“Lueluelue…”
“Lueluelue…”
A very strange sound suddenly came from nearby.
Lin Qiaoyun listened carefully for a moment.
“Wife, that’s the sound of wild boars. My younger brothers and sisters probably found a boar herd.”
“A herd of wild boars? Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”
“Yeah! I can already hear them. From the sound of it, there’s definitely more than one.”
Alright then. In this area, Lin Qiaoyun admitted she wasn’t very skilled.
“Zhao Tiezhu, should we go help?”
“Yeah. Let’s go take a look.”
Zhao Tiezhu grabbed Lin Qiaoyun’s small hand with his large one and quickly ran toward the source of the noise.
Before they even arrived, they could already hear fighting sounds and the miserable squeals of wild boars.
By the time Zhao Tiezhu pulled Lin Qiaoyun to the scene, the fight was almost over.
Four wild boars were lying on the ground nearby—three big ones and one small one.
“Come on, let’s move everything to our secret base.”
“Okay.”
Zhao Tiezhu handed Lin Qiaoyun over to one of his younger sisters, then slung a wild boar over his shoulder and walked off.
“Honghua, take care of your sister-in-law.”
“Don’t worry, Brother.”
The remaining wild boars were dragged and carried by the brothers and sisters as they headed toward their secret base.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll take you to a really nice place! There are lots of tasty fruits there, fish too, and lots of pretty flowers.”
“Really? Then I definitely need to see it.”
Lin Qiaoyun grabbed Honghua’s hand and started running, chasing after Zhao Tiezhu at the front.
“Zhao Tiezhu! Zhao Tiezhu! Wait for me!”
“Sister-in-law, why are you still calling my big brother by his full name?”
“Ah! Then what should I call him?
My husband? My man? Comrade Zhao? Darling? Tiezhu…
Tiezhu…
Oh! Oh! Oh…”
The two girls were panting as they ran behind the group while deliberately saying weird things.
Zhao Tiezhu felt like his wife really was still a child who hadn’t grown up yet.
“Wife, how about calling me Brother Zhao? When no one’s around, you can call me husband!”
The last sentence, Zhao Tiezhu whispered secretly to Lin Qiaoyun.
“Sure, Brother Zhao… hahaha…”
Zhao Tiezhu had no idea what exactly his wife found so funny.
Still, as long as she was happy, he was happy too.
The group moved quickly through the mountain. Soon, they reached a hidden corner. After turning into it, they found a natural cave inside, with a clear stream flowing through it.
This place was perfect for processing prey.
After tossing the wild boars onto the ground, Zhao Tiezhu pulled a knife out of his basket.
They had originally only planned to hunt one wild boar to bring home, but unexpectedly, they had gotten lucky and caught four.
“Did any of you get hurt?”
Yinhua replied, “No, Big Brother. We followed the methods you taught us exactly. And for some reason, I feel a lot stronger today.”
“Good. But don’t be reckless. Always know your limits. If you can’t win, run. Whatever happens, don’t let yourselves get hurt, understand?”
“Got it, Big Brother!”
Zhao Tiezhu told Lin Qiaoyun to find a place nearby and sit down to rest.
Meanwhile, he began processing the prey, teaching his younger siblings wilderness survival skills as he worked.
He taught seriously, and his siblings learned seriously.
Watching from the side, Lin Qiaoyun practically had hearts in her eyes.
What kind of treasure of a man was this?
Ah! How did I get so lucky and end up with him?
In his twenty-six years of life, had no one else ever shown up?
It was unbelievable.
How could anyone spread rumors that a man like this would die or that no one would want him? It was so strange.
Lin Qiaoyun knew that, in the days ahead, unless Zhao Tiezhu was sent to the borderlands, it would be hard for him to see combat again. And for a war hero like him, the chance of returning to the battlefield was probably very small.
Still, there was always the possibility of an exception.
Hopefully not.
As for the other two “big pillars” in the family, she had already asked Zhao Tiezhu about them. He had only said they had gone off to work.
As for what kind of work?
“It’s confidential,” he had said.
But honestly, even if Zhao Tiezhu didn’t tell her, Lin Qiaoyun already knew.
Most likely, they were off helping build “the two bombs.” Nothing else really fit.
After processing the boars, Zhao Tiezhu cut the meat into strips and neatly packed everything into the baskets they had brought.
With four pigs cut up and divided, the ten of them could just barely carry everything home.
Zhao Tiezhu cleaned the boars thoroughly. He didn’t even waste the intestines, washing them carefully and bringing them back.
Lin Qiaoyun had said she could braise organ meat into something delicious.
Since it was easy enough to do, and his wife wanted it, Zhao Tiezhu was happy to indulge her.
By the time they headed down the mountain, it was almost dark.
When they reached the village, night had already fallen.
As soon as it got dark, Zhao Tiezhu held Lin Qiaoyun’s hand tightly, afraid she might accidentally trip.
When they arrived at the front door, Zhao Mama and Zhao Papa were already waiting outside to welcome the children home.
The moment the kids arrived, they hurried over to help.
They had already guessed that if the eldest son went into the mountains, he definitely wouldn’t come back empty-handed.
Sure enough, even though they couldn’t see what was in the baskets, they could clearly see the wild chickens and rabbits hanging from his waist.
“Don’t hunt wild boars in the mountains anymore. It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s fine, Dad. Don’t you know what I’m capable of?”
Father Zhao knew exactly what his son could do.
When Zhao Tiezhu was little, no one knew how, but he had somehow dug out the family’s ancestral martial arts manual.
None of the other children could understand a word of it, yet somehow he alone understood everything.
And understanding it himself wasn’t enough—he taught his younger siblings too, until the whole family could at least manage a move or two.
Of course, the most skilled was still the eldest son.
His archery was so good it could hit targets from a hundred paces. At a young age, he had already joined the army and started earning a state salary.
His father felt both proud and heartbroken.
Over the years, people had often said he was living off money his son earned by risking his life.
“Dad, there you go overthinking again. Your son’s incredibly capable. Second Brother and Third Brother are fine too. They’ll come back sooner or later. If something had happened, the government would’ve notified you already instead of sending monthly allowances.”
“It’s just been too long since I’ve seen them. I miss them.”
“Dad, if you miss them, just look at me! They look exactly like me—except they’re not as fair-skinned.”
“You brat…”
“Alright, children’s father, let the kids wash up and change. Dinner’s ready.”
“Eldest is back?”
At that moment, Grandpa’s voice came from the inner room, asking whether his eldest grandson had returned.
“Grandpa, Grandma, I’m back! I’ll come see you in a bit.”
Zhao Tiezhu hurriedly pulled Lin Qiaoyun into the bathroom to wash their hands, face, and feet.
“Wife, let’s eat first and bathe afterward, okay?”
“Okay! I’m hungry.”
“Alright, then take your time washing. I’ll go check on Grandpa and Grandma.”
“Okay.”
Grandpa Zhao treated Zhao Tiezhu like the apple of his eye. If he didn’t see his grandson at the usual time, he would start worrying immediately.
So once Zhao Tiezhu finished washing, he hurried out.
Lin Qiaoyun stayed behind and washed slowly by herself.
The younger brothers and sisters had already run into the house while everyone was talking to their parents outside.
By the time Lin Qiaoyun finished washing and came out, Grandpa and Grandma were already seated in the dining room, and most of the food had been brought to the table.
“Eldest grandson’s wife, come here! Sit next to Grandma. Grandma wants to get a good look at you.”
Lin Qiaoyun obediently sat beside Grandma Zhao and let the old woman hold and pat her hands.
Lin Qiaoyun truly was beautiful. Her figure was good too. Even though she was only sixteen, she was already around 156 centimeters tall and would probably grow a little more—she might even reach 160.
Her frame was well-proportioned, so even though she was soft and curvy, she didn’t look fat at all.
After touching her for a while, Grandma Zhao suddenly asked Lin Qiaoyun a question.
Lin Qiaoyun was stunned speechless.
This grandmother was too sharp.
She had actually figured out that Lin Qiaoyun wasn’t eighteen yet—she was still underage.
How embarrassing…
“Grandma… I’m sorry.”
Grandma Zhao looked at Lin Qiaoyun, then at her daughter-in-law. Seeing her daughter-in-law keeping her head down and saying nothing, she immediately knew the matter had something to do with her.
“Mom, I just felt Qiaoyun was truly a perfect match for Eldest, so I did this.”
“It’s fine. Two more years is just two more years. It’ll just mean my eldest grandson has to suffer for two years.”
Lin Qiaoyun blushed furiously.
Meanwhile, Zhao Tiezhu looked completely confused and had no idea what they were talking about.
He only vaguely understood that it had something to do with him.
It wasn’t until later that night, when his grandmother pulled him aside to talk, that he learned a bolt-from-the-blue surprise had been waiting for him all along.
Of course, he still didn’t know that yet.
After Grandma Zhao finished fussing over Lin Qiaoyun, she told her to eat comfortably.
She was very satisfied with this granddaughter-in-law.
Fair skin, a full forehead—she looked like someone blessed with good fortune.
She would definitely become an excellent wife for the Zhao family.
Grandma Zhao also knew exactly why her daughter-in-law had chosen this girl.
Pretty, educated, and cultured.
So even if she was a little young, they still had to find a way to marry her into the family.
And now that she had married in, so be it.
Her grandson was more than worthy of her. The two of them matched perfectly.
She could tell her grandson liked this granddaughter-in-law very much.
You could see it just from the way he looked at her.
Jinhua had already prepared dinner early while staying home.
Because the whole family had suffered from diarrhea at lunchtime, dinner was simple—one pot of porridge and a large batch of steamed buns.
White flour buns were difficult to come by. Most village families ate mixed-grain buns or coarse grain buns instead.
But the Zhao family had always been generous with food because the children practiced martial arts.
After dinner, Zhao Tiezhu busied himself carrying hot water so Lin Qiaoyun could bathe.
Watching the man bustle around her, Lin Qiaoyun suddenly felt a little guilty.
Tonight was supposed to be their wedding night.
If someone told him, Your wife is still too young. You can’t touch her for another two years, would this man cry?
Personally, she didn’t mind—as long as she didn’t get pregnant.
But Grandma Zhao probably wouldn’t agree.
From the way the old woman had examined her, Lin Qiaoyun could tell she probably knew a little traditional medicine.
The old woman meant well and didn’t want her granddaughter-in-law to lose her innocence at such a young age.
So Lin Qiaoyun felt she should sincerely appreciate that kindness.
Which meant poor Comrade Zhao Tiezhu would just have to endure it.