Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

These words were like a drop of water falling into a sizzling pan of oil, instantly causing an uproar in the room. Those who had finished eating and those who hadn't all got up and headed outside.

Shu Yun originally didn't want to join in the fun, but she heard Qian Xinmin's name in the heated discussion among the crowd, which was one of her purposes for coming to the city.

Shu Yun followed the crowd out and soon heard deafening slogans. It was the first time Shu Yun had ever seen such a thing, and it would be a lie to say that she wasn't shocked.

------

The streets were packed with people, holding up banners and chanting slogans, their expressions excited and thrilled. Shu Yun stood on tiptoe and saw several soldiers pushing a few emaciated, pale-faced people in the middle of the street.

Shu Yun saw Qian Xinmin inside, his hair disheveled, his clothes tattered, his face covered in bruises, the left lens of his glasses shattered, and he slumped over, his head hunched as he was pushed forward, his former arrogance gone.

The parade headed towards the street corner. Shu Yun only glanced at it a few times and didn't follow. She overheard several young female students talking nearby.

"Bah! This outcome is well-deserved for a bad element like Qian Xinmin. He should be dragged out every day to be criticized and educated by the people."

"Fortunately, his crimes were exposed; otherwise, if he had really become a teacher at our school, our school's reputation would have been ruined by such a bad element."

Among the crowd were some curious onlookers who, upon hearing the story, began asking the female students, "What crime did this person commit?"

The female student said with disdain, "He already has a wife and children back in his hometown, but he still found a partner in the city and tried to stay there. When his wife from his hometown came to look for him, he even tried to sell his own children. Don't you think such a person has no conscience?"

"Even tigers don't eat their cubs, this is too cruel."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in condemnation.

Shu Yun pieced together the events from their conversation. Wang Yuping had initially softened her heart and hadn't reported Qian Xinmin. She didn't want the children's father's crime to affect their future, so she only planned to stay a few more days, visit the children in a big city, and then return home.

To her surprise, her concession only emboldened Qian Xinmin. When Wang Yuping took her youngest daughter to the hospital, Qian Xinmin came to Wang Yuping's residence and took away her eldest son with his men.

Fortunately, the neighbors noticed something was wrong and called Wang Yuping back in time, preventing Qian Xinmin from actually selling the child. However, this made Wang Yuping truly harden his heart.

The next day, he dragged his son and daughter to the gate of the university where Qian Xinmin studied, and posters were put up on the school gate, quickly spreading throughout the campus. Public opinion was in an uproar, and teachers and students were very concerned about the matter. That afternoon, Qian Xinmin was taken away by the committee.

After Shu Yun and the others finished speaking, they asked, "Comrades, do you know where Wang Yuping is now?"

Several female students immediately looked at Shu Yun warily, "Who are you?"

Shu Yun explained, "Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. I'm a military wife from a nearby unit. I just heard you mention Qian Xinmin and Wang Yuping. I happen to know Wang Yuping, so I wanted to ask about her current situation."

Seeing her smiling face and pretty appearance, the girls relaxed their guard. When they heard that she was a military wife, their expressions immediately softened. "We only saw Wang Yuping in the first few days. We haven't seen her since. But we heard from others that she lived in Xihe Hutong. We don't know if she's still there."

After thanking the students, Shu Yun went to the address they had given her, but unfortunately, Wang Yuping had just moved out yesterday, and even the landlord didn't know where she was.

The city wasn't too big or too small, and Shu Yun could only hope in her heart that Wang Yuping and her two children would be safe and sound.

Lost in thought, Shu Yun pushed her cart and unknowingly walked into the depths of the alley. Inside, there was still that imposing courtyard house, where Wang Jinnan's family used to live. Now, the doors were tightly shut, and a layer of dust had accumulated on the steps.

"Who are you?" The old woman next to her, carrying a basket of groceries, looked at Shu Yun curiously.

Shu Yun pointed to the courtyard house, "I remember there used to be a family surnamed Wang living here, are they still there?"

Grandma You said, "They're long gone. Their husband got into trouble and couldn't get out. Their wife remarried and left after a few days. Their two children were taken to the countryside by Wang's relatives, and I haven't seen them since."

Grandma You looked her over several times, feeling that she looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place her. She wanted to inquire about Shu Yun's relationship with the Wang family, but Shu Yun gave her a few perfunctory answers and left in a hurry.

She rode her bicycle home, carrying large and small bags. When she reached her doorstep, she saw Wu Liqin in a military uniform standing at the gate of her yard. She guessed it was about work and said, "Comrade Wu."

Wu Liqin sat in the living room, holding a cup of tea that Shu Yun had brewed for her. She said very apologetically, "I've been keeping an eye on things for your job, sister-in-law, but the publicity department said they've already hired someone and don't need to add any more people. Look at the mess this has made."

Shu Yun had already prepared herself mentally, so she wasn't too disappointed. Instead, she comforted Wu Liqin, saying, "It's nothing. I haven't even thanked you for running errands for me yet."

Wu Liqin felt even more embarrassed by what was said. "The positions that my sister-in-law can offer this time include kitchen help in the canteen, garbage disposal, street cleaning, and two positions for female workers in the food factory."

Wu Liqin hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "The number of workers is good, and the benefits seem pretty good, but one of them is wrapping candy. You have to stand all day to wrap it, which makes your back ache and your fingers hurt. Besides, the candy wrappers are hard, and your fingers can easily get injured."

Shu Yun asked, "What about the other one?"

"The other one is in the soybean paste workshop, where the ventilation is poor and the environment is stuffy." Wu Liqin has a relative who used to work in the soybean paste workshop. After a day, there was nowhere for her clothes to dry. Once, she fainted and even lost a child. Later, she asked someone to help her get a job transfer and then she became pregnant again.

"However, although it's hard work, the benefits are much higher than those of other female workers, and there are educational requirements. Not many people in our family compound meet the requirements, so sister-in-law, you don't need to rush to reply to me. You can discuss it with Commander Gu later and get back to me this week."

"Comrade Wu, you're so kind." Shu Yun saw the man to the door.

"Sister-in-law, you're busy. There are still a few military wives who haven't been notified yet. I'll be going now."

After seeing the person out, Shu Yun sat in a chair and thought for a while. The worker's status was indeed very good, but she asked herself if she could endure the hardship!

It's better not to overthink it; we should wait until Gu Jun comes back and discuss it together.

It was still early before dinner, so she finished the mural, mixed several paints to create the emerald green she wanted, and used a paintbrush to paint the sky a deep blue with white clouds...

Before she knew it, it was 2 p.m. Shu Yun opened all the doors and windows in the living room to let in some fresh air, and then went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients she had bought that morning for the evening's feast.