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

Meng Jianjun was pinned to the ground by a large wolfhound weighing over 100 pounds. His oily face was pressed painfully against the rough cement floor.

Black Wind's gaping maw hung above the back of his head, and hot, foul-smelling drool dripped onto his collar with a "plop".

That warm, damp sensation felt like a venomous snake crawling into my clothes.

"Mommy! Help! This dog really eats people!"

Meng Jianjun was so frightened that his crotch was soaked again, and his throat was about to split open from screaming. He tried to crawl out using both hands and feet, but the dog's paw on his back was like a mountain, pressing him down and making him unable to move.

Meng Yaya stood on the steps, spinning the small rosewood gun in her hand very quickly.

She watched this scene, her lips pursed in disgust: "Tsk, Big Black, don't bite. This meat smells terrible, and I'll have to go through the trouble of brushing your teeth."

Wang Guifen originally wanted to rush over to save her son, but upon hearing this, and seeing Hei Feng turn his head and bare his teeth at her, his two rows of white, sharp teeth reflecting the sunlight, the old lady was so frightened that her legs went weak and she sat back down on the ground.

"Chief! Great Chief!" Wang Guifen knew that Gu Changfeng was determined not to admit his mistake, so she could only place all her hopes on the old man with the cane.

Ignoring the dirt on the ground, she crawled towards Lei Zhentian using both hands and feet, kowtowing as she went.

"You're the righteous judge! You be the judge! These soldiers are setting their dogs on civilians! Is there no law anymore? And that brat was holding a gun...that's a murder weapon!"

Wang Guifen pointed at the small wooden gun in Meng Yaya's hand, as if she had seized on some incriminating evidence: "That girl is so young and already wielding knives and guns, and even wants to kill people. She's a bandit! You have to arrest her and remove Gu Changfeng, the official who condoned his family's violence!"

She was calculating her options meticulously. As long as this high-ranking official spoke up, Gu Changfeng would have to back down. Then, not only would she be able to move into the compound and live in an apartment building, but she could also extort a hefty sum of money from him.

The military wives and soldiers who had been watching the commotion quieted down, wanting to see how Commander Lei, who was known for protecting his own, would handle the situation.

Lei Zhentian leaned on his cane, looking down at Wang Guifen lying at his feet. His battle-hardened face was expressionless, but his brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"You're saying the gun in this girl's hand is a murder weapon?" Lei Zhentian's voice was so loud it made everyone's eardrums buzz.

"Yeah! It's the weapon! She was just about to poke me with it!"

Wang Guifen thought Commander Lei believed her, so she quickly rolled up her sleeves, revealing her armpit where she had just been poked. Although it wasn't even red, she screamed as if her arm had been broken.

Lei Zhentian snorted coldly, turned to look at Meng Yaya, and his serious face instantly blossomed into a smile: "Yaya, come here."

Meng Yaya ran over obediently and sweetly called out, "Grandpa."

That cry of "Godfather" was like a muffled thunderclap, striking Wang Guifen directly on the top of her head.

Her mouth gaped open, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground, and her eyes bulged out of their sockets. Grandpa…Grandpa? When did this brat start recognizing the High Commander as her grandpa?

Lei Zhentian stretched out his calloused hand, took the small wooden gun from Meng Yaya's hand, weighed it in his hand, and then showed the gun handle engraved with the words "Zhentian" to Wang Guifen.

"Old woman, open your eyes wide and look carefully." Lei Zhentian pointed at the two words, his tone chilling. "This gun is a gift I gave to this girl! It's a model of my old sidearm. What, you want to confiscate it too?"

Wang Guifen shuddered, feeling as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

It’s over.

We've hit a brick wall.

"In Ya Ya's hands, this gun is like an imperial sword."

Lei Zhentian solemnly placed the wooden gun back into Meng Yaya's hand, and in front of everyone, his voice rose eight octaves.

"If anyone in this military region dares to bully her, dares to bully her mother, she can use this gun to deal with them for me! What, you have a problem with that?"

How could Wang Guifen dare to have any objections? She just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Holding her recovered "imperial sword," Meng Yaya waved it at the dumbfounded Meng Jingui and Zhang Cuihua, and said in her childish voice:

"Did you hear that? I'm licensed. That poke I gave you just now was to eliminate you in the name of justice."

Gu Changfeng stood aside, watching his daughter act like a bully, and couldn't help but smirk slightly.

Seeing that the time was right, he took a step forward and waved to the guard company commander who was already impatient.

"Now that their identities have been verified, these people have nothing to do with me, Gu Changfeng, and they caused trouble at the gate, intending to storm the military control zone."

Gu Changfeng's voice was devoid of any warmth, strictly adhering to official procedures: "Get them out of here. If they dare to approach the military region's gate again, treat them as espionage, no need to ask for instructions!"

"yes!"

A dozen heavily armed soldiers responded in unison, their imposing presence terrifying the Meng family.

"Don't arrest me! I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now!"

Meng Jingui stopped complaining about leg pain, got up, grabbed a wooden stick, and ran outside. Zhang Cuihua, clutching her tattered bundle, tumbled and crawled after him.

Black Wind loosened its grip and roared at Meng Jianjun's buttocks.

"Woof!"

With a howl, Meng Jianjun, not even bothering to pull up his pants, darted out like a startled rabbit, not even daring to turn back to pick up one of his shoes, which he had lost in the process.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Wang Guifen no longer cared about throwing a tantrum.

She scrambled to her feet, glaring venomously at Gu Changfeng and Lin Wanrou, gritting her teeth as she uttered a polite remark: "Gu Changfeng, you heartless ingrate! You just wait! This isn't over!"

After saying that, fearing that the big wolfhound would pounce on her again, she turned and ran away, her speed unlike that of an old lady.

"Tch, coward." Meng Yaya tucked the wooden gun back into her belt, patted Hei Feng's head, took out a piece of jerky from her pocket and stuffed it into the dog's mouth. "Good job, extra treat."

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Serves him right! This kind of jerk should have been kicked out long ago!"

"Commander Gu did a great job! You can't be soft-hearted when dealing with this kind of person!"

Lin Wanrou stood beside Gu Changfeng, watching the family's disheveled escape, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

She let out a long breath, feeling as if the mountain that had weighed on her heart for so many years had finally been lifted away.

"It's alright now." Gu Changfeng's large hand landed on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "They won't be able to come in anymore."

Lin Wanrou nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. She looked up at the man beside her, then at her daughter being held high in Lei Siling's arms, and the void in her heart was finally filled.

……

The sun was setting in the west, in the back alley of the county town's guesthouse.

Wang Guifen and her family huddled in a sheltered corner, looking like drowned rats. Meng Jianjun's trousers were still damp and smelled foul; he was shivering, hugging his arms.

"Mother, what should we do?" Meng Jingui rubbed her still cramping leg, looking dejected. "Gu Changfeng is too hard-hearted now, and with a high-ranking official backing him, we can't get in at all."

"Yes, Mom, I'm hungry." Meng Jianjun's stomach rumbled. "How about we go back to our hometown? This city is too scary, and those dogs..."

Meng Jianjun shuddered at the mere mention of dogs.

"Go back my ass!" Wang Guifen spat fiercely, swallowing the last bit of dry food in her mouth.

Her old face was covered in ash, but her triangular eyes gleamed with a glint more sinister than a venomous snake.

"We sold our house back home and returned the land. Going back now would mean starving! Besides, that's a monthly allowance of several dozen yuan. Why should that little vixen get it?"

Wang Guifen thought of Lin Wanrou's brand-new Dacron shirt and Meng Yaya's handful of milk candies, and her heart bled with jealousy.

"Then...then we can't beat them either," Zhang Cuihua muttered softly.

"Who said we were going to fight?" Wang Guifen sneered, revealing a set of broken and yellowed teeth.

"What do officials fear most? A ruined reputation! Doesn't Gu Changfeng care about his image? Didn't he say he was severing ties with his family? Well, I'll make him lose face in the entire county!"

She beckoned her two sons and daughters-in-law over, lowering her voice to a whisper, like rats grinding their teeth as they crawled out of a ditch.

"Listen, starting tomorrow, you will split up and go to the vegetable market next to the military region, the supply and marketing cooperative, and the back gate of that compound."

She told everyone she met that Gu Changfeng was a heartless man who only married Lin Wanrou to climb the social ladder, and that he had actually been a long-time philanthropist back in their hometown...

Wang Guifen paused, a wicked smile spreading across her face: "Tell me about Meng Yaya, she's not Gu Changfeng's child at all! She's Lin Wanrou's daughter with some other man!"

"Will this... will this work?" Meng Jingui was a little hesitant.

"Why not? Your spittle can drown a person!" Wang Guifen slapped her thigh.

"Once his reputation is ruined, we won't even need to lift a finger; someone in the military will take care of him! To keep his job, he'll be begging us to refute the rumors. And then, we can decide how much money he wants."

"Mom, you're the best!" Meng Jianjun stopped trembling and gave a thumbs up when he heard there was money to be made.