Chapter 32

Addicted to Showing Off

Shen Dazhu tried to defend himself: “We really didn’t bully her!”

Granny Xu hit him again with her stick. “You’re no good—I don’t believe you!”

After finishing with Shen Dazhu, the old lady turned to Zhao Chunlan. “It must be your black heart, stirring up trouble!

“I’ll beat you to death, you wretch! Always trying to throw your weight around in front of my grandchild. Well, today I’ll let you have your fill!”

“Aah! Aah! I wasn’t throwing my weight around! Stop hitting me! Stop!”

Watching the two being chased and beaten, Xu Jiajia suddenly pictured Big Bad Wolf getting beaten by Pleasant Goat in cartoons. Despite failing every time he tried to catch the sheep, he kept coming back for more.

Weren’t Shen Dazhu and Zhao Chunlan just real-life versions of that Big Bad Wolf?

They knew they wouldn’t get anything out of picking a fight here, yet they kept charging in, refusing to give up.

Zhao Chunlan, after taking several hits, started crying from the pain. She finally gave up on Shen Dazhu and ran for her life.

“You old hag! Hitting so hard, you don’t even care about family ties!”

Seeing Zhao Chunlan flee, Shen Dazhu didn’t want to stay either. Seizing his chance before Granny Xu could catch him again, he bolted out of there.

Granny Xu spat at their retreating backs. “If I didn’t teach them a lesson, they’d keep thinking my grandchild is easy to bully!”

Xu Jiajia gave her grandmother a big thumbs-up, praising without hesitation. “Granny, you’re amazing! With you around, no one dares mess with me!”

Granny Xu tossed aside her stick and asked Xu Jiajia, “What did they come for?”

Xu Jiajia pouted disdainfully. “Trying to freeload my job, obviously!”

Granny Xu’s face darkened. “I went too easy on them.”

When Xu Jianguo returned from the fields and heard Shen Dazhu had caused trouble, he grabbed a wooden pole and stormed off.

At the Shen family’s home, he swung the pole and overturned everything in the yard.

Zhao Chunlan screamed in horror. “Xu Jianguo, stop! Stop! You thug! Stop this madness!”

Shen Dazhu came out of the house and saw the chaos in his yard. His anger flared instantly. “Xu Jianguo, what are you doing?!”

Xu Jianguo looked at him coldly. “Old bastard, if you bully my grandchild again, I’ll burn your kitchen to the ground!”

Shen Dazhu, furious, yelled back, “Enough! First your mother hits us, and now you come to make trouble? Get lost, you son of a—!”

Xu Jianguo’s eyes turned icy. He grabbed Shen Dazhu’s son, Sanmao, and gave him a thrashing.

“Ahh! Ouch, it hurts! Stop hitting me! I didn’t do anything! Why are you hitting me? Adults are fighting, why do us kids have to suffer?!

“Mom! Mom! Help me! I’m going to die!”

Sanmao wailed pitifully.

Zhao Chunlan was heartbroken. “Let go of Sanmao! Xu Jianguo, are you crazy? Hitting a child like this?!”

Xu Jianguo, however, controlled his strength carefully. “So you do know it’s wrong to bully a child? Then why didn’t you think of that when you came to bully Jiajia?”

Afraid Xu Jianguo might actually hurt Sanmao, Zhao Chunlan reluctantly apologized.

Feeling he’d made his point, Xu Jianguo let Sanmao go. He patted the boy on the shoulder. “Good job. You played along nicely.”

The moment he said that, two pairs of deathly glares shot toward Sanmao. His face stiffened as he hastily explained, “It really hurt! If you don’t believe me, check my bruises!”

Meanwhile…

Shen Yuebai arrived in Jiangsu Province after a two-day, one-night train journey.

Before he even exited the station, a tall, burly man was already waving wildly at the exit. “Old Shen! Old Shen!”

Shen Yuebai walked out of the crowd toward him. “Has anything major happened in the unit these past few days?”

Liu Zhen laughed heartily. “If something major happened, how could we forget about you? But hey, I heard from the commissar that you’ve got a girlfriend. Is it true?”

Shen Yuebai glanced at him and said seriously, “Would I lie about something like that? We already held a wedding back in my hometown.”

“What?! The commissar introduced so many people to you, and you didn’t even look at them. Why the sudden rush this time?”

Shen Yuebai’s mind flashed with Xu Jiajia’s smile, and his eyes softened. “Of course, I’ve fallen for her. You know, as soldiers, we don’t have many days off in a year. If I don’t act quickly, someone else might snatch her away. What should I do then?”

Liu Zhen raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Yuebai with a strange expression. “So you’re scared of something too? I thought you’d always be fearless!”

Shen Yuebai gave Liu Zhen a once-over, his tone teasing. “What would a single man like you understand?”

Liu Zhen nearly laughed in anger. “You’re only a few months younger than me. Stop acting like you’re so amazing!”

Shen Yuebai bragged, “From now on, I have a family. My wife cares about me—when she sent me off, she kept nagging me to take care of myself.

“Ah, I wonder if she’ll cry without me by her side.”

Liu Zhen gritted his teeth, feeling sour. “Stop talking. You’re making it sound like you’re the only one with a wife!”

Shen Yuebai raised an eyebrow. “Do you have one?”

Liu Zhen clenched his teeth. “……”

Damn it.

So what if he had a wife!

The entire way to the army, Shen Yuebai kept bringing up Xu Jiajia.

Liu Zhen’s ears were getting sore from hearing it. When they reached the entrance, he saw the political commissar and shouted, “Help! Commissar, come save me! I’m going to be driven crazy by this guy!”

The political commissar was confused. “What’s going on?”

Liu Zhen pointed at Shen Yuebai. “Ask him.”

The commissar turned his gaze to Shen Yuebai and, seeing the man beaming, said, “So, are you happy with your girlfriend?”

The whole army knew about Shen Yuebai’s marriage registration.

Shen Yuebai’s eyebrows lifted proudly. “Of course! My wife is not only beautiful but also a high school student. How could I not be happy?”

Liu Zhen, looking at his smug expression, almost wanted to punch him. “Alright, alright! You’ve been bragging all the way here. Could you leave us some dignity?”

Shen Yuebai ignored him and instead turned to the commissar. “Are there any vacant rooms?”

The commissar shook his head. “Not yet.”

Shen Yuebai dropped his luggage in the dorm and headed straight to the division commander’s office, explaining his request. “Commander, I got married back home. I want my wife to join me here. You have to arrange housing for me!”

The commander put down his newspaper. “You’re getting married without approval? You’re going ahead and acting without permission!

“Aren’t you worried that your wife’s family background might cause problems and ruin your future?”

Shen Yuebai was confident on that front. “No, my wife’s grandmother is an old revolutionary, highly respected in the village.”

The commander had already sent someone to investigate. The report confirmed there were no issues with Xu Jiajia’s family background but didn’t mention her grandmother’s revolutionary background.

“Revolutionaries from that era had a heart loyal to the Party. Your eyes are good, kid.”

Shen Yuebai couldn’t help but feel a little smug. “Of course!”

The commander had many soldiers under him, but there were only two or three that truly impressed him, and Shen Yuebai was one of them.

Looking at this young man who had grown into a strong eagle, the commander couldn’t help but sigh. “Time flies. When you first came to the army, you were so small. Now, you’re over 1.8 meters tall. It’s unbelievable.”

Shen Yuebai was thankful to the country and the organization. “It’s all thanks to the army’s training.”

As they chatted, the topic drifted off, but Shen Yuebai quickly steered it back. “Commander, how long will it take to arrange the housing?”

The commander stiffened. “……”

He had deliberately shifted the topic, and now it had come back again.

“There are no vacant rooms. You’ll have to wait.”

Shen Yuebai was desperate. “Every year, there’s a housing shortage. Why not just build new ones?”

Waiting was an empty promise—who knew when it would be ready?

If they built new ones, they could be done in a few months.

The commander spread his hands. “I’d love to, but there’s no money!”

The army was poor.

Incredibly poor.

It was hard to imagine just how poor.

His worry had turned his hair gray.

After leaving the commander’s office, Shen Yuebai was stopped by a young woman who blocked his path. “So, you really got married?”