Chapter 154: Zhu Daqiang Sets Fire to His Home

When Xia Yan rushed over with the two children, the area around the courtyard was already packed with people. Fortunately, the fire had been discovered early, but a significant portion of their home had still been burned down, including the large mirrored wardrobe that Lin You had specially bought for Xia Yan.

"Nuan'nuan, Little Sister!"

Xia Yan searched everywhere until she finally spotted the two figures huddled in a corner.

"Are you both alright?"

"We're fine, Sister-in-law. Nuan'nuan and I got out as soon as the fire started, but I'm afraid this house won't be livable for a while."

Lin Ling looked at the smoke-blackened room, still lingering with fear.

"As long as everyone is safe, that's what matters," Xia Yan comforted her.

At that moment, Lin You walked over and noticed the injuries on his two sons' faces. "What happened to you two?"

"We got into a fight."

"A fight? Zhe'er, what is the meaning of this?" Lin You trusted that his son wasn't the kind of child to randomly start fights with others.

Hearing Lin You ask for the reason again, Xia Yan pulled him aside.

She didn't want to bring up the pain in her heart in front of the children.

After listening to what Xia Yan had to say, Lin You's expression turned terrifyingly dark. His younger brother's accidental death was also a deep wound in his heart.

Lin Hongzhe walked over at that moment. "Dad, I was wrong."

"You did nothing wrong! Everyone has their boundaries, and Dad thinks you did the right thing! But what Dad wants to tell you is not to charge in blindly next time. There were three of them, and one was older than you! The next time you encounter something like this, remember to use your brain."

"Huh? Use my brain?"

Lin Hongzhe didn't quite understand what Lin You meant.

"Yes, like coming to find your dad! Dad will teach that punk a lesson for you."

Xia Yan couldn't help but chuckle from the side. "Look at you. He's just a child; you wouldn't actually hit him, would you?"

"A father's fault stems from a lack of teaching. I can go find their father instead."

With that, Lin You looked around their ruined home. "Wife, why don't you take the kids down the mountain to live with Mom and Dad for a while? We can spend the New Year down there, and after the holiday, I'll renovate the house and we can move back in."

Xia Yan sighed. "I suppose that's the only option. But this fire is a bit suspicious. How could it have just started out of nowhere?"

"I'll investigate this matter."

Just as the two of them were discussing it, a discordant voice rang out. "Truly, retribution comes around!"

Everyone turned at the sound to see Qian Yuxiang standing there with her two sons, wearing an expression of gloating delight.

Originally, Qian Yuxiang had only intended to find Xia Yan to demand justice and perhaps make a scene at the military unit, but on her way there, she had heard about a house catching fire.

When she ran over and saw it was Xia Yan's home, her heart was filled with unadulterated joy.

"Qian Yuxiang!"

Xia Yan gritted her teeth. This woman was truly like a persistent ghost. She was already stressed enough, and now the woman was coming to provoke her—it was practically begging for a beating.

Having suffered a loss at Xia Yan's hands last time, Qian Yuxiang had grown smarter. She raised her voice and began to wail, "Everyone, come look at this! This Xia Yan instigated her two kids to beat up my youngest, look at what they've done to him, and now she wants to hit me too!"

The military dependents, who had just finished putting out the fire, gathered around once again.

Just as Xia Yan was about to speak, Lin Ling took the lead and started shouting, "You old woman! Time and again you go against my sister-in-law, do you really think our family is easy to bully?"

Old woman?

Qian Yuxiang had just turned thirty, but having given birth to five children had ruined her figure, making her look closer to forty. Still, being called an old woman was a bit of a stretch.

That single phrase instantly enraged Qian Yuxiang. "What did you little slut say? Figures that birds of a feather flock together—Xia Yan is a little slut, and her sister-in-law is a little slut too!"

"Who are you calling a slut?" Lin Ling didn't even pause to catch her breath before snapping back.

"The slut is calling you!" Qian Yuxiang retorted without a second thought.

"Oh~ So the slut is calling me."

Lin Ling replied with a smile.

Xia Yan was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected Lin Ling to remember a joke she had told her in the past, let alone use it on the spot with such perfect timing.

Some of the onlookers understood Lin Ling's words and burst into laughter.

Qian Yuxiang didn't understand for a long time, but seeing everyone around her laughing, she knew the other party hadn't said anything nice.

"You little bitch, you're asking for a beating!"

"Go back and call your Zhu Pengfei here!"

Lin You stepped forward in two strides, blocking his younger sister with an icy tone.

Seeing Lin You, Qian Yuxiang was still afraid, but she couldn't lose face in front of so many people. She immediately threw herself onto the ground, kicking and screaming, "Everyone, judge this for yourselves! Battalion Commander Lin is hitting a woman!"

"Qian Yuxiang, what kind of madness are you spouting? Everyone here isn't blind."

"That's right, Lin You just told you to go back and get your husband, how did that constitute hitting you? On the contrary, I heard it was your three kids who ganged up to bully Lin You's two kids. What's wrong? Where is your eldest? Why didn't he come? Too ashamed to show his face?"

"Hurry up and go back, stop making a fool of yourself here!"

...

Nine out of ten people in the vicinity detested Qian Yuxiang, and the remaining one or two couldn't be bothered to engage with her.

"You... you're all bullying a mother and her children!"

Not expecting her hard-earned 'performance' to yield this result, Qian Yuxiang scrambled to her feet and pointed angrily at the crowd.

In return, she was met with another wave of mockery.

Realizing she had nothing to gain, Qian Yuxiang spat out a harsh threat and left with her two boys.

After Qian Yuxiang departed, Lin You and Xia Yan went inside to salvage some changes of clothes. Fortunately, the cabinet holding their money and ration coupons had not been burned, otherwise Xia Yan really would have broken down in tears.

That night, Xia Yan and the children stayed at the guesthouse on the mountain, which was meant for visiting relatives and offered only mediocre conditions.

Lin Ling shared a room with Nuan'nuan and Xia Yan.

"Sister-in-law, that Qian Yuxiang is truly despicable. I suspect she's the one who set the fire!"

"Her? She's just a shrew; she doesn't have the guts for that."

Xia Yan smiled and shook her head. Qian Yuxiang was wicked, but setting a fire in the family quarters was a step too far for her—she simply lacked the nerve.

"If not her, then who else could it be?"

"I don't know yet."

As Xia Yan laid out the quilts, she thought deeply. Though her life up on the mountain had not been entirely peaceful, she hadn't made any mortal enemies. Who on earth could have started the fire?

Meanwhile, back at Qian Yuxiang's house, Zhu Daqiang stood in the room while Zhu Pengfei paced back and forth frantically. Stopping, Zhu Pengfei pointed at Qian Yuxiang and yelled, "Is this the kind of child you've raised? He's completely courting death! If he had been caught, how could I keep my position as Battalion Commander?"

"I think Daqiang did the right thing! Nobody died, and besides, he wasn't caught. Who even knows it was Daqiang?"

Qian Yuxiang maintained a nonchalant attitude and even felt somewhat pleased; her son had essentially vented her frustrations for her.

"Bulls***! Nobody died?! Just the crime of burning down a house is enough to send him off for re-education through labor!"