He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

Niu Niu's face instantly turned bright red, her mouth opened wide, making a choking "hoarse" sound, her two little hands frantically grabbing her throat, her eyes wide open, her face full of fear.

"Niu Niu! Niu Niu!" Tiger shouted in fright.

Bai Wei was also stunned. The paper bag in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering peanuts all over the floor. She stood there, frozen, her face deathly pale, her lips trembling, her mind completely blank—

She's a nurse, and emergency procedures are an essential skill. But she slacked off during exams in school, relied on other nurses at work, and now here—she's all alone!

Her hands were shaking, her legs were shaking, and she stood motionless as if all her energy had been drained away.

The military wives who were getting off work nearby heard the commotion and gathered around, all of them anxiously pacing back and forth.

Just then, a sharp female voice rang out like a thunderclap!

"Get out of the way!!"

Shen Tang appeared on the outskirts of the crowd without anyone noticing—she had just returned from the cafeteria and heard the child's cries from afar. She rushed to Niu Niu's side and scooped up the little girl, whose eyes were already rolling back in her head.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Tang knelt on one knee, letting Niu Niu lie face down on her thigh. She supported Niu Niu's chin with one hand, and positioned the heel of her other hand between Niu Niu's shoulder blades.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Five quick and powerful palm strikes!

"Cough—Pfft!"

A peanut covered in saliva flew out of Niu Niu's mouth and landed on the ground with a "plop".

"Wow--!"

Niu Niu finally took a deep breath of air, followed by a deafening wail. Her little face quickly regained its color from the bluish-purple hue, and although she had cried her heart out, her breathing was now completely clear.

"It's alright, it's alright..." Shen Tang hugged Niu Niu, who was crying and trembling, and gently patted her back to comfort her.

The military wives who were watching around them finally came to their senses from their shock. Their faces turned pale and their legs went weak with fear.

Niu Niu's mother suddenly appeared out of nowhere, snatched her daughter from Shen Tang's arms, and burst into tears, crying, "My Niu Niu! My darling! You scared me to death!"

Someone spoke first: "Bai Wei! Aren't you a nurse? What were you standing there for?"

"That's right! If Shen Tang hadn't run so fast, Niu Niu would be dead today!"

The accusations from the group made Bai Wei's already pale face even more unsightly. She didn't refute them, wanting to make a quick getaway, since no one knew yet that Niu Niu choked because of her.

She had just sold it when she heard someone shout—

"It's Aunt Bai Wei!"

Tiger's face flushed red as he shouted at the adults, "Aunt Bai Wei scared us! She told us ghost stories and said Sister Shen Tang is a monster! She said monsters eat children! Niu Niu was so frightened she choked! We all saw it!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Bai Wei was so frightened she almost fell over. She turned and glared at Hu Zi. "I kindly shared peanuts with you and told you stories, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you're also complaining about me? Is this how your mother raised you?"

Her voice was loud, and she seemed secretly guilty. She hoped that Tiger would be frightened and stop talking nonsense.

However, the older children nearby showed no mercy and were not frightened at all. They chimed in, shouting all at once, "That's right! Aunt Bai Wei said Sister Shen Tang is a monster in disguise! She even made a grabbing motion to scare us! Niu Niu is the most timid; she burst into tears immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the military wives present instantly changed.

It was not an oversight.

It wasn't an accident.

It was intentional. Bai Wei deliberately fabricated terrifying rumors to frighten the child, which directly caused three-year-old Niu Niu to choke on peanuts and almost suffocate to death!

Niu Niu's mother's eyes instantly reddened. She hugged her daughter, trembling all over. She suddenly raised her head, her gaze sweeping like a knife across Bai Wei, who was slumped on the ground. Her voice was so sharp it seemed to tear the air apart:

"Bai Wei! Not only did you feed a three-year-old peanuts, but you also made up lies to scare her? Are you trying to kill my daughter?!"

"I didn't! I was just saying it casually! I didn't know she would choke, who knew she was so timid!" Bai Wei was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly, her voice changing.

"Just saying? Cowardly?" Niu Niu's mother lunged forward like a madwoman, but was held back tightly by the military wife beside her. "You're an adult, telling a three or four-year-old child that monsters eat people? What are you up to! You did it on purpose! You wanted to harm Shen Tang! And now you've harmed my daughter!"

These words were like a bomb, instantly igniting the anger of all the military wives present.

"My God, saying this to a child? That's incredibly cruel!"

"Making up lies to scare children, just to slander Shen Tang? Are you out of your mind?!"

"I told you long ago that this woman was no good! She hasn't done a single good thing since the day she came to the compound!"

Bai Wei collapsed to the ground, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. She opened her mouth as if to explain something, but under the angry, contemptuous, and disgusted gazes, she couldn't utter a single word.

She is finished.

This time, rumors can be denied, and typos can be excused; this time, a life was almost lost.

In the military compound, this charge is more serious than anything else.

"That's enough."

A steady and powerful female voice cut through the noisy crowd.

Everyone turned to look—it was Lin Qiaozhen.

Although Lin Qiaozhen's wife, the political instructor of the first battalion, wasn't the highest-ranking military spouse in the compound, she was highly respected because her husband, Zhou Zhengguo, was upright and had a high reputation in the army. In addition, Lin Qiaozhen herself was straightforward, fair, and her words carried weight.

Lin Qiaozhen held her little An in her arms, standing in the middle of the crowd. Her gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Bai Wei, who was still trembling.

"Bai Wei, your lies to scare the child almost killed Niu Niu. Everyone here knows how heinous that was. If Shen Tang hadn't been here today, everyone here knows what would have happened to Niu Niu."

She paused, then raised her voice slightly:

"I'm putting this out there today—I haven't said a word about the rumors circulating in the compound about Shen Tang lately because I thought the truth would come out and it would all blow over eventually. But I didn't expect you to escalate it like this."

Lin Qiaozhen turned to the onlookers, the military wives, and said firmly:

"Some people are gossiping here, saying that Tangtang is after the Mu family's power and trying to climb the social ladder. I'd like to ask—she's just a rescued girl, penniless, without even a registered residence. How could she possibly know the Mu family's background in Beijing? If the Shen family really knew about Commander Mu's family situation, would they have allowed their newly found daughter to marry him? And even severed ties with him!"

Lin Qiaozhen's gaze was piercing, fixed on Bai Wei, her voice filled with suppressed anger:

"On the contrary, some people—who clearly wanted to climb the social ladder but were kicked out—turn around and slander others. They're like the thief crying 'stop thief,' not even ashamed of themselves."

These words were so blunt that Bai Wei's face instantly turned as white as paper.

The military wives looked at each other, and many of them had an expression of sudden realization.

Yes, think about it carefully—Bai Wei is always hanging around Commander Mu, so who's really trying to climb the social ladder? Who's being indecent? She even came to the compound to gossip about Shen Tang; it's clearly jealousy!

They're using them as pawns!

"I...I didn't!" Bai Wei finally found her voice, screaming in protest, "I didn't try to climb the social ladder! I just can't stand her, a country bumpkin—"

"Alright, Bai Wei."

Another voice rang out.

Liu Fang appeared at the edge of the crowd at some point. She was wearing a plain white shirt, and her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been holding back for a long time and finally had to speak.

"Weiwei, I've always treated you like a little sister, that's why I let you stay at my house." Liu Fang's voice was soft, but trembling. "But look at what you've done lately—teaching the wrong words, speaking ill of Tangtang, and now you almost harmed the child… I know you didn't mean it, but you've really caused the compound so much trouble."

She stepped forward, took Bai Wei's hand, and tears streamed down her cheeks: "Weiwei, listen to my advice—you should go back to the hospital dormitory. The women in the compound are very unhappy about it, and I can't protect you alone. Go back to work and do your job well; that's more important than anything else."