Chapter 137: Have you heard? Battalion Commander Lin had a fight with his wife.

In the afternoon, Xia Yan learned that Zhuang Lili had been "returned" to the ranch by Principal Li, a development that did not particularly surprise her.

If Zhuang Lili had behaved as naively as she first appeared, Xia Yan wouldn't have minded working as her colleague, even if the woman was a bit of a gossip. But clearly, she had underestimated Zhuang Lili.

By evening, instead of heading straight home, Xia Yan went to the regimental headquarters to find Lin You.

"What brings you here today?"

Lin You had just returned to his office and hadn't even had a chance to take a sip of water when someone reported that Xia Yan was looking for him.

"Why? Am I not allowed to come?"

"No, I’m just curious. You’ve never come to pick me up from work before."

Xia Yan followed him into the office. Since Jiang Weiguo and Lu Haiyang had already left, they were alone.

"The situation between you and Zhuang Lili is being gossiped about all over the station. As your wife, I felt I should do something."

Hearing the mention of the letter again, Lin You felt a headache coming on. The regimental commander had already spoken to him about it earlier that day.

"Xia Yan, about that matter..."

"I know it has nothing to do with you. I actually ran into Zhuang Lili at school today." Xia Yan sat down, picked up Lin You’s large porcelain mug, took a hearty drink, and continued, "However, she seems to be unaware of it too."

"She doesn't know? Then this letter..."

"She suspects it was written by Huang Qiang."

Xia Yan summarized their noon conversation for Lin You. Upon hearing that Zhuang Lili had actually intended to ruin her reputation, Lin You’s expression darkened.

"That girl has such a malicious heart! But, as for that Huang Qiang..." Lin You mused, recalling the shifty-eyed man who had visited their home to see Xia Yan. "Is he that male educated youth who came to the house to find you?"

Xia Yan nodded. "Yes, that's him."

Lin You pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "I don't think this was directed at me."

Xia Yan’s hand, holding the mug, paused. "Not directed at you?" She quickly realized the implication. "Then it was... directed at me?"

"You're usually so sharp; why are you struggling with this? If Zhuang Lili had written it, it would make sense to say it was aimed at us, but since it was Huang Qiang..." Lin You still remembered the way Huang Qiang had looked at Xia Yan in the kitchen that day. If he claimed the man had no ulterior motives, he would be lying to himself.

After analyzing the situation together, the truth became clear. Xia Yan suddenly realized how simple the motives of people in this era were when it came to "mischief." Huang Qiang was laughably naive—trying to create a rift between her and Lin You by asking a stranger to deliver a letter?

"Ugh, how boring!" Xia Yan sighed, slumping over the desk.

"What? You wanted it to be more complicated?"

"Yes! At least then I could have done some real detective work. Solving the 'case' this quickly is no fun at all."

Amused, Lin You ruffled her hair. "You silly girl, if you love solving cases so much, you should become a police officer!"

"Really? Can I?" As a devoted fan of Sherlock Holmes, Xia Yan had always harbored a detective's heart.

"I was joking! Do you even have the time?" Lin You had noticed that his wife seemed capable of everything—cooking, raising pigs, looking after children, teaching... there was nothing she couldn't do. Now, she even wanted to be a cop; he wondered if there was anything that didn't pique her interest.

Xia Yan enjoyed the feeling of Lin You stroking her head.

"Battalion Commander! It’s bad!"

The office door burst open, and Li Guoxiang charged in, only to find Lin You affectionately petting Xia Yan’s head.

"Uh... Commander, never mind. Carry on with your sister-in-law." He turned to leave.

"Cough, cough. Stop right there. What happened?" Lin You quickly pulled his hand back.

"It’s nothing major, just two reckless new recruits getting into a fight." Li Guoxiang covered his eyes, not daring to look.

Lin You glared at him. "You come to me for such a trivial matter? Everyone involved in the fight is to do a five-kilometer weighted run! And that goes for you, too!"

"Commander, why am I running?" It was almost dinner time, and he’d heard there was braised pork in the canteen—a dish they rarely saw. If he went for a run, it would be gone by the time he returned.

Lin You sternly replied, "Do you have an objection? Fine. The entire company of the men fighting will run with weights! Let them learn that if one strikes a comrade, the whole company pays the price. I want them to understand that honor and disgrace are shared."

"No... no objections!" Li Guoxiang felt miserable, wishing he’d just punished them himself.

As Li Guoxiang left, Xia Yan leaned in. "I didn't know you could use idioms."

"What? You think I’m uncultured? If so, you could go find someone more cultured—like that educated youth..."

Before Lin You could finish, Xia Yan pounced on him like a little tigress. "Lin You, how dare you mock me!"

When Xia Yan eventually left the office, her hair was a mess, clearly having "lost" the skirmish. Unconvinced, she called back, "Lin You! Don't bother coming home for dinner tonight!"

By the next day, a new rumor had spread through the station: Battalion Commander Lin and his wife had fought!

The regimental commander, Sun Sheng, summoned his subordinate once again. "Lin You! What am I supposed to do with you? You treated my words as wind yesterday, didn't you?" He took a long, frustrated drag from his cigarette. "Xia Yan is such a wonderful girl. You haven't explained the situation with that female educated youth to me, and now you're fighting with your wife! As a grown man, I’m embarrassed for you! Go... have your whole battalion do a ten-kilometer weighted run!"

"Commander, we didn't fight. I..."

"Don't 'you' me! Do you know how many people saw Comrade Xia Yan run out crying yesterday?" Sun Sheng slammed the table.

Crying? Lin You was stunned. When had she cried? Rumors truly were like a game of telephone; they changed completely by the second retelling.

"She didn't run away! She even cooked several dishes when we got home last night. If she were really angry, she wouldn't have cooked for me."

Sun Sheng knew Lin You’s character; he wasn't a liar. But he was still uneasy. When he eventually received his promotion, the regimental commander position would undoubtedly go to Lin You. If Lin You had issues with his home life, that could change everything.

"Fine. I’ll come home with you after work tonight and ask Comrade Xia Yan myself!"

"Commander, you're coming to my house tonight?"

"Why? Is that a problem?"

Sun Sheng had a two-fold plan: first, to clarify the situation, and second... to satisfy his own cravings. Xia Yan’s cooking was so memorable that he often complained about his own wife's meals after eating at Lin You’s place.

...

Back at the ranch, Huang Qiang found Zhuang Lili and said excitedly, "Zhuang Lili, have you heard? Lin You and Xia Yan got into a fight!"