Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

The morning light was cut off by the heavy wooden door, and the washroom fell into a deathly silence.

Meng Yaya dragged the mop handle, which was thicker than her wrist, step by step into the washroom. The end of the handle rubbed against the cement floor, making a "sizzling" sound, like grinding teeth.

She was wearing an ill-fitting floral-patterned blouse with the sleeves rolled up twice, revealing her chubby little arms. Her chubby little face was as stiff as a block of ice fresh from the kiln.

The curly-haired woman, Qian Mei, paused for a moment, then realized that the newcomer was just a baby who hadn't been weaned yet, and her tense nerves immediately relaxed. She chuckled and waved the half-scoop of dirty water she hadn't yet poured out.

"Where did this wild child come from? So ill-mannered! Who gave you the right to interrupt adults?"

Qian Mei didn't know Meng Yaya. Yesterday, when Meng Yaya was dealing with Wang Hu in courtyard number six, Qian Mei happened to be visiting her parents' home. She only heard that a mother and daughter from the countryside had come to courtyard number six.

Meng Yaya ignored her and walked straight to Lin Wanrou's side. She slammed the mop handle on the ground and reached out to pull Lin Wanrou's wrist, which was red from being grabbed.

"Does it hurt?" Meng Yaya asked.

Lin Wanrou's eyes were red, and she subconsciously hid her hands behind her back: "It doesn't hurt. Ya Ya, why are you here? Go back quickly, it's a mess here."

"I'm not going back."

Meng Yaya turned around, tilted her head back, and scanned the faces of the women surrounding her. Those she looked at unconsciously avoided her gaze.

Finally, her gaze settled on Qian Mei and the gourd ladle filled with dirty water in her hand.

"Did you splash the water just now?" Meng Yaya pointed to Lin Wanrou's clothes, which were covered in black foam in the basin.

Qian Mei crossed her arms, stretching her polyester shirt taut. "So what if it's me? Can't I just slip? Besides, it's just a tattered piece of clothing anyway. What's wrong with splashing some dirty water on it? It's disinfecting it!"

A few scattered laughs came from the women around.

Meng Yaya nodded: "It's good that you admit it."

She suddenly released the mop handle. The handle fell to the side and hit the ground with a "thud".

Just when everyone thought the child was paralyzed with fear, Meng Yaya moved.

She slammed into Qian Mei's thigh like a cannonball.

"what!"

Caught completely off guard, Qian Mei lost her balance from the impact and staggered backward. She was still holding the gourd ladle filled with dirty water, and in her panic, her hand trembled.

"Splash—"

The bucket of dirty water that was originally intended to be poured on someone else ended up being poured all over Qian Mei's own face and chest.

A stream of cold water, smelling rancid and soapy, down her meticulously styled wavy hair, blurring her vision and soaking into her collar.

The brand-new floral polyester shirt was instantly soaked through, clinging tightly to his body, making him look extremely disheveled.

"Ptooey! Ptooey!" Qian Mei wiped the water off her face; the strange smell made her feel nauseous.

The washroom was completely silent. The women who had been watching the commotion just moments before were now all gaping in astonishment.

"You brat! I'm going to kill you!"

Qian Mei was furious. She was used to being a tyrant in the compound, when had she ever suffered such a loss? Like an enraged sow, she bared her teeth and claws, ready to grab Meng Yaya.

Lin Wanrou was shocked and rushed over to shield her daughter without thinking.

However, Meng Yaya was faster than her.

The little girl nimbly darted under the cement platform beside her, dodging Qian Mei's sharp claws, and casually picked up the washboard that Lin Wanrou had just put down.

"Thump!"

Meng Yaya didn't hit anyone with the washboard; instead, she slammed it hard against the empty wooden basin.

The loud noise made everyone in the water room's eardrums ache.

"Someone's being assaulted! Help! A battalion commander's family member is committing murder!"

Meng Yaya opened her throat and howled in that incredibly powerful childlike voice. There wasn't a trace of crying in her voice; instead, it was filled with excitement and loudness, and even had a rhythmic quality.

"Come quick, everyone! The capitalist's daughter has reverted to her old ways! She's bullying the poor and lower-middle peasants!"

That shout was as powerful as an air raid siren.

Qian Mei froze in mid-air. These days, some labels can't be thrown around lightly. "Capitalist's daughter," "bullying poor and lower-middle peasants"—if these labels were slapped on her, even if her husband was a battalion commander, he'd be in serious trouble.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!" Qian Mei panicked, her finger trembling as she pointed at Meng Yaya. "Who's a capitalist's daughter? I'm a true member of the working class!"

"Then why did you bully my mom?"

Meng Yaya stopped howling, hugged the wooden basin that was bigger than her head, and questioned him with a righteous expression.

"My mother wore tattered clothes because she saved the good fabric to make shoes for my father. She farmed and made shoe soles in the countryside to support my father fighting on the front lines. You dress so fancy, yet you're not grateful to military families and instead call her a poor, destitute person?"

Meng Yaya took a step forward, forcing Qian Mei, who was soaking wet, to take a step back.

"Auntie, there's something wrong with your thinking. Do you look down on rural people, or on the families of soldiers who bleed and sacrifice their lives on the front lines?"

"I...I didn't..." Qian Mei stammered, her face turning a deep purplish-red. This little girl's mouth was too sharp; every word she uttered crossed the line.

"No?" Meng Yaya sneered, pointing at the women around her who had just spoken up for her. "Then they didn't lay a hand on me? They didn't say my mother had fleas either?"

The women immediately shook their heads vigorously, shrinking back as if afraid of getting involved in the matter.

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding..." the tall, thin woman said with a dry laugh, trying to smooth things over. "Young lady, we were just joking."

"joke?"

Meng Yaya slammed the wooden basin she was holding onto the table.

"Then I'll just joke with you guys too."

She pointed to Qian Mei's enamel basin still soaking in the pool, inside which was a four-pocket military uniform, clearly her husband's.

"Since Auntie likes to wash clothes with dirty water, then let's not waste this basin of water."

Meng Yaya stood on tiptoe, grabbed the gourd ladle that Qian Mei had dropped on the ground, and scooped a full ladle of swill mixed with mud and oil from the dirty bucket next to her.

Qian Mei's eyes widened: "You dare!"

That's the casual clothes her man will be wearing to the meeting tomorrow!

"You'll see if I dare."

Meng Yaya flipped her wrist.

The dark, murky swill was poured precisely into the enamel basin. The once-clean military uniform was instantly stained grayish-black, with a few rotten vegetable leaves still clinging to it.

"Ah—!" Qian Mei screamed and lunged forward to try and save the clothes, but she slipped and landed hard on her bottom on the wet cement floor.

"Now look what you've done. Your clothes are dirty, and so are you. Now that's what you call a matching set." Meng Yaya patted the dust off her hands, looking disgusted.

She turned around and pulled up Lin Wanrou, who was still stunned.

"Mom, let's go. Clothes washed in this smoky place will smell bad. I'll boil water for you to wash when we get home."

Holding her daughter's warm little hand, Lin Wanrou felt as if she were walking on clouds. She looked down at the figure that only reached her thighs; though so small, it seemed like a mountain blocking her way.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered at the entrance of the water room.

Meng Yaya dragged Lin Wanrou along and swaggered out. As they passed the door, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at Qian Mei, who was still sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum.

"By the way, Auntie."

Meng Yaya gave a sweet smile, revealing a few tiny teeth.

"Next time you want to bully someone, go and find out if No. 6 Courtyard is easy to mess with. My dad's name is Gu Changfeng, and my name is Meng Yaya. If you want to complain, feel free to come. I'm always ready to help."

After saying that, she ignored the terrified expressions on the faces of the people and pulled Lin Wanrou across the threshold.

I had only taken two steps when I bumped into a solid wall of people.

A faint scent of tobacco mixed with the fresh fragrance of soap wafted towards me.

Meng Yaya looked up.

Gu Changfeng was standing at the bottom of the steps outside the water room. He was wearing his training uniform, with the cuffs rolled up to reveal his strong forearms, and he was carrying two kettles of freshly boiled water in his hands.

His perpetually cold and hard face remained expressionless, but the surrounding air temperature noticeably dropped several degrees. He had clearly been there for a while; he had heard everything that had happened inside.

When Lin Wanrou saw Gu Changfeng, the strength she had been holding back vanished instantly. She lowered her head, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, like a child who had done something wrong: "Chang...Changfeng."

She was afraid of causing trouble for Gu Changfeng. After all, he was the battalion commander's family member, and they would see each other all the time.

Gu Changfeng remained silent.

He put down the thermos in his hand and strode over to Lin Wanrou.

He reached out, grabbed Lin Wanrou's wrist that was scratched, and examined it closely. The red scratch stood out starkly against her pale skin.

"Who did it?"

These three words were like ice shards squeezed out from between teeth.