"They're here, they're here!"
Zhou Qiqi responded loudly, and then rubbed her lower back against the headboard a couple of times.
Zhou was in such a hurry to send Zhouzhou out that he forgot to take his painkillers after breakfast. He lay down for a while but couldn't fall asleep. He felt a dragging sensation in his lower abdomen and a dull ache.
Then I remembered that I hadn't taken my medicine. I thought about getting some water to take the medicine, but when I reached for the thermos, I realized what had happened.
When Qin Lei asked her this morning, she patted her chest and said the thermos was full, but she forgot that she had emptied it last night, and now there wasn't a drop of water left in the thermos.
She's had this habit since she was little: whenever something important happens, she puts in her best effort to prepare everything, and when she gets busy, she tends to forget about other little things.
He is a typical example of someone who is "meticulous about important matters but careless about trivial ones."
Just as I was about to get up to boil water, I heard a loud knocking on the door.
Her heart skipped a beat, fearing that Zhouzhou had left something behind, and she shuffled to the door in her plastic slippers.
There really is a little kid at the door, but of course it's not Zhouzhou.
Jiang Xiangyang was panting heavily, his bangs were stuck to his skin, and he was holding an iron ring in his hand as he stood on tiptoe and peered into the house.
"Aunt Zhou, I've come to play with Zhouzhou."
"Oh, what a pity, Zhouzhou went to the city to learn to paint today. She'll be there all day and won't be back until tonight, so she can't play with you."
As Zhou Qiqi spoke, she took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the child's sweat, but Xiang Yang pouted and puffed out his cheeks in anger.
"Cheng Yi is learning calligraphy, Duo Duo is learning to sing, and even Zhou Zhou is learning to paint. No one is playing with me anymore."
He suddenly stomped his foot and muttered something.
"And why didn't Zhouzhou tell me she was learning to draw? I can read her lips too! That little brat is so disloyal!"
Zhou Qiqi poked the dust off his nose and deliberately put on a stern face.
"Then that's your problem. Did you misbehave at school again and upset her, so she's ignoring you?"
Xiangyang scratched the back of his head, the tips of his ears turning red.
"I... I just stuck a scallion up Mr. Fei's nose while he was sleeping..."
"What?!"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes widened. Just thinking about that scene made her feel sorry for Teacher Fei. It was rare for her to actually put on a stern face when facing Jiang Xiangyang.
"You, you! No wonder your mom always calls you a troublemaker! What can I say to you? There's a limit to your pranks. You're not allowed to do this kind of thing again!"
Jiang Xiangyang was a little embarrassed. He hung his head and kicked the doorframe. "A couple of days ago, my mom specially stewed two old hens for Teacher Fei. All the lucky money I saved up for last year's Lunar New Year is gone..."
"I already know I was wrong!"
"ah?"
Zhou Qiqi, who had been keeping a serious expression, almost burst out laughing when she heard this.
No wonder Sister Deng didn't seem to mind spending the money when she mentioned buying two old hens the day before yesterday; it turns out she spent Xiangyang's New Year's money.
She had also eaten half of the old hen, and seeing the pained look on Xiangyang's face, she felt a little guilty. She turned around and went back into the house to grab a handful of fruit candies for Xiangyang.
This kid loves candy. As soon as he saw it, all his previous listlessness vanished, and he skipped and hopped away.
"This kid, was he faking that just now?"
Zhou Qiqi smiled and shook her head. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw the raw recruit from yesterday running around panting, his uniform buttons all askew.
"Sister-in-law Zhou, please come with me. Director Zhou has been waiting for you for ages."
"Oh dear, I completely forgot about that."
Zhou Qiqi then realized what was happening. She slapped her forehead and said to the soldier with a smile, "Wait for me a moment, I'll boil some water and then I'll come with you."
The new recruits had long faces and their Adam's apples bobbed up and down.
“Sister-in-law, please don’t delay any longer. Director Zhou was furious when you didn’t go yesterday, and our security chief, Liao, made me stand for most of the night.”
This new recruit looked to be only seventeen years old, and his calves were still trembling a little when he mentioned being punished by standing.
"I waited for a while this morning, but you still didn't come. Director Zhou gave me a strict order to bring you back within ten minutes, otherwise Director Zhou will get angry... and I might be punished."
Seeing him like this, Zhou Qiqi felt a little sorry for him.
She thought it would take her at least ten or twenty minutes to go back and boil water, and since Zhou Shuhua probably didn't have anything serious to do, she would just call her over and "lecture" her a few words, and she would be back in half an hour at most, so she said.
"Okay, then I'll go with you first."
Although the Women's Director is not a position within the military establishment, the military region arranged a separate office for her in the small building where the logistics department stores things, but the location is rather remote, in the most remote corner.
Pushing open the door, Zhou Shuhua was sitting upright behind her desk, holding a pen in her hand. Hearing the noise, she didn't even lift her eyelids, but raised her chin and said, "Come in and sit down."
Then, with a "thud," he slammed the document onto the table.
Zhou Qiqi looked down and saw the "Provisional Regulations of the General Political Department on the Management and Education of Military Dependents Areas".
Before she could examine it closely, Zhou Shuhua spoke up.
"You haven't seen this yet, have you? According to regulations, all family members who come to our military dependents' area must participate in a unified study session. Since you arrived suddenly and missed the previous batch, you'll have to study on your own."
As soon as Zhou Qiqi saw the document, she knew that Zhou Shuhua was just making trouble out of nothing, and she even came up with a high-sounding reason. But Zhou Qiqi knew she couldn't avoid it, so she simply lowered her head and read it carefully.
The regulations were over ten pages long. After reading them, Zhou Shuhua adjusted her reading glasses, her gaze behind the lenses piercing Zhou Qiqi like an awl.
"Have you learned anything from this? Do you realize your mistakes?"
Zhou Qiqi felt a little confused.
"What mistake? Director Zhou, I haven't violated any of the rules."
Zhou Shuhua adjusted her reading glasses.
"You only read the rules, but didn't you see that it also promotes friendship and unity? Have you been united? Have you been friendly?"
Zhou Shuhua slammed her hand on the table, making the enamel mug on it shake, and then began to list all the problems.
"Not only are you not united and friendly, but you're also making a ruckus!"
"Ever since you came to the military dependents' area, you've been arguing with people every other day. Several military wives have complained that they have conflicts with you and that you're causing them trouble. You're now the troublemaker in our military dependents' area!"
Zhou Qiqi slammed the rules back onto the table with a "bang," her voice even louder than her own.
"Several military wives? You mean Qiu Chunfang and the others? You were at the movie theater that day too. They were the ones who tried to catch me cheating first, not me causing them trouble. They even spread rumors about your nephew Lei Ming."
Hearing Zhou Qiqi mention Lei Ming, Zhou Shuhua became even angrier, her eyes widening.
"And what about Zhouzhou? She used to be such a quiet child, but after you took her in, she started fighting with other kids in the street!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com