In her previous life, Fang Yao was not certain of the exact time when Xu Qingzhou had the accident. She only knew that half a month after their wedding, he was brought back from the hospital by Wang Hua, having become disabled in both legs.
So, the moment she learned that Xu Qingzhou could not answer the phone, she broke down, asking tearfully, "Why can't he answer the phone? Has something happened to Xu Qingzhou?"
Hearing her agitated tone, the operator grew nervous as well and stammered in explanation, "No, no, sister-in-law. Company Commander Xu is just on a mission, and…"
Before the operator could finish, Fang Yao heard a stern reprimand from the other end: "What nonsense are you talking? Don't you know about confidentiality discipline?"
The operator defended himself, "It's not an outsider on the line. It's Company Commander Xu's wife. She's worried about his safety and is so anxious she's crying."
"That's still not allowed! Go back now and copy the military regulations ten times for me. If you still can't remember them, tomorrow I'll have you sweep the ground at the main gate, you useless fool!"
Listening to the scolding coming through the phone, Fang Yao stood frozen in place. Having never had any contact with the military before, she had always held a lofty and respectful image of soldiers.
It was only through this incident that she truly witnessed the strictness of military discipline—a line that no one, especially soldiers themselves, must ever cross.
"Hello? Sister-in-law, I'm Company Commander Xu's comrade. I wasn't scolding you just now, don't be afraid." The person who had been fiercely berating someone moments ago now spoke to Fang Yao with politeness and restraint, as if he had become a different person.
"I… I'm fine. I know you have rules in the military. It was wrong of me to ask." Fang Yao's heart was still uneasy.
Sensing her low spirits and out of care for a comrade's family, he patiently reassured her.
"Not at all! I completely understand how you feel, sister-in-law, worrying about Company Commander Xu. Although we do have regulations in the military, and confidential information must not be disclosed, which family wouldn't worry about what their man is doing out there and whether he's in danger? But you can rest assured, sister-in-law. Company Commander Xu is reliable. Even the political instructor has praised him multiple times in meetings, telling us to learn from him as a model. Please go back and wait patiently. As soon as it's convenient to contact him, I'll make sure he calls you back right away!"
With him having said all this, Fang Yao couldn't press further and could only hang up the phone.
Little did she know that the moment this person hung up, a pained sob echoed behind him.
One of the operators, holding the receiver, delivered devastating news that struck like a thunderbolt.
"It's over, Company Commander Xun! News from Yinshan says that the rescue team led by Company Commander Xu fell into a mudslide while trying to save those undisciplined new recruits. They've been killed!"
"What did you say?" Xun Ying rushed over, grabbing the operator by the collar, his eyes bloodshot and red. The confident assurance he had just given over the phone exploded in his mind like a shell.
Dragging her heavy worries with her, Fang Yao rode her bicycle home. The moment she entered the door, she collapsed to the floor as if all strength had left her.
She hadn't stoked the stove before leaving, so the room was soaked in cold. Shivering, she hugged herself, suddenly reminiscing about the times when Xu Qingzhou was home and would get up in the middle of the night to light the stove for her.
"Yao Yao, are you back? Yao Yao?" Seeing the bicycle parked in the yard, Wang Hua came over and knocked on the door to ask.
Fang Yao, afraid she would notice something amiss, forced herself to stand up, though her face remained deathly pale as she opened the door.
“Yes, I just got back to the room.”
“What did Qingzhou say? Is he unable to come back because of something?”
Wang Hua could tell from her expression that she was disappointed. She stepped inside, pulled Fang Yao to the bedside, and held her cold hands before getting up to light the stove.
Turning her head to comfort her, she said, “Yaoyao, Mom knows you’re feeling upset, but sometimes reality is right in front of us, and we can’t change it—we can only get used to it slowly. Qingzhou’s job is just like that. When he’s busy, he loses track of everything. When he’s free, he’ll naturally come home. Worrying ourselves sick won’t help him anyway. It’s better to live well at home. If you’re bored, you can ride your bike back to your parents’ place for a visit. Just don’t let it weigh on your heart.”
“Mom, I’m fine. I’m not bored with you here.” Fang Yao looked at Wang Hua’s calm face and tried her best to hide her negative emotions.
She knew that as a mother, Wang Hua was the one who couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her son. Xu Qingzhou was not only the most precious family member in her life but also the emotional pillar for the rest of her days.
“Have you cooked yet? My stomach is a bit upset, so you don’t need to include me for dinner.” Fang Yao stood up, holding Wang Hua’s hand, and changed the subject.
Hearing that she was unwell, Wang Hua thought her mood might stem from this and quickly said, “If you’re feeling bad, don’t tough it out. Let Mom take you to see a doctor!”
“No need, Mom. I’ve just been eating too much lately and have a bit of indigestion. It’s been like this before at home too. Skipping a meal will help.” As she spoke, Fang Yao sat on the edge of the bed and lazily yawned.
The warmth from the stove raised the temperature in the room, and Fang Yao’s complexion improved noticeably.
Seeing her look tired, Wang Hua didn’t press further and said gently, “Then you rest first. I’ll make dinner as usual and leave some in the pot for you. If you get hungry, you can heat it up anytime.”
“Okay, thank you, Mom.”
Fang Yao watched Wang Hua leave, then leaned against the headboard, her eyes quickly losing their sparkle. Images of Xu Qingzhou’s disabled and desolate appearance from her previous life kept flashing through her mind, so much so that even after falling asleep, she continued to dream about it.
In the dream, Fang Yao returned to the day of her death in childbirth. She watched as her coffin was buried, with Xu Qingzhou sitting in a wheelchair, quietly standing behind the crowd.
By then, Wang Hua had also passed away. Having lost both parents, he had no one to care for him. He was so thin that a gust of wind seemed capable of knocking him over. He just stood there, staring fixedly at the yellow earth covering the coffin, motionless like a lifeless wooden stake.
Fang Yao wasn’t puzzled about why she could still see these things after dying—after all, it was just a dream, and anything could happen.
After she was buried, she followed Xu Qingzhou as he wandered back to his home. Late one night, when obscene and unbearable sounds came from next door, Xu Qingzhou sat quietly, clutching a bottle of pesticide in his hand. His dark eyes were like thick ink, devoid of any light.
Fang Yao thought the pesticide was for himself. Every time she tried to stop him, her hands passed right through his body.
Just as she was growing frantic, she saw him maneuver his wheelchair, gripping the bottle of pesticide, and go next door. While Xu Manjiang and Li Xuemiao were sound asleep after their indulgence, he pinched their mouths open and poured the pesticide down their throats!
Then, amidst their agonized cries, he watched them die violently before his very eyes!
At last, a light appeared in his eyes—a cruel, triumphant gleam of vengeance fulfilled, piercing through the boundary between life and death to meet the gaze of her ethereal form.
Within that light, Fang Yao suddenly gasped for air!
She opened her eyes, drenched in sweat, and pressed a hand to her chest. Only when she felt the solid touch of reality did she finally break free from the dream.
Then, as the morning light pierced through the window lattice, the news she least wanted to hear also arrived.
"Wang Hua, Fang Yao… my old man brought a message back from the city. Your Qingzhou had an accident last night…"