“Of course she’ll pay us back,” Yibao said confidently.

“Why?” Erbao asked.

Yibao replied, “Xu Duomei’s father is a soldier. If she doesn’t repay the money, it will embarrass her father. Would you want to embarrass our father?”

“Definitely not,” Erbao said without hesitation.

“Right, we wouldn’t want to,” Sanbao agreed firmly.

Their father was a hero who protected the country and its people, so they wouldn’t want to bring shame upon him.

“Well then, let’s hurry home,” Yibao urged his younger brothers.

The three children jogged home.

When they arrived, their mother had already prepared the meal and was sitting in the yard peeling bamboo shoots.

“Mom, we’re back.”

“Mom…”

“Mom, has Dad come back yet?”

The three children chattered at once.

Ning Shu replied, “Not yet. It should be around the time he comes back from work soon.”

The work hours at the base were different. In summer, the afternoon work started later and ended later.

But in winter, the workday started earlier and ended around the same time the kids got out of school.

Not seeing their father, the children turned to their mother with their questions.

Yibao asked, “Mom, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” Ning Shu said, curious about what her Yibao wanted to know.

She always had a keen interest in family matters.

Yibao unaware that his mother was expecting gossip, asked, “Mom, do you know that Dad took the IOU Xu Duomei gave me last night?”

“Yes, I know,” Ning Shu replied.

“Do you know what Dad needed it for?” Yibao continued.

When Ning Shu heard the previous question, she guessed what the eldest would ask next and wasn’t trying to hide anything: “It’s because of Xu Duomei’s family situation…”

She explained the incident where Xu Duomei’s mother was hit by Xu’s grandmother for allegedly stealing money, and how Xu Duomei’s mother was wrongfully accused.

Since the news had likely spread throughout the family quarters, it didn’t matter much if the children knew.

“And Xu Duomei borrowed money from us, so we have the right to know,” Ning Shu said.

“Really? Xu Duomei’s grandmother is so mean! We lent Xu Duomei the money, so how can she blame others?” Erbao said, feeling indignant.

“Yes, our grandmother would never do that,” Yibao added.

Their grandmother was the best in the world.

Ning Shu asked, “So, have you learned or understood any lessons from this incident?”

The three children looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

Ning Shu tried another question: “If your mother were Xu Duomei’s mother and you were Xu Duomei, and you had a grandmother like Xu Duomei’s, what would you do?”

Erbao was quick to say, “Mom, our grandmother would never hit you.”

Ning Shu was speechless.

Did that mean he really understood his grandmother so well?

Yibao clarified, “Erbao, Mom is asking a hypothetical question. It’s not about our real grandmother but about Xu Duomei’s grandmother.”

Erbao replied, “But Mom has money and can see a doctor if she gets sick, so she wouldn’t need to borrow money. And if Mom got sick, Dad and we would take her to the clinic.”

Ning Shu explained, “It’s a metaphor. It’s not real. It’s like when you say if you were a soldier in a TV show, you would drive away all the enemies. It’s just a way to understand the situation. So, think of it that way.”

Erbao understood and said, “If Xu Duomei’s grandmother hit Mom, I would definitely fight her.”

Ning Shu was a bit exasperated.

This child only thought of using force. “What about Yibao and Sanbao?”

Yibao said, “I would have Erbao and Sanbao hold back Xu Duomei’s grandmother while I go find another adult to help and explain that the money wasn’t stolen but borrowed.”

Sanbao nodded, “Yes, what Big Brother said is right.”

Yibao continued, “And when Dad comes back, I would tell him about the situation.”

Ning Shu nodded, “Yibao has thought it through well. Now, if you were Xu Duomei’s grandmother, what would you do?”

Erbao said, “I would definitely give money to let Xu Duomei’s mother see a doctor. If someone is sick, they need to see a doctor.”

Ning Shu smiled at Erbao’s always straightforward and interesting answers.

San Bao thought for a moment and agreed with Er Bao’s point: “Hmm, if someone is sick, they need to see a doctor. I’ll also give some money.”

Ning Shu then turned to Yi Bao: “And Yi Bao, do you have anything to add?”

Yi Bao replied: “What Er Bao and San Bao said is what I was thinking. Also, I will first check if my money is really missing. If it’s not, then I won’t wrongly accuse Xu Duomei of stealing. But if my money is missing, I will ask Xu Duomei where she got the money to see the doctor.”

Ning Shu smiled at the three children: “You are all smart and kind. But remember, without evidence, you can’t accuse someone wrongly. Even if something seems like a coincidence, you shouldn’t accuse anyone just because of that. You need to find out the facts first. In everything you do, you need to base it on actual evidence.”

“Think about it—if you were wrongly accused, you’d feel upset, right? So whatever you do, you should stay calm, be patient, and be careful.”

The three children were still young and didn’t fully understand everything their mother said, but since it was their mother speaking, they listened carefully.

They understood a little now, would understand more as they grew older, and eventually would understand everything.

Some things you can’t grasp unless they are explained, but once explained, even if the understanding comes slowly, it is still valuable.

Yi Bao said, “I understand, Mom.”

Er Bao said, “Don’t worry, Mom. I definitely won’t wrongly accuse anyone. I hate doing that the most.”

San Bao said, “I’ll listen to Mom.”

“What are you listening to?” At this moment, Lin Guodong came back, holding two fish tied with grass.

“Dad, did you buy fish?” Er Bao ran up to look at the fish.

“Wow, such big yellow croaker,” Ning Shu said, her eyes lighting up. “Where did you get them from?” Yellow croaker is best in bamboo shoots and pickled vegetable soup.

Lin Guodong explained, “The cooking team went out to buy supplies and happened to get some frozen seafood. They brought it back privately and then gave it to us.”

This was a common practice in the army.

Since the soldiers rarely went to the city, they couldn’t buy such things.

When the cooking team saw them during their purchases, they would buy and then pass them to the families in need.

Such opportunities were rare and happened only occasionally.

“This time, they happened to get some for our unit, so I bought two fish when I saw them,” Lin Guodong said.

In reality, the cooking team leader had specifically asked him if he wanted fish, but Lin Guodong didn’t mention that part, as it might lead to unpleasant rumors if overheard.

“Let’s use them for dinner tonight,” Ning Shu said.

Since it was winter, the fish wouldn’t spoil even if left out for an afternoon.

She could take some ice out to freeze the yellow croaker.

However, putting them in the fridge wasn’t an option because the strong fish smell would spread to everything in the fridge.

“You decide,” Lin Guodong said, putting the fish in the washbasin while Ning Shu took some ice out of the fridge.

The three children followed their father to look at the fish, and then they watched their mother prepare the fish.

After the fish was ready, they started having lunch.

During the meal, Ning Shu said, “After we finish eating, Aunt Yang and I will go visit Xu Weilin’s wife.”

She explained the situation with Xu Duomei’s mother, “Xu Squad Leader is under Yang Vice Battalion Leader, who is also your subordinate. Should I go visit?”

Lin Guodong hadn’t thought of this before, but now that Ning Shu mentioned it, he realized it was indeed something he should consider. “I didn’t think of it. Is she injured badly?”

Ning Shu wasn’t sure. “According to Aunt Yang, Xu Weilin’s wife was receiving glucose last night and was beaten so badly that she lost consciousness. It was the clinic staff who went to find someone.”

Lin Guodong was surprised. “So serious?”

Honestly, Lin Guodong had never experienced such severe domestic violence.

Growing up, his family was harmonious.

His mother, grandmother, aunts, and uncles never had such conflicts.

Even after marriage, he never faced such issues.

So, he couldn’t imagine what Ning Shu described. “When Xu Weilin returns from his mission, let Yang Vice Battalion Leader talk to him.”

Regardless of the situation, if such things happen between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, it indicates a failure on the man’s part.

If the man could act, the conflict wouldn’t escalate to such violence.

“I guess Xu Squad Leader’s mother isn’t easy to get along with; otherwise, the girl wouldn’t need to borrow money from Yibao to get her mother treated,” Ning Shu thought.

She believed Xu Duomei was a dutiful child who would rather suffer herself than seek treatment, indicating a lack of independence.

If it were her, she’d borrow money from the family compound or from her husband’s superior if needed, without caring about embarrassment.

Even if her husband lost his job, she wouldn’t care as long as they could manage.

Lin Guodong didn’t know her thoughts, but if he did, he would be relieved that his mother was easy to get along with.

Otherwise, it could have been troublesome.

Lin Guodong was aware that Ning Shu was a strong-willed person, so he wouldn’t be surprised by her opinions.

He didn’t see her assertiveness as a flaw; in fact, he would worry if she were timid and easily bullied.

He was determined to protect his family and ensure they weren’t mistreated.

The three children listened to their parents’ conversation.

When they heard about Xu Duomei’s mother, Yibao realized that Xu Duomei must be taking care of her mother, which is why she wasn’t at school.