Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Offending Someone

Soon, the Political Commissar sent someone to invite Shen Yixiang over.

Yang Peimin didn’t follow her; she knew it wasn’t a serious matter. They were just going to do some ideological work with the two of them and then have them shake hands and make peace, as usual.

They wouldn’t treat Du Juanjuan any differently, even if her family background was slightly better.

Sure enough, when Shen Yixiang returned, she even had a smile on her face.

“I apologized with a good attitude, and the Political Commissar was satisfied, so he let me come back,” she said.

Yang Peimin asked her, “What did they say about Du Juanjuan?”

“Her? She said that if they won’t stand up for her here, she’ll take it up the chain. The Political Commissar is still working on her mindset. She’s really got some nerve,” Shen Yixiang said with a laugh, obviously in a good mood.

Yang Peimin couldn’t help but think this girl was naive. “You’re so optimistic? Du Juanjuan can’t do it?”

Shen Yixiang was taken aback. “What’s wrong, sister-in-law? Can Du Juanjuan really report me? What kind of big official is in her family?”

Yang Peimin had learned a bit about this from Shen Yiguang, who was acquainted with Shao Hui. He knew that both Shao Hui and Du Juanjuan were from military families, but Du Juanjuan’s father had retired. He served on the local county committee and no longer had any influence in the military. The support Du Juanjuan could rely on was only from the Shao family. Shao Hui’s father and brothers were officers of at least regimental level in the L military region. Shen Yiguang hadn’t made clear their exact positions, so Yang Peimin only had a rough idea.

Although they weren’t afraid, they knew Du Juanjuan wouldn’t cause any real trouble. As the saying goes, it’s easier to deal with a gentleman’s anger than a petty person’s mischief. If Du Juanjuan didn’t get the outcome she wanted in this situation, she surely wouldn’t let it go. It was unclear where she might try to trip them up.

Yang Peimin also decided to remind Shen Yixiang not to get carried away. “You’ve already offended Du Juanjuan completely, and with all the rumors outside, this place feels like a hotbed of gossip. We should pack our things and head back to the city. Without your brother here, I never feel safe.”

Shen Yixiang looked at her in a daze. “Sister-in-law, I’ve heard the rumors too, but it’s nothing. I plan to start a relationship with Lu Haijun anyway. Let them talk if they want; their words won’t cost me any flesh. Are we really leaving so soon? I still want to go and have a word or two with Lu Haijun.”

“You still want to talk? Even if you’re preparing to be in a relationship, what of it? As a girl, if you actively seek out a man at night, people will say you lack the modesty of a young lady, and even use words like shameless. Maybe it doesn’t bother you now, but what about Lu Haijun? Will he have an opinion? Okay, even if he doesn’t care now, what about later? If people keep talking, won’t he feel like he’s losing face, become unhappy with you, and blame you for things using this as an excuse? You’ll regret it when the time comes.” In these times, although slogans of gender equality were chanted, the centuries-old constraints on women had become ingrained habits. A man taking the initiative is seen as bold and encouraging, but the opposite is labeled as indecent.

Completely stunned, Shen Yixiang murmured, “Really?”

How could dating be so complicated?

Yang Peimin gave her a sideways look. “Can’t you write letters? Start by writing to each other. See each other again after some time has passed. Oh, and you can try sounding him out to see what he thinks of the rumors and what his views are.”

Shen Yixiang nodded.

Yang Peiying sneaked a glance at the two of them and shared Shen Yixiang’s sentiment. Even courting someone had so many considerations.

Having discussed this, they began to pack their belongings in preparation for returning to the city.

But before they had finished packing, Luo Dahua came by and mentioned someone was getting married that day. The bridegroom had come from his hometown to have the wedding hosted by the organization, and they were invited to join the festivities.

Since they were notified, it seemed rude not to go, so Yang Peimin planned to drop in with a wedding gift and then return.

Shen Yixiang, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic. “I’ve never seen a military wedding before. I have to take a good look today.”

Yang Peiying nodded in agreement.

Yang PeiMin: “…”

The wedding ceremony was held in the auditorium, officiated by the organization’s leadership, with comrades-in-arms watching on.

When they arrived at the auditorium, it was packed with people, all bustling and warm. The two newlyweds on stage were nervously and excitedly delivering their speeches, clad in new, tight-fitting attires.

Yang PeiMin listened for a moment, something about rallying around the organization, urging both sides to make joint progress, and dedicating all leftover energy to the service of the nation… Gosh, wasn’t this like a party oath?

But everyone was listening with rapt attention.

Shen Yixiang was especially moved, her eyes brimming with longing.

Yang PeiMin gave her a glance—it was not hard to imagine that Shen Yixiang had already pictured herself in the place of the two people onstage representing Lu Haijun.

The newlyweds quickly finished speaking and changed locations, inviting everyone to their dormitories as if it was the traditional ‘fetching-the-bride’ ceremony, just to go through the motions and liven things up.

Yang PeiMin and the others naturally followed them.

Once in the dormitory, she seized the opportunity to squeeze to the front and gave her share of the monetary gift, followed by a few auspicious words to the bride, ready to slip away.

Just then, her hand was caught by an elder sister, “Sister-in-law Shen, since you’ve just arrived, you might not know—later, we’ll have the wedding banquet in the canteen. You must come and share in the joy.”

Yang PeiMin could only agree for the moment.

The crowd was indeed dense and the air barely circulating; Yang PeiMin had been standing for a while and began to feel uncomfortable. She found an excuse to step out.

At the door, she only saw Yang Peiying being chatted up by several women, while Shen Yixiang’s whereabouts were unknown.

“Oh, my dear sister-in-law, is this your sister? Does she have a significant other yet?”

This seemed to be the kind of question women were keen to ask, especially in a military unit where men were scarce.

Yang PeiMin rescued Yang Peiying from their clutches and said with a smile, “My parents have some ideas; I don’t really know, I’m clueless.”

Everyone laughed, calling her crafty.

Yang PeiMin also exchanged a few laughs with them before slipping away, pulling Yang Peiying aside to ask about Shen Yixiang.

“Sister Yixiang said she was going to get some water. She went into the house, and I saw her come out.”

Shen Yixiang wasn’t inside the house; Yang PeiMin had checked when she came out earlier. The newlywed’s dormitory was just a single room, small and open at a glance, and she hadn’t seen Shen Yixiang.

But she didn’t bother with it any further, figuring Shen Yixiang had either gone back to her dormitory or gone to chat with others.

“Standing here is making my head spin from all the noise. I’m thinking of going back to my dormitory. What about you? Do you want to stick around for the fun or come up with me? Don’t worry about me; I just want to go and have a drink of water.”

Yang Peiying nodded, “I’ll go with you. I’m not much of a talker anyway. When they were pulling at me just now, I didn’t even know what to say.”