Bai Shanshan’s eyes were red and swollen—clearly, she had been crying for a long time.
She didn’t seem to have come willingly, either, dragged along by a woman in her forties beside her. The woman had cheeks flushed red from the cold, stood tall, and wore a bright, hearty smile.
“Oh my, I’ve always heard Xiao Jiang say his wife is beautiful, and today I finally get to see it for myself—and she really is!”
Wen Yan knew the other woman was just being polite.
But her ears couldn’t help but enjoy hearing it, and there was nothing she could do about that.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly of their own accord as she said, “Thank you.”
Gu Qing: “…”
That “thank you” nearly made her forget what she had come to say.
The woman laughed heartily and picked up the conversation herself. “I’m Li’s wife, my name is Gu Qing. Just call me ‘sister-in-law.’”
Wen Yan called her “sister-in-law” and invited the two of them to sit on the kang.
Fortunately, she had just unpacked a teacup while tidying up her luggage, so Wen Yan went to pour water.
“No need to trouble yourself, we’ll just say a few words and be on our way.”
Gu Qing actually felt quite embarrassed. Their family had always been on good terms with Jiang Baizhou, and everyone had been happy for him when he got married two years ago.
But then who could have predicted that he’d be sent on missions and assigned to reclamation work, followed by twelve telegrams demanding a divorce?
The situation had caused quite a stir. Those who didn’t know the details thought Jiang Baizhou had done something terrible to Wen Yan.
When Gu Qing heard the divorce report had been approved, she had genuinely been happy for Jiang Baizhou. Without asking for clarification, she had spoken up when her niece inquired about it.
Who would have thought Bai Shanshan would come straight over? Last night, she had told Gu Qing she had taken a liking to Battalion Commander Jiang.
If Jiang Baizhou really had gotten divorced, Gu Qing would have been willing to play matchmaker. But Old Li came back in the evening and said they weren’t getting divorced after all.
Not only were they not divorcing, but it seemed Jiang Baizhou actually cared quite a bit about his wife.
What a mess.
Gu Qing explained the situation to Wen Yan and said remorsefully, “This is my fault for not asking clearly and running my mouth. Sister-in-law apologizes to you here. Shanshan would never try to break up your marriage—we’re not that kind of shameless, despicable people.”
After speaking frankly, Gu Qing tugged at Bai Shanshan, who was standing there dumbstruck.
Bai Shanshan held her breath and stared at Wen Yan. What was so great about her, anyway?
She couldn’t accept it.
But her aunt had forced her to come, saying that if she did anything disgraceful, her parents and younger siblings back home would lose face, and her aunt wouldn’t let her stay here any longer.
It was humiliating.
Even more humiliating was that Jiang Baizhou had come to see her aunt first thing in the morning, begging her to explain things to Wen Yan. Bai Shanshan couldn’t even pretend to be ignorant.
From start to finish, he hadn’t even glanced at her.
At the thought, Bai Shanshan’s eyes grew even redder. She said resentfully, “I’m sorry.”
Wen Yan ignored Bai Shanshan’s emotions entirely and went straight to the heart of the matter. “You need to explain to the people who were in the same vehicle yesterday that Jiang Baizhou never went on a blind date with you.”
Gu Qing: “What blind date?”
Wen Yan pointed at Bai Shanshan. “Yesterday in the vehicle, she showed a photo of Jiang Baizhou and said he was her blind date.”
“What? Bai Shanshan, didn’t you say you just ran into Comrade Wen and happened to mention Jiang Baizhou? Where did you get a photo? How could you say something like that?”
Arranging a blind date while still married—that was a matter of personal conduct!
If this wasn’t handled properly, Jiang Baizhou could face disciplinary action.
Gu Qing stood up angrily. Bai Shanshan’s face flushed red, then paled, feeling as though Wen Yan was trampling her dignity underfoot.
She knew all along Wen Yan wasn’t easy to get along with. Bai Shanshan burned with rage.
“Why do you have to be so aggressive? You don’t even truly like Battalion Commander Jiang! If it weren’t for you making a fuss about divorce, I never would have misunderstood!”
“I didn’t do anything wrong! Can’t I just leave you alone from now on? You just want to get back at me, you want to humiliate me!”
Wen Yan silently set down the teacup she had just finished pouring.
She didn’t want to give her any water to drink.
Wen Yan handed the teacup to Gu Qing and said, “Please have some water. She’s so full of energy stirring up trouble without reason, she doesn’t need any water.”
She even reminded Gu Qing that the water was hot, showing particular politeness.
Gu Qing: “…”
Could things really be handled this way?
Strangely, she inexplicably felt she was being “valued.”
Wen Yan was polite to Gu Qing, but when she turned to look at Bai Shanshan, she put away her smile.
The distinction was clear and straightforward, as she spoke without much emotional fluctuation.
“It was you who spread rumors about your blind date with Jiang Baizhou without his consent. You wanted to gain others’ admiration, to put pressure on Jiang Baizhou with gossip. Now your hysteria is just a display of your failed plan and helpless rage.”
Bai Shanshan: “…”
Gu Qing: “…”
Ignoring their expressions, Wen Yan continued, “Jiang Baizhou and I have our own marital disputes. You’re an outsider, a stranger ten thousand miles removed. You have no right to meddle in our affairs.”
“Besides, even if you don’t explain, I will. By then, you’ll only be even more humiliated.”
Bai Shanshan’s attempt to shift blame was thus bluntly exposed and countered by Wen Yan.
She tried to speak again but was pulled back by Gu Qing: “Shut up!”
“Wen Yan, I’ll definitely make sure she handles this properly.”
Gu Qing understood clearly that Wen Yan was showing no leniency in this matter.
She also knew that if this wasn’t resolved well, it could even affect Old Li.
After all, she was the one who had spread the word.
No matter how much she loved her niece, her own husband came first!
Wen Yan looked at Gu Qing. Yesterday’s eggs had come from Li.
She owed him a favor.
“Alright, since you’ve spoken, I’ll give half a day. If this isn’t explained properly by lunchtime, I’ll set up a platform in the cafeteria at noon and explain it myself.”
Bai Shanshan glared at Wen Yan with a twisted expression, as if to say, “Are you insane? Setting up a platform? Aren’t you afraid of humiliation? Do you really have to make such a big scene?”
Gu Qing also looked surprised: Jiang Baizhou’s wife… was quite tough, yet so straightforward that no one could find fault with her.
At most, one might feel their pride was wounded, a bit embarrassed.
But Gu Qing wasn’t foolish. It would be better for Bai Shanshan to explain privately. First, it could salvage some of Bai Shanshan’s reputation, and second, it could reduce the impact of the incident.
Jiang Baizhou’s wife wasn’t just tough—she was smart and left room for compromise.
No wonder Old Li said Jiang Baizhou was serious about her.
Gu Qing left with Bai Shanshan.
Wen Yan immediately put them out of her mind, put on her heavy cotton coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, and went out.
The Great Northern Wilderness.
“Wilderness” was the essence of it.
The view was desolate and starkly white, with earth and snow intermingling. Pine and cypress trees stood in the distance, and amid the bleakness, the northern wind blew in gusts, cold enough to pierce the bones.
When it hit her face, it felt like being lightly sliced by a wallpaper knife.
Wen Yan shrank her neck and tugged at her scarf.
The camp, only a year old, could be said to have nothing at all, barely meeting the most basic living requirements.
As she walked and looked around, she encountered several curious and gossipy people along the way. Wen Yan tackled them head-on.
“I’m that Wen Yan who sent twelve telegrams.”
“My husband and I had a fight, but we’ve made up. We never really intended to divorce.”
“I came here to live a good life with him.”
Wen Yan’s approach was straightforward: “I’m honest, I’ll say it first,” firmly controlling the source of gossip so no one had to beat around the bush.
In the end, there was hardly anything left for others to talk about.
After strolling around for a bit, the news that Wen Yan and Jiang Baizhou were not getting divorced and would live their lives properly spread just like that.
Once the word had been spread enough, Wen Yan arrived at the logistics department.
The so-called logistics department was a half-mud, half-grass shed that let in drafts.
Inside, piles of wood were stacked, and Wen Yan’s eyes lit up instantly—they were arranged so neatly!
How satisfying!
With a little skip in her step, she approached, but none of the people chatting nearby noticed her.
“Zhao, did you fall into a ditch?”
“Don’t even mention it, the sled overturned.”
“Huh? Didn’t Battalion Commander Jiang’s wife say yesterday that your sled had a problem?”
Zhao scoffed and said, “What’s so strange about a sled overturning? What would she know about this?”
Someone immediately chimed in, “That’s true. She looks so delicate, clearly not someone who does manual work.”
“Exactly, but Zhao, isn’t this the fourth time you’ve overturned this month?”
Zhu, a self-taught carpenter, walked over, his palms rough with calluses, and examined the sled from every angle.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Aren’t all sleds made like this? Maybe you’re just not handling it well?”
Zhao retorted, “Nonsense! With my skills, I could ride a horse or fly a plane without any issues.”
Hahaha—!
“I can fix it.”