Chapter 90: Trouble Brewing at Home

“Uncle Zhou, you’re too kind!”

Song Chaoxu was the first to respond with a laugh. “We were just having our usual chat, nothing like prying for information.”

“As for what you mentioned earlier about the political commissar and his niece from his wife’s side, we wouldn’t dare discuss such matters.”

“We’re just concerned citizens who know what’s appropriate to talk about and what’s not.”

Hearing this, Chen Rongying naturally picked up the conversation.

“Exactly!”

“We came to the Base this time to ask for a favor, so we’re keeping our heads as low as possible.”

“Who would have the nerve to gossip about the Base leadership?”

The couple’s seamless responses made Uncle Zhou shake his head with amusement for quite a while.

“You two are such smooth talkers!”

“I’m not talking to you anymore. I want to speak with this young comrade who looks very honest.”

As he spoke, his gaze naturally fell upon Shen Yi’an.

“Young comrade, you shouldn’t follow the example of these two.”

“Though we’ve just met by chance, there’s no point in fooling an old man.”

“Don’t you think so?”

Meeting those deep, ocean-like eyes, Shen Yi’an seemed completely unfazed as she smiled and took over the conversation. “My sister and brother-in-law came with me to the Base to visit family.”

“But we had bad luck – the person we’re looking for is away on a mission.”

“What you heard about the political commissar and his niece was probably just incidental to our conversation.”

After speaking, she briefly met Chen Rongying’s gaze. “If that were our main topic of discussion, my sister and brother-in-law definitely wouldn’t have said they didn’t dare talk about it.”

“Your attention is quite remarkable, focusing on aspects we didn’t even notice.”

“It seems there really is a generation gap between people!”

Her tone turned slightly playful with the last sentence.

Instead of getting angry, Uncle Zhou was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.

“That might very well be the case!”

“Old folks like me tend to focus on current affairs, politics, or news discussions.”

“I’m not interested in you young people’s topics, but I can’t help paying attention when it touches on areas I like.”

After saying this, he pointed in Shen Yi’an’s direction with a smile.

“I can’t compare with you youngsters, not at all!”

Their banter successfully allowed the sensitive topic to pass quickly.

So engrossed were they in their conversation that they didn’t notice the cafeteria had gradually filled with the aroma of food.

Perhaps smelling something he liked, the quiet Song Yao suddenly spoke up.

“Auntie, I think I smell garlic prawns and stir-fried beef with yellow peppers.”

“Take a whiff!”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an indeed wrinkled her nose to identify the scents, then gave the little guy a thumbs-up. “Not bad, your sense of smell is really sharp!”

“If I’m not mistaken, both dishes you mentioned are probably here!”

“Of course!” Song Yao accepted the praise without any modesty.

“But my nose can only detect foods I like or dislike. I can’t smell other dishes.”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an ruffled his hair. “That’s already quite impressive.”

“When you grow older and have tasted and seen more delicious foods, your sense of smell might improve too.”

Seeing them only talking without taking action, Chen Rongying tapped the table in front of them.

“Alright now!”

“Instead of guessing blindly, why don’t we just go get our food?”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an and Song Yao exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh.

Right, the food was just a few steps away.

Rather than guessing blindly, it was better to go over and see the scene firsthand.

Once decided, the group prepared to get their meals and, out of courtesy, also invited Uncle Zhou.

Faced with their kindness, Uncle Zhou smiled and waved his hand.

“You all go ahead and eat, I’ll head home first.”

“I had breakfast late, so I don’t have room for anything else now.”

As he spoke, he stood up.

“By the way, besides the two dishes you just mentioned, the cafeteria offers plenty of other options.”

“There’s steamed grouper, desert-style chicken, braised chicken wings, and more.”

“But don’t just order meat dishes. You can also try some vegetarian ones like stir-fried lettuce or oyster sauce lettuce. A balanced diet helps the body absorb nutrients better.”

Before leaving, he added,

“There’s plenty of rice, noodles, milk, and juice too, so the kids can have some.”

“Alright, I’m off. Enjoy your meal.”

After saying this, he waved and turned to leave, but his stride carried a sense of vigor and imposing dignity.

Somehow, it vaguely resembled a king striding out of the smoke and flames of battle.

As this thought arose, Shen Yi’an and the other two quickly exchanged glances.

Though only for a moment, the astonishment in their eyes was impossible to hide.

They also knew that some things shouldn’t be probed too deeply, didn’t need to be investigated, and weren’t worth exploring.

Suppressing the storm of emotions in their eyes, the three adults led the two children toward the food service window.

Since they were already there for lunch, they naturally picked dishes they liked or hadn’t tried before.

While the group was savoring the delicious food in the cafeteria, Uncle Zhou—or, more accurately, Commander-in-Chief Zhou Mugui—had already left and was instructing someone beside him.

When he returned to his office, a gray-haired elder was already sitting inside.

Seeing him enter, the elder’s eyes revealed clear confusion.

“Old Zhou, you wanted to see me?”

After asking, the confusion in his tone deepened.

“Wait, what could you possibly need from me now?”

“I still have a lot of work to handle on my end, so I don’t have time to waste here.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mugui gave him a meaningful look.

“You’re certainly diligent and hardworking as a political commissar.”

“But how is it that you’re so focused on your work that you neglect matters at home?”

As he spoke, he took a seat in the chair behind his desk.

“If trouble brews at home, your days as a political commissar are numbered.”

These words left Liang Shuhe utterly baffled.

“Wait, what do you mean by that?”

“What trouble at home?”

Recalling the situation at home, his children were already married, and he had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Although they didn’t live with him and his wife in the Family Compound, they would chat about their lives during holiday gatherings.

As far as he knew, everything was fine, so how could there be trouble at home?

Seeing his confusion, Zhou Mugui knew he was unaware and proceeded to share what he had overheard in the cafeteria.

Afterward, he cautioned him not to speak of it.

“…If anyone finds out I told you this, do you think I, as the Commander-in-Chief, would still have any dignity left?”

“Besides, from what I gathered from those comrades, it sounds like it might involve Li Beichen’s family.”

“By the way, one of them is his fiancée. Both her appearance and demeanor are far more authentic and lively than what that fellow reported.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Shuhe’s expression became quite remarkable.

“If I had known earlier when you invited me for breakfast, I would have gone with you.”

“Missing the chance to see that fellow’s fiancée is secondary. The key point is I also wanted to hear about the outrageous things done by that person from my family.”

After saying this, his eyes gradually narrowed.

“Earlier when my wife mentioned her niece from her maiden family was coming, I didn’t think it was a big deal and agreed.”

“If I had known she was of questionable character, I would never have allowed her to impersonate my identity and act recklessly.”

“None of my children, from childhood to adulthood, have ever enjoyed any privilege through me. I didn’t even attend their parent-teacher meetings.”

The special treatment that even his own sons and daughters never received had now been unknowingly enjoyed by an outsider. How ridiculous!

Detecting the self-mockery in his words, Zhou Mugui interlocked his fingers and placed them on the table.

“So how do you plan to handle this?”

“Will you go back and discuss it with your wife, or…”

“No discussion needed!” Liang Shuhe didn’t even need to think before answering.

“A long time ago, my wife told me that her niece was completely different from what she had imagined – very flighty and not particularly reliable.”

“I thought it was because they hadn’t seen each other for over ten years. Now it seems I was being overly sentimental – that girl has grand ambitions!”

Though he didn’t explicitly state his decision, Zhou Mugui, as his old partner, understood the deeper meaning in his words.

“If you’ve made up your mind, then act. Such matters should be handled sooner rather than later.”

“If this drags on any longer, you, Political Commissar Liang, might become known as a confused commissar who can’t distinguish between public and private matters, indulging family members to act recklessly.”

If such a reputation reached higher authorities, being investigated would be the least of their worries.

What’s more concerning is reaching old age only to be tarnished by scandal – even if eventually cleared, the stench would linger.

Having worked in political affairs for most of his life, Liang Shuhe understood exactly what his old partner meant.