When Zhao Yue faced the little girl's adoring gaze, he found himself unable to refuse her:
“Then I'll just tell you a little. The country is placing great importance on developing the Navy. It's just that I can't reveal much, but we'll soon have new naval ships…”
Whenever the man talked about naval ships, his eyes shone. The more he spoke, the more excited he became, one sentence following another. In their previous life, the two of them had never spoken as much as they did today. Only when she was working would the man silently watch her from a distance.
Whenever their eyes met, the man would turn his wheelchair and return to the house.
Zhao Yue felt very proud under the adoring gaze of the girl before him.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Little Wang was killed in the battle I just mentioned. He was very brave. He held on to the criminal until all the blood had drained from his body. When we arrived, we were all deeply shaken.”
From his words, Xiaxia learned how his comrade had died. A man like that deserved people's respect. “Please accept my condolences. He made a contribution to the country. The people will never forget him.”
“Comrade Su, you're right. We join the army to make contributions to the country. Otherwise, why would we become soldiers?” Zhao Yue realized that he had become emotional again and quickly gave a light cough.
Xiaxia said, “So, will you finish taking care of your business today and return to the island tomorrow?”
“Yes!” Zhao Yue answered.
Xiaxia said, “Then may I travel with you? I want to find Grandpa. He works as a boatman there, but we haven't heard from him for several months.”
Since she had happened to run into him, it would be good to go with him. Perhaps she could find a way to stop him from going out to sea when the time came and prevent the tragedy from happening.
Zhao Yue looked at the thin, frail girl before him. If he did not accompany her, it was difficult to imagine whether she could reach the island safely.
“Of course. My train leaves at nine tomorrow morning.”
Xiaxia said in delight, “Then it's settled. Wait for me.”
Zhao Yue nodded repeatedly. If his usual teammates saw this, their jaws would certainly drop. Even the normally calm and self-controlled man had moments when he was anything but calm.
Liu Hui pushed open the door and came in, glancing around. She felt that she had given them more than enough time.
When Xiaxia saw her return, she said, “Auntie Liu, I'll head back first, then. I'll come visit you when I have time.”
Liu Hui walked her to the door. “Lingling has been thinking about you. Come over to the house when you have time.”
“Okay, Auntie Liu. I understand.” Xiaxia replied politely before walking outside.
Her luck had been quite good today. She had obtained the letter of introduction without a hitch and had even met Zhao Yue. It seemed the heavens were on her side.
Liu Hui turned and went back inside. “Don't say I didn't give you a chance. That girl doesn't have a partner. If you like her, I can help make the match.”
Zhao Yue picked up the cap lying on the table. “Director Liu, I still have something to take care of, so I'll be going back first.”
Watching him flee in disarray, Liu Hui, as someone who had been through it herself, understood perfectly.
To be honest, if she had not thought that he had good prospects, she would not have wanted to play matchmaker for him either!
Xiaxia looked at the people coming and going outside. What should she do next?
Just then, she saw a familiar figure on the street not far away.
The wife-beating man, Song Jianping, was tugging back and forth with a woman in the middle of the street. He was clearly trying to drag her into a dead-end alley.
She hurried over.
Song Jianping was gripping Lin Yuanyuan by the arm and desperately dragging her into the alley. “Come inside with me. I want to talk to you alone. Why won't you choose me? Exactly how am I lacking?”
“I'll soon be a proper worker at the fertilizer factory, earning more than ten yuan a month. You'd be hard-pressed to find conditions like that even with a lantern! Why won't you agree to marry me?”
Lin Yuanyuan watched herself being pulled farther and farther away from the crowd. Just as she was about to call for help, the man clamped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she stared helplessly ahead.
She knew this was a dead end. Farther inside was an area filled with dilapidated houses. There were usually few people there, and hardly any residents nearby. Just then, she saw a young woman hurrying toward her.
Hope instantly flared within her.
Song Jianping saw that they were almost at the bend. He was about to get his way. Once he had his way with this woman, she would have no choice but to marry him.
“Lin Yuanyuan, once you become mine, don't even think about escaping my grasp in this lifetime—unless you go and die!”
He spoke arrogantly, then exerted more force with his arm, trying to drag her farther ahead. Suddenly, she would not move. He could not help turning around.
He saw a young woman standing beside Lin Yuanyuan, her complexion fair and clean. After thinking it over, he immediately knew who she was.
“You're the eldest of the Su family!”
“That's right!” Xiaxia admitted openly.
In her previous life, this man had pinned her to the ground and beaten her viciously. Those who had never experienced it could not understand that feeling of suffocation and helplessness.
But things were different now. She had to suppress her anger and make sure she did not beat this man to death.
Song Jianping looked at Xiaxia with disdain. “What, you want to meddle in other people's business? Believe me, I can take both of you at once!”
He did not take Xiaxia seriously at all. In his eyes, she was nothing more than a thin, frail woman.
Xiaxia gave him no chance to continue talking. She strode forward and grabbed his arm. When he released the woman and let go of her, Xiaxia immediately threw him over her shoulder and slammed him to the ground.
Song Jianping hit the ground hard, his mind completely blank. He did not even know how he had been thrown.
The pain in his back brought him back to reality. He looked up at Xiaxia, who was standing over him and looking down at him.
“You stinking bitch! Just watch—I won't let you off today!”
He was already imagining how he would beat this woman to death.
He had grown up fighting with people. In all of Beijing, who was not afraid of him? He was the sort who fought as though he did not care whether he lived or died. How could he be thrown down by a woman?
With that thought in mind, he had just gotten to his feet when Su Jinxia kicked him back to the ground.
Xiaxia glanced around at their surroundings. “You picked a pretty good place. Even if you screamed until your throat burst, no one would come to save you!”
Song Jianping clutched his chest. That kick had nearly knocked the breath out of him, and he finally realized that the woman's strength was tremendous. Her frail appearance had only been meant to fool people.
“Xiaxia! I won't let you get away with this!”
“Fine, fine, fine. I'll remember that. And I won't let you off today either!” Xiaxia rolled up her sleeves and walked toward him step by step. When she saw a brick on the ground, she casually picked it up.
She considered whether she should split his head open with it today.
When Song Jianping saw the brick in her hand, his eyes widened. He pointed at her. “What are you trying to do?”
“What do you think I'm trying to do?” Xiaxia curled her lips into a cold smile. “Against someone like you, of course I'm going to fight violence with violence! I wonder whether you can withstand three blows with this brick.”
“You're crazy!” Song Jianping was drenched in cold sweat. At that moment, he deeply regretted coming to such a secluded place.
It was true: even if he screamed until his throat burst, no one would come to save him!
Lin Yuanyuan had recovered by then and quickly ran over. “Miss, calm down. Don't do anything foolish because of me! He didn't do anything to me. If you bring that brick down, you'll kill him!”
Su Jinxia looked at the girl before her. Thinking of the photograph she had seen in her previous life, she finally remembered that the girl was Lin Yuanyuan, Song Jianping's first wife. She had not died a natural death; she had died after drinking pesticide.
After her death, Lin Yuanyuan's parents also passed away one after another. Song Jianping had even shamelessly taken advantage of their having no surviving sons, seizing their family's house for himself!