When Bao Ni got off work in the evening, she had just arrived at the gate of the residential compound when Xu Meifeng was already waiting for her.
"Sister-in-law, I need to talk to you about something."
Xu Meifeng pulled Bao Ni towards her home. She had only heard the gossip circulating in the compound today.
"Sister-in-law, I heard from the other women who come to make clothes today that your child hired a diplomat as a teacher and spent a fortune on it."
When I heard that, I was shocked. What do you mean by a huge amount of money? Nobody owns a bank, how could anyone have a huge amount of money? Isn't that nonsense?
"You and Brigade Commander Gu should think of a solution. If this matter gets passed around, who knows what kind of rumors will spread?"
After hearing about it, Xu Meifeng specifically inquired with some people in the area, and they had also heard about it.
Bonnie was furious. She knew that if this matter were resolved, her husband Gu Ye would be accused of embezzlement and bribery, and how much money did he have? Moreover, if word got out, it would damage the image of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since it was spread within the compound, and Sister-in-law Wei Hong didn't tell her, it means it hasn't spread to other compounds yet; it must have spread in the last couple of days.
Bonnie didn't have time to say much to Xu Meifeng; she had things to do.
Bonnie went to the Shen family first. The Shen family lived in the same compound as them and wasn't too far away.
"Bonnie, just got off work, have you cooked dinner?"
Sister-in-law Shen had just returned, and she was quite welcoming to Bao Ni.
"Sister-in-law Shen, I've come to ask you something. Did you spread the word about my child learning a foreign language?"
Sister-in-law Shen's eyes darted away for a moment, then she quickly regained her composure and denied it directly, saying, "I didn't say that, I didn't say it."
Grandma Shen also came out. "What's wrong? What did you say?"
“I didn’t say anything, it wasn’t me who said it.”
Sister-in-law Shen firmly denied it, looking completely innocent.
"Auntie, I just found out today that everyone in the compound is saying that my child is learning foreign languages from a diplomat and has given him a lot of money."
I came to confirm this with Sister-in-law Shen, because not many people know that my child is learning a foreign language. Since Sister-in-law Shen has denied it, I apologize.
I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now.
Bonnie didn't give them a chance to speak. She ran straight to the military base and said to the soldier on guard, "Comrade, could you please ask if the commander or the political commissar is here? I'm a military spouse from the family compound, and I have something to report."
The soldier on guard duty was not allowed to leave his post, so another soldier came out to greet Bonnie.
"Hello, comrade, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, I am Gu Ye's wife from the Special Forces Brigade. I have something to report. I wonder if the Commander or Political Commissar has time to listen to my story."
Bonnie knew she wouldn't be able to see the commander, but it was after get off work hours, and she could always see other officers, corps commanders, and division commanders. She was determined to make a scene.
"I'm sorry, if you need to report something, you can contact other relevant personnel."
The young soldier was a little unsure what to do when he saw family members of soldiers coming up to the commander or political commissar for the first time.
I don't know if Bonnie was lucky, but a group of people came out of the army, and judging from their demeanor, they were all quite powerful.
"Go ask what happened?"
The commander and the others are having a meeting today; several top leaders are present.
The guard ran over, found out what was going on, and then returned to report.
"The woman is the wife of Brigade Commander Gu of the Special Forces. She said she wanted to see the Commander to report something."
The guard thought that Commander Gu's wife was really bold, going straight to the highest-ranking leader as soon as she arrived.
"Please ask her to come over and find out what's going on. Where is Commander Gu?"
"Commander Gu has led his team on a mission and has been gone for more than ten days," someone who knew the inside story replied.
Bonnie didn't know the commander; she had been to the neighboring residential compound a few times but had never run into him.
"Greetings, esteemed leaders. My name is Lin Baoni, and I am the wife of Gu Ye from the Special Forces Brigade."
"I've come here today because I have no other choice. I can't contact Gu Ye, so I have to turn to the organization."
"Gu Ye is on a mission, don't worry."
They assumed Lin Baoni had come here because she couldn't find Gu Ye.
“I’m not looking for Gu Ye. Here’s what happened: My mother-in-law’s old acquaintance is a retired comrade from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and my child is learning a foreign language from him.”
I don't know what's going on, but people in the compound are saying that my family spent a fortune to send our child to learn a foreign language from a diplomat, and that the Gu family is incredibly wealthy, with piles of money... I went out for a walk and found that there are already several versions of the story.
My son Gu Ye has earned absolutely nothing; he's completely honest. Aunt Zhai didn't charge him for teaching the kids foreign languages either. Isn't this just trying to pin a accusation on us? And they're even trying to pin it on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!
Bonnie launched into a rapid-fire monologue, giving the leaders no chance to ask any questions.
"Um, um..."
"My name is Lin Baoni."
The speaker couldn't remember Lin Baoni's name for a moment, which made him a little embarrassed.
"Comrade Lin Baoni, we understand what you're saying. We will resolve it. You must trust our army."
"I believe it, otherwise I wouldn't have come here as soon as I heard these messages."
I was really anxious. This matter concerns my husband Gu Ye's innocence, and also the reputation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I couldn't find Gu Ye, and I didn't know who else to contact. I'm really causing trouble for the organization.
Bonnie thanked them, offering a mix of genuine and feigned gratitude, escalating the matter to a higher level. It wasn't that she, as a family member, was being inconsiderate, but rather that the matter was quite serious.
The leaders assured her that they would find out the truth, so Bonnie didn't linger. She thanked them again and turned to go home.
"Gu Ye's family is quite impressive!"
"She is quite remarkable. She accomplished many great things when she was on the island. Our leaders have all heard of her."
The commander remembered it later; he had heard the name Lin Baoni somewhere before.
"Let the reconnaissance company handle this. Be quick about it. Comrade Lin is right about one thing: we can't cause trouble for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
With the commander giving the order, how could anyone not do their utmost?
In the family compound, unaware that Bonnie already knew about the rumors, they saw Bonnie's children whispering among themselves.
They felt it was unfair; why did the children of Brigade Commander Gu have such good resources, and why did they hold high-ranking positions and have money and power?
Now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, which parent doesn't want their child to get into a good university?
But when you look at your own child's grades, especially their foreign language grades, they are only a few points higher than single digits.
Two days ago, during the midterm exams, many parents saw the results of the Gu family's two children. Not only were they among the top students, but they also got almost full marks in English.
Many people became uneasy, and after hearing some rumors, gossip began to circulate.
Liu Jiu and the others felt that the people in the family compound had been acting strangely these past two days. They would be talking to each other, but when they saw the group of women coming over, they would stop talking, though their eyes never left them.
She wanted to drag them over and ask them what they were talking about; they were so annoying. Like mice, always doing things that were beneath them.
Liu Jiu was being held back by San Qi and Xuan Yi. "Don't make a move. Those people are weak and easy to extort from. It's not worth it."
"Get your hands off me, I'm not going over there, I'm going home."
Liu Jiu walked home in a huff, feeling really annoyed. She decided to check later to see which of their children was involved and whether any of them were tough enough to take a beating.
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