Wang Yuncai’s husband, Li Aiguo, was in his early thirties and had been enlisted for over a decade, but unfortunately, he was not blessed with good looks, a fact not unknown to others, yet his appearance was not endearing. When the platoon leader position became vacant, many were eager for it. Lin Jianfeng and Yu Shijie, the two platoon leaders, were not considered Liu Yuanchao’s men, and the team was brought up by Liu Yuanchao. Although Gao Jiaxing had recently been promoted to deputy company commander, he had to attend military academy for several years, and it was uncertain whether he would return to the team afterwards. Thus, Liu Yuanchao secretly hoped that the new platoon leader would be one of his own men, which was also what Mu Zhenhai intended by leaving the decision in Liu Yuanchao’s hands. In terms of military service, both He Xuegang and Wang Yuncai’s husband had served for over a decade, definitely longer than the soldiers Liu Yuanchao had brought up. Liu Yuanchao was not in a rush to select a new platoon leader since Gao Jiaxing had not yet departed, so Gao Jiaxing’s platoon was still under his command for the time being. Nevertheless, Liu Yuanchao set a timeline, proposing an assessment next summer, with the winner to assume the new platoon leader role. With this news, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, having half a year to prepare, so they all worked extremely hard. However, there are always those in the world looking for shortcuts. Everyone knew about the close relationship between Gao Jiaxing and Liu Yuanchao and assumed the new platoon leader would be chosen by them. As a result, visits to Xia Xiao and Mu Xingzhi increased markedly as military wives started to frequent their homes. Those without military wives simply had to double their efforts. Wang Yuncai, however, was unwilling to cozy up to Xia Xiao. When she initially decided to marry a military officer, her mother had chosen Li Aiguo, who came from a military family. Wang Yuncai thought Li Aiguo was unattractive, but married him for the sake of the military title. Yet after the wedding, Wang Yuncai found that Li Aiguo was not even a deputy platoon leader, which left her utterly discouraged. If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Wang urging that Li Aiguo came from a military family and with that pedigree, if his qualifications were not poor, becoming an officer was just a matter of time, Wang Yuncai wouldn’t have been persuaded. But deep down, Wang Yuncai remained discontented, although she had no choice but to accept her situation, having already married. Now arriving at Sky Island, Wang Yuncai was initially happy, yet she had not anticipated the high status of Xia Xiao upon arriving at Sky Island. Not only did the military personnel respect Xia Xiao as a military wife, but other military wives also treated her with deference, which left Wang Yuncai feeling dejected. Compared to Xia Xiao’s cordiality, Mu Xingzhi was often more serious and formal. Although she frequently engaged in conversations with military wives to build rapport and closeness, she was also friendly and down-to-earth. However, in the eyes of the other wives, Mu Xingzhi, having grown up in the military, had a certain authoritative air, making others behave more reservedly around her. Of course, all the military wives now hoped their husbands would become platoon leaders. On Gao Yuan, several held positions of deputy platoon leader or squad leader, and it was undeniable they aspired to rise in rank. While the soldiers trained rigorously, the wives visited one another more frequently. The relationships among everyone had always been good, and Xia Xiao was also keen for one of Gao Yuan’s own to become the platoon leader, but who would eventually secure the position would depend on the soldiers’ efforts. "Xia Xiao, He Xuegang and He Xuebing and both Gao Jiazhi and Gao Jiaxing, these four have been close since childhood, growing up together. The new platoon leader..." Dong Meihua hadn’t finished her sentence when Xia Xiao interjected, "That is not for us military wives to worry about." Xia Xiao looked at Dong Meihua. Over the past few years, Dong Meihua had been very well-behaved, and there had been no problems between her and Xia Xiao. However, when it came to He Xuexiang’s desire to become the platoon leader, there was no room for personal favors. He would have to rely on his own efforts. If he were to win in the assessments, then he naturally deserved it. Otherwise, even if he became the platoon leader, others wouldn’t respect him. In the army, especially Liu Yuanchao’s Flying Sword Assault Team, strength was what everyone truly valued. Without strength, who would follow Liu Yuanchao or Gao Jiaxing? Moreover, if Lin Jianfeng and Yu Shijie lacked strength, their arrival wouldn’t be recognized by everyone. Everyone relied on their own abilities. If one were to depend on connections without strength, it would be very difficult to integrate into the group. "Xia Xiao..." Dong Meihua looked at Xia Xiao with a pleading expression, hoping Xia Xiao could help He Xuexiang. Xia Xiao frowned and said, "Did you come here with He Xuexiang’s knowledge?" Dong Meihua shook her head, "He doesn’t know." "Then stop talking about it. By doing this, you’re looking down on He Xuexiang. Becoming a platoon leader, deputy platoon leader, squad leader - these positions are won through assessments. Everyone relies on their own strength. Right now, while He Xuexiang is training hard, don’t hold him back. Otherwise, you’ll just make others think he’s useless and can only rely on connections." Xia Xiao spoke sternly because it was true. While other military wives focused on building good relationships, Dong Meihua had come asking for favors. If others knew, they would just laugh. Moreover, if word got out, what would others think of He Xuexiang, and how would he get along with his comrades? Xia Xiao sent Dong Meihua away. Unexpectedly, Li Shengmei had gone to seek help from Zheng Xianghong. After all these years of rivalry between Li Shengmei and Zheng Xianghong, this was the first time Li Shengmei had swallowed her pride for the sake of her son. Early in the morning, just as the sun rose, Zheng Xianghong was out sunbathing with Feiyi, while her sons Feiyang and Feiyue played nearby. Li Shengmei came over with Dong Meihua’s son and rarely sat next to Zheng Xianghong. Zheng Xianghong was surprised at Li Shengmei’s initiative to draw close and asked, "Why are you sitting so close?" "Are you afraid of me?" Li Shengmei said and glanced at Feiyi in Zheng Xianghong’s arms, "Xia Xiao sure can produce sons, one after another. You must have laughed at me a lot, haven’t you?" "I’m minding my own business," Zheng Xianghong said dryly. "Yeah, you never cared about me," Li Shengmei said with a melancholy tone, "If it hadn’t been for you joining the army, Gao Guoqiang would have been my man. You stole my man; how could I not be mad at you?" "Gao Guoqiang was never your man," Zheng Xianghong retorted. The most update n0vels are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "How can you say that? It was arranged by our parents. If it hadn’t been for your interference in the army, I would have been the one marrying Gao Guoqiang." Li Shengmei still felt aggrieved over the old grudge. "Gao Guoqiang never acknowledged it, and he was always fighting in the army, rarely coming back home. I met him in the army, and it was my brother and his leader who acted as matchmakers. If you really had the intention, you could have gone to the army to find him. If you could endure the hardships and studied medical care in the army, you could have stayed there and had a chance to be with him. But you didn’t have the courage, and he didn’t agree. Besides, there was no formal engagement, it was only wishful thinking on your part." Zheng Xianghong continued, looking at Li Shengmei: "You married my cousin, and my aunt has been good to you. Plus, you’ve had three sons. You should appreciate your blessings. But you keep causing trouble. The more you do this, the more Gao Guoqiang is probably relieved he didn’t choose you back then. Why should I bother with you and bicker?"