It was lunchtime, and the young wives and elderly women in the residential compound were sitting outside their doors. While chatting about the latest neighborhood gossip, they busied themselves preparing the midday meal.
"Look, look! The police officers are coming!" someone exclaimed.
Following the direction of the pointing finger, everyone saw the officers escorting an elderly woman toward the regimental commander's building.
"Whose family member is that?" asked a young wife who had just arrived this year to join her husband stationed there.
Having been in the compound for less than a month, she couldn’t help but voice her curiosity.
Finally, Auntie Xu cleared things up for her. "That’s Deputy Regiment Commander Lei’s mother."
"Oh, it really is her!"
Another elderly woman recognized her too, though she was puzzled. "What did Old Lady Lei do to deserve such a scene?"
As soon as she asked, someone clicked their tongue. "You really don’t know?"
"Know what?" The group turned curiously toward Granny Qian.
Granny Qian was known as the compound’s walking encyclopedia—there was nothing she didn’t know.
"Come closer, let me tell you."
Granny Qian beckoned them in, and once everyone had huddled together, she lowered her voice.
"A couple of days ago, I saw her holding a child, crying and making a scene at the compound entrance with Cadre Xu. Later, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei even showed up."
"I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Deputy Regiment Commander Lei kowtowed to his mother three times—bang, bang, bang!"
"He kowtowed?"
"Absolutely! His forehead was nearly bleeding."
"Then the police came and took them all away."
Just as everyone was engrossed in the story, one of the wives voiced her doubt.
"But that alone wouldn’t warrant this, would it? I saw Deputy Regiment Commander Lei’s mother in handcuffs!"
"Ah, but there’s more you don’t know." Granny Qian couldn’t hide her excitement.
She never expected that, on her way back from town after running errands, she’d run into Auntie Lei again.
At the time, Auntie Lei was wailing and causing a scene outside the police station, so Granny Qian went over to see what was happening.
And what she overheard was absolutely explosive.
She had rushed home to tell her family, but her son, fearing trouble, sternly warned her not to spread it around.
Heaven knew how hard it had been for Granny Qian to keep this to herself!
But now that the police had brought Auntie Lei back, she had nothing to worry about.
"Do you all remember the conflict between her and her daughter-in-law five years ago?"
"Of course we do!"
Back then, the incident had caused an uproar in the compound. Anyone who heard about it would sigh and say, "Even a wise judge can’t settle family disputes."
Seeing the curiosity on the faces of the newly arrived wives, the elderly woman who had spoken up added a few more details.
"Five years ago, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei’s wife had a miscarriage at home. One side claimed the mother-in-law pushed her on purpose, while the other insisted the daughter-in-law slipped and fell."
"Because of this, their relationship became irreconcilable. Director Pan had to step in countless times to mediate!"
"What?!"
The young wives exchanged glances, their eyes alight with gossip.
"Auntie, so was it a fall or a push?"
The elderly woman pursed her lips. "Who knows? Both sides stuck to their stories, but there was never any proof."
At this, Granny Qian smiled knowingly. "There might not have been proof back then, but now? That’s a different story."
The moment she said this, all eyes turned to her.
Clearly, Granny Qian had insider information.
"Come on, if you know something, just say it! Stop keeping us in suspense."
But Granny Qian only patted her pants. "This isn’t something I can explain in a sentence or two. Why don’t we go see for ourselves?"
The others exchanged glances, then quickly followed her.
By now, the area around Deputy Regiment Commander Lei’s home was already packed with onlookers.
When the police arrived, the crowd instinctively parted to make way.
Auntie Lei had been calm the entire journey, but the moment she stepped into the courtyard, she suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground.
When she looked up again, her eyes were brimming with tears.
The sudden display left the officers completely baffled.
Was this woman’s family descended from opera performers?
How could she summon tears so effortlessly?
Xu Mingjuan, however, was unfazed.
She glanced at Hu Meili and sighed. "Just wait—your mother-in-law is about to put on a show…"
Before she could finish, Auntie Lei turned her red-rimmed eyes toward them.
"Lei, my son! You’re an officer now! You’ve made something of yourself! You married a city girl! And now you’ve forgotten your roots, haven’t you?"
"I, a widow, raised you and your siblings single-handedly—through thick and thin! Was it easy for me?"
"What have I ever done to deserve this hatred from you and your wife?"
"For the sake of this woman, you’d turn your back on your own mother? Now you’re sending me to prison?"
"Lei, has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"
"If I had known it would come to this, I might as well have dashed my head against a wall and died when your father passed away."
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in murmurs.
Some tried to console Auntie Lei, urging her to take things easier, while others sighed and remarked,
"Every family has its own troubles. It’s not easy for a widow to raise so many children all by herself."
"Exactly! What mother-in-law and daughter-in-law don’t have their squabbles?"
"Besides, no parent is ever truly wrong! No matter her faults, she’s still the one who gave birth to him and raised him."
"A few harsh words are one thing, but how could he really send her to jail?"
As they spoke, several people cast reproachful glances at Deputy Regiment Commander Lei.
"We’re all family. Where there’s room for forgiveness, forgive. Why make things so ugly?"
"Auntie, you can’t say things like that," someone countered.
Many of those present were close to Xu Mingjuan and took offense at the remark.
Hu Meili was the first to speak up. "It’s true that arguments between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are common, but who in their right mind pushes someone down the stairs during a fight?"
"Mingjuan was six months pregnant at the time! If she hadn’t been lucky, it could’ve been two lives lost!"
"That’s right. When Cadre Xu was rushed to the hospital, she was barely breathing."
Another voice joined in—a pregnant military spouse whose situation mirrored the Lei family’s.
Her mother-in-law was also a widow, and their relationship was far from harmonious.
The key difference? Her husband wasn’t half as decent as Deputy Regiment Commander Lei.
If she couldn’t bear children, he’d likely find an excuse to divorce her within two years.
With this in mind, she mustered her courage and said, "The nation has its laws, and families have their rules. This must be thoroughly investigated. Otherwise, others might follow suit, and then where would we be?"
"Comrade Hu, you should speak with a clear conscience."
Auntie Lei retorted, "I know you and Mingjuan are as close as sisters, but that doesn’t mean you can twist the truth."
"Tell me, which eye of yours saw me push her?"
"I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but—"
"If you didn’t see it, then why are you making such a fuss?"
Auntie Lei stared back without flinching, her gaze laced with faint mockery.
"I know you’re a military spouse, and your husband holds rank, but you can’t accuse me of pushing her—or worse—without proof."
"If the army doesn’t give me justice, I’ll dash my head against your doorstep tomorrow!"
"Who says there’s no proof?"
Just then, Jiang Si’s voice cut through the crowd.
Seeing her approach, Hu Meili and Xu Mingjuan abandoned their argument with the old hag and hurried over.
They had meant to ask how things were going, but the sight of Jiang Si’s pale, bloodless face startled them.
"Jiang Si, what’s wrong?"
A touch revealed her hands were ice-cold.
"I’m fine."
Jiang Si shook her head, offering them a reassuring look.
"Are you sure?"
She smiled and nodded firmly. "Absolutely fine."
Relieved, Hu Meili and Xu Mingjuan exhaled. When He Ping had arrived earlier, reporting issues with the model, they’d feared the worst.
Even Jiang Si had been sweating bullets.
Shortly after Huo Tingzhou had notified the police, she’d made a startling discovery.
The silicone used in this era lacked purity, causing the molding process to take far longer than expected.
Their options? Wait it out—or place the model in a freezing environment to speed up cooling.
The military base had its own refrigeration unit, but temperatures inside plunged below zero.
Without hesitation, Jiang Si had bundled up in a military coat and carried the model into the freezing chamber.
The coat kept her warm, but the mingling odors inside were enough to make her scalp crawl.
If not for Huo Tingzhou’s presence, she could’ve retreated into her space.
But with him there, she had no choice but to endure the hardship.
For half an hour, she toughed it out.
Thankfully, everything turned out well in the end.
After suffering through all that, Jiang Si would’ve felt cheated if she didn’t see this old woman thoroughly condemned.
Right on cue, the police officer turned to her. "Comrade Jiang, are we ready to reenact the scene now?"
Jiang Si nodded. "Of course."
With that, the group quickly made their way to the second floor.
