Chapter 34 There is no most shameless, only more shameless

After all, in the countryside, people value the banquet more than a piece of paper. If it were strictly about legal documents, many rural couples wouldn’t be officially registered, yet some of them are already grandparents—could you really say they’re not married? But their situation isn’t the same as Tang Wanning’s, because Tang Wanning never consummated her marriage with Captain Xu. Thinking this, Jiang Hongmei let out a helpless sigh.

She had originally thought Xu Zhenhua would face serious consequences today, but she hadn’t expected this outcome. One has to admit, what Captain Xu did was immoral, but technically, he didn’t commit a crime. Since he hadn’t broken the law, the military leaders probably couldn’t punish him either.

Nearby, Su Meijuan’s eyes practically shot sparks of anger upon hearing what Xu Zhenhua and his father said. Even at this moment, Xu Zhenhua was still trying to evade responsibility—showing he had no sense of accountability whatsoever! Then again, if he did have any sense of responsibility, he wouldn’t have done something so shameless in the first place.

Tang Wanning glanced at Xu Dingbang, surprised that the old man’s mind was so quick. But she knew he was celebrating too soon; things weren’t over yet, and it’s always unwise to pop champagne before the result is final. In the end, the Xu family would still be disappointed.

Tang Wanning’s eyes filled with endless sadness, and she looked so fragile that she seemed like she could shatter with a single touch. Yet, seeing the worried expression on Su Meijuan’s face, a quiet strength rose from deep within her. Instinctively, Tang Wanning straightened her back, and the sorrow in her eyes gradually gave way to determination.

“That’s right,” she said firmly. “Even though we never consummated our marriage and never officially registered it, we held a banquet in the village. Afterward, I lived in the Xu family as a daughter-in-law. I cared for the grandparents, handled household chores, and helped with the crops. When things got busy, my parents and siblings from my family also stepped in to help. Everything a daughter-in-law should do, I did—not just that, I even did more. This isn’t something a few words from you can deny!”

Tang Wanning cast a cold, scornful glance at Xu Zhenhua. “Xu Zhenhua, for a supposedly honorable soldier, you can really say such shameless things! And you two”—she looked at his parents—“have you forgotten who cared for you night and day when you were sick? And yet you dare say that Zhenhua and I aren’t husband and wife?”

“Well said!” Su Meijuan shouted, her voice echoing, nearly breaking Tang Wanning’s carefully maintained expression of heart-wrenching sorrow.

However, Su Meijuan didn’t pay attention to her daughter’s reaction. Instead, as if noticing Bai Xiuying and Xu Dingbang for the first time, she feigned curiosity:

“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, what are you doing here? A few days ago, you said Zhenhua had died. You feared there would be no one to care for you in your old age, and you were thinking of adopting a distant relative’s child because you couldn’t raise it yourselves. Which of you here is that relative?”

As she spoke, her expression grew more puzzled. “Wait… if you already knew Zhenhua was alive, why did you even say you were going to adopt a child to care for you? Could it be…?”

Su Meijuan’s gaze burned toward Wu Lifan, who had shrunk into a corner. Though she didn’t finish the sentence, everyone present understood.

“My goodness… could it be that Comrade Wu is pregnant before marriage?”

“They aren’t even married yet, and they already have a child? Comrade Wu really has no self-respect.”

“Both are soldiers, yet they would do such a thing. No wonder they were in such a rush to marry—turns out she was already pregnant and wanted to cover it up.”

Jiang Hongmei muttered in disbelief. No wonder her niece lost out to Wu Lifan—turns out it was because of a bed affair. Wu Lifan really had no self-respect, using such a despicable method over a man.

In reality, there’s nothing inherently wrong with an unmarried soldier becoming pregnant—as long as it’s handled discreetly. But Wu Lifan’s pregnancy had been openly revealed by Su Meijuan.

Wu Lifan felt a surge of anger—she wished she could tear Su Meijuan apart. She had thought the mother-daughter duo’s attention was focused solely on the Xu family, allowing her to stay under the radar. She had planned to report to the authorities afterward, claiming she had been kept in the dark by Xu Zhenhua about his previous marriage in the countryside, and she could have escaped the fallout perfectly. As for Xu Zhenhua, she wasn’t worried; the child was his, and she trusted he would take responsibility.

But unexpectedly, the mother and daughter didn’t even leave her alone. They had inferred the pregnancy without knowing for sure. Thinking this through, Wu Lifan’s mind lit up—if they didn’t know for sure, could she deny it?

While Wu Lifan pondered the possibility, one of the military wives suddenly realized:

“No wonder Comrade Wu was dry heaving earlier. I thought it was just nerves over the wedding causing her dizziness and nausea, but turns out she’s pregnant!”

“Yes, a few days ago, when Comrade Wu came to the canteen to discuss dishes with Lao Qian and the others, I saw her dry heaving too. At the time, she said she had an upset stomach, but she was already pregnant then.”

Upon hearing this, the others looked at Wu Lifan with meaningful glances, making her feel extremely embarrassed. She wished she could dig a three-bedroom apartment right there just to hide.

As people criticized Wu Lifan for her lack of self-respect, Tang Wanning seemed to snap out of her emotional daze. Her eyes misted again, and her face filled with anger and disbelief.

“Mother, Father, you said you wanted to adopt a child from afar to care for you in your old age… could this child possibly be the one in your new daughter-in-law’s womb?”

As soon as she said this, the scene erupted.

“My goodness, the Xu family really has no conscience. Not only did they hide the fact that Captain Xu was alive, but they also planned to have Tang Wanning raise Comrade Wu’s unborn child!”

“This family is truly despicable… how dare they!”

“Today is really an eye-opener.”

“There’s no such thing as shameless enough—there’s always more shamelessness.”

“People like this don’t deserve to wear the uniform. It’s a disgrace to the military profession!”

Jiang Hongmei, filled with righteous indignation, exclaimed: “Commander Zhao, Captain Xu is a disgrace to our unit. How can someone like him deserve to wear this uniform? It’s absolutely malicious!”

“I suggest a thorough investigation into Captain Xu. If he can do such a despicable thing openly, who knows what other shameful deeds he has committed in secret?”