Chapter 248: As I Please
Chapter 248
“Did you forget that I have a plantable space with all kinds of trees in it?” Zhi Xia asked him.
Pei Jing laughed softly, “I really did forget. Since the kids are picking cherries now, go ahead and take out the saplings from your space. That way we don’t have to come up with excuses to fool them when they notice.”
“No need. I already told the kids about the existence of my space. I’ll have to tie it to the bike now. When we get closer to home, we can take it out where there’s no one around,” Zhi Xia was still nestled in his embrace and he didn’t want to let go either, so she just handed over all her strength to him, “I was so scared when Chen Ze was kidnapped last time. So I gave the kids access too, so if they encounter danger in the future, they can enter the space themselves.”
Zhi Xia thought for a bit. Pei Jing’s profession was also very dangerous. “Jing, I just found out the space has this access authority. You need to accumulate some things for it. What was accumulated last time was all used by the kids. When there’s enough accumulated next time, I’ll also give you access so you can enter the space anytime. Even if we’re thousands of miles apart, our family can still gather in the space.”
Pei Jing was about to say there was no need as long as he and the kids were safe, he had the ability to protect himself.
But he suddenly thought of something and his expression darkened. He no longer declined and nodded instead, “Okay.”
Wanqing took the opportunity while picking cherries to secretly pop one in her mouth. Her face instantly twisted from the sourness.
“Big brother, the cherry is so sour, not as sweet as the ones mom gives us,” the basket already had quite a lot of cherries. Chenye understood they were taking the owner's things and picking too much would be inappropriate. So he said, "Then let's not pick anymore. We can mix some from mom when we get back and eat them together."
"Okay, okay." Wanqing nodded.
"Wow..." The two kids then noticed their mom Zhi Xia was in Pei Jing's embrace. Especially Wanqing, she immediately handed the basket to her brother and ran up to hug Pei Jing's leg. "Dad, I want a hug too."
Hearing the kid's voice, Zhi Xia quickly pushed him and straightened up as Pei Jing didn't continue hugging tightly this time.
Pei Jing picked up his darling into his arms affectionately, "Alright, Dad hugs."
"Done picking? Let's head down the mountain, grandma and them are waiting for us back home to eat," Zhi Xia asked them.
"Done," Chenye replied and the family headed down the mountain.
On the way back, Pei Jing kept carrying Wanqing. Zhi Xia held the basket in one hand and Chenye's hand in the other.
They went to the An family's home for dinner first and stayed for a bit before heading back to their own home when it started to get dark.
Wang Yue and Jiang Su's family were there since they knew Pei Jing had returned.
"Little brother, dad said you don't have to go back anymore and can stay on this side of Jincheng from now on. Is that a transfer or changed post?" Pei Sheng had been in the army before so he knew some situations. "I guess I'm stuck where I am at my unit just muddling along now. Big brother does have some skills but he has been dragged at home by his family in recent years, going back less than once every two to three years. Last time was for your wedding Little Jing, it's been years now."
Compared to them, Pei Sheng watched Little Jing grow up so their relationship was half brotherly and half father-son.
"It's more like a transfer but not to a garrison on this side..." but rather a newly formed combat troop. All members would come from the top soldiers across all the military districts in the country, carrying out some special missions.
In the special forces team, every team member was equivalent to an officer in a regular corp. This showed how much importance was placed on this special forces team by the top brass.
And Pei Jing would be the highest instructor for this special forces team. His skills and abilities had been validated by the top military officials.
There were two other instructors for now that he hadn't met yet.
Pei Jing didn't say the latter part and Pei Sheng also knew not to ask further.
Wang Yue on the other hand untimely said: "Third brother, dad asked us to split the household right after you got married. It made sense for your wife to live here alone with the kid before but now that you'll be back, surely you can't continue living here with your wife and kids under dad's roof right?"
The old man wasn't young anymore either. If this arrangement continued and the old man kicked the bucket, wouldn't the house just go to them logically?
The previously good atmosphere instantly turned cold from Wang Yue's words, the joy of reunion also vanished.
No one expected that Pei Jing, who never bothered with Wang Yue in the past, would speak up. "Sister-in-law, you're mistaken. You and big brother only moved out after marrying for decades while Xia and I are still young and exactly when we need dad's support. There's still time when our kids are as old as Jian Guo before we move out too."
Pei Sheng looked at Pei Jing, quickly agreeing with him, "Younger brother makes sense. He married younger so having kids later is indeed unfair to lump together in splitting households, since all our kids are grown but his are still little."
He was quite confused inside though. If it were before, Pei Jing wouldn't fuss about this little loss of advantage but today, he seemed to deliberately argue.
Wang Yue was miffed backwards. "Second brother, I know you don't have your own son so you've been eyeing Jian Guo before, now it's fallen onto third brother's son seeing his several kids, wanting to bum around for them. But have you asked if he's willing to have his son adopted by you? Don't make yourself busy only to find out in the end that you were blindly helping out."
Pei Sheng's face instantly changed, "Sister-in-law, I don't have a son but I have a daughter. And I've never planned to eye someone else's kid. What you're saying really crosses the line."
At most, he thought that after death, it'd be okay for a nephew to break a basin, after all it would be improper for his daughter to fail to carry on rituals. He didn't not want to adopt, just understood that no matter who the kid belongs to, they're the heart of the parents. Home wasn't so poor they needed to send the kid away either, so there was no need to bring it up to add disharmony.
Old Jiang's expression was also very unhappy. "Sister-in-law, please keep your thoughts to yourself. We're not planning to adopt or eye your precious Jian Guo. As they say, everyone sees their own kid as treasure, and sister-in-law you only have this one son so it's natural you guard him tightly. We can understand."
"You saying who's a shitty brat?" Wang Yue had never been one to take a loss, immediately looking like she wanted to fight.
Old Pei was so angry he slammed the table repeatedly. The clap clap sounds also calmed everyone down.
"Got it all out of your system? If enough then scram! I'm not dead yet, this is my house and I get to decide who lives here. You can say I'm biased or do whatever you want, but I now announce that when I die, this house belongs to Zhi Xia." Old Pei looked seemingly calm on the surface but his eyes were full of anger.
"Dad, what are you saying? On what basis?" Wang Yue had been eyeing this for half a lifetime. How could she watch the house fall into someone else's hands, and into An Zhi Xia no less!
She said it back then, if An Zhi Xia could have been her daughter-in-law, she would have given it to her since it was family in the end. But little brother three who seemed pretty decent suddenly smashed this massive pit, secretly pulling her into his embrace. Her schemes had thus fallen through.
Her son wasn't reliable either. She told him to gain this girl's favor properly before but he didn't bother. She thought there was still time and no hurry, but unexpectedly it was too late in the blink of an eye.
"Just because this house was given by the old master, and because I want to! Second brother, go get your big brother back here now. If he wants to split houses then we can take this opportunity while little three is here for a few days and divide things clearly," Old Pei said coldly.