Chapter 1329: All Caused by Poverty

Another soldier nearby heard this and chuckled in agreement: "We know, we know. Their skills weren't great to begin with; it's normal for the wall to be built crooked."

Shen Kaiyuan said in a bad mood: "Even stir-fried pork can't shut your mouths."

For a moment, everyone reached their chopsticks toward that basin of stir-fried pork. Yes, just one basin, after all, everyone's appetite was right there; if there was less, it wouldn't be enough to eat.

Liu Chuxue heard the conversation next door and couldn't help but find it funny.

But they had only eaten halfway when they heard a child's crying voice come from outside: "My rice!"

Before they could react, another voice came in: "This has nothing to do with me; you just didn't hold it steady."

"If you hadn't stood unsteadily and bumped into me, my bowl wouldn't have fallen on the ground. You must compensate me."

"You didn't hold it steady; how can you blame me?"

The little boy who knocked over the bowl cried even louder. Before long, his family heard the noise and ran over: "Hu Zi, what's wrong?"

The little boy saw his parents had arrived: "Xu Yunfeng bumped into me, knocked my bowl to the ground, and spilled the rice."

They thought it was just a matter between children, but with the addition of the other parent, the situation became serious: "Song Xiaohua, it's not that whatever your son says is true!"

"Zhang Liru, my son never lies. He hadn't even taken a few bites of his bowl of rice before your son knocked it over. Your son not only refuses to admit it but also turns the blame around. Truly impressive, showing not a shred of responsibility."

Hearing someone call her son irresponsible right to her face, no mother could bear it.

And as she looked at her son's bowl of rice spilled on the ground, feeling heartache and preparing to scoop it up later to feed the chickens, the woman was suddenly shoved: "Song Xiaohua, how my son is, is none of your business to judge."

Shen Kaiyuan saw the incident happening right outside his own gate, so he got up and walked out: "Sisters-in-law, calm down, the children..."

He hadn't finished speaking when the two daughters outside the gate started fighting.

Now the situation had become serious. Everyone eating in the courtyard also came out. At Shen Kaiyuan's command, several people quickly rushed up to pull them apart.

Liu Chuxue was now being supported by Fu Yan Cheng, standing at her own large gate.

Liu Chuxue had originally thought about offering a few words of persuasion, but Fu Yan Cheng, fearing she might get caught in the crossfire, stubbornly wouldn't let her go over there.

Fu Yan Cheng sighed: "It's all caused by poverty."

Liu Chuxue, hearing him say this, asked: "Those who can join the army, their husbands' wages shouldn't be low, right?"

Fu Yan Cheng looked at the two women being pulled apart: "That Song Xiaohua is the wife of Zhang Lijun, commander of the Third Company of the First Battalion. His family has six people: three sons and one daughter. Commander Zhang's wages not only require sending twenty yuan back to his hometown every month but also five yuan to Song Xiaohua's natal family every month. His second son has been in poor health since childhood and has to go to the hospital every now and then. The family's rice is carefully rationed; spilling the rice means his son will go hungry at noon."

And that Zhang Liru is from the family of Qi, the Deputy Commander of the Second Battalion. Her family has two daughters and one son. Sister-in-law Qi favors sons over daughters, raising the two daughters like weeds, but this little son, Qi Zixuan, is cherished like a pupil of the eye. Her family is in the Northwest. Deputy Commander Qi is the eldest in the family, with many younger brothers and sisters below him. Whenever anyone has trouble, they come to her. Life is tight all year round. The reason for this outburst is twofold: first, to protect her cub, and second, to argue three points even when in the wrong, with the goal of avoiding having to compensate."

After hearing Fu Yan Cheng's words, Liu Chuxue fell into deep thought.

Over there, Shen Kaiyuan offered a few words of persuasion but was directly blamed by the two sisters-in-law, who even said that if his house hadn't been wafting out a fragrant smell, the children wouldn't have been so craving and brought their bowls over.

Fu Yan Cheng saw that the two women had no intention of stopping and were even blaming Shen Kaiyuan: "Wife, stand here and don't get close."