The Spoiled Young Lady Who Married a Military Officer-Chapter 140 - 138: The Green Tea Cousin Comes Looking for Trouble
Lu Xiao spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and Su Tang’s heart filled with sweetness as she listened.
’Who wouldn’t want such a domineering yet deeply affectionate husband? And as luck would have it, that very man was right by her side.’
"Alright, you should get some rest. Don’t you have to take Xinxin out tomorrow?"
"She just arrived in the Northwest and is unfamiliar with the place and the people. If you go with her and help her make some connections, it’ll make her life a little easier."
Su Tang turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"How is my wife so beautiful and kind? You’re so good to everyone. I’m getting jealous."
Lu Xiao remarked with a sigh, though his words carried a clear hint of jealousy.
Hearing Lu Xiao’s words, Su Tang gave him a playful glare.
"I could understand if it were someone else, but how can you be jealous of your own cousin? Besides, Xinxin’s a girl."
The couple bantered playfully until Su Tang finally promised to grant Lu Xiao one unconditional request in the future. Only then did he drop the subject.
’Even though it’s an ’unconditional’ request, I know Lu Xiao won’t ask for anything too outrageous. At worst, it’ll just mean a little more work for me.’
The next morning, Lu Xiao took Wang Xinxin to her assigned commune to check in.
When the people at the commune heard that a top student was arriving to help them, they were incredibly enthusiastic.
When they saw that Lu Xiao was the one who brought her and learned they were cousins, their attitude became even more welcoming.
And just like that, Wang Xinxin officially settled in.
Su Tang didn’t want her to live in the cramped commune dormitory, so she invited her to come home every day.
At home, Mr. and Mrs. Lu took care of everything. She could come back to hot meals every day, and the bed was much more comfortable than the one at the dorm.
To express her gratitude to her cousin’s wife, Wang Xinxin specially arranged for some skincare products to be sent from Shanghai.
She made sure to point out that they were made with ingredients safe for pregnant women and were completely natural.
Su Tang could tell just by looking at the skincare products that they were incredibly expensive. While she felt a pang at the cost, she was also deeply moved.
The Lu Family was unbelievably good to her. Her parents-in-law doted on her, and even her husband’s cousin treated her so well.
Much of the anxiety Su Tang had felt because of the ’original plot’ instantly dissipated.
One day, as Su Tang was returning home from work, she saw a woman standing by her door.
She was wearing well-tailored clothes and was dressed very fashionably.
The woman turned at the sound of footsteps, and Su Tang realized it was Chen Zhengnian’s cousin. They had clashed at the hospital before.
"Doctor Su."
Chen Man lifted a hand to sweep her hair back, offering an elegant, poised smile.
She watched as Su Tang approached.
"How do you know my address?"
Su Tang’s expression turned chilly as she looked at Chen Man. ’How on earth did she find out where I live?’
Chen Man, however, was unconcerned, tilting her head slightly.
"This place isn’t that big. Is it really so hard to find someone if I ask around?"
"Since I’m already here, aren’t you going to invite me in?"
Chen Man spoke with a casual familiarity, as if she and Su Tang were the best of friends, when in fact they had only met once.
"I don’t believe we’re familiar enough for me to invite you in for tea."
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it out here."
Su Tang had no desire to be in the same room as Chen Man. She could sense Chen Man’s palpable hostility, which was probably because of Chen Zhengnian.
But her relationship with Chen Zhengnian was purely professional—that of a doctor and patient. She had even refused the payment and compensation Chen Zhengnian offered her.
She had done so precisely to avoid any further connection to him. So why on earth had Chen Man shown up at her door?
"Fine. Since Doctor Su won’t welcome me in, I’ll get straight to the point."
After speaking, Chen Man took an envelope from her shoulder bag and held it out.
"The money in here should be enough for your family to live on for a year. Consider it payment for your hard work operating on my cousin."
"I expect you to have no further contact with my cousin from now on."
Hearing this, Su Tang could only think how ridiculous Chen Man was being.
’She and Chen Zhengnian really are cut from the same cloth. Both of them love to just throw money at people.’
"The hospital has already been paid for his medical expenses. Besides, he is no longer my patient. I have no idea why Miss Chen thinks we would have any further contact."
"And please, Miss Chen, drop the arrogant attitude. Not everyone believes you can buy people’s loyalty with money, and I certainly don’t need yours."
With that, Su Tang pushed aside Chen Man’s outstretched hand and moved to open her courtyard gate. But unexpectedly, Chen Man reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
"Doctor Su, stop acting so high and mighty. If you weren’t pestering my cousin, why would he be so preoccupied with you?"
"I suggest you know what’s good for you. Take the money and disappear from the Northwest."
If Chen Man’s words had merely been rude and ill-bred before, what she was saying now was an outright threat.
As it happened, the one thing Su Tang hated most was being threatened. She wasn’t about to fall for it.
’To think she dares to say something like that right here in the family compound. In the modern era, she would have been reported countless times by now.’
’But of course, I don’t have a phone, much less the ability to record audio or take pictures to document the outrageous things Chen Man is saying.’
Su Tang scoffed, deciding not to engage with Chen Man any further. ’People like her just get more worked up the more attention you give them.’
Seeing Su Tang about to go inside, Chen Man could no longer hold back.
During his time at the sanatorium, Chen Zhengnian had mentioned Su Tang many times to those around him.
This caused the flames of jealousy in Chen Man’s heart to burn fiercely.
In reality, however, she hadn’t properly heard that what Chen Zhengnian was praising was Su Tang’s superb medical skill.
How could performing such a difficult surgery while pregnant not be a testament to her incredible skill?
But Chen Man felt that if she heard Su Tang’s name from Chen Zhengnian’s lips one more time, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from arguing with him.
To put it nicely, she was his cousin. But in truth, she was merely a child his mother’s side of the family had adopted simply because they didn’t have any girls.
Chen Man had been doted on since childhood, which fostered an arrogant and domineering personality. To top it off, she considered Chen Zhengnian her ideal partner.
The two families had even joked that if neither of them were married by a certain age, they might as well just get them together.
Chen Man had taken her family’s jokes to heart.
For all these years, she had considered herself Chen Zhengnian’s rightful partner, so she absolutely could not tolerate hearing another woman’s name from his lips.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
Just as Chen Man reached out to shove Su Tang, Wang Xinxin’s voice cut through the air, interrupting the motion and giving Su Tang a chance to react.
