Chapter 18 Standing Up for His Wife
Shen Zhixia felt this was an opportunity to clear her name, so she said, "I am indeed from the city, so people have some misunderstandings about me, thinking that I can't do housework or work. These past two days, Xiuying has been saying that she wants to help me with the farming. She is a kind-hearted person. Even though I have refused, she still insists on helping me. But I still want to tell everyone that I am actually the same as you. I know how to farm and I can do other jobs."
Li Xiuying blushed when she heard this.
Although Shen Zhixia didn't say it explicitly, she had already hinted at it to her.
The Li family's reputation wasn't good to begin with, and the fact that Old Madam Li had just treated Shen Zhixia like that, coupled with Li Xiuying's habit of always listening to Old Madam Li, made everyone understand perfectly well what was going on.
Li Xiuying wasn't really trying to help Shen Zhixia at all; she just wanted to mock Shen Zhixia for not knowing how to farm at all. Little did she know that Shen Zhixia not only knew how, but was also very proficient in it.
Zhang Weihong frowned and glanced at Li Xiuying. She had never liked Old Mrs. Li, but she still felt sorry for Li Xiuying. Now it seemed that they were indeed family, and Li Xiuying was not a good person either.
Huo Chenzhou recalled Li Xiuying coming to see Shen Zhixia yesterday. He wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was quite clever. He immediately understood why. He said coldly, "Is this how you usually treat my wife?"
He found it strange. Li Xiuying and Shen Zhixia were clearly not familiar with each other at all, but Li Xiuying was so enthusiastic yesterday. So that's what they were after.
They just wanted to humiliate her wife today. If Shen Zhixia hadn't been smart, she would have fallen into their trap.
His face darkened, turning completely black.
A fine layer of sweat appeared on Officer Li's forehead. He quickly said, "My sister really just wanted to help. She didn't mean any harm. She's just young and doesn't know how to speak properly, which is why she did things that could be misunderstood."
Zhang Weihong sneered, "If your sister didn't do it on purpose, what about your mother? They were working together very well today."
Officer Li gritted his teeth and said nervously, "Commander Huo, as you know, my mother doesn't understand anything. She never thinks before she speaks. Please forgive her this time."
As he spoke, he frantically gave Li Xiuying meaningful glances.
Li Xiuying originally wanted to take this opportunity to show off her skills and attract more men's attention, but now it seems that she has ended up with more trouble than she intended.
With a mournful face, she moved over to Officer Li's side and whispered an apology: "Commander Huo, I was wrong in this matter. I apologize to Sister Chen."
Grandma Li didn't say a word.
She didn't think she had done anything wrong. Whenever she caused trouble, if the other party's official rank was lower than that of Officer Li, she could only endure it. If the official rank was higher than that of Officer Li, then Officer Li would have to clean up the mess.
She's already so old, and people here generally know how to respect the elderly. She also considers herself to be quite senior.
Huo Chenzhou had no intention of letting Old Madam Li off so easily. He said with a stern face, "Do you know why the army conducts a production labor month for military families? Because food is the lifeblood. When there is a food shortage, our troops brave artillery fire to harvest grain. Two years ago, during a severe drought, soldiers used tanks to dredge water to irrigate the farmland. Why does the army do this? Land is productivity!"
His voice was deep yet each word was forceful, startling Officer Li so much that his hands trembled slightly.
Looking at Huo Chenzhou's serious face, he had a bad feeling.
This matter could be a big deal or a small deal. If Huo Chenzhou uses his status to escalate the situation, it will be very troublesome.
Because Huo Chenzhou was his superior, he kept apologizing to him, hoping that he would not pursue the matter.
Huo Chenzhou turned to face the crowd, the hem of his military uniform tracing a clean arc with his movement: "This is saline-alkali land, and it should be treated. The whole country is engaged in production and construction; every day of delay means a significant loss of grain." He suddenly raised his voice, "Grandma Li, hindering production is hindering national development. According to regulations, this is sufficient grounds for punishment as sabotaging collective production."
This is going to be taken seriously.
Officer Li knelt down on the edge of the field with a "plop," and said nervously, "Commander Huo, please forgive me! My mother is getting senile! Please don't take it to heart!" He turned and glared at his mother, "Hurry up and apologize to Commander Huo's wife!"
Grandma Li's face turned ashen. She couldn't understand why such a small matter had escalated to such a great extent. This was the first time she had apologized in front of so many people. She walked up to Shen Zhixia and said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! My old eyes are failing me. Little Huo's wife, please forgive me this time."
Just as Shen Zhixia was about to speak, Huo Chenzhou stepped forward and blocked her way. The wind from his military overcoat swept the old lady's hand away.
Officer Li looked at Huo Chenzhou pleadingly: "Commander Huo, please spare my mother for the sake of our many years of friendship. She's my only mother, and I can't just watch her get into trouble."
Huo Chenzhou said coldly, "I only have one wife."
The two then faced off.
After a long while, Officer Li gritted his teeth and said, "I am willing to take the lead in digging the canal, which can be considered as making amends for my mistakes. Commander Huo, my mother and I will definitely make amends and ensure that there are no mistakes in the treatment of alkaline land."
Huo Chenzhou stared at him for a while, then patted the dust off his clothes and said, "If you can't dig the irrigation canal well, go to the regimental headquarters and apologize." As he turned around, his military overcoat rustled in the wind: "Remember, food security is not something to be taken lightly."
Officer Li gritted his teeth, filled with anger but helpless.
Huo Chenzhou was talking about food security, but he was just exaggerating the situation and using his status to intimidate people!
Unfortunately, Huo Chenzhou's reasoning was perfectly valid, and Huo Chenzhou couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Huo Chenzhou was usually quite well-behaved in the army; no one expected him to be so treacherous.
"This is a one-time exception." Huo Chenzhou fastened his military cap, his gaze sweeping over the trembling Li, the clerk, from under the brim. "If you know you've made a mistake, correct it. Come dig the ditch tomorrow afternoon. If anyone dares to cause trouble again, don't blame me for court-martialing you!"
As he turned around, his military boots crushed a patch of saline soil. "Curing this land is also a medal of honor for the country!"
After saying that, he turned around, took Shen Zhixia's hand, and left.
The setting sun cast long shadows of them. Shen Zhixia turned her head and, in a daze, she felt that Huo Chenzhou overlapped with the heroic portrait in her textbooks.
After everyone left, Officer Li wiped away his cold sweat.
He could tell that Huo Chenzhou was mainly standing up for his wife today. After what happened today, everyone knew how important his wife was to him.
But he really didn't understand. The two of them were clearly going through a divorce before, so why was Huo Chenzhou still protecting his wife like this?
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