On the training ground, beneath the blazing and dazzling sunlight, a unit was engaged in intensive training.
One by one, the tanned soldiers wore camouflage uniforms, sweat pouring down their bodies. Their clothes were soaked through with sweat. The scorching sun quickly evaporated the sweat on the surface, only for their uniforms to become soaked again moments later.
Yet there was no sign of fatigue on their faces. All that could be seen was their drive and determination. Their slogans rang out like thunder, carrying far into the sky.
Standing at the very front of the group was a tall, sturdy man with an upright posture. He stood straight as a resilient pine tree, tall and imposing.
Just then, a voice sounded beside him, coming from far away and gradually drawing closer.
“Deputy Commander Zhou, your wife is here! Your wife has come looking for you…”
His ears twitched.
His wife?
What wife? Whose wife?
He didn’t pay it any mind and continued focusing on the intense training.
But the voice drew closer and closer until it finally called out his name.
“Zhou Yuanzheng! Deputy Commander Zhou, your wife has come looking for you!”
Zhou Yuanzheng froze.
His wife?
But he wasn’t married yet. Where had this wife come from?
Could there be another deputy commander here with the surname Zhou, just like him?
He didn’t react for a moment, but the young soldier had already arrived in front of him.
“Deputy Commander Zhou, your wife is here. She’s waiting for you at the reception office. You’d better go take a look.”
Zhou Yuanzheng looked confused.
“Comrade, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? I’m not married yet.”
The young soldier gave a simple-minded grin.
“I couldn’t possibly have gotten it wrong. The introduction letter from that female comrade says that she’s engaged to you back home. It says her family sent her here to marry you.”
Only then did Zhou Yuanzheng remember.
His parents had sent him a letter last month, saying that the young woman he was engaged to would come to the island this month to join him.
But after reading the letter, he’d completely forgotten about it.
After all, he’d never even met the future wife his parents had mentioned.
“Oh~~~”
At some point, the teammates training behind him had stopped.
After hearing what the young soldier said, they all burst into laughter and began teasing him.
“Our Deputy Commander finally has a wife! That’s quite a rare occasion. I say, Deputy Commander Zhou, why aren’t you hurrying over to pick up your sister-in-law? Be careful you don’t keep her waiting!”
A group of teasing gazes landed on him.
Zhou Yuanzheng put away his earlier confusion and shouted loudly,
“Are you all done training? Get back to running!”
After assigning someone else to supervise them, he followed the young soldier to go pick up his fiancée.
Zhou Yuanzheng followed the young soldier.
They soon arrived at the area closest to the island’s dock.
Under a large tree in front of a red-brick building stood a young woman wearing a blue collared blouse. Two long, glossy black braids hung over her shoulders.
The young soldier exclaimed,
“Comrade, why didn’t you wait upstairs? Why did you come outside?”
As he spoke, he smiled and pointed toward Zhou Yuanzheng.
“Here, this is the woman you’re engaged to.”
The woman heard the voice and slowly turned around.
The young woman had delicate features, large bright eyes, and fair, clean skin. She looked exceptionally well-behaved and gentle.
Zhou Yuanzheng was somewhat surprised.
The girl looked delicate and slender, with fair skin. Under the scorching sunlight of the island, her fragile appearance inexplicably made him feel a little worried.
She looked so delicate, yet she was going to live with him on this harsh island.
She was probably going to suffer quite a bit.
Shen Qingqing naturally noticed the two men as well. She walked over openly and extended her hand to introduce herself.
“Hello, I’m Shen Qingqing.”
Zhou Yuanzheng’s expression remained composed as he reached out and shook her hand.
“Hello, Comrade Shen. My name is Zhou Yuanzheng. I’m twenty-five years old, and I’m currently serving as the deputy commander of the Second Regiment. Thank you for coming.”
After saying that, he raised his hand and gave her a proper military salute.
Shen Qingqing quietly sized up the man before her.
In her previous life, she hadn’t had much interaction with Zhou Yuanzheng, nor had she seen him more than a few times.
She only knew that on the day he married Shen Jiaojiao, he had been sent out on a mission and had ultimately died in the line of duty.
Therefore, she didn’t really know what kind of person Zhou Yuanzheng was.
But looking at Zhou Yuanzheng’s righteous expression, determined eyes, and serious demeanor, Shen Qingqing had a pretty good impression of him.
That was, if she ignored his ears, which had already turned completely red.
Shen Qingqing let out a soft laugh.
She hadn’t expected Zhou Yuanzheng, despite being this old, to still get embarrassed so easily.
“Wh-what is it?” Zhou Yuanzheng asked suspiciously.
Shen Qingqing quickly suppressed her smile and shook her head, returning to a serious expression.
“Nothing. Where are we going now?”
Only then did Zhou Yuanzheng remember that she didn’t have anywhere to stay.
He slapped his forehead in frustration.
He had always lived in the barracks before. The military had assigned housing to married soldiers with families, but he wasn’t married yet, so he usually stayed in the barracks. There was practically nothing at his place.
More importantly, they hadn’t officially registered their marriage yet, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to live together.
“How about this? Come with me first. We haven’t submitted the marriage application or registered yet, so you’ll have to stay at a neighbor’s place for a while.”
As he spoke, he reached out to help carry her luggage.
However, Shen Qingqing stopped him.
Seeing the puzzled look in his eyes, she awkwardly touched her nose.
“Um… let’s go first. I’ll explain everything to you on the way…”
Seeing this, Zhou Yuanzheng didn’t say anything.
He simply led her toward the interior of the island.
After walking along an asphalt road for about ten minutes, Shen Qingqing saw rows of buildings of varying heights in the distance.
On the left was a large, flat open area surrounded by a wall.
The two of them entered and stopped in front of a six-story building.
As Zhou Yuanzheng led the way, he explained,
“Our home is on the sixth floor. There are five households on each floor. The apartment isn’t very big, but it has a kitchen and bathroom. However…”
He paused for a few seconds before awkwardly continuing,
“I didn’t know you’d arrive so soon, so I haven’t had time to buy a lot of things.”
“You’ll have to stay at the neighbor’s place for a few days. After I get my salary, I’ll give it to you. You can buy whatever you want. From now on, you can make the decisions at home…”
He earnestly explained everything to Shen Qingqing.
But when he said you can make the decisions at home, his ears once again betrayed him, turning bright red.
Shen Qingqing looked at him with amusement.
She suddenly realized that Zhou Yuanzheng was actually quite an interesting person.
As they spoke, he knocked on the door of one of the apartments near the staircase.
A young woman soon came out.
She looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and wore a simple blue-green blouse with a small floral pattern.
When she saw Zhou Yuanzheng standing outside, she smiled kindly.
“Deputy Commander Zhou, what brings you here today?”
“Sister-in-law Wang, it’s like this. My fiancée has come from my hometown to join me here, but we haven’t officially registered our marriage yet. So I wanted to trouble you for a few days. Would it be alright if she stayed here with you for a while?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Besides, my Old Li isn’t here. He’s gone out on a mission recently and probably won’t be back for ten days or half a month.”
As he spoke, Zhou Yuanzheng stepped aside, revealing Shen Qingqing behind him.
He introduced her,
“This is my fiancée, Shen Qingqing.”
“This is Sister-in-law Wang, the wife of our regiment’s veteran squad leader.”
Shen Qingqing gave her a sweet, obedient smile.
“Hello, Sister-in-law. I’m Shen Qingqing. I just came from my hometown. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of me from now on.”
The moment Sister-in-law Wang saw Shen Qingqing, her eyes immediately lit up.
She enthusiastically took Shen Qingqing’s hand.
“Oh! So this is Deputy Commander Zhou’s fiancée! Just look at you—what a lovely and delicate young woman! Deputy Commander Zhou is really lucky!”
Shen Qingqing pretended to be shy and touched the tip of her nose without saying anything.
“Then I’ll leave Comrade Xiao Shen in your care, Sister-in-law. Once Brother Li comes back, I’ll definitely thank you both properly.”
“Look at you, what are you talking about? Are you saying you won’t help me and Old Li unless you repay us?”
“Old Li won’t be back for at least ten days or half a month after this mission. I’ve been feeling a little bored living here alone anyway. This is perfect. With Xiao Shen here, I can have someone to keep me company!”
Sister-in-law Wang enthusiastically pulled Shen Qingqing inside.