When the nearby market opened, there were definitely more than just a few people from the family compound who went.
However, since Xia Wenhua's child was taken away by Pei Songbai, and Huang's and Ye's children were not there, they had fewer burdens and naturally set off earlier, so they didn't run into anyone else when they left.
On the way back, however, some people buy less and spend less time shopping, so they go back quickly.
Although the three of them arrived early and spent quite a while shopping, there were hardly any people left when they returned.
Just moments ago, Sister Huang was lamenting that they hadn't run into a single acquaintance along the way. But now, listening to the old women in front of her chattering away, she was actually glad that they hadn't encountered any acquaintances at all.
"How can Commander Pei's wife be good-looking? I heard she's been married for several years and hasn't come to accompany him to the army. There must be something wrong with her."
“She used to refuse to accompany her husband to the army because she was ugly. I heard that she had a big fight with her family and things got really messy, so she came to accompany him. I wonder if this kind of woman will lead others astray in our area.”
"That's right, it's a pity that Commander Pei is such a talented young man."
"..."
These rumors existed even before Xia Wenhua arrived; Sister Huang and Sister Ye had heard them before as well.
However, none of them were meddlesome people, and since they didn't know Xia Wenhua before, they would at most step in and advise others not to talk about things they didn't know when things got too out of hand.
Who would have thought these old women were so bored? Just a few days ago they were saying they were too ugly to come and join the army, but now it's evolved into them arguing with their elders and being forced to come and join the army.
They thought that Xia Wenhua was so beautiful that once others saw her in person, the rumors that she was ugly would be disproven, and there would be no need to clarify them anymore.
As the rumors grew increasingly bizarre, the kind-hearted Mrs. Huang couldn't resist rushing over to investigate.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Commander Pei's family is doing just fine. You're all talking nonsense, or you'll get struck by lightning."
She was afraid that Xia Wenhua, being from the city, would be too embarrassed to speak up, so she jumped out first and cursed a couple of times.
The mindset of military family members is also very important. Normally, even if others gossip, they wouldn't do it so openly.
Because Huang's husband held a high position, most people would be willing to give her a good word, even if it was just out of respect for Commander Wang.
But it just so happened that when she was with Xia Wenhua this time, some people didn't give her any face.
The sister-in-law of Battalion Commander Li from the Second Regiment glanced at her sideways: "Huang Xiuhong, what does it matter to you what we say about other people? Are you bored out of your mind? I'm just saying, Regiment Commander Pei's wife is ugly and doesn't know how to get along with people, and she was even forced to come and live with the army. So what?"
Before Pei Songbai was promoted, Battalion Commander Li had been planning for a long time for the vacant position of regimental commander in the First Regiment.
In the end, both he and his family felt that the position of regimental commander was rightfully his, but Pei Songbai suddenly appeared and took the position from him.
Pei Songbai had no background; he rose through the ranks entirely on his own, through sheer hard work and skill. He was a true hero.
Even those who weren't originally from their side, but had heard of Pei Songbai's name, felt that there was nothing wrong with this transfer order.
Battalion Commander Li ultimately failed at the last hurdle. He dared not speak out in public, but at home he must have secretly cursed Pei Songbai countless times. Naturally, his family members also disapproved of Pei Songbai.
Unfortunately, Pei Songbai was an upright person and had never had any scandals, so there was no way to spread rumors about him.
It was only in the last six months that some people suddenly appeared who wanted to arrange marriages for Pei Songbai. After Pei Songbai refused, it was only from other people that Battalion Commander Li's family learned that Pei Songbai was married.
Despite being married for so long, no one had ever seen Pei Songbai's wife. She inquired around Pei Songbai's former post, but found that no one from Pei Songbai's family had ever come to the military camp. After thinking it over, she spread this rumor.
While Sister Huang was arguing with Battalion Commander Li's family, Sister Ye was equally angry, but she didn't act impulsively. She first explained the situation to Xia Wenhua before preparing to help.
Xia Wenhua grabbed Sister Ye's arm, met Sister Ye's gaze, shook her head, and stepped forward on her own.
The Li battalion commander's wife and the others who fawned over her were saying the most nasty things, but Sister Wang fought them all and was not at a disadvantage at all. She went all out to protect Xia Wenhua.
When Xia Wenhua came out, she grabbed her and said, "This is Commander Pei's family. Open your dog eyes and look! You call this ugly? If someone as beautiful as her is considered ugly, then you might as well not go out in public. Aren't you afraid of scaring people?"
Xia Wenhua didn't rush to implement her idea. Instead, she let Sister Huang show off her skills, leaving the other party speechless.
Talking behind someone's back is not a respectable thing to do. It's one thing to argue with Sister Huang, but after all, Sister Huang is not the person in question. There are plenty of women in the army who have nothing better to do than quarrel every day.
But now that the person in question has come out, anyone with a modicum of common sense knows this is wrong.
Two people immediately took a step back, clearly unwilling to get involved.
Li's wife was already irritable, and her argument with Sister-in-law Huang just now made her even more out of control.
Even now, upon seeing Xia Wenhua in person, they still didn't hold back: "Pretty? She looks like a vixen. No wonder she doesn't get along with the elders in her family. She's a slut!"
She's always been a gossip, and after discovering that Xia Wenhua is actually quite beautiful, her jealousy intensified, and she started spewing nonsense as soon as she opened her mouth.
Xia Wenhua's face immediately turned cold. She pulled away Huang's hand that was holding her and went straight up to slap the woman from Commander Li's family.
"Watch your mouth. If you don't know how to speak, I can teach you!"
She has always believed in revenge and retribution. What's the point of a simple exchange of insults? People who come on to act like scoundrels should be taught a lesson so they won't dare to act like scoundrels again.
Li's family immediately erupted: "If you dare hit me, if you dare lay a hand on me, I'll kill you!"
She lunged at him menacingly, but Xia Wenhua simply grabbed her hand and pinned it behind her back.
"Even a little kid knows that swearing will get you slapped, and you're so old and you still don't know? The one who starts it is the one who's rude. If you dare to swear, you should be prepared to get hit."
Xia Wenhua had studied Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) techniques, and with a little skill, none of these people could defeat her.
In normal times, arguments can escalate into physical fights, but women usually use both hands and feet. Who has ever seen someone subdue someone so effortlessly like Xia Wenhua?
The people standing next to Battalion Commander Li hesitated about whether to go up, but Xia Wenhua, while pressing down on Battalion Commander Li's house, did not forget to give them a sweet (not really) smile.
"Don't go! You're all so eloquent. Let's go talk to the division commander together later. You mustn't back down."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
