Chapter 42

Being pointed at and scolded, and even involving her parents, Jiang Suihan’s temper, while not great, was still provoked. Her face immediately hardened.

“First, you need to understand that it was your son who started by grabbing my brother’s things. My brother only retaliated. According to the law, this is considered self-defense, and there is no fault on his part. I understand you may not be familiar with our country’s laws due to your limited education, so I’ll forgive your ignorance. If you don’t believe me, you can consult someone about it.”

Jiang Suihan blocked her brother Jiang Leyun, who was ready to charge forward. The boy, like a tightly coiled spring, was furious, his eyes red, and he was upset at anyone who insulted his parents or accused him of lacking discipline.

After calming her brother down, Jiang Suihan coldly addressed Wang Liying: “As the saying goes, ‘Like mother, like son.’ Your son’s disrespectful language and lack of manners are clearly learned from you. Parents are the first teachers in a child’s life. Your words and actions have deeply influenced your child’s growth. You must have often spoken ill of others at home, leading your child to learn and repeat such offensive language. You’ve set a poor example for your son.”

Jiang Suihan didn’t particularly dislike Li Zili, but she didn’t have a high opinion of him either. Children are like blank slates, often learning from those closest to them. Their behavior largely reflects their parents.

Li Zili’s harsh words like “a burden” or “living off others” and even worse, like “your parents must be dead,” were clearly influenced by the things he heard at home. Sometimes children are innocent and naïve, but they can also become cruel.

Wang Liying’s face turned ugly. She had only completed three years of elementary school and didn’t understand what self-defense meant, so she couldn’t discern the truth.

Refusing to admit defeat, she held her head high and refused to back down: “Don’t try to deceive me. I might not be as educated as you, but my son only wanted to borrow your brother’s toy tank to have a look. Kids are curious; what’s wrong with that? Your brother was stingy and wouldn’t lend it, so my son said a few words to him. Who knew your brother would have such a bad temper, unable to handle a few words and immediately resorting to violence?”

“Shame on you! You claim to be educated, yet your family has such poor manners. Instead of apologizing for hitting my son, you ask us to apologize. Is there any justice in this world? Don’t say I’m wronging you. An apology is necessary, and you must compensate for our losses. My son was scratched by your brother and received several punches to the stomach. He might even have internal injuries. You must pay for these damages.”

She was not going to let her son’s attacker go unpunished. If Jiang Suihan didn’t apologize and compensate, Wang Liying would sit outside the Xu household and cry until she got a resolution. She was determined to make the Xu family pay for this.

Jiang Leyun shouted loudly: “That’s not true! Li Zili grabbed my tank. I refused to give it to him, and then he cursed me, calling me a burden, saying my sister was a schemer and my brother-in-law was a fool. Li Zili, are these not your words?”

He didn’t say the most offensive things he heard Li Zili say, as they were too upsetting to repeat. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Li Zili, feeling guilty, hid behind Wang Liying and whispered, “I—I did say those things, but I overheard them. I heard my mom say them at home. It’s not my fault.”

Wang Liying, who had a habit of gossiping about others at home, was embarrassed and found herself at a loss for words when her son’s behavior was exposed. She tried to justify herself but was unable to.

At that moment, Wu Guihua arrived and shot Wang Liying an irritated look: “I knew you weren’t fit to be a mother. You’ve ruined your child. I’ll find time to talk to Captain Li later. If your child doesn’t shape up, you’ll have a lot to answer for.”

She had been cooking when Zhao Xiaojun came home covered in mud and sweat, saying that Li Zili had bullied Jiang Leyun and that he couldn’t stand it, so he had beaten Li Zili. Wu Guihua was worried that Wang Liying would cause trouble for the young Jiang girl, who was only twenty, and without Xu Zhao around, Wang Liying would definitely take advantage.

Wu Guihua hurriedly turned off the stove and rushed to the Xu household. Seeing Wang Liying there, she realized Wang Liying was indeed targeting Jiang Suihan. Fortunately, Wu Guihua arrived in time; she couldn’t let Jiang Suihan face this alone, especially since her younger son was also involved.

Wang Liying feared that Li Hongjun would find out. He was a straightforward and principled person who wouldn’t tolerate such behavior. If he knew, he would definitely give their son a good reprimanding and possibly force them to apologize.

Thinking about it made her feel suffocated. She refused to apologize to Jiang Suihan—it was too humiliating.

Wang Liying took a deep breath, telling herself that patience was a virtue and that being pragmatic was wise. With the situation now having an additional factor, the dynamics had changed rapidly.

Before she had a chance to confront Wu Guihua, Wu Guihua came directly to her door. She was so worked up that she couldn’t hold back her anger.

“You came at just the right time. I was about to come to your house to find you. Your Zhao Xiaojun is too violent—he targeted my son Zili and beat him up alone. Is this how fights are handled? My son is covered in bruises and there are purple marks all over him. If both of our families don’t come to a resolution today, I’ll go to the military and report you. No one will have an easy time of it.”

Her son was crying pitifully, saying Zhao Xiaojun had grabbed him and called other kids to beat him up. He couldn’t move and ended up being beaten by so many children he didn’t even know who hit him in the end.

Is this how one bullies people!?

Zhao Xiaojun was notorious for being a troublemaker in the family compound. Her son was just too honest, which was why he fell victim to Zhao Xiaojun.

Zhao Xiaojun sneered, hands on his hips and chin held high, looking quite arrogant: “It’s because you were being a troublemaker with your hands and mouth. If you hadn’t tried to steal Lele’s little tank and insulted people, I wouldn’t have bothered hitting you.”

Jiang Suihan nodded in agreement: “Exactly, if you stir things up first, you deserve to get hit.”

To say such things right in front of her and to think she wouldn’t find out how they bullied her son in private was infuriating. Wang Liying quickly stepped forward, reaching out to grab Zhao Xiaojun.

The child, agile and quick, sensed trouble and ran off, taunting as he went: “You can’t catch me!”

Wang Liying was furious and immediately turned her ire towards Wu Guihua: “Look at your son! And you still say my son lacks upbringing? What kind of upbringing does your son have? He’s always causing trouble in the compound, breaking windows and making other kids cry. Your Zhao Xiaojun is just a troublemaker.”

If that brat hadn’t run so fast, she would have definitely caught him and given him a good beating.

You allow your son to steal from others and won’t let anyone retaliate? Is your family practicing robbery logic?

Wu Guihua couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Wang Liying: “Even if my son lacks manners, he’s still better than yours. Your son steals things from others and you think that’s good manners? Take a look at yourself before you judge others. Here’s the deal: my son hitting your son was an act of heroism and helping others. If you want an apology, you should apologize first, then we might consider our apology.”

Even if this went to the military, she wasn’t afraid. Kids fighting isn’t a big deal; no need to blow it out of proportion. Did they really think she was scared?

Jiang Suihan smiled slightly, thinking that Wu Guihua’s character was quite admirable and that she had good judgment.

Now it was clear she had a good eye.

Wang Liying’s voice rose, sharp and shrill: “Why should we apologize? My son was beaten by your son and that Jiang kid. You should be the ones apologizing. If you don’t apologize, I’ll report you to the military for bullying.”

Jiang Suihan folded her arms and remained unfazed: “You’ve repeated that threat several times. If you want to go to the military, then go ahead. I’m waiting for them to come find me.”

After a pause, she looked at Wang Liying sincerely: “I wish you success.”

Wu Guihua couldn’t hold back her laughter and chuckled. Usually, Jiang Suihan didn’t seem so humorous, but her words were quite sharp.

She also laughed and said, “I wish you success too.”

Wang Liying’s face turned pale and then flushed red.

Making a fuss over such a minor fight and taking it to the military—regardless of how the military viewed her, if it affected Li Hongjun’s career, it would be more trouble than it’s worth. She would become the villain in the Li family.

Realizing this, Wang Liying didn’t dare to escalate the matter. She was just trying to intimidate Jiang Suihan, but the girl wasn’t fooled and was waiting to see her make a scene.

Wang Lijuan sighed quietly and glanced at her unhelpful older sister. She hadn’t agreed with coming to Xu’s house to cause trouble. Kids’ issues should be resolved by kids. Adults stepping in only complicates things further. After all, Li Zili provoked first, and Jiang Leyun’s retaliation wasn’t excessive. As for Zhao Xiaojun, it was normal for him to help when he saw his friend being bullied.

Besides, there were more kids involved in the fight, not just these three. It would be impossible to sort everything out if one were to get serious.

Wang Lijuan came along not only because she was worried about her sister but also because she had her own agenda. She wanted to see Jiang Suihan up close and understand what kind of woman Xu Zhao liked.

After seeing Jiang Suihan up close, she felt a bit disappointed. She was indeed pretty, and it was clear why Xu Zhao liked her. But she quickly composed herself. Beauty meant nothing if it was short-lived. Xu Zhao would ultimately be hers.

Feeling a strong gaze, Jiang Suihan looked around and locked eyes with Wang Lijuan.

It was her—the girl who seemed strange.

Jiang Suihan didn’t know Wang Lijuan and couldn’t understand the complex emotions in her gaze—jealousy, disdain, and even pity?

Why pity her?

It was really strange.

Unable to figure it out, Jiang Suihan shrugged it off. Just an irrelevant person.

Wang Lijuan’s heart was pounding hard. She quickly averted her gaze and stopped staring at Jiang Suihan.

She tugged at Wang Liying’s sleeve and whispered: “Sister, why don’t we just let it go? The other side is two people and they are so aggressive. I’m afraid we won’t get a good result. If this goes to the military, others will think we’re unreasonable and question whether Brother-in-law can handle such small matters. What if it affects his promotion?”

She knew her sister valued her husband the most and dreamed of being a military wife. If she could persuade her sister to think in this direction, she would go home.

The issue with the military school teacher was still unresolved. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes now, or all her efforts would be for nothing.

Wang Liying was reluctant to leave empty-handed. It wasn’t her style to just retreat, and she knew that if the other residents of the housing compound found out, they’d likely mock her. She couldn’t afford to lose face.

“My son got beaten up. As his mother, I can’t just let it go without seeking justice. The people in the compound will think I’m powerless, and they’ll probably laugh behind my back. I can’t swallow this humiliation.”

She felt deeply wronged and unsettled, constantly thinking about how to get some compensation.

Wang Lijuan was getting annoyed but didn’t want to show it to her elder sister since she was currently unemployed and still depended on her. She forced a calm tone and said, “They refuse to apologize, so what can you do? You can’t just beat them all up or camp out in front of their house crying. This isn’t our hometown where making a scene gets results. It’ll only make us a laughingstock and impact Brother-in-law’s career. We should go home and come up with a good plan.”

Wang Liying considered this. Since neither side was willing to back down, remaining in a stalemate wasn’t practical. Wang Lijuan was right. They would have to return and think of a solution.

Before leaving, she threw down a harsh remark: “This isn’t over. You’ll hear from me.”

Wu Guihua, hands on her hips and wearing a satisfied look, replied, “Fine, I’ll wait. You’re leaving so soon? Aren’t you going to stay and chat a bit more?”

Wang Liying couldn’t stand Wu Guihua’s smug attitude. She gritted her teeth and spat out, “Who wants to chat with you? Your face just annoys me.”

Wu Guihua shrugged nonchalantly. “Same here. Your big face annoys me too. I barely ate half a bowl of rice because of you.”

It was infuriating!

Wang Liying glared at Wu Guihua. She had been here for a while but only today realized how sharp-tongued Wu Guihua could be. Her words were infuriating and unrelenting.

Wang Lijuan pulled Wang Liying away. They couldn’t argue or fight; staying at Xu’s place would accomplish nothing.

Jiang Suihan poured Wu Guihua a glass of water to soothe her throat and gave her a thumbs up. “Sister-in-law, you were really impressive just now. I was stunned. Luckily, you were here; otherwise, this matter would have dragged on.”

Jiang Suihan wasn’t afraid of Wang Liying; she simply didn’t like arguing, which she found a waste of time. She’d rather read or write.

She had expected Wang Liying to be difficult, but her combat effectiveness turned out to be average. She had been rebutted first by Jiang Suihan and then mocked by Wu Guihua before leaving in defeat.

Wu Guihua, after gulping down the water, handed back the cup and said, “Wang Liying is just a paper tiger. Don’t be afraid of her. As long as you find her weak spots, she’ll yield. What kid doesn’t fight? She’s the only one making a big deal out of this. She’s bullying you because you’re young and easy to scare.”

Though the residents of the family compound might not be highly educated, they were savvy from years of experience. Everyone understood Wang Liying’s intentions; they just rarely called her out on them, preferring to watch her make a fool of herself.

Last year, Wang Liying’s son got into a fight with another kid over stolen items. He got beaten because he was outmatched, and Wang Liying tried to reason with the other family, probably hoping for some compensation. What she didn’t expect was that the kid’s grandmother wasn’t to be trifled with. Armed with a rolling pin, she chased Wang Liying away, which amazed the entire compound. Everyone came out with their rice bowls to watch.

This incident made Wang Liying a laughingstock in the compound for a long time. Today, she tried the same trick, expecting that Jiang Suihan, being a new and younger daughter-in-law, would be easy to handle. But once again, she was mistaken.

She had thought Jiang Suihan was a delicate flower, but it turned out she was a strong-willed character.

Jiang Suihan smiled and said, “I’m not afraid of her. We’re in the right. With justice on our side, we have nothing to fear. No matter how much she jumps around, she can’t change the fact that the military is a place where reason prevails.”

The two kids were playing in the yard. Jiang Leyun shared candies with Zhao Xiaojun, one for him and one for me, showing a good bond between the two. Kids’ happiness is simple, and they quickly forget the earlier confrontation.

Wu Guihua noticed Jiang Suihan’s gaze and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, said, “Since he started playing with your Lele, he’s had more candy in the past few days than in the entire previous month. Please tell Lele not to give him so much candy. Kids can’t have candy every day.”

No child dislikes candy, and her own children had little access to it due to their poor conditions. Her younger son kept coming back from playing, saying Jiang Leyun gave him more candy. Wu Guihua felt both sorrowful and a bit guilty. Not being able to afford candy for her children was a failure on their part as parents. She advised her younger son not to take advantage of Jiang Leyun’s generosity.

What she had said last night, the child had nodded in agreement, but today, he seemed to have forgotten. It was frustrating not knowing how to handle it.

Jiang Suihan allowed Jiang Leyun to make friends freely. If he wanted to share candy or eat it himself, it was up to him. Children needed their own space.

She thought Zhao Xiaojun was a good kid, quite righteous. Playing with him had made Jiang Leyun more cheerful and lively.

Jiang Suihan said, “It’s just a few candies. As long as the kids are happy, that’s what matters. Zhao Xiaojun even helped in the fight. I think he’s a good kid, and Lele enjoys playing with him. They get along well.”

After some more conversation, Wu Guihua was ready to go home to cook. Jiang Suihan offered her some food to take with her. Wu Guihua initially refused but eventually accepted after some persuasion, saying it was too kind of Jiang Suihan. She promised to bring some new pickles over once they were ready.

Xu Zhao, covered in mud with some muddy streaks on his face, went to wash up and asked, “Did you get bullied today?”

On the way, he met a sister-in-law who stopped him and said that someone had gone to his house to cause trouble at noon. Upon hearing this, Xu Zhao thanked the sister-in-law and quickened his pace to go home.

He looked Jiang Suihan up and down inconspicuously, and found no wounds. There was nothing wrong with her expression, and she looked very calm. It didn’t look like there was any big problem, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Suihan glanced at Xu Zhao and said, “You know about it? It’s really nothing major. It was just a kids’ fight. It was that woman, Wang Liying, whose son tried to take the little tank you made for Lele. Lele refused to give it to him, and the boy got upset and said some nasty things. Lele was angry, so they started fighting. Sister. Wu’s younger son, Zhao Xiaojun, was also there and ran over to help Lele.”

“Then Wang Liying found out that her son was beaten up and came to our house demanding an explanation. I explained the situation to her and said that apologies were fine, but her child had to apologize first; otherwise, we wouldn’t discuss it further. Sister Wu agreed with me. Kids fighting always have faults on both sides, but in this case, it was her son who started it by trying to take things and using foul language.”

After hearing the whole story, Xu Zhao was surprised that Lele had been in a fight. “Did Lele win?”

Jiang Suihan hadn’t expected him to focus on this detail. She thought he would be more concerned about promoting peace and unity within the family.

“At first, it was just a two-person fight, then it became a three-person fight, and finally, a full-blown brawl among a bunch of kids. Lele probably won.”

She had asked Lele about it, and he wasn’t injured, nor was Zhao Xiaojun. Wang Liying was furious and wanted to settle scores with her instead of immediately taking her son to the hospital. Given what she heard from her son, Zhao Xiaojun had apparently been the one to suffer the most.

Zhao Xiaojun was quite clever.

Xu Zhao thought for a moment. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll wake Lele up every morning and take him running.”

Lele was still a bit underweight. By running and exercising with him, his health would improve, and he wouldn’t be easily knocked down by other kids. Even if he couldn’t win a fight, at least he could run away.

Jiang Suihan felt a pang of sympathy for her brother, who would be in for a tough time starting tomorrow. “You’re really attentive, thinking so far ahead.”

Well, she wasn’t the one who had to do the running every morning, so she didn’t mind.

Xu Zhao asked her, “Do you want to join us?”

Having looked better after some days of care, she was still thin. It would be great if she could gain some weight, but given her love for sleeping in, making her wake up early every day to run would likely be too much to ask.

Jiang Suihan’s face changed immediately. She took a step back, clearly showing her refusal. “Please spare me. My only hobby is sleeping in. Nothing can separate me from my beloved bed.”

She didn’t even know when Xu Zhao left for work in the morning. Every day, she was busy meeting with her dreams and wouldn’t get up until she woke up naturally.

She admired Xu Zhao’s determination to wake up early every day without lingering in bed. Such a person deserves success, but she couldn’t possibly do the same. Wasn’t it fine to be an idle person who did no harm but also didn’t do much else?

Xu Zhao shook his head with a smile, knowing she wouldn’t agree.

Her beloved bed?

It seemed he would need to reassess the position of that bed in her life.

He couldn’t possibly be less important than a bed, could he?