"Then that means the fault truly lies with your Shen family?"
Brigade Commander Gao's attitude was impatient. He felt Division Commander Yao was making too big a deal out of trivial matters—was it really necessary to involve Division Commander Fan? Such an overreaction.
And that Deputy Regimental Commander Lin Han was no better. Taking advantage of his close ties with Division Commander Yao, he constantly curried favor, even disregarding his direct superiors. Brigade Commander Gao had no respect for such soldiers.
If Lin Han heard this, he'd surely retort: "My wife says only fools refuse to take shortcuts or maintain useful connections. Those who complain are just jealous!" Besides, he did respect his superiors—it's just that his recent rapid promotion and Division Commander's favor had temporarily strained relations with Brigade Commander Feng. Time would smooth things over.
"There was some misunderstanding, and the fault does lie with our family. To appease Deputy Regimental Commander Lin's wife, I even had Old Xu give me a beating."
Brigade Commander Gao immediately tried lifting his shirt to inspect the injuries. Seeing the marks, he grew furious. "This is outrageous! Absolutely unacceptable! How can they lay hands on an active-duty soldier over some children's squabble? I'll take this to the Division Commander for justice!"
"Please don't!" Shen Yu quickly stopped him. "It won’t help. Let’s just drop it—things are already messy enough. As for Little Du and Little Shen, could you arrange for their release?"
"Out of the question! Military discipline must be upheld—they must face strict punishment this time."
Convinced Shen Yu had suffered greatly, Brigade Commander Gao reported to Division Commander Fan, his tone dripping with dissatisfaction.
"Division Commander, Shen Yu is the one who’s been wronged here. If we don’t stand up for him, how will he maintain face in the military district?" His reputation was already in tatters!
"How severe are the injuries? Did Deputy Regimental Commander Lin’s wife really order the beating?"
Good. This gave Division Commander Fan an excuse to placate Division Commander Yao, who’d been acting as if his subordinate had endured some great injustice.
"Just superficial wounds. A couple days of ointment will fix it."
Division Commander Fan assumed he and Division Commander Yao could resolve this privately. But then the Army Commander summoned him, demanding Shen Yu’s entire family personally apologize—this was sheer humiliation!
"Army Commander, isn’t this excessive? The Shen family has already been punished."
"Listen to me. Have Shen Yu’s family apologize." The Army Commander was firm. "I’ve turned a blind eye to your clashes with Yao, but don’t be stubborn here.
"Have you forgotten what Lin Han’s wife used to do? The connections she’s built, openly and behind the scenes? Go ask around—aside from Shen Yu’s own men, does anyone dare speak up for him now?"
Division Commander Fan and Yao were both his subordinates; the Army Commander played no favorites.
Yet he never expected such a minor incident would catch the attention of the General Commander.
The General Commander made it clear: Nan Sheng must not be wronged. She was his "benefactor"—a weighty title indeed!
As long as the General Commander remained in power, the Lin family was untouchable. And that wasn’t all—his office had been swarmed all morning with people advocating for them.
If Shen Yu didn’t satisfy everyone, his career in the military district would be doomed, shadowed by endless covert retaliation.
That Lin Han—marrying such a formidable wife, his future was practically glowing. What damn good fortune!
Division Commander Fan returned and drafted a statement, summoning Shen Yu.
"Take your family to the Lins with gifts. Let this end here. Lin Han’s on a mission, and both children were hurt. Don’t give others ammunition against you."
Shen Yu knew higher-ups had intervened. He agreed, but resentment festered. For a long time afterward, the Shen household was in turmoil.
He took out his frustration on the children, beating them despite Ding Xiang’s tearful protests. She couldn’t help wondering: Why did every clash with Nan Sheng feel like an egg hurled at a boulder?
---
Nan Sheng’s workday was grueling. Though Liao Xian assisted, establishing a new team involved endless hassles. By evening, her back was stiff from sitting.
After work, she bought six dishes from the state-run restaurant—four meat, two vegetable—to treat Little Hou and Hua Fen’s family for their recent support.
At home, Little Hou was entertaining a listless Siqi, only perking up at his tales of army life. After hours of embellished stories, he nearly wept with relief when the door finally opened.
"Sister-in-law’s back!" Little Hou’s voice cracked with joy.
"Mom!" Siqi brightened instantly.
"I’m home. Did you give Uncle Hou any trouble, Qiqi?" Nan Sheng smiled, setting the food on the table. Steamed buns would serve as the staple.
Little Hou, realizing he was staying for dinner, flushed with embarrassment.
"Qiqi was perfect. Her fever broke by noon. Sizhe wasn’t feeling well earlier—I put him to bed."
"Good. You’ve worked hard today. I’ll invite Captain Zhang’s family up. Could you set the table?"
This put Little Hou at ease; dining alone with her would’ve been improper.
Downstairs, Hua Fen had already cooked rice and was about to prepare dishes.
"Don’t bother. I’ve brought food—come upstairs with the kids."
Hua Fen didn’t protest. "Alright, I’ll bring the porridge too. No sense wasting it. Old Zhang will be back soon—we’ll join you then."
As Nan Sheng reentered her apartment, Zhang Hengyi arrived home. Hearing of the dinner invite, he agreed readily—he had matters to discuss with her.
Hua Fen hesitated. "All five of us? Maybe just you should go..."
"Nonsense. Me alone would raise eyebrows. Let’s go—I barely slept last night."
Mainly because his wife’s retelling of the Shen family drama had left him too exhilarated to rest.
Shen Yu, that arrogant regiment commander, publicly humiliated and beaten? Unthinkable! This sister-in-law—he was in awe.
