Chapter 34: Comradeship
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She rushed to the hotel entrance without a care in the world and pointed at Meng Hui inside through the glass window, shouting, attracting the attention of passersby: "Meng Hui! Secretary Meng! Are you worthy of your fallen comrades?! Are you worthy of Lin Xiu?!"
Meng Hui inside the glass window obviously heard it. He looked up suddenly and saw the angry Mrs. Zhang and the stunned Gu Qiuyue and Mrs. Li outside the window. His face instantly became extremely ugly, his eyes were as sharp as knives, and the cold aura that kept strangers away suddenly burst out. The female comrade opposite him also looked over in surprise.
Meng Hui stood up suddenly and walked out of the hotel in a few steps. He fixed his eyes on Mrs. Zhang's face and said in a cold voice, "Comrade Zhang Guilan, please watch your words. What do you understand?!"
Mrs. Zhang was so intimidated by his aura that she subconsciously took a half step back. However, relying on the crowd, she stiffened her neck and said, "I... I saw it with my own eyes. You were having dinner here with another female comrade. Does Lin Xiu know? Are you worthy of her husband's trust? Everyone has spread the word. Your comrade entrusted his wife to you, and this is how you take care of her?!"
"Entrust?" Meng Hui squeezed out these two words from between his teeth, with long-suppressed pain and an almost violent irritability surging in his eyes. "I am fulfilling my responsibility, but this does not mean that I need to sacrifice my whole life for it." He bit the last few words very hard, with a sense of almost catharsis.
He took a deep breath, as if suppressing his turbulent emotions. His eyes swept over Gu Qiuyue and Mrs. Chen, and finally returned to Mrs. Zhang. His tone was stern: "As for this comrade, she is Doctor Qin from the Municipal Hospital. Comrade Lin Xiu was unwell, so I asked Doctor Qin to use his break time to see her. I happened to meet her today, so I had a simple meal to express my gratitude. That's all.
Comrade Zhang Guilan, your groundless speculation and accusations not only insult me, but also Dr. Qin's professionalism, and are a secondary injury to Comrade Lin Xiu. Please respect yourself!
After saying that, he stopped looking at Mrs. Zhang, whose face was turning red and white. He nodded slightly to Gu Qiuyue and Mrs. Chen as a greeting, then turned around and went back to the hotel. His back was stiff and tense, as if he was carrying a heavy burden that would break at any time.
Gu Qiuyue was shocked. Meng Hui's words "It doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my whole life for it" and the deep pain in his eyes were like a key, instantly connecting with Lin Xiu's extremely intense fear in the previous article.
That fear was not simply due to his cowardice or the fear of being discovered that he could recognize foreign languages. Behind Meng Hui's heavy responsibility, there seemed to be some unknown and suffocating truth.
And the "Doctor Qin from the Municipal Hospital" and "Lin Xiu's illness" he mentioned when explaining to Mrs. Zhang were like a stone thrown into the water, stirring up new ripples - was Lin Xiu's "falling down at the slightest breeze" really just due to her personality?
Mrs. Zhang was left speechless by Meng Hui's last words. She felt embarrassed and annoyed, and muttered, "Who knows whether what he said is true or not..." Mrs. Chen quickly tried to smooth things over and pulled her back.
Gu Qiuyue, carrying the bag, followed Chen Saozi and Zhang Saozi with heavy steps. Zhang Saozi was still mumbling to herself that Meng Hui was "guilty" and "there must be something fishy going on", while Chen Saozi whispered persuasion.
Gu Qiuyue didn't hear a word she said. In her mind, Meng Hui's almost heartbreaking question kept echoing: "It doesn't mean I need to sacrifice my whole life!" and the bottomless pain in his eyes, as well as Lin Xiu's eyes that were always filled with panic, as if an invisible hand was strangling their throats.
Meng Hui was well aware of the rumors circulating in the family compound. Why didn't he explain? Was it simply to protect Lin Xiu's reputation? That didn't seem enough. The weight of "a lifetime of sacrifice" was too heavy. And then there was Doctor Qin... What was wrong with Lin Xiu's health?
When they returned to the family compound, the news that Mrs. Zhang was publicly scolded by Meng Hui had obviously spread faster than the wind and had already spread. When the military families saw the three of them coming back, they looked at them with complicated eyes, some curious, some inquiring, some mocking Mrs. Zhang's presumptuousness, and some lingering suspicion of Meng Hui's behavior.
Mrs. Zhang blushed with embarrassment, lowered her head and quickly went back to her home. Mrs. Chen sighed and also went back.
Gu Qiuyue returned home and put down her things, feeling extremely upset. She wanted to go see Lin Xiu, but she was afraid that if she went there rashly, she would disturb her. While she was hesitating, Xie Shiyu came back. He took off his military cap and frowned slightly, obviously he had heard the news.
"Qiuyue, what happened today?" Xie Shiyu asked, his tone steady like a soldier, but also with a hint of subtle solemnity.
Gu Qiuyue took a deep breath and told him everything that happened at the hotel entrance that afternoon, including Meng Hui's intense reaction, that key sentence, Dr. Qin's explanation, and the details of what she saw the woman in the blue cloth coat.
After Xie Shiyu finished listening, he was silent for a long time. He walked to the window and looked at the place where Lin Xiu lived. After a while, he turned around and said in a low and serious voice: "Qiuyue, this matter... is far more complicated and serious than you can imagine. Meng Hui really has his own unspeakable difficulties."
"What's going on?" Gu Qiuyue's heart was in turmoil.
"Lin Xiu's husband, Lao Zhao, was Meng Hui's closest buddy. Their friendship was a life-and-death struggle. Before his death, Lao Zhao actually took Meng Hui's hand and entrusted his newlywed wife to him, as none of Lao Zhao's family members were safe from worry." Xie Shiyu paused, as if weighing his words. "This 'entrustment' was a gesture of comradeship. He was asking him to look after his widow, to ensure she lived a stable life in the unfamiliar military compound and wasn't bullied. That was all."
"But the family compound is rumored to be..."
"That's a misunderstanding, and it's getting more and more outrageous." Xie Shiyu interrupted her, his tone filled with helplessness and heaviness. "Meng Hui didn't explain at first. Firstly, he felt that the truth would be cleared, and explaining would only make it seem like he was hiding something. Secondly... more importantly, Lin Xiu was in a very bad state, and he was afraid of anything that would upset her."
"Lin Xiu she..." Gu Qiuyue's heart tightened.
"Old Zhao's sacrifice was a huge blow to Lin Xiu, needless to say. But the root of her problems may be deeper." Xie Shiyu lowered his voice. "Old Zhao's family... was a special case. His parents died young, and he was raised by his uncle and aunt. His uncle and aunt, especially his aunt, were mean and unkind, and were extremely picky about Lin Xiu, their niece-in-law. After Old Zhao's death, they took out all their resentment on Lin Xiu. During the years Lin Xiu stayed at Old Zhao's house, she suffered a lot mentally. Meng Hui brought her to the military family compound, hoping to get her out of that environment and raise her well."
Gu Qiuyue gasped, instantly understanding the source of the deep-seated fear in Lin Xiu's eyes. It wasn't simply cowardice, but a traumatic stress response from long-term mental oppression. "So her body..."
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