Chapter 15 : The Crowd

“ Huh?”

Lu Fangfang was squatting by the riverbank, washing clothes, when she suddenly saw a small fish swimming in the water.  

The small river near the regiment headquarters was about five or six meters wide, and the water was shallow. Looking closely, she realized there were quite a few small fish in the river.  

These thumb-sized fish were too small for humans to eat, but they were perfect for feeding chickens and quails.  

Lu Fangfang’s eyes lit up with excitement.  

‘Later, I’ll catch some small fish to feed the chickens and quails. Not only will it save on food, but eating the fish will also help them grow faster. Maybe they’ll even lay double-yolked eggs!’  

She scrubbed the clothes vigorously, grinning foolishly at her own thoughts.  

Beside her, Sun Manling noticed her expression and looked over curiously.  

Seeing Lu Fangfang laughing to herself, Sun Manling smiled and shook her head.  

She wrung out the water from her washed clothes, placed them in a basin, and then picked it up. “Fangfang, my house is in the third row of the family compound, the first house on the east side. Come visit me when you have time. I’m heading back first.”  

“Sister Manling, take care. I’ll definitely visit when I have time.”  

Lu Fangfang thanked her a few more times.  

Only after Sun Manling left did she lower her head and continue washing clothes.  

She felt that Sister Manling was a kind person, someone worth befriending, and she hoped to build a good relationship with her in the future.  

The other women around her had nearly finished washing as well. They picked up their basins and left, leaving Lu Fangfang alone.  

She didn’t feel lonely, though. She hummed a little tune, enjoying her moment of peace.  

—  

“Hurry, hurry! Something interesting is happening!”  

“Hey, this is definitely going to turn into a fight. Go back and call Captain Zhuang over!”  

“You go if you want to. I’m not going.”  

“Comrade Xiao Ting? Comrade Xiao Ting? Don’t act impulsively!”  

—  

A sudden commotion erupted behind her.  

Lu Fangfang stood up and turned around, only to see a tall woman in a white coat storming toward her angrily.  

Behind the woman, several of the sisters-in-law who had just finished washing clothes were following, their faces filled with excitement, as if they were about to watch a good show.  

Lu Fangfang sighed and muttered to herself, “Here we go again. Zhuang Mingcheng really is a beauty who brings disaster.”  

She knew this woman.  

This was the military doctor, Xiao Ting, whom the sisters-in-law had just mentioned.  

She had seen her before in the reception room, where Xiao Ting had argued with Zhu Haimei that day.  

Unexpectedly, it was her turn today. ‘What a headache.’  

Xiao Ting didn’t care what others thought. She marched straight up to Lu Fangfang, her face full of fury.  

“Lu Fangfang, who do you think you are? Why are you saying you’re Mingcheng’s fiancée?”  

“Are you just like that Zhu woman, falsely accusing Mingcheng again? Let me tell you, you frivolous women from outside, don’t even think about tarnishing Mingcheng’s reputation!”  

Lu Fangfang frowned, feeling too lazy to argue.  

Instead, she simply pointed at the green military uniform she was wearing, then pointed into the basin.  

‘;Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.’  

Xiao Ting didn’t understand at first. Then, her face froze. “Is that… Mingcheng’s clothes?”  

Lu Fangfang nodded.  

“You… why are you wearing Mingcheng’s clothes? You must have stolen them! No… maybe Mingcheng took pity on you… No, that’s impossible! Mingcheng can’t possibly like you!”  

Xiao Ting’s words became incoherent as she frantically denied the situation.  

She had long set her sights on Zhuang Mingcheng.  

‘Zhuang Mingcheng is mine. He belongs to me. There’s no way there’s anything between them!’  

“How did you trick Mingcheng? Tell me right now!”  

Xiao Ting gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and stepped toward Lu Fangfang.  

“Look, look! A fight is about to break out!”  

“Make sure to hold her back later!”  

The onlooking sisters-in-law watched excitedly, not even daring to blink for fear of missing a single moment.  

“Comrade Xiao Ting, Comrade Xiao Ting, don’t be impulsive!”  

It seemed like the two were about to clash.

A man in a military uniform and glasses rushed out from the crowd of onlookers.  

He ran between the two women and quickly stopped Ting.  

The sisters-in-law watching the spectacle immediately let out disappointed sighs.  

“Xu Jinbu, get out of the way! This has nothing to do with you!”  

Xiao Ting’s eyes were red with fury, and she was on the verge of losing control.  

She had been pursuing Zhuang Mingcheng for three years, so why was his fiancée suddenly someone else?  

It wasn’t fair. Not fair at all.  

Xu Jinbu let out a bitter smile. “Comrade Ting, calm down. You need to calm down. If you act like this, Commander will be disappointed in you.”  

“Don’t use my father to pressure me!”  

Xiao Ting couldn’t hold back any longer, she raised her hand and slapped Xu Jinbu hard.  

“Pah!”

“Get lost!”  

The slap landed heavily on Xu Jinbu’s face.  

“Hiss—”

Xu Jinbu sucked in a sharp breath as pain shot through his cheek, his glasses knocked askew.  

“Wow!”  

The watching sisters-in-law gasped in amazement.  

After all, Xu Jinbu was a battalion commander, getting slapped in the face like this was a serious insult.  

“Hurry, go get Captain Zhuang! This is a big deal!”  

From within the crowd, a kind-hearted sister-in-law dashed off towards the regiment.  

—

Xu Jinbu touched his burning cheek.  

His expression darkened for a moment before he forced a wry smile. “Comrade Ting, I won’t let you hit me again. But I also can’t just stand by and watch you make a mistake.”  

“You… bastard! Xu Jinbu, are you protecting that woman today!”  

Xiao Ting had started to feel guilty about her impulsiveness, but hearing those words made her rage flare up again.  

But this time, before she could strike Xu Jinbu again, Lu Fangfang stepped forward.  

She couldn’t just let this continue. Otherwise, the situation would spiral further out of control and negatively affect both her and Zhuang Mingcheng.  

Even though things were already bad, she couldn’t let them get any worse.  

“Comrade Ting, right?”  

Lu Fangfang pushed Xu Jinbu aside, shook her head, and said, “Comrade Ting, please have some self-respect. Zhuang Mingcheng and I have been engaged since childhood, and I have no habit of stealing other people’s men.”  

The sisters-in-law around them were stunned for a moment before they erupted into excited gossip.  

“So Captain Zhuang and she were engaged since they were kids? No wonder he’s ignored Ting all these years. Captain Zhuang is really loyal!”  

“Wait… so Doctor Ting is actually the one trying to steal someone else’s man?”  

“Oh my, how shameless. She’s really bringing shame to Commander’s family.”  

“Shhh, keep your voice down! If she dares to hit Captain Xu, she might hit you too!”   

Hearing the murmurs around her, Xiao Ting’s face turned pale.  

She pointed at Lu Fangfang, her chest heaving in frustration, but no words came out.  

“What nonsense are you all talking about? Military Doctor didn’t know Captain Zhuang had a childhood engagement! You can’t blame her for this!”  

Xu Jinbu adjusted his glasses and defended Xiao Ting.  

But given the red, swollen handprint on his face, his words seemed laughable no matter how seriously he said them.  

“Oh, Captain Xu, you’re so kind to Doctor .”  

“That’s right! Doctor Ting, you can’t let Captain Xu down!”  

Among the crowd, a sister-in-law teased them.  

Anyone with common sense could see what Captain Xu was thinking.  

Xu Jinbu didn’t bother arguing. He leaned in and whispered, “Comrade Ting, Captain Zhuang and his fiancée were engaged since childhood. Let’s stop making a scene and leave. Otherwise, this will have serious consequences.”  

Xiao Ting, humiliated and furious, spat, “Bah! Xu Jinbu, stop pretending to be a good guy! Stay out of my business!”