Political Commissar Wang's mother watched as Xiao Yanyan walked over with her hands behind her back and her belly stuck out, strutting like a little duck with a swagger, and smiled, asking, "Little girl, where have you been?"
"To go see my stepmother's new husband."
"She divorced your father, so she's not your stepmother anymore."
Xiao Yanyan sniffled. "Not anymore, then not anymore. Let me tell you, that new husband of hers is way worse than my dad. My dad is tall, handsome, and young, but her new husband is old, ugly, and short."
"You child." Aren't you just stirring up trouble for your father? Those two already have it in for your father. "Where's your dad?" She needed to have a word with Deputy Regiment Commander Tao.
"My dad went back to our hometown to pick up my mother, my older brother, and my older sister. Let me tell you, that new husband of hers really is old, ugly, and short."
"You child. Brigade Commander Kou is more capable than your dad."
"I don't believe it, my dad is better than him. He is old and..."
"Stop, stop, stop. Didn't your father entrust you to your older cousin?"
"Yeah, my older cousin cooks really delicious food. Let me tell you, he really is old and..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Why is this child so stubborn? "Hurry off and go play with your little friends."
"Alright. He really is..."
"Go on, go on!"
As soon as Xiao Yanyan left, Old Mrs. Wang went to the cafeteria to look for Chunhua.
Chunhua wiped her hands. "Auntie, are you looking for me?"
"Mhm." Old Mrs. Wang recounted what had just happened. "Even though your cousin isn't even as tall as a bench, saying things like that about Brigade Commander Kou and Comrade Su won't make them happy in their hearts. And your man answers to Brigade Commander Kou."
Chunhua felt her cousin hadn't said anything wrong, but she also knew that talking like that wasn't good. "I know, thank you, I'll go talk to her right now."
"Mhm. Brigade Commander Kou is a good man, and Comrade Su hasn't done anything wrong either."
"I know, I'll go ask for leave right now."
When Chunhua tracked her down, Yanyan was telling her little friends that her stepmother's new husband was old, ugly, and short.
Chunhua gently patted Xiao Yanyan. "You are not allowed to talk about people like that. Brigade Commander Kou is a hero."
Xiao Yanyan made a face at Chunhua. "I'll say it, I'll just say it. He really is old, ugly, and short."
"If you keep this up, your older cousin won't make you any more delicious food."
Xiao Yanyan's eyes rolled around. "I won't say it anymore. Go to work."
"You're not allowed to say it anymore, got it?"
Xiao Yanyan waved her hand as she said, "I won't say it. Hurry up and go to work."
Chunhua felt relieved.
As a result, the moment she walked two steps away, she heard Xiao Yanyan whisper, "Adults are so annoying. Come on, let's talk in secret. I'm telling you guys, that Brigade Commander Kou really is..."
"Tao Huanyan!" Chunhua turned around with a stern face. "Are you looking for a beating?"
Xiao Yanyan spun around and bolted. "Ahahaha! The she-tiger is coming to beat me!"
Chunhua lifted her legs and gave chase.
Very quickly, Xiao Yanyan was caught. "Are you going to keep saying it or not?"
Xiao Yanyan stiffened her neck and shouted loudly, "I will say it! He is old, ugly, and short! He's just not as good as my dad!"
"If you keep this up, your older cousin really is going to hit you."
"Hit me all you want, I'm still going to say it."
Smack!
"Wah! He is just..."
Smack!
"Wah! You're bad! I don't want you anymore! Go away! Go away!"
"Are you still going to say it?"
"I'll say it, he is just..."
Smack!
Xiao Yanyan took another hit on her little bottom. "Wah... You're bad! I don't want you anymore!"
Smack!
Chunhua struck her one more time. She didn't want to hit her either, but kids had to be disciplined. Besides, she also had to give Brigade Commander Kou an explanation.
"Wah..." Xiao Yanyan cried even more bitterly.
People at home heard the commotion and came out one after another to see what was going on. Once they learned why Chunhua was hitting Xiao Yanyan, they all told Xiao Yanyan that she shouldn't talk like that.Xiao Yanyan gave Chunhua an angry shove. "Go away! I don't want you anymore. I'm going to find Uncle Ji. My dad says Uncle Ji is super tough. I'm going to have Uncle Ji beat you up!"
Chunhua didn't want the girl to go and bother Commander Ji, but Xiao Yanyan was insistent. Seeing how stubborn she was, the others turned to persuade Chunhua.
"Just let her go. Once Commander Ji tells her she's in the wrong, she'll quiet down."
"Exactly. Kids are just like that. If you don't let her go, she'll never give up."
With no other choice, Chunhua took Xiao Yanyan to find Commander Ji.
Commander Ji was busy at work when his guard walked in, leading a tear-streaked Xiao Yanyan, who looked like a little crying cat. "Commander, little Tao Huanyan is here to see you."
Commander Ji set his pen down on the desk. "What’s the matter, little one?"
The guard explained the situation. "Her cousin is waiting outside. If you could just have a word with her, I’ll take her back."
"That won't do at all! This is the first time Yanyan has asked me to back her up. Come here to Uncle, Yanyan."
Xiao Yanyan let go of the guard’s hand and ran over to Commander Ji, wrapping her arms around his leg. "I don't want to go back with my cousin. She hits me."
"Alright. We won't go back with her then." Commander Ji glanced at the guard. "Tell her cousin that Yanyan is staying with me for now."
"Yes, sir."
After the guard left, Commander Ji picked Yanyan up and sat her on the table. "Come now, tell Uncle why you've been going around badmouthing Brigade Commander Kou?"
Xiao Yanyan sniffled. "He wants to kill me."
She had originally only intended to test Brigade Commander Kou to see if he was as good a man as everyone said, but she hadn't expected to uncover something else entirely.
She could have waited for her father to return to tell him, but she was afraid something might happen in the meantime. She had considered telling Wei Tiechui, but Wei Tiechui was one of Kou Zhenbang's men. If Wei Tiechui were to investigate Kou Zhenbang, there was a high chance Kou Zhenbang would find out.
And so, she had come to find Commander Ji instead.First, she could get close to Commander Ji. Second, Commander Ji and her father were comrades who had been through life and death together; if Commander Ji got promoted, her father could share in the glory. Third, Commander Ji's immediate superior was a rival of Brigade Commander Kou.
Commander Ji was stunned for a moment. He wanted to say that Xiao Yanyan was talking nonsense. However, Xiao Yanyan had only been here a few days and had already landed a deputy regiment commander position for her eldest cousin. "Why would you say that?"
"I heard my stepmother married him, so I wanted to see what he looked like. When I saw that he was thin and short, I said he looked like a little Jap, and that's how he looked at me."
Xiao Yanyan acted out how Kou Zhenbang had looked at her back then. "His look was so terrifying. He wanted to kill me just because I said he was a little Jap."
"Act it out for Uncle again."
"Okay." Xiao Yanyan acted it out once more.
Commander Ji stroked his chin. If Yanyan's acting wasn't wrong, then that reaction really wasn't right. Normally, when people heard a child say something like that, they wouldn't take it to heart, let alone glare at the child with a murderous look.
"Uncle will make a few expressions. If you can act them out, Uncle will believe what you said is true."
"Okay." Someone who couldn't act wouldn't survive well in the imperial palace.
Commander Ji switched through a few expressions, and Xiao Yanyan acted every single one of them out.
Commander Ji clenched his teeth. "Uncle knows now. Don't go telling anyone else, okay?"
"Okay."
"You can't tell your older female cousin and her husband either."
"Okay. My older female cousin beats me, and her husband's rank isn't as high as that little Jap's, so he can't deal with that little Jap."
"Uncle's rank isn't as high as his either."
Xiao Yanyan blinked. "You can't deal with him either? My dad said you were really awesome."
"Hahahaha..." Commander Ji pinched the tip of Yanyan's little nose. "Uncle suspects you're buttering me up."