At that moment, Commissar Huang reminded him in time.
"Battalion Commander Li, Comrade Wu's request isn't unreasonable. This is a critical moment—you can't afford to be foolish."
Li Hongyuan instinctively glanced at Deputy Regimental Commander Yu, and the words on the tip of his tongue changed.
"Fine, I agree! I'll give you three thousand yuan—more than enough to cover half of these years' allowance, if not more. Xiaojun… I'll take responsibility for him from now on."
Wang Yun's face went pale on the spot, her heart feeling as if a piece had been gouged out, the pain making her vision go dark.
The money was gone, and now she'd have to look after another little brat!
Her eyes reddened. "Hongyuan…"
"Teacher Wang, you're an outsider—stay out of this."
Regimental Commander Liu was a rough man who despised the way Wang Yun played weak and pretended to be pitiful!
Wang Yun gritted her teeth in hatred, stalling for time.
"Guihua, you and the child came from far away. Come home with us first and rest a while. We're family—we can talk things over slowly."
Wu Guihua wasn't having any of it.
"No need. Li Lan and I will wait right here. Bring the money, and we'll leave. You folks live a precious life, but we're just mud-legged country folk. If I accidentally break something, or if your mouths twist and you claim something's gone missing, I can't afford to pay for it!"
"Oh dear, no, no! This is your home too. You've come all this way—you must at least stay for a meal."
Wang Yun begged shamelessly, coaxing and tugging at Wu Guihua and Li Lan.
Li Xiaojun still remembered the good food and comfortable stay from his visit last year, so he slipped out the door and ran off ahead.
Only then did Wu Guihua "reluctantly" agree…
Wang Yun secretly let out a sigh of relief, linking arms with Wu Guihua and putting on the air of a close sister, hoping that outsiders would see it and she could salvage her reputation later.
Wu Guihua suppressed her disgust, dragging her feet as she walked, sneering inwardly.
Wang Yun had willingly "invited the wolf into the house"—she couldn't blame her for being ruthless.
The little thatched hut in the Jade Pendant Space was still empty, desperately in need of stocking up!
Li Hongyuan was a battalion commander, so he'd been allotted a two-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor of the family quarters.
Normally, when Wang Yun came home from work, she loved chatting with the neighbors, basking in their flattery and praise. After all, every family had kids who had to go to school.
But today, Wang Yun wished everyone would disappear—or collectively go blind.
Wu Guihua certainly wasn't going to let her be happy. Once inside the family quarters, she asked about everything, stopping and starting as she went.
"Oh my, this family quarters is nothing like our village. These buildings are so grand! How does this well produce water without needing to be pumped? Sister-in-law, you've got to explain it to me—I want to learn from it and show off back in the village."
Li Lan was sharp too. She tugged at Li Hongyuan's arm, calling out "Dad" again and again.
"Dad, did you buy this building? Is that why you spent all your allowance and had no money left for my schooling?
"Dad, there's no place to plant vegetables or grain here. No wonder you take all the fine grain from home every year and leave us hungry for half the year.
"Dad, does the house only have two rooms? Then how do Sister Jiaojiao and Brother Pengfei, and you and Auntie, all fit? Do you and Auntie share one room, and Sister Jiaojiao and Brother Pengfei share the other? Dad, Dad…"
Li Hongyuan's head was buzzing; he wished he could sew his daughter's mouth shut.
Wu Guihua really was a mud-legged peasant—she hadn't even taught the child the principle of not airing dirty laundry outside the family!
Living together with his sister-in-law and the kids was… improper! But he had no choice!
Even if Wu Guihua was unhappy, she could have said it behind closed doors with the family—why did she have to make such a humiliating scene?
In the courtyard, whether they were cooking or not, all the young women, old ladies, and kids grabbed a handful of vegetables and crowded around the water basin, ears stretching a mile long.
Those who usually had minor grudges with the Li family didn't dare mock openly, but they stared at the bruises on Wang Yun's and Li Hongyuan's faces, grinning in strange, twisted ways, making them wish they could crawl into a crack in the ground.
When they finally made it through the door, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Guihua was disappointed—she'd wanted to spread the word about this dog couple a bit more, but she'd saved her breath.
Li Xiaojun scurried around the house like a monkey, tore open a package of peach pastries on the table and stuffed them into his mouth, then went rummaging through the four-door wardrobe in the master bedroom.
"Auntie, there's malted milk here! I want some—make me a big bowl!"
Wang Yun's mouth twitched in pain.
Wu Guihua clapped her hands in applause for her son. "Xiaojun, this is your dad's home, so it's your home too. Your dad only has one son—everything here will be yours someday. Eat whatever you want!"
Then she grabbed a peach pastry and shoved it at Li Lan.
"Eat up, girl! You're almost twenty, and this is the first time you've had a bite of your dad's food. That's no small thing."
Li Hongyuan's face darkened, and he held back before speaking.
"Guihua, I'll take better care of you from now on. But three thousand is too much—can we stretch it over a few months…"
"No!" Wu Guihua swung her hand and smashed the enamel mug on the table, then kicked the door open.
"Everyone, come and judge for yourselves! Li Hongyuan has money to support his sister-in-law and her kids, but no money to treat his own mother and son! He agreed to pay in front of the organization, but went back on his word the moment he got home!
"He's forcing me to keep selling blood to support his mother and children on his behalf! I might as well jump off this building and die right here, so I don't get drained dry and die a miserable death!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Every closed door upstairs and downstairs swung open, and every head in the courtyard snapped around.
Li Hongyuan yanked Wu Guihua back and slammed the door shut with a clang.
"Fine, I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Wu Guihua patted her butt, went back to her seat, and sat down as if nothing had happened.
"What are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and cook. We haven't eaten all day. If we faint from hunger, this courtyard will get even livelier."
Wang Yun was so furious she could spit blood, but she quickly changed her clothes, combed her hair, and headed to the communal kitchen at the end of the hallway.
Her face was even more swollen now—no amount of covering could hide it. Needless to say, she had once again become the center of attention among the women in the building!
Li Xiaojun kept rummaging through the rooms, pulling out good things and trotting happily to the kitchen.
When the table was finally set, it was surprisingly lavish.
A pot of two-grain rice, stir-fried cabbage with cured pork, potatoes stewed with seaweed, and a shrimp-and-tofu soup.
Wu Guihua immediately picked out the meat slices, giving half to her daughter and half to herself.
Li Xiaojun howled in protest, but just then the door was pushed open.
Nineteen-year-old Li Jiaojiao looked like a younger version of Wang Yun. She wore a short red woolen jacket, black corduroy pants, and had her hair permed in curls.
"Mom, Mom! I heard someone came from the old hometown—did they bring my admission letter? Great! That bastard Li Lan doesn't deserve to study at all…"
Wang Yun jumped up, trying to shield her daughter behind her, but it was already too late.
Wu Guihua shoved her aside, grabbed Li Jiaojiao, and swung her big palm across the girl's face.
"You little slut! I thought I wouldn't get the chance to settle scores with you this time, but you walked right into my hands!"
"Smack!"
"You've got a pig's brain—couldn't get into college—and you dare steal my daughter's admission letter!"
"Smack! Smack!"
"Put a dragon robe on a monkey, and it's still a monkey! You think you can polish yourself up with gold?"
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
"You're the bastard! Your whole family are bastards!"
"Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!"