Chapter 256: There is Something Fishy About Captain Du’s Promotion
Moreover, Political Commissar Xie’s family lived right next door. Sheng Wanyan knew that as long as Gu Tingxiao went over to mention it, the political commissar would naturally step in the moment he heard the racket. Having been neighbors with them for so long, she had a good grasp of his habits. Auntie Xie loved to gossip during their chats, and she had mentioned more than once that her husband absolutely despised having his sleep disrupted.
Sure enough, the adjacent courtyard fell dead quiet. Occasionally, the elderly Mrs. Du couldn’t help but raise her voice out of habit, but she would instantly catch herself and clamp her mouth shut. After all, the political commissar himself had issued the warning, and she didn’t dare become a stumbling block to her son’s career.
Even so, the old woman felt incredibly stifled. It infuriated her that a neighbor had run to the political commissar over a minor issue. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of seductive, delicate fox spirit was living across the lane.
Mrs. Du cursed Sheng Wanyan viciously in her head for a long time before she finally simmered down. Turning her harsh gaze to her granddaughter, she barked, “Do you think you’re some rich young lady? You think you’re just going to be supported and fed for free in this house? Hurry up and start cooking!”
Hearing her grandmother’s sharp words, the little girl was immediately frightened out of her wits. “Grandma, I… I’ll go right away.”
Mrs. Du rolled her eyes. This useless money-loser was eating her son’s food and using his things, yet she actually had the nerve to act like a pampered princess. I’ve really spoiled her rotten, she thought sourly.
For lunch, Sheng Wanyan fried up two simple dishes. Gu Tingxiao took advantage of his midday break to rush back home.
“Wife, I’ll serve the food. Go sit down and relax.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded obediently, heading over to the dining table to wait.
“Did anyone bother you today?” Gu Tingxiao asked, checking in on the neighborhood situation.
“No, it’s been much quieter,” she answered truthfully.
Gu Tingxiao nodded, his heart finally settling. When Mrs. Du and her family had lived in the tube-shaped apartment building, the neighbors there had been utterly tortured by her thunderous voice. Now that they had relocated here, she had immediately tried to bring that same misery to Sheng Wanyan and the others. Fortunately, with Political Commissar Xie living right next door, she wouldn’t dare stir up any more trouble.
“That’s good. Eat up, sweetheart.” Gu Tingxiao placed a plump poultry leg into her bowl. Sheng Wanyan had previously dried and preserved the wild pheasant herself, and when fried with thick slices of savory bacon, it tasted incredibly aromatic.
“You eat too,” she said, picking up two choice pieces of chicken for him. The couple lowered their heads and enjoyed their lunch in peaceful harmony.
Once they finished eating, Gu Tingxiao washed the dishes and joined her in the bedroom for a quick nap. Sheng Wanyan was feeling exceptionally drowsy lately; as her pregnancy advanced, her sleep grew deeper, and she found herself craving rest constantly.
By the time she blinked her eyes open, it was already three in the afternoon, and Gu Tingxiao had long since returned to his unit.
Finding herself with nothing pressing to do, Sheng Wanyan sat at her desk to work on her translations. Before long, a lively group of women arrived at her door: Auntie Xie, along with Regiment Commander Fang’s wife (Xu Guihua), Battalion Commander Wang’s wife (Yang Wanshu), and Deputy Company Commander Feng’s wife (Qiao Hehua).
Since it was Saturday, Xu Guihua didn’t have to report to work, and the children were off from school, making it the perfect afternoon for the neighborhood women to gather. The local kids had huddled into a pack and run off to play outside. Since they were well within the secure walls of the military cadres’ compound, no one worried about their safety.
Now that Pan Yue had officially finished her postpartum confinement, she finally had some free time to indulge in gossip with the other military wives. Little Huzi had just fallen into a deep sleep under the watchful eyes of Grandpa and Grandma Sheng, so she eagerly slipped across the lane to join the gathering.
“Sisters-in-law, please have some water,” Sheng Wanyan said, moving to pour drinks for her guests.
The moment the women saw her moving about, they immediately raised their voices to stop her.
“We can look after ourselves! Captain Gu’s wife, please don’t fuss over us.”
“Exactly, exactly, we’re not strangers. Sit down and rest.”
Sheng Wanyan smiled warmly, nodding as she took a seat among them. Xu Guihua pulled out a pound of roasted melon seeds she had brought along, cracking them open as the group settled into a comfortable rhythm.
“Here, take some,” Xu Guihua said, passing a handful around. She looked at Sheng Wanyan’s midsection curiosity. “How many months along are you now, Captain Gu’s wife?”
Aside from Auntie Xie, none of the other wives had realized Sheng Wanyan was expecting early on. After all, everyone spent the dead of winter hibernating indoors, and Sheng Wanyan had traveled back to the Capital for more than three months to celebrate the New Year. If they hadn’t spotted her prominent baby bump after her return, it would have taken them much longer to catch on.
“I’m just over six months.”
“Six months already? My goodness, time really flies,” Xu Guihua marveled. It felt like they hadn’t seen her in the blink of an eye, yet the child was already well into the third trimester.
“It really does,” Yang Wanshu chimed in. “But Captain Gu has been married to our little sister-in-law for a while now. The household is bound to become much livelier once the baby arrives.”
“Isn’t that the truth? Having a child completely changes the energy of a home,” Qiao Hehua added, and the wives began eagerly sharing their motherhood experiences. Sheng Wanyan listened intently, nodding along at their advice.
“It really changes a man, too,” Qiao Hehua noted with a smile. “In the past, whenever my husband went out on a grueling mission, he’d mention afterward that the thought of his crying baby waiting to be fed back home gave him a massive second wind.” There was an undeniable truth to her words; every parent in this era operated under that exact mindset.
“That’s right. The moment you have a child, every plan you make is entirely for their future,” Xu Guihua sighed, a playful grimace crossing her face as she thought of her own rowdy boys. Having sons was a blessing, but as their mother, she had already spent the last ten years painstakingly scraping savings together just to ensure they could afford to marry when the time came.
Shifting the topic, Xu Guihua leaned in closer. “By the way, I saw Captain Du’s family moving into the courtyard next door. Have they been causing an uproar?”
The women in the tube-shaped building were all too familiar with the Du family’s explosive dynamics. They had been the ones subjected to Mrs. Du’s tyranny previously. Now that the family had finally moved out, the apartment residents couldn’t stop celebrating how blissfully peaceful their building had become.
“My old man already marched over and gave them a stern warning,” Auntie Xie said, cracking a melon seed with an air of immense satisfaction. “With the political commissar laying down the law, how could they possibly dare to cause trouble?”
“That’s a relief. But speaking of the Du family, have you all heard the latest?” Xu Guihua asked, her eyes flashing with a classic gossipy glint.
Sheng Wanyan looked at her, mildly amused. She hadn’t expected Xu Guihua—who usually maintained a slightly aloof, dignified demeanor at communal events—to be such a passionate source of information. She was more plugged into the base’s grapevine than anyone else.
“Word is that Captain Du’s upcoming promotion is completely dead in the water.”
The news caught the group entirely off guard. Weren’t people saying just last week that his advancement to Deputy Regiment Commander was practically a guaranteed certainty? How had it suddenly vanished?
Sheng Wanyan and Pan Yue exchanged a knowing look, a shared realization passing between them. There was definitely something fishy going on. It wasn’t that the cancellation of his promotion was suspicious—it was the fact that he had been line for it in the first place that smelled foul.
“What on earth happened?” the women pressed eagerly, demanding first-hand details from Xu Guihua.
Sheng Wanyan watched as Xu Guihua puffed up with pride, clearly enjoying her status as the keeper of the base’s secrets. After all, without her around, where would these wives get their daily entertainment?
“I found out that Captain Du actually stole the military credit that earned him this promotion recommendation,” Xu Guihua whispered conspiratorially. “A few weeks ago, a high-level official arrived from the Capital to conduct a formal inspection. During an unexpected incident, it was actually a company commander from the neighboring regiment who risked his life to rescue the leader. However, Captain Du happened to be the designated officer leading the tactical team that day, so…”
The revelation left the women stunned. Auntie Xie was the first to find her voice. “Good heavens! He actually claimed credit for another man’s bravery? That’s flat-out using his superior rank to suppress his own subordinates!”
Auntie Xie’s sharp summary brought the rest of the wives back to reality, their faces filling with disbelief.
“Exactly,” Xu Guihua confirmed, nodding sharply. “The visiting leader originally intended to personally promote the young commander who protected him, but Captain Du intercepted the commendation paperwork. When the company commander from the neighboring regiment discovered the theft, he lost his temper and confronted him directly. But Captain Du argued that since he was the overall mission commander, the entire unit should share the honor. Technically, under military regulations, that logic holds up.”
The wives nodded slowly, recognizing the administrative loophole. After all, since the entire squad had been deployed on the same operation, everyone was technically entitled to a piece of the collective credit.
“But the fact remains that the company commander from the neighboring regiment was the one who physically blocked a bullet for the leader,” Xu Guihua added, her lip curling in distaste. “Captain Du essentially forced everyone on that mission to stay silent, effectively throwing dirt over the man’s sacrifice just to pave his own way.”
