The others pretended not to have heard anything, waiting for the battalion commander and his wife to join them at the table.  

Gu Xiaoxi was surprised to see that in addition to the sausages, fish balls, fried fish, and spicy meat sauce they had brought from home, the table also featured rib soup and a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes.  

“Where did the ribs and tomatoes come from?”  

“I got them from the logistics department kitchen. Little sister, eat more!” Gu Dachuan hadn’t taken a single bite himself, already busy serving his sister.  

Gu Xiaoxi quickly said, “You all eat too.”  

Lu Jiansen silently added food to her plate as well, then ladled her a separate bowl of rib soup.  

Halfway through the meal, the sound of crying suddenly came from outside.  

Gu Xiaoxi wasn’t one for gossip, so she paid it no mind.  

Seeing Lu Jiansen remain unmoved, the others followed suit, focusing on their meal.  

Before long, the crying outside grew louder, now mixed with voices of consolation.  

Lu Jiansen frowned and glanced toward the door. Li Kun, sharp-eyed and quick, dashed out to investigate.  

He returned in just two minutes.  

“Commander, it’s Battalion Commander Xiao’s wife—she beat up his sister at the hospital. Now the sister’s back to pack her things and leave. The political commissar’s wife and some neighbors are trying to talk her down.”  

Lu Jiansen gave a slight nod. “Keep eating.”  

Gu Xiaoxi also felt she shouldn’t pry and concentrated on her meal.  

But the crying outside persisted, the wails so full of anguish it sounded like the person had suffered some unbearable injustice.  

After dinner, Gu Dachuan and the other soldiers cleared the table and washed the dishes.  

Lu Jiansen said to his little wife, “I’ll go report to my superior to cancel my leave and be back soon. There’s hot water in the kitchen—you can wash up and rest early.”

Gu Xiaoxi nodded. “Alright, go ahead.”  

After seeing him off, she went to the kitchen and took the opportunity to tidy up.  

Only then did she realize how well-equipped the kitchen was—pots, pans, bowls, and utensils were all there. Besides the small iron wok her aunt had given them, there was also a large one on the earthen stove.  

There were two new washbasins and fresh towels. Since there was no bathing area, the house had two new buckets instead.  

If taking a bath could still be managed in the room, using the toilet was another matter.

With no toilet at home, she had no choice but to head for the public outhouse after locking the door.  

She hadn’t gone far when a dark figure suddenly rushed out from behind a tree to her right and shoved her violently to the ground.  

A sharp pain shot through her, leaving her momentarily breathless.  

A military wife from next door, who happened to be outside dumping foot-washing water, witnessed the scene. After a stunned pause, she immediately shouted for help.  

“Someone—quick, help—!”  

The figure, startled by the cry, snapped out of it and bolted.  

But the woman had a piercing voice. “Catch her! Someone’s been attacked—!”  

Her shouts drew neighbors out of their homes, and the quicker ones managed to intercept the fleeing figure.  

Those nearby helped Gu Xiaoxi up. “Are you alright?”  

One sharp-eyed woman recognized her. “It’s Battalion Commander Lu’s wife—she just arrived today. I saw her through my window while cooking earlier…”  

“Oh no! She’s bleeding—!”  

“Hurry, go get Battalion Commander Lu—!”  

As everyone scrambled to call for help, a lean figure came sprinting from the distance.  

People instinctively made way as the fearsome-looking battalion commander scooped up the injured woman and raced toward the infirmary.  

Seeing his wife’s deathly pale face, Lu Jiansen felt the urge to kill.  

He never imagined someone would harm her the moment he stepped away.  

Regaining her breath, Gu Xiaoxi sensed the murderous aura radiating from him and weakly tugged his sleeve. “I’m fine… Don’t worry.”  

She didn’t realize how faint and small her voice sounded—to Lu Jiansen, it was like the pained mewl of a badly injured kitten. His heart clenched with guilt, and his expression turned even colder.  

The medical staff at the infirmary were too intimidated by his thunderous face to even breathe loudly, rushing to examine the patient.  

The incident was too serious to contain, spreading like wildfire. The regiment commander and political commissar soon arrived in a fluster.  

Brought along with them was the assailant—Xiao Ye.  

Half an hour later, the on-duty doctor emerged to report.  

“How is she?” Political Commissar Luo asked urgently.  

The doctor chose his words carefully. “The fall was sudden, and the ground was still damp from the rain two days ago, so the impact was severe. She has multiple abrasions and bruises. Her right hand was cut by something and bled. Thankfully, she’s young and resilient—no broken bones…”  

Both the regiment commander and Commissar Luo sighed in relief. Still, the nature of the incident was egregious and had to be addressed.  

Moreover, the punishment couldn’t be light—Lu Jiansen wouldn’t stand for it, especially since this was his wife’s first day at the military base.  

But Xiao Ye’s brother had just sacrificed himself in the line of duty, complicating matters.  

As the two superiors hesitated, Gu Dachuan, who had arrived slightly later, rushed in.  

“Commander, Commissar—you can’t let her off just because she’s Battalion Commander Xiao’s sister! If military family members have this little awareness, it’s too dangerous to keep her here. My sister was born premature and has always been frail. A fall like this could take ages to recover from. The perpetrator must be severely punished!”  

He deeply regretted returning to the dormitory earlier—he should’ve waited until his sister was asleep.  

And damn Lu Jiansen—couldn’t he have waited until tomorrow to report back?  

The regiment commander’s head throbbed. He’d forgotten about Gu Dachuan—another problem besides Lu Jiansen!  

Just then, Lu Jiansen stepped out. He had only one sentence for his superiors: “Punish her harshly.”  

Political Commissar Luo found the situation troublesome but still had someone bring Xiao Ye over.

Xiao Ye was already terrified. She had been crying outside, pretending to be aggrieved for a long time. But the moment she saw Lu Jiansen, she still held onto the hope that he would look at her a few more times and not be too harsh on her for pushing someone. 

In a small voice, she defended herself, “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Hearing this, Guo Dachuan was displeased. “Not on purpose? If it wasn’t on purpose, why were you hiding behind a tree and suddenly pushing someone? How can you be so malicious? Or do you think there are no witnesses?”

Frightened, Xiao Ye shrank her neck and moved closer to Lu Jiansen for protection.

Lu Jiansen’s aura turned icy in an instant, and a barely restrained hostility was almost becoming tangible.

Commissar Luo thought this girl named Xiao Ye was rather foolish, and his gaze grew colder. However, he still reached out to pull Lu Jiansen aside.

“Comrade Xiao Ye, can you explain why you pushed her? Do you know Battalion Commander Lu’s wife?”

The woman had only just arrived at the military district, and on her first day, she was already being targeted.

This could be the only reason!