He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the military wives present all changed.

In this era, a woman's reputation is more important than her life. An unmarried girl running around massaging a man's legs and bringing him meals every day, and even living in his yard—regardless of the facts, these descriptions alone are enough to make people's imaginations run wild.

"I knew it! There's no such thing as a kind person..."

"Indeed, those who offer unsolicited favors are either up to no good or are thieves."

"Stay away from her from now on, don't get tainted by any bad reputation..."

The military wives dispersed in twos and threes, but their whispers spread like wildfire throughout the entire compound overnight.

Starting the next day, Shen Tang clearly felt a change in the wind direction in the courtyard.

Before, when she went to the water trough to fetch water, the other women would always greet her and praise her for growing vegetables well. Now, as soon as she walks over, the once lively crowd quiets down, several military wives exchange meaningful glances, and then make an excuse to leave.

On her way to the cafeteria, someone was pointing and whispering behind her back, their voices just loud enough for her to hear:

"That's her, the one who goes to the hospital every day to massage Commander Mu's legs..."

"Tsk, so young, yet so shameless..."

"I heard even Commander Mu didn't acknowledge her, yet she still refuses to leave. She's shameless..."

Shen Tang kept walking, her face calm as still water.

She's no stranger to being a human. Having spent so many years in academia in her past life, what kind of open and covert attacks hadn't she seen? These rumors wouldn't even scratch her skin.

Wang Xiulian, on the other hand, was furious.

"Bullshit! A bunch of gossipy women!" Wang Xiulian slapped the washboard by the sink, glaring angrily at the several gossiping military wives. "Shen Tang gave Commander Mu a proper traditional Chinese medicine massage! Even Doctor Chen approved it! What do you know? Spreading rumors here!"

"Sister Xiulian, don't get agitated." Zhang Cuihua smiled sarcastically. "We didn't say anything, we just thought a young lady should be mindful of her image. We understand you're close to her and want to speak up for her. But in this matter, the innocent will clear themselves. If she really hasn't done anything wrong, why would she be afraid of what people say?"

"You—!" Wang Xiulian's face turned red with anger, but she was tongue-tied and was speechless for a moment by Zhang Cuihua's twisted logic.

Another military wife chimed in, "That's right, Xiulian, don't be so hasty. We're just thinking about the atmosphere in the compound. If word gets back to the higher-ups, it won't be good for Commander Mu's reputation, will it?"

Wang Xiulian was so angry that she trembled and turned to find Shen Tang.

"Girl! Did you hear what those people outside were saying? It's infuriating!" Wang Xiulian grabbed Shen Tang's hand, her eyes red with worry. "It's all because of that Bai Wei! Ever since she moved in with Liu Fang, she's been gossiping all over the yard! They've made you sound like such a monster! I've argued with them so many times, but those people just believe everything they hear. I can't possibly win against them all by myself!"

Shen Tang was squatting by the flower bed watering the second batch of bok choy when she heard this. She straightened up, patted the soil off her hands, and remained calm.

"Sister-in-law, don't be angry." She smiled, her tone nonchalant. "People can say whatever they want, I can't control that. But the facts are there—Commander Mu's leg is improving, and Doctor Chen approves of my technique; these are all verifiable. Let those people say what they want; the day Commander Mu stands up again, all the rumors will fall apart."

"But..." Wang Xiulian was still unwilling to give up, "Are you just going to endure this?"

Shen Tang narrowed her eyes, a meaningful smile curving her lips: "Sister-in-law, I never engage in verbal battles. I only do one thing—let the results speak for themselves."

She stood up, patted the dirt off her knees, and looked over the courtyard wall towards the distant courtyard.

Bai Wei wants to mess with her?

She wanted to see who the people in the compound would ultimately choose to believe: a half-baked nurse who had been disciplined, or someone who could help Mu Qinghan get back on her feet.

Ultimately, Shen Tang's purpose in coming here was never to argue with anyone.

What she needed to do was simple—heal Mu Qinghan's leg so that he would willingly give her the jade bracelet; obtain the excellent seedlings from her space and produce real scientific research results in this desolate northwestern desert.

As for people like Bai Wei? No matter how loudly a fly buzzes, it's not worth her putting down what she's doing to swat it. It will eventually run into a spider web on its own.

Shen Tang lowered her eyes and gently straightened the newly sprouted buds in the flower bed.

Every ounce of her energy is precious right now—Mu Qinghan's leg nerve repair is at a critical stage, and the dosage of the spiritual spring water and the pressure of the acupoints need to be precisely controlled; Wang Xiulian's treatment for uterine cold has just begun, and she will need to follow up with dietary therapy; more importantly, the seeds of the third batch of salt-tolerant crops in the space are about to mature, and she needs to find a suitable time to expand the planting area as soon as possible, and also prepare for future research.

These are the things she should really focus on.

As for those who gossip behind her back? They're not worth her time to deal with right now.

And the day she helps Mu Qinghan up from her wheelchair, the day she cultivates an entire oasis in this Gobi Desert—

All rumors and gossip will become the loudest slap in the face.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry about me." Shen Tang patted Wang Xiulian's hand, smiling nonchalantly. "Come to my place tomorrow afternoon; it'll be your second acupuncture session. Remember, soak your feet in hot water before bed tonight until you sweat slightly."

Looking into Shen Tang's eyes, which were as calm as a deep pool, Wang Xiulian felt her anxiety inexplicably subside.

Yes, that's how girls are—no matter how chaotic things are outside, she always knows what she should do.

"Fine! I'll listen to you, sister-in-law!" Wang Xiulian nodded heavily, then spat angrily in the direction of Bai Wei's residence, "Those gossipy women will get their comeuppance one day!"

During the days when Bai Wei was spreading rumors in the courtyard, Shen Tang didn't respond at all.

Her days were packed with activities—helping out in the cafeteria in the morning, delivering meals to Mu Qinghan and giving her massages in the morning, tending to her beloved vegetable garden in the afternoon, giving Wang Xiulian acupuncture, and delivering dinner to the hospital in the evening. She was like a finely tuned machine, every minute spent on the most important things, with no extra energy to pay attention to the gossip behind her back.

What frustrates Bai Wei even more is that the public opinion she painstakingly created regarding "Shen Tang's indiscretion" is being quietly undermined by a group of teenagers.

The cause was Tiger.

Ever since Shen Tang washed a radish for him to eat that day, the boy has been following Shen Tang's flower bed like a little tail every day. Shen Tang doesn't chase him away. Every time Hu Zi comes, she just picks a radish or plucks a couple of tender vegetable leaves for him.

Tiger's eyes lit up like light bulbs after taking a bite, and he turned to his friends in the yard to brag, "Sister Shen Tang's radishes are sweeter than apples! Go ask her for some, she's very generous!"

So, one, two, three… within a few days, seven or eight children in the compound had become regulars by Shen Tang's flower bed. Every day after school, they would squat there, eagerly waiting for Sister Shen Tang to hand out "fruit." Shen Tang never refused; she would pick some and give it to them, even teaching them to identify the vegetables—"This is bok choy, this is water radish, these leaves are edible, and that root is poisonous, don't touch it."

The children, feeling indebted to Shen Tang, became incredibly close to her, calling her "Sister Shen Tang" this and "Sister Shen Tang" that, treating her even more intimately than a biological sister.

And what about the military wives? Their children get food from Shen Tang every day, so even if they still harbor resentment, they can't say anything unpleasant. They can't let their children eat someone else's food while simultaneously badmouthing her behind her back, can they? That would be too shameless.

As a result, the atmosphere in the compound subtly shifted—the open gossip decreased, but the behind-the-scenes discussions continued. The military wives stopped making sarcastic remarks to Shen Tang's face, but they also didn't actively try to be friendly with her, maintaining a distant and observing attitude.

Bai Wei keenly sensed this change and, in a fit of anger, smashed a cup at Liu Fang's house.

"Fang-jie! Look at that Shen Tang! What kind of skill is it to bribe a child!" Bai Wei gritted her teeth. "Those military wives, just because their children ate a few of her rotten radishes, they dare not say a word! What a spineless bunch!"