“I’m studying at the Military Academy now; it’s a two-year program. After that, I’ll be able to come home on weekends, and I’ll take more care of things at home. We’ll work hard together, and life will only get better,”
He paused for a moment, looking at Wei Nan with a firm tone. “Don’t worry. Things like today will never happen again.”
Wei Nan didn’t respond, but inside she was utterly shocked.
She hadn’t even fully registered the rest of Jiang Sirui’s promise, her mind was stuck on that one line: “We’ll work hard together, and life will only get better.”
But… she didn’t want to live her life with a stranger!
The thought of living under the same roof with such a strong, imposing presence, and being together all the time, made her feel painfully awkward.
“What exactly happened today? Those people… why did they treat you like that?”
While Wei Nan was lost in her chaotic thoughts, Jiang Sirui spoke.
“Mm,” Wei Nan absentmindedly nodded, not even really listening to what he asked.
Jiang Sirui glanced at her, then, without a hint of emotion, scooped another spoonful of soup and brought it to her lips, his tone flat but commanding: “Talk.”
“Huh?” Wei Nan’s eyes widened.
“We’ve been married for almost two years. We need to keep each other informed about family matters,” Jiang Sirui explained.
“…No need,” Wei Nan took a deep breath, feeling a strong sense of resistance.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out tomorrow. You want these family matters to come to me through someone else?” Jiang Sirui looked at her sharply.
Wei Nan turned her face away and pouted,
—finding it incredibly difficult to swallow the soup.
Of course, she didn’t want those things to be told to Jiang Sirui by someone else.
Even though she had never really considered the Wei family as her own, hearing all their messy business from another person still made her feel a little embarrassed.
But at the same time, she didn’t want to talk too much to him either.
Although she knew very well that Jiang Sirui was asking these questions because he intended to step in and take care of things for her,
—and that with his help, handling these matters would be far more effective and faster than her confronting those beasts herself, she still felt that debts of favors had to be repaid.
Wei Nan realized that with her current abilities, she couldn’t repay him.
She also didn’t want any further entanglement with him.
“These are family matters. I can handle my own family issues; there’s no need to trouble you. It’s already late, go home early,”
she said coolly, pushing the spoon that was again brought to her lips.
Jiang Sirui withdrew the spoon and quietly watched her for a moment.
He didn’t continue the topic, instead tidying up the table and taking the used bowls and spoons out to wash.
When he returned, he held out his hand toward Wei Nan. “Give me the keys.”
“What keys?” Wei Nan asked, confused.
“The house keys!” Jiang Sirui said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Wei Nan didn’t answer, but instinctively clutched the blanket, her face full of resistance.
Jiang Sirui couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction.
Ignoring any possible displeasure from her, he reached out and ruffled the top of her hair.
“Wei Nan, don’t be so heartless.
Do you know where the Military Academy is? Taking a bus from here would take at least over two hours. It’s already past eight; there are no buses now. Do you want me to walk back?
Also, I only returned to school this afternoon and asked for a week off, citing that my wife was sick and needed care. If I leave now, how do you think I’ll explain it to the instructor?”
He paused, a faint, teasing smile appearing. “Or… do you just not want to be alone here and want me to stay with you?”
Wei Nan: “…”
She rolled her eyes and reluctantly fished the house keys out of her pocket, handing them over.
Jiang Sirui took the keys, put them in his pocket, and gave Wei Nan a long, meaningful look.
Jiang Sirui couldn’t help but rub his fingers.
This was the first time he and Wei Nan had been this close while both fully conscious.
Even now, he could still feel the softness unique to a girl’s hair between his fingers.
A faint warmth flashed in his eyes.
Even though he and Wei Nan had been married for nearly two years, they had barely spoken a few words.
Forget intimacy, opportunities like this, where it was just the two of them alone in a space, had never happened before.
When they first got their marriage certificate, they had each returned to their own places, and the next morning, there had been no farewell at all before he left.
Jiang Sirui realized that he had never really seen what this girl looked like.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but look at Wei Nan again, deeply.
And at that moment, all he felt was—
She looked awful.
Her small face wasn’t even as big as his palm, her eyes swollen to mere slits.
Her pale face was marked with raised finger prints, and the corner of her mouth, split and still slightly bleeding, made the sight even more painful.
Seeing her like this tightened something in his chest.
The hand in his pocket instinctively clenched into a fist.
To think someone had beaten his wife like this…
He lowered his eyes, and a deep, cold light filled his gaze.
Then Jiang Sirui lifted his head again, looking seriously at Wei Nan.
He wanted to memorize this image of her, etch it into his mind forever.
As a warning, so that such a thing would never happen again.
Yet somehow, as he looked, he suddenly found himself thinking that his little wife was still somewhat pleasing to the eye.
Even though her face was battered and bruised, there was still a lively, delicate charm to her…
Even with all those bruises and marks, she was impossible to ignore.
Even if she deliberately acted distant, even if she repeatedly rejected his attempts to get close, Jiang Sirui didn’t feel anger. He only felt that this version of her was more real, more memorable.
After Jiang Sirui left, Wei Nan slept deeply.
She didn’t know if it was because the day had been so exhausting and difficult, or because of the change in environment, but that night she didn’t dream at all and slept straight through until morning.
When she woke up, her head didn’t feel as heavy, and the dizziness had eased considerably.
She tried to ask to be discharged, but Ling Bailan immediately refused.
She only said that Wei Nan needed to stay in the hospital for careful observation for another two days.
Finally, after Wei Nan kept pestering her, Ling Bailan left her with one line: “Your man said you can’t leave today.”
This completely flustered Wei Nan, she couldn’t even speak.
Her face instantly turned red, and she felt unbearably embarrassed.
She couldn’t understand why everyone kept saying “your man,” “your man” as if it were so natural.
Didn’t it feel awkward?
But she couldn’t ask about that either.
And now that she was familiar with Sister Ling, Ling Bailan had also revealed her true nature.
Especially after confirming that Wei Nan’s health was fine, the previous gentle demeanor had completely vanished. Any extra questions would be met with sharp responses.
Wei Nan, timid and cautious, didn’t dare approach her.
That morning, Wei Nan didn’t see Jiang Sirui, but she found the chicken soup noodles he had delivered.
Apparently, he had come early that morning, but Wei Nan was still asleep. He had things to attend to, so he left the noodles and went off.
After finishing her meal, Wei Nan went to check on her younger sister in orthopedics and found that Xiao Pei was much more alert and lively than before.
Although she could only sleep lying on her stomach because of her back injury, the other wounds were slowly healing.
The doctor said she only needed to stay two or three more days before going home to rest.
When Wei Nan had previously said she wanted to go home, it was more about her pride and independence than anything else.
She didn’t want to trouble too many people.
But in reality, even just forcing herself to walk a short distance made her feel as if the ground beneath her was spinning.
Now that she had seen her sister was fine and knew she couldn’t go home today, her mind completely relaxed.
Back in the ward, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep again in less than a minute.
Until Ling Bailan gently tapped her awake.
Groggily, she opened her eyes and sniffled, calling out, “Sister Ling?”
Ling Bailan frowned and sighed, “Why do you have a fever again?”
Then, feeling concerned, she reached out to touch Wei Nan’s face and comforted her: “Don’t think too much. Things will get resolved. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Wei Nan smiled faintly, remaining silent.
Seeing her flushed face and drowsy state, Ling Bailan felt reluctant to leave, but the situation allowed no choice.
She turned slightly to the side and pointed behind her, saying to Wei Nan, “Xiao Nan, these two are officers from the police station. They want to understand what happened yesterday.”
Only then did Wei Nan realize the ward wasn’t just the two of them.
Ling Bailan’s words completely snapped her awake.
Following the direction of Ling Bailan’s finger, she saw two people in police uniforms standing behind her.
A man and a woman.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, with a stern expression.
The woman was younger, in her early twenties, smiling and looking much friendlier.
Wei Nan hurriedly tried to sit up.
The female officer stepped forward and gently held her down: “Comrade Wei Nan, don’t move. You still have a fever; just lie down and talk.”
Then she pointed to the man behind her and introduced them: “This is our Deputy Director Sun from the station. I’m Cao Yue, an officer at the station.
We’re here today to understand what happened when you and your sister were beaten without reason yesterday.”
At this moment, Wei Nan’s mind was buzzing, her vision going dark in flashes, leaving her completely dazed.
Her brain couldn’t make sense of why the police officers had come to her bedside.
She hadn’t filed a report, had she?
After all, not just in this era, but even later, something like yesterday would normally be considered a family matter.
The ones who hit her and Xiao Pei were Wang Sanhua and Wei Dabao.
One was nearly seventy, the other not even an adult.
Old and young, that’s what they were.
Even if she reported them to the authorities, the worst that could happen would be causing others some trouble; nothing could truly touch them.
Arrest them?
What if something went wrong, say Wang Sanhua faked illness or death, what department could take responsibility?
Whether it was the police or the factory leadership, the only likely course of action would be to call them in for a scolding, then let it drop.
No one could genuinely stand up for Wei Nan and her sister.
It wasn’t like with Wei Shuangquan and Wei Jing, who at least had worker status.
So Wei Nan had never seriously considered reporting the incident or asking any organization to intervene.
All she had thought about was waiting until she recovered, then taking revenge herself.
Yet now, police officers had inexplicably appeared at her hospital bed.
Seeing that she wasn’t saying anything, Cao Yue assumed she was too scared from being beaten and hesitated, her gaze mixing pity with righteous anger.
She straightened her chest and spoke loudly, promising, “Comrade Wei Nan, rest assured, everyone is equal before the law. No matter who the offender is, if they’ve committed a wrongdoing, they must be held accountable!
Besides, you’re a military family member, and Comrade Jiang is a combat hero.
We will handle this impartially. We will absolutely not allow heroes to bleed on the front lines while their families shed tears at home under our watch!”
Wei Nan’s eyes twitched slightly.
Hearing Cao Yue say all that, Wei Nan couldn’t possibly misunderstand.
It went without saying that the errand Jiang Sirui mentioned he had to run this morning must have been to handle this matter.
Hearing Cao Yue speak, Ling Bailan was even more excited than Wei Nan. She gently squeezed Wei Nan’s hand, signaling her not to miss this opportunity.
Wei Nan weakly smiled at Cao Yue and whispered, “Thank you. I appreciate the organization’s concern for us. I’m sorry for causing trouble over such a family matter.”
Deputy Director Sun and Cao Yue had come under the orders of their director.
The director had received a call from superiors early this morning, saying that a serious assault had occurred in their jurisdiction yesterday.
The victims were military family members, the wife and relatives of a combat hero!
When the director spoke to them about it, he was still sweating, and his face was so dark it looked like it could squeeze water out!
The work Cao Yue and Deputy Director Sun had to handle was mainly twofold: dealing with Wang Sanhua was one part, but more importantly, they needed to properly comfort the two Wei sisters.
When the director spoke to them, he emphasized the political significance of the matter, making it very clear that if it wasn’t handled properly, their station might not be recognized as advanced this year, and whether they would even avoid repercussions was uncertain.
This put tremendous pressure on the two of them.
They had prepared for every scenario they could imagine on the way, making sure they were ready for anything.
But what they never expected was that the so-called hero’s wife they would meet turned out to be a young girl lying in a hospital bed, her face bruised and battered, still dizzy from being beaten.
Yet despite enduring such unfair treatment, her words were calm, dignified, and measured, leaving them not only surprised but also greatly impressed by Wei Nan.
Naturally, their disdain for her grandmother Wang Sanhua and those so-called relatives intensified.
Cao Yue and Deputy Director Sun didn’t let Wei Nan speak too much; they had already investigated the specifics before coming.
After a few words of comfort, they went to see Xiao Pei. Seeing such a small girl beaten so badly, their expressions darkened even further.
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
After the police officers left, Wei Nan waited for Jiang Sirui, wanting to thank him in person when he returned.
By now, she also understood why he had instructed Sister Ling that she couldn’t be discharged that morning.
But no matter how long she waited, that person never returned.
Lunch was still bought by Sister Ling, who explained that Jiang Sirui had called, saying he had something urgent at noon and couldn’t make it back, so he asked her to take care of the two sisters.
After yesterday’s and this morning’s incidents, Ling Bailan’s admiration for Jiang Sirui had only grown. She couldn’t stop praising him, saying that Wei Nan had great taste in men and was destined for good fortune.
Whether she truly had good fortune or not, Wei Nan didn’t know.
But for today’s matter, even though she still felt conflicted inside, she was grateful to him.
Wei Nan originally thought the matter was over.
However, as soon as the police officers left the hospital, several nosy onlookers came running to tell her that Wang Sanhua was in serious trouble this time, they had seen the two officers head toward the factory office.
Ling Bailan also told her to stay in the hospital from now on, go nowhere, and just wait for the factory’s decision.
They wouldn’t let it go without an explanation!
Ling Bailan even specifically told her that she wasn’t allowed to go home these two days. She had already coordinated with the orthopedic doctors, even adjusting the medical records slightly.
With Jiang Sirui leading the way, this time the Wei family was definitely going to take a big fall!
Everyone here had discussed a lot and prepared extensively. Thinking about what was about to happen already filled them with an indescribable satisfaction.
But what they never expected was—
Jiang Sirui’s influence didn’t end there.
That afternoon, just as Wei Nan’s fever had subsided, three officers in military uniforms, all wearing serious expressions, entered the ward accompanied by Factory Director Tang Xiangyang and Union Chairperson Wang Qiuping.