A domineering country girl flirts with her son, and Commander Huo can't resist.

"Forty-odd yuan a month is more than enough for you and your child. In the past four years, my children and I have spent a maximum of five yuan a month, and that was when we had plenty of money."

"Sister-in-law, sometimes I envy you."

Huo Jiyun followed closely behind, "Wife, I'm sorry. Don't worry, from now on I'll keep ten yuan for myself every month and send the rest to you, okay?"

Joanne readily agreed, saying, "You said it yourself."

"Of course, now that the old folks' jobs are sorted out, and your sister-in-law can keep her pension for herself, then all my money is naturally yours."

Lin Wan opened her mouth, as if to say something.

But I found myself unable to say anything.

With a shrug, Qiao An took all of Huo Jiyun's money.

In other words, Huo Jiyun will no longer subsidize her in the future, so won't she lose half of her money?

Forget about buying new clothes and shoes, we even have to be careful with our purchases of osmanthus oil.

Lin Wan's eyes twitched slightly, and her gaze towards Qiao An was filled with disgust and hatred.

It's all that woman's fault. Not only did she steal Commander Huo away, but she also kept whispering in his ear.

Fortunately, Huo Jiyun is about to return to the Northwest, so she still has a chance.

She refused to believe that Huo Jiyun was a stone, and that she couldn't pretend to be reserved again when she went back this time.

You have to take the initiative when you need to.

Lin Wan was just thinking about how to win Huo Jiyun's heart when she heard Huo Jiyun mention accompanying the army.

It turned out that Xu Fengxian was asking the question.

"Now that you're the regimental commander, shouldn't Qiao An be able to accompany the troops?"

Huo Jiyun grasped Qiao An's hand. "Yes, I've already submitted my application, and it should be approved soon. If all goes well, I can go to Chehe County this year."

"That's wonderful! Your family can finally be reunited. Things will only get better from now on," Xu Fengxian said, glancing at Lin Wan as if it were an afterthought.

She said this to Lin Wan, hoping to make her back down.

He has a wife and children, and he's going to be with his husband this year, spending every day together. She should probably stop having such filthy thoughts.

But to Lin Wan, these words sounded like an alarm clock.

In other words, she doesn't have much time left.

She had to find a way to separate Huo Jiyun and Qiao An, preferably because of Qiao An, so that Huo Jiyun's future would not be affected and he could marry her in a legitimate way.

If Joan were dead, that would be better.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, it startled Lin Wan.

How could you think like that?

But the more she tried to control it, the more this idea grew unchecked, like wild grass in spring.

Qiao An and Huo Jiyun sat for a while longer before preparing to leave.

As soon as she stood up, most of the scarf around Qiao An's neck fell off, and Lin Wan's eyes narrowed suddenly.

She saw Joan's neck, which had several marks of varying depths.

Lin Wan was a married woman, so of course she knew how those marks came about.

These marks became glaringly obvious; she would go crazy if she looked at them for even a second longer.

Before leaving, Xu Fengxian came out to see her off, and Qiao An told her the location and time for starting work on the seventh day of the new year.

As for her salary, she planned to discuss it on the day she started work. If she talked about it now, they would inevitably gossip at home, and if Lin Wan overheard, she might cause some trouble.

Huo Jiyun took her back to Lianchi Village on his tricycle.

Just as they arrived home, Huo Fang brought Huo Chen and Huo Ning back home.

Huo Fang's eyes were red, and her new clothes were torn.

Upon seeing Qiao An, she couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.

"What's wrong? Did someone bully you?" Qiao An jumped off the tricycle and rushed over.

Huo Fang hugged Qiao An's waist, buried her head in her waist, and burst into tears.

"Mom, my older sister took us to the cooperative to buy scraps of cloth, saying she would sew sandbags for us. We met the old lady there."

"The older woman scolded my older sister, said she was tearing her clothes, and even took away the New Year's money from her."

Huo Ning tilted his head back, his little face puffed up with anger.

On the other side, Huo Chen clenched his little fists, "Mommy, Auntie is so mean! She bullied Big Sister, called her a slut, and even slapped her!"

Qiao An looked down and noticed that Huo Fang's cheeks were a little swollen.

"How much money did she steal from you?" Joanne asked.

Huo Fang shook her head. "Second Aunt, don't ask anymore. I'll be fine after crying for a while. She is my mother after all. I'm already very fortunate to be able to stay here. What if I anger her and she makes me go back? I'll die."

Huo Fang was afraid. The shadow of almost being beaten to death by her own mother last time still loomed over her. She knew that she was only staying at her second aunt's house.

After her second aunt left with the army, she would have to return to the Huo family. Huo Fang didn't even dare to think about what awaited her then.

How could Qiao An not know Huo Fang's worries?

"Fangfang, it's my fault for not making things clear. I'll take you with me wherever I go from now on, as long as you want."

Huo Fang looked up, her eyes glazed over, "Second Aunt, are you serious?"

"Of course, you can ask your second uncle if you don't believe me."

Huo Jiyun stepped forward and patted her head. "Fangfang, as long as we have food to eat, we will never let you go hungry."

"Your second aunt and I will always be your family."

Huo Fang burst into tears after hearing this.

Qiao An put his arm around her and led her into the house, finally managing to calm her down.

Upon further questioning, she learned that Shen Xiufang had robbed her of more than ten yuan.

This was Huo Fang's money, which she had saved for a long time. It included money she earned before the Lunar New Year from helping her family make steamed buns, and New Year's money Qiao An gave her on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Huo Fang could swallow this insult, but Qiao An couldn't.

The child's money must be returned, and not only that, but Shen Xiufang must be made to stay away from Huo Fang in the future.

Only when Shen Xiufang completely despises Huo Fang can she take Huo Fang away in the future.

Qiao An gave Huo Jiyun a wink, and the two of them went to the side room together. After closing the door, they sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and began to discuss their plans.

"This kind of thing is bound to happen once, and if we give Huo Fang money in the future, Shen Xiufang might target us."

"You're right. My sister-in-law is notoriously stingy. She'd rather split a penny in two. Now that she's found out Huo Fang has so much money, she'll definitely be looking for her from time to time."

Qiao An braced herself on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), thought carefully for a moment, and said, "Look... I'll go first... and then..."

Huo Jiyun's eyes widened and widened until his mouth opened so wide that an egg could fit inside.

"You can do that?"

Qiao An chuckled, "What's so special about this? With so much, it'll make it seem natural for Huo Fang to come with us."

Putting everything else aside, when it comes to devising schemes, Joan really has a lot.

That night, Qiao An and Huo Jiyun slept in the side room again, but Qiao An covered herself up tightly, giving Huo Jiyun no chance to make a move.

"Wife." Huo Jiyun crawled to her side like a giant earthworm and hummed softly.

Joan turned her head. "The donkeys in the production team also have time to rest, right?"

"My back still hurts. You're tough and have endless strength, but I can't do that."

"Wife, I'll be gentler." Huo Jiyun nudged her with his head.

"No, no, I need at least two...three days off a week!"

Huo Jiyun counted on his fingers, "Three days, so that means every other day?"

"Fine, I can tolerate it."

After saying that, he lay down next to Joan.