Jiang Yuting was wearing a khaki-colored wool coat that reached her ankles. Inside was an off-white sweater, paired with black trousers, and on her feet were small leather shoes made of fine cowhide. Her figure was slender and graceful.
Her hair was half tied up at the back of her head and half draped over her shoulders, with straight bangs covering her forehead. Her skin was fair, and she carried a suitcase in one hand while holding several books in the other, giving her an elegant and intellectual appearance.
Standing at the entrance of the military family compound, Jiang Yuting glanced around before slowly stepping inside the military district.
Not far away, under a large banyan tree where family members often gathered to chat, several people were already busy working and gossiping.
Jiang Yuting frowned slightly, a flash of disdain in her eyes.
These illiterate country bumpkins spent all day gossiping about trivial matters. She had no desire to associate with such uncultured people.
The moment Jiang Yuting appeared, she immediately became the center of attention.
“Oh my, isn’t that Miss Jiang coming back!”
A woman in her thirties in the crowd exaggeratedly called out upon seeing her.
Everyone else turned their heads. Dozens of enthusiastic, excited gazes swept over Jiang Yuting from head to toe.
Those scrutinizing looks made her uncomfortable, as if she were some kind of commodity. She felt irritated, but could not say anything.
In her heart, she silently cursed them as ignorant villagers.
If she were a military leader, she would never allow such people to live in the compound. She was disgusted, but still had to maintain a graceful and proper smile on her face.
Jiang Yuting curved her lips into a smile and greeted them generously.
“Yes, I just got back. Aunties, you can just call me Yuting. Since we all live in the same compound, calling names makes us feel closer.”
“That’s right!” the woman who spoke earlier slapped her thigh. “Yuting is really likable—beautiful, and with a good personality.”
“Yuting, let me tell you, Deputy Battalion Commander Song and you are the perfect match. That fat woman can’t even compare to a single finger of yours.”
Jiang Yuting looked confused.
“Auntie, I don’t understand what you’re talking about… what fat woman?”
“You just came back so you don’t know,” another family member said. “A few days ago, a fat woman came to the military district looking for Deputy Battalion Commander Song, saying she was his wife from his hometown.”
Jiang Yuting’s heart skipped a beat.
How could that countryside fiancée of Song Mingyuan’s come to the military compound?
Wasn’t it said that because of her background, she was completely suppressed by her family and dared not make any trouble at all?
Thinking about the arrangements she had discussed with Song Mingyuan before marriage, her face instantly lost all color. Her breathing grew heavier, and she tightened her grip on her luggage.
However, remembering that her father was a staff officer—one of the most influential figures in the military district—she quickly calmed herself again. Dealing with a so-called “capitalist family daughter” would not be difficult.
Once she thought this through, her tense nerves gradually relaxed, and color returned to her face.
The others, not noticing her change, continued talking.
“Yuting, you’re beautiful, have a good job, and a good family background. Even a fool knows who to choose. Deputy Battalion Commander Song would never look at that ugly fat woman.”
“The military district is investigating this matter. I heard that woman has mental issues, and her parents were sent down as capitalists. The truth will come out soon.”
“Yuting, when you go home, don’t argue with Deputy Battalion Commander Song. Couples should talk things through properly. If you quarrel, you’ll just be playing into that woman’s hands.”
On the surface, they seemed to be advising her, but in reality, everyone’s gossiping excitement was barely contained. They clearly wanted to see the drama unfold.
Jiang Yuting straightened her back, still maintaining her graceful smile. Outwardly, she had always portrayed herself as gentle, elegant, and kind. No matter how anxious she felt inside, she could not lose composure in front of so many people.
“Thank you all for telling me this. There must be some misunderstanding. I believe Mingyuan is not that kind of person. You all continue chatting—I’ll head home first.”
With that, she quickly walked away, her steps hurried and forceful. Her leather shoes clicked sharply against the cement ground, the sound echoing even as she went far.
But she did not return to her and Song Mingyuan’s small residence—instead, she went straight back to her parents’ home.
The moment she entered, she threw her luggage and books onto the floor, even carelessly kicking off her leather shoes, one landing left and the other right.
“Mom, I’m being bullied to death! I’ve become the joke of the entire compound! Do you know how those country bumpkins mocked me?”
As soon as she entered, Jiang Yuting seemed like a completely different person. Her face darkened, as if water could drip from it, and her eyes were filled with suppressed, unvented anger.
If outsiders saw her now, they would be shocked—was this still the gentle and elegant Jiang Yuting they knew?
Sitting on the sofa, Liu Hui immediately understood that her daughter had encountered gossip and trouble.
“Yuting, what have I always taught you? Stay calm, stay composed. Just a fat capitalist girl and you’re already this upset? You have so little confidence in yourself?”
Liu Hui frowned at her daughter.
“Look at you now. What’s the difference between you and those illiterate shrews outside?”
“Go take a bath and change your clothes first. Once you’ve calmed down, we’ll discuss what to do next.”
Liu Hui was a teacher at the military district school. Nearly fifty years old, with slightly prominent cheekbones, thin lips, and hair neatly pulled into a tight bun, she looked strict and rigid.
Her unsmiling face and black-framed glasses gave her the air of a stern educator who demanded discipline from her students.
In fact, she often carried this same authoritative attitude into the residential compound, lecturing others whenever she felt something was wrong.
Half an hour later, Jiang Yuting came downstairs. Mother and daughter sat on the sofa discussing their plan.
“Since Mingyuan already tried once and failed, tomorrow you should go with him. Find a way to make that woman leave the military district on her own.”
Jiang Yuting felt uncertain and clung to her mother’s arm.
“Mom, won’t you come with us?”
“No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The two of you handle it first. If she refuses to behave, your father and I will step in.”
“Your father is a staff officer after all. We can’t let a capitalist girl turn the military district upside down. Do they really think our family is easy to bully?”
“If the sky falls, your parents will hold it up. Just ignore those ugly rumors outside—they’re nothing but nonsense.”
Then Jiang Yuting hesitated and asked softly, “Mom… what if, I mean what if, those rumors are true? What if that woman really is Mingyuan’s wife from his hometown?”
Liu Hui’s eyes sharpened instantly, narrowing into slits as she fixed a piercing gaze on her daughter.
Frightened, Jiang Yuting shrank back, avoiding eye contact.
“Jiang Yuting, do you already know about this? Why didn’t you tell us before the marriage?”