Wang Baozhu lay on the ground refusing to get up, her body covered in dirt and grass.
"I was hit, nearly beaten to death. If you don’t explain yourselves to me, I won’t get up!" Wang Baozhu said, glancing triumphantly at Feng Qingxue. She had heard that those in the military were concerned about their reputation, and there were many formidable people among them. Being new to the place, she must firmly press down the opposition, make them dare not resist, so she could assert herself in the barracks as she did back home.
Good-natured people are taken advantage of, and tame horses get ridden.
These were words of wisdom passed down from their ancestors. If she didn’t show some firmness, others will only bully her.
The noise woke up Xibao.
He lifted his head from resting on Sang Hong’s shoulder, rubbed his eyes with the back of his small fist, turned his head every direction, his eyes, not fully open, searching for his mother, "Mama, Mama, I want to drink milk!"
Lu Jiang quickly held him in his arms, Feng Qingxue whispered softly, "Be good Xibao, mama is here."
Zheng Xuefeng spoke directly, "Qingxue, you and Comrade Lu Jiang take the child and go home. Leave this matter to me!"
"Thank you, political commissar."
After Lu Jiang said this, holding Xibao in one hand and aiding Feng Qingxue with the other, he was just about to sidestep Wang Baozhu who was blocking the way. But to his surprise, she slid her buttocks across the ground, getting in their way again, spreading her legs wide, hands flailing. She was blatantly acting like a hooligan, without the slightest concern for her dignity.
The contemporary era had extremely strict regulations for people’s behavior. It would not be quite appropriate to call these "regulations", since many aspects had no explicit rules. But in everyone’s consciousness, they must be abided by.
For instance, when young men and women meet on the street for a date, if they ride a bicycle, women should not straddle the seat; they must sit sideways. Unmarried women wear two braids, while the married ones can only wear one. Men cannot frivolously whistle; it is seen as hooligan behavior. Many couples cannot walk side by side; usually, they walk one behind the other, the man in front, the woman behind, this rule is slightly more relaxed.
The posture of Wang Baozhu was simply unbearable to look at.
"You can’t go, not without giving me an explanation!" That fat boy still drinks milk! Dream on!
Wang Baozhu was seething with jealousy, her heart burning with a sense of injustice. Eager to cut Feng Qingxue down a peg and establish herself as unrestrained in the military, she was ignored by Feng Qingxue, who stepped over her foot and walked away.
Wang Baozhu got up with a shout, nursing her stepped-on hand, "How dare you step on my hand!"
Zheng Xuefeng pretended not to see, Sang Hong and the others looked up at the sky, pretending to see nothing, not even Wang Baozhu’s attempt to block Lu Jiang and his wife.
But she really has no shame! Sang Hong and two soldiers on duty nearby thought.
At the same time, they all began to feel sympathy for Zhu Rong.
What did the poor battalion commander do in his previous life to deserve this? He who is revered by everyone in the military, who receives utmost respect as the leader of a battalion, unluckily had such a sharp-tongued, ruthless, trouble-making wife? His two sons were just the same, save for that poor girl trembling at the side.
No one blamed Feng Qingxue, not even Zhu Rong himself.
Feng Qingxue was just being polite in greeting Wang Baozhu, a greeting that would have seemed normal to anyone. If a military family had a need, the troops would absolutely not turn a blind eye. It was clear that Wang Baozhu was making an unreasonable scene.