Chapter 229: Misplaced Anger

Throughout the night sky, Hao Manru's painful howls echoed.

At this moment, she desperately wished someone would come to save her, but even after her voice went hoarse from shouting, no one had found her.

Pain—Hao Manru felt as if her whole body was torn apart; after the two left satisfied, Hao Manru on the ground was like a broken doll.

Her white dress had long been torn to shreds, barely hanging on her.

After who knows how long, Hao Manru numbly crawled up from the ground and walked back step by step.

Meanwhile, Hao Manru's mother waiting in the tent was already frantic; after such a heavy rain just now, everywhere was muddy, and her daughter hadn't returned so late—where could she have gone?

Hao Manru's mother was very worried, fearing her daughter might come to harm, but she didn't dare make a big fuss sending people to look, after all her daughter had run out in anger, which wasn't exactly honorable, and moreover it was for this reason.

Just when Hao Manru's mother didn't know what to do, Hao Manru returned; as an experienced woman, she immediately knew what had happened from her daughter's appearance.

A surge of qi and blood almost made her faint; she immediately grabbed Hao Manru's hand and asked what had happened.

Hao Manru seemed to just come to her senses; looking at her mother, she burst into tears with a wail.

"Mom… save me, it's them, they're bastards, they bullied me, get Dad to help me kill them…"

The more Hao Manru spoke, the more agitated she became, desperately tearing at her hair; Hao Manru's mother feared she would hurt herself, so she could only desperately soothe her emotions.

Finally, after being tormented all night, Hao Manru fainted outright.

Hao Manru's mother with difficulty placed her daughter on the bed, used a wet towel to wipe her body, and upon seeing her daughter's injuries, she could no longer hold back her tears.

Hao Manru's mother could imagine what inhuman torment her daughter had endured; at this moment she truly regretted it, thinking that if she had not agreed to her daughter pursuing Song Jingyu, had not arranged today's banquet, or if she could have stopped her daughter when she ran out today, the outcome might have been different.

Thinking of this, Hao Manru's mother felt ever more regret and self-blame; she had only this one daughter, whom she had raised in her palm since childhood, but now because of a man she had brought herself to this state, and at this moment she even came to hate Song Jingyu.

Hao Manru's mother kept vigil by her daughter's bed all night, and only at noon the next day did her daughter wake, but her eyes were foggy, she showed no interest in anything, and would not answer any questions.

Moreover, every time Hao Manru's mother mentioned last night's incident, her daughter would go mad, clutching her head and howling; seeing her daughter in such agony, Hao Manru's mother dared not ask further, and could only hold her daughter and desperately soothe her.

Since Song Jingyu expressed his feelings to Su Ruo, he seems to have become shameless; the rescue work is now nearing its end, with not much left to do.

Song Jingyu, who used to not care about bleeding, festering wounds, suddenly became sentimental, coming to see Su Ruo for even the slightest injury.

This drew the nearby young soldiers to clamor, some thick-skinned ones laughing and calling Su Ruo 'sister-in-law'.

Su Ruo felt her skin was already thick enough, but each time she was teased by these energetic youths, she blushed bright red.

Seeing this, Hao Manru's mother instantly flushed with anger, thinking: how could her daughter suffer so terribly while Song Jingyu, the instigator, acts as if nothing happened?

So she immediately used her position to call a meeting and gave Song Jingyu and his group a severe criticism and education.

Some young soldiers, hearing Hao Manru's mother's words, became angry and worked nonstop for over a month, earning affirmation and praise from their superiors.

And they were told they could relax a bit, not to stay so tense.

But they had clearly done nothing, yet the Political Commissar, without distinguishing right from wrong, came and criticized them, leaving the soldiers unconvinced.

Or perhaps they should be like robots, not allowed to have their own emotions.

Having worked many years, Hao Manru's mother naturally sensed the soldiers' emotions were off, but she felt no fault in herself, and her tone grew even more stern as she retorted:

"How do you think I'm wrong? If I'm wrong, it's you."

Song Jingyu naturally knew why Hao Manru's mother suddenly raised an objection today.

Song Jingyu did not want Hao Manru's mother to make things difficult for his troops because of his personal affairs, so he immediately gave a respectful salute and said:

"What you say is correct; I failed to discipline my subordinates well, and I am willing to bear a ten-kilometer weighted cross-country run as punishment."

As soon as Song Jingyu said that, Hao Manru's mother, who had been looking for an excuse to find fault, could no longer find any.

Everyone said that, so what could she do!

If this matter continued to escalate, it would only make her appear petty and unwilling to let go.

Hao Manru's mother could only coldly say, "You just need to know you're wrong!", then turned and left without looking back.

Left behind, Song Jingyu's troops all wore resentful expressions as they watched her retreating back.

"Regimental Commander, we clearly performed outstandingly on this mission, even the superiors praised us—on what grounds does she punish you!"

Song Jingyu said: "Alright, if you don't want to be punished, tighten up yourselves; although the rescue work is nearing its end, the closer we get to this point, the less we can afford to relax, and we absolutely cannot let the unit lose face."

Song Jingyu didn't take that ten-kilometer weighted cross-country run to heart; conveniently, he had been busy with rescue work and hadn't trained, so today he just counted it as extra practice.

But Song Jingyu didn't take it to heart, while someone else did; know that his regiment had performed outstandingly in this mission, earned merit yet received no commendation, while the Regimental Commander Song Jingyu was punished instead—this, in the eyes of leadership, is completely wrong.

So the leadership immediately summoned Hao Manru's mother for questioning and investigation.

Even when facing the leadership's inquiry, Hao Manru's mother still felt she was not wrong; she believed that soldiers, while carrying out missions, should not laugh.

The leadership advised her: "Aren't you being too stern? These soldiers are still just children; children inevitably make small mistakes, and people naturally have emotions—joy and sorrow are normal—as long as they don't forget their duties."

But at this moment Hao Manru's mother already hated Song Jingyu to the core, so she simply couldn't take in the leadership's words.

She felt that if it weren't for Song Jingyu, her daughter would never have become like this; now her daughter is in such a terrible state, yet Song Jingyu acts as if nothing happened, flirting with others.

This is something Hao Manru's mother absolutely will not allow!