Liu Jingyi was not a person of this era to begin with; when she spoke these words, her face didn't flush, her ears didn't redden, and she didn't even blink her eyes.
The people around her felt incredibly embarrassed listening to it.
Liu Jingyi was educated, so how could she say such things out loud? She truly had no shame!
After speaking, Liu Jingyi didn't forget to wink at Li Chunhua.
Of course, Liu Jingyi was doing it entirely on purpose.
Li Chunhua, just like Liu Jingyi, had used means to secure her current marriage!
But what set them apart was that Liu Jingyi was beautiful, knew how to act coquettishly, and came from a wealthy family, whereas Li Chunhua was not so fortunate. Men couldn't compare themselves to each other.
When her man came home, he only complained about being tired; let alone helping her cook, he wouldn't even lift a finger to bring her a dish of food.
After eating, he would take a shower and immediately fall asleep, completely uninterested in her.
As for marital relations, it was more like just coping; her mother-in-law constantly nagged about needing a grandson, a grandson.
"Liu Jingyi, how dare you speak like that? Have you no shame?"
"Sister Li, I consider you an older sister, and besides, we both belong to the same Military Wife compound, and we are both adults. What is there to be embarrassed about?"
Liu Jingyi couldn't be bothered to give her a pleasant look, but she still needed to greet Sister Chen next to her properly, as Sister Chen had initially wanted to get along well with her, only the Original Body hadn't appreciated it back then.
Liu Jingyi smiled at Sister Chen and said, "Sister Chen, I have something to do today, so I'll take my leave first. Next time, please come over to my place for a meal."
Sister Chen was also surprised, as this was the first time Liu Jingyi had greeted her with such a smile and politely invited her to eat. Although it might just be politeness, it was rare enough.
After speaking, Liu Jingyi ignored Li Chunhua's face, which looked like it could drip ink, and Sister Chen's stunned look as she hadn't reacted yet.
A victorious and slightly mischievous smile played on Liu Jingyi's lips. She twisted her slender waist, her skirt swung in a beautiful arc, and she turned to leave.
The crisp tapping of her small leather shoes on the cement ground was exceptionally jarring in the sudden silence, each step seeming to land right on Li Chunhua's heart.
"You! You... you stop right there!" Li Chunhua trembled all over, pointing at Liu Jingyi's retreating back, her voice cracking.
However, Liu Jingyi didn't even turn her head back, nor did her steps falter. She merely waved her hand casually, her demeanor so dashing that the surrounding people couldn't help but look over.
"Bang!"
Li Chunhua was no pushover either. The suppressed rage finally found an outlet. She fiercely grabbed an enamel mug left on the nearby stone table by someone and smashed it violently onto the ground.
The low-quality enamel mug instantly shattered with a harsh sound, and the half-mug of water splashed all over the ground, wetting the surface.
"Shameless! Vile! Vixen!" Li Chunhua's chest heaved violently, spittle flying as her voice sharpened and distorted due to extreme anger and shame.
"She really relies on having some looks and relying on her family having some money to dare be so disrespectful? What does she think she is! Everyone in the compound knows about her sordid affairs! Hmph!"
The few Military Wives who had been watching the excitement were startled by her sudden outburst.
Some showed disapproval on their faces, feeling Li Chunhua was too shrewish;
Others had flickering eyes, clearly agreeing with Li Chunhua's assessment of Liu Jingyi as a "vixen"; a few exchanged glances, carrying a sense of watching a show.
Sister Chen frowned as she looked at the mess of enamel shards and water stains on the ground.
She stepped forward, took Li Chunhua's still-trembling arm, and tried to persuade her in a calm tone, "Chunhua, that's enough, calm down. We've known about her loose tongue for more than a day. She speaks without restraint, don't take it to heart."
"Without restraint?" Li Chunhua violently shook off Sister Chen's hand, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes.
"Sister Chen, listen to what she said! Is that something a person should say in public?
She... she clearly said it deliberately for me to hear! She just cannot bear to see me doing well! She climbed up herself using flirtatious tricks, so she thinks everyone else is as dirty as she is?!"
The more Li Chunhua spoke, the more aggrieved she became, her voice laced with a sob.
Every word Liu Jingyi had just spoken was like a poisoned needle, accurately piercing the places that hurt her most and that she was most ashamed to mention—her Husband's indifference, her mother-in-law's nagging, and that marital life which felt like a mere formality devoid of warmth.
The bitterness and humiliation she chewed on alone in the dead of night were now being exposed bloodily in public by Liu Jingyi, equivalent to a public execution.
"She just has better luck? What is she so smug about? Huh?"
Li Chunhua almost roared, and tears finally couldn't be held back as they rolled down. "My man is useless and a good-for-nothing! He only knows how to say he's tired! He comes home like a dead person! What kind of life am I living!"
She covered her face, and suppressed whimpers leaked out between her fingers.
Sister Chen sighed; any words of Comfort at this moment seemed pale.
Liu Jingyi's fate was indeed something many women in the Compound secretly envied and were jealous of.
She was exceptionally beautiful, her maternal family was wealthy, and her Husband was young and promising. Even though she acted terribly, Leng Yunting was still completely obedient to her, giving her an air of proud confidence in public, and her words and actions carried an air of recklessness.
But Li Chunhua... sigh, how to put it?
She was the one who climbed into her man's bed back then. She could only blame her bad luck for this outcome, ending up with such a blockhead Husband and a difficult mother-in-law; her life was hard.
"Alright, alright, stop crying, you'll become a laughingstock."
Sister Chen reached out again, gently patting Li Chunhua's back, her voice softening further. "Your life is your own; just endure it slowly. Why compare yourself to her? It's not worth getting sick with anger. Go Home now; it's almost time to cook."
Li Chunhua sobbed, being half-supported and half-pulled up by Sister Chen.
She fiercely wiped her tears, her eyes filled with venom as she glared one last time in the direction Liu Jingyi disappeared, gritting her teeth as she muttered low, "Liu Jingyi... you just wait! I will definitely get this humiliation back sooner or later!"
She shook off Sister Chen's hand, not bothering to greet anyone else, lowered her head, and walked quickly toward her own home with stumbling yet determined steps, her back radiating wretchedness and resentment.
The remaining Military Wives then gathered around, starting to chatter amongst themselves.
"Tsk tsk, this Liu Jingyi, her tongue is truly venomous!"
"Tell me about it. Li Chunhua is quite unlucky to be shamed like that in public."
"But... what Liu Jingyi said... seems to be the truth?" someone whispered, testing the waters with a hint of gossip.
"Shh! Keep it down! Someone might hear! Li Chunhua's man might be a bit useless, but can you really say things like that? Our husbands all work under Regiment Commander Liu!"