Volume One, Chapter Three: Crashing into Huo Chenyuan’s Solid Embrace

As evening fell, the small courtyard of the Huo family buzzed with activity.

Huo Jianjun was a man of his word; he had indeed set up two long tables in the yard, draped with brand-new cloths.

He had invited the master chef from the military district canteen to prepare a lavish banquet.

The aroma of meat mingled with the scent of rice, wafting half a mile away, drawing the entire courtyard’s residents to crane their necks and watch the spectacle.

Lin Wenxiu, dressed in a modest yet elegant blue blouse and pants, felt uneasy but, encouraged by Huo Jianjun, forced herself to greet the neighbors in her role as the lady of the house.

Jiang Yu quietly followed behind her mother, saying little and merely exchanging polite greetings.

Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out from behind.

“Oh wow, Jianjun, this is quite the grand gesture! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d married a goddess!” The speaker was a plump woman wearing a floral shirt and sporting permed hair—Wang Sao, the wife of Officer Wang from the military logistics department.

She flattered them with her words while her eyes darted like knives as she scrutinized Lin Wenxiu.

Huo Jianjun laughed heartily, pride swelling in his chest as he drew Lin Wenxiu close. “In my eyes, Wenxiu is exactly like a goddess descended to earth! Come, Wang Sao, please take a seat!”

As guests gradually arrived, the three Huo brothers descended the stairs with sullen expressions, taking the corner seats and radiating a chilling aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.

After several rounds of drinks, Huo Jianjun stood up.

Holding his glass, he scanned the room, his booming voice silencing the chatter.

“I’ve invited everyone here today to formally introduce my wife, Comrade Lin Wenxiu, and my daughter, Jiang Yu!”

He paused, his gaze settling on Lin Wenxiu. “I know there may be rumors out there. Today, I want to set the record straight in front of everyone! When I met Wenxiu, she was already divorced from her previous husband—an honorable single woman! She was simply confined by the men in the Jiang family!”

“I pursued Wenxiu because I didn’t want her to be trapped in a fire. That’s why I personally brought her back.”

His words rang with conviction, silencing all the gossipers ready to stir trouble.

Yet, Huo Jianjun’s openness could not quell the whispering among the wives in the courtyard.

In a corner, Wang Sao whispered with another tall, thin woman, Sister Li.

“A divorced woman with a baggage like that—what’s there to boast about? In my opinion, she’s just a temptress who bewitched Commander Huo!” Sister Li curled her lip, casting a spiteful glance at Jiang Yu. “Look at her daughter—so thin and sorrowful, like a debt collector’s ghost. She’s clearly unlucky, probably a jinx who will drain all the Huo family’s good fortune!”

Though they thought they spoke quietly, the Huo brothers were no ordinary men.

With a loud bang, Third Brother Huo Zhenshan slammed his cup on the table, his dark face flushed red.

He abruptly stood and stormed over to Huo Jianjun, his voice low and fierce with suppressed anger. “Dad! What exactly are you trying to do? Don’t you think the family’s shame is already enough?!”

Huo Jianjun’s expression darkened as he stared at his son, speaking slowly and deliberately. “What shame? I openly brought her home. I want everyone to know they’re recognized and legitimate—not something to hide!”

The father-son dispute plunged the gathering into an awkward silence.

Lin Wenxiu gently tugged Huo Jianjun’s arm. “It’s my fault. Please don’t be angry with the children.”

Jiang Yu watched the scene coldly and wisely offered an escape for everyone.

She turned to Huo Jianjun. “Father Huo, it seems we’re running low on wine. I’ll fetch two more bottles from inside.”

Calmly, she entered the house and retrieved two bottles of baijiu from the storeroom.

As she turned, she collided face-to-face with the gossipy women who had deliberately followed her in.

Wang Sao blocked her path with a fake smile. “Little Yu, you’re really lucky. Your mother remarried and managed to climb up to Commander Huo’s side. Don’t you agree?”

Holding the bottles close, Jiang Yu lifted her eyes and regarded her with a cool, quiet gaze.

“Wang Sao, do you mean to say that once a woman is divorced, she should be stuck in the mud forever, unworthy of a good life?”

Wang Sao was caught off guard; she hadn’t expected this quiet girl to retort openly.

Flushed with embarrassment and anger, she snapped, “I didn’t say that! I just think people should know their place!”

“Know their place?” Jiang Yu smiled faintly, with a trace of subtle sarcasm. “My mother earned Commander Huo’s respect and love through her own efforts—honorably and openly. That is the truest ‘knowing one’s place.’ Yet some come to others’ celebrations to gossip and stir trouble. I wonder, what kind of ‘knowing one’s place’ is that?”

“Must women always make life harder for other women?”

“Or could it be that, deep down, you all are jealous, unhappy with your own lives, and envy Father Huo?”

“You… you little bitch!” Wang Sao’s face turned a deep purple, trembling with fury.

Sister Li immediately joined in, eyeing Jiang Yu from head to toe with a sneer. “Enough, Wang Sao. Don’t stoop to arguing with a little brat. Some people are just born to be debt collectors. Look at that face—so miserable, no luck in life. She’s probably a jinx who’ll drain all the Huo family’s fortune!”

Faced with such venomous curses, Jiang Yu didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

Instead, she tilted her head with innocent curiosity and asked, “Sister Li, you say I have no luck?”

She spoke slowly, “You should focus on losing weight. Don’t have luck but no strength to enjoy it—would be a shame to fall ill.”

Her gaze swept over Sister Li’s face distorted by jealousy, and she softly added, “Oh, I see. Perhaps in your eyes, the greatest fortune is to eat, drink, and gossip at someone else’s celebration. If so, I truly don’t want that kind of fortune.”

A muffled chuckle escaped from a corner.

Wang Sao and Sister Li flushed with a mixture of anger and shame, unable to retort.

Every word Jiang Yu spoke landed like a slap—silent but stinging.

Without another glance, Jiang Yu clutched the bottles and slipped past them.

What she did not know was that behind her, standing quietly in the shadow by the kitchen door, was the eldest Huo brother, Huo Chenyuan.

He hadn’t expected that quiet, polite girl to be so sharp-tongued.

Even when faced with meddlesome old wives, she gave as good as she got.

This stepsister of his seemed far more thoughtful and cunning than he had imagined.