Old Li glanced at their large family and remarked, "But then again, wearing such formal attire to propose marriage today—isn't that a bit too much?"
Not that it was ostentatious, just somewhat overkill.
In this compound, weddings and betrothals happened all year round, but no one had ever seen a family make such a grand fuss over a granddaughter-in-law who was already married into the family.
"So what?"
Grandpa Huo shot him an annoyed look and declared with unshakable confidence,
"Let people gossip all they want. I couldn’t care less."
"I’m just going to stand up for my granddaughter-in-law, what’s wrong with that?"
Old Wang and Old Li fell silent at this.
If they hadn’t been friends for decades, the two would never have believed it.
The Huo Family making such a grand spectacle—just to support their granddaughter-in-law!
Who would buy that story?
Sure enough, things unfolded exactly as Old Li had predicted. The military wives who had witnessed the scene promptly called their husbands to report the news.
Before anyone could dig up the details, word of the Huo Family decked out in medals and beaming with joy spread like wildfire through the entire compound.
Many began speculating that the Huo Family was likely about to receive promotions across the board!
The reasoning was simple: though Grandpa Huo had retired, Father Huo’s rise through the ranks had been smooth sailing.
Plus, he’d already held his position as a senior military district officer for over five years.
It was high time for another step up.
The same went for the Huo Family’s third branch.
Mention of the third branch prompted someone to sigh in admiration.
"Just the other day, my husband saw the news about the successful test flight of the H-6 bomber and said, 'The Huo Family’s third branch truly lives up to their legacy.'"
"He’s not even thirty yet and has already racked up so many commendations. He’s going places."
"Listening to you, it really does sound like they might all be getting promoted."
The fact that the entire family wore their medals seemed to confirm it.
After all, who would wear those casually unless they’d just attended a promotion or awards ceremony?
And so many of them, no less!
The Huo Family had always been low-key, which was why this sudden display made the rumors all the more plausible.
Still, some remained skeptical.
Promotions and commendations were major events—surely the whole compound would’ve caught wind of it by now.
So most leaned toward the theory that the Huo Family had been summoned for an audience with top leadership.
Then one military wife recalled something. "Didn’t the military department recently mention selecting a 'Model Red Family'? The Huo Family seems like a perfect fit."
"I doubt it," another countered, shaking her head. "There are plenty of families in the compound that meet the criteria."
"Could they have been chosen as National People’s Congress delegates? The Ninth Congress is just a few months away..."
As the rumors grew wilder, several elders from the compound decided to visit the Huo residence for answers.
Grandpa Huo, freshly awake, greeted the crowd cheerfully and proudly presented the wedding invitations he’d spent half a month handwriting.
"Perfect timing! Saves me the trouble of delivering these one by one. Take one each."
Worried the old-timers might struggle with his calligraphy, he even read the invitations aloud for them.
Afterward, he grinned and asked, "So? How’s my handwriting these days?"
Grandma Huo couldn’t even bear to look at his smug expression.
When they’d first decided to host a banquet, Grandpa Huo had insisted on handling the invitations himself.
She’d figured his years of calligraphy practice would’ve paid off by now.
But after two weeks of dawdling, he still hadn’t finished.
When she finally checked his study, she was appalled—half the characters on dozens of invitations were completely illegible.
Cornered, Grandpa Huo had no choice but to recruit Huo Tingzhou for help.
The two worked through the night to finally complete the task.
After hearing the full story, the visiting elders exchanged exasperated glances.
"So this was all about that?"
Grandpa Huo nodded. "What else?"
The group groaned. "Do you have any idea how many insane rumors are flying around out there?"
Grandpa Huo shrugged. "People can say whatever they want. I don’t care."
He’d done this deliberately, fully expecting the gossip. In fact, he welcomed it.
He knew exactly what people were whispering behind his back—that his granddaughter-in-law came from a capitalist family.
Pretending to worry about the Huo Family’s reputation? Please. He saw right through their schemes.
With the mystery solved, the elders prepared to leave. As a parting question, someone asked,
"So how do you plan to handle this?"
Grandpa Huo beamed. "That’s where you all come in! Our third branch is finally holding a banquet—surely you elders won’t come empty-handed?"
The group exchanged glances. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
A beat later, understanding dawned, and they stormed out in mock outrage.
They cursed him vehemently (and creatively) in their heads—but no sooner had they left the Huo residence than they split up.
Some headed to the activity center, others to the cafeteria, while the rest strolled through the military housing complex.
That afternoon, they did nothing but spread the truth:
"Know why the Huo Family dressed up so formally today? They were proposing marriage!"
The clarification sent the compound into another uproar.
Given the Huo Family’s current standing, they’d have no reason to hide an actual promotion.
So the conclusion was undeniable:
Their grand display had one purpose—to show everyone just how highly they valued this daughter-in-law.
Realization dawned, leaving most residents equal parts awed and incredulous.
These days, simply not mistreating a daughter-in-law already made you exceptional in-laws.
But going to such lengths to publicly support her? No one in the compound had ever seen—or even heard of—such a thing.
So what if she came from a capitalist background? With the Huo Family backing her, who would dare bring it up again?
Meanwhile, the military wives who’d spread the rumors were sweating bullets.
Under the weight of collective scrutiny, their faces turned ashen.
Silently, they blamed Zhang Yaqin for their predicament.
If she hadn’t revealed that the Huo Family’s third branch had married a prominent capitalist’s daughter from Shanghai, none of this would’ve happened.
Now, given the Huo Family’s notorious protectiveness, who knew if there’d be repercussions?
The thought filled them with gut-wrenching regret.
As for Zhang Yaqin, she remained oblivious.
Ever since noon, when she’d seen the Huo Family adorned in medals at the compound’s entrance, her mind had been in turmoil.
The competition between their families had reached a boiling point.
At this point, whoever took the next step forward would hold the reins of the military in the future.
She had originally thought that her husband Old Yu's promotion was already a done deal.
Yet, to her surprise, the Huo Family had seized the opportunity before anyone else.
She had been so stunned at the time that she couldn’t even maintain the slightest composure.
