Chapter 165

After all, being an elder, Pei Jing felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing that question.

The air fell silent for a moment.

An ZhiAng glanced at Pei Jing, then turned to look at his younger sister. Suddenly, he burst into laughter. "I figured it out. These two kids weren't picked up by you on the road, were they?"

Just mentioning this topic made An ZhiAng furious.

Life in the countryside was tough, and there was a strong preference for boys over girls. Some families would abandon their daughters.

Because of this, there was a specialized infant care center in the county. If a child found on the roadside could be traced back to its family, it would be returned, followed by severe criticism and warning.

As for those who couldn't find their families, they would be sent to the infant care center and taken care of by dedicated staff.

"Young Uncle, we have an infant care center in our county. I asked the company commander for two days off just now. Later, I'll accompany you to take the children to the infant care center," An ZhiAng suggested. "And thank you for bringing my little sister here. You must have taken her along when you came back home to visit. It's really troublesome for you to make a detour."

Upon hearing that the children were going to be sent to the infant care center, Zhi Xia instantly panicked. This misunderstanding was so embarrassing.

"Fourth Brother, these kids weren't picked up..." How should she say it? They were born to her and Pei Jing?

Until now, even in the face of their elders at home, Zhi Xia had never been this troubled.

However, Pei Jing suddenly spoke up, his words filled with obvious malice. "Fourth Brother, these are your own nephew and niece. On their first meeting, you want to send them to the infant care center. Your performance as an uncle is a bit lousy."

"Who are you referring to?" An ZhiAng couldn't believe his ears, his voice clearly raising as he turned to look at Zhi Xia once again.

Zhi Xia quickly ran to Pei Jing's side and lightly tapped his arm as a warning, explaining, "Fourth Brother, I didn't have a chance to tell you. I... I got married, and these two children are mine. Just like us back then, they are twins."

An ZhiAng inhaled sharply, covering his chest with his hand, his gaze fixed on the little hands waving about. They must be around six or seven months old, at least. He could certainly tell, after all, he had helped take care of An WenQing when she was a child.

This meant that when he left, his younger sister might have become pregnant.

Or perhaps it happened even before that.

This thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and An ZhiAng struggled to suppress the expression of disbelief. His gaze became calm.

Zhi Xia walked over, tugging at his sleeve. "Fourth Brother, nobody bullied me. I've been happy and content during this time. As for the children, I'll explain everything to you later, alright?"

Not far away is a sentinel, and speaking loudly could easily be heard.

An ZhiAng could only nod, although he felt uneasy inside, but when he looked at the child, he still put on a brave face.

He walked up to Pei Jing and reached out his hand. "Let me see."

Pei Jing handed the little one over to An ZhiAng, reminding him, "Be gentle, the little guy can't withstand rough handling."

An ZhiAng skillfully took the child in his arms and glanced provocatively at Pei Jing.

He had experience in holding babies. He had just dealt with An WenQing a couple of years ago.

The little one was awake, waving its small hands and feet vigorously. It took off its hat and took a glance. It didn't resemble their own little sister too much, which disappointed him a bit.

Looking at the child in Pei Jing's hands, it was almost the same as this one. It was hard to tell them apart.

"What are their names?" An ZhiAng asked.

Seeing that An ZhiAng was not so resistant, Zhi Xia became happy. "The older brother is named Pei ChenYe, and the younger sister is Pei Wanqing."

An ZhiAng's eyes flickered with a hint of darkness when she said these two names.

Indeed, the Pei family had done well.

Because only a few could reach the rank of following the army, accommodations were specially provided for those who came to visit.

Inside a bedroom, the bed and cabinet were all complete. Pei Jing held the child with one hand and put the bag in the cabinet. The little one in An ZhiAng's arms kicked its little legs and twisted its head around as if looking for something.

"The little one is hungry." An ZhiAng quickly handed the child to Zhi Xia.

Pei Jing also put the child on the bed. The eight-month-old child could barely sit up, but it was wearing too many clothes at the moment, like a ball, so it could only lie down.

Seeing that the child was not crying or causing a fuss, An ZhiAng called out to Pei Jing, "Let's go outside and wait." The little one in his arms grew impatient with four fingers and started to whimper.

Zhi Xia looked at the hesitant Pei Jing and urged, "Then you quickly go out with Fourth Brother. I can handle it myself. I'll call you when everything's ready."

Only then did Pei Jing go out, with An ZhiAng following behind.

After walking a short distance outside, a sharp wind suddenly blew past their ears. Pei Jing reacted quickly and caught it with his hand, and then the two of them started fighting.

Among this group of new recruits, An ZhiAng was also outstanding, but compared to Pei Jing, he was still weaker.

However, at this moment, he was filled with anger and vented it all out through the fight.

After fighting for a while, Pei Jing realized that An ZhiAng was genuinely angry, unlike the eldest and third brothers. If he didn't let him release this anger today, it would be hard to get by.

This kid had always been like this since he was young. When he didn't provoke him, he would be all smiles and jokes, but once he angered him, he would fight like a wild wolf cub, not caring about the consequences.

That was precisely why An Family members had kept the news of Zhi Xia's marriage and childbirth from him for so long, fearing that he would cause a big mess if he couldn't handle the consequences.

In the army, things were not like before at home. A moment of impulsiveness could ruin one's life.

Pei Jing dodged a blow and was then hit with a punch.

An ZhiAng also became fierce and followed up with a flurry of punches.

Sensing that Pei Jing was deliberately going easy on him, An ZhiAng reluctantly stopped and said, "I don't need you to take it easy on me. If you're capable, come and knock me down, damn it!"

Back when he was still at home, there were some reservations. After all, the An Family had a scholarly reputation, and An JingZhi wouldn't let him off lightly if he heard him cursing.

Since joining the military, he had gained a reputation for being daring and willing to fight. Plus, with no one around to restrain him, he had fewer inhibitions and could truly unleash his nature.

"You said it yourself, don't regret it," Pei Jing rubbed his throbbing mouth, twisted his wrist, and heard a crisp sound of bones.

In the next instant, he charged forward.

This time, as An ZhiAng wished, he didn't hold back.

He had let him off before out of respect for his younger brother-in-law. Keeping this matter hidden from him from the beginning was indeed unfair.

But after the fight, his anger had been vented, and past grievances were settled.

Now it was time for him to take matters into his own hands and also check his training progress over the past year, to see if this kid had taken it seriously.