Lu Xingzhi went downstairs and saw Jiang Yao standing on the balcony as if she was looking for something. Then, he told her to go back into the house. The weather was frigid, and there was no heating on the balcony, so he was not afraid that she would feel cold.
Jiang Yao went back to the living room after she responded to Lu Xingzhi. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Moe on the newly bought lantern with a face full of love.
“Is this a new toy for me?” Moe wagged his tail happily and complimented, “It looks perfect! Since you bought me a new toy to coax me, then I won’t run away from home.”
Jiang Yao walked forward and shook Moe off the lantern. “Don’t break it. This isn’t a new toy for you. This is a lantern that we’re hanging on the balcony for the New Year. It’s for decoration!”
Moe’s face instantly fell. His claws touched the lantern as if he was considering whether he wanted to make a hole on the lantern while Jiang Yao was not paying attention. If it were broken, then Jiang Yao would not want it. If she did not want it, then it would be his toy. Only, he did not know if it was expensive or not. If it were broken, Jiang Yao would be angry with him, and she would complain to that man.
Jiang Yao immediately saw through Moe’s thoughts and quickly moved the lantern to the study room that Lu Xingzhi had forbidden her from entering.
As she walked in and out of the study room, Old Madam He, who was in the opposite unit, seemed to be scolding someone. She was loud, so Jiang Yao could vaguely tell that the older woman was scolding her daughter-in-law.
It was supposed to be time for dinner, but Lu Xingzhi was not home yet, and Jiang Yao did not know what to do first. She wanted to wash the vegetables, but Lu Xingzhi had repeatedly said that she was not allowed to use cold water in the winter, so she gave up the idea.
She was bored, so she sat on the sofa and flipped through the newspaper that Lu Xingzhi brought back as she tried to eavesdrop on what Old Madam He was cursing.
With Jiang Yao’s ability, she could hear everything within a two-kilometer radius, even through the wall. Therefore, she did not need much effort to listen to the reason Old Madam He was throwing a tantrum across the door.
Then, Jiang Yao lifted Moe, who had laid on her lap and sniffed his mouth. She questioned him, “Did you steal food from our neighbor?”
“No!” Moe slapped Jiang Yao’s evil hand away and glared at her. “I don’t do that kind of thing.”
“Really?” Jiang Yao had a look of disbelief on her face.
Old Madam He was angry because two pieces of braised pork she had cooked were missing. She thought her daughter-in-law had stolen the meat, so she scolded her. Her words carried a lot of dialect from her hometown, so Jiang Yao did not understand her, but she guessed that she was scolding her daughter-in-law for being greedy. She had stolen the meat that her mother-in-law had specially left for her son.
The battalion commander’s wife denied it, and she cried grievingly. Jiang Yao felt that Old Madam He had gone too far by scolding her pregnant daughter-in-law because of two pieces of meat. Even if the battalion commander’s wife had really stolen the meat, it was understandable for her to be ravenous as she is pregnant. Furthermore, Jiang Yao felt that the battalion commander’s wife would not have the guts to steal the meat in front of her mother-in-law.
On the other hand, Jiang Yao suspected Moe had done it. He must have done so when he ran out of the house. He had not eaten anything since he came to the army barracks with her. Moe did not even look at the leftovers that Lu Xingzhi brought back from the canteen.
