Chapter 50: Old Mrs. Qi

It’s not that difficult to find out whether Qi Tao knows about this matter—just find a way to reveal it to him and observe his reaction.

But things aren’t quite that simple. First of all, the person testing Qi Tao’s response can’t be Yang Yi herself. If she were to confront him and he already knows the truth, not only might she fail to get a genuine reaction, but she could also tip him off. Then, even if he insists he knows nothing and puts on a show—crying, pleading—she’d be left with no clarity, and the whole matter would be brushed under the rug.

Secondly, the person testing him must not only be close to Qi Tao, but also sympathetic to Yang Yi. Someone too close to Yang Yi but unfamiliar with Qi Tao would come off as suspicious. On the other hand, someone close to Qi Tao but not to Yang Yi might easily be turned against her.

So the question is: who knows Qi Tao well and is also close to Yang Yi?

It might sound simple, but such a person is hard to find. These days, while people no longer strictly observe gender segregation like “men and women shouldn’t sit together after age seven,” the idea of gender propriety still exists—especially in military family compounds, where most residents are married couples. If a man gets too close to another man’s wife, people will talk. It becomes not just a matter of propriety, but a matter of reputation.

Moreover, Yang Yi’s mother-in-law is extremely concerned about appearances. She never airs dirty laundry in public. That means the person they choose can’t live too far from Yang Yi, or Qi Tao might guess Yang Yi put them up to it, which could cause even bigger problems.

All this significantly limits the list of possible candidates.

After hearing all this, Yang Yi gave a bitter smile. “I never thought being a couple required so much calculation.”

Lin Wei replied, “Whether you need to calculate so much depends on how much you care.”

If Yang Yi didn’t care about Qi Tao, she could expose the matter directly without all these maneuvers. If Qi Tao handled it well and chose to be sincere, they could go on together. If he chose to side with his mother instead, they’d remain on guard for the rest of their lives—but even that’s a kind of outcome.

People say couples should be honest with each other, but in truth, few couples ever truly are. As long as a marriage lasts, even a guarded coexistence looks, from the outside, like a golden, happy union.

But Yang Yi couldn’t do that. She had married Qi Tao because she truly liked him. All those years of showing filial piety to her mother-in-law and helping raise her brother-in-law—she did it all for him.

Because she cared, when the illusions shattered and she returned to that home, she began to toss and turn, wondering if there had been deception in her marriage all along.

Since she wanted to know the truth, she had to think everything through. If she was too careless and Qi Tao caught on, she might never get a real answer—not to mention never knowing what was in his heart.

Yang Yi took a deep breath and said, “I understand.”

“Then who are you going to ask to help?”

Though she had been confused before, Yang Yi wasn’t without ideas. Once she made up her mind, she quickly decided on a candidate: “Sister Liu. Our families live next door to each other, and her husband, Old Xing, is familiar with Qi Tao.”

…

Since the two families lived side by side, going straight to Liu Dan’s home to talk would easily be noticed by Qi Tao. So Lin Wei went over to Liu Dan’s house to call her out instead.

Dinner had just ended. Although the sun hadn’t completely set, the evening breeze already carried a slight chill, and many residents of the compound were out in their yards cooling off.

The courtyard where both families lived was no exception. The neighbors gathered in groups—men in one circle, women in another—chatting casually. Qi Tao and Liu Dan’s husband, Xing Dong, were in the men’s group. Because of his wife’s friendship with Liu Dan, they all knew Lin Wei. So when Qi Tao saw her approach, he asked in surprise, “Comrade Lin, what brings you here? Didn’t Liu Dan go looking for you?”

Lin Wei smiled and said, “She’s talking to Sister Deng. I came over to find Sister Liu.”

These women weren’t simple. First, they all put down their housework, went out shopping, watched a movie, and came back with red-rimmed eyes, attracting gossip in the family compound for several days.

Later, each of them made a hat. At first glance, they didn’t seem much more practical than straw hats, but the women in the compound were crazy about them. Now everyone had a sun hat.

It wasn’t just the women—the children were the same. Now every kid had a yellow sun hat.

The reason for the yellow hat was mainly the little embroidered yellow duck—its eyes and beak required fine needlework, which not everyone could manage. Take his daughter-in-law, for example: she could mend clothes, no problem, but embroidery was really beyond her.

His son was so stubborn—he wanted a little yellow duck with two perfect eyes and a beak. When the embroidery didn’t turn out right, he cried and threw tantrums for days. Eventually, his daughter-in-law had no choice but to ask Zhou Jianhai’s wife for help, and only then was the boy appeased.

This kind of thing was common in many households in the compound. But not everyone had the skill to embroider, and not everyone could easily ask others for help. And Deng Xiangyun wasn’t the type to lend a hand to just anyone. So a lot of kids ended up with just plain yellow hats. Some parents who could embroider added floral designs, but even then, the stitching wasn’t always attractive or well done.

So when the group of women came by specifically to call on his wife, Xing Dong teased, “What good idea are you all cooking up this time?”

Lin Wei grinned and said, “It’s a bit of a plan, but it hasn’t even begun yet—can’t tell you just now.”

“Still acting all mysterious.” Xing Dong laughed and told her that Liu Dan was in the kitchen washing dishes.

Lin Wei thanked him and stepped into their home.

It wasn’t her first time there—she was familiar with the layout. Without looking around, she went straight to the kitchen.

Liu Dan had just finished washing the dishes and was wiping the table with a rag. Seeing Lin Wei come in, she asked, “Oh, what brings you here?”

“I’ve got something to discuss with you,” Lin Wei said as she leaned casually against the doorframe.

Liu Dan continued wiping the table and said, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“Let’s talk at my place—it’s not convenient to say it here.”

“What is it, so secretive?” Liu Dan and Xing Dong were truly a couple—her tone was just like his. “Alright, give me two minutes. I’ll wash my hands and come with you.”

Lin Wei nodded and waited while Liu Dan wiped the counter, swept the trash together, and went to wash her hands.

As they left the house, they ran into Mrs. Qi from next door. Liu Dan smiled and greeted her.

Although Mrs. Qi was harsh with Yang Yi as a daughter-in-law, she wasn’t an unkind person overall. With her soft, rounded features and big eyes, she always smiled when she saw someone and spoke warmly. Now, smiling at them, she asked, “Heading out?” Then, turning to Lin Wei, she added kindly, “And you are?”

Mrs. Qi had only been on the island for less than half a month and had just started recognizing familiar faces. She hadn’t yet met Lin Wei.

Liu Dan introduced them, “This is Lin Wei, a military wife Yang Yi and I are close with.” Then she introduced Mrs. Qi to Lin Wei.

Even though Lin Wei didn’t particularly like this old lady, she still greeted her politely. “Hello, Auntie.”

Mrs. Qi beamed. “Such a lovely young woman.” Then, as if just remembering something, she asked, “Didn’t Taozi’s wife come looking for you just now?”

Lin Wei replied, “Yes, she did, but the military wife next door to my place needed something from her, so she went over there instead.”

Mrs. Qi muttered, “She doesn’t have a job—what kind of important matter could she have?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but Lin Wei was only a few steps away and heard her clearly. Glancing toward Qi Tao, who was on the other side of the courtyard, she raised her voice a bit and said with a smile, “Auntie, that’s not quite fair. Friends can talk about all kinds of things—why should they need to have a job to visit each other?”

Mrs. Qi, who had a habit of picking on people she thought were easy targets, saw that Lin Wei wasn’t someone to be pushed around. She quickly tried to smooth things over. “Comrade Lin, you misunderstood. I was just making a casual comment—nothing serious.”

Qi Tao, hearing that something wasn’t quite right from across the courtyard, came over and asked, “What’s going on?”

Old Lady Qi hurriedly said, “It’s nothing, I just misspoke and caused Comrade Xiao Lin to misunderstand. I’ve already explained everything clearly.”

Although Old Lady Qi’s words sounded like she was taking responsibility, she was still an elder who had just come from her hometown. If Lin Wei argued with her over a misunderstanding, it would seem inappropriate—even if Lin Wei was right, it might look like she was bullying the elderly. Besides, the one who came over to ask was Qi Tao. As her son, he would naturally side with his own mother.

Seeing Qi Tao frown, Lin Wei smiled and said, “Whether I misunderstood or not doesn’t matter. It’s just that, Auntie, you really shouldn’t say such things in front of Sister Yang. She married into your family, takes care of your younger son, follows the army around, and hasn’t gone to work—all for the sake of the children. If she hears you say something like that, she’d surely feel hurt.”

Qi Tao’s frown deepened, but this time it wasn’t directed at Lin Wei. He asked in a low voice, “Mom, what exactly did you say just now?”

“I didn’t…”

Mrs. Qi tried to deny it, but before she could finish, Liu Dan interrupted, “Auntie asked Weiwei where Xiao Yang had gone. Weiwei said that Xiao Deng needed something and called her over. Then Auntie said, ‘She doesn’t even have a job—what serious business could she possibly have?’”

Old Lady Qi looked flustered and quickly turned to Qi Tao. “Son, I… I just said it casually. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“As the saying goes, ‘A kind word in winter feels like spring; a harsh word in spring can chill to the bone.’ We’re outsiders, so even if we hear something unpleasant, we can just explain it away. But Sister Yang has been serving your family for years. If she hears those kinds of words, how hurt would she feel?” Lin Wei added, nodding slightly. “Battalion Commander Qi, we still have something to attend to—we’ll be going now.”

With that, she didn’t wait for Qi Tao to respond and pulled Liu Dan along as they walked away.

Just as they brushed past him, Qi Tao turned around and called out to them, “Can you not mention this to Xiao Yang for now? I want to talk to her myself.”

Lin Wei didn’t respond immediately. She simply looked at Qi Tao in silence.

Qi Tao met her gaze without flinching and said sincerely, “I’ll have a proper talk with my mother and ask her to apologize to Xiao Yang.”

Old Mrs. Qi, who was standing beside them, suddenly changed her expression. “Taozi!”

Only then did Lin Wei speak. “Alright, I promise you.”

Just after they walked out of the courtyard shared by the two families, Liu Dan grabbed Lin Wei’s hand and asked, “Did you see the look on Xiao Yang’s mother-in-law’s face just now? Tsk. I always thought she had a great personality—she’s always smiling whenever I see her—but turns out… it seems like her relationship with Xiao Yang isn’t so friendly after all.”

“Didn’t you ever hear anything before?”

“Hear what?”

“Sister Yang’s mother-in-law always waits until Battalion Commander Qi isn’t around to pick on her.”

Liu Dan looked puzzled. “Really? That actually happens?”

Lin Wei asked, “Your families live right next to each other. You never heard anything?”

Liu Dan paused, trying to remember. “There were a couple of times when I went out and heard loud voices from their house. I even knocked and asked once, but her mother-in-law said she was scolding her son. And when I asked Xiao Yang about it later, she didn’t deny it. So I didn’t think much of it.” Her brows furrowed. “Could it have been Xiao Yang getting scolded instead?”

Lin Wei responded with a grim expression, “It could be.”

Liu Dan’s face changed, but then she shook her head and said, “No way. I’ve seen how she treats Xiao Yang—she seems pretty good to her. And if Xiao Yang was the one being scolded, why didn’t she say anything when I asked?”

“If she truly treats Sister Yang well, how could she say something like that just now? She brushed it off as a casual comment, but think about it—would you say something like that about Sister Yang to someone you just met, even casually?”

Liu Dan shook her head without hesitation. “Of course not.”

Old Lady Qi didn’t use any harsh words, but what she implied was clear: a subtle contempt for Yang Yi. She looked down on her, thinking that since Yang Yi didn’t have a job, she couldn’t possibly have anything serious going on—so if a friend came looking for her, it must be for something trivial.

If Mrs. Qi had shown her dislike for her daughter-in-law from the start, openly and plainly, it would have been easier to accept.

But Yang Yi had worked so hard for their family all these years, and since Mrs. Qi came to the island, she had praised Yang Yi to everyone. People in the housing area thought they were the ideal mother- and daughter-in-law pair.

And yet it was that same “model” mother-in-law who looked down on her daughter-in-law deep down. How could that not send a chill down someone’s spine?

Liu Dan couldn’t help but shiver. She clutched Lin Wei’s hand and asked, “Do you think Qi Tao knows?”

Without waiting for a reply, she added, “Judging by his reaction just now… he probably doesn’t, right?”

“I hope not.”