Jiang Si remembered that back then, Su's Father had only made a few false accusation calls against her, yet he was sentenced to five years of labor reform.
At the time, she had been quite surprised—she thought the sentence would only last a year or two at most.
Later, Huo Tingzhou explained it to her: in this era, military dependents were regarded as the strongest backbone of soldiers, and infringing on their rights directly affected the morale of the army.
In the grand scheme of things, it was a potential threat to national defense.
So in cases like Sister-in-law Xu’s, where two deaths and one severe injury were involved, even if the perpetrator was her mother-in-law, it wouldn’t absolve her of guilt.
In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through Jiang Si’s mind.
But no matter the scenario, it all ultimately hinged on whether Sister-in-law Xu chose not to pursue the matter.
Whether this decision stemmed from her own belief in "family harmony above all" or Deputy Regiment Commander Lei’s deliberate cover-up, however, remained unclear.
Though deep down, Jiang Si didn’t think Deputy Regiment Commander Lei was the type to act indecisively.
But she had only met him once, and her knowledge of him was limited to knowing he existed.
What kind of person he was in private, she had no idea.
Hu Meili, lost in thought, wore a grim expression before finally sighing.
Just as she was about to speak, a woman’s voice came from outside.
"It’s not that the military doesn’t want to punish her—it’s that there’s no evidence."
The words were followed by Xu Mingjuan stepping inside, carrying a slab of pork.
She handed the meat to Weidong with a smile. "The pork belly today was excellent. I managed to grab a piece. I’ll make my signature dish for lunch—twice-cooked pork."
The slab weighed at least two or three pounds, and Weidong hesitated to accept it.
Only after Hu Meili gave the nod did he take it.
Meanwhile, Little Second Son swiftly pulled over a stool. "Auntie, please sit—"
His words cut short as his eyes suddenly widened.
Two schoolbags were lying on the table.
"Brother, look! Schoolbags!"
"I hear you, I hear you," Weidong rubbed his ear. "I’m not deaf. Next time, don’t yell right into my ear."
Little Second Son nodded eagerly, then stared at his mother in disbelief.
"Mom, where did these come from?"
Was he dreaming?
Without thinking, he pinched his older brother’s arm.
"Ow—"
Seeing his brother’s face twist in pain, Little Second Son sighed in relief.
Good, it wasn’t a dream.
Suddenly inspired, he rushed over and threw his arms around Hu Meili’s neck.
"Mom, I hereby declare you the best mom in the world starting today!"
"I’ll never make you angry again. Whatever you say, I’ll do."
Hu Meili nearly choked from his tight hug and swatted him away.
"Get your turtle claws off my neck!"
"Okay." Little Second Son obeyed immediately.
Feeling his sincerity wasn’t enough, he stood at attention and added,
"Mom, I promise I’ll score at least 60 on my exams next semester!"
"Is 60 something to brag about?" Hu Meili scoffed. "With grades like yours, what do you even need a schoolbag for?"
Little Second Son’s face fell. "Then I’ll work harder! How about 65? Or 66?"
Sixty-six was his absolute limit—anything more would kill him.
Jiang Si and Xu Mingjuan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Hu Meili said, "You’d better improve next semester, or you’ll let your Aunt Jiang down."
Little Second Son blinked. "Aunt Jiang?"
Hu Meili nodded emphatically. "These bags? Your Aunt Jiang carried them all the way from the Capital City for you. Hurry up and thank her."
The brothers froze for a second before bowing to Jiang Si. "Thank you, Auntie."
Jiang Si smiled in acknowledgment.
Hu Meili shooed them away, handing over the bags.
"You’ve got ten minutes to yourselves. After that, wash the vegetables in the kitchen."
"Got it! Mission accepted!"
Once the boys were gone, Jiang Si turned awkwardly to Xu Mingjuan.
Discussing someone’s family affairs only to have the person in question overhear—how embarrassing.
"Sister-in-law, I’m sorry about that," Jiang Si said.
Xu Mingjuan paused, then chuckled.
"Oh, it’s nothing. Our family drama’s been the talk of the military compound for ages."
"You just arrived later, so you missed the gossip."
Hu Meili cut in, "You’ve heard about that old hag showing up, right?"
"Yeah, the folks at work mentioned it," Xu Mingjuan replied calmly.
Returning to the earlier topic, she sighed and spent the next few minutes detailing her in-laws’ situation.
"Our Lei Zi is the second son in his family. They had too many kids and struggled to make ends meet."
"He was always top of his class in school, but his parents said they couldn’t afford to educate all their children, so they pulled him out."
"Luckily, his fortune turned the following year when the national conscription came around, and he was selected."
"But despite such good news, not a single person in his family was happy for him. His parents even wanted him to give the spot to his younger brother."
"Lei Zi refused, and because of this, his parents forbade him from coming home for years."
"If he hadn’t proven himself later, earning several commendations and getting promoted, his parents would never have acknowledged him again."
"Sister Jiang Si, don’t laugh, but before I married our Lei Zi, all he owned were a few changes of clothes—not a single penny in savings."
This wasn’t just shocking to Jiang Si.
Even Hu Meili was stunned. "But your Lei Zi’s salary isn’t low at all."
The radar regiment’s benefits and pay were second only to the aviation unit.
And Deputy Regiment Commander Lei had been on plenty of missions over the years—how could he possibly have no savings?
"His salary was decent, but it couldn’t keep up with the five bottomless pits in his family."
At this point, Xu Mingjuan’s voice trembled slightly.
"After his father passed, his mother started finding every excuse to ask him for money, saying how hard it was for a widow to raise so many children alone."
"She’d say Lei Zi was the only one who’d made something of himself, and if he didn’t help the family, how could she possibly support them all by herself?"
"Lei Zi had a soft heart. Before we got married, he’d send almost his entire paycheck home, keeping just enough for meals."
"He told me all this when we first started dating."
"He was upfront with my parents too, laying everything out honestly."
"By then, his family’s house back home had already been rebuilt, and his younger siblings were all married. So he told his mother that after we wed, he’d only send her a monthly allowance for her living expenses."
Jiang Si asked, "His mother couldn’t have agreed to that, could she?"
Xu Mingjuan nodded. "But she wasn’t like other mothers. Any other old lady would’ve called him ungrateful, accused him of forgetting his roots once he got a wife. But his mother didn’t say a word. She never came to the military base to make a scene or guilt-trip him."
"When we got married, she even gave me a silver bracelet. I was so touched back then."
"I felt guilty too, thinking I’d judged her too harshly before."
"After all, Lei Zi was her flesh and blood. It couldn’t have been easy for a woman to raise all those children alone."
"So when I was pregnant and she offered to come take care of me, I softened and agreed."
"Those first few months after she moved in, she fussed over me daily, cooking all kinds of delicious dishes."
"Everyone in the family quarters said I’d hit the jackpot with such a wonderful mother-in-law."
"And I was foolish enough to believe it."
"Looking back now, it’s almost laughable. That whole family was used to living off handouts."
"With Lei Zi cutting off their lifeline, did anyone really think they’d just accept it?"
"But... but I never imagined she could be so cruel."
Xu Mingjuan had been holding back her emotions since she walked in.
Even at her most heartbroken, she’d only let out a few choked sobs. But now, she couldn’t hold back anymore.
