The voice was unfamiliar to Wei Nan.
Yet, when she heard the person speak, she inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance.
Her tense body finally relaxed.
Sensing her relaxation, Jiang Sirui quickly snatched the knife she was holding and threw it far away.
Then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest.
While gently patting her back, he soothed her, saying, “It’s alright now. Don’t be afraid. I’m back. From now on, I’ll handle everything.”
His voice seemed to carry a comforting power. Wei Nan could no longer hold back her tears.
Burying her head in his shoulder, she sobbed unconsciously, her tears soaking his military jacket.
The people nearby, seeing this scene, finally let out a breath of relief.
Several onlookers rushed over, some pulled Wang Sanhua aside, some went to retrieve the knife, while others hurried toward the factory, clearly to spread the news.
Xu Qiaoqiao and Brother Xu squeezed through the crowd as well. Xu Qiaoqiao’s lips had turned pale from fear.
Seeing that Wei Nan hadn’t spoken yet, her tears began to flow uncontrollably first.
After a long moment, she finally managed to say, “Xiao Nan, why are you so foolish? That old lady was on the brink of death… how could you risk your own life to fight her?!”
After speaking, she could no longer hold back and began sobbing loudly.
Brother Xu was clearly stunned by the scene as well, standing awkwardly to the side.
He comforted his sister with a pat, then glanced at Wei Nan, still held by Jiang Sirui, and cautiously asked, “Do you want to get in the car? I can take her back in my car.”
“No need,” Jiang Sirui replied firmly.
Then he bent down, supporting the back of Wei Nan’s knees with his hands, and lifted her up in one motion.
He turned to Xu Qiaoqiao and asked, “Do you know where their textile factory hospital is?”
Before Xu Qiaoqiao could answer, Wei Nan had already regained her senses.
She struggled to get down, urgently saying, “Home… go home first! We need to take Xiao Pei to the hospital!”
Jiang Sirui didn’t let go. Instead, he signaled to Xu Qiaoqiao, who immediately nodded and ran ahead to lead the way.
Although carrying someone, Jiang Sirui didn’t slow down at all, his pace was almost equal to Xu Qiaoqiao’s.
At first, Wei Nan tried to get down, but she quickly realized her arms and legs were weak and her head was dizzy. Even if she tried to walk, she wouldn’t be able to move quickly, so she gave up struggling.
By the time they reached the front of the house, neighbors were already carrying Wei Pei out.
Behind them were two elder sisters-in-law, pressing down on Wei Dabao’s arms with disdainful expressions, forcefully pushing him out.
Seeing her sister, Wei Nan struggled again to get down, but this time Jiang Sirui didn’t stop her.
Wei Nan ran to the elder brother holding Wei Jing, looking at her swollen face that had been beaten so badly her features were barely recognizable. Heart aching, she tried desperately to wipe away her tears.
She reached out to take Wei Jing from the neighbor’s hands, but the elder brother avoided her.
“You can’t carry her. Xiao Pei has injuries on her back; she needs to be supported,” he explained.
“I’ll take her,” Jiang Sirui stepped forward and reached out.
The elder brother hesitated, glancing at him but didn’t let go.
Xu Qiaoqiao quickly explained, “He is Wei Nan’s husband and Xiao Pei’s brother-in-law.”
The elder brother and the neighbors all looked shocked, some even exclaiming in surprise. Obviously, no one expected that this comrade of the People’s Liberation Army standing before them would have such a close relationship with Wei Nan.
Finally, the elder brother let go and carefully handed Wei Pei to Jiang Sirui.
Jiang Sirui carried Wei Pei, Xu Qiaoqiao supported Wei Nan, and the four of them headed toward the hospital together.
Just after leaving the residential building, before they even reached the corner, they saw Wei Shuangquan rushing over frantically.
He held a sharpened iron hoe high in his hands, his eyes dark with anger and malice.
He was clearly there to take revenge for Wang Sanhua.
Seeing him, Wei Dabao, still restrained by the neighbors, suddenly went mad!
He stomped his feet and shouted, “Dad! Dad! She hit me! This little slut hit me! Go hit her to death! Kill her!”
The seven- or eight-year-old child swore effortlessly, with a fluency that showed he had clearly learned it from the adults at home.
He looked like a wild dog emboldened by power, his eyes flashing with defiance. He immediately began struggling and even lunged at the elder sister-in-law restraining him, snapping at her.
Without a word, Jiang Sirui turned and kicked him squarely in the rear!
Before anyone could react, Wei Dabao let out a howl and was sent flying.
He flew a long distance and crashed heavily onto the sidewalk, lying there motionless for a long while.
Seeing his precious child get hit, Wei Shuangquan’s eyes turned red with rage!
He shouted, cursing viciously, and charged forward, raising the iron hoe with murderous intent.
Unfortunately for him, before he could get close, Jiang Sirui delivered a crushing kick to his chest.
Wei Shuangquan staggered backward several steps before collapsing with a thud onto the ground!
The iron hoe clanged to the side, rebounding sharply and hitting him again.
He let out a muffled groan, unable to cry out anymore.
Jiang Sirui, after delivering two consecutive kicks, faced the scene as if it were perfectly normal, acting as though nothing had happened.
Only when he saw the shocked, speechless expressions of the people around him did he offer a timely reminder: “Go to the hospital first. Everything else can wait.”
“Oh… oh, okay,” Xu Qiaoqiao was the first to respond, nodding hurriedly.
“Qiaoqiao, we’ll go to the hospital ourselves. You don’t need to come,” Wei Nan, now regaining her senses, said.
“You and brother go home first. Once I’ve taken care of Xiao Pei, I’ll come back to apologize for making you worry.”
Xu Qiaoqiao didn’t even know where the factory hospital was and wasn’t familiar with the staff inside. Moreover, Brother Xu was still at the doorstep, there was no need for her to follow them.
Wei Nan fought against the dizziness and urged her firmly.
“Look at what you’re saying! Do I even need to be told that?”
Xu Qiaoqiao wiped her tears, looking at Wei Nan with concern.
Then she nodded: “Alright, with Jiang Sirui there, I’ll just take you to the hospital and come back. My brother and I will stay home and get the bed ready for you. Xiao Nan, don’t worry…”
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion.
Thinking about all the injustices her friend had suffered, tears once again began to fall uncontrollably.
Wei Nan reached out and patted her on the back of her hand.
Although they were talking, they didn’t stop moving. By now, they were almost at the factory hospital entrance.
Ling Bailan had already come out to meet them.
She had clearly just received the notice and rushed over from home.
She hadn’t even changed her clothes.
When she reached them, she first lifted Wei Pei’s eyelids and shone a small flashlight, then gestured for Jiang Sirui and Wei Nan to follow her to the observation room.
Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Xu Qiaoqiao turned and went back to the Wei family home.
Most of Wei Pei’s injuries were external, and although they looked severe, they weren’t actually too serious.
Her most serious injuries were on her back, the two kicks Wei Dabao had delivered had caused a fracture in the young girl’s shoulder blade.
Once the wounds were treated, the doctors could only instruct her to rest properly; there was no way to heal it quickly.
Wei Nan, by contrast, seemed less seriously injured. She had even been able to walk in when she first arrived.
But shortly after entering the hospital, she could no longer hold on and fainted.
When she woke again, night had fully fallen, and she was alone in the hospital room.
Wei Nan felt her head throb painfully. She opened her eyes slightly, only to feel the room spinning around her.
Terrified, she quickly shut her eyes again.
After an unknown amount of time, the door was pushed open from outside. She slightly opened a slit of her eyes and saw Ling Bailan entering.
“Sister Ling,” she tried to sit up.
“Don’t move! You’ve got a concussion, and you’re not supposed to move!” Ling Bailan hurried over and held her down.
“Ah…” Wei Nan groaned, “A concussion! No wonder my head hurts so much.”
“Sister Ling, is it serious? When will it get better?” she asked with a pained expression.
“It’s not a big problem. Let’s observe for now. You should also watch yourself, if the dizziness or nausea doesn’t subside, be sure to tell me.”
“Mm,” Wei Nan nodded, then asked, “What about Xiao Pei?”
“She’s in the orthopedic ward and will need to be observed for two days as well. Don’t worry, I’ve already explained everything to the doctor over there.”
“Your friend came by earlier to see you. Since you weren’t awake, I let her leave first. She said she’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Mm, thank you, Sister,” Wei Nan replied softly.
After giving these instructions, Ling Bailan fell silent, and the hospital room became very quiet for a while.
After some time, she suddenly smiled.
Wei Nan, puzzled, opened her eyes again.
Ling Bailan looked at her with a teasing glint in her eyes. “Little girl, you can really keep your composure, can’t you?”
Wei Nan didn’t understand, blinking without saying anything.
“Don’t you want to ask where your husband went?”
Husband?!
Wei Nan was startled.
Only now did she suddenly remember that Jiang Sirui had come today.
He had helped her.
After fainting like that, she had nearly forgotten about him!
“Where is he? Where did he go?” she instinctively looked around and asked aloud.
“He went back to school. He said he came on leave today and has to return to officially report back according to regulations. But he asked me to tell you he’ll take leave again to come see you, so don’t worry.”
Ling Bailan clicked her tongue in surprise. “I didn’t expect that someone who looks like such a little girl has been married so long!
Your husband said you’ve actually been married for two years.
Xiao Nan, you really kept this well hidden, even Sister Wei and I had no idea!”
Wei Nan closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to speak at all.
She truly didn’t know how to respond.
It was as if she had never expected Jiang Sirui to suddenly appear today in the middle of all that chaos.
In her mind, their first meeting should have been under circumstances where both were prepared, finding a place where no one would notice, and then discussing things clearly.
Ideally, they would bring all their necessary documents that same day and finalize the divorce at once, quietly ending the relationship without anyone realizing.
That would have been the best way to handle it for both of them.
She had never imagined things would turn out like this.
Now, not only was their relationship publicly known, she also owed him a favor.
How was she supposed to repay that?
Just thinking about it made her anxious.
She didn’t reply at all, which Ling Bailan interpreted as the little girl being shy.
Even though she knew Wei Nan was married, in Ling Bailan’s eyes, she was still a child, and feeling shy was perfectly normal.
Understanding this, she didn’t push the topic further and instead asked, “Are you hungry? I bought some dishes and steamed buns. Do you want me to heat them up for you?”
“No, Sister. I still feel a bit nauseous and don’t want to eat,” Wei Nan refused.
“If you don’t want to eat, don’t force it. I’ll come early tomorrow and bring your meal. You can eat in the morning.” Ling Bailan said.
“Alright, Sister, thank you. You should go home, it’s already late, past the end of your shift.”
“It’s fine. I live close by, just a few steps away. Aren’t you afraid being here alone?
I placed you in the observation room thinking that if you were in a larger ward, the noise might disturb your rest with your dizziness.
If you’re scared, I can ask a nurse to stay with you.”
“Sister, you really treat me like a child, don’t you?”
Wei Nan couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid.”
“You really are just a child!” Ling Bailan laughed and gently patted her on the face.
To be honest, when she saw the two sisters earlier today, Ling Bailan had been terrified.
Even though she had been warned in advance that Wei Nan and her sister had gotten into another fight with that old woman Wang Sanhua and was mentally prepared, she had not expected the fight to be so brutal.
Even now, looking at the bruises and contusions on Wei Nan’s face, Ling Bailan was still furious and her heart ached painfully.
Her voice softened involuntarily as she spoke.
After giving a few more instructions, Ling Bailan left, and Wei Nan, still dizzy, fell asleep again.
When she woke this time, it was the smell of food that roused her.
Opening her eyes, Wei Nan first saw a brand-new insulated lunch container, then noticed the person holding it.
“Did I wake you? Good timing, get up and have some soup. I bought chicken soup, and it’s still hot,” the person said in a familiar tone.
Wei Nan didn’t respond, lifting her eyes to look at the man opposite her, her husband in name.
Jiang Sirui was tall; from her angle, she had to strain slightly to see his face.
His skin was a bit dark and rough, clearly hardened by the elements.
But precisely because of this, he appeared very masculine and strong.
His features were handsome.
A high, straight nose, long eyes with slightly upturned corners, and clear, bright irises. When he looked at someone, there was an inexplicable feeling that he could see into their heart.
Wei Nan didn’t dare stare directly at him; she glanced briefly before lowering her eyelids again.
She shook her head slightly and said distantly, “Thank you for coming to see me again. Actually, it wasn’t necessary, I’m fine now.”
Jiang Sirui didn’t reply immediately.
He placed the insulated container on the small bedside cabinet, then somehow produced bowls and chopsticks, serving the chicken soup.
He moved a stool to sit at the side of Wei Nan’s bed, stirring the soup with a spoon so it would cool faster, while speaking slowly: “I’m sorry I left before and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you.”
“At the time, there really was no other way. That’s how it is in the military, once orders are given, we have no choice.”
“But no matter what, this was my fault. I’ve let you suffer these past years.”
As he spoke, he explained to Wei Nan about going to the battlefield and also about his current situation.
Wei Nan had never suspected that Jiang Sirui’s disappearance was because of this.
Like the unfortunate girl, she had assumed he was unhappy with that inexplicably binding marriage and had simply left her hanging.
Waiting for her to completely give up before coming to talk about the divorce.
Now it was clear that both she and the unfortunate girl had misunderstood him.
Wei Nan lifted her eyes and looked at Jiang Sirui sincerely, saying, “No, you’re not at fault. You were fighting for the country, you’re a hero. In that situation, you couldn’t have contacted me, and it wasn’t intentional, there’s no need to apologize.
Besides, it was me who forced you into the marriage, turning kindness into coercion. This was my mistake; I’m the one who should apologize.”
Hearing this, Jiang Sirui was momentarily stunned.
He looked at Wei Nan deeply, then a little awkwardly shifted his gaze aside and murmured, “It wasn’t really forced, I agreed to it.”
Wei Nan smiled, not dwelling on the topic any further.
Instead, she said, “Thank you for helping me again today. I’m fine. Once I’m feeling better, I’ll go and get the divorce finalized with you.”
Jiang Sirui paused, the spoon in his hand stopping mid-air.
He lifted his eyes, frowning slightly. “So you’re still upset.”
“No, no,” Wei Nan waved her hand. “I’m not upset. I’m just speaking honestly. Dragging this out isn’t right, it’s better for both of us to finish it sooner.”
“Enough talk. Time to drink the soup.”
Jiang Sirui didn’t give her a chance to respond further. He stood, placed his hands under her neck, and slowly lifted her up.
Wei Nan wanted to resist, but looking at his unusually calm face, she inexplicably chose to cooperate.
She tried to reach for the bowl, but Jiang Sirui, as if unaware, had no intention of handing it to her.
He scooped a spoonful of soup, blew on it gently, and brought it to her lips.
Wei Nan pressed her lips together and looked up at the man. Seeing the determination on his face, she could only open her mouth and swallow reluctantly.
Jiang Sirui’s expression finally softened.