Chapter 31: Slander

Lin Yue returned home in the evening, feeling that Zhang Yuandong’s gaze towards her had changed.

She felt a prickle of unease. This man was prone to suspicion, and she wondered if she could get a good night’s sleep tonight.

Forget it. Given Zhang Yuandong’s restless nature, she should just focus on surviving the night!

Just one night, and Lin Yue had already had enough of this.

She couldn’t help but ask, “How long will you be staying this time? Do you need me to prepare anything for you?”

Zhang Yuandong looked at her with a complex expression. He had been back for two days, and she was only now asking this.

Was this something a normal wife would do?

But then again, they hadn’t spoken much since they met. He hadn’t even asked how she was doing or if she had any difficulties.

Come to think of it, he wasn’t a normal husband either, so they were both in the same boat.

He replied briefly, “Leaving tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Lin Yue was shocked. Leaving tomorrow? He was only telling her now. What a guy.

“Yeah, tomorrow you go to work as usual. I’ll take care of the children. I’ll leave in the evening, someone’s coming to pick me up.”

Fine. She was happy for him to leave as soon as possible anyway. It would be more peaceful without him around.

The night passed without incident. The next day, Lin Yue went to work early, leaving the two children at home to bond with their father.

Zhang Yuandong took the children to the old house and said goodbye to his parents.

In the afternoon, it started raining again. Since spring started, the rain had been particularly frequent.

Because of the rain, they would finish work early today.

Lin Yue thought about Zhang Yuandong leaving in the afternoon and was afraid of being delayed, so she hurried home to pick up the children. However, she was stopped by Wang Baodong on the way.

Lin Yue’s impression of Wang Baodong was that he was a scoundrel. She usually avoided him, especially today, when she was in a hurry to get home and pick up the children. She didn’t want to speak to him.

Unfortunately, Wang Baodong was like a dog with a bone, clinging to her today, saying he had important things to tell Lin Yue.

Lin Yue was harassed by him all the way, falling behind the others. She saw that everyone else was almost home, but she couldn’t shake him off. Moreover, the place Wang Baodong pointed to was by the roadside ditch, visible to everyone passing by. It wasn’t a private spot. Thinking she should deal with him quickly so she could go home, she followed him.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Lin Yue got there, Wang Baodong reached out to embrace her.

Lin Yue pushed him away without hesitation, scolding, “Are you crazy? If you dare to touch me again, I’ll beat you to death!”

Wang Baodong stumbled back, cursing Lin Yue in his heart for being ungrateful.

He heard the sound of a motorcycle in the distance, glanced back stealthily, and immediately lunged forward again, shouting obscenities, accusing Lin Yue of seducing him and now pretending nothing happened because her husband had returned.

Lin Yue was furious at his slander, regretting that she had even bothered with this scoundrel. Now, listening to his vile words, she clenched her teeth in anger, her hand instinctively going behind her back.

On the other side, Zhang Yuandong’s comrade, Xiao Hou, had come early to pick him up. He had spent the afternoon playing with the children in the small courtyard.

Seeing that it was starting to rain, Xiao Hou became anxious. He was driving a sidecar motorcycle, and if the rain got heavy, they would have nowhere to take shelter.

Just then, Sun Hongmei came over. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she urged, “Didn’t you say you were leaving today? Why are you still here at this hour? Let’s go. I’ll watch the kids!” She stretched out her hand towards the two children, “Come here, Wanli, Lingling, come to Grandma. Let your father go quickly!”

Xiao Hou was overjoyed. He quickly stood up from the stool, greeted them, turned back, and looked at Zhang Yuandong with expectant eyes, waiting for his command.

Zhang Yuandong felt uneasy, “Mother, go home first. Father and my sister-in-law are waiting for you to cook. I’ll take the children to Zhang Da Niang’s house and ask her to watch them for a while.”

Sun Hongmei was immediately unhappy. She grumbled, “I’m their grandmother. How could I harm them? This son is truly a waste of my efforts. He’s been seduced by that vixen and has forgotten about his mother! Bah! I don’t need to watch them; I’d rather have some peace and quiet!” She didn’t argue further, but she went out grumbling.

Xiao Hou was extremely embarrassed. He kept stealing glances at Zhang Yuandong.

Zhang Yuandong ignored Xiao Hou’s curiosity, took the two children to Zhang Da Niang’s house, and then left with Xiao Hou on the sidecar motorcycle.

Sidecar motorcycles, also called “military sidecars,” were generally for military use and were rarely seen in the countryside.

It was just the time when people were returning from work, and they couldn’t avoid seeing this unusual vehicle on the road.

Some people even had the gall to greet Zhang Yuandong, asking him to stop so everyone could touch the vehicle. Zhang Yuandong politely declined them all.

Finally, they drove out of the village. Xiao Hou wiped the sweat from his forehead, which wasn’t actually there, and exaggeratedly patted his chest, “The villagers were so enthusiastic. Luckily, I’m fast, or we wouldn’t have been able to leave today!”

Zhang Yuandong glanced at him and smiled.

Chang Kaishi had a deep attachment to this land…

Chang Kaishi had made many preparations before and after the founding of the nation.

Although many nails were pulled out in 1950, bringing a period of stability, they resurfaced in recent years.

The country had plans to develop the third front in recent years. Although it hadn’t been officially announced, many well-informed people had heard the rumors.

This area was a crucial military industrial zone, and Chang Kaishi’s people had been increasingly active recently, their target quite clear.

Zhang Yuandong and Xiao Hou were on different missions, but their roots were the same.

Xiao Hou was a soldier from Zhang Yuandong’s company. He was sharp and had connections, so he was secretly transferred here before the new year to investigate some matters within the army. It was also an opportunity for him to earn merit.

This time, Zhang Yuandong returned to the village, and anything inconvenient was handled by Xiao Hou.

Seeing that Zhang Yuandong was in a good mood, Xiao Hou took the opportunity to ask, “Company Commander, why did you apply to reinvestigate your sister-in-law yesterday? How come you haven’t seen her for three years? And now you’re investigating her identity as soon as you come back. Is something wrong?”

Zhang Yuandong thought about the things he had learned in the village these past few days and asked with a frown, “Did you report this?”

Xiao Hou replied, “No. Instructor Sun said it would be bad for you if this was reported, so he asked me to investigate privately first and report it if there’s a problem.”

Zhang Yuandong nodded.

Xiao Hou would be staying here for a long time, so this task was perfect for him.

As the sidecar motorcycle reached the west end of the village, they happened to stumble upon the argument between Lin Yue and Wang Baodong. However, they couldn’t hear clearly and thought it was just a normal dispute, so they didn’t bother to intervene.

Xiao Hou didn’t recognize the two people, but Zhang Yuandong saw Lin Yue. He suspected that she might know he was passing by and was deliberately putting on a show.

But it was fine. This gave him a chance to observe her more closely.

He signaled Xiao Hou to slow down, and he turned his head to carefully observe the woman’s movements and expressions.

But in that instant, Zhang Yuandong noticed a stone suddenly appearing in the woman’s hand, which had been behind her back.

He felt a chill run down his spine and quickly told Xiao Hou to stop the vehicle.

Seeing that the motorcycle wasn’t stopping, Wang Baodong became even more agitated. He shouted, “You told me to go to your house at night a few days ago. What’s going on now? Your husband is back, you’re satisfied, and you want to kick me away? I’m telling you, no way! I’ll let everyone know you’re a slut, and I’ll have you drowned in a pigsty!”

By now, Lin Yue was about to lose her temper. She didn’t even hear the roar of the motorcycle behind her.

Impulsively, she took a stone from her space, wanting to throw it at him.

She knew this was a setup, but a sliver of reason kept her from acting rashly.

Zhang Yuandong ran over from a distance. He heard Wang Baodong’s slander clearly and didn’t waste any words. He kicked him to the ground.

Before Wang Baodong could react, he grabbed his collar and pulled him up, punching him in the face.

He stopped only when he was satisfied. He held Wang Baodong’s face, which was now bruised and swollen, and calmly asked, “What’s going on? Tell the truth!”

Wang Baodong was stunned. When he saw who it was, he stammered, “Bro… Little Grey Bro! It’s not my fault, it’s her! She seduced me!”

Before he could finish, Zhang Yuandong punched him twice more.

Wang Baodong was beaten and intimidated by the ferocity in Zhang Yuandong’s eyes. He quickly begged for mercy, “Little… Yuandong Bro! Spare me… Spare me! I’ll tell the truth, I’ll tell everything, please don’t hit me anymore, Yuandong Bro!”

Zhang Yuandong landed a couple more blows on him before stopping. He pulled him up, twisted his arm behind his back, and forced him to speak clearly.

Wang Baodong was terrified and dared not lie anymore. He stammered, “It’s… It’s your mother who told me to do this! She came to me today and said you were leaving this afternoon. She told me to hold your wife back when everyone was getting off work, and when you passed by, I should yell that she’s a slut and seduced me…”

Lin Yue was also shocked to see Zhang Yuandong appear, but when she heard this, she was furious. She went up to Wang Baodong and kicked him twice, “You’re the one who’s a slut! You should look in the mirror and see what kind of toad you are. I was blind to even think of seducing you!”

Zhang Yuandong didn’t stop her. In fact, he didn’t dare to look at Lin Yue at this moment. He just held Wang Baodong’s shoulders tightly, preventing him from fighting back, also to stop him from running away.

Xiao Hou had followed Zhang Yuandong. He had heard most of the conversation and understood the relationships involved. He was also shocked and stepped forward to persuade, “Sister-in-law, calm down. Be careful not to hurt your hand! We have Brother Dong here, don’t worry!”

Zhang Yuandong heard Xiao Hou’s smooth-talking tone and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. He tightened his grip and pressed Wang Baodong, “Why did my mother tell you to do this? What’s in it for you?”

Wang Baodong quickly continued, “Auntie said your wife is too disrespectful. She didn’t want to do anything, she just wanted to vent her anger. She told me to just shout nonsense, ruin her reputation, and hopefully you would hear it. She said you were leaving today and wouldn’t have time to figure out the truth. She just wanted you to have a grudge in your heart, so you two would drift apart.”