"Sister-in-law, Captain Xie has been taken away."
Ruan Mingfu couldn't help but take a step back, and Hu Wanning stepped forward and supported her.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry," she looked at the young soldier, "What's the situation? Has there been any notice from above?"
The little soldier shook his head.
"I only saw several people coming upstairs, and they took Captain Xie away."
"How so?"
Ruan Mingfu's brows were tightly furrowed.
"It's probably just cooperating with the higher-ups. It's nothing serious," Hu Wanning comforted her. "When Lao Xu comes back, we'll know what happened."
Xiao Zhan stood aside, looking at Ruan Mingfu with a worried face, and swallowed the words on his lips.
What he didn't say was that these people came with knives and guns, and it was obvious that they were here with ill intentions.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'll go and ask around."
"Hey," Ruan Mingfu thanked him, "Thank you for coming to let me know. I will let Old Xie thank you very much someday."
The little soldier scratched his head and said, "You're welcome."
After seeing off the young soldier, Ruan Mingfu was helped by Hu Wanning to sit down on a chair.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Maybe the higher-ups suddenly issued a task and asked Old Xie to lead everyone to complete it."
Ruan Mingfu's beautiful brows were tightly furrowed.
Even after hearing what Hu Wanning said, he never let go.
She is not stupid.
If what Hu Wanning said was true, how could the young soldier rush over to inform her?
"Yes, sister-in-law," Li Xianglan also advised, "All the soldiers are like this. When I was dating Lao Wang, I disappeared occasionally. It's normal to not see him for half a year."
"…At that time, my parents thought that this thing would not work out, so they found another one for me."
He Cuixiang looked over curiously, "What happened next?"
"Needless to ask? Of course it was Lao Wang who came back at the critical moment."
Li Xianglan nodded shyly.
"Sister-in-law is right."
If Captain Wang hadn't returned in time, the two of them would not have been able to succeed.
After hearing these words, Ruan Mingfu also smiled.
Hu Wanning patted her hands and said, "Don't worry. Sometimes my husband, Lao Xu, goes out on missions and doesn't even have time to pack his clothes. I was also worried about him. It was only when the superiors brought me a message that I felt relieved."
"Maybe Old Xie is like this."
Ruan Mingfu nodded.
But for some reason, she always felt uneasy.
Perhaps knowing her feelings, the three of them stayed. It was not until it was getting dark that Ruan Mingfu persuaded He Cuixiang and Li Xianglan to go back.
As the sky gradually darkened and Xie Yanzhao had not returned yet, Ruan Mingfu's uneasiness gradually grew.
"Sister-in-law, you should go back too."
Hu Wanning has a younger child at home, so how can he always be with her?
"No," Hu Wanning refused. "I'll wait with you. If anything happens, Lao Xu will come back to inform you first."
As time passed, her face became more solemn.
"Is the little fat boy still at home?"
"It's okay, I'll go find him and bring him back."
Without asking Ruan Mingfu's consent, Hu Wanning left.
She looked at her back and opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
Ruan Mingfu looked at the setting sun, and her worries were like the setting sun being swallowed by darkness. She couldn't sit still, so she couldn't help but walk around and look towards the gate frequently.
During this time, Wangcai ran over.
"Woof~"
Ruan Mingfu suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and finally touched its head.
"I don't have time to play with you right now, sweetie."
Wangcai wagged his little tail.
It didn't leave, but squatted at Ruan Mingfu's feet, lying on the ground, with its furry little paws holding its chin, and looked towards the gate with Ruan Mingfu.
As the last ray of light was swallowed up by the darkness, Ruan Mingfu felt more and more uneasy.
The wind started to blow around, and the lush radish leaves in the vegetable garden rustled. The wind blew on her body and ruffled Ruan Mingfu's long hair.
A chill spread throughout her body, but it was far less chill than the chill in her heart.
She pursed her lips, her brows furrowed since the afternoon.
Suddenly, there was a noise at the gate.
Ruan Mingfu raised her head abruptly, expecting to see the tall figure she remembered. However, when the person walked into the brightly lit area, she was disappointed again.
It was Hu Wanning who had returned, holding the fat boy in pajamas in her hand.
"Sister-in-law, hurry inside," Hu Wanning stepped forward and grasped Ruan Mingfu's hand, which was as cold as iron and made her shiver unconsciously. "It's so cold, what should I do if you get frozen?"
She took Ruan Mingfu's hand and went into the house together.
Wangcai also followed in.
As if sensing a different atmosphere from before, the lively and active dog calmed down and found a corner to nestle quietly.
Hu Wanning draped the blanket on the sofa over Ruan Mingfu.
"Sister-in-law, you must take care of yourself," she poured a cup of hot water and put it in her hand, "Don't let a false alarm make you sick."
The warmth in his hands temporarily dispelled Ruan Mingfu's uneasiness.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Xu hasn't come back yet?"
Hu Wanning paused for a moment, then shook her head as well.
"I don't know what happened in the army," Hu Wanning sighed, "Not only Lao Xu, but also Xianglan, Cuixiang, and Wang Saozi and Lin Saozi's men haven't come back yet."
This has never happened before.
Ruan Mingfu's brows furrowed even more tightly.
"What about the others?"
Hu Wanning also shook her head.
"This is a good thing," she grabbed Ruan Mingfu's hand, "It's not a big deal if we're all caught together."
The most worrying thing is that only a single person is arrested...that's something to be worried about.
Ruan Mingfu obviously understood this and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sister-in-law, what you said makes sense."
"Are you still worried now?" Hu Wanning gave her a teasing look, "You haven't eaten yet, right? It's hard to cook at this late hour, let's just have some noodles."
Ruan Mingfu nodded.
"There's still some meat in the refrigerator. I'll get it for you..."
The two of them had a simple meal. There was no sign of Xie Yanzhao outside the courtyard. The fat boy couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep. As time passed, the atmosphere became tense again.
This time, even Hu Wanning couldn't keep calm.
Like Ruan Mingfu, she frequently looked outside. Whenever she heard the slightest sound of wind, she would go to the door and take a look.
I can't remember how many times I was disappointed just when the clock hands reached zero.
Suddenly, there was a sound of the courtyard door opening, and the two people who were sitting on the sofa half asleep were awakened, and quickly opened the door and walked over. Looking at the person coming in against the thick night, Ruan Mingfu's eyes showed expectation.
It was also from this moment that she clearly knew how important Xie Yanzhao was in her heart.
But... she was still disappointed.
The person who came was Xu Zhu.
Hu Wanning breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him, and she didn't care that Ruan Mingfu was right beside her, she went forward and hugged his waist.
The voice was trembling a little:
"You scared me to death."
"I'm fine," Xu Zhu patted her shoulder. "There were no lights on at home, so I knew you were with your sister-in-law."
Ruan Mingfu couldn't help but glance behind him.
The place was empty, and there was no sign of Xie Yanzhao at all.
Hu Wanning let go of Xu Zhu somewhat embarrassedly.
They were already an old couple, but they hugged each other in front of others. She looked a little shy, but she didn't forget her business.
"Lao Xu, where's Lao Xie? Why didn't he come back with you?"
It was not a good idea to disturb the couple from reminiscing about the past, otherwise Ruan Mingfu would have spoken long ago.
Unexpectedly, Xu Zhu's face darkened.
He raised his head and looked at Ruan Mingfu. "Let's go inside and talk."
Xu Zhu's appearance made Ruan Mingfu more and more uneasy.
Sitting on the sofa, she couldn't help but ask, "Tell me, is there something wrong with Old Xie?"
Hu Wanning also stared at Xu Zhu closely.
His face was as gloomy as water. He looked into Ruan Mingfu's eyes and nodded slowly.
When she heard the news, her face turned pale.
"Sister-in-law," Hu Wanning hurried to Ruan Mingfu's side, holding her whole body, and not forgetting to glare at Xu Zhu fiercely, "Sister-in-law, listen to what Old Xu has to say first, things won't be that bad."
Ruan Mingfu looked at Xu Zhu, "Do you think Old Xie will die?"
"That won't happen."
Ruan Mingfu breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good."
Xu Zhu stammered, "Old Xie has also been implicated. If the situation is serious, he might...may be dismissed from his position in the army and sent back home."
"It's okay, I can support him."
Since there was no danger to life, Ruan Mingfu was even less anxious.
The bastard can no longer stay in the army, so at worst he can just follow his brother.
It's just a pity.
The dog man joined the army when he was in his teens and had been fighting here for at least ten years. Judging from the various injuries on his body, Xie Yanzhao must like it here.
If it really comes to this, it would be a serious blow to the man.
Xu Zhu: “…”
Why do I suddenly feel envious?
"Sister-in-law, don't panic." Seeing Ruan Mingfu's calm face, Xu Zhu suddenly didn't know what to say, "Things may not necessarily come to that point."
Knowing that the man was not in danger, Ruan Mingfu gradually calmed down.
"What on earth is going on today?"
"It's Commander Xie," Xu Zhu's face turned a little unhappy when he mentioned him, "Bai Qianzhu sued Commander Xie."
Ruan Mingfu:……???
It's just a complete confusion.
The recent news is really magical.
"What exactly is going on?" Hu Wanning also frowned. "Bai Qianzhu really values the position of Commander's Wife, why would she sue Commander Xie?"
It could also involve Xie Yanzhao, so it must be a big deal.
"A few days ago, Commander Xie led his men to catch an adulterer, and in a rage he kicked and injured Xie Yin," Xu Zhu took a deep breath, "I heard that he had internal bleeding and almost died. Even if he was saved, he would probably be a sickly person in the future."
The most important thing is that his internal organs are damaged...he may not live to be forty.
Bai Qianzhu could give Commander Xie a severe blow for Xie Yin, so she could naturally report him.
"The higher-ups just sent someone to investigate. Old Xie...will have to stay in jail for a few more days," Xu Zhu gave Ruan Mingfu a heads-up. "Sister-in-law, don't panic. I know what Old Xie is like. He will be fine."
"I know."
Ruan Mingfu nodded, and then thought of Commander Xie, the troublemaker.
"Is Commander Xie awake now?"
Xu Zhu shook his head.
The dim light in the living room shone on his face, making Xu Zhu's face dark and unclear.
"Old Xie has such a father, it's really..."
Although Hu Wanning did not finish the rest of her words, her meaning was expressed very clearly.
"Sister-in-law, since Lao Xu has said so, Lao Xie will definitely be fine," she patted Ruan Mingfu's hand, "You don't have to worry, just stay at home and wait for news these days."
Ruan Mingfu nodded, "Sister-in-law, it's late, you should go back and rest."
"Let Lao Xu go," Hu Wanning glanced at him, "I'll stay with you today."
Xu Zhu: “…”
The wife has already made up her mind, what else can he say?
Finally, Xu Zhu stood in the biting cold wind, looking at the darkened room after turning off the light, and walked away alone, feeling frustrated.
Although Ruan Mingfu was worried, she knew that Xie Yanzhao was just asking her questions on a routine basis, so her anxiety finally dissipated. She spent the past two days pretty much like usual, except that Hu Wanning was worried about her and often came over to talk to her.
That day, Sister Lin, Sister Wang, Li Xianglan, He Cuixiang, and Li Xiaoyue from next door also came with their children.
Looking at Li Xiaoyue's child, Ruan Mingfu moved closer curiously.
"She has grown up now, and looks nothing like the way she did when I saw her in the hospital."
"Children are like this," said Sister Lin, the oldest and most experienced. "They are different every day. You will understand when you have a child."
Ruan Mingfu: "..."
Wow, this can even be used to induce labor.
"This child is so handsome," Wang's wife leaned over to take a look, "When he grows up, he will definitely be a beauty. By then, your door threshold will be trampled down by people."
The smile on Li Xiaoyue's face seemed more genuine.
"I haven't thought that far. It's enough for her to be safe and sound."
"That's right," said Mrs. Lin, who was most touched. "What's the point of my two children being successful? They are not around all year round. I still have to worry about them, fearing that they will be hungry or thirsty..."
Mrs. Wang nodded. "This is better. If you were a soldier on the battlefield and didn't know whether you were alive or dead, that would be heartbreaking."
"Well, let's not talk about the child anymore," Sister Lin waved her hand, "I'm afraid I'll start to overthink things and Old Liu will scold me for making a fuss when I get back."
Hearing this, everyone laughed.
Ruan Mingfu leaned back in her chair.
I don’t know what happened, but the sun rose today after a long absence.
She blocked the sunlight with her hands, but it was still glaring.
"By the way, the spinach I planted has grown a lot," Wang Saozi looked at Ruan Mingfu and said, "I'll pick some for you to taste later."
"Then I'll be welcome."
Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "I just like you not being polite."
"…My father-in-law has been lying in the hospital for so many days, and he still has the nerve to smile there!"
A shrill voice came over, and everyone looked towards the person who spoke.
But she was seen in Wang Manman's yard next door.
She was old, with gray hair, and two very deep lines around her mouth, which made her look very mean and unbearable, and her pair of old eyes with ill intentions looked at Ruan Mingfu unscrupulously.
Hu Wanning frowned.
There were quite a few people sitting in the yard, most of them were elderly.
"Captain Xie has been here for two days now, and she is still dressed up beautifully, not looking anxious at all."
"Look at her appearance, she's not a serious person."
"If Captain Xie had married Comrade Shao Mingzhu from the Art Troupe, she would have been better than her..."
"What are you talking about?" Hu Wanning frowned as he listened to these people's words. "Believe it or not, I will tear your mouths apart."
Those ladies were old enough to be Hu Wanning's mother-in-law, so how could they be afraid of her?
"You are so young, why are you so angry? We are old enough to be your mothers, and you still dare to scold us like that."
"We are telling the truth..."
"That's right, where did we go wrong?"
"If she did a good job, how could we possibly find fault with her..."
"It won't work if there are no elders at home. Young people just can't handle the hardships."
Ruan Mingfu: "..."
These aunties are so annoying, just like the aunties who play music and dance in the square in later generations, so annoying.
"No matter what I do, I don't need you people to tell me what to do."
One of them, an old lady with neatly combed hair who looked respectable, looked at her disapprovingly.
"Comrade Ruan, you were also an educated youth. We are all your elders. How can you speak to us like this?"
"That is, I don't know what is taught in school."
"If I had met a student like this when I was young, I would have had to teach her a lesson..."
He is a lover or a teacher, with this quality?
Ruan Mingfu was about to speak when Mrs. Lin tugged at the corner of her clothes.
"Don't bother with these people," she shook her head at Ruan Mingfu, "They have their own reasons, and you can't reason with them."
Ruan Mingfu seemed to understand but not quite.
She walked straight in, and the ladies became even more proud when they saw her.
"We should have taught her some principles of life earlier."
"That's right. Look at how she handled her father-in-law's affairs. She has brought disgrace to our family compound. If this gets out, I won't be able to go out with my dignity intact."
"Well, if it weren't for Captain Xie's high rank, I would have wanted to make a suggestion to the logistics department and ask her to move out!"
“No—Ah!!!”
A large basin of water fell from the sky, soaking these old guys who were relying on their age to take advantage of their age.
Ruan Mingfu threw the empty basin in her hand to the ground.
"Go on, go on?"
Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Wang were both stunned.
This group of old ladies love to gossip, but because they are old, they just swallow their anger and don't bother with these old things. Apart from Aunt Liu, she is the number one cancer in the family compound.
Everybody is getting fed up with these people, but these old guys just have such a strong sense of superiority.
Also, because she is a teacher, the sister-in-law in the family compound has an air of superiority and ignorance.
Either they don't like that thing, or they look down on this place.
There are thousands of households in the family compound, but not a single one is worthy of the attention of these old guys.
The well-dressed old lady looked embarrassed and angry. She stretched out her hand and pointed at Ruan Mingfu as if she had Parkinson's disease.
“You…you…”
Hu Wanning was startled and hurried over.
"Are you okay?"
Ruan Mingfu looked across and raised her delicate chin.
The old ladies became even angrier when they saw Ruan Mingfu's appearance.
"Has your family never taught you how to respect the elderly?"
"I've been taught that," Ruan Mingfu looked at the embarrassed old ladies, "My mother said that we should respect the elderly and treat them with respect. We don't need to be polite to those old people who don't have good manners and point fingers at others."
After hearing this, several hot-tempered old ladies almost exploded with anger.
Hu Wanning secretly gave Ruan Mingfu a thumbs up.
“You…you!”
The old lady was so angry that her face turned blue, and Ruan Mingfu was really afraid that she would accidentally poke at her. If she did, it would be bad.
"Everyone, bear witness. I didn't do anything to you."
"That's right, how could my sister-in-law, who is so kind, do anything to the old man?" He Cuixiang smiled maliciously, "but my sister-in-law hasn't even touched him."
Who doesn’t get annoyed by these old ladies?
He Cuixiang had just arrived in the army and was unfamiliar with the place. She accidentally bumped into one of the old men. It was just a light bump, but the other party was relentless. She had just arrived at that time, and with the idea of keeping things quiet, she had no choice but to go to the door to apologize.
Unexpectedly, the old lady stood up again.
He Cuixiang held her breath in her heart, but she was happier than anyone else when she saw these people suffering from misfortune.
“You… you, you are talking nonsense…”
The old lady looked at the messy water stains on her body, her face becoming increasingly grim.
Her eyes rolled back and she simply sat on the ground crying.
"The world is so unfair. I am so old, but I am still bullied by a young man... What a sin..."
With one person taking the lead, the other aunts followed suit.
"You damn bastard, why doesn't the sky send lightning to strike her to death!"
"You don't have any elderly people in your family? You bully us like this, aren't you afraid that one day someone will bully your elderly in the same way..."
Ruan Mingfu: "..."
Stupid thing!
He is not good at anything and is the best at making trouble.
The ones who deserve to be struck by lightning the most are these old guys!
Ruan Mingfu's hand began to move again, but Hu Wanning reached out and grabbed it.
"Sister-in-law, don't be impulsive," she glanced at the old woman sitting on the ground and crying, "Think about Old Xie... At this critical moment, don't make things worse."
Sister Lin also advised, "Wan Ning is right."
"sister in law..."
Li Xianglan also gave some advice.
Ruan Mingfu took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in her heart.
These old ladies must have been lucky to go out today!
Just as she was about to leave, Wang Manman heard the noise coming from her own yard from a distance and ran over. She saw her mother sitting on the ground, looking disheveled and as if she had been badly bullied.
At that moment, anger filled my heart.
"Stop!" Wang Manman stared at Ruan Mingfu fiercely, "Did you do this?"
Ruan Mingfu finally understood why Wang Manman moved here.
With these few troublemakers around, no one can stand it.
"It's me," Ruan Mingfu waved away Hu Wanning's hand and raised her delicate chin slightly, "What do you want?"
"Go to hell!"
Wang Manman looked at Ruan Mingfu's extremely beautiful face and the jealousy she suppressed as a neighbor. Her anger rose from the soles of her feet to the back of her head. She picked up the bag in her hand and threw it at Ruan Mingfu.
Fortunately, Ruan Mingfu reacted quickly and helped Li Xianglan, who was pregnant and standing nearby.
I don't know what was inside, it fell on the grass with a dull sound.
Ruan Mingfu was also angry.
She picked up the washbasin she had just thrown and threw it towards the other side.
Wang Manman was not as lucky as her.
The heavy iron basin hit Wang Manman's head with a crisp sound. She was stunned for a moment, and the old lady beside her was also startled. She quickly grabbed her daughter's hand and asked, "Are you okay?"
Wang Manman covered her head.
Her face was gloomy and she looked at Ruan Mingfu viciously.
"How dare you hit me, you bitch!"
"I'll beat you, what can you do about it?"
Wang Manman was furious.
Especially the head that was hit still hurt. This made Wang Manman feel even more humiliated towards Ruan Mingfu while she was still angry.
The look in her eyes when she looked at Ruan Mingfu was filled with rage.
She was beaten, she was actually beaten!
"I'm going to fight you!"
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