Chapter 460: This Person Is a Martyr

This tongzi building is even more lively than Da Za Yuan.

From early morning, the sound of scooping the coal boiler, the clatter of pots and pans, the noises of walking in line to brush teeth and wash faces, laughter, chatter, greetings—like a symphony—merged into the bustling atmosphere of the dawn.

But amid these harmonious sounds, Mei Ju's hoarse shouting during an argument stood out starkly.

In a tongzi building like this, people of all kinds live with their families; it is a micro‑society, with some getting along well and others sparring over dislikes—nothing unusual.

If it were strangers arguing, Lu Cheng would be too lazy to bother, but Mei Ju is different—she's a teammate's wife, heavily pregnant, and must avoid harming herself or getting angry.

Lu Cheng rolled out of bed, pulled open the single‑pane green‑painted door, and the sound came from the Grand Courtyard's public water pool.

He perched on the hallway railing, glanced down, and saw a crowd around the pool, most there to fetch water for cooking.

But because the argument added excitement, many abandoned their water‑fetching and stood there pointing and chatting.

"What's going on? I thought I heard someone stealing a man."

"Ah, it's Mei Ju from the third floor of the opposite tongzi building."

"Mei Ju? Who's Mei Ju? Which system is she from?"

"She doesn't seem to be from our Railway system, but her husband is a Railway Passenger Police officer—tall as a pole, like a stick."

"Oh, I remember—he's extremely honest, smiling at everyone."

"Probably because he's too honest; the Train Police officer is often on duty with the train. Imagine, a ten‑day to half‑month shift leaves his wife at home—she can't stand the loneliness."

"That can't be—she's heavily pregnant, how could she do that?"

"You don't get it—she's never given birth! A pregnant woman can't have sex in the first three months or the last few months, but at five or six months, as long as she's careful, it won't cause major issues."

"Oh, indeed—her belly is only at six months…"

Hearing the surrounding gossip, a fellow Railway Passenger Police family member stepped forward.

"What are you babbling? Our husbands are Train Police, so why should the women be blamed like this?"

"Exactly, a Train Police officer's wife can't talk to male Comrades; we're supposed to be mute, right?"

Seeing the two women weren't easy to provoke, the others wisely fell silent.

Mei Ju suddenly found confidence and looked at the shabby, Ji Wo‑headed man opposite.

"Laimao, on what grounds do you slander me for stealing a man? This must be cleared up today! Otherwise, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Accusing a woman of losing her chastity, especially in this conservative era, is tantamount to demanding her life.

Mei Ju's body trembled uncontrollably as she spoke.

As for the man opposite, everyone called him Laimao; he was a Boiler worker responsible for heating the family courtyard.

He had previously been idle, and without a proper job, he never managed to get a wife.

Until Laimao's father, who heroically protected collective property during a boiler explosion, lost his life and was posthumously honored as a martyr by his unit.

Laimao thus transformed from a despised drifter into a respected martyr's descendant.

He also took over his father's post, becoming a proud Boiler worker who brings warmth to countless households.

But old habits die hard; even after starting work, the kid still behaved like a loafer.

Over time, the residents grew fed up with him; even families with marriage‑bound daughters would first exclude him.

Despite being disliked, being a martyr's family member is like having a protective talisman.

If he makes a minor mistake at work and is reported, he'll at most receive a couple of verbal admonitions.

He can't be scolded harshly, or Laimao will burst into tears on the spot, lamenting his father's sacrifice, leaving the superiors unwilling to say more.

Consequently, Laimao grew even more reckless, casting a disdainful look at Mei Ju.

Even the leaders speak to him politely; a Railway Passenger Police family member daring to publicly threaten to tear his mouth apart.

"What's there to clarify? We all live in the same tongzi building; I'm preserving your face, and you keep harassing me endlessly!"

Mei Ju's body trembled with anger—was this even human speech?

Defiling her reputation, refusing to apologize, and even accusing her of harassing…

If Laimao doesn't clear this up in front of the crowd today, Mei Ju will have no face to stay in the tongzi building ever again.

But Laimao was too lazy to tangle with a pregnant woman; balancing a water kettle, he headed upstairs—he'd drunk too much last night and was terribly thirsty, needing to boil water quickly.

"If you want to steal a man, go ahead; she's not my wife, it's none of my business…"

Before he could finish explaining, Mei Ju wouldn't let him leave and immediately grabbed his arm.

That move finally provoked Laimao; ever since he joined the Railway system as a Boiler worker, leaders greeted him with smiles, and no one dared to block him.

Immediately, Laimao forcefully swung his arm; Mei Ju, already pregnant, lost her balance, stumbling backward a few steps, about to collapse onto the ground…

Onlookers gasped in excitement; if she fell, it could disturb the fetal qi, potentially causing a fatal accident for both mother and child.

A nearby woman rushed to help, but the suddenness meant her outstretched hand missed Mei Ju, who was about to hit the ground.

At that moment, a large hand emerged from a gap in the crowd and seized the back of Mei Ju's collar.

Immediately, a young fellow appeared, and with little effort steadied Mei Ju's body.

The tense crowd finally exhaled.

"Sister Mei Ju, are you okay?"

Lu Cheng, seeing the quarrel from the third‑floor railing, hurried down the stairs.

"I—I'm fine..." Mei Ju, mortified at being mistaken as having stolen a man with Lu Cheng, felt extremely embarrassed.

Lu Cheng didn't mind much; Mei Ju's reassurance that she was fine was timely—had he arrived seconds later, the outcome could have been unknown.

Everything was tied to that shabby Ji Wo‑headed man, so Lu Cheng called out toward his back.

"Hey, you think you can just leave, stand there!"

He turned, realizing Lu Cheng was calling him, and while doing so he scanned Lu Cheng up and down, feeling increasingly familiar.

Suddenly, he remembered.

"Right, right, the man who stole a man from Mei Ju last night was him."

At first everyone thought Laimao was spouting nonsense, because they all knew the kid's mouth was terribly unclean.

He even loves to fabricate nonsense more than some of the women in this courtyard.

They thought this time was also a deliberate framing of Mei Ju, accusing someone of stealing a man; they ought to produce solid proof, not just blurt it out as soon as their lips touch.

But as Laimao suddenly pointed at Lu Cheng, even the other party stepped forward, and everyone couldn't help but look toward the unfamiliar young lad.