Chapter 415: Chapter 415

Gu Junming held the flashlight, blocking Sun Chan outside. Although this was the courtyard and the possibility of bad people coming in was low, one should still be cautious. When the door opened, Ai Mei was seen slumped at their doorstep, slowly getting up while clutching the wall, tears streaming down her face in pain, her hair disheveled, and a hint of injury at the corner of her mouth. Several families upstairs were around, but none came out.

Gu Junming was no stranger to such scenes, but Sun Chan was seeing it for the first time and was startled. She hurriedly held her up, "Sister-in-law, what happened to you?"

Ai Mei forced a smile, "It’s nothing, I wanted to check the outside meter but accidentally fell."

From upstairs came Liu Gang’s voice, "Walking so carelessly, hurry and come up!"

"Got it, I’m coming up now." Ai Mei walked upstairs, each step displaying extreme pain.

Liu Gang greeted the two, "Didn’t scare you, did we? My wife didn’t do it on purpose."

"No problem." Gu Junming glanced at him, without much cheer, "You should rest early too."

The two parted ways and closed the door behind them.

Gu Junming’s expression wasn’t pleasant, lying on the bed lost in thought.

Sun Chan said, "Was Ai Mei beaten?" Having lived with beatings in her past life, she could naturally tell that Ai Mei hadn’t simply fallen. It’s likely Liu Gang avoided striking the face to prevent gossip and hit where it wouldn’t be seen. Considering her difficulty walking, Ai Mei probably hurt her waist.

Gu Junming was silent for a moment before saying, "It’s hard for an upright official to settle family matters, so I don’t know what to say."

If Ai Mei reported the issue, they would naturally help her. But Ai Mei herself didn’t admit to being beaten; how could they force Liu Gang to apologize? There’s a chance the couple might present a united front against outsiders. How could one advise them?

"You should leave it alone too; Ai Mei doesn’t want people to know."

Sun Chan could only nod, "I truly can’t bear to watch this; when will this bullying end?"

"She has to stand up first; only then will others help. Otherwise, who would intervene if they don’t admit to it? In the end, the one who intervenes might end up being blamed for ruining the couple’s relationship."

Sun Chan felt a pang of sorrow for Ai Mei, remembering her own past life, when pride prevented her from revealing her abuse. However, no one is a fool, and naturally, people could see it. She wondered how many laughed at her behind her back.

She sincerely hoped Ai Mei wouldn’t face the same fate as she did in her former life. Ai Mei was still young; does she have to live forever?

By then, Liu Gang and Ai Mei had returned to their room. Ai Mei was trembling and anxiously watching Liu Gang.

Liu Gang didn’t dare to hit anymore, fearing suspicion from downstairs, "You’re annoying, sleep outside on the sofa tonight!"

Ai Mei quickly agreed. Liu Gang didn’t look at her at all and slammed the door shut to sleep. Ai Mei didn’t even have a pillow, just a few clothes to cover herself. Liu Gang lay on the bed, irritated, thinking about the commendation meeting today.

If I had a well-connected father-in-law, would I be lacking in achievements? Gu Junming is already at my level! I don’t know when the next promotion will be; will I have to compete with him again? I don’t have a Yang Family wife; he’s becoming more and more frustrated, and Ai Mei stubbornly refuses to divorce!

The previous fallout was already ugly. If I continue using force to pressure her, Ai Mei might retaliate fiercely. If it leads to a fatality, I won’t be able to stay in the army. It’s all because of my grandfather’s insistence on arranging such a marriage for me! Do I have to be stuck with this woman for the rest of my life?

Liu Gang wasn’t happy with this at all, and only after tossing and turning past midnight did he fall asleep.

Because Gu Junming was hosting, Sun Chan had to go buy groceries early the next morning.

The courtyard was a bit far from the city, so she had to take a bus. As Sun Chan boarded, she saw many military wives chatting softly nearby. When they saw her, they greeted her warmly. Their eyes were on Sun Chan’s clothes, secretly admiring how stylish she looked, while theirs were still ordinary cotton shirts.

Sun Chan merely nodded with a smile, sitting in the front corner, not wanting to join their conversation. Yet their words kept reaching Sun Chan’s ears.

"When I went out, I saw Ai Mei. She was limping and caught a cold."

Another woman said, "Did she have another fight with Liu Gang? Liu Gang is really excessive."

"Don’t say such things!" An older military wife intervened, "Their relationship is good. Remember when Sister-in-law Liu said Ai Mei was beaten, but Ai Mei and Liu Gang dragged her to the commander, and Sister-in-law Liu almost got sent home by Camp Commander Liu? Do you want Old Li to give you trouble too?"

The woman could only purse her lips, "Everyone knows it, yet they keep trying to hide it."

"Know what? Anyway, I don’t know anything."

Everyone changed the subject to other things like the weather or high prices, or those with children bemoaned their disobedience, nagging in-laws, and such.

Sun Chan listened from the front, giving silent sighs for Ai Mei’s plight, reduced to mere gossip fodder and nothing more.

Soon after alighting, she reached the market, where Sun Chan bought a dressed chicken, a fish, several pounds of eggs, eggplants, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers...a heap of vegetables, and a chunk of meat, totaling many heavy pounds that were hard to carry, so she hailed a cab and first sent it to Wang Shufen’s place. Wang Shufen had moved to a flat, cleaning glass when Sun Chan entered with large and small bags, prompting her to greet her enthusiastically.

"You bought so much?" Wang Shufen exclaimed, "Did you move the whole market here?"

Sun Chan laughed, "I thought I’d buy some for you so you wouldn’t have to shop for days. The market’s quite far from here, isn’t it?"

Wang Shufen asked, "Should I go with you to the courtyard now?"

"Sure, where is Ding Kang?" It’s summer vacation now; he doesn’t need to attend classes.

Wang Shufen chuckled, "He went back home."

Sun Chan was taken aback, "Why? Is it okay to go alone?" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥

"My parents missed him. The kid hasn’t gone back since he left, and he insists on returning. He’s grown now, and someone will pick him up once he gets off the bus; it’s good training!"

Sun Chan smiled, "Gu Junming said we’ll go back for New Year."

"Great, we’ll go back together then." Wang Shufen was very happy, also longing for home. She rifled through the groceries, asking Sun Chan what she planned to cook.

Sun Chan said, "There are about ten people, and I’m unsure what’s appropriate to prepare. I’m worried my cooking isn’t very tasty, and people might think I’m being dismissive?"