Chapter 70: Apology Every family has its own problems. Hehe, my family doesn’t have...

The sound of Xue Jun slamming the door was still echoing in the living room. Captain Kong's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air, his face turning pale and blue.

Captain Zhao looked at him sympathetically.

Xue Jun could lose his temper and walk away with a displeased look, leaving Captain Kong alone here facing everyone. The scene must have been extremely awkward.

In the final analysis, Xue Jun simply didn't take Captain Kong seriously. Even if she had cared a bit more about Captain Kong, she would not have put him in such an embarrassing situation.

"This...this is Mr. Xue's temper. I'm sorry to embarrass you all." Captain Kong put down his chopsticks and rubbed his hands on his knees, wrinkling the fabric of his military pants.

He wanted to add more tea for everyone, but when he picked up the teapot, he forgot who to pour for first. The spout of the teapot turned in a circle in the air, and then he put it back on the table in disappointment.

Captain Zhu smiled and said, "Maybe there's something urgent at home. Sister Xue should go back and take a look."

Captain Kong was even more embarrassed. He and Xue Jun were husband and wife. How could he not know if something happened at home?

Captain Kong looked at Jiang Xueyi embarrassedly: "Sister-in-law Jiang, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Jiang Xueyi smiled generously and raised her hand, saying, "Continue eating."

The lunch ended in embarrassment for Captain Kong.

But he was the only one feeling embarrassed. Without Xue Jun making a face, everyone started telling jokes and it was so lively.

After lunch, He Chengze took out some ice watermelon from the refrigerator and cut it for everyone.

The frozen watermelon is cool, sweet, refreshing and delicious.

Fang Qin asked about the literacy and skills training classes the Women's Federation was running. She asked curiously, "Xueyi, Liu Lu, I heard people say this class at the Women's Federation teaches people a profitable trade. Is that true?"

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "We will negotiate orders with the match factory and the velvet flower factory, take on some odd jobs and teach people how to do them, so as to earn some pocket money and improve their lives. It can't be said that we are teaching people how to make money."

Qian Man was surprised and said, "That's pretty good too."

She used to think that these classes were boring and deceptive, but now that she heard that she could make money by attending classes, she would have wanted to sign up if the literacy and skills training classes did not have certain conditions for recruiting students.

Everyone chatted for an afternoon and then left one after another.

When Captain Kong returned home and opened the door, he saw Xue Jun sitting on a chair, reading a book.

Captain Kong pursed his lips and asked her, "Don't you want to say something to me? You just slammed the door and walked out in front of everyone. Is that polite?"

Xue Jun said with a cold face, "What's polite or impolite? Jiang Xueyi is so aggressive and only knows how to bully people. I just said a few words to her, and she just stabbed me back. I'm lucky I didn't argue with her."

She said with a bit of grievance: "You too, you don't help me speak."

Captain Kong said sullenly, "How can I help you? You start by calling him a 'powerful man' and asking if he's ever been exposed to that kind of thing before." He took a deep breath and said, "We're visiting his home, not making enemies."

Xue Jun snorted coldly, "Isn't it just that she helped the army catch a spy? Why does she talk about it every day and let the whole compound flatter her?"

"When did they start talking about it?" Captain Kong said coldly, "I never heard Sister Jiang bring up the discovery of the spy at the dinner table, but you kept bringing it up."

"In the final analysis, you're just jealous of others. You're jealous that they gave lectures and held literacy classes. You're also jealous that they were able to receive awards from the provincial government and that they discovered a spy."

Captain Kong sighed. He actually understood why Xue Jun had always been targeting Jiang Xueyi.

When she was in the family quarters on Qiongzhou Island, Xue Jun was the only military wife with a high school education in the entire quarters. She worked as an announcer at a radio station and had a lover like him who was a regimental-level cadre. She was always pampered.

But now he has moved to Nanping City and lives in a dormitory in the military compound. The military wives who come and go either have spouses whose rank is similar to his or higher than his. No one will go out of their way to praise Xue Jun.

As for Xue Jun himself, he came from Qiongzhou Island, quit his job as an announcer, and came here, thinking that with his high school diploma, he could easily find a job. Unexpectedly, he couldn't even get into the Women's Federation.

The gap in her heart gave rise to a strong sense of inferiority.

Jiang Xueyi's academic qualifications were not as high as hers, but she was admitted to the Women's Federation. He Chengze's rank was higher than hers, and they had a lovely child.

Since the two families lived next door to each other, she couldn't help but compare them and kept finding fault with Jiang Xueyi.

Captain Kong could understand this, and even felt a little guilty because Xue Jun quit his job as an announcer for him, so he always tolerated Xue Jun.

But what Xue Jun did today was really too much. Captain Kong felt that he needed to persuade Xue Jun.

He stepped forward and held Xue Jun's hand. "I understand your thoughts, but just like what Jiang's wife said, 'Don't always stare at other people's light and say sour words, but forget that you can also make your own way.' Let's not compare ourselves with them. Let's just live our own lives well, okay?"

Xue Jun was silent.

Captain Kong continued, "You've been picking on Sister Jiang, but she hasn't held it against you. It shows she's a very broad-minded person. So, listen to me and apologize to her, okay?"

Xue Jun suddenly withdrew his hand, turned his head, pursed his lips and said, "I don't want it!"

Captain Kong took a deep breath and then advised, "Just listen to me this time."

Xue Jun said coldly, "Don't even think about it. I'd have to die to apologize to her." He added, "Don't you think about how they laughed at me at the dinner table just now? They laughed at me for not getting into the Women's Federation. Why do they think they're so great just because they got in?"

Captain Kong said objectively, "They laughed at you because you were too aggressive. Besides, it was you who said you would definitely be admitted to the Women's Federation."

He even felt that those military wives were quite polite. If it were someone else, Xue Jun would have laughed to death.

Xue Jun was stuck. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Captain Kong stood up and looked down at Xue Jun: "I'll ask you again, are you going to apologize?"

Xue Jun opened his eyes wide: "How dare you speak to me in this tone?"

She stood up in a flash: "You! You're rebelling!"

Captain Kong sighed, said nothing more, and slammed the door and left.

He walked around outside for a while, looking at the lights of thousands of houses, watching adults playing with children, and smelling the aroma of food wafting from each household. Suddenly, he felt that this life was quite boring.

Captain Kong got up from the bench, went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some wine and cakes, took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door of the He family.

At this point, He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi had just finished dinner.

He Chengze heard a knock on the door and went to open it. Seeing Captain Kong outside, he raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Why are you here? Is there something wrong?"

Captain Kong smiled awkwardly and said, "Well... there's something." He looked behind He Chengze and asked, "Is Sister Jiang home?"

He Chengze stepped aside: "She is washing dishes in the kitchen."

He welcomed Captain Kong into the house and poured him some tea. "What do you want from Xueyi?"

Captain Kong's face flushed red, and after a long while, he finally uttered a few words: "I'm looking for Sister Jiang... to apologize to her. My husband was quite rude to her at the dinner table today."

He pushed the wine and cakes he brought forward and said, "It's just a small gift, not a token of respect. I hope Sister Jiang won't make a fuss about it."

He Chengze was speechless. He thought Captain Kong came for something, but he didn't expect that he came to apologize.

The sound of running water in the kitchen stopped, and Jiang Xueyi came out, wiping the water off her hands with a towel. "Captain Kong, you're not the one who did anything wrong. You don't need to apologize to me." She paused, "You don't need to apologize to me on behalf of Xue Jun either."

Captain Kong stood up and said awkwardly, "That won't do. No matter what, it's a mistake. Xue Jun was very aggressive today, and it really put you in an awkward position."

Jiang Xueyi looked at Captain Kong with a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

It's really hard to have a wife like Xue Jun. She has to come and apologize with gifts in the middle of the night.

Captain Kong saw Jiang Xueyi's sympathy and felt even more embarrassed. He wished there was a one-centimeter crack in the ground so he could crawl into it.

He clenched his fists. "I'm so sorry."

Jiang Xueyi sighed: "I still say the same thing, if Xue Jun really wants to apologize to me, let her do it herself."

She took the little bun, who was staring at Captain Kong with curiosity, and put on her shoes. She paused at the door and said, "I'll take the little bun out for a walk. You two can chat."

Xiaomi looked at He Chengze, then at Jiang Xueyi and Xiao Baozi, woofed, picked up the dog leash and handed it to Jiang Xueyi.

Jiang Xueyi took Xiao Baozi in one hand and Xiaomi in the other and went out to walk the baby and the dog.

He Chengze glanced at the drinks that Captain Kong brought and asked Captain Kong, "How about a drink?"

Captain Kong nodded, his face wrinkled like a bitter gourd.

What else can I do if I don’t drink? Am I going to go home and continue arguing with Xue Jun?

He Chengze filled Captain Kong's glass with wine and raised his hand: "You drink first, I'll go get some snacks."

After saying that, he turned and went into the kitchen.

Captain Kong picked up the wine glass, and the clear yellow liquid inside shone with a charming luster under the light.

He drank it all in one gulp.

The wine passed through my intestines and made the root of my tongue bitter and sour.

He Chengze came out of the kitchen and saw that Captain Kong had already finished a bottle of wine. He quickly stopped him: "Hey, drink slowly, drink slowly." He added, "You have to leave some for me."

Captain Kong turned a deaf ear and continued pouring wine into the glass.

He Chengze pushed a few plates of side dishes in front of him: "Here, the leftover cucumber salad from dinner, fried peanuts with dried fish, and the braised pig ears made by my wife. I was planning to take them to the military camp tomorrow, but today I'm giving them away for free to you."

Captain Kong picked up a piece of pig ear and stuffed it into his mouth.

Pig ears are obviously salty, delicious, soft, flexible and crispy, so why can't he taste the flavor?

Captain Kong sighed deeply, picked up the bottle and poured it directly into his mouth.

He Chengze: "Hey, hey, hey, if you pass out drunk here, I won't be responsible for carrying you back. I'll just push you out the door and you can sleep in the corridor."

Captain Kong drank more and more happily.

Seeing this, He Chengze simply changed his way of persuading: "Take it easy, you only brought these few bottles of wine. When you finish drinking them, you can go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy more."

Captain Kong then paused and slowed down his drinking.

He Chengze breathed a sigh of relief and jokingly asked, "What's wrong? No money to buy wine?"

Looking at Captain Kong's alcohol tolerance, he didn't think he was the kind of person who would get queasy after drinking a bottle of wine and couldn't go to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Captain Kong glanced at him and said with a wry smile, "I give all my monthly salary to my wife. The money I used to buy Sister Jiang a gift and apologize is all my private savings." He added, "If you ask me to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy wine again, I won't have any money left."

He Chengze smiled and said, "That's nothing. I have money. When I finish drinking, I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy more."

Captain Kong glanced at him again and asked, "What's the matter? Don't you have to hand over your salary to your wife?"

He Chengze said confidently: "Of course I have to hand it over, but my wife will give me pocket money. I don't have to save private money like you. I have enough money on hand, and I can occasionally buy snacks for my son."

Captain Kong curled his lips. It turned out that they were all the same and had to hand in their wages. Why was He Chengze so proud?

But when he saw He Chengze, he couldn't laugh anymore.

He Chengze, who also handed in his salary, was so well-dressed. His white shirt was clean and ironed, and if he wanted to drink, there were snacks available.

As for him, he washed his clothes himself, but they were not clean yet, with black and yellow spots on them. If he brought He Chengze home to drink, Xue Jun would kick them both out.

Captain Kong sighed, sighed, and sighed again.

He Chengze couldn't help but said: "Why are you sighing? No matter how blessed you are, you've sighed it away."

Captain Kong sighed again: "I sighed because I was wondering why other people's wives are so reasonable?"

When he came to apologize, Jiang Xueyi could tell that it was Xue Jun who was wrong, not him. She did not vent her anger on him, but rather went away sensibly, leaving He Chengze to drink with him and talk about his true feelings.

Captain Kong glanced at He Chengze, and the bitterness in his eyes was almost overflowing.

He Chengze: "Every family has its own problems." He chuckled, "But mine doesn't."

When Captain Kong heard He Chengze say "Every family has its own problems", his eyes lit up and he almost thought that there was some conflict between He Chengze and Jiang Xueyi. But when he heard him say that his family had no problems, his face fell.

He Chengze raised his glass with a smile: "Drink, drink."

Captain Kong raised his glass and clinked it with his: "Cheers."

He Chengze drank the wine in one gulp and said casually, "Old Kong, although your wife always finds fault with my wife, she is a generous person and doesn't bother with her. But shouldn't you give your wife a few more words of advice?"

Captain Kong said weakly: "I tried to persuade her, but she just wouldn't listen."

He smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. My wife is jealous of your wife. She thinks she's not as educated as her, yet she was able to get into the Women's Federation, which she couldn't. She also thinks your position is higher than mine, and she's not convinced. That's why she's always comparing herself to you and finding fault with you." He added, "She slammed the door and left today because of her inferiority complex. Please apologize to your wife on my behalf. I'm really sorry about this."

Captain Kong raised his glass, filled it with wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

He Chengze picked up the wine glass, but he didn't drink as much as Captain Kong. He took small sips and ate some snacks from time to time, feeling very comfortable. "You think so? I don't think so."

Captain Kong was stunned: "What do you mean?"

He Chengze narrowed his eyes slightly: "She slammed the door and left today. On the surface, it seems that she is rude to my wife, but in fact, she is not giving you face."

Captain Kong was stunned again: "What do you mean? I don't understand."

He Chengze snorted coldly: "Think about it yourself. If she really cared about you and thought about you a little more, she wouldn't have slammed the door and walked out on the spot." He added, "If she left, I would have some peace and quiet, but what about you? It would be so embarrassing for you to be left alone in front of everyone."

Captain Kong thought about the look on everyone's face after Xue Jun left...

"Everyone doesn't say it on the surface, but in their hearts they all think she's ignorant. Not only is she aggressive, but she also walks away when she can't win the argument." He Chengze raised his glass and took a sip. "It seems that she doesn't respect my wife, but in fact, she doesn't respect you. If she really cares about you and your interpersonal relationships, why would she make the situation so awkward?"

Captain Kong's expression changed, and he finally realized what was happening.

Yes, if Xue Jun really cared about him, would he ignore him?

Just imagine, if he were Xue Jun, how could he pick all kinds of troubles with the wife of his lover's boss and be so aggressive? How could he just walk away in front of his colleagues? Captain Zhao, Captain Qi and others were all his comrades whom he saw every day. If Xue Jun behaved like this, people would probably laugh at him behind his back.

After all, just like He Chengze said, she didn't care about him at all, so her actions were justifiable.

After figuring everything out, Captain Kong's expression changed again and again, and he even forgot to drink.

He Chengze looked at his expression, smiled slightly, and raised his glass: "Come on, drink, drink."

Humph, if you bully my wife, don’t blame me for showing off in front of your man!

Deputy Brigade Commander He is also very petty.

Captain Kong clinked glasses with He Chengze in a daze, unable to even taste what the wine tasted like.

When Jiang Xueyi came back from her walk, it was already ten o'clock.

Captain Kong had just left and He Chengze was wiping the table.

Jiang Xueyi glanced at the empty wine bottle on the ground and said in amazement, "How come you drank so much?"

She stood on tiptoe, moved close to He Chengze's mouth and sniffed: "How much did you drink?"

He Chengze lowered his head and kissed her: "How much have you drunk? Try it."

Jiang Xueyi rolled her eyes, and He Chengze smiled and explained, "I didn't drink much. The empty bottles on the ground were all drunk by Captain Kong." He added, "I even bought him a few bottles of wine from the supply and marketing cooperative out of my own pocket."

No wonder, Jiang Xueyi didn't smell any smell of alcohol on He Chengze.

I saw a lot more empty wine bottles on the ground. It turned out to be the masterpiece of Captain Kong.

She said jokingly, "I shouldn't have given you so much pocket money. Now you have enough money to treat Captain Kong to a drink. You know that drinking too much is bad for your health."

"It's harmful to the body, but it can also relieve worries." He Chengze said with a smile, "But please don't deduct my pocket money, otherwise I won't have money to treat Captain Kong to a drink next time he comes."

Jiang Xueyi: "What did you two talk about?"

He Chengze smiled slightly: "We didn't talk about anything. I just listened to him complain about Xue Jun, and then he kept asking me to apologize to you on his behalf."

Jiang Xueyi sighed. Captain Kong wasn't a bad person. This could be seen from the fact that he went door to door delivering coconut candies as soon as he arrived.

However, after staying with Xue Jun for a long time, it is inevitable that he will develop a bad temper, but he is definitely not a bad person.

Today's incident was mainly Xue Jun's fault, and had nothing to do with Captain Kong.

She was unwilling to accept Captain Kong's apology on Xue Jun's behalf, and Captain Kong apologized to her... It was not right for a grown man to be so humble for such a small matter as to protect his country. She left He Chengze at home and said something that only men could say to each other. This was the reason why she avoided going out today.

He Chengze smiled and said, "Don't worry, it will be difficult for Xue Jun to pick a fight with you in the future."

After all, the reason Xue Jun can act so arrogantly in the dormitory of the military compound is that she is relying on the power of Captain Kong. Even Captain Kong doesn't tolerate her, so how can she still act so arrogantly?

Jiang Xueyi raised her eyebrows: "What do you mean?"

He Chengze chuckled and said, "Keep it a secret." He then said, "Kiss me and I'll tell you."

Jiang Xueyi put her hands on her hips and said, "You dare to negotiate with me?"

The two of them got into a fight.

At the end of October, the second phase of literacy and skills training will start again.

Jiang Xueyi and Section Chief You have been very busy with this matter.

Word of the literacy and skills training class has spread, and many people have signed up, including some from well-off families.

Director Xie has handed the matter over to Jiang Xueyi with full responsibility. Jiang Xueyi set three rules: first, only women will be admitted; second, only those with an elementary school education or below; and third, those from poor families will be given priority.

Even so, there was still a constant stream of people coming to register, almost breaking down the door of the Women's Federation.

After all, you can learn knowledge in the morning, have a free meal at noon, and learn a skill to make money in the afternoon. Who wouldn't want such a good thing?

In the end, we recruited two classes of students, some of whom were from the first class.

The class is about to start, and Jiang Xueyi is very busy.

One day, she was writing a lesson plan in the office when Xu Shanshan suddenly walked in hurriedly and said to her, "Xiao Jiang, the teacher at the nursery school called and asked you to come over."

Jiang Xueyi's heart skipped a beat. Nursery? Could something have happened to the little one?

Jiang Xueyi collected the documents on the table and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Did the nursery teacher tell me why I was asked to go to the nursery?"

Xu Shanshan stammered, "It seems that the little one got into a fight in the nursery."

Jiang Xueyi was stunned. Little brat? Fighting? These two words simply didn't go together.

"Huh?" Chief You said in disbelief, "Did you hear wrong? The little bastard is so well behaved, how could he possibly fight?"

Little Baozi spent his first two years of life in the Women's Federation. He was cute and was well-educated by Jiang Xueyi and He Chengze. He was polite and sweet-mouthed. Everyone in the office liked him very much. Even Xiao Jin, who looked at people with his eyes not eyes and nose not noses, would secretly give little Baozi candies.

Chief You simply couldn't believe that a kid like that had fought.

Xu Shanshan didn't believe it either, but that's what the teacher at the nursery said on the phone: "Oh, I don't know either, but that's what they said. Xiao Jiang, you should go to the nursery soon."

Jiang Xueyi nodded and looked at Section Chief You.

Section Chief You waved his hand: "Go quickly."

Jiang Xueyi had just arrived at the nursery on her bike when she saw He Chengze rushing over.

The two looked at each other and decided to stop talking and go in to take a look.

Teacher Qiu was waiting for the two of them at the door. Seeing them, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Come with me."