Volume 1, Chapter 56: Having the Young Uncle Marry Her Home

"No nonsense. This is the new society; we do not engage in feudal superstitions," Huo Hong said immediately, her expression turning serious.

"Then what is wrong with my sister? When she had that sodium nitrite poisoning before, she inexplicably began foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over, yet the doctors couldn't find anything wrong."

Huo Hong fell into deep thought. She recalled that during the sodium nitrite poisoning incident, she had indeed noticed that Su Xiaohui's temperament was somewhat overly intense, leading her to commit rather frantic and incomprehensible actions when faced with adversity.

"Did something happen beforehand?"

"No, everything was completely fine in the hospital room. Grandma Huo and Xinhao were both there. When they learned that Commander Huo had taken a fancy to a nurse at the social gathering, Xiaohui was actually very happy for him and offered her blessings. The only unusual thing was that Xiaohui apparently touched Commander Huo's personal belongings without his permission, and Commander Huo was a bit angry about it."

Su Wan blinked her eyes. "Later, after we came out of the hospital room, I told Xiaohui that Principal Song's original nanny had returned and I was no longer needed there, so I might move back to the Huo family residence by the end of the month. That would also make it convenient for me to prepare nutritious meals for Commander Huo. Xiaohui was completely fine the entire time; it was only after I left that she suddenly became like this."

"Even if Xiaohui had some lingering feelings, still liked Commander Huo, and was scolded by him, surely it wouldn't warrant slapping her own face, pulling her own hair, and rolling around on the floor, would she?"

Huo Hong furrowed her brows as well. If everything Su Wan said was true, then Su Xiaohui's behavior was far too bizarre.

"Besides, I even made a point to ask Dr. Song just now, though coming from the countryside, I couldn't quite understand it all. He said something about her spirit suffering some kind of fluctuation or stimulation, causing her to uncontrollably engage in self-abusing and self-harming behaviors, and in severe cases, she might even harm others."

Huo Hong fell into a deep contemplation, her gaze sweeping over Su Wan's gentle and serene face. Su Wan's clear, crystal-like eyes were pristine and unblemished, filled to the brim with genuine worry for her younger sister.

"Alright, I understand. You go back first. I'll ask Xiaohui what this is all about when I return later."

During her time in Beiping, Su Wan had indeed been extremely well-behaved and had never caused any trouble.

However, the situation her eldest brother had verified through an old subordinate indicated that things were indeed as Huo Xiaohan understood them to be: Su Wan was supposedly prone to lying and sophistry, fierce, overbearing, and frequently bullied Su Xiaohui.

Yet, Su Xiaohui's frantic and extreme behavior was something Huo Hong had witnessed with her own eyes.

Previously, anyone could tell that Su Xiaohui fancied Huo Xiaohan. Later on, she claimed she no longer liked him, but who could truly know what was going on in her mind?

Therefore, without rushing to jump to conclusions about the exact nature of the situation, she decided to wait until she returned and investigated the matter thoroughly.

"Aunt Hong, why don't I go back with you? Xiaohui looked so terrifying just now, screaming continuously, kicking the wall, and then starting to hit her own face..." Su Wan said with a look of deep unease.

"What about Principal Song's household then? Don't you need to cook dinner tonight?" Huo Hong asked.

"It's fine, Aunt Wang is there. I cooked lunch, so she can handle dinner."

"Alright, then come with me to Xiaohan's hospital room first so I can drop off his meal." Hearing Su Wan describe the scene, Huo Hong decided it was best to return to the Huo residence as soon as possible to see what was actually going on.

"Commander Huo is resting, so I won't go in and disturb him. I'll wait for you outside," Su Wan said, waving her hand with a meek and gentle expression.

---

After getting off the train, Xie Bailing carried her suitcase, too rushed to even return to the military compound, and hurried toward the military hospital while holding Huo Xinyi's hand.

"Grandma, my stomach hurts. I can't hold it in," Huo Xinyi said, her cute little face scrunched up as she clutched her rumbling tummy.

She must have eaten something bad on the train, and Xie Bailing's stomach was feeling a bit uneasy as well.

Consequently, she hurriedly took Huo Xinyi to the restroom on the first floor of the hospital.

She left her suitcase by the wall. Fearing she might misplace the foreign-language book kept inside her green crossbody bag while using the restroom, she placed the bag on the sink counter.

As soon as she finished relieving herself, Huo Xinyi became impatient to go see her uncle.

After washing her hands, Xie Bailing quickly grabbed the suitcase by the wall and hurried after her. "Xinyi, don't run around blindly in the hospital. Be careful of bumping into people."

Just as she spoke, Huo Xinyi stepped out of the restroom and collided with Su Wan, who was also heading inside.

"I'm sorry, sister," Huo Xinyi raised her chubby little face and apologized politely.

"Comrade, are you alright?" Xie Bailing took hold of Huo Xinyi's small hand and asked gently.

"I'm fine, completely fine. This little child is so adorable," Su Wan repeatedly waved her hands, offering a sincere compliment when she caught sight of Huo Xinyi's amber, deep, and beautiful eyes.

The middle-aged woman accompanying the child also possessed a remarkably elegant and intellectual temperament.

Xie Bailing had likewise noticed this female comrade. Despite wearing worn and plain clothing, her features were exceptionally striking, gentle, and refined—giving off the impression of a pearl buried in dust.

She would never have imagined that a girl from the countryside could be born with such stunning looks, even surpassing the star performers of the cultural troupe.

Unable to resist taking a few extra glances, she led Huo Xinyi toward the inpatient ward.

Su Wan had gone to the restroom because her left foot was hurting uncomfortably from being tightly wrapped in her cloth shoes.

Upon entering, she spotted the green crossbody bag resting on the sink counter and immediately deduced that it must have been left behind by the woman with the child.

She hurriedly grabbed the green crossbody bag and chased outside, only to find that the people were already out of sight.

After checking her left leg, she stood at the entrance of the restroom holding the green crossbody bag to wait.

She figured that once the owner realized the bag was missing, she would soon return to retrieve it.

"Grandma, that sister has dimples beside her cheeks. She's so sweet and so pretty. You should make Xiaohan marry her and bring her back to be my little aunt," Huo Xinyi chatted cheerfully while walking, tilting her head up with full childlike innocence.

Xie Bailing chuckled and patted her head. "That's already the umpteenth one! Every time you see a pretty sister along the way, you want your uncle to marry her. How many wives can your uncle possibly marry?"

"Just marry this sister! She smelled so soft and nice, and if he does, I can cuddle with her and sleep at night," said Huo Xinyi, whose parents had not been by her side since she was little.

Knowing that the children in the nursery all slept with their mothers, she wanted to sleep with a mother figure too, instead of sleeping all alone in a single bed.

With a helpless smile, Xie Bailing said, "You little rascal, you're not finding a wife for your uncle; you're just trying to get him to bring home an aunt to keep you company while you sleep."

"Uncle promised me! He said once he marries an aunt, he'll let her sleep with me," Huo Xinyi retorted righteously, insisting that her uncle had promised her with his own mouth.

Xie Bailing shook her head. Hearing those words made her realize that her twenty-six-year-old son, who was already a regiment commander, still hadn't figured out the ways of romance.

If a man marries a wife and doesn't sleep with her himself, but instead has her sleep with Xinyi, what on earth would he be marrying her for?

Out of habit, Xie Bailing reached for the crossbody bag on her person, only to grab empty air. That was when she remembered she had left the bag behind in the restroom, so she hurriedly turned back with Huo Xinyi to retrieve it.

Losing the money, meal tickets, and identification documents inside the bag would be a minor issue, but losing the foreign-language book that school leaders had asked her to deliver to a professor at the Beiping Foreign Studies University for translation was a catastrophe.

Just as she reached the restroom, she saw the very same female comrade standing gracefully and delicately by the doorway, holding none other than her green crossbody bag.