40 Pay Me Quickly

The next day, before dawn, Chen Lan was pulled out of bed by Tang Ye.

"Time to get up. I need to report back to my base soon."

Chen Lan rubbed her sleepy eyes and hugged Tang Ye's neck. "Why don't you and Big Brother go back first? I'll sleep a while more."

Chen Lan knew her habits well. She couldn't wake up this early.

"Just as well. Later, when Xiaojing comes, I'll go with her to the mall nearby to check if there's a suitable spot for our stall."

Tang Ye also knew that Chen Lan wouldn't be able to wake up this early, so he nodded and left the room.

Wang Lian placed a plate of fried dough sticks on the dining table. She saw Tang Ye coming out alone and asked, "Is Lanlan still sleeping in?"

Tang Ye smiled faintly at her words. "She said she'll go with Xiaojing later to see if there's a good spot to set up a stall. She plans to take a car to go back in the afternoon."

Wang Lian smiled knowingly. She knew her daughter well. "You should be patient with her. She's been spoiled since she was a child, so it's inevitable she can be a bit willful at times."

"Don't worry." Tang Ye replied as he helped her with breakfast.

After breakfast, Chen Ran and Tang Ye left in a hurry.

Chen Lan woke up at eight in the morning, and by this time, there was no one in the house. Even Old Master Chen had gone out to walk his birds.

Chen Lan sighed. Everything about the military family was good, but she couldn't accept the early-rising routine. Who wakes up at six every day?

She found some fried dough sticks and soy milk left in the kitchen to fill her stomach. Then, she hurried out to find Wen Jing.

After taking a few steps, she noticed several girls in the courtyard gathered together, gossiping and pointing fingers.

"Oh my god, Wen Jing, you're as round as a ball. No matter how nicely you dress, no one will be interested in you."

"That's right, you don't need to doll yourself up like the city girls. Learn to look at yourself properly first."

Chen Lan wanted to bypass them, but when she heard Wen Jing's name, she turned back.

Approaching them, she saw several girls from the courtyard surrounding Wen Jing, and pieces of fabric scattered on the ground.

Wen Jing was wearing a new outfit she had just made from the fabric that Chen Lan had personally chosen. It was a light pink color, a stark contrast to Wen Jing's usual drab clothes. In addition, the design was drawn by Chen Lan, making it unique and stylish. So, when Wen Jing wore it to visit the Chen Family house, she was immediately surrounded by these girls.

"That's right.That short and stout figure is like a winter melon. Your usual dirty outfit suits you better!"

One of the girls stepped forward and pushed Wen Jing. Although Wen Jing looked chubby, she didn't have much strength, and she nearly stumbled.

"What are you all doing!" Chen Lan angrily shouted.

The girls turned to see Chen Lan and sneered. They were full of disdain.

"Oh, who do we have here? It's our Miss Chen. She's already married, but she keeps running back home every other day."

"And I heard that our Miss Chen loved Liang Chen but couldn't be with him, so she's harboring a grudge. She gave things away and now she's trying to take it back. It's laughable."

Chen Lan had always been haughty, and the girls in the courtyard didn't like to play with her. However, they didn't dare to treat Chen Lan the way they treated Wen Jing. After all, Chen Jun's rank was significantly high, and it was rare to find someone with a higher military rank in the compound.

Chen Lan walked over to Wen Jing and quickly checked to make sure she wasn't hurt. Relieved to find that Wen Jing was not injured, she looked around. In the crowd, she spotted a familiar figure. She had just asked for the motorcycle back yesterday. How did the news spread so quickly?

"I don't feel embarrassed to take back my belongings. Besides, this is my home, and I can return whenever I want without needing anyone's approval," Chen Lan said. She then looked at the scattered fabrics on the ground and continued, "But I'd like to ask, who did this to Wen Jing's things?"

The girls looked at her and remained silent.

Without waiting for an answer, Chen Lan went on, "All these items were bought with my money, and now they're ruined because of you. Now they are unusable, you'll have to compensate me at the cost. It's a total of 20 yuan. Who's going to pay?"

"Chen Lan, you're robbing us!" One of the girls was shocked to hear the amount of 20 yuan and shouted at Chen Lan.

Once one girl spoke up, others chimed in.

Chen Lan shrugged, "I said 20, so be it. Hurry up and pay me the money, or I'll have my dad come to your house to ask for it tonight!"

Chen Jun wouldn't get involved in the squabble between young girls, but it would be a waste not to use the tiger skin[1.to take the name of a superior as a shield] that was on standby.

"Lanlan, let's go easy on them. They didn't do it on purpose," a soft and weak voice spoke up when the girls kept quiet.

Fan Cong pushed through the crowd and looked at Chen Lan disapprovingly.