After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yansheng pulled out a cigarette and lit it, his lips curling in self-mockery.
He thought his marriage was as stagnant as a pool of dead water, yet… it had stirred.
He assumed she had come chasing after him to discuss divorce, but it turned out… she was following him to the army base.
Once the cigarette was finished, he stubbed it out.
He left the room and headed straight for his superior’s office.
The divorce report had to be withdrawn.
…
However, dinner that evening was delivered by the communications officer, Zhang Qi.
He said the captain had been sent on a temporary mission and wouldn’t return for a few days.
The young man, around twenty years old, felt quite awkward in front of his superior’s beautiful wife.
Especially after hearing that the captain had filed for divorce.
Strangely enough, even though they were supposedly getting divorced, the captain had specifically instructed him:
【When getting food, avoid anything spicy or heavily seasoned. There should be at least one meat and one vegetable dish, preferably leafy greens…】
Why didn’t the captain just ask the kitchen to prepare a special meal?
Then, Comrade Zhang very earnestly brought over all the food that met the requirements from the canteen.
He even prepared six separate lunch boxes.
After all, their captain wasn’t short on money.
“Sister-in-law, could you tell me what you like to eat and what you don’t? I’ll keep it in mind and adjust according to your preferences tomorrow.”
Zhang Qi was too embarrassed to enter the room, scratching his head, his face flushed red.
It wasn’t that he had any improper thoughts about the young sister-in-law; it was simply that he had never seen a woman who looked so stylish and delicate even in pajamas and a military coat.
He didn’t know where to look.
Qin Qing was also embarrassed. She had just taken a bath and changed into her pajamas.
Hearing someone knock, she casually wrapped herself in her husband’s military coat.
At that moment, both of them were awkward, and people in the courtyard kept glancing their way.
After exchanging only a few words, Zhang Qi hurriedly left.
Qin Qing looked at the stack of lunch boxes in the net bag on the table, feeling somewhat speechless.
Just as she opened the topmost lunch box, there was another knock at the door.
Li Qin stood outside, holding a chubby, lively little boy.
“Sister, don’t be shy. The little one is restless, so I brought him out for a walk.”
“It’s cold outside, please come in and sit.” Qin Qing politely invited them inside.
“Play by yourself, don’t run around.” Li Qin put her son, Xiao Dongzi, down. “You haven’t eaten yet! Go ahead and eat, don’t mind us.”
“It smells delicious! Did Captain Zhou have someone bring it over?” Li Qin was very enthusiastic. “My Old Xu said that before leaving on his mission, Captain Zhou gave Xiao Zhang detailed instructions. He really dotes on you!”
Qin Qing smiled and nodded.
Good heavens!
Are all military wives this talkative?
So familiar right from the start?!
Li Qin chattered on, while Qin Qing politely smiled in response.
Neither of them noticed Xiao Dongzi climbing onto the table, tiptoeing to reach the… braised chicken leg in one of the lunch boxes.
The little tyke was too short and couldn’t quite reach it.
Crash—
All six layers of the aluminum lunch boxes toppled over.
Instantly, food was scattered all over the table and the floor.
Some of it also splattered onto Qin Qing, who was standing closest to the table…
“You little rascal!” Li Qin grabbed her son’s arm and gave him a smack on the bottom. “Always causing trouble!”
“Waaah—” Three-year-old Xiao Dongzi had no idea what “causing trouble” meant. All he knew was that his mother had hit him, his bottom hurt, and he burst into loud sobs.
Qin Qing felt her entire scalp go numb!
Her military coat, her pajamas…
She had just taken a bath!
“Are you burned? Go clean up quickly, I’ll take care of this! I’m really sorry.” Li Qin looked at Qin Qing apologetically.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Qin Qing didn’t bother with anything else and hurried to the bathroom.
She felt utterly helpless, as if on the verge of tears—what had she done to deserve this?
Xiao Dongzi was crying and fussing uncontrollably. Li Qin only hastily tidied up for her before carrying the child and leaving.
That night, after seeing off the apologetic neighbors, Qin Qing stayed busy until late into the night.
She hadn’t eaten a single bite of food.
She mopped the floor and washed clothes.
Of course, she only washed her own set of pajamas—the military overcoat was simply too heavy to handle.
It was far too heavy…
But she couldn’t just throw it away.
Qin Qing decided to give the overcoat a simple scrub first and wait for Zhou Yansheng to help when he returned.
However, before washing it, she habitually emptied every pocket…
Only to find a photo tucked inside the inner pocket of the military overcoat.
A photo of her and him.
Four years ago, when she was admitted to the music conservatory, he had accompanied her to the school, and they took this photo at the school gate.
That year, she was eighteen, and he was twenty-two.
In the photo, she wore a pure white dress, while he was dressed in a military uniform shirt.
Both looked youthful and innocent.
His hand rested naturally on her shoulder.
In the photo, she was smiling brightly, leaning against the young officer beside her, whose back was straight and shoulders squared.
Looking at the photo, Qin Qing’s eyes unconsciously welled up with tears…
He had kept it all this time, hidden in the pocket of his overcoat.
What on earth had clouded her mind in her past life, making her dislike Zhou Yansheng and instead fall for that scoundrel!
Wiping away her tears, Qin Qing carefully placed the photo back in the drawer of her bedroom desk.
…
Over the next few days, Qin Qing lived almost like a hermit.
She never stepped outside the main gate, nor did she venture beyond the inner courtyard.
She spent her days idling away, clutching the few books she had brought with her.
Mainly because she was unfamiliar with the place and didn’t want to cause any trouble for Zhou Yansheng.
At most, she would occasionally play with Xiao Dongzi next door.
On this day, Zhang Qi came to deliver the meal as usual, and Qin Qing politely accepted it.
She specifically told him not to deliver lunch, as she wanted to go to the service center to buy some groceries and cook for herself.
When Zhang Qi heard she was going out, he seemed hesitant, but Qin Qing didn’t pay it any mind.
However, when she went out with her small bag to shop at the service center, she finally understood what it meant for rumors to spread like wildfire.
From the moment she stepped out of the courtyard gate, people kept pointing and whispering about her.
Once she entered the service center, the gossip grew even louder.
“Is that the city girl who married Captain Zhou?”
“I heard she made Captain Zhou carry her back to the compound on the very first night!”
“Exactly! My husband saw it with his own eyes while on duty!”
“But I heard Captain Zhou doesn’t care for her—he left on a mission the very next day! He’s ignoring her!”
“Shh! I heard she came to get a divorce—they’ve already filed the divorce papers…”
Qin Qing twitched her lips. Weren’t people supposed to gossip behind others’ backs?
Why were they saying it right to her face?!
Did they think she was dead?
“Just look at her—she’s like a vixen. Someone saw her flirting with the messenger these past few days.”
“That’s right! You didn’t see it—she wore silk under that military overcoat, practically bewitching that young comrade!”
The comments grew increasingly harsh.
“She looks like a born tramp, seducing everyone in sight. Who knows if she’s just keeping our captain as a backup!”
Another voice chimed in.
Qin Qing could tolerate the earlier remarks, but when she heard this, her anger surged to the top of her head.
They could say whatever they wanted about her, but they couldn’t call Zhou Yansheng a “backup”!
Without caring whether it was appropriate for the situation, she took two quick steps forward.
Slap—
Everyone froze in shock!
Without a second thought, she slapped the plump woman in the red cotton-padded jacket.
“Watch your mouth!”
Qin Qing glared fiercely at the woman in front of her.
Zhao Xiaolin had been a shrew for most of her life—when had she ever been slapped before?
She immediately threw a tantrum, shouting, “Help! She’s hitting me!” while grabbing at Qin Qing’s clothes.
Her muddy nails were about to claw at Qin Qing’s face.
With a standard grappling move, Qin Qing twisted the hand reaching for her face behind Zhao Xiaolin’s back.
She had been forced to practice martial arts since childhood, all to avoid being bullied.
“It hurts so much! Help! She’s killing me!” Zhao Xiaolin screamed even louder.
The onlookers were stunned.
No one had expected Qin Qing, who looked so delicate, to subdue the rotund Zhao Xiaolin with a single move.
“Comrade! Calm down! Let go!”
Someone tried to intervene.
Qin Qing didn’t budge an inch.