The midsummer night was stiflingly hot.
Under the dim yellow lights of the sports field that buzzed incessantly, countless moths threw themselves at the illumination.
Political Commissar Liao stood on the rostrum, sweat having already soaked through the back of his army-green shirt, yet he still waved his arms passionately, his voice booming as he delivered his speech.
"Comrades, we are holding this family members' meeting today to strictly enforce discipline and correct our conduct..."
Below, Niu Aihua and Yao Chuntao squeezed onto a long wooden bench in the very last row, using palm-leaf fans to swat away mosquitoes while whispering to each other.
Beads of sweat covered Niu Aihua's plump face. She leaned close to Yao Chuntao's ear and lowered her voice,
"Honestly, holding a meeting in this heat. My Old Tian is waiting for me to go home and cook him mung bean soup."
A look of disdain appeared on Yao Chuntao's thin face. She nudged Niu Aihua with her elbow,
"It's all because of the trouble stirred up by a certain family member. I heard she reported Regiment Commander Pei for misconduct, but the investigation proved it was all nonsense."
Although the two had deliberately kept their voices low, Lin Yining heard every word clearly. Her fingers clenched the hem of her clothes so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Her complexion shifted from deathly pale to flushed red, then from red to ashen gray, like an overturned paint palette.
[Disgust Value +3]
[Disgust Value +2]
[Disgust Value +1]
Lin Yining cursed Shen Nanchu bitterly in her heart.
If Shen Nanchu hadn't suddenly appeared in the military compound, if she and Pei Zhengnian hadn't shopped from one end of the street to the other that day, how could she have impulsively filed that report?
Now look, she tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice. Not only did she fail, but she also had to make a public self-criticism.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, her nails digging into the flesh of her palms.
"Those who make mistakes never believe they are at fault. Even if they are, it's always someone else's fault."
Political Commissar Liao's voice was like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into Lin Yining's heart.
Coupled with the incessant murmuring from Niu Aihua and Yao Chuntao beside her,
Lin Yining suddenly raised her head. She couldn't hold back any longer.
"How do you know there isn't some underlying reason for this matter?"
"What if the person was forced into a corner?"
The gazes of Niu Aihua, Yao Chuntao, and the other military wives around them all snapped towards Lin Yining.
Shen Nanchu let out a soft laugh.
That laugh was like a fuse, instantly igniting the fury that had been building inside Lin Yining.
"Comrade Shen, what are you laughing at?"
Lin Yining's voice was shrill.
Shen Nanchu spoke slowly and deliberately, "What am I laughing at? Let me think."
She deliberately put on a thoughtful expression, lightly tapping her chin with a finger,
"Oh, I remember. I'm laughing at someone who thinks she's the only one with a brain in the whole world, and that everyone else is blind."
Lin Yining's face instantly flushed a purplish-red.
She naturally understood the insinuation in Shen Nanchu's words and trembled with rage,
"Shen Nanchu, what do you mean by that?"
"Comrade Lin, it means exactly what you think it means."
A faint, elusive smile hung on Shen Nanchu's lips, but her eyes were as cold as ice.
Niu Aihua and Yao Chuntao were utterly confused.
Niu Aihua scratched her head, "What kind of riddle are you two talking in? I didn't understand a word!"
Shen Nanchu's smile deepened, her eyes curving into crescents,
"It's nothing much. Just chatting about the idiot who caused us to have to sit through this big meeting."
Idiot Lin Yining was so angry she nearly fainted. She felt her temples throbbing, and her vision swam with dark spots.
Niu Aihua suddenly understood, nodding repeatedly,
"That's right, coming here to feed mosquitoes on a night like this."
She slapped a mosquito that had landed on her arm, looking disgustedly at the blood smear on her palm.
Yao Chuntao also complained,
"I haven't even washed the dishes at home! Tomorrow morning will be a mad rush again."
The military wives around them chimed in in agreement.
Someone complained their child's homework had no one to supervise, another said the laundry wasn't brought in, and yet another was worried about the soup simmering on the stove.
These voices surged towards Lin Yining like a tidal wave. She felt like a small boat in a storm, about to be swallowed by giant waves at any moment.
Lin Yining's vision began to blur, a buzzing filled her ears.
She knew that if she got on that stage to apologize today, she would never be able to hold her head up in the military compound again.
At this thought, she abruptly stood up, her stool scraping the floor with a piercing sound.
She shot Shen Nanchu a vicious glare, then turned and rushed out of the assembly hall without looking back.
Shen Nanchu watched Lin Yining's panicked fleeing figure and shook her head gently.
Niu Aihua and Yao Chuntao looked at each other,
"What's with Lin Yining? Why did she run off in a huff all of a sudden?"
"Yeah! We weren't even talking about her! Why is she so touchy?"
"Maybe she had a fight with her man!"
Another military wife interjected.
On the stage, Political Commissar Liao watched this scene, his brow furrowed.
He cleared his throat and continued his unfinished speech, but in his heart, he understood the self-criticism tonight probably wouldn't happen.
After the meeting ended, the night was deep.
Shen Nanchu stretched, working the stiffness from her neck.
As the crowd dispersed, she spotted Pei Zhengnian standing under a streetlamp at a glance.
The dim yellow light gilded the edges of his tall figure, casting a long shadow on the ground.
Niu Aihua sighed enviously,
"Your Regiment Commander Pei is so considerate!"
"My Old Tian doesn't even have the notion to come pick me up in his head."
Shen Nanchu smiled and blinked,
"That's alright. Let him walk both of us back."
She then handed both their stools to Pei Zhengnian.
Pei Zhengnian took them silently and followed behind the two women.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Zhang Zhengye's home was so heavy you could wring water from it.
The living room was hazy with smoke. Zhang Zhengye smoked cigarette after cigarette, the ashtray already piled high with butts.
Lin Yining sat opposite him, her face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.
"Since you refuse to apologize in front of so many people, then tomorrow you will go to Regiment Commander Pei's home and apologize to them personally."
Zhang Zhengye's voice was hoarse and weary.
Lin Yining jumped up as if she'd been stepped on,
"Why should I? If they hadn't been so blatant, would anyone have misunderstood them?"
"And I didn't even gossip about it privately with the other wives, I didn't cause them any harm. Why should I apologize?"
Zhang Zhengye looked at his wife's contorted face and suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
He stubbed out his cigarette fiercely, his voice as cold as ice, "You really won't go?"
"No! I said no, and I mean no!"
Lin Yining shrieked hysterically, her voice piercing their eardrums.
Zhang Zhengye stood up abruptly, his chair scraping across the floor with a grating sound.
"Suit yourself."
He grabbed his military cap and slammed the door on his way out.
Lin Yining chased him to the doorway, shouting into the darkness,
"Where are you going?"
"On duty!"
Zhang Zhengye disappeared into the night without looking back.
In the empty house, Lin Yining trembled with rage.
She snatched an enamel mug from the coffee table and hurled it at the wall. The cup shattered with a crash, pieces flying everywhere.
She collapsed onto the floor, and finally, the dam broke as tears flooded out.
...
