“Pang Ya’s matter can wait until I return.”
Before finishing his words, Xie Zhongming had already shaken off Jiang Beiyang’s hand and dashed out of the Regiment HQ’s single-story house, his rubber shoes pounding on the sun-baked dirt road.
He didn’t stop even when his heels hit stones.
The shadows of the Paulownia trees in the barracks retreated swiftly behind him, the wind carrying his heavy, anxious panting. The dense cornfield, where the ears had just begun to form, was about a mile or two from the Regiment HQ. The farther he ran, the more urgent his pace became.
…
On the ridge between fields, Xie Jiang sat on a cushion of pea sprouts, quickly devouring the lunch Qiao Xingyue had brought.
The twice-cooked pork was stir-fried to perfection in color, aroma, and taste, attracting everyone to gather around. Besides Xie Jiang, others harvesting peas and broad beans today included some old cadres from the Compound. One of them was Lao Jiang—the father of Jiang Beiyang and Jiang Beisong, and Xie Jiang’s longtime comrade-in-arms.
He didn’t stand on ceremony with Xie Jiang, helping himself to a piece of Xie Jiang’s twice-cooked pork. “Lao Jiang, the dishes your little nanny cooks—I can smell the aroma from far away every time I return to the Compound. It drives me crazy with craving.”
After tasting it today, Lao Jiang’s eyes lit up. “This culinary skill is practically on par with the state-run restaurant! And this hot and sour shredded potatoes—let me try some of that too.”
“Don’t you have shredded potatoes in your own bowl?”
“The shredded potatoes in my bowl aren’t as fragrant as yours.”
“…”
“Old Xie, I’d like to discuss something with you. My eldest nephew saw your nanny at the service center and wants me to ask you to play matchmaker. Is your nanny seeing anyone? Would she consider remarrying?”
Xie Jiang stopped eating. The slight warmth in his eyes vanished instantly, his brows furrowing and the curve of his lips tightening into a stern line. He replied with utmost seriousness:
“Lao Jiang, you must stop referring to Xingyue as a nanny. If our Guilan heard it, she would definitely be upset. Also, there’s no need to bring up matchmaking for Xingyue. Our Guilan would certainly not agree.”
“Why? My eldest nephew’s conditions aren’t bad at all.”
“Let’s not discuss this further.”
Xie Jiang glanced at Qiao Xingyue sitting on a haystack in the distance, her head buried in a book. Knowing she was preparing for this year’s college entrance exams, his gaze held a touch of admiration.
Such a diligent and capable young woman—after his fourth child got divorced, she would be more than a suitable match for his divorced son. Xie Jiang was even a little worried that Xingyue might not fancy his fourth child.
Xie Jiang quickly finished his meal, packed the lunchbox into a net bag, and walked over to hand it to Qiao Xingyue. “Xingyue, the sun is scorching out here in the fields. You should head back soon.”
“Alright, Uncle Xie. The sun is strong, so make sure to drink plenty of water this afternoon. Since you’ve been having internal heat lately, I’ve steeped some Malva nut in your water bottle.”
“Good.” Xingyue was as considerate as a daughter. None of his five sons were this thoughtful.
…
In the seldom-traveled cornfield, Jiang Yongqiang hid, crouching among the corn stalks, listening for any movement outside.
Whenever Qiao Xingyue passed by on her bicycle, he planned to pounce, drag her into the cornfield, and after he had his way with her, she would surely submit obediently and agree to marry him. Then he could bring a stunningly beautiful wife home.
Four years ago, he had stumbled upon Qiao Xingyue in a dilapidated temple in Kun City. At that time, she was with two children and not as slender and striking as she was now. Yet her plump, curvaceous, and sensual charm had still stirred his desires—only, his plans had been foiled back then.
Qiao Xingyue was lucky last time—someone saved her.
But today, her luck had run out. He had been squatting in this cornfield for half an hour without spotting a single passerby. Rubbing his hands together, he grinned wickedly.
Ding-ding! Ding-ling!
The Phoenix bicycle Qiao Xingyue rode jolted over the bumps in the dirt path, its front wheel spokes striking small stones and producing crisp, ringing sounds.
Jiang Yongqiang, hidden in the cornfield, pushed aside the emerald-green leaves and saw Qiao Xingyue approaching! Watching her slender, graceful figure perched on the bicycle, he felt a restless itch in his heart. As she pedaled forward, he lunged with brute force, tackling both her and the bicycle into the cornfield.
Hiss… Before Qiao Xingyue could react, her hair was seized, and she was dragged deeper into the field. Grit and soil crept into her collar, while the sharp edges of corn leaves sliced into her skin. The pain was so intense she could barely keep her eyes open.
The afternoon wind carried the dampness of the cornfield. Amid the panic and agony, she clutched at her pulled hair and steadied herself—had she encountered a lecherous scoundrel?
Don’t panic!
Stay calm!
She was no longer that weak, defenseless Pang Ya who had just crossed over, with no strength to fight back.
“Qiao Xingyue, four years ago someone saved you. Who do you think will come to your rescue today?”
That voice… why did it sound familiar? “Jiang Yongqiang?”
“Heh heh, since you’re going to marry me anyway, why don’t we do what married couples do today?” Jiang Yongqiang paused, still gripping her arm and clutching her hair.
Seeing they were already dozens of meters away from the dirt path outside the cornfield, he decided this was the perfect spot.
The cornfield rustled loudly in the wind. Jiang Yongqiang yanked her hair, squatting down and leaning closer. His coarse pores and ruddy, pitted nose drew near, his eyes gleaming with menace. “Qiao Xingyue, behave yourself. Don’t scream. No one will come to save you anyway. If you resist, you’ll only suffer more.”
His rough hand released her hair and moved to tear at her clothes, but suddenly, his wrist was seized in a viselike grip. The next moment—”Ah! Qiao Xingyue, what did you stab me with? Hiss…”
It hurt like hell!
Lying on the ground, Qiao Xingyue swiftly flipped over and drove a silver needle into the tendons on the back of the man’s hand. After the initial burst of pain, his arm grew numb, suddenly losing all strength.
“You lecherous scoundrel.”
As she spoke, Qiao Xingyue scrambled to her feet and delivered a sharp kick to Jiang Yongqiang’s crotch.
“Let’s see you lust after me now. Let’s see you pull my hair again.”
She kicked his groin, once, then again.
Then she crouched down, grabbed his short hair, and slapped him across the face, one blow after another.
Smack, smack, smack-smack! The rustling of corn leaves in the wind drowned out the sound of the slaps.
Jiang Yongqiang could only focus on the searing pain in his crotch. “Qiao Xingyue, where did you get all this strength, you wretched woman?”
“Do you think I’m still that malnourished, anemic little chubby girl from four years ago? The one who’d just given birth and was so weak she couldn’t even lift a silver needle when you pinned her down?”
Back then, she had just given birth to An An and Ningning, with no time for postpartum recovery. To make ends meet, she had rushed around everywhere, severely anemic. In just two months, her weight plummeted by over eighty jin, dropping from over 220 jin to just 140 jin.
She had been weak back then, but that didn’t mean she was weak now.
“Jiang Yongqiang, you social scum. If I don’t send you to jail, who knows how many more girls you’d harm in the future. Today, no matter what, I’m taking you to see the police comrades.”
She kicked Jiang Yongqiang again with force, causing him to flip over and lie face down, his face and temples smeared with mud and grass fragments. Though he tried to crawl out of the cornfield, his hands were pinned behind his back by Qiao Xingyue, locked firmly in place.
The braid hanging over Qiao Xingyue’s chest had a string tied around it. She deftly untied it.
Then she used the string to bind Jiang Yongqiang’s hands behind his back, winding it several times and tying multiple tight knots.
“Get up. You’re coming with me to the police station.”
With her hair now loose, Qiao Xingyue kicked Jiang Yongqiang again. The man was tall and sturdy, and she used considerable strength to haul him up. “Move!”
As the man lifted his leg to kick Qiao Xingyue, she swiftly inserted another silver needle. “Either come quietly to see the police comrades, or I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead. Care to test them?”
The needle pierced Jiang Yongqiang’s leg, sending waves of pain that made him sweat profusely. What kind of acupuncture technique was this? The agony nearly sent him to meet his ancestors.
The wind brushed against his coarse pores, now oozing disgusting fine sweat. His exposed eyes showed both panic and viciousness, but he could only glare helplessly at Qiao Xingyue, utterly powerless against her.
“You damned woman.”
“Still running your filthy mouth?”
“Hisss… It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”
“Going to keep cursing?”
“Hisss, no more, no more, hisss…”
“Coming or not?”
“Coming, coming, coming!”
…
Several minutes later, Jiang Beiyang’s second brother Jiang Beisong saw a Phoenix bicycle fallen in the cornfield, crushing a patch of newly eared cornstalks. He noticed a long dragging trail deep within the corn forest.
His heart sank. Damn, his worst fear had come true.
Following the crushed trail in the field, Jiang Beisong rushed in but found no one.
Within two minutes, Xie Zhongming also arrived at the scene. Seeing the fallen bicycle and trampled cornstalks, his chest tightened in panic. “Damn!”
His Adam’s apple bobbed violently as his mind exploded with dread. His heart felt squeezed by an invisible hand, both panicked and pained. Stumbling into the cornfield, he barely noticed the broken cornstalks underfoot as he urgently called out, “Comrade Qiao, are you in here?”
His voice trembled with an anxiety he himself didn’t perceive.
“Comrade Qiao? Qiao Xingyue?”
His sturdy arms swept aside the sharp corn leaves blocking his path, not noticing how they cut his arms and cheeks.
“Zhongming.”
“Beisong? Have you seen Qiao Xingyue?”
“That bicycle outside – it’s yours, right?”
“Yes.”
“Damn, there’s no one here. I’ve been searching for a while. This cornfield spans several acres. If Jiang Yongqiang intended to harm Comrade Qiao, he might have killed her. Keep looking – I’ll go get help to search.”
Jiang Beisong left to gather help.
The remaining Xie Zhongming spotted distant corn leaves rustling, his heart leaping to his throat. He both feared what he might see and desperately wanted to find Qiao Xingyue immediately.
His back tense, his tall figure sprinted forward. His hands clenched involuntarily, knuckles turning white. Sweat dripped from his temples down his prominent Adam’s apple. Pushing aside the corn leaves, he found nothing – Qiao Xingyue wasn’t there at all.
An hour later, the entire cornfield had been thoroughly searched by soldiers collecting peas and broad beans, yet there was still no sign of Qiao Xingyue and Jiang Yongqiang.
Xie Jiang, thinking it highly likely that Xingyue had already been killed, felt a heavy ache in his chest. “I shouldn’t have let Xingyue bring me food,” he lamented.
Just as everyone was at a loss, a jeep rumbled over the dirt road.
The jeep came to a halt amid a cloud of dust, and the first to step out was Qiao Xingyue, who had brought police comrades to identify the crime scene. Seeing so many people gathered there, she was puzzled—what was going on?
Before she could figure it out, someone suddenly pushed through the crowd, rushed up to her, and grabbed her arm. “Qiao Xingyue, are you alright?”
The arm gripping Qiao Xingyue’s was tense with force, the palm still carrying traces of lingering panic.
He looked her up and down, his gaze sweeping over her disheveled hair dotted with grass fragments, her glowing pale cheeks marred by several bloody scratches, her face smudged with dirt, and her overall grimy appearance.
As his Adam’s apple moved, his voice was hoarser than usual, carrying a heartache he himself didn’t notice. “How are you? You… you weren’t mistreated, were you?”
The wind in the cornfield rustled through the leaves, stirring up turbulent emotions in Xie Zhongming’s eyes.
Jiang Beiyang, who had rushed over, saw how deeply his good friend cared for Comrade Qiao and felt hesitant—he had just received news from Kun City that Pang Ya had been pregnant with Zhongming’s child five years ago and might have already given birth to his baby.
But should he tell Zhongming this news?