Chapter 108: Dark Tide

Even though Ling Ling didn't know the malicious intentions of these women, she could tell that what they said was not good, and she angrily retorted: "Si Si was picked up by me, not my mother's! You are talking nonsense, be careful not to get acne on your mouth!"

Seeing Ling Ling was angry, the others were even happier and laughed, "Oh, you're so anxious!"

Lin Yue had already walked closer, and she said, "This sister-in-law seems to be very knowledgeable, she must have a lot of experience! I wonder in which year you came to join the army, is there anyone in your hometown who cares about you?"

Several people were startled, and when they turned around and saw Lin Yue standing behind them, they all felt very embarrassed. The woman who was talking stood up in a panic, picked up Ma Za and was about to leave, saying, "Oh, I was just teasing the child, don't take it seriously! It's getting late, and I should go home and cook. Let's talk next time, next time!"

As soon as she stood up, the remaining three people also stood up hurriedly and were about to leave one after another.

Lin Yue was not going to give in, so he stepped forward to block the way of the others, and said with a smile: "Sisters-in-law, don't be in a hurry to leave. I'm new here and I don't know anyone here yet. Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

The four of them looked at each other, and no one wanted to speak. Seeing that Lin Yue had no intention of letting them go, a slightly plump middle-aged woman said timidly: "Don't block the way here. The men should be back soon. We have to go home and cook. We don't have time to waste time with you here!"

Lin Yue turned his head and asked, "Who is this sister-in-law?"

The man didn't say anything. Seeing Lin Yue blocking his way, he lowered his head and rushed over.

Lin Yue sneered. Did she think she could get away with just being such a scoundrel? How could she let these people go so easily? These people were really disgusting. There were many gossipers in the countryside before, but at least they had some sense of propriety. No one asked the child about this matter.

What's more, Lin Yue didn't know these four people, but they grabbed the child and asked such dirty questions, which was extremely vicious.

Seeing that the person was about to bump into her, Lin Yue reached out and firmly grasped her arm, sneering: "Sister-in-law, why don't you pay attention to the road? It's not good to bump into people." She forcefully snatched the pony from the person's hand, opened it and put it on the ground, then pressed her to sit on the pony.

The woman was annoyed and said with a curse: "Run away, you idiot, why are you talking to me? Just tease your child and see how nervous he makes you!"

Lin Yue understood the second half of the sentence, but she didn't understand the first half. But she didn't think it was a good thing. She took the child from Lingling's arms, took off the basket on her back and put it on the ground. Little Mushroom was frightened by these people. Seeing her mother coming, she ran behind her and grabbed her clothes tightly. Lingling ran to the flowerbed very considerately and brought a stone for Lin Yue to sit on. Judging from the size, it must be at least 50 kilograms.

Lin Yue sat down and said with a smile: "Sisters-in-law, don't leave in a hurry. To be honest, you are just talking behind my back. If I didn't hear it, I wouldn't say anything. I don't want to embarrass you. We all live in the same family compound. We will see each other every day. I don't want to hurt the harmony."

She changed her tone and glanced at the four people coldly, "Well, I'm a person who protects my shortcomings. I may not care if you say a few words to me, but you can't say such hateful words in front of the children! What's more, this is the military. You spread such rumors, don't think you can just walk away. You'd better wait here. Aunt Liu and Aunt Jiang will be here soon."

Only then did they realize that the kid who was with Lin Yue had disappeared at some point, and they thought he must have gone to call for help.

The woman who spoke first said, "I'm talking to Captain Zhang's family. We were just joking around to tease the children. You can't be so incompetent that you're making a big fuss by asking the captain's wife to come over!"

"That's right. It was just a few jokes. You made such a fuss that the whole family will know about it. Do you still want to keep your reputation?"

Lin Yue was so angry that he laughed. He simply threw up his hands and said, "Then I have no choice. If my reputation is ruined, I will sue you. Although you are also military dependents, you can't just make up rumors about military dependents. Let me think about it. I remember there is another crime..."

Hearing hurried footsteps behind her, Lin Yue turned around and saw Aunt Liu and Aunt Jiang, whom she had met on the first day, along with two other women in their fifties, rushing over here.

Before the people arrived, Aunt Liu scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about here! Who is spreading rumors here? I think you have nothing to do all day and have nothing to do!"

When Lin Yue saw people coming, she pinched her thigh hard and tears fell instantly. She turned around and looked at the people who came with tears on her face. She didn't say a word, but she looked pitiful.

She was white, and her eyes turned red, and even her nose turned red. The beauty shed tears silently, but even these women were older and felt that they could not bear it. Aunt Jiang and another tall and thin aunt supported Lin Yue on both sides and comforted him: "Don't listen to the nonsense of those chattering people. You don't know these people, and they are famous for their foul mouths in the family compound!"

Lin Yue was supported by the two and sat down on the stone again. He looked up at the other aunt in confusion. Aunt Jiang introduced her, "This is the wife of our teacher, Master Xu. You can just call her Aunt Li."

Lin Yue called out, "Auntie Li." Then she looked at Auntie Jiang and asked, "Why are you all here? This is just a small matter of mine. I didn't expect to trouble you..." Lin Yue herself felt that her words were full of green tea flavor. But there was no other way. She had just arrived and couldn't confront the people in front of her. She didn't know their identities and whether there was any complicated relationship behind them. She could only use some means to test them first.

Auntie Li patted her on the back and said firmly, "Don't worry, we are here, and you will not be wronged in this matter. These people have been making trouble in the family compound all day long, and it's time to discipline them!"

"That's right. You don't know how worried your eldest son was about you. He ran to find someone to help him, but he didn't know where we lived. We heard him crying outside, saying that someone was ruining your reputation and wanted to force you to death. We were so scared that we all ran away from home!"

The husbands of Aunt Li and Aunt Jiang are both Zhang Yuandong's direct superiors. If Lin Yue is bullied, they will naturally stand on her side.

Lin Yue and Xiao Wanli, who was running over not far away, exchanged glances and smiled knowingly. She hadn't expected this kid to be so awesome. She had only taught him a few words to say when he saw Aunt Jiang, but she hadn't expected him to call so many people over.

The person she wanted to invite the most was not Aunt Liu. Although Aunt Liu was the director of the Women's Department, her wife was not in the same division as Zhang Yuandong. She wanted to invite Aunt Jiang the most. Now that Aunt Liu had come and had defined the incident as the trouble caused by the people on the other side, she felt relieved.

On the other hand, Aunt Liu started to scold them right away: "You guys, every time a new military wife comes, you guys always complain a few words. You really can't blame others for scolding you. Even a dog can't keep its reputation if it walks past you! I think you are just idle. You feel uncomfortable if you don't talk about people's shortcomings behind their backs, right!"

Aunt Liu was the director of the women's department of the family home and the lover of Political Commissar Yang. No one dared to contradict her and could only mutter a few words in a low voice: "I really didn't mean anything else, I was just joking!"

"Are you kidding? Are you kidding the reputation of military wives? I think you really don't know the seriousness of the matter! This matter must be handled seriously, otherwise you will not learn your lesson and it will also chill the hearts of military wives!"

But unexpectedly, a beautiful female voice came from a distance: "Sister Liu, I was standing there just now, and I heard their conversation. I don't think these people really have any bad intentions, they are just a few idle words, they won't be so serious. Besides, I think Comrade Lin Yue is very eloquent, so he won't necessarily suffer a loss!"

Everyone looked over there and saw a plump young woman walking towards them. She was about 27 or 28 years old, not very good-looking, but had a good figure and was very good at dressing herself up. She had neat short hair and wore a white blouse that was slightly fitted with a waistline and a sundress-style bottom. She also had a large blue and white checkered shawl draped over her shoulders. If you didn't look at the crystal sandals on her feet, this outfit was very much like the pre-founding era.

The woman raised her hand to push her hair behind her ears and said kindly, "Comrade Lin Yue, I'm not targeting you. I just think you've just arrived and really offended someone. It will be difficult for you to get along with others in this courtyard in the future!"

Lin Yue still had tears in her eyes, but her gaze had turned cold. She noticed that when this woman approached, everyone present seemed to have paused, and no one made a sound. Aunt Jiang beside her was stunned for a moment, but then she quickly reacted, lowered her head and whispered to Lin Yue, "This is the wife of Commander Zhou of the 42nd Division, her name is Sun Xiuli. These chatterboxes are all military dependents of their division."

Lin Yue nodded in understanding, and said calmly: "You must be Auntie Sun, I'm new here and I almost didn't recognize you. I can tell at a glance that you are a magnanimous person, I still have a lot to learn from you! You said I didn't suffer any loss, you must think a few words don't count, right? But I am a stingy person, I think words are like knives, and can be more deadly, especially to us women. Auntie Sun, do you think I am right?"

Sun Xiuli felt unhappy when she heard her call her "Auntie Sun" all the time, because she was young, and most of the military wives and those whose wives were not of high rank in the compound called her "Comrade Sun". Besides, the two families had no contact with each other. This woman was not much younger than her, and she called her "Auntie" right away, which made her grit her teeth.

She quickly adjusted her expression and said with a forced smile: "This Comrade Lin is really good at talking and knows a lot. Judging from his appearance and eloquence, he doesn't look like someone who grew up in the countryside. No wonder..."

"Comrade Sun Xiuli, please watch your words!" Aunt Liu interrupted in a sharp voice, "Since joining the army, Captain Zhang has always been fighting on the front lines and has made many contributions. His wife is raising children and participating in labor at home, which is not much easier than the soldiers on the battlefield. Comrade Lin Yue is a glorious military wife and deserves the admiration of all of us! Don't forget that what you say not only represents yourself, but also represents the attitude of your commander Zhou. Don't discredit Commander Zhou outside!"

A stern male voice interrupted, "Comrade Liu Xiuqin said it very well. Nothing is trivial in the army, and we must not let the wives of soldiers suffer any grievances. This matter must be handled seriously, and we can't just let it go with a few words!"