Chapter 257: Captain Du’s Promotion Collapsed
The visiting leader couldn’t tell that the credit had been subtly hijacked. Captain Du hadn’t explicitly claimed he was the hero of the hour; he had simply spoken in a roundabout, manipulative way to imply it.
Still, if the company commander from the neighboring regiment discovered that his chance at a promotion for literally blocking a bullet had been stolen, how could he possibly take it lying down?
“Won’t the military penalize him for that?” Qiao Hehua asked, frowning.
Xu Guihua shook her head. “Technically, he was the overall mission leader, so he does deserve some credit. And because he never explicitly said he was the one who did it—allowing the leader to just draw his own conclusions—it doesn’t count as an outright lie or a direct violation.”
A collective wave of discomfort rippled through the room. It felt deeply unsettling that someone could get away with stealing another person’s hard-earned glory. The husbands of every woman sitting in that circle were soldiers. If their own men had their accomplishments snatched away like that in the future, who would give them justice?
Seeing the sour expressions around her, Auntie Xie immediately knew where their thoughts were drifting. She stepped in to dispel their mounting anxieties.
“Look at it this way,” Auntie Xie noted. “While Captain Du did overstep, he still successfully led the team to complete the mission, so he isn’t entirely without merit. Pulling off a successful operation is grueling work for whoever is in charge. But even if his hard work is acknowledged, he’s ultimately lost the glory and managed to deeply irritate the higher-ups in the process. It’s a pretty miserable outcome for him.”
The wives blinked in surprise. Who in the military hierarchy would ever respect an officer who pulled a stunt like that? Stealing the life-risking achievements of subordinates was an absolute taboo in the army. Even if they couldn’t nail him with a formal charge, the leadership now knew exactly what kind of man he was. If Captain Du ever tried to angle for another promotion in the future, his superiors would undoubtedly bring this incident up to block him. It wasn’t going to be easy for him ever again.
“Captain Du really outsmarted himself this time. He lost both his reputation and his career leverage,” Xu Guihua sneered. “He actually expected Chief of Staff Liang to step in and pull some strings for his new son-in-law. But Chief of Staff Liang isn’t about to ruin his own son’s future in the military over a son-in-law.”
Captain Du had walked away completely empty-handed. His promotion notice had been on the verge of being issued, only for someone to completely cut him off at the pass.
“I also heard that the company commander from the neighboring regiment was directly promoted to deputy battalion commander,” Xu Guihua added, leaning forward. “How could the newly appointed deputy battalion commander possibly let Captain Du off easy after what happened? Even though he’s technically a deputy, their daily duties overlap significantly. At this rate, it won’t be long before Captain Du won’t even be able to hold onto his current position as battalion commander!”
The younger officer had genuine capability and a powerful new benefactor. Give it a few years, and he would easily climb right over Captain Du’s head.
The sheer volume of information Xu Guihua delivered left everyone’s heads spinning. Sheng Wanyan privately thought it was a tragedy the woman hadn’t been appointed Director of the Intelligence Bureau. How on earth did she get her hands on such detailed, first-hand accounts? There had to be a massive web of interpersonal connections behind her. A person with this kind of knack for gathering data wasn’t just suited for intelligence work—she was practically built for the business world. With an innate ability to hunt down information like that, she would succeed in any venture she touched.
Sheng Wanyan found herself looking at Xu Guihua in a whole new light. The woman might be a bit arrogant, but she had a strong family background, a sharp intellect, and a masterclass level of resourcefulness.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. It was genuinely hard not to be tempted.
Sheng Wanyan knew that the country’s economic landscape would begin to open up in a couple of years, and she fully intended to make a fortune when the time came. She knew exactly which industries would boom; after all, who in their right mind would ever complain about having too much money? With her own business acumen, she had been a successful corporate president in her past life. Even if she didn’t want to personally run an empire from the front lines this time around, she certainly had the skill set to guide one.
She didn’t plan to throw herself entirely into the grind of building a massive conglomerate, but she could absolutely scout out a capable partner. Money made the world go round, easily solving eighty percent of life’s problems. Finding a brilliant, perfectly connected partner would be an absolute jackpot.
Xu Guihua, completely oblivious to the fact that her host was currently evaluating her like a prime business asset, happily continued swapping gossip with the rest of the circle. But the more she spoke, the more a strange sensation prickled at her skin.
Xu Guihua paused, shivering slightly. Why does it suddenly feel chilly in here? That didn’t make sense; Sheng Wanyan’s home was incredibly comfortable, with a roaring coal stove keeping the rooms perfectly warm.
Once the gossip well finally ran dry, the military wives excused themselves to head home and start dinner, gathering up their children from the yard.
“Yan’er, I’m going to head back and get cooking too,” Pan Yue said, turning to leave.
Sheng Wanyan called out to stop her. “Sister-in-law, wait a moment.” She quickly stepped into her bedroom, pulled three large, crisp apples from her storage, and handed them over. “Take these fruits back to share with Grandpa and Grandma.”
Pan Yue knew that Wanyan was simply looking for a thoughtful way to provide extra nourishment for the elderly couple, so she didn’t refuse. It was her sister-in-law’s way of showing filial piety to the family elders, and she would make sure the old couple got them. “Alright, I’ll head out then. Huzi should be waking up right about now.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded, and once the house was quiet, she stepped into the kitchen to prepare her own dinner. Cooking for just two people didn’t require an elaborate setup, especially since she could pull mostly ready-made ingredients straight from her spatial domain and toss them into the pot.
Ever since Gu Tingxiao had married her, his standard of living had skyrocketed. They ate high-quality, fine grains most of the time, a stark contrast to his bachelor days when he had to rely on quick, uninspired meals from the military cafeteria.
Tonight, Sheng Wanyan prepared a savory braised eggplant stew and a dish of stir-fried pork with crisp green peppers, paired with four fluffy, steamed white flour buns. The mouth-watering aroma drifted out of the apartment the moment the food hit the heat. Soldiers walking past the courtyard on their way home from duty couldn’t help but sniff the air longingly.
“Who’s frying up meat?”
“Man, that’s pure torture to smell when you’re hungry.”
Sheng Wanze caught the scent from across the lane, smiling as he realized his younger sister’s culinary skills were reaching impressive new heights.
Gu Tingxiao strode through the front gate, literally following his nose right into the kitchen. “Wife, it smells absolutely incredible in here.”
Sheng Wanyan pointed toward the stir-fried pork and green peppers, which she had already portioned out into two separate bowls. “Take one over to Grandpa and Grandma first, then hurry back to eat.”
“Understood.”
Gu Tingxiao immediately set out to execute his wife’s mission. Across the lane, Sheng Wanze’s eyes lit up when he saw his brother-in-law approaching with a dish. He had just been standing there drooling over the scent, and now a portion was being hand-delivered to the door? He felt a swell of affection, assuming his sweet younger sister had sent it over out of pity for her brother.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Wanyan sent this over for you,” Gu Tingxiao announced, stepping inside.
Sheng Wanze’s smile froze. …Turned out it wasn’t for him at all! Oh well, he could still sneak a bite from the family table.
“Wonderful, wonderful. Make sure to take this back with you,” Grandma Sheng beamed. She hurried over to retrieve a stash of homemade wine she had brewed half a month prior, handing the jars to Gu Tingxiao. “Take these five bottles back. Let them sit undisturbed for another two weeks before you open them.”
“Will do.” Gu Tingxiao carried the jars home and carefully tucked them away in their cellar.
Meanwhile, Sheng Wanyan took the steamed white buns, slicing them down the center without cutting them completely through, and stuffed the hollows with the savory, pepper-infused stir-fried pork. She had prepared a similar meat-stuffed bun dish once before, so Gu Tingxiao happily took over the assembly process the moment he walked back in.
“Wife, this is amazing,” he mumbled around a massive bite. He had always preferred hearty portions of meat, and these stuffed buns hit the spot perfectly.
“The rest are all yours,” she smiled.
Sheng Wanyan felt perfectly full after finishing just one. Gu Tingxiao was well-acquainted with his wife’s limits; her appetite wasn’t small by any means—in fact, she ate much better than most women her age—but the steamed buns in this era were exceptionally large. Eating a single bun packed to the brim with rich meat was more than enough to line her stomach.
After the couple finished their dinner and took their evening baths, Sheng Wanyan handed him a neatly stacked bundle of papers before they climbed into bed. “Please help me mail these out tomorrow.”
“Of course.” This was far from the first time he had managed her correspondence, so he knew exactly which publishing house in the capital the parcel was bound for.
