An Accidental Military Marriage

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Jiang Qing’s Calculations

Jiang Qing rushed to the match factory to find Li Hongying.

Li Hongying was thrilled to see her daughter, but before she could ask how she was doing, Jiang Qing immediately pressed her about the house.

When she learned the factory had indeed taken back the house, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Without the house, she had no reason to feel any lingering attachment to the Jiang family.

After suffering for so many days with the Zhang family, she had questioned herself more than once, wondering if leaving the Jiang family had been a mistake.

Although she hated to admit it, life with the Jiang family was indeed much better than with the Zhang family.

But after learning that Jiang Moli had managed to lose Jiang Dahai’s house, her conviction was instantly reaffirmed.

’Leaving the Jiang family and cutting all ties with them was the right move!’

’This time they lost the house. Next time, it could be Jiang Dahai’s job. After that, the Lu Family and Lu Cheng might be the ones to suffer!’

’Sooner or later, Jiang Moli will squander everything she has.’

’And everyone around her will be dragged down with her.’

Jiang Qing couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled when she noticed Li Hongying’s rosy complexion. Her mother didn’t look the least bit haggard or miserable about losing the house.

"Mom, since the house is gone, where are you all living now?"

The family was keeping the fact that they were living in the military family compound a secret from outsiders.

For one, they didn’t want to cause trouble for the Lu Family. For another, they were afraid of relatives showing up unannounced.

Coupled with Jiang Moli’s warning, Li Hongying didn’t dare reveal a single word to her daughter.

"We’re staying with one of your Uncle Jiang’s relatives. It’s someone else’s home, so it’s not convenient to take you over. Did you come back for a specific reason today?"

Jiang Qing refused to be sidetracked. "Which relative?"

"A relative on the Jiang family’s side. You wouldn’t know them anyway."

Jiang Qing didn’t doubt her, but she was a bit gloomy.

Life with the Zhang family was unbearable. She had returned home using the excuse of helping her younger brother-in-law find a job.

She had hoped to use the opportunity to stay for a couple of days and catch her breath.

Still, it wasn’t a big deal. ’I have plenty of friends. Staying over for a night or two shouldn’t be a problem.’

’Now that the Jiang family is living on someone else’s charity, they must be getting a taste of the same bitterness I had to endure.’

"Mom, what are your plans for the future?"

Li Hongying didn’t notice that Jiang Qing had asked about "your" plans, not "your" plans as a couple.

"Your Uncle Jiang is still a long way from retirement. Perhaps if he works hard for a few more years, we’ll be assigned a new house."

Jiang Qing scoffed mercilessly at Li Hongying’s optimism.

"Jiang Moli is just asking for trouble. You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t drag Uncle Jiang down and cost him his job, yet you’re still hoping to get another house?"

"Don’t say that about Moli. She was only trying to help your Uncle Jiang collect debts. All the money the relatives owed over the years has been paid back. It’s more than 600 yuan."

"What good is that? Even if it were 6,000 yuan, would that be as valuable as a house?"

Though Jiang Qing was outwardly dismissive, her mind was secretly racing with calculations.

Ever since her rebirth, she had a crystal-clear plan for her future.

She wanted to be a modern career woman, not some housewife bogged down by chores and children.

That was why she had been planning all along to take Li Hongying with her when she moved to be with her husband’s military unit.

Li Hongying and Jiang Dahai had no marriage certificate. If her mother left with her, she would have effectively cut all ties with the Jiang family.

Then, no matter what disaster Jiang Moli caused in the future, it couldn’t touch them.

Once she and Zhang Jia Ming had children, Li Hongying could help look after them, freeing her and Zhang Jia Ming to focus on their careers and build a future.

But if Li Hongying was really going to leave the Jiang family, she couldn’t just walk away empty-handed.

’She couldn’t have toiled away like an ox for the Jiang family all these years for nothing!’

"Mom, what does Uncle Jiang plan to do with that money?"

"Your Uncle Jiang gave all the money to Moli."

Jiang Qing flew into a rage. "Why give it to her? Wasn’t the huge dowry she took when she got married enough? Does he have to empty out the entire family’s coffers for her?"

Li Hongying quickly explained, "The money wasn’t just *given* to Moli. Moli said she’d be managing the household finances from now on, so all the family’s money is in her keeping."

This made Jiang Qing even angrier than if they had simply given the 600-plus yuan to Jiang Moli outright.

"She’s a married daughter! What right does she have to meddle in her parents’ household affairs? They can say she’s ’managing the finances,’ but what they’re really doing is guarding against you, an outsider! His two children are grown now. They don’t need an old maidservant like you to wait on them anymore. They find you superfluous and are just looking for a chance to kick you to the curb!"

Her daughter’s words made Li Hongying’s face flush with anxiety. "Xiao Qing, don’t say that about your Uncle Jiang. He’s not that kind of person."

She paused, then added, "Your Uncle Jiang treats me very well now."

The other day, she’d twisted her back. Not only did Jiang Dahai take her to see a traditional doctor on his bicycle, but he also told her to stop working at the match factory and just rest at home.

For the past two days, she couldn’t help but smile whenever she thought about it.

She felt so happy and content.

Besides, whenever Jiang Moli came home to discuss family matters, she never excluded her, the stepmother.

’If they were really trying to guard against me, they wouldn’t let me listen in.’

With that in mind, she couldn’t help but try to persuade her daughter. "You can’t always be at odds with Moli. You have to think about Jia Ming. Xiao Lu is Jia Ming’s supervisor. If he finds out you’re always bullying Moli, do you think he’ll let Jia Ming have an easy time?"

It was infuriating enough when Jin Yulan had told her to submit to Jiang Moli.

Now, with even her own mother taking the other side, Jiang Qing’s fury was palpable.

"Mom, stay out of my business! You just worry about yourself, and don’t come crying to me the day you’re thrown out on the street!"

Haughtily, Jiang Qing turned to leave.

Li Hongying quickly grabbed her, pulling out all the money she had on her and pressing it into her daughter’s hand.

Her daughter so rarely came home. Since she couldn’t invite her to stay, she could only try to make up for it with money.

Clutching the money, Jiang Qing’s anger subsided a little.

’At any rate, the fact that her mother gave her all her money proved that deep down, she was on her biological daughter’s side.’

"Mom, I’ll hold onto this money for you. And you think long and hard about what I said. If you come to your senses and decide you don’t want to live with that Jiang family anymore, I’ll take you with me to my husband’s post."

Li Hongying was startled. "Xiao Qing, what are you talking about? Your Uncle Jiang and I are getting along just fine. Why would I leave?"

Jiang Qing snorted. "You’re useful to them now. But what about when you get old and can’t wait on that father and his children anymore? Do you really think the Jiang siblings will care whether their stepmother lives or dies?"

That night, Li Hongying once again lay awake, unable to sleep.

Her daughter’s words weighed on her heart like a lead weight, making her miserable.

Jiang Qing was also too frustrated to sleep.

She had reached out to old friends, hoping to stay over for a couple of nights. But one claimed a sick elderly relative was at home, and another said it was inconvenient because relatives were visiting. In the end, she had no choice but to return to her in-laws’ house.

’Do they really think I’m doomed for life just because I married a man from the countryside?’

She had originally planned to leak the news about the college entrance exam’s reinstatement to a few close friends so they could all strive together.

’But it turned out every last one of them was a snob who looked down on people.’

’Fine. I’ll take the exam on my own.’

’Once I get in, I can’t wait to see this bunch of snobs eat their words!’

It was a nice thought, but inwardly, Jiang Qing was deeply anxious.

Her studying recently had been far from ideal.

She wasn’t a naturally gifted student, and after two years away from the classroom, she’d forgotten a lot of the material.

Realizing it would be difficult to pass the exam on her own, she had decided to leak the news to some academically strong friends she was on good terms with, hoping they might help her with tutoring.

Still, it wasn’t as if she had no other options. The neighboring village had a settlement for educated youth. ’Tomorrow, I’ll go over and ask around, see if there are any of them with good academic records.’

Just as she was lost in thought, the door was pushed open from the outside.

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