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Hi! I’m really sorry for suddenly disappearing. I got caught up with personal matters and ended up neglecting this side. Now that I’ve got things back on track, I’ll be sticking to my update schedule again. Thank you so much for patiently waiting. Bless us all~

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Chapter 30 – The Ears Were in Danger

Yu Juan had certainly understood Lin Banxia’s words. She had already borne a grudge against Zhou Shiyu for giving her false information.

Now, hearing Lin Banxia say that made her even more furious. Zhou Shiyu had just spoken so righteously in front of Political Commissar Xu, claiming that she told Yu Juan Lin Banxia couldn’t cook simply so that Yu Juan would go help Lin Banxia.

In reality, the relationship between Zhou Shiyu and Lin Banxia was far from good.

So this time, Yu Juan had been completely used by Zhou Shiyu.

She clenched her teeth in anger. Zhou Shiyu’s betrayal—she would remember this!

Dazed and muddle-headed, Yu Juan returned home. As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, a bamboo chair was hurled from inside the house and smashed right into her.

“You barren hen! Can’t even give birth to a child, and now you’re causing trouble every damn day. Are you so full you have nothing better to do than mess with Gu Shiqing? If this gets to the political commissar and affects my promotion, believe it or not, I’ll divorce you!”

Her husband, Peng Dahai, stormed out from inside, his face filled with fury and malice.

Yu Juan shrank back instinctively at the sight of him.

She lowered her head and explained: “Dahai, I was wrong. Don’t be angry. I was tricked this time. I thought that if Battalion Commander Gu and the others were hosting a banquet at the dining hall, I could report them for bourgeois behavior. If he got tagged with that label, his promotion would definitely fall through. How was I supposed to know it’d end up like this…”

She clung to the hem of Peng Dahai’s pants and said: “Dahai, don’t worry. I’ll definitely find a way to get you promoted.”

She had been married to Peng Dahai for ten years, yet her belly had remained flat. A few years ago, they went to the hospital and were told she couldn’t have children.

She already felt deeply sorry to the Peng family for being barren. She couldn’t be the one holding her husband back.

Peng Dahai glanced at her but said nothing. “Why aren’t you cooking yet? I’ve been working all day.”

“I… I’ll get on it right away.” Yu Juan replied at once.

Ignoring the pain in her body, she quickly got up from the ground and rushed to the kitchen.

Thinking back to that day when Lin Banxia had sat leisurely in the courtyard, while Gu Shiqing busied himself back and forth for her… and then comparing that to Peng Dahai sitting on the chair now, glaring at her with such fierce contempt… Yu Juan felt a sourness well up in her heart.

But when she remembered her useless womb, she could only swallow her bitterness in silence.

Who could she blame? Wasn’t it all her own fault?

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Meanwhile, Gu Shiqing and Lin Banxia had just returned home when Hou Xiufen immediately came over to ask how Political Commissar Xu had dealt with Yu Juan and Zhou Shiyu. “Battalion Commander Gu, Banxia, how did things go? Master Li from the dining hall went to the commissar’s office, right?”

Earlier, when Battalion Commander Gu said he was taking Yu Juan to see the political commissar, Lin Banxia had quietly whispered to Hou Xiufen, asking her to go to the military wives’ dining hall and inform Master Li, requesting him to drop by the commissar’s office.

To be honest, Hou Xiufen hadn’t even known what the matter was exactly, but since Lin Banxia had asked her, of course she had to go.

Right after Gu Shiqing and the others left, she had gone straight to the dining hall.

It had been just about the end of the workday, and Master Li had already clocked out. Fortunately, he hadn’t gone far yet. She managed to catch up to him and told him about the matter.

“Sis, don’t worry. Master Li went.” Lin Banxia nodded and said.

“What punishment did Yu Juan and Zhou Shiyu receive?” Hou Xiufen hurriedly asked again.

Lin Banxia told Hou Xiufen the result of Political Commissar Xu’s disciplinary decision, and Hou Xiufen immediately burst into laughter, rocking back and forth.

“Hahaha… Cleaning the pigsty? She totally deserved it! Let’s see if she still dares to talk bad about others and spread rumors again.”

“Sister-in-law, I really have to thank you for this. If you hadn’t specifically reminded me not to host the meal at the dining hall, I might’ve fallen right into their trap.” Lin Banxia said.

She was speaking honestly. She had been careless—never imagined that simply hosting a meal at the dining hall could be used to hang such a serious accusation on someone.

Hou Xiufen waved her hand, looking a bit awkward.

“Don’t say it like that. Honestly, at first, when Yu Juan told me you were difficult to get along with, I really believed her. It wasn’t until I interacted with you myself that I realized—not only are you pretty, but you’re also very easygoing. Let’s take care of each other as neighbors from now on!”

“Sure.” Lin Banxia nodded, then added, “Sister-in-law, you’re straightforward and cheerful. I really enjoy getting along with you too.”

She understood very well that distant relatives were not as reliable as nearby neighbors. Having a good neighbor was a huge relief.

These words were sincere. And since Hou Xiufen had complimented her first, she simply returned the gesture.

But just as she finished speaking, Hou Xiufen’s ears turned red.

Hou Xiufen realized she was blushing just because of a compliment from Lin Banxia and scolded herself in her mind for being so useless.

Lin Banxia didn’t notice Hou Xiufen’s awkwardness. It was hot anyway—red ears could easily be explained by the heat.

The two chatted for a while before heading back to their respective rooms.

As soon as Lin Banxia stepped back into the courtyard, she heard Hou Xiufen yelling next door: “Liu Guopei! How the hell did you wash the clothes? You ruined my shirt! I just bought that last month—you’re paying for it!”

Then came Liu Guopei’s voice, sounding defensive: “Didn’t you tell me to learn from Battalion Commander Gu and start doing the laundry myself? How was I supposed to know that shirt was so delicate? I only scrubbed it a couple of times and it tore!”

Hou Xiufen was fuming: “You’ve got the nerve to talk back? Battalion Commander Gu does the laundry too—his wife’s clothes don’t get ruined. But you? One wash and you wreck my shirt?”

After talking with Lin Banxia last time, she had made up her mind that she couldn’t let Liu Guopei be a hands-off husband anymore. He had to share some of the chores—she couldn’t keep doing everything like it was her duty.

But Liu Guopei was just so useless. He couldn’t even wash clothes without destroying them. Hou Xiufen seriously suspected he had done it on purpose!

“Aiya aiya aiya! Hou Xiufen! Don’t twist my ear—let go! I swear, next time I’m writing to your mother and telling her to come discipline you! Ow ow ow! Hou Xiufen, you’re a damn tigress!” Liu Guopei shouted.

Lin Banxia heard the ruckus and thought to herself: Sister Hou really was a heroine among women.

Not bad—she liked that kind of personality.

Men, after all, needed to be properly managed. Washing clothes and ending up ruining them—what nonsense was that?

Gu Shiqing noticed Lin Banxia’s expression and subconsciously reached up to rub his own ear, sucking in a sharp breath.

Hiss— Suddenly, he had a bad feeling. Choosing a family residence right next door to Battalion Commander Liu’s might have been a mistake. What if his wife learned the ear-twisting trick from Sister Hou? Wouldn’t his ears be in danger?

Lin Banxia met Gu Shiqing’s gaze and said,

“I wanted to talk to you about doing laundry.”

Gu Shiqing: “???”

He immediately pointed to the clothes drying on the bamboo rack and defended himself: “I didn’t ruin any of them!”