The commotion here was quite loud, and Xu Zhijun rushed over as soon as he heard it.
Some of the wives who had just finished eating also came to see what was happening.
Xu Zhijun quickly stepped forward and pulled Lu Jingyi away.
He immediately checked Li Hong’s condition and looked up to question Lu Jingyi, “Lu Jingyi, what are you doing! Today is Long Bao’s Full Moon Celebration Feast. Can’t whatever matter wait until later?”
Lu Jingyi looked at Xu Zhijun shielding Li Hong behind him and found it ridiculous. “Li Hong has been telling everyone that I bully her. Since you’re here, tell me—don’t I give her forty yuan every month to help with laundry and cooking?”
“And for this, you hit your sister-in-law? No matter what, she is considered an elder.”
“Hah, what kind of elder is she?”
“Whatever the reason, today is Long Bao’s Full Moon Banquet. Couldn’t you have held back?”
Lu Jingyi immediately raised her voice, “Hold back, hold back—is that all you know how to do besides making me suffer? Your sister-in-law has been badmouthing me in front of others. Why shouldn’t I let everyone know the truth? Have I said anything wrong?”
Xu Zhijun instinctively glanced at Li Hong.
Li Hong covered her face, crying bitterly.
Xu Zhijun’s heart ached at the sight. “Even if Sister-in-law was wrong, you shouldn’t have hit her.”
Lu Jingyi couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. “I don’t want to waste my breath on you. Let me ask you—before I gave birth to Long Bao, wasn’t everything Li Hong ate, wore, and used bought by me? And yet she still claims I bully her, telling everyone I have a bad temper. Is there no justice left? Since the leaders are here today, let them judge who is right.”
Xu Zhijun’s mind suddenly cleared.
He quickly looked around at the crowd.
With the leaders present today, if this escalated, it could affect his career prospects!
“Comrade Xu isn’t denying it, so it seems what Comrade Lu said is true.”
“Who would have thought Li Hong could be so ungrateful—enjoying someone else’s food and drink while badmouthing them behind their back.”
“If someone gave me forty yuan a month, I wouldn’t just do laundry and cooking—I’d even be willing to help with postpartum confinement.”
“Exactly, who doesn’t do laundry and cooking at home? It’s not that Comrade Lu didn’t want to do it herself—she has a job and paid Li Hong. Yet Li Hong still spread rumors.”
“I think Li Hong is just jealous of Comrade Lu.”
Everyone chattered and discussed among themselves.
As Li Hong listened to the comments, her face grew increasingly grim.
When she first arrived as an army dependent, she was uneducated and loud, unable to fit in.
On her first day at the factory, her clumsiness nearly caused a major accident. Later, the regiment commander’s wife refused to let her work there.
She was unhappy for a long time.
After Zhijun married Lu Jingyi, she occasionally chatted with the other wives and discovered that badmouthing Lu Jingyi would earn their sympathy.
Gradually, these wives began to engage with her.
Encouraged by this, and already resentful of Lu Jingyi marrying Xu Zhijun, she intensified her criticism of Lu Jingyi.
She assumed that someone from Lu Jingyi’s background would never confront her, even if she found out.
But she never expected that Lu Jingyi would not only argue with her but even hit her.
The more Li Hong thought about it, the more wronged she felt. Wiping her tears, she said, “I was just chatting with the sisters-in-law. How could Lu Jingyi take it so seriously?”
“So talking nonsense and spreading rumors is just idle chatter, is it? Well, I happen to have free time lately, so I’ll join in the idle chatter too.”
“Zhijun, look at your wife! Bullying me like this!”
Seeing Xu Zhijun about to take sides, Lu Jingyi stopped holding back and started hitting him too.
And she hit Xu Zhijun even harder, directly striking his face.
Xu Zhijun never expected she’d dare to hit him in front of so many people. Before he could react, she had already scratched his face.
He gasped in pain from the sting.
The commotion grew louder, drawing the attention of several leaders who came over to see what was happening.
Commander Gu told Gu Anhe to stay put while the Instructor stepped forward to separate the two.
Commander Gu asked with a stern face, “What’s going on here? Why are you fighting all of a sudden?”
Li Hong’s mind went blank when she saw Commander Gu.
This was a high-ranking leader.
Before she could react, she heard Lu Jingyi, who had just been hitting her, now crying and saying, “Leader, you must stand up for me. Before I had my child, I had a job and couldn’t manage the household, so I gave Sister-in-law forty yuan every month to help with chores. But she went around telling people I was bullying her because she’s from the countryside, without mentioning that everything she ate, drank, and used was bought by me.”
Commander Gu looked at Xu Zhijun. “Is what your wife said true?”
Xu Zhijun, knowing he was in the wrong, answered guiltily, “Yes.”
“Louder!”
Xu Zhijun instinctively straightened up and said loudly, “Yes!”
Commander Gu: “Normally, I wouldn’t interfere in your family matters, but every military wife has it tough. As a man, you especially shouldn’t let your wife suffer. Do you understand?”
“Understood!”
The Instructor looked at Lu Jingyi and asked, “Comrade Lu, Comrade Li, how do you plan to resolve this matter?”
[Wow, they’re actually quite fair. They didn’t just tell both sides to compromise and sweep it under the rug.]
Hearing the familiar childish voice, Lu Jingyi quickly turned around and saw Yaqin holding Long Bao as she approached.
Gu Anhe hurried over to Long Bao’s side. “Little sister.”
Su Yaqin walked up to Lu Jingyi and asked quietly, “What happened?”
Lu Jingyi shook her head and said to the Instructor, “I want Li Hong to promise she’ll never speak ill of me behind my back again, and she must apologize to me.”
“Impossible!”
Lu Jingyi didn’t even glance at her, instead looking at the Instructor and saying, “Comrade Instructor, my request isn’t unreasonable, is it?”
“Not at all. Comrade Li Hong, what are your demands?”
“I want Lu Jingyi to apologize for hitting me just now.” Li Hong glared at Lu Jingyi.
“I’m sorry.”
Li Hong: “…”
Lu Jingyi glanced at her. “Now it’s your turn to apologize to me and promise you’ll never speak ill of me behind my back again.”
Xu Zhijun, not wanting the situation to escalate further, quickly said, “Sister-in-law, you were in the wrong to begin with. Jingyi has already apologized to you, so hurry up and apologize.”
Li Hong’s eyes turned red with anger.
Xu Zhijun was actually taking Lu Jingyi’s side, forcing her to apologize in front of so many people!
Xu Zhijun glanced at the leaders, signaling her to hurry up.
Li Hong’s chest heaved violently as she stared daggers at Lu Jingyi, her eyes filled with resentment.
“I’m sorry.”
“You also have to promise you’ll never speak ill of me again. All the military wives present will bear witness.”
Li Hong gritted her teeth. She would definitely get her revenge!
She would make Lu Jingyi regret this!
Finally, under the gaze of the crowd, Li Hong tearfully ran off after uttering the words, “I promise.”
Everyone’s attention was focused on Li Hong and Lu Jingyi, failing to notice Commander Gu’s occasional glances toward Long Bao.