As Lu Ze had predicted, the military required evidence to conduct its work. Without evidence to prove that the incident was intentional, the investigation concluded that it was an accident.
According to Sister-in-law Meihua, Qin Lamei was very dissatisfied with the investigation results and made a scene at the hospital, saying that the army was taking advantage of her husband's absence and deliberately protecting Xiao Qing.
In short, it was a very ugly situation, and Qin Lamei only calmed down after Deputy Regiment Commander Ning returned.
During Qin Lamei's convalescence in the hospital, Yu Yao and Sister Dan visited her on behalf of the Women's Union and the family compound.
Yu Yao tried to probe Qin Lamei's intentions, but no matter how she tried to get information indirectly, she still couldn't find a clue.
The other party not only felt that Wang Xiu was completely innocent in this incident, but also firmly believed that the whole thing—from Wang Xiu getting the meat, the two meeting, and the spilling of food—was Xiao Qing's scheme.
Wang Xiu was kept in the dark from beginning to end and was made a scapegoat.
Wang Xiu was also a good actress. She took leave from her side job and took care of Qin Lamei meticulously.
It seems impossible to find any clues about Wang Xiu's scheming through Qin Lamei.
Yu Yao put down the gifts she had given to the other women in the family compound and left the ward with Zhu Xiudan.
Just as I left the ward, I ran into Wang Xiu, who was returning with hot water.
Wang Xiu's eyes held a hint of wariness, and she tightened her grip on the kettle. "Sister Dan, are you leaving?"
Sister Dan nodded, "Comrade Qin hasn't fully recovered yet, so we won't disturb her rest any longer."
Wang Xiu's gaze lingered on Yu Yao for a moment before subtly shifting away to look at Sister Dan: "Sister Dan, please take care. I'll go in first to take care of my cousin."
Zhu Xiudan nodded and said to Yu Yao, "Yu Yao, I'll take you home to your family compound first."
Before taking a step, Yu Yao glanced into the ward. Wang Xiu was serving Qin Lamei water, a beautiful scene of sisterly affection.
She looked away. "Sister Dan, let's go."
Good advice is useless against a damned ghost; put aside your desire to help others and respect their fate.
On the way back, Yu Yao chatted with Sister Dan about the side task force. After she took leave, Division Commander Zheng transferred Comrade Hao, the wife of Chief of Staff Liu, to temporarily take over her position and work with Sister Dan to manage the side task force's affairs.
Next year, the side business will be expanded into a military factory, which will require someone who can keep things in check. Sister Dan is already in charge of the women's union and the family compound, so she is too busy to manage both.
It just so happened that Chief of Staff Liu's wife was a former school principal with rich leadership experience. She had just retired from the school, so Division Commander Zheng invited her to take charge of the military factory next year.
"Old Zheng said that Comrade Hao is just playing a transitional role. In two years, when you have grown up, you will still have to be the director of the military factory."
Yu Yao hadn't expected Commander Zheng to place such high hopes on her. Although the task was arduous, Yu Yao was no longer the clueless newbie she once was.
She certainly wouldn't refuse such a great opportunity.
"Thank you, Sister Dan and the leaders of the unit, for your trust in us. I will definitely work hard and live up to the expectations of the organization."
Zhu Xiudan nodded with relief, "With your words, we can rest assured."
The ward.
Wang Xiu poured Qin Lamei a cup of hot water and asked casually, "Cousin, what did Comrade Yu say to you alone just now? She didn't look too good."
Qin Lamei took a sip of hot water. "It's nothing. They just asked what we did this morning and how I ended up there."
Upon hearing "myself," Wang Xiu paused, "Comrade Yu asked you about me?"
Why would Yu Yao ask her cousin this question?
Did she sense something?
"Yeah, and they even asked me what I thought of you and Xiao Qing. Isn't that ridiculous? You're my sister, my only family. What could I possibly think? But Xiao Qing is different. Whether she did it on purpose or not, she's a jinx, she killed my son..."
As she finished speaking, Qin Lamei's chest heaved, and she began to curse again, cursing Xiao Qing, the staircase, and the people conducting the investigation...
Wang Xiu suddenly interrupted her, "Cousin, I just remembered I need to talk to Sister Dan about something. I'll go out for a bit."
Just in case, she decided to avoid the situation for a while and asked for a few more days off under the pretext of taking care of her cousin.
After leaving the military hospital, Wang Xiu ran straight towards the office of the women's director.
When she arrived at the office, she raised her hand to knock on the door. Seeing that the door was ajar, she was about to push it open when she heard Zhu Xiudan talking on the phone and mentioning her name.
"The list of cadres for next year's military factory has been released. You mentioned Wang Xiu? I discussed it with another cadre from the sideline group, and she said that Wang Xiu's temperament is unpredictable. We should observe her for a while longer; we won't make a decision this time..."
Wang Xiu wouldn't listen to what was said after that, and turned around and left.
The further she walked, the angrier she became, her anger rising rapidly.
She was the head of the accounting department of the side business group. She was the one who helped the side business group grow from a fledgling operation with nothing to the size of a military factory.
Why shouldn't Yu Yao choose her?
"What do you mean by 'unstable temperament'? Bah! You just don't like me and want me to give Sun Yuteng his position? You're dreaming!"
"Yu Yao, I won't let this go so easily. We'll see!"
...
As you enter the late stages of pregnancy, time flies by like a rocket.
Yu Yao's belly changed every day, and even though she controlled her diet in the later stages, her belly was still surprisingly large.
Especially Lu Ze, who shared a bed with her, was terrified every time he helped her bathe, and would even wake up from nightmares in the middle of the night.
Several times, Yu Yao woke up in the middle of the night and saw Lu Ze holding her close, his face full of worry.
As the production date approached, Lu Ze's brows furrowed more deeply, and his eyes became bloodshot.
Moreover, the weather has been bad lately, so he led his troops to the communes below to help the villagers salvage their crops. Anxiety and lack of rest caused him to visibly lose a lot of weight.
"If you keep doing this, Xiao Yu won't even give birth yet, and you'll already be exhausted." Commander Zheng said with a look of disgust, waving his hand to shoo him away. "Alright, the remaining sugarcane harvesting tasks will be handled by Qi Feng and Ning Hongjun. Isn't Xiao Yu's due date in the next few days? I'll give you a few days off. Go back and prepare for childbirth, and come back to work after the baby is born."
On Lu Ze's first day off, Yu Yao woke up in pain in the middle of the night.
She felt an irregular tightening and cramping pain in her stomach, so painful that she bit her lip, feeling both shocked and scared.
Yu Yao gasped for breath, glanced at her stomach, then at Lu Ze's tired face. Thinking about how Lu Ze had looked even more haggard than her lately, she felt less scared.
She propped herself up on the bed and slowly sat up.
Dr. Cai said that Yu Yao's due date is very soon. Because it is her first pregnancy, she needs to be extra careful. Lu Ze doesn't dare to sleep too soundly every night.
Lu Ze would wake up almost as soon as Yu Yao made a sound.
He looked at Yu Yao anxiously, his voice tinged with sleeplessness, "Yao, what's wrong? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
“No,” Yu Yao didn’t have much strength to speak. She grabbed Lu Ze’s arm and shook her head, then said briefly, “I think I’m going into labor.”
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