Chapter 58

“Wasn’t that a classic case of trying to be clever and ending up a fool!” Cui Yan slapped her thigh with a loud smack. He practically dug his own grave! You don’t even know—the brother of his ex-wife absolutely hated him, hated him to the bone. Who knows how much pressure was exerted from above. As soon as the investigation letter arrived, he was suspended that very day. The next day, he was directly taken away and put under isolation for disciplinary review.”

“What about Lin Hui then?” Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“Lin Hui? Of course Lin Hui wasn’t having any of it! Once it was clear that Liu Chuang was done for and there was absolutely no way back for him, she kicked up a huge fuss. She posted big-character posters to report and expose him, and even actively requested a divorce to sever ties with him. She was practically ready to peel off a layer of her own skin just to distance herself from him.”

“And the result?” Yin Xiaoman could totally picture the chaotic scene in her mind.

Say what you will, that woman might not have other skills, but she was getting more and more adept at posting big-character posters.

She used to post them about others—now she was posting them about her own man. What’s next, posting about herself?

“The result? Oh, the real drama came afterward!”

As she said this, a smile spread across Cui Yan’s brows and eyes. “You’d never guess—just a few days after Liu Chuang was detained, the brother of his ex-wife showed up, bringing the ex-wife with him. They came to take the child. It was only then that everyone found out: back then, he had drugged the child and snatched him away from the mother. And right after he took the child, he pushed his ex-wife into a well. Luckily, someone discovered her just in time. Otherwise, that young woman’s life would’ve ended right there, by his hands.”

“Oh my god!”

Yin Xiaoman quickly recited a death-prevention mantra in her mind, then cursed fiercely: “That man is despicable. He really deserves to die!”

She had never spoken such harsh words in her entire life, but at that moment, Yin Xiaoman truly meant it—that man deserved to die!

“Doesn’t he just!”  

At this point, Cui Yan was gritting her teeth in hatred, nodding in solidarity.

“But honestly, he’s not far from death. Those siblings didn’t just come to pick up the child—they came for revenge! They brought a ton of evidence showing that he had not only abused his position to mess around with women, but he was also leaking intel. He went around screaming about this person being a spy, that person being an agent—but it turned out he was the real malignant tumor hidden within the people!”

Cui Yan’s words today were nothing short of shocking.

Upon hearing this, Yin Xiaoman could hardly believe her own ears.

That sanctimonious man had accused Wang Guangming of having overseas ties, claiming he was a spy embedded in the military, all while selling out the country and its secrets himself.

That greasy, filthy face flashed once again in her mind, and the disgust in her heart was so strong she didn’t even feel like speaking anymore.

“Liu Chuang is done for this time—there’s no one who can save him now. Lin Hui got involved with him, and it’s like she walked straight into a curse.”

Yin Xiaoman nodded.

No need to mention Lin Hui—any woman who ended up with him would have been cursed, just like his ex-wife.

“But that woman didn’t lose out! She brought it on herself too. Oh, and you’ll never guess—just take a wild guess what ended up happening to Lin Hui?”

“What else could’ve happened?” she said. “At most, she just got divorced and ruined her reputation for good.”

“Ha!”

Cui Yan threw her head back and laughed. “She got reported by her own stepson!”

“Stepson? Liu Chuang’s son?”

Yin Xiaoman was completely confused now. “What did Liu Chuang’s son report her for? Abuse? Wasn’t she beaten too?”

“He reported her… for indecency.”

Cui Yan glanced around, then lowered her voice as she spoke.

“What?!”

“That’s why I’m telling you—people really can’t be judged by their appearance. That frail, demure look she has—who would’ve thought she had the guts to do something like that?

Originally, no one knew. When Liu Chuang’s ex-wife came to take her son, she found out that ever since Liu Chuang was arrested, Lin Hui had never returned to that house again. And since Liu Chuang’s crimes were confirmed, the house had already been searched several times. Nothing was left.

But Lin Hui had received a tip-off beforehand and had already taken off with all the valuables in the house. Not only that, she didn’t even leave a single cent, not one grain ticket for the boy. During the raids, the child had been alone at home. He was terrified, not to mention there was nothing to eat. Afterward, he survived by relying on handouts from neighbors—some from the east, some from the west—just scraping by, starving one day, full the next.

But given Liu Chuang’s situation, who would want to get involved? And that kid wasn’t the easiest to get along with in the neighborhood to begin with. Not many people were really willing to take care of him. So by the time his mother came looking for him, the child was on the brink of starvation.

Originally, she hadn’t intended to go after Lin Hui, but when she saw that—she just exploded with rage.

The child later revealed that Lin Hui and Liu Chuang had been living together even before they were married, and they didn’t even try to hide it. The child had caught them several times.

What could the mother do? She didn’t go to the military, but directly went to the Revolutionary Committee. That very day, she was dragged out into the streets for public denunciation.

During that time, because of Liu Chuang’s case, Lin Hui had already been suspended from her post in the regiment for investigation and hadn’t been working. By the time the regiment intervened, she had already been paraded through the streets for hours by the committee.”

At this point, Cui Yan sighed: “What was she even hoping for? Was it really worth destroying her entire life just to stay in the city?”

Yin Xiaoman turned to look at her, and Cui Yan continued: “Speaking of which, Lin Hui really was something else. This was after the fact, and people from the regiment were talking about it, and it eventually made its way back to our base.

They said her family lived in a really remote, deep mountain valley—so isolated that to get to the nearest town, you had to cross several mountains. When they went to recruit soldiers in her village, she hadn’t slept all night, walking through the mountain roads until dawn, and was waiting right outside the recruitment office before it even opened, worried she might miss the chance.

The recruiters were shocked when they found out she was from that village—they were amazed at her courage, saying she wasn’t even afraid of the wild animals in the mountains.

She told them, ‘If you’re worried I’ll get eaten by a wild animal, then recruit me, or else I’ll have to go back. Maybe I’ll get taken by wolves on the way.’ The recruiters felt sorry for her but also thought she had good potential, so they accepted her. That’s how she became a soldier.

Once in the army, she was terrified of being demobilized, so she did everything she could to avoid it. Within a few years, she managed to go from a small soldier helping out at a clinic to being accepted into the Military Academy, and even stayed in the regiment.

She did pretty well for herself over the years. But if it weren’t for her small-mindedness and malice, the military wouldn’t have kept her around. She never would’ve needed to flatter Liu Chuang just to stay in the city.

It’s just as you said—she dug her own grave. Now look at her—after all that, she has no chance of staying and is being sent back to her hometown. Tell me, after all the harm she caused to others and herself, what was she even hoping to gain?”

Yin Xiaoman didn’t know what Lin Hui was hoping for.

But as a woman herself, hearing about the public humiliation and denouncement still made her feel an unbearable discomfort inside.

It wasn’t that she pitied Lin Hui—it was more about the harsh reality of it all, and she just couldn’t accept it.

So, she shifted the topic: “Sister-in-law, when did you all leave the base? It must’ve been exhausting on the road.”

To her surprise, Cui Yan shook her head: “No, we weren’t as exhausted as you guys were. I heard from Qi Feng that you came straight from the base, right? That must’ve been a real ordeal. I bet you almost lost half your life on that trip, didn’t you?”

“Huh? You didn’t? Then where did you come from?” Yin Xiaoman was puzzled.

“We’ve actually been here for a while now. We’ve been in the regiment for two weeks already.” Cui Yan said.

“In the regiment? What for?” Yin Xiaoman was completely confused by what Cui Yan had said.

They had traveled day and night to get there. Once they arrived on the island, they hadn’t gone back down. By now, not just her, but probably even Shen Qingyun wouldn’t know where the Garrison Unit’s headquarters was.

“Probably waiting for the supply ship. Also, I even went and learned beekeeping. Oh, Xiaoman, I’ve also transferred to being a Military worker. I came to the island to do the beekeeping work.”

Then Cui Yan told Yin Xiaoman some things she didn’t know.

Actually, Shen Qingyun had long ago reported to the regiment about wanting to start up farming on the island.

Throughout that long summer, the supply ship just couldn’t deliver even a small amount of meat or tofu. This had already caught the regiment’s attention.

The Researchers’ ration standards were in place, but if they couldn’t supply, no matter the reason, that was still considered negligence on the regiment’s part!

But as Ren Ping’an had mentioned earlier, although several batches of people had already arrived on the island, it was still too few.

So now, the regiment was organizing a batch of Military workers to be trained specifically to take care of farming, animal husbandry, and other daily tasks on the island.

This would help to meet the daily needs of the island’s Researchers, as well as the officers and soldiers, alleviating the pressure on supply work.

Additionally, it would reduce the workload of the soldiers, allowing them to focus more on completing their tasks.

Since Cui Yan was Qi Feng’s family, she came with the first batch, and there would be several more batches of Military workers to follow up with.

Hearing this, Yin Xiaoman finally relaxed her tense heart.

The reason she had suggested letting Cui Yan’s family eat with them was no joke—she really had planned to do that.

Last time, Liu Chang had mentioned that Qi Feng had been given a reprimand because of Wang Guangming’s matter, and his suspension meant there was no position allowance. 

With the reprimand, Qi Feng’s salary and benefits would drop by one or two tiers, and without the position allowance, it was even worse—it could really be life-threatening.

The reason why Qi Feng and the frontline officers had higher salaries than others was mainly due to their position allowances. It was precisely because of the extra few dozen yuan each month that they were able to support their wives and children, send money home, and still get by.

In the past six months, with Qi Feng’s salary reduced by so much, the living conditions of their family could be seen through how much Cui Yan had lost weight.

While it wasn’t that they were starving, as a housewife, the daily life was undoubtedly full of hardship.

Now, hearing that Cui Yan had also switched to being a Military worker meant not only would Qi Feng’s position be restored, but his salary and benefits would return to normal. Their family would also receive an additional income.

This way, even without anyone else’s help, their life would be much more comfortable.

While they were talking, they suddenly heard Liu Chang’s voice from outside: “Sister Cui, Sister Cui, I’m here!”

He must have just learned that Qi Feng and his family were transferred there today. His excitement hadn’t worn off yet, and without waiting for Cui Yan to open the door, he just barged right in.

When Liu Chang entered, his face was so full of joy and happiness that it was almost impossible for him to hold it in—his grin was almost ear-to-ear.

He immediately shouted to Cui Yan: “Sister-in-law, I’ve missed you so much!”

Liu Chang was younger, and since he hadn’t known Yin Xiaoman for long, he still held some reservations in front of her. But he had known Cui Yan for much longer, so there was no filter in his speech.

He acted just like he would around familiar people.

Once inside, he plopped down on the small bench next to them and insisted that Cui Yan tell him the whole story of Liu Chuang again.

His reaction was far more expressive than Yin Xiaoman’s. As Cui Yan recounted the story, Liu Chang laughed and cursed, creating an atmosphere so lively that both the storyteller and the listeners couldn’t help but join in the fun. Everyone enjoyed the moment thoroughly.

The group was chatting away, not realizing how quickly time had passed, until Dami walked in and, looking puzzled, asked: “Uncle Liu, my uncle asked you to come back and bring my two aunts to the Kitchen Unit, but how come you’re still here, with no sign of them?”

At those words, Liu Chang immediately jumped up from the bench! “Ah, I was so caught up in the fun, I forgot the main reason why I’m here!”

He then turned to Yin Xiaoman, saying: “Little sister-in-law, Battalion Commander asked me to call you. He said the Supply ship brought a lot of good stuff, and he wants you to come and check it out, to see what can be saved for the dinner gathering. Also, he asked you to pick some fresh items to add a dish for the Research Team tonight. Otherwise, with so much stuff, it won’t keep.”

After speaking, he groaned repeatedly, looking regretful. “Battalion Commander finally agreed that I could come over to your house for dinner tonight, and I’ve wasted time on this! He’ll definitely get mad.”

“Sister-in-law.” Liu Chang clasped his hands together, shaking them in front of Yin Xiaoman with a smile: “I’m not going to go over there and get scolded by Battalion Commander. You guys go ahead. If he gets angry, he might even say I can’t come tonight… So, should I come or not?”

His playful remark made everyone laugh out loud.

“Alright.” Yin Xiaoman nodded at him. “Don’t worry about him, just come over tonight. With me here, how could you not have food?”

Since Qi Feng’s family had arrived, tonight, the old-timers who had once been in the Vanguard Camp would surely get together.

Not only Liu Chang, but even Elder Hua and Engineer Ning—she was planning to personally invite them. These joyful moments were so rare, and she wanted to make the most of them.

She knew that Liu Chang was just being playful, and if she could think of it, surely Shen Qingyun had also anticipated it.

So, not letting him join in would just be a joke.

She waved Liu Chang off, then went to the Kitchen Unit with Cui Yan, with Dami following along.

As they passed by her house, she saw Da Bao sitting like an adult, arranging several children in a row under the eaves, drinking coconut water. A sense of comfort filled her heart.

Looking at the coconuts, an idea suddenly popped into her mind. She turned to Cui Yan, smiling as she said: “Sister-in-law, how about we have those coconuts tonight? What do you think?”