CHAPTER 259: CHAPTER 221

"Girl, tomorrow go to the military base and talk to Hua Zi about Chunhua’s situation. He is her brother, it’s not right to keep such things from him," Grandma Sun felt guilty, thinking she hadn’t taken good care of Chunhua, which led to the incident, and felt she had let Mo Junhua down.

Lan Tian: "..." She was speechless, Grandma Sun was the real Bai Lianhua, taking responsibility even when it has nothing to do with her, Zhou Yuwei can’t even match up to her.

Lan Tian just uttered an "oh". If they knew Mo Junhua was also present, they probably wouldn’t think the same.

Predicted by Lan Tian, the next day, while she was at the base and not back yet, Chun Mei spoke to Grandma Sun about wanting to return to Mo Village. Before Grandma Sun could respond, Zhao Li repeated the words of Lan Tian, mentioning the unsettled times in Shanghai, suggesting to wait until this special period passes.

Chun Mei adamantly disagreed, insisting on returning, and no one could persuade her otherwise. Her attitude was fierce and she even argued with Zhao Li. Initially, Zhao Li and Grandma Sun didn’t think much of it, but Chun Mei’s outburst made them overthink.

Lan Tian agreed to go to the base, to find out what happened that necessitated Mo Junhua’s return. The best candidate for this was Su Qing, who treated Lan Tian as one of their own, warmly calling her ’sister-in-law’. Lan Tian didn’t have to do much, just started the topic and Su Qing spilled everything.

Li Hong’s treason was already decided. Normally, according to standards, it wouldn’t be so quick, usually taking a month or two of review, but now it hadn’t even been a week, and the authorities hastily sentenced Li Hong to death.

"Sister-in-law, don’t you feel like someone pushed him out to take the blame?" Lan Tian found Su Qing’s gaze peculiar, an idiot may also have the advantage of instinct, how terrifying his intuition was, right on point.

Li Hong was precisely the one pushed out by some to take the blame, if investigated further, it could lead to trouble higher up, they had to cut the mess quickly, disposing of a pawn, no regrets, since they had many pawns at their disposal.

"I’m leaving, don’t tell your battalion commander that I came here, he’s busy during this period, and it’s critical for you all, better he doesn’t know I came and gets distracted by attending to me." Lan Tian waved her hand and left nonchalantly.

That idiot Su Qing still thought Lan Tian’s advice was sensible, believing the battalion commander got a great, wise wife, absolutely perfect.

......

Mo Junhua, accompanied by Zhou Yuwei and Chen Yong, went straight to the regiment headquarters. Such things couldn’t be hidden, and Mo Junhua wouldn’t hide them; he wished everyone knew, seeing this as a good opportunity to deal once and for all with Zhou Yuwei and Chu Yang, as if his brain was not kicked by a door.

This time, let’s see who could still protect Zhou Yuwei.

Commander Qian saw Mo Junhua coming with a bunch of people and felt a headache brewing. Mo Junhua was a good soldier, but good soldiers tend not to follow discipline, especially Mo Junhua who always stirred trouble, casually exposing a traitor, even though in the end it benefited his own family, but it was tough on the old man’s heart if you ignored the excitement in his eyes.

"Mo Junhua, what trouble have you stirred up now? Let me be clear beforehand; I won’t participate in anything that violates military discipline," Commander Qian immediately made his stance clear, he was a man of principles.

"Commander, come here, I’ve got good news to tell you," Mo Junhua disregarded Commander Qian’s righteous posture, waved him over, and his expression turned serious.

Commander Qian looked at Mo Junhua, then the isolated individual in the next room, and before a minute of thought passed, he hurried over. Based on years of experience with Mo Junhua, every time Mo Junhua called him, it indicated that Mo Junhua, a schemer, was plotting against someone again.

Commander Qian sighed for the hundred and first time, thankful that he had the foresight to see the hero in Mo Junhua, pulling him into his regiment, his scheming mind calculating every minute and making you pay Him.

The chief of staff facepalmed. Commander, where’s your integrity? Your military honor? Your stance? All gone to the dogs. Commander Qian looked innocent; Integrity? What is that? Sorry, the commander has never heard of it.

Commander Qian and Mo Junhua moved to a corner to whisper, with Commander Qian nodding ceaselessly. After listening, he felt like throwing his arms akimbo and laughing towards the sky; even Chu Yang had his day.

Since childhood, his father always compared him unfavorably to that bad seed Chu Yang, where was that sinister, venomous smile tiger any good?

Parents always spoke of how clever, well-behaved, understanding, and stable Chu Yang was; he could grow calluses in his ears from hearing it. Now, good, he slept with another man’s woman.

"Where is he?" The chance to move to the Chu Family came, he wanted to bring it back for Mr. Chu to see.

"He’s locked in the next room. Commander, about what follows..." Mo Junhua looked at him with a helpless face, implying that if the commander wouldn’t do it, he would reluctantly handle it himself.

"The rest is up to me," Commander Qian patted his chest with a ’thump thump’, and dashed like the wind into the isolated room. Not long after, he returned bustling with people.

......

Chu Family mansion

Mr. Chu, in the study, listened to the report from a middle-aged man and fell silent for a long time. The study fell into an eerie calm, and a layer of cold sweat slowly formed on the middle-aged man’s head as he stared at his toes.

"Handle those reporters," Mr. Chu finally spoke after a long while.

The middle-aged man bowed to Mr. Chu and slowly exited the study. Reaching the staircase, he finally relaxed, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He was terrified, thinking that even if he didn’t die, he’d have skinned alive, but he managed to survive this ordeal. The task Mr. Chu entrusted him with was not something he dared to treat lightly, so he hurriedly left with his men.

Mr. Chu was well aware that the incident had already happened and that punishing the man would be pointless. He still had uses for him, so he’d keep him for now and settle accounts later. The situation wasn’t beyond salvage yet, first dealing with those journalists’ film negations would make matters much easier afterward.

The journalists taken away by the military were out of Mr. Chu’s reach, as that was Mayor Qian’s territory, and this time it was already good enough that he could protect his family.

To say Mr. Chu wasn’t disappointed in Chu Yang was impossible, because of one promiscuous woman, the most promising grandson of the Chu Family was ruined, even dragging the whole family down with him.

Mr. Chu actually wanted to let him fend for himself and perish on his own, but the cost of neglecting the issue was too high. After dominating Shanghai for decades, Mr. Chu had never felt such suffocation.

He indeed wanted to suppress the issue, but he couldn’t cover the sky with one hand in Shanghai; now he could only wait for further news.

...

Commander Qian, holding something, made his way back to the old house. After a long discussion in the study with his father, Mayor Qian came out patting his son’s shoulder with a smiling, satisfied look, proud that his son was finally making himself useful and doing something decent.

"That’s it, there’s nothing for you here now, get back to the army. You’re never in proper shape," before even crossing the bridge, Mayor Qian was quick to discard the tool once used, and Commander Qian touched his nose, thinking if not for being his father...

"Mo Junhua..." Mo Junhua really had tough luck, getting entangled in all sorts of messes, making him suspect whether he was the reincarnation of a cursed deity’s son.

"Understood, now scram!"

...

Lan Tian was unaware of the storm surging under Shanghai’s calm surface. Coming back from the military and not seeing any report about these matters in the newspapers, it’s not disappointment per se, but a bit of a letdown, quietly giving a middle finger to the heavens.

Seeing how things have misplaced, they have reached space.

Once Lan Tian returned, Little Tao chattered away, recounting Chun Mei’s argument with Zhao Li. Lan Tian frowned, snorting coldly. Getting bold aren’t they, daring to disrespect her aunt.

She couldn’t bear to see her aunt mistreated; since arriving at their house, her aunt was treated like an ancestor, serving her mother in every possible way, now they even dare to bring trouble.

Stepping towards Chun Mei’s room, she knocked on the door. Without waiting for Chun Mei to open it, Lan Tian herself entered, standing coldly in front of the bed looking at the sweetly sleeping Chun Mei.

Deeply asleep, Chun Mei felt like there was a shadow by the bed. She opened her eyes to take a look and then closed them, closing them only to be suddenly startled and opening again.

Lan Tian, obscured in shadow, was expressionless, but Chun Mei was drenched in cold sweat, instantly wide awake, her mind racing with only one thought: when did she return?

"Get up, I need to talk to you," Lan Tian said before turning to leave. Chun Mei didn’t dare not to comply, dawdling but eventually coming out.

Lan Tian was sitting in the hall, merely giving Chun Mei a cursory glance when she emerged. Chun Mei, fearful like a mouse seeing a cat, glanced toward the courtyard.

"Stop looking, my grandma and aunt aren’t home," Lan Tian specifically chose a time when Grandma Sun and others weren’t home to deal with Chun Mei without any reservations.

"You want to go back," Lan Tian stated.

Seeing her hope for rescue dashed, Chun Mei no longer dare to act rashly and honestly replied.

"Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve been out, it’s time to go back. These past few days your nephews keep asking to return, they miss their father. The children haven’t been away from their father for such a long time, the elders at home miss their grandchildren too. Moreover, with Da Bao alone at home looking after the shop, I’m worried."

Chun Mei didn’t dare mention splitting the money, nor did she dare think about it anymore, just wanting to quickly leave and never return.

Lan Tian glanced at Chun Mei, concealing the cold glint in her eyes. Now she wants to go back, what was she doing earlier? After doing something wrong, thinking she can just walk away easily? There’s no such easy way out.

She thinks this place is her home, to come and go as she pleases. Lan Tian specifically didn’t let Chun Mei leave, unless she said so.

"These days Shanghai is quite chaotic, I heard about kidnappers abducting some official’s grandson. The public security bureau is arresting kidnappers all over, especially at train stations. You are taking three children, if public security officers mistaken you for a kidnapper... we won’t be able to save you." She can leave, but if something happens, her family won’t intervene.

Chun Mei, who might act tough at home, dared not fart once outside, hearing about the police arresting people, she didn’t mention going back anymore.