What?
Battalion Commander Xue’s wife, who was watching the scene, immediately gasped in shock.
She instinctively said, “What nonsense are you talking? Lying in Jiang Wanwan’s bed and claiming to be Xiao Ci’s boyfriend. I think you’re just a filthy scoundrel.”
But Mother Jiang cried, “That dead girl Jiang Ci is fooling around! Just wait till I beat her to death…”
Battalion Commander Xue’s wife: ?
Who throws mud like this on their own daughter?
“Everyone, stop looking! It’s my fault for not teaching Xiao Ci properly… To think she would do such a thing…”
Mother Jiang cried as if heartbroken, then turned and swiftly closed the door.
Just then, someone craned their neck, trying to peek inside. “Old Jiang’s wife, it doesn’t seem like Xiao Ci is in there, does it?”
“Yeah! Isn’t this Wanwan’s room?”
Faced with the neighbors’ doubts, the Political Commissar’s wife, recalling what Battalion Commander Xue’s wife had said, seemed to understand something. With a stern face, she said, “Sister Jiang, you can’t just say things like that. How can you believe this scoundrel’s words without even asking Xiao Ci? We should find Xiao Ci and ask her!”
“That’s right! Sister Jiang, step aside and let Xiao Ci come out.”
Let Jiang Ci come out?
Jiang Ci wasn’t even inside. Mother Jiang had hurriedly closed the door precisely to create the impression that Jiang Ci was in the room fooling around with a scoundrel.
If Jiang Ci were to come out now… wouldn’t that expose everything?
Thinking of this, Mother Jiang quickly spoke up, “No, that won’t do! We’ve already caught them in bed, and you still want Xiao Ci to come out? Are you trying to publicly shame her? I won’t allow it. As long as I’m here, no one touches our Xiao Ci.”
Mother Jiang spoke as if she were protecting Jiang Ci at every turn, yet with each word, she nailed Jiang Ci to the pillar of shame.
Some neighbors thought Mother Jiang was truly good to Jiang Ci.
Only Battalion Commander Xue’s wife stood with her arms crossed, not believing a single word Mother Jiang said from start to finish.
Just then, the service soldier brought people in. “Make way, ma’am. I’ve brought people to catch the scoundrel. Where is he?”
“What scoundrel?”
Seeing Service Soldier Xiao Zhang, Mother Jiang visibly tensed up.
“Someone just shouted about catching a scoundrel.”
“There is a scoundrel. I was the one who shouted…” The Political Commissar’s wife stepped forward. “He’s inside the room.”
“No, he’s not a scoundrel…” Mother Jiang instinctively blocked the doorway. “He’s Xiao Ci’s boyfriend. Sob… Even though Xiao Ci didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend and secretly brought him home, I don’t blame her. Don’t wrong Xiao Ci’s boyfriend.”
Xiao Zhang was stunned. “He’s Sister Xiao Ci’s boyfriend? She has a boyfriend? I… I didn’t know about this.”
If he had known it was a misunderstanding, he wouldn’t have brought people to catch a scoundrel.
“Y-yes! He’s the boyfriend your Sister Xiao Ci secretly brought home.”
Mother Jiang could fool Xiao Zhang easily enough.
But the Political Commissar’s wife said, “If Xiao Ci’s boyfriend is sleeping in Wanwan’s bed, he doesn’t seem like a decent person either. Xiao Zhang, drag him out and question him.”
“No!” Mother Jiang refused without a second thought. “Are you all trying to make a laughingstock of my family?”
“What laughingstock?”
Father Jiang stepped into the house with a cold expression.
The fact that catching a scoundrel had led to his own home filled Father Jiang with extreme anger. All he wanted was to catch the scoundrel and have him shot on the spot.
Mother Jiang’s face turned pale. Only now did she realize that the situation seemed to have slipped out of her control.
According to her plan, she would bring people to catch them in bed, letting everyone know that Jiang Ci was fooling around before marriage.
But now…
Jiang Ci was nowhere to be seen. Inside the room was only the scoundrel she had paid to hire.
If Father Jiang found out, then she…
Wouldn’t she be finished?
“Wah wah wah…” Mother Jiang began to cry before even speaking. “Old Jiang! Our family is disgraced! Xiao Ci, she… she secretly brought a boyfriend home. And on Wanwan’s bed, they were… they were doing… Oh, I’m too embarrassed to say it. The Political Commissar’s wife insisted I open the door and let Xiao Ci out. Can you believe this mess… Isn’t it just humiliating?”
What?
Father Jiang was shocked, but more than that, he couldn’t believe it.
He believed Jiang Ci wasn’t the kind of person to be so reckless. He also couldn’t believe that Jiang Ci would reject such an outstanding young man like Pei Jiran and instead choose to be with a scoundrel.
He immediately pushed Mother Jiang aside. “Step aside, I need to ask her myself.”
“No, Old Jiang, wait. There are so many people in the house. If this gets out, how will Xiao Ci ever hold her head up again? Let them leave first, and then we can talk to Xiao Ci, alright?”
Mother Jiang was panicking. Jiang Ci wasn’t in the room, but she had already thrown the dirty water. She absolutely couldn’t let anyone outside see the truth.
After a moment’s thought, Father Jiang agreed.
Although he trusted Jiang Ci, he was more worried that if this were true, her reputation would be ruined.
Service Soldier Xiao Zhang, having received Father Jiang’s approval, turned to disperse the crowd.
“Mother, Mother, it’s terrible! Wanwan is in the hospital with severe bleeding!”
Jiang Ci had timed her return perfectly.
She pushed through the crowd, crying and shouting, looking dazed—though it was all an act.
But when everyone saw Jiang Ci running in from outside, they were genuinely stunned.
“Didn’t Sister Jiang say Xiao Ci was fooling around with her boyfriend in her sister’s room? How did she just run in from outside?”
“I don’t know! What’s going on?”
“I have no idea either.”
“It seems there’s more to this story!”
The whispers of the neighbors reached Father Jiang’s ears. He looked at Jiang Ci, who had just returned, then turned a deep, penetrating gaze toward Mother Jiang.
Mother Jiang shivered under his stare.
“What’s wrong, Dad? What happened? Why are there so many people at our house?”
Jiang Ci feigned innocence.
Mother Jiang gritted her teeth in fury.
“Xiao Zhang, break down the door. I want to see who’s causing trouble in my house.”
Father Jiang’s voice was cold and commanding.
Everyone present craned their necks to see inside, completely forgetting what Jiang Ci had shouted when she returned.
Mother Jiang was terrified. She wanted to block the door, but it seemed pointless now.
Bang!
The door to Jiang Wanwan’s room was kicked open, and Mother Jiang’s heart sank into an abyss.
The scoundrel was dragged out like a dead dog.
He was alone in the room.
“Speak! How did you sneak into the military dependents’ compound and enter my house to slander my daughter?”
Father Jiang’s voice was sharp and severe.
The scoundrel was terrified. He had already heard how things were unfolding from inside the room.
Now, he had only one path to take. “I… I’m Jiang Ci’s boyfriend. Jiang Ci brought me in.”
After saying this, he mustered his courage and looked up at Jiang Ci. “Say something! Cat got your tongue? Weren’t you begging me to have you earlier…”
“Shut up!”
Father Jiang’s tone was icy.
But Jiang Ci curled her lips playfully. “You say you’re my boyfriend? That I brought you into the military dependents’ compound?”
“Y-yes, of course. You said you wanted to… to try something new, so… so…”
Good!
Hearing the scoundrel’s words, Mother Jiang instantly felt triumphant. She had chosen the right person after all.
Yes, just keep throwing dirt on Jiang Ci.
“Oh my! Xiao Ci, look at you. How shameless, actually…”
Mother Jiang’s tone was filled with barely concealed glee.
But Jiang Ci simply smiled faintly. “Oh, is that so? Well then, since you say we’ve slept together, do you know whether the mole on my back is on the left side or the right?”
“Jiang Ci, you’re utterly shameless. How can a girl say such things? What have I taught you all these years?”
While Mother Jiang appeared to be scolding Jiang Ci, she was actually confirming Jiang Ci’s promiscuous behavior.
Jiang Ci ignored her mother and continued asking the rogue, “Where is it?”
The rogue had no idea, his eyes darting around as he sought help from Mother Jiang. Noticing his plea, Mother Jiang quickly interjected, “Alright, Jiang Ci. Since you like him, I approve. Stop asking now, aren’t you embarrassed?”