Chapter 18 Pulling Hair

On Friday after work, Fang Yingyue returned home with a furious expression. People around noticed something was off and followed her, curious to see what was going on. She stormed directly toward Wu Liuzhi’s house, kicked the door open with a loud “bang,” and yanked Wu Liuzhi by the hair toward the main road of the residential compound.

Wu Liuzhi was shocked and terrified, struggling to pry Fang Yingyue’s hands off. “Fang Yingyue, what are you doing? Let go!”

“Just here for a little chat,” Fang Yingyue replied coldly. Onlookers whispered among themselves, marveling that the seemingly delicate wife of Deputy Jiang actually had quite a bit of strength.

Fang Yingyue glared at Wu Liuzhi and demanded in a chilling voice, “Spreading rumors is fun, huh?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t know? Before I came, you were fabricating stories about what’s wrong with me. After I arrived, you slandered my job, claiming I got it through Jiang Qingzhou’s bribery. Amusing, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t do it!”

“Fine, let the leadership investigate and you’ll see. Wu Liuzhi, I’ll tell you, there’s nothing you can compare with me. Stop flaunting your technical school education. Let me tell you, I was among the first batch of university students after the resumption of the college entrance exams, graduated from Yandu University, and before joining the military, I worked as a director at the state-owned garment factory in East City. So now, do you still think my job in the Propaganda Department came from bribery? Are you questioning my ability—or my education and looks?”

Wu Liuzhi turned pale, stammering without a word. Fang Yingyue didn’t even glance at her feigned weakness and said bluntly, “I originally wanted to let this slide, but you’ve gone too far. Dragging Jiang Qingzhou into your rumors makes this far from over!”

Wu Liuzhi, frightened, had tears welling up, barely daring to lift her head. Someone in the residential compound ran to the playground shouting for Jiang Qingzhou and Zhou Tiejun.

“Deputy Commander Jiang, Deputy Commander Zhou, your wives are fighting!”

Hearing this, Jiang Qingzhou’s heart tightened. He sprinted home, worried Fang Yingyue might get hurt. Zhou Tiejun ran along behind him.

“Why so quiet now? Usually, you’re pretty talkative!”

When Jiang Qingzhou arrived, he saw the scene and realized his wife had the upper hand. He quickly put an arm around Fang Yingyue’s shoulders and led her home. Wu Liuzhi, seeing Zhou Tiejun, cried even harder. Zhou Tiejun, embarrassed, hastily dragged her inside.

“Do you think I’m too fierce or making things difficult?”

“No! My wife is formidable. I’m just worried you might get hurt.”

“I thought it was a minor scuffle, so it didn’t matter, but since you dragged Jiang Qingzhou into it, I can’t let it slide.” Jiang Qingzhou’s heart warmed as he hugged her, moved, “Thank you, my wife.”

“My man, if I don’t protect you, who else will?”

“After this, no one will dare gossip again.” Fang Yingyue tugged his ear. “I’m hungry.”

“Alright, I’ll make dinner.”

Fang Yingyue watched his busy back with a happy smile.

As soon as Wu Liuzhi entered her home, she loudly scolded Zhou Tiejun. “Why didn’t you help me?” Her face streaked with tears, sniffling. Zhou Tiejun, already annoyed, became even more impatient and turned his face away.

“I told you not to speak ill of others, and look now, everyone in the compound knows. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Hearing this, Wu Liuzhi felt even more aggrieved. “Before, when I spoke, you didn’t stop me. I was doing it for you!” Her crying grew louder.

“Lower your voice! The neighbors can hear!”

“What, now you’re ashamed of me?” Zhou Tiejun lit a cigarette, trying to calm down. In a stern voice, he said, “Tomorrow, you go apologize to Fang Yingyue.”

“Why should I? I won’t apologize!”

“Are you crazy? This is your fault. You’ll see her every day. If you don’t apologize, how will it end?”

Wu Liuzhi didn’t listen and slammed the door to her room. Zhou Tiejun could only sit in the living room, sighing as he smoked.

Jiang Qingzhou, however, had no intention of letting Wu Liuzhi off easily. In his eyes, she was the “troublemaker” of the compound—constantly stirring up trouble, spreading rumors, forming cliques, and disturbing the peace.

After dinner, Fang Yingyue and Jiang Qingzhou went out for a walk to aid digestion. Those who had spread or believed the rumors were too ashamed to even look at them.

On the playground, they ran into Aunt Huang with her daughter.

“Xiao Jiang, Yingyue!” Aunt Huang greeted warmly, then praised, “You did great today. Those people are outrageous, gossiping for no reason.”

“Those people, always talking behind my daughter’s back, saying her belly is big, claiming it’s from before marriage, cursing it’s a girl, saying she’s worthless—really should tear their mouths off!” Fang Yingyue glanced at Su Mingyue’s noticeably large belly, about seven or eight months along, “Being pregnant must be tough, right?”

Su Mingyue blushed and shyly said, “It’s much better after the first few months. Now I can eat and sleep well.”

“I see.” They walked around a few more times before returning home with Jiang Qingzhou.

The next day, Jiang Qingzhou strode into the Discipline Inspection Office.

“Director Xia, I want to file a complaint!”

He recounted everything from start to finish. Xia Guang frowned, his face darkening, and slammed the table, “These military wives really have too much free time! Don’t they have anything better to do?”

“Positions in the military are limited. Besides going up the back mountain, all they do is gather and gossip,” Xia Guang muttered. Thinking of helping resolve work-related issues, he planned to coordinate with other departments.

He promised Jiang Qingzhou, “I’ll carefully investigate the rumors and handle them properly.” Jiang Qingzhou, satisfied with this answer, took his leave.

On Monday, Zhou Tiejun was summoned into the Discipline Inspection Office. Xia Guang, with a stern expression, said, “You know about your wife spreading rumors, right?”

Zhou Tiejun felt a jolt in his heart, realizing that Jiang Qingzhou had acted quickly and brought the matter to the leadership, leaving him looking guilty.

“You’re a soldier—you should know that rumors can ruin lives. If you don’t want to be punished, have your wife write an apology letter. She can read and write, right?” Xia Guang asked. Zhou Tiejun had no choice but to nod.

“Fine. Have it ready by tomorrow. She’ll read it aloud at the broadcast station every afternoon for a week straight,” Xia Guang said, waving him away.

Zhou Tiejun went home and relayed the news. Wu Liuzhi burst into tears, “This is so humiliating!” She stubbornly refused to apologize. But in the end, for Zhou Tiejun’s career, she reluctantly complied.

From then on, she walked with her head down to the broadcast station each day, reading her apology letter aloud. At first, the residents of the compound found this quite novel, but after a few days, they became accustomed to it, and for a rare moment, the compound regained some quiet.

That evening, Jiang Qingzhou returned home with a mischievous grin, the kind that said “I got away with it and still want a reward.” He grabbed Fang Yingyue like a child seeking a treat, and what followed was a night of intimacy that lasted almost until dawn. Fang Yingyue could only sigh helplessly—these days, Jiang Qingzhou was nearly always this energetic at night, leaving her sore and exhausted the next morning. Meanwhile, Jiang Qingzhou woke up refreshed, looking so satisfied that Fang Yingyue was both annoyed and exasperated, yet there was nothing she could do.

As the days passed, the residential compound returned to its usual calm. Fang Yingyue became increasingly adept at her work in the Propaganda Department. The campaigns she organized were not only well-received within the military but also drew attention from surrounding units. Jiang Qingzhou, thanks to his outstanding performance in the regiment, also earned more opportunities for promotion.