.
And it was heard that the new wife was taken in on the dying request of the first wife for her husband.
Because of the backing of Elder Liu, Xie Jingchen understood the relational diagrams within the military’s internal political leadership, which aided him in his analysis of current events.
"..." Tao Songjian glanced listlessly at Xie Jingchen, then refocused his gaze on Zhang Shanni, apologizing very gently, "Girl, I’m sorry, this old man didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just that you resemble my aunt too much!"
Meanwhile, Tao Songjian recalled the information of Mrs. Rong, Zhang Shanni. The marriage of someone of Xie Jingchen’s military rank, their wives would undergo strict political screening.
And Zhang Shanni’s background was very clear, and her lineage was impeccable, a genuine descendent of old revolutionaries, so her political screening passed very quickly.
If the identity was proven definitively, theoretically, there should be no problem with Zhang Shanni. When he first saw Zhang Shanni’s black and white photo, he only felt the woman in the photo looked somewhat familiar, never expecting the shock of meeting her in person!
So alike! Too much alike!
Zhang Shanni just showed a slight smile, then continued to lower her head, not wanting to know if the original host had any troubled past or whatever.
After all, the original host is dead beyond any return, what’s the point in knowing now?
Due to Zhang Shanni’s non-cooperation, the office fell into silence for a moment.
"Chief Tao, regarding today’s matter, I was merely acting in self-defense. Anyone who sees someone trying to harm their pregnant wife would defend against the aggressor."
He sat quietly on the sofa by himself, only snapping back to reality when the Rong Team’s lunch bell rang.
This matter couldn’t be so simple.
To resemble the aunt to such a degree, she must either be a descendant of the Yan Family lost to the outside world or a descendant of the Tao Family!
Regardless, unknown matters must always be kept under one’s own control.
With this thought, Tao Songjian hurried back to his desk, picked up the phone, dialed two numbers in succession, and spoke until he was parched, before finally hanging up the receiver.
Tao Songjian loosened the topmost military button on his collar, cradled his teacup, his gaze wandering, yet his mind floated to some unknown place.
After Xie Jingchen and Zhang Shanni left, they went straight home. The two of them conspired to keep this incident secret from the elderly, and the family happily finished their meal. After lunch, Zhang Shanni went to take a nap, and only after confirming his wife was asleep did Xie Jingchen rise and leave the house, informing his parents with a word before departing.
At the same time, Zhang Dongliang helped his pregnant wife Lin Aimei to the entrance of Shanglin Village. Lin Zhaodi, who had received the news, looked at her son who had grown taller and stronger with tears of joy that she couldn’t control.
Lin Aimei deliberately stayed out of the way, only after Lin Zhaodi had vented her emotions did she turn her head to notice Lin Aimei’s big belly. The curses that were on the tip of her tongue were forgotten in an instant, replaced by jubilant screams:
"Son, you’re going to be a dad!"
"Yes, Mom, Xiao Mei is almost three months pregnant, but she has been suffering from severe morning sickness recently. I really have no other option but to bring her back for you to see what can be done about it."
What Zhang Dongliang didn’t mention was that their greed had gotten the better of them and they had been too trusting, resulting not only in losing their small business but also being swindled out of their last penny.
Having run out of options, the couple had dejectedly returned to their hometown.
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