The wind through the cornfield continued to rustle incessantly.
The cornfield swayed like waves of green under the gusts.
Xie Zhongming stood in the wind, his clothes flapping vigorously, his brow furrowed tightly, yet his gaze remained fixed intently on Qiao Xingyue.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Feeling the grip on her arm was overly tight, Qiao Xingyue awkwardly shook it off. Whether she was misinterpreting or not, she sensed something more than concern in Comrade Xie’s eyes.
As everyone gathered around, she brushed the grass fragments from her hair tips and said decisively, “Comrade Xie, Uncle Xie, don’t worry. I wasn’t taken advantage of. I escorted Jiang Yongqiang to the police station and brought the police comrades here to identify the crime scene.”
Seeing their anxious, worried, and astonished expressions, she added, “I’m really fine. I know acupuncture and always carry silver needles with me. The moment Jiang Yongqiang got close, I could numb his arm with a needle, leaving him powerless.”
Xie Zhongming knew exactly how it felt to be needled and have one’s arm go numb and useless.
Back in Shantang Village, Comrade Qiao had swiftly needled his arm to save time. His arm had indeed gone numb, rendering him completely powerless, allowing Comrade Qiao to remove his pants and perform surgery.
Hearing this, the tightness in Xie Zhongming’s chest eased slightly, and his clenched hand relaxed a little.
Just then, the police comrades from the jeep escorted Jiang Yongqiang out. Jiang’s face was swollen, his eyes bruised, his hands bound behind his back with several loops of dark green silk.
The silk looked familiar.
Wasn’t that what Qiao Xingyue used to tie her hair? No wonder Comrade Qiao’s hair was loose and messy.
Comrade Qiao truly proved herself as capable as any man. Jiang Yongqiang was a tall, burly man, much larger than her, yet she had effortlessly taken him to the police station.
After the false alarm, Xie Zhongming’s clenched fingertips still carried a trace of unnoticed panic. “You’re not allowed to bring meals for my father tomorrow.”
This cornfield had witnessed a couple of criminal incidents in previous years; it wasn’t safe.
Seeing the crowd gathered, the lead police comrade—though from a different department, they were all like-minded comrades—noted the man standing before Qiao Xingyue seemed young yet had a leader’s demeanor. He addressed Xie Zhongming, “Comrade, we’re handling a case. Having so many onlookers isn’t appropriate. Please disperse everyone.”
Before Xie Zhongming could respond, Xie Jiang waved his hand. “Everyone, return to work in the pea field. Thank you for your concern. It’s all settled now, please head back.”
Bruised and battered, Jiang Yongqiang whined to the police comrades, “Comrades, I really didn’t do anything illegal. This woman hit me first—look at my injuries. I’m the victim here.”
“That wasn’t her attacking you,” the police comrade stated sternly. “That was self-defense. Why would she hit you if you hadn’t dragged her into the cornfield?”
Qiao Xingyue had already explained the entire incident to the police comrades. After inspecting the scene, they believed her account.
Fortunately, this female comrade was brave and a doctor skilled in acupuncture points. Otherwise, there would have been another rape case today.
When the police comrades went to investigate the scene, Xie Zhongming’s icy gaze fell upon Jiang Yongqiang.
The chill in his eyes seemed capable of freezing the very air, as if even the surrounding dust dared not drift anymore.
Jiang Yongqiang trembled under the intimidating stare, initially shrinking his neck and lowering his head. Now, he dared not breathe heavily, remaining completely still as he pleaded, “Regiment Leader Xie, I… I won’t dare do it again. There won’t be a next time. Considering how my uncle once saved your father, could you put in a good word for me with the police comrades and spare me?”
“You still dare to think about a next time?” Xie Zhongming clenched his fist tightly. “The crime of hooliganism is punishable by execution.”
Jiang Yongqiang instantly collapsed, falling onto the dusty ground.
When he regained his senses, he crawled toward Qiao Xingyue. “Comrade Qiao, I didn’t actually do anything to you, right? Could you please put in a good word for me with the police comrades? I’m begging you.”
“What do you mean?” Qiao Xingyue kicked him away without hesitation. “Are you saying you’d only be satisfied if you had actually done something to me?”
“Comrade Qiao, that’s not what I meant. I know I was wrong. I sincerely want to change, I—”
“Stop! Not only will I not speak up for you, but I will also clarify what happened four years ago in the abandoned temple in Kun City, where you nearly assaulted me. I’ve already found the witness who saved me back then. You can spend the rest of your life in prison.”
“You targeted Comrade Qiao four years ago?” Xie Zhongming grabbed Jiang Yongqiang by his sweat-stained collar.
His knuckles turned white from the force.
Rage surged in his eyes, and even his breathing carried a heavy intensity.
Jiang Beiyang interjected from the side, “Zhongming, I think we should have this scumbag thoroughly investigated. He might have committed crimes before but was just lucky enough not to get caught.”
Jiang Beiyang’s second brother, Jiang Beisong, added, “A person like this should be expelled from the Logistics Department and permanently blacklisted.”
Xie Jiang, seeing that Xingyue only had minor injuries and was otherwise unharmed, felt as heartbroken as if his own daughter had been wronged.
Clenching his fist, he scrutinized Jiang Yongqiang, who lay collapsed on the ground. “I was foolish to agree to Jiang Chunyan’s request to assign you to the Logistics Department. You’ve disgraced the military. Zhongming, Jiang Yongqiang is from Kun City. Your Uncle Luo works in the Kun City police department—have him investigate whether Jiang Yongqiang committed any crimes back home. Let’s get everything cleared up this time.”
It’s over. Jiang Yongqiang’s world had collapsed.
If they investigated his village, they would surely uncover that he had assaulted a mentally disabled mother and daughter there. This time, he would truly face execution.
Jiang Yongqiang lay on the ground, terrified to the point of wetting himself.
The police comrades handcuffed the terrified Jiang Yongqiang and took him away in their vehicle, leaving behind Xie Jiang, Xie Zhongming, Jiang Beiyang, Jiang Beisong, Jiang Wang, and Qiao Xingyue.
All eyes were on Qiao Xingyue—some filled with admiration, some with astonishment, some with heartache, and some with lingering fear.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Jiang Beiyang gave Qiao Xingyue a thumbs-up. “Comrade Qiao, you are truly a model for women of this era. Remarkable!”
“What’s so remarkable about it?” Qiao Xingyue said lightly. “It’s just the potential that bursts out when one is pushed to the brink.”
Her calm words carried the weight of a thousand pounds, pressing heavily against Xie Zhongming’s chest.
The breeze through the cornfield remained refreshing, yet Xie Zhongming found his breathing somewhat labored—Comrade Qiao, raising two children alone, her parents being intellectuals sent to the countryside for reeducation who had died early, and her husband also gone. With no one to rely on, how many times had she faced dangers like today to forge such courage, bold as any man’s?
Jiang Beiyang asked curiously, “Comrade Qiao, tell me quickly, how did you beat that bastard Jiang Yongqiang until he was black and blue?”
“Enough, Comrade Qiao is tired and needs to go back to rest.”
The one who interrupted Jiang Beiyang was Xie Zhongming.
He picked up the bicycle that had fallen in the cornfield, gathered the scattered aluminum lunchbox and its lid, and packed them back into the net bag. After checking, he found the chain had come off.
Squatting down, he fixed the chain in a few quick moves, then pushed the bicycle over to Qiao Xingyue. “Comrade Qiao, let me take you back to rest.”
“Maybe I should ride back myself. I’m fine, just a few minor scratches. Comrade Xie, you should go attend to your own business; don’t worry about me.”
Qiao Xingyue glanced at the sky—the sun was nearly setting.
She gripped the bicycle’s handlebars. “I’ll be back just in time to cook.”
Two pairs of hands were on the handlebars—one belonging to Qiao Xingyue, the other to Xie Zhongming. Seeing her hold them, he didn’t let go. “The road isn’t safe. I’ll escort you.”
His tone brooked no argument.
Qiao Xingyue had no choice but to release her grip.
Immediately, Xie Zhongming added, “No need to cook today. We’ll eat out tonight.”
Xie Jiang chimed in, “Yes, Xingyue, look at you—your pants are torn, your face is covered in cuts, and your hands are injured. Don’t do any work these next few days. Uncle Xie will take you out to eat tonight.”
Such warm words made Qiao Xingyue’s eyes well up.
Her throat tightened slightly. After a moment, she replied briskly, “Uncle Xie, it’s nothing, just a few superficial wounds, no big deal. Don’t spend the money tonight; I’ll go back and cook, save a little.”
Xie Zhongming said firmly, “Listen to my dad. Don’t work these next few days, and avoid getting your hands wet.”
His gaze swept over her palms and the backs of her hands, dotted with beads of blood and long cuts from the corn leaves.
His brow suddenly furrowed.
A pang of unnoticed pity stirred in his chest. Then, he gently patted the bicycle’s rear seat. “Get on. Let’s go home first.”
Unable to refuse him, Qiao Xingyue was about to sit down when he said, “Wait.” She watched as Xie Zhongming took off his army jacket, folded it to the size of the seat, and padded it.
When Qiao Xingyue sat down, the hard iron frame suddenly felt less rigid. Even as Xie Zhongming pedaled over the bumpy, pitted dirt path, it didn’t jolt her sore bottom.
This man was truly thoughtful—how did he know her bottom had been rubbed raw when Jiang Yongqiang dragged her into the cornfield?
Though he hadn’t said a word, these small, considerate acts gathered in her heart like a warm current, leaving Qiao Xingyue with an indescribable gratitude.
Soon, the others were left behind in the cornfield as the bicycle sped away. Jiang Beisong whispered to Jiang Beiyang, “Beiyang, don’t you think Zhongming acts a bit differently toward Comrade Qiao?”
Jiang Beiyang lowered his voice and replied, “Second Brother, you noticed it too, huh?”
Jiang Beiyang suddenly remembered that he hadn’t yet told Xie Zhongming about Pang Ya’s news, so he called out, “Zhongming, are you going back to Regiment HQ later? I have something important to tell you.”