The army green jeep bounced along the country dirt road, its wheels kicking up a dragon of yellow dust.
This was Su Wanqing’s first time riding in such a vehicle.
Faster than the village ox cart, but much rougher.
She gripped the handrail tightly in front of her, her body swaying with the motion of the car, but her eyes involuntarily glanced at the man driving beside her.
Lu Zhanting had changed into a clean set of everyday clothes, the two stripes and one star on his shoulder reflecting a dazzling light under the sunlight streaming through the window.
He kept his eyes fixed ahead, both hands gripping the steering wheel, his posture as steady as a rock.
The muscles in his arms were smooth and strong, his jaw clenched tight.
From start to finish, he hadn’t spoken a single word.
That silence made Su Wanqing feel less like his newlywed wife and more like some cargo he was escorting.
Since receiving the red marriage certificate at the county military department, her life had completely veered onto another track.
She had no idea where this road would end.
The car headed steadily north.
The low mud-brick houses disappeared, replaced by smooth asphalt roads and tall white poplars.
The earthy scent in the air faded, replaced by the unique industrial smell of a town mixed with coal smoke.
The past was rapidly being left behind.
The Hongqi Commune where she was born and raised, the familiar fields and rivers, and that unbearable engagement—all blurred into the dust behind the vehicle.
Su Wanqing felt no nostalgia—only a sense of relief.
But was what lay ahead blessing or curse?
Inside the car, only the monotonous roar of the engine filled the heavy air, stifling and suffocating.
This man who was her nominal husband, Lu Zhanting, was like an iceberg that would never melt—cold, hard, silent, and unfathomable.
Was marrying him really the right choice?
She recalled his words, “I will protect you for life,” and how her parents finally could hold their heads high in the village.
She forcibly suppressed the unease in her heart.
This was a transaction.
She only needed to play the role of “Lu Zhanting’s wife.”
After an unknown amount of time, the car slowed down.
Ahead was a tall gatehouse, two fully armed sentries standing straight and tall like pines.
On the white wall, eight bright red characters read: “Defend the homeland, everyone’s responsibility,” radiating a harsh, iron-blooded atmosphere.
An invisible, oppressive killing aura made Su Wanqing instinctively straighten her back.
The jeep stopped firmly before the gatehouse.
One sentry marched forward, seeing the driver, instantly stiffened, and snapped a crisp, standard military salute.
“Greetings, Commander!”
The voice was loud and clear, making the air hum.
Lu Zhanting only slightly nodded in response.
The sentry immediately pressed a button, and the barrier slowly lifted.
The vehicle restarted and smoothly drove through the gate.
Su Wanqing glanced back; the two sentries still stood perfectly straight, eyes fixed forward.
This was military discipline.
Strict, cold, and filled with awe-inspiring power.
Once inside the military compound, the scene suddenly opened up.
Everything here was perfectly orderly.
Wide cement roads, neatly trimmed holly bushes, rows of red brick barracks and family quarters, as if measured precisely by a ruler.
In the distance, the faint shouts of soldiers’ drills and slogans echoed with power.
The air was clean, solemn, and tense.
Su Wanqing felt like a child who had wandered into a land of giants, curiously yet cautiously observing this entirely new world.
Everything here clashed with the life she had lived for the past twenty years.
“On the left are the training grounds and office areas; family members cannot just wander over.”
Lu Zhanting’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
He still looked straight ahead, nodding his chin to the left.
“On the right are the family quarters and logistics area, including the service center, clinic, and canteen.”
His introduction was brief and to the point, like assigning tasks.
“Mm,” Su Wanqing softly replied, silently memorizing it.
The jeep drove through the camp, drawing many glances.
A strange, young, and pretty woman sitting in the passenger seat was news in itself.
Su Wanqing sensed one gaze after another landing on her—from the roadside and from windows of buildings.
Curious, probing, scrutinizing.
She felt like a novel exhibit placed on display, examined from head to toe.
She instinctively clenched the corner of her clothes and straightened her back further.
The car stopped in front of a row of red brick houses with private courtyards.
These were residences for officers of battalion rank and above.
Lu Zhanting turned off the engine and opened the door to get out.
Su Wanqing unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door to follow.
The moment her foot touched the ground, a woman of about forty, slightly plump, emerged from the neighboring courtyard.
The woman wore a blue polyester shirt, had fashionable curls, and carried a basin of freshly washed clothes.
Seeing Lu Zhanting and Su Wanqing, she paused briefly, then her face lit up with a warm smile as she hurried over.
“Oh! Commander Lu is back! And this must be…” Her eyes sparkled with undisguised curiosity as they landed on Su Wanqing.
“My wife, Su Wanqing,” Lu Zhanting introduced simply and directly.
He took Su Wanqing’s small luggage bag from the back seat, looked at the woman, and nodded in acknowledgment.
“Sister-in-law Liu.”
“So you’re the younger sister-in-law! Ah, we’ve finally been waiting for you to come!” The woman called Sister Liu smiled even more warmly, set down the basin in her hands, and reached out to take Su Wanqing’s hand. “I’m Liu Guifang, your next-door neighbor. Your man is the company commander of the Guard Company. From now on, we’re neighbors, so if you need anything, just come to me. Don’t be shy!”
Her enthusiasm was like a flame, easing some of Su Wanqing’s initial restraint.
She offered a polite smile. “Hello, Sister Liu. My name is Su Wanqing.”
“Oh, good, good! You’re really pretty!” Liu Guifang sized her up from head to toe, clicking her tongue in admiration. “Commander Lu is really lucky! Come on, you must be tired from the trip. Hurry inside and rest. I just cleaned the place for your old Lu a few days ago. If anything’s missing, just tell Sister Liu.”
Before she finished speaking, the door across the way creaked open.
A thin woman with high cheekbones stepped out holding a broom, her sharp gaze immediately fixed on Su Wanqing.
Her look swept over her with scrutiny and disdain, finally resting on Su Wanqing’s clean but obviously countryside-style clothes, curling her lips in contempt.
Liu Guifang’s smile faded a little but she still greeted politely: “Aunt Li, out sweeping?”
That Aunt Li was the wife of a clerk at the regiment headquarters. She ignored Liu Guifang and instead spoke in a sarcastic tone, her voice neither loud nor soft but clear enough to pierce everyone’s ears.
“Oh, what wind blew our Commander Lu back here today? So it turns out he’s brought in a newcomer. That really is something rare.”
Su Wanqing’s brows barely twitched.
The sourness in those words almost spilled over.
Lu Zhanting’s hand froze on the door handle.
He turned slightly and cast a cold, indifferent gaze at the woman.
No warning, no anger.
It was a pure murderous aura, forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood—icy, lifeless, capable of freezing a person’s marrow instantly.
Aunt Li’s mouth opened but no sound came out, the mockery on her face frozen into an ugly mask.
Her eyes darted away as she aimlessly swept at the doorstep, no longer daring to say a word.
The world went silent.
Liu Guifang awkwardly tried to smooth things over: “Old Li’s just like that—sharp-tongued. Younger sister-in-law, don’t take it to heart.”
Su Wanqing smiled at her but said nothing.
She knew this was only the beginning.
A powerless country girl had become the wife of a fierce battalion commander, which had angered many and stirred plenty of jealousy.
“Come inside.”
Lu Zhanting had already opened the door, his voice still calm but cutting off all outside gossip.
“All right,” Su Wanqing replied and nodded to Liu Guifang. “Sister Liu, I’ll go inside first.”
“Go ahead, go ahead. If you need anything, come next door,” Liu Guifang said warmly, waving.
Su Wanqing followed Lu Zhanting inside.
As the door closed, muffled whispers drifted in.
“…Looks quiet and gentle, but really managed to get the Lu Devil…”
“Yeah, and I heard she’s from the countryside—she’s really flown up to the top…”
“Just afraid she can’t keep her footing on such a high branch…”
Su Wanqing didn’t stop walking.
She looked up toward the place that would soon become her “home.”
A two-bedroom apartment with a living room, the cement floor swept clean, the walls bright white.
A few half-worn wooden furniture pieces, a table, some chairs.
The whole room exuded the cold and empty atmosphere typical of a bachelor’s place.
Lu Zhanting set her luggage bag in the corner.
He pointed to the room on the left: “Bedroom.”
Then pointed to the right: “Study. Your room.”
Su Wanqing paused and looked at him.
Lu Zhanting’s expression didn’t change; he was just stating a fact.
“We’re married by agreement.”
“Until you agree, I won’t touch you.”
His words were blunt almost to rudeness, but they completely eased the tension in Su Wanqing’s heart.
She had been worried about how to face the night.
“I respect your decision,” she said seriously, meeting his eyes.
Lu Zhanting looked into her clear eyes, which held no shyness or hesitation, only calmness and acceptance.
He nodded.
This woman was even clearer-headed than he had imagined.
Su Wanqing walked to the door of her room and looked inside.
A wooden plank bed and a wardrobe.
Simple to the extreme.
This was her new life, a new beginning.
From today, she would play the role of “Battalion Commander’s Wife” in this entirely unfamiliar environment.
The road ahead was long.
Su Wanqing looked at the place soon to be called “home” with no hint of retreat in her eyes—only quiet determination.
Since she had chosen this path, she would walk it well.