How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

The old woman hurried over to the second wife to ask for credit.

"Madam, there was a little vixen at the door making a scene, demanding to see the General, but I chased her away."

The second wife was already impatient, and upon hearing this, she became even more irritated.

"This is your duty. Do you expect me to reward you?"

The old woman trembled with fright, "No, no, I wouldn't dare."

"If you're scared, then get lost."

The old woman was so frightened that she wet herself. She didn't dare blame the second wife for her bad temper, but blamed herself for being unlucky to have come to curry favor while the second wife was in a bad mood.

The second wife is a veteran of the battlefield; if she were to get physical, my physique wouldn't be up to par.

Seeing that the second wife was getting impatient, Guo Huaitong got up and patted her back, saying, "Mother, you're too irritable. It wouldn't be good if you acted like this in front of Father later."

"I'm like this in front of everyone! It's so annoying."

The second wife was panting heavily with anger, her high chest heaving, her thick eyebrows furrowed together, clearly indicating that she was in a very bad mood.

Guo Huaitong gently comforted her, saying, "Mother, calm down first. You can let my brother go to the army camp to train. I think he's too daring, even daring to touch opium. He needs to suffer a loss to learn his lesson."

The second wife took a deep breath: "That's your own brother."

"I'll only tell you if he's my own brother. If he weren't, I wouldn't care even if I beat him to death."

These two children are really here to collect a debt. Guo Huaitong and Ziyou are always arguing. This time, when Ziyou got into trouble, she, as the younger sister, didn't care at all.

However, Huai Tong was right about one thing: those who dare to smoke opium should be taught a lesson.

The second wife pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll send a few of my personal guards over later. They'll make sure he quits opium completely. Also, you need to keep an eye out for the young ladies in the city. They must be from respectable backgrounds, sensible and obedient, preferably the kind who can keep your brother in check."

Guo Huaitong was admiring a pair of light blue chalcedony bracelets. Although they weren't valuable, they were quite pretty, being thin and delicate. They were crisp and lovely, and the light color was exactly the style popular among young girls like her.

Hearing this, she shook her head almost imperceptibly. "By your standards, I think the Qiao family is the most suitable. They are the most disciplined, and every word and action is justified. When the Zheng family got into trouble, even Father praised them for petitioning on behalf of their mother. So, the Qiao family is the most suitable."

When the second wife heard the matter brought up again, her face darkened.

"The Qiao family is the family that your father favored for Guo Zixing."

Guo Huaitong said nonchalantly, "Well, he didn't want her, but he took a fancy to Zheng Peilan instead, haha."

The second wife found it strange. "What happened to Zheng Peilan? Didn't you all used to praise her the most? You copied her clothes, you copied her ordering... It's just that she suddenly encountered a disaster. She's still a respectable family."

Guo Huaitong carefully examined the flaws in the bracelet with a magnifying glass. Upon hearing this, she simply smiled and did not reply.

Of course, she wouldn't tell the second wife that she had personally witnessed Zheng Peilan drinking with a man in her arms at Jin Anna that day, even more unrestrained than a hostess, and she called it "liberating one's nature."

It was a far cry from her usual dignified and elegant appearance, and it was utterly repulsive.

Still acting all high and mighty? Ha, can you still be so arrogant now?

Seeing her daughter's state, the second wife lost interest in asking any further questions and instead set her sights on the noble ladies of the city.

"The Qiao family... they're alright, but without their mother's guidance, who knows what will become of them? If Master Qiao remarries and has another child, it's uncertain whether that will be helpful to their son-in-law. And the Song family, they're the richest family, what do you think of their daughter?"

Guo Huaitong paused, "Mother, why are you so impulsive? You even let us pick and choose. Don't you think about it? After what happened to my brother, how many young ladies would still respect him? With his fiery temper, if you really marry a rich girl, I guarantee they'll fight every day. In that case, will you be marrying him or making him your enemy?"

After Guo Huaitong finished speaking, he sighed again and earnestly advised, "You spoil him too much. You always cover for him and make him do whatever he wants, which has made him lawless. I think this lesson might not be a bad thing. He's just turned 18 and he's already made a big mistake. If you teach him properly, he can be corrected in the future. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause you."

The second wife looked at him with newfound respect: "Huaitong, you... how did you suddenly grow up so much?"

Guo Huaitong sighed, "If you had put even a fraction of the effort you put into treating my brother, you'd be set for life."

As he spoke, he put away the bracelet, then tucked the several sets of jewelry that the second wife had just taken out into his bosom, and walked away gracefully.

The second wife was still somewhat bewildered. Heaven knows, she had treated both children the same, and Guo Huaitong had even taken more from her. She had only been more attentive because Guo Ziyou was a son and would inherit the family fortune; who knew…

This girl actually complained that she was biased towards Guo Ziyou.

The more the second wife thought about it, the colder she felt.

Will she be able to rely on her two children in the future?

While the second wife was heartbroken and dejected, Yanru was also having a rough time.

"Is the commander-in-chief really missing?"

The sergeant said apologetically, "The commander-in-chief is very busy and doesn't have much time to see other people, not just you. But the commander-in-chief said that since the elders of the Lü family are not here, he will protect you and not let you suffer any injustice."

Yan Ru forced a smile. "I understand. Then I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye."

She came to the Marshal's Mansion but found nothing. Was she really supposed to go find it herself? But her father and sister both left messages telling her to stay at home. What did that mean?

Was he worried about his own safety? Or was he afraid they wouldn't be able to find him when they returned?

With these thoughts hidden, she got into the car that the commander had prepared for her and returned to the Lü family.

Although the two places are not far apart, they are close enough for neighboring people to know about the protection Yan Ru is receiving.

Song Fu returned at this time. He was at the entrance of the alley when he saw a military vehicle parked in front of him, so he subconsciously stepped aside to observe it secretly.

Then he saw Yan get out of the car.

"She has come back?"

He was somewhat surprised. Since he was injured, only Qingru had visited him once, and afterwards the Lü family seemed to have forgotten about him.

It was the Song family's butler who found out, came to see him, paid his medical bills, and took him out.

Seeing Old Hei and a young man come out to greet him at the entrance of the Lü family's house, Song Fu felt a little uneasy.

Although he impersonated Lao Hei's nephew, he hadn't harmed them. Judging from the way the young man and Lao Hei were so close, it was probably his real nephew who had come looking for him.

After much deliberation, Song Fu decided to go back to the Lü family first, since Master Song had given him the task of keeping an eye on them.