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

"Oh, sister, I'm not just bragging."

Wang Guifen spat a chicken bone onto the aisle with a "pui" sound, almost hitting the foot of a passing flight attendant.

"My eldest son, I used to beat him up with a stick to raise him! Now he's all grown up, a high-ranking official in charge of thousands of people! If I go there this time, won't he have to kneel on the ground and kowtow to me?"

The young female student opposite her shrank back in disgust, covered her nose with a handkerchief, and didn't dare to respond.

Wang Guifen didn't care that no one paid attention to her; she was quite pleased with herself at that moment.

Before leaving, she ransacked Mengjia Village's dilapidated house, taking all of Meng Jingui's hidden savings from the stove hole, and even taking the two laying hens to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange for receipts.

With money and tickets, she lived a life of luxury throughout her journey.

"Once we get there, I'll stay in a grand mansion and eat that...specially supplied food!" Wang Guifen wiped her mouth with her greasy hands, a calculating glint in her triangular eyes.

"And that good-for-nothing wife of that brat's, I'll have to teach her a lesson this time too. A high-ranking official's wife should be a proper city lady, not some country bumpkin occupying the toilet!"

She had it all planned out in her mind.

Once they arrive at the army base, they'll cause a scene to make Gu Changfeng afraid of losing his job. Then, the money and the tickets will be hers, and Gu Changfeng's monthly allowance will have to obediently hand over to her.

As for that little beast named Meng Yaya?

Wang Guifen snorted. That brat is a bit strange. She'll find an opportunity to throw her into the deep mountains and forests to feed the wolves, and that'll be the end of it.

……

Beiping Military Region, Regimental Headquarters Office.

The fountain pen in Gu Changfeng's hand snapped in two with a "crack".

Ink splattered on his freshly washed military green shirt, spreading out in a large, glaring blue-black hue.

The black telephone receiver on the table was still connected, and the anxious voice of Officer Li from the armed forces department of my hometown county came through:

"Commander Gu, this is the situation. The Party Secretary of Mengjia Village ran thirty miles of mountain road overnight to the county to report that your stepmother had run off with all the valuables in the house and borrowed money from everyone to buy a train ticket to Beiping."

Gu Changfeng's face was ashen, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the receiver bulged.

"understood."

He uttered three words in a flat tone, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger, yet so cold that it sent a shiver down the spine of the officer on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Changfeng stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the shouts of battle from the training ground were deafening.

But all he could think about was Lin Wanrou's hands covered in chilblains, and Meng Yaya wearing an ill-fitting floral jacket, loudly proclaiming "Protect Mom!"

That woman, that heartless stepmother, actually dared to come knocking on our door?

Do you really think he's the same Meng Changhe who was easily manipulated back then?

"Report!" Guard Xiao Zhang knocked and entered. "Sir, the training plan for the First Battalion..."

"Put it here." Gu Changfeng turned around, a storm brewing in his narrow eyes.

"Go and tell the sentries at the gate of the compound that if any old lady claiming to be my relative comes looking for me, detain her and notify me directly. Do not let her into the family compound."

Xiao Zhang was taken aback for a moment, as it was rare for his superior to issue such a personal order, but he immediately stood at attention: "Yes, sir!"

Gu Changfeng grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and strode out of the office.

He has to go home.

In courtyard number six, Lin Wanrou was airing out her quilts.

After two days of recuperation, and with a hearty meal last night, the sallowness on her face faded somewhat, and she regained some color.

Meng Yaya was squatting in the corner, digging in the soil with a small shovel.

She was thinking of transplanting a few of those fast-growing sweet potato vines from the space to improve the family's meals.

The things in this space are good, but they need to have a clear origin, otherwise it's hard to explain.

"Ya Ya, stop playing in the mud, it's dirty." Lin Wanrou patted the blanket, her tone gentle.

"Mom, this is called an agricultural experiment." Meng Yaya didn't even look up, her chubby little hands deftly creating a hole in the soil.

The courtyard gate was pushed open.

Gu Changfeng walked in. He walked very fast, stirring up a gust of wind that whipped up the dust in the courtyard.

Lin Wanrou stopped what she was doing and looked at the man who shouldn't have come back at this time with some surprise.

"What happened? Did you leave something behind?"

Gu Changfeng looked at her, his throat tightening.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Gu Changfeng was used to being straightforward on the battlefield, and he was the same way with his wife: "Wang Guifen is here, she's probably already on the train."

"Clang!"

The dust-beating stick in Lin Wanrou's hand fell to the ground.

Her body trembled violently; it was a fear etched into her very bones.

Three years of torment had made that vicious old woman feel like a mountain weighing on her. Even now, having left that den of iniquity, she would still tremble involuntarily at the mere mention of her name.

"What...what is she doing here?" Lin Wanrou's lips turned pale.

Seeing her like this, Gu Changfeng felt as if he had been pricked by a needle.

He reached out and clumsily grasped Lin Wanrou's icy arm.

"This is a military area; she's here to die."

Lin Wanrou raised her head and looked at the man's resolute chin.

"Unless I agree, she won't even be able to get through the gates of the compound." Gu Changfeng looked into her eyes, emphasizing each word.

"Wanrou, remember this. You are now a military officer's family member, protected by the state. If she dares to lay a finger on you, I can make sure she rots in jail."

Lin Wanrou stared at him blankly.

This was the first time Gu Changfeng had called her by her name, Wanrou.

The way he pronounced those two words carried a stiff gentleness, yet it inexplicably brought a sense of peace.

"I..." Lin Wanrou took a deep breath, pulled her trembling hand back, and picked up the duster from the ground again. "I'm not afraid. I have hands and feet, and I can even heal people. I'm not afraid of her."

Although his voice was still trembling, he stood up straight.

Squatting in the corner, Meng Yaya smashed a clod of hard soil to pieces with a shovel in her hand.

She whistled in her mind.

Wang Guifen is coming? That's wonderful news!

When we were in the village, we were constrained by the concept of "filial piety," which prevented us from using many of our methods.

Now that we're in the military region, in this place where discipline and law are paramount, if that old hag still dares to cause trouble, she's practically asking for death—like lighting a lamp in a toilet.

"dad."

Meng Yaya stood up, patted the mud off her hands, and walked with her short legs to the middle of the two.

She tilted her head back, her face innocent and carefree: "Is that mean grandma coming? Can I knock those big yellow teeth out of her?"

Gu Changfeng: "..."

Lin Wanrou: "..."

The heavy and oppressive atmosphere from before was instantly shattered by this innocent remark from a child.

"Nonsense." Gu Changfeng said sternly, but his lips twitched almost imperceptibly. "Children should meddle in adult matters."

"Oh." Meng Yaya nodded obediently, but in her heart she was calculating whether the few bottles of laxatives and itching powder stored in her space were about to expire and she needed to find someone to use them up as soon as possible.

Gu Changfeng glanced at the watch.

He didn't want Lin Wanrou to dwell on this bad news and overthink things.

"Let's go." Gu Changfeng scooped Meng Yaya up and let her ride on his shoulders, while his other hand naturally took Lin Wanrou's wrist. "I'll take you to the training ground for a look around."

"What are we going there for? It's full of soldiers." Lin Wanrou tried to break free; it would be embarrassing if people saw them in broad daylight.

"Let's get to know each other." Gu Changfeng didn't give her a chance to refuse, and pulled her outside.

"Let those brats know clearly who the real sister-in-law is. Otherwise, when any Tom, Dick, or Harry comes knocking, they won't be able to tell east from west."

This is to completely confirm Lin Wanrou's identity and give the whole group a heads-up.

The training ground was bustling with activity.

The recruit company is currently undergoing combat training.

These new recruits have only been in the army for three months, and they are full of high spirits and unwilling to submit to anyone else.

The moment Gu Changfeng appeared carrying Meng Yaya, the previously noisy place fell silent for a moment, followed by a burst of whispers.

"Look! The commander has brought the kids!"

"Is that the child prodigy who lifted the stone weight with one hand that day?"

"Really? You must be kidding, that arm isn't even as thick as my thumb."

A few greenhorn recruits, inexperienced in the ways of the world, huddled together whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with suspicion and curiosity.

Lei Zhentian didn't leave today either.

The old man was sitting in a grand chair on a high platform, holding a purple clay teapot in his hand, squinting as he watched the new recruits drill below. When he saw Gu Changfeng and his family of three approaching, the old man's eyes lit up, and he waved from a distance.

"Ya Ya! Come here to Grandpa!"

Gu Changfeng put Meng Yaya down.

The little girl landed, but instead of running to the platform, she put her hands behind her back and strolled leisurely to the front of the recruits' formation, like a junior leader inspecting work.

She was furious because she heard that Wang Guifen was coming.

The feeling was like finally finding a refuge in the apocalypse, only to hear that a horde of zombies was on its way.

bother.

very annoying.

I need to find a sandbag to practice on.

Meng Yaya stopped in front of a new recruit who was practicing military boxing. The recruit was tall, and his movements were powerful and vigorous, but his lower body seemed unsteady, as if he were dancing.

"Feed." Meng Yaya stuck out a finger and poked the recruit's thigh. "Are you boxing or swatting mosquitoes?"

The new recruits were training hard when a little kid said that to them, and their faces instantly turned a deep shade of liver.

"Go away, where did this kid come from? Go play somewhere else! Don't cause trouble!" The recruit waved his hand, trying to shoo away the troublesome little one.

Meng Yaya didn't move.

She sighed, looked up at the recruit who was three heads taller than her, and revealed a set of pearly white teeth.

"I'm in a bad mood," Meng Yaya said seriously. "I want to hit someone. Can you take a beating?"