Late 1970s, Hongqi Commune.
The autumn wind carried the last scent of ripe rice from the fields, brushing against the cheeks with a hint of chill.
Su Wanqing stood under the old locust tree at the village entrance.
In her hand, she clenched a yellowed marriage contract, its edges frayed from repeated handling.
This engagement was over.
Soon, a figure appeared from afar.
The visitor wore a clean white shirt and gray trousers—Zhao Jianhe, an educated youth sent to the countryside, and her fiancé of three years.
His hair was neatly combed, framed by gold-rimmed glasses, exuding a refined air that seemed out of place in this yellow earth.
“Wanqing, you’re here.” Zhao Jianhe approached her, habitually pushing up his glasses, yet avoided meeting her eyes.
Su Wanqing said nothing, only quietly stared at him.
Her gaze today was exceptionally clear and cold, like a deep well faintly reflecting his embarrassment.
Under her stare, Zhao Jianhe felt uncomfortable all over. Clearing his throat, he put on a sincere expression, “Wanqing, some things are better said openly. You must have heard—I am currently seeing Li Juan, daughter of Section Chief Li from the county logistics department.”
His words were blunt, ending with an unmistakable hint of pride.
“So, you’re here to break off the engagement.”
Su Wanqing’s tone was calm, as if talking about something unrelated to herself.
The more calm she appeared, the more inflated Zhao Jianhe’s sense of superiority became, his tone even sounding condescending.
“Wanqing, you have to understand. I’m destined to return to the city. My future lies in a broader world. As for you… you’re a good person, but we’re not from the same world. Li Juan’s father can help me with the formalities to go back to the city, which is crucial for my career.”
“We really aren’t from the same world,” Su Wanqing nodded in agreement.
Thinking she had accepted it, Zhao Jianhe’s expression relaxed considerably. “It’s good you think that way. Don’t worry. Your family has helped me a lot these years; I won’t treat you unfairly. Here’s fifty yuan, along with some cloth coupons and industrial coupons—take these as a small compensation to you and your uncle and aunt.”
He pulled out a stack of money and tickets from his pocket and made a motion to hand them over.
Su Wanqing stepped back, avoiding it.
She raised her eyes to his refined yet heartless face and spoke word by word: “Zhao Jianhe, our Su family agreed to this marriage because we saw you struggling alone outside and wanted to lend a hand. The food we sent was so you could eat well and have the strength to study. The clothes we made were so you wouldn’t freeze in winter. Our family never wanted anything from you, so now, I don’t need your compensation either.”
Her voice was soft but every word struck Zhao Jianhe’s heart sharply.
His face immediately lost composure, furious and ashamed, he shouted, “Su Wanqing, don’t be ungrateful! You’re just a country girl—no education, no knowledge, just a decent face. Without me, do you think you could have gotten a fiancé like me, an educated youth? Now I’m giving you a way out, and you’re still being difficult? Don’t regret this!”
“Regret?”
Su Wanqing seemed to have heard the biggest joke, a slight curl appeared at the corner of her mouth, but the smile was ice-cold and sharp.
“I only regret not listening to my father back then and mistaking you for this ungrateful wolf.”
With those words, she no longer looked at Zhao Jianhe’s ashen face.
In front of him, she grabbed both ends of the marriage contract.
“Rip—”
A crisp sound.
The marriage contract, carrying three years of status, was torn into two, then four, then eight pieces…
Finally turning into scattered fragments on the ground, tumbling in the autumn wind, stained with dust.
“Zhao Jianhe, from now on, we’re even.”
Su Wanqing brushed off the nonexistent paper scraps on her hands and turned to leave.
Her back was straight and proud, without a trace of hesitation.
Zhao Jianhe was completely stunned.
He had expected her to cry, to throw a tantrum, even to threaten suicide, but never this resolute.
This decisiveness blocked all the arguments he had prepared, leaving only the embarrassment of being completely despised.
“You… just you wait!” he spat at her retreating back, then turned awkwardly and quickly left.
In the shadow of a nearby wall corner, a tall and upright figure stood silently.
The man wore an old military uniform, somewhat faded from washing, broad-shouldered and sturdy as a pine.
He had just returned from a border mission, still covered in dust and a fierce aura.
His eyes were deep and sharp, taking in the entire scene just witnessed.
He watched the girl’s resolute back, seeing her walk with dignity despite the scattered debris and the faint whispers from others nearby.
A flicker of approval passed through the calm depths of the man’s eyes.
Interesting.
Lu Zhanting’s lips twitched slightly as he stepped out from the shadows.
Su Wanqing didn’t go straight home, holding in her anger so as not to bring bad moods to her parents.
She chose a quiet, remote path, winding to the riverside behind the village to get some fresh air.
This path passed through a narrow alley with tall mud-brick walls on both sides.
Just as she turned into the alley entrance, her vision darkened.
A tall figure blocked her way.
Su Wanqing stopped abruptly, raising her head cautiously.
The man was backlit, his face obscured, but his mountain-like imposing figure was overwhelming.
He carried a faint scent of gunpowder and dust, mixed with fierce masculinity that hit her like a wave.
Instinctively, Su Wanqing took a half step back, her hand quietly reaching for a small pair of scissors in her pocket for self-defense.
Her thoughts raced, secretly contacting her unknown secret—a pouch of quicklime powder in her personal space.
“Who are you? What do you want?” she asked calmly, voice full of caution.
The man stepped forward, emerging from the light and shadow boundary, revealing a sharply defined face.
His skin was a weathered bronze from years of wind and sun, sword-like eyebrows extending into his temples, a high nose bridge.
His deep eyes landed on her with a soldier’s scrutinizing gaze, seeming to pierce through her heart.
Su Wanqing’s heart tightened sharply.
She recognized him.
Or rather, no one in Hongqi Commune or nearby communes didn’t know him.
Lu Zhanting, commander of the Fierce Tiger Battalion in the military district.
A legendary figure. Rumored to have joined the battlefield at thirteen, carving a path of merit through sheer ruthless courage, his troops known as fierce tigers. Rough and hot-tempered, known as the “Living Hellraiser” in the army and a presence who could silence crying children instantly in the village.
How did he end up here?
And blocking her way?
Countless thoughts flashed through Su Wanqing’s mind.
“Commander Lu…?” she tentatively spoke.
“You know me.” Lu Zhanting said in a low, hoarse voice, each word carrying undeniable authority.
He spoke as a statement, not a question.
“We’re the village; no one here doesn’t know you,” Su Wanqing spoke honestly, but her hand gripping the scissors tightened slightly.
She couldn’t understand—she had never crossed paths with this important person before. Why was he stopping her? What did he want?
Lu Zhanting’s gaze lingered briefly on her face, still delicate though faintly tinged with anger, then he cut straight to the point: “I saw what just happened.”
Su Wanqing’s heart sank.
“Zhao Jianhe is not worthy of you,” he added.
Now Su Wanqing was completely stunned.
She couldn’t keep up with the legendary battalion commander’s train of thought—he specifically stopped her just to say this?
While she was still puzzled, Lu Zhanting dropped an even more shocking bombshell.
He stared into her eyes and said in a commanding tone, word by word:
“Su Wanqing, marry me.”
The alley fell completely silent, only the wind whistling mournfully over the walls.
Su Wanqing doubted she had heard correctly.
She blinked, staring at the serious and imposing man in front of her, her mind going blank for a moment.
Marry? Me?
Marry a woman he just met formally today?
This was even more absurd than Zhao Jianhe trying to climb higher socially.
“Commander Lu, are you joking?” she steadied herself and frowned.
“I never joke,” Lu Zhanting’s expression was steady, “especially about matters like this.”
“Why?” Su Wanqing couldn’t understand, “We don’t even know each other.”
“Now we do,” Lu Zhanting’s logic was simple and blunt, “I’m Lu Zhanting, 28 years old, commander of the Fierce Tiger Battalion, with a monthly allowance of seventy-eight yuan, no bad habits. I need a wife, one who can manage the household and has a strong character.”
His gaze settled on her again as he added, “Your behavior just now fits my requirements very well.”
Su Wanqing nearly laughed in disbelief.
So tearing up the scumbag boyfriend just now was, in his eyes, some sort of unconventional “interview”?
Choosing a wife like selecting a handy gun at a shooting range?
“I appreciate your kindness, Commander Lu,” she suppressed the absurdity in her heart and tried to politely decline, “but I just broke off an engagement and have no plans to consider personal matters for now. Please let me pass—I want to go home.”
She spoke and tried to walk past him.
But Lu Zhanting was like a wall, unmoving, blocking her way.
His tall figure completely enveloped her, exuding strong pressure.
“Marry me, and I’ll protect you for life.”
His voice was even deeper than before, carrying an unyielding strength that brooked no refusal.
“You’ve broken off your engagement, and there will be plenty of rumors in the village. Someone as petty as Zhao Jianhe might come back to retaliate. Your family will also be pointed at and talked about.”
These words were like a precise knife, each sentence striking where Su Wanqing worried most.
She wasn’t afraid of gossip but couldn’t bear seeing her parents lose face. Today she finally saw Zhao Jianhe’s true colors—a spiteful hypocrite who would do anything.
“Marry me,” Lu Zhanting continued, watching her expression change and raising the stakes, “and these problems won’t be problems anymore.”
“No one dares to gossip about military families, and no one dares to touch a woman of mine, Lu Zhanting.”
He spoke the last sentence extremely slowly and heavily.
The wind in the alley seemed to stop.
Su Wanqing’s heart was thrown into turmoil.
She had to admit, the offer was irresistibly tempting.
Marrying Lu Zhanting would instantly give her the strongest backing, shielding her and her family from all storms.
But the price was binding her life to a complete stranger, a man who seemed strong and dangerous.
Was this really a good deal?
She thought of her secret of rebirth, the space where she could farm and store things.
Her original plan was, after breaking up with Zhao Jianhe, to quietly improve her family’s life with the items from her space and live well with her parents.
But if she married a soldier and moved into the military district compound, always under watchful eyes, how could she still use her space?
Could she keep her secret safe?
Seeing her silent for a long time, Lu Zhanting seemed a bit impatient.
He was used to strict obedience on the battlefield and disliked hesitation.
“I’ll give you three days to think,” he said in a low voice. “In three days, I’ll wait for you at the county armed forces office. If you come, we’ll go file the marriage report.”
After speaking, he gave her a deep look, one so complicated Su Wanqing couldn’t read it.
Then he turned, strode away without looking back.
His steady and powerful footsteps echoed in the alley, gradually fading.
Su Wanqing stood alone, the wind at the alley entrance blowing her hair and stirring confusion in her heart.
She looked down at her empty hands, still feeling the resoluteness from tearing up the marriage contract.
But at this moment, Lu Zhanting’s words “Marry me, I’ll protect you for life” felt like an invisible brand, deeply etched in her mind, impossible to shake off.