Qin Muyang stared coldly at Hu Ping.
“So, if I were just an ordinary soldier, you would have carried your unreasonableness to the very end? This is the Military Compound Family Quarters, not a vegetable market.”
“Yes, yes, yes, it was my fault. I won’t dare do it again.”
Hu Ping’s ability to adapt to the situation left Mu Xiaocao speechless.
She truly was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Back when she dealt with Xiaocao, Hu Ping never had such a subservient attitude.
The onlookers watched the farce, their eyes darting back and forth between Mu Xiaocao and Qin Muyang.
No way, right?
Qin Battalion Commander had always been cold and detached, never even giving a second glance to female comrades. Could it be that he liked Mu Xiaocao’s type?
But Mu Xiaocao wasn’t even worthy of Liu Guoqiang; how could she possibly be a match for someone as outstanding in every way as Qin Muyang?
Yet, because it was Qin Muyang, even if they were bursting with gossip, they didn’t dare say a word against him. If Mu Xiaocao really was having an affair with Qin Muyang while still married, then such a woman would truly be beyond saving.
Mu Xiaocao naturally understood the meaning behind some of those looks. She turned a cold gaze toward Liu Guoqiang.
“What? Do you also think I’m seeing someone else behind your back?”
Liu Guoqiang looked at Mu Xiaocao with impatience. This woman was simply too disobedient. Not only was she causing a scene about a divorce, but she had even learned how to run away from home. What on earth was she trying to do!
“I don’t know if you’re seeing someone else, but do you think it’s honorable to enter someone else’s home for no reason?”
“Heh, I’m not honorable?” Mu Xiaocao let out a cold laugh. “Don’t you know why I won’t go back?”
Mu Xiaocao looked at Liu Guoqiang sarcastically.
At that moment, Qin Su stepped forward with her hands on her hips. “You pieces of trash! Don’t think you can bully my Aunt just because she has no one to back her up. It was I who insisted on dragging her here when she wanted to rent a place outside. My young uncle doesn’t even come home twice a year—what’s wrong with me finding a companion for myself? Is it any of your business to gossip here? Let me tell you, as long as my Aunt is willing, she can stay here as long as she wants. Even if my young uncle objects, it won’t matter!”
The crowd suddenly understood.
That was true. Qin Battalion Commander’s appearances in the Family Compound were few and far between; he spent most of his time at the Regiment Headquarters or out on missions. Many officers in the Military District didn’t even know Qin Muyang—how could Mu Xiaocao, a country woman who had just arrived at the Military Compound, know him?
Mu Xiaocao gave Qin Su a grateful look for standing up for her, then turned her mocking gaze back to Liu Guoqiang.
“Why won’t I go back? Because I didn’t finish serving your family in the village just to come here and have to serve you and Hu Lili as well.”
“What? Serving Hu Lili?” someone exclaimed in surprise.
“That’s right. Not only did Liu Guoqiang want me to cook for him, but he also wanted me to make porridge and wash clothes for Hu Lili. Everyone, you be the judge. Hu Lili took my family’s money to eat and drink her fill, and on top of that, she wanted to enslave me and treat me like a beast of burden. If I didn’t move out, how was I supposed to live?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire area fell silent.
Qin Muyang looked at Mu Xiaocao with heartache, wishing he could rush forward and give Liu Guoqiang two punches. When his little girl had married Liu Guoqiang without hesitation, he had stopped disturbing her life. He never imagined she was living such a miserable existence.
It was his fault!
Liu Guoqiang’s expression shifted rapidly. How… how could she say this out loud in public!
Hu Lili, who had just rushed over, turned pale. “Mu Xiaocao, you… don’t talk nonsense!”
Liu Guoqiang’s face also flushed with shame. “Shut up!”
“Why should I shut up? Did I say anything wrong? In the end, Liu Guoqiang had to give Hu Ping a yuan to wash Hu Lili’s clothes for her.”
The crowd was even more speechless upon hearing this.
“It seems Battalion Commander Liu’s love for Comrade Hu Lili is true love indeed.”
“Isn’t it? She has hands and feet, yet she needs someone else to wash her dirty clothes. Isn’t that the style of a Capitalist-Class Miss?”
“I think so too.”
“A woman like that is truly a waste of a good man like Fu Lei.”
“Exactly. Stealing money, being greedy, and having an ambiguous relationship with Battalion Commander Liu—how is she worthy of Fu Lei?”
Fu Lei was a Martyr and held a very high status in people’s eyes.
“I didn’t steal any money!” Hu Lili was nearly dying of anger. Where would a pauper like Mu Xiaocao get five hundred yuan? Even Liu Guoqiang didn’t have that much.
Liu Guoqiang’s gaze pierced Mu Xiaocao mercilessly like a thorn. “I gave you that money. What’s wrong with Lili helping me take it back? That was my money, not yours.”
Even though she no longer felt a shred of affection for Liu Guoqiang, such words still caused Mu Xiaocao’s heart to twinge with pain.
She controlled her emotions and said coldly, “Liu Guoqiang, that was the compensation money you gave me. You must return it!”
Liu Guoqiang felt a jolt in his heart, suddenly struck by a bad premonition. He hurried forward, wanting to take Mu Xiaocao away, but Qin Muyang blocked his path.
Mu Xiaocao’s inner actress took over, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
“I know you’ve liked Hu Lili since the day she joined your class. I also know you only married me because of your parents’ command and the matchmaker’s words. You don’t have a single bit of feeling for me, but you shouldn’t trample on me like this.”
Mu Xiaocao’s tears fell in large droplets, drawing the sympathy of many while scorching Qin Muyang’s heart.
“On our wedding day, you left me behind and went back to the unit despite everyone’s pointing and whispering. You said the unit had a mission. But I know you came back to take care of Hu Lili. You’ve never been able to let go of her. After we married, no matter how hard I worked at home, no matter how meticulously I served your entire family, young and old, you never once looked me in the eye.
“After marrying you, I intended to be faithful for life and live a good life with you. But half of the money you earn goes to Hu Lili. She has a key to your house. She takes the firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and tea she needs from you with a clear conscience. She takes fifty from you a month, while I don’t even get five.
“When she snuggles in your arms to look at picture books, I can only pretend to be blind. If I say a single harsh word, you lay hands on me and push me to the ground until I black out. But if Hu Lili’s hand gets even slightly injured, you stay at the hospital to care for her for days and nights, and you even order me to wash her dirty clothes and cook for her.
“Liu Guoqiang, I’m a village girl, but I’m not that cheap. Everyone has a corner in their heart that others can’t enter and they themselves sometimes can’t leave. So, I did my duty in your home for three years. I hid my deepest love in my heart. You didn’t cherish it, and I don’t blame you for that. However, if heaven didn’t give me what I wanted, it wasn’t because I wasn’t worthy, but because I deserve something better.
“You say I won’t go home—can I even go back? My avoidance and disdain are the best answers. When I married you, I thought I had found my happiness as well.”