Li Qiong’s husband happened to be the deputy battalion commander of the Second Battalion, while Zhao Dahu was the battalion commander. The two of them often went on missions together.
So she was the most vehement in her reaction.
“Commander Huo is right. Battalion Commander Zhao really isn’t suited to being a soldier anymore!”
She certainly didn’t want her own husband being dragged out to take the blame!
She then turned to Political Commissar Sun. “Political Commissar, Battalion Commander Zhao’s mother and younger sister clearly need someone to take care of them, and Battalion Commander Zhao is so filial. Why don’t you let him transfer out of the military and return home to take care of his mother?”
He didn’t want to transfer out!
He absolutely did not!
After leaving the military and returning home, there was no guarantee he would be assigned a job. If there weren’t enough positions available, he would have to wait!
Zhao Dahu’s face turned deathly pale.
“I wasn’t afraid! I wasn’t! I just, I just…”
But what *just*?
Zhao Dahu couldn’t say.
He didn’t even know himself. A moment ago, his mouth had simply moved faster than his brain, and he had blurted out that his wife should take the beating in place of his mother!
And now, more and more people were suggesting to Political Commissar Sun that he be transferred out of the military!
Zhao Dahu felt as though he had a hundred mouths and still couldn’t explain himself.
But he wasn’t even the one who had committed the original offense!
Political Commissar Sun’s scalp went numb. He finally understood how Huo Zhanting had felt when everyone had tried to guilt-trip him earlier.
Still, forcing the whole family to leave was better than calling the police. At least it would be handled internally and wouldn’t damage the army’s reputation.
With a grim expression, Political Commissar Sun announced the punishment for Zhao Dahu’s family in front of everyone and ordered them to leave the residential compound first thing the next morning.
Zhao Dahu’s face was deathly pale. His mouth opened wide, but in the end, he still couldn’t find anything to say in his own defense.
He slumped to the ground, his eyes full of regret.
If he had known that he would not only lose his position as battalion commander but also be forced to leave the military, he would never have come to plead for his mother!
Regret consumed Zhao Dahu.
With his face swollen and bruised, he and his wife helped Old Madam Zhao and Zhao Xiaomei pack up and leave.
Afraid they might forget, Jiang Yan called after them, “Don’t forget the compensation for my Xiaojin. Otherwise…”
She didn’t even finish the threat.
Zhao Dahu was so frightened that he nearly threw his mother off his back.
He had developed a psychological trauma from Jiang Yan. Just hearing her voice made him afraid.
The others were frightened by Jiang Yan’s viciousness as well. Nobody wanted to cross someone who could beat them half to death. One by one, they silently warned themselves never to provoke Jiang Yan.
After Zhao Dahu’s family left, the onlookers dispersed as well.
……
The next morning, Zhao Dahu came to deliver Jiang Yan’s compensation.
In just one night, Zhao Dahu looked much older. His back was hunched, and several strands of white hair had appeared.
He handed Jiang Yan the money, then bent at the waist and bowed a full ninety degrees.
“I’m sorry!”
After spending the night reflecting on his actions, his apology sounded much more sincere.
After apologizing, Zhao Dahu didn’t linger. He shuffled away with his body hunched over, returned home, carried his mother on his back, picked up his luggage, and reluctantly left the residential compound.
Seeing the miserable state of the entire family, some people couldn’t help feeling sympathetic.
“Actually, Zhao Dahu is pretty pitiful.”
“Commander Huo went too far. After all, Old Madam Zhao took care of Xiaojin and Xiaoxi for so long. How could she end up like this?”
Others disagreed.
“Old Madam Zhao got what she deserved! She put a poisonous snake there to bite a six-year-old child. Who could be more vicious than that?”
“It was Zhao Xiaomei who put the snake there, not Auntie Zhao. Auntie Zhao may have a few minor faults, but she’s not evil enough to deserve this!”
“But Zhao Xiaomei is her own niece. If she hadn’t encouraged and enabled her, would Zhao Xiaomei have dared to do it?”
“As the saying goes, every unfortunate person has something hateful about them.”
Jiang Yan was coming down from the mountains when she heard groups of people standing around, pitying Zhao Dahu’s family.
There were even some saying that she was vicious.
Jiang Yan heard every word.
But whether they were pitying Zhao Dahu’s family or criticizing them behind their backs, the moment they saw Jiang Yan, they all shut their mouths.
It was as though Jiang Yan were some kind of ferocious beast. One by one, they shrank their necks in fear.
Hmph!
Jiang Yan scoffed and carried the pheasants and rabbits she had caught back home.
“Sister-in-law, you have a letter.”
Zhao Erniu happened to bring it over to her.
A letter for her?
Who would be writing to her?
Jiang Yan opened it and found that it was from Jiang Meng, inviting her to attend her wedding to Lu Zekai.
The letter also went on at length about how deeply in love she and Lu Zekai were.
It was obviously a bragging letter.
Jiang Meng was showing off that she had married Lu Zekai and would soon become a senior officer’s wife.
Jiang Yan wasn’t interested.
She tossed the letter aside.
There was no way she was going to attend and watch someone willingly jump into a pit of fire!
Jiang Yan didn’t think much more of it.
But a few days later, she received a phone call from Jiang Meng.
“Jiang Yan, you got the letter I sent you, right? You’re coming back for my wedding, aren’t you?” Jiang Meng asked arrogantly.
“No time. I’m not coming,” Jiang Yan replied coldly.
Jiang Meng choked for a moment before launching into a torrent of abuse.
“Jiang Yan, your marriage is unhappy, so you’re too embarrassed to come back, aren’t you? You’re afraid that seeing me marry Brother Zekai will make you jealous! While you can only marry an ugly cripple who already has two children, a short-lived man, and spend the rest of your life as a widow!”
Jiang Yan remained remarkably calm.
“Heh. You think I’d be jealous of you? Am I supposed to be jealous that you found yourself a cripple, or that you married into a den of wolves?”
Jiang Meng shouted excitedly, “My man is not a cripple! His leg will get better! He’ll return to the army, earn great merits, become a senior officer, and I’ll become a senior officer’s wife!”
Jiang Yan looked completely innocent.
“But the fact is, he’s a cripple right now. A cripple whose leg will never get better!”
In the original novel, Lu Zekai’s leg had only been healed because, after the original Jiang Yan married him, she used the favor of having once saved his life to persuade the renowned traditional doctor Old Master Li—who had been sent to work on a farm during the political turmoil—to treat him.
That was how he recovered.
In this life, without the original Jiang Yan’s life-saving favor, Old Master Li had no reason whatsoever to treat Lu Zekai.
Whether he could return to the army was still uncertain, let alone earning great merits and becoming a senior officer.
What kind of fantasy was she living in?
Jiang Meng didn’t know that in her previous life, Lu Zekai had only recovered because of Jiang Yan. She thought he had simply found a doctor who could cure his leg.
And according to the timeline, Lu Zekai’s leg should be healed soon!
Jiang Meng became even more arrogant.
“Jiang Yan, you’re just jealous! Brother Zekai’s leg will be fine soon. It’ll be healed very soon! He’ll return to the army!”
Then, as though deliberately rubbing salt into Jiang Yan’s wound, she added, “Oh, right. Brother Zekai is also stationed with the 713th Unit!”
In her previous life, around this time, Jiang Yan had just endured inhuman torture at the hands of human traffickers. After being rescued by Huo Zhanting, she had been bullied by Old Madam Zhao’s family and tormented by the two little devils. Her life had been miserable.
Meanwhile, Jiang Meng had happily followed Lu Zekai to his military posting.
Lu Zekai was handsome, kind, and didn’t have nearly as much complicated baggage.
Jiang Meng had been envious, but not jealous. Although Huo Zhanting was ugly and couldn’t perform in bed, he was still a regiment commander, so she could at least hold that over Jiang Yan.
But not long afterward, Huo Zhanting died in action, and Lu Zekai became the regiment commander.
Jiang Meng became a widow, while Jiang Yan became the new regiment commander’s wife!
Jiang Meng had truly felt as though the sky had fallen.
Fortunately, everything had started over, their positions had been switched, and she had married Lu Zekai.
Hearing Jiang Meng’s words, Jiang Yan paused for a moment.
That was true. In the novel, Lu Zekai eventually took over Huo Zhanting’s position as regiment commander, so naturally he was in the same unit.
But so what?
“A cripple can’t be a soldier. So Lu Zekai won’t be able to come back, and neither will you.”
Jiang Yan deliberately left the implication hanging.
Jiang Meng was furious.
“I already told you! Brother Zekai’s leg will get better! His leg will get better!”
“Oh~!”
Jiang Yan deliberately dragged out the final syllable, just to annoy her.
Jiang Meng: “……!”
“Jiang Yan, you bitch! You hateful woman! You’re jealous that I married better than you and that I’m happier than you…”
Jiang Meng screamed hysterically, cursing Jiang Yan.
But just as she was getting into the swing of her tirade, Jiang Yan simply hung up the phone.
All the curses Jiang Meng had been preparing got stuck in her throat, nearly choking her.
At that moment, the owner of the public telephone office delivered the final blow.
“That’ll be five yuan for the call. Please settle the bill!”