Before long, people from the regiment headquarters and the dependents' committee came jogging over.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
Two of the wives went to pull Zhao Yinghua away, while the other two went to separate Cheng Xi and Li Jing.
It took several tugs before they were finally pulled apart.
Cheng Xi released her grip, panting heavily.
Her hair was disheveled, her collar askew, and the red mark from Zhao Yinghua's fingernail still visible on her chin.
She tilted her head and looked at Li Jing.
Li Jing was looking back at her.
Li Jing's hair was also tousled, a red mark streaked across her face, and her sleeves were twisted and wrinkled.
They looked utterly disheveled.
But as her eyes reddened, the corner of her mouth suddenly curved into a faint smile.
Cheng Xi smiled back.
Beside them, Zhao Yinghua was at least ten times more disheveled than the two of them.
Her hair had been pulled into a bird's nest, sticking out in clumps here and there. Her face bore more marks than theirs—a red patch near the corner of her eye and two fingernail scratches on her neck.
Worst of all, Cheng Xi had deliberately targeted the most painful spots to pinch, and some pressure points were still throbbing with pain. The pain was so intense that tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, mixing with snot, leaving her appearance utterly pitiful.
Zhao Yinghua wiped her face with her sleeve and, seeing Cheng Xi and Li Jing still smiling, trembled with rage. She raised her voice and shouted at the people from the regiment headquarters and the dependents' committee, "You have to stand up for me! The two of them ganged up on me! Look at my hair! Look at my face!"
Director Wang of the dependents' committee glanced at her, then at Cheng Xi and Li Jing, and frowned.
"You three, come to the office and explain what happened."
Then, waving her hand at the crowd, she said, "Disperse, everyone, disperse."
The dependents' committee office was located on the first floor of the regiment headquarters building, in the innermost room.
Director Wang sat at the desk, a notebook spread open in front of her.
She was the wife of the regiment's chief of staff and had lived in the compound for over a decade.
Known for her fairness and discretion, she had been elected as the director of the dependents' committee.
She looked at the three women before her, her frown never easing since they entered the office.
The wife of the regiment commander. The wife of the political commissar. The wife of the deputy regiment commander.
None of them were people she could casually dismiss.
She glanced at Zhao Yinghua.
She knew Zhao Yinghua well.
This woman was gossipy and loved stirring up trouble, having caused plenty of issues in the compound.
But as the director of the dependents' committee, she couldn't take sides or jump to conclusions. She had to follow the proper procedures.
She began, "Tell me, what happened?"
Zhao Yinghua, her hair still a bird's nest, plopped down on a chair and started wailing while slapping her thigh.
"Director Wang, you have to stand up for me!" She pointed at her face, then at her hair. "Look at what they've done to me! The two of them attacked me together! My hair's been pulled so much it's almost bald! How am I supposed to face anyone like this?"
Director Wang looked at her head.
Her hair was indeed a mess, but it was far from bald.
Before Zhao Yinghua could finish her wailing, Cheng Xi interjected calmly, "But wasn't it you who started it?"
Zhao Yinghua's wailing faltered for a moment.
Li Jing also stepped forward. "You splashed water on me first."
Zhao Yinghua sprang to her feet, pointing at Li Jing. "You're lying! When did I splash water on you? You ran into it yourself!" Then she pointed at Cheng Xi. "And you! If you hadn't been gossiping about me, would I have done anything?"
After finishing, she slapped her thigh and wailed again: "You're all ganging up to slander me! Director Wang, look at them, two people with one mouth, I can't argue with them!"
Director Wang's head throbbed from her wailing, and she raised a hand to press her temples.
"Enough," she said, slapping the notebook on the table heavily. "Arguing back and forth won't get us anywhere. Bring in two people who were there at the time, and we'll know the truth with a few questions."
Zhao Yinghua's crying abruptly stopped.
Her eyes darted around, and she wiped her face with her sleeve before suddenly leaning forward. "Director Wang, Sister Liu and Sister Wan were both there at the time. Call them in. They were standing right next to me and saw everything most clearly."
Li Jing looked at her. "The names you listed, aren't they all the ones you usually chat and play mahjong with? They'll definitely side with you."
Zhao Yinghua turned her head. "Then who do you suggest we call?"
Li Jing opened her mouth but couldn't come up with a response.
Zhao Yinghua felt a surge of triumph.
Li Jing rarely mingled with the other wives and didn't have any close friends.
As for Cheng Xi, who had just arrived, aside from Li Jing, she didn't know anyone else in the entire courtyard.
They probably couldn't name anyone either.
Before the smug curve on Zhao Yinghua's lips could fully form—
"There were more than just adults in the alley."
Cheng Xi tilted her head and glanced at Zhao Yinghua.
"There were also a few children playing there earlier."
Zhao Yinghua's face stiffened.
"Children don't care about anyone's status, nor do they play favorites. Who threw the first punch, who hurled the first insult—children don't lie."
Zhao Yinghua grew anxious. "What do children know!"
Director Wang looked at Cheng Xi, then at Zhao Yinghua, and stood up.
"Let's do it this way."
She walked to the door and called out, "Xiao Zhou! Go and bring over the children who were playing in the alley earlier."
Zhao Yinghua's mouth opened and closed without a word.
Soon, the door was pushed open a crack.
Several children crowded at the entrance, pushing and shoving each other, none willing to be the first to step inside.
The boy at the front, about seven or eight years old, was shoved in. He had a crew cut, mud smeared on his face, and a wooden toy car clutched in his hand.
He looked at Director Wang and called out, "Mom."
Cheng Xi was taken aback.
Director Wang was also startled to see her son.
But she quickly composed herself, crouched down, and softened her voice. "Huzi, don't be afraid. Mom just wants to ask you a few questions."
Huzi nodded, gripping the wooden car even tighter.
"Were you playing in the alley earlier?"
"Yeah."
"Did you see these aunties?"
"Yeah."
"Then tell Mom," Director Wang pointed at Zhao Yinghua, then at Li Jing and Cheng Xi, "what did you see?"
Huzi looked at Zhao Yinghua, then at Cheng Xi and Li Jing.
"That auntie," he pointed at Zhao Yinghua, "threw the water first."
Zhao Yinghua's face froze.
"And then?"
"Then that auntie started cursing. She said a lot of things I didn't really understand." Huzi pointed at Li Jing. "This auntie told her to stop. Then she reached out and hit her."
"How did she hit her?"
"She tried to hit this auntie's face first," Huzi pointed at Li Jing. "She missed, so she grabbed her hair. Later, that older sister…" he pointed at Cheng Xi, "came over to pull her away. Then she hit that older sister too."
"Where did she hit her?"
"On the face. With her nails." Huzi pointed at his own chin, then at Cheng Xi. "Right here."
Zhao Yinghua sprang to her feet. "Director Wang! How can you take a child's words seriously! Huzi must have misheard, I…"
"You're saying my Huzi is lying?" Director Wang turned to look at her.
Zhao Yinghua's voice caught in her throat.
"Alright then." Director Wang stood up, walked to the doorway, and looked at the few children still crowded outside. "You were all in the alley just now. Did you see what happened?"
A little girl with pigtails peeked out from between the others and piped up clearly, "I saw it! This auntie," she pointed at Zhao Yinghua, "stood in the alley holding a bucket for a long, long time. When Auntie Li walked over, she suddenly threw the water out."
A younger boy beside her nodded along, raising his hand high. "I saw it too! Her voice was really loud when she was cursing. I could hear it from over here where I was playing."
The pigtailed girl added another line, "Brother Huzi was right. This auntie threw the water first, cursed first, and hit first."
Zhao Yinghua stood there, the color on her face shifting repeatedly.
Director Wang told the children to go play, then turned around and looked at Zhao Yinghua.
Her gaze was more than a little colder than before.
"Zhao Yinghua."
"You were the one who threw the water. You were the one who cursed first. You were the one who struck first. One wasn't enough, you even hit Cheng Xi too. After beating them, you, the villain, filed the first complaint, saying the two of them ganged up on you."
Zhao Yinghua's lips trembled twice. "I…"
Director Wang didn't listen to her.
She turned to look at Cheng Xi and Li Jing.
"You two, how do you want to handle this?"
Cheng Xi glanced at Li Jing. Li Jing didn't speak.
Cheng Xi turned back. "Make her apologize to me and Li Jing."
Zhao Yinghua's face twisted. Making her apologize to these two was more disgusting than swallowing a fly.
She stiffened her neck. "I… I won't apologize! Why should I apologize! They hit me too! Look at my hair! Look at my face!"