Chapter 38: Not Someone to Mess With

Hearing Tang Xiaorou’s admission, Lu Shan was still incredulous. She looked at Shen Huaixu. “Commander Shen, is she… really your new wife?”

Shen Huaixu frowned at Lu Shan and nodded. “Yes, Tang Xiaorou is my wife.”

“You… how could you marry such a woman?”

Shen Huaixu’s face darkened. “Sister-in-law, watch your words. My wife is a good person.”

Seeing Shen Huaixu protecting Tang Xiaorou, Lu Shan felt wronged and resentful. She shouted, “Commander Shen, I’m doing this for your own good! This woman is rude and sharp-tongued. She’s not good enough for you!”

Lu Shan’s voice was loud, and the family quarters were close-knit, so people came to watch. Even Li Meilian and the others arrived.

Qin Xueqiong stepped forward when she heard Lu Shan.

“How dare you speak to my daughter like that! Xiaorou is perfectly polite. You’re the one yelling!”

Lu Shan sneered at Qin Xueqiong. “You’re Tang Xiaorou’s mother, right? She’s here to join the military and brought you along! I wonder if her father approves. Why didn’t she bring him?”

Qin Xueqiong’s face paled. She was a burden to her daughter.

Tang Xiaorou had been calm, but seeing Lu Shan attack her mother, her eyes turned cold.

“Lu Shan, who I bring here is none of your business. My husband, Shen Huaixu, doesn’t mind. Why do you care? You’re meddling too much!”

L Shan scoffed. “I’m afraid Shen Huaixu is being deceived!  Such a fine young man, and he’s married to such a shameless woman!” She turned to the onlookers. “Sisters, you don’t know how shameless Tang Xiaorou is! On the train, they ganged up on me and made me take off my dress in public! She’s outrageous!”

“Whoa…”

The onlookers looked at Tang Xiaorou in disbelief.

“I… I didn’t expect her to be like this. Making Lu Shan take off her dress in public… that’s too much!”

“Exactly! She probably bullied Lu Shan because they outnumbered her.”

“Goodness, what kind of woman did Commander Shen marry?”

Whispers filled the air, and Tang Xiaorou laughed.

“Lu Shan, why don’t you mention pushing Xiaoyan? Xiaoyan lightly bumped into you, and you pushed her down and demanded money! I paid you the full price, so asking you to take off the dress wasn’t unreasonable!”

The onlookers turned to Lu Shan, speechless.

“Lu Shan, why are you hiding half the story?  Xiaoyan is so young, and you pushed her!”

Lu Shan anticipated this but had a ready answer.

“Sisters, you don’t know. She paid, but she sarcastically told me to give her the dress. I took the money, but she gave the dress to a stranger on the train! That dress was from the Haicheng Friendship Store, twenty-eight yuan! She just gave it away! She doesn’t care about Shen Huaixu’s money!”

The onlookers’ views of Tang Xiaorou changed.

Twenty-eight yuan was almost a month’s salary for an ordinary worker.  She just gave it away!  She’d squander Shen Huaixu’s salary.

Tang Xiaorou frowned slightly. This woman was deflecting.  Just as she was about to respond, Shen Huaixu spoke.

“Sister-in-law, Tang Xiaorou is my wife. She can spend my money however she wants. Even if she throws it away, it’s fine.  And you have the nerve to justify pushing Xiaoyan?”

Lu Shan couldn’t speak. He was so unreasonable! Tang Xiaorou was clearly at fault, yet he only focused on her.  She hadn’t done anything serious to that little girl.

The onlookers reacted differently.

Some envied Tang Xiaorou, while others had a negative impression.  Who would casually throw away twenty-eight yuan?

Li Meilian was among those who disliked Tang Xiaorou.  Ignoring the money issue, she curiously asked Qin Xueqiong, “Auntie, why did you come to join the military? Don’t you need to take care of things back home?”

Tang Xiaorou stepped in front of Qin Xueqiong and smiled. “Sister-in-law, my mother doesn’t need to take care of anything back home. She divorced my abusive father. She’ll live with me now.”

“What? Divorced?!”

Li Meilian feigned shock. “Why did your aunt divorce?  No decent person divorces these days! Will she always live with her daughter? Even if Commander Shen doesn’t mind, will his family?”

Qin Xueqiong felt embarrassed. She didn’t mind losing face, but she didn’t want to cause trouble for her daughter.

“So, Sister-in-law, does your mother get beaten by your father every day?”

Li Meilian said matter-of-factly, “Isn’t it natural for men to beat women? If that’s grounds for divorce, we’d all be divorced!”

“So, Sister-in-law, does your husband beat you every day? When will you think it’s a problem? When you’re beaten to death?”

“Shut up! You’re cursing me!”

Li Meilian didn’t expect Tang Xiaorou to be so sharp.

Tang Xiaorou sneered. “Isn’t that what you mean, Sister-in-law? You think it’s fine, but I don’t. My mother almost died from my despicable father’s beatings! When that happens, will you still say, ‘It’s natural for men to beat women’?”

“I’m curious, if your husband beats you to death, will you still not divorce? If so, I’ll report your husband to the political commissar for domestic violence and attempted murder.  I’m sure everyone won’t stand for it.”

Li Meilian was finally scared. She waved her hands. “You’re lying! My husband wouldn’t beat me! Don’t slander my Old Ye!”

“Sister-in-law! You’re lying! Your husband doesn’t beat you, yet you told my mother that it’s natural for men to beat women and that she shouldn’t divorce even if she’s beaten!  Should I ask for your life when my mother is beaten to death? Is that what you mean?!”

“I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean that.”

Seeing Tang Xiaorou’s cold gaze, Li Meilian realized this country girl wasn’t someone to mess with. 

She had almost ruined Old Ye’s job. 

Rumors of domestic violence would seriously affect his career.

“I… I have something to do at home. I’ll go.”