Chapter 16

Baishuishui thought maliciously to herself, “They should be locked up at the station for a couple of days—that would make them behave.”

Why did they have to come all the way to the Imperial Capital?

They must be out of their minds!

Even if they weren’t locked up, as long as Liu Haijun kicked them out of here, they’d have nowhere to eat.

So what if they sold some ginseng for a bit of money?

It was just 30 yuan!

How long could 30 yuan last in the capital?

Not long at all. Once they ran out of money from selling ginseng, they’d have no food and starve.

Then they wouldn’t dare think about coming here again.

“You can’t just make things up!”

“You clearly went back and told me that my husband, who’s in the army, used his salary to buy you a lot of things but didn’t take care of our two children. That’s why I brought the kids here to seek justice!”

Lu Zhiyao put on a pitiful expression again.

“Stop pretending,” Baishuishui, feeling a bit more confident after recalling everything just now, sneered. “You’re not even Mu Qingyuan’s wife. You can’t say anything other than his name.”

“If Comrade Mu Qingyuan was out on a mission, how could you, as family, not know anything?”

“If all you know is a name, you could’ve easily overheard it on the street and decided to come impersonate someone!”

Lu Zhiyao clenched her fists in fury at these words.

Baishuishui is truly shameless.

The original host didn’t know anything—wasn’t it all because of her?

The original host had entrusted everything to her. She was also old-fashioned and wanted someone to look after her husband in the army.

She had even given Baishuishui many nice things.

Some of the money she scrimped and saved was spent on the children, and the rest was given to Baishuishui to help take care of her husband.

Who would’ve thought it would end like this?

Liu Haijun also felt that what Baishuishui said made sense.

Although missions were strictly confidential, after three years, she should at least know something.

Even if she didn’t know the mission details, she should’ve known he wasn’t in the unit.

How could she be clueless about everything?

Each side had their own story, and Liu Haijun couldn’t tell who was telling the truth.

“I have identification.”

Lu Zhiyao took out her ID. Liu Haijun checked it—it was indeed valid.

“Your ID is real, but it still doesn’t prove you’re Mu Qingyuan’s wife. That’s not conclusive.”

Liu Haijun also found the matter tricky. Normally, people wouldn’t impersonate someone so casually.

But one ID alone didn’t prove much.

Mu Qingyuan’s mission was top-secret, so it made sense that even family might not know.

“You’re saying ID isn’t enough to prove I’m his wife, right?”

Lu Zhiyao gave Baishuishui a defiant glance. “No problem, I also have our marriage certificate!”

She rummaged through her large luggage bag and sure enough, pulled out a marriage certificate.

Lu Zhiyao had once mocked how simple marriage certificates from this era looked, but thankfully it included a photo of both of them.

She brought it along in case it was needed during a possible divorce.

She handed the certificate to Liu Haijun, while Baishuishui stood glaring beside her.

Why didn’t she take that out on the train when she was being accused?

Baishuishui had even secretly peeked at her then, and only left after confirming Lu Zhiyao couldn’t explain herself.

Who would’ve thought that she’d be able to get information out of someone later on?

That was how the thief found her.

Why didn’t she show the certificate earlier, but pulled it out now, catching her completely off guard?

Baishuishui cursed her silently. Lu Zhiyao is way too cunning—she must’ve been saving this move for just the right moment!

Liu Haijun took the certificate and compared the photo—Lu Zhiyao looked exactly like the person in the picture.

“The marriage certificate needs to be sent to our archives for verification. Please wait a moment.” Liu Haijun wanted to handle this properly, so he had a soldier deliver the certificate for verification.

As the certificate was sent off, Lu Zhiyao repeated everything Baishuishui had said earlier.

Baishuishui gritted her teeth and said nothing.

“We’ll know the truth once the verification result comes back.” Liu Haijun asked the two of them to rest while waiting.

The soldier, moved by sympathy for Lu Zhiyao, rushed to verify the document and even brought back the archive’s original copy.

The two certificates were identical.

Seeing the matching photos and information, Liu Haijun immediately believed Lu Zhiyao.

If she had the marriage certificate and the photo matched, then Lu Zhiyao was Mu Qingyuan’s wife.

As for why she didn’t know about his mission—Liu Haijun, as the commander, couldn’t ask too much. That was a private family matter.

“Apologies, Comrade Lu. We misunderstood you.”

“Our military district has strict protocols, so we need to double-check everything.”

Liu Haijun apologized and handed the certificate back.

Baishuishui was fuming.

Who would’ve thought the commander would actually be this fair!

What am I supposed to do now?

“Since that matter is settled,” Lu Zhiyao said, “I want to ask: what exactly is the relationship between my husband and this woman?”

As soon as she said that, Baishuishui jumped up. “I never said those things! I don’t even know you—stop making things up!”

“We were best friends, grew up in the same village. You joined the military district as a doctor, and I asked you to help look after my husband.”

“My husband didn’t write to tell me he was on a mission, and you never mentioned it during your visits home.”

“You even said he spent his salary on you. Looks like you’ve been lying all along!”

Lu Zhiyao spoke with conviction, and Liu Haijun narrowed his eyes. He sensed something wasn’t right.

If Mu Qingyuan never told his wife about the mission, then it was very likely someone had deliberately stirred things up.

But without Mu Qingyuan present, Liu Haijun couldn’t make a judgment—this was a family matter, even if it involved a subordinate.

The soldier was also troubled. It was clear Baishuishui wasn’t as innocent as she seemed.

“Enough arguing.”

“Since Comrade Lu is confirmed to be Mu Qingyuan’s wife, she can stay here until he returns from his mission. Is that alright?”

“He’s a battalion commander here and has his own assigned housing. I’ll get you the key and take you there shortly.”

Baishuishui’s pupils dilated in shock, and she clutched her clothes furiously.

Why her?

And that Liu Haijun—he’s actually letting her move in there?

That was military family housing. Even military spouses had to wait for the soldier to apply for family relocation before they could live there!