Chapter 13 – A Big Commotion in the Military District

“Yuyu, over here!” Ning Songyun stood up and waved at Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu walked over. The moment she sat down, she noticed something was off about today’s breakfast spread.

“Why is it so early in the morning and we already have steamed egg custard and boiled shrimp again?”

“Ye Heng dropped by just now,” Ning Songyun said while busily peeling shrimp for herself.

“No wonder I saw him outside just now,” Zhao Yu murmured.

“What did you say, Yuyu?” Ning Songyun popped a shrimp into her mouth. “Why aren’t you eating?”

“This was specially prepared for you, how could I just help myself? I can’t be so tactless,” Zhao Yu teased.

“What’s wrong with that!”

Ning Songyun’s face reddened for just a second, then she peeled a shrimp and stuffed it into Zhao Yu’s mouth.
“Doesn’t matter who sent it, I want to share it with you!”

Zhao Yu, her mouth stuffed with the large shrimp, could only puff out her cheeks and chew furiously.

After breakfast, Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun spent the whole day in the practice room.

By the time they returned to the dormitory at night, after a quick wash-up, they were so exhausted they didn’t even have the strength to eat dinner. Zhao Yu just wanted to collapse straight onto the bed.

But for some reason, noises of hurried footsteps kept echoing outside.

Annoyed beyond measure, Ning Songyun shot up from bed and stomped angrily to the door. She yanked it open.

“You’re still in the dorm?”

Before Ning Songyun could explode, the people outside spoke first, surprised.

“What’s going on? Where are you headed?”

“Two country bumpkins from who-knows-where are making a scene in the regimental commander’s office!”

“My mom hasn’t even returned yet, the office shouldn’t even be open. Who’s making a scene there?”

“Don’t know, but I heard they’re still at the commander’s office. Want to go see?”

Ning Songyun glanced back into the room and saw Zhao Yu already putting on her coat.
“Let’s go, let’s check it out together.”

They hurried toward the leadership office building. Even before they reached He Fang’s office, they heard wailing.

“Heaven is blind! The leaders themselves are stealing other people’s daughters-in-law and grandchildren! Jianguo, open your eyes and look!”

Since Ning Songyun was He Fang’s daughter, the onlookers automatically made way for her and Zhao Yu.

An old lady sat on the ground, slapping her thighs as she cried. When she noticed them, she wiped her nose with her hand and struggled to her feet—without even bothering to clean her hands—then reached out to grab Ning Songyun.

“Tell me! Are you the leader here?”

Quick-eyed, Zhao Yu yanked Ning Songyun out of her reach. “What are you doing!”

The old lady, missing her grab and being scolded by Zhao Yu, froze for two seconds before raising her fists at Zhao Yu.

“You shameless little tramp! Who gave you the right to butt in when I’m talking?”

Zhao Yu didn’t put up with it—she shoved the old lady far away.

She had dealt with plenty of rural grannies like this in her past life, and had suffered enough at their hands. There was no way she would let herself get bullied again.

“You must be Wang Jianguo’s mother. What nonsense are you pulling here?”

Indeed, Zhao Yu had recognized her.

In her past life, when she raised Lin Shu’s daughter, this very old lady had come around to stir up trouble again and again.

Once, in an attempt to snatch the child, the old woman had beaten her so badly she ended up in the hospital for a whole month.

“You know me?”

Hearing her son’s name calmed the old lady a little. Sniffling, she squinted at Zhao Yu.

“Then you must know my son and that little whore… that Lin slut! Where is she?”

“So you’re here for Lin Shu.”

Zhao Yu realized: the old woman must have gotten wind somehow that Lin Shu was pregnant or about to marry, and rushed over in a panic.

The spectators, upon hearing Lin Shu’s name, started whispering to each other.

“Wasn’t Lin Shu supposed to marry that guy… what’s his name again? How did she suddenly become someone else’s daughter-in-law?”

“Don’t you know? I heard she got expelled because she held a wedding feast in the countryside without filing the proper marriage report.”

“But if they didn’t even get a marriage license, how can she count as this old lady’s daughter-in-law? Why come raise a fuss here in the military district?”

“You really do know that little tramp! Tell me where she is! If she dares to carry my Jianguo’s child and remarry, I’ll beat her to death!”

The old woman’s roar dropped a bomb on the crowd.

Many young girls gasped so hard their mouths stayed open.

“And why are you looking for Lin Shu here in our troupe commander’s office?”

Zhao Yu had no patience left for her, and her tone was sharp.
“She was stripped of her military status long ago. The one she’s marrying is from the Third Regiment. If you want to make a scene, go there!”

“I don’t care about your Troupe or Third Regiment nonsense. I just know you’re all in this together. If you don’t hand my daughter-in-law back to me today, I’m not leaving!”

As she spoke, the old woman clung to He Fang’s office door, wailing at the top of her lungs.
“No justice left in this world! A whole group of leaders ganging up to wipe out my family line!”

“What’s this racket! What’s going on here!”

Ji Weiguo, summoned by patrolling soldiers, arrived at the scene and nearly blacked out at the sight.
“Who’s wiping out your family line! Stop spouting nonsense here!”

“It’s you lot!” The old woman spotted Ji Weiguo—clearly a leader—and lunged, jabbing a finger at his nose.

“You bastards! My son died here, and you dare let his pregnant wife remarry! If that’s not wiping out our line, what is? Old bastards leading little bastards to bully common folk!”

With Ji Weiguo’s arrival, even more people crept over to watch.

The bigger the crowd, the louder the old woman performed.

When Ji Weiguo asked her to come to his office to talk, she shrieked that he wanted to silence her.

When he tried to have soldiers drag her away, she bit and clawed at them, screaming that they were molesting her.

A squad of trained soldiers, unbelievably, was driven into a helpless mess by one rural granny—like scholars arguing with soldiers, reason was useless.

“Mom! What are you doing here?”

Lin Shu arrived with several leaders in tow. The moment she saw the old woman, her face turned chalk white.

“You slut! I’ll kill you!”

The old woman, spotting Lin Shu, raised her hand and charged at her.

But Lin Shu didn’t even flinch—she just touched her belly.
“Go on, hit me!”

The old lady froze, her hand suspended mid-air.

Ji Weiguo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Enough! Everyone, to my office!”

He scanned the crowd, then barked orders at the patrol soldiers.

“Count everyone who stood here gawking. Tomorrow each of you will hand in a 10,000-character self-criticism to your regimental commander. Anyone who dares to sneak away—20,000 characters!”

A few who had been planning to slip off stiffened instantly, not daring to move.

Ji Weiguo glanced over at Zhao Yu and her group.
“As for the art troupe—you’ll wait until your commander returns to deal with it.”