Qin Lie carried Jiang Wu in his arms, his steps never faltering.
Yet, the woman in his embrace fidgeted restlessly, her gaze falling upon a limping soldier behind him.
“Husband, that young soldier’s leg seems quite badly injured.”
Jiang Wu’s voice was soft.
“The corps medic said it’s just a common ligament strain. He’ll recover with some rest.”
Qin Lie didn’t even turn his head, wanting only to leave this troublesome place as quickly as possible.
“That’s not right.”
Jiang Wu shook her head. A light Qin Lie couldn’t comprehend flickered in her clear eyes.
“Looking at the way he walks, when his knee bends, the lower leg bone shifts abnormally.”
“And the medic’s bandaging method is wrong too. The fixation is too high up; it doesn’t help at all and will actually worsen the strain on the ligament.”
“If this goes on, forget a few months, even after years, that leg won’t heal properly. He’ll definitely be left with a permanent disability later.”
Her words were spoken softly and quickly.
Qin Lie’s steps faltered.
He wasn’t a doctor and didn’t understand those complex terms.
But he understood the last part perfectly—”permanent disability.”
For a soldier, those two words were worse than death.
He glanced back at the soldier called Xiao Wang, who was painfully supporting himself against the wall, taking one slow step at a time, his silhouette looking bleak and desperate.
Something seemed to clog Qin Lie’s chest.
“How do you know all this?”
He lowered his head to look at the woman in his arms, his gaze probing.
She was a delicate city girl, her fingers never touching hard work. How could she understand such matters of bruises and injuries?
“I… I read it in a book.”
Jiang Wu blinked, immediately pulling out her universal excuse.
“It was in that book you gave me, The Barefoot Doctor’s Manual. There were diagrams.”
Qin Lie was half-convinced, half-doubting.
He had flipped through that manual too. It was all about basic treatments for common ailments. Since when was it so detailed?
“Alright, never mind other people’s business.”
He suppressed that strange feeling in his heart and continued walking with her in his arms.
Other people’s affairs were not for him to meddle in, nor was it her place to do so.
Right now, he just wanted to finish shopping quickly and carry this vexing little enchantress home to hide her away.
To prevent her from going out and causing more trouble for him.
The supply and marketing cooperative was just ahead.
A unique mix of scents—soap, kerosene, and dried goods—assailed their senses.
It was a smell unique to this era.
The cooperative wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t crowded either.
There were cadres wearing Dacron shirts, military wives with headscarves, and bare-bottomed children running around.
When Qin Lie strode in carrying Jiang Wu like a gust of wind, the entire cooperative fell silent instantly.
All eyes turned toward them.
In those gazes were shock, curiosity, disdain, and undisguised envy.
Even with his thick skin, Qin Lie couldn’t withstand this kind of public “scrutiny.”
His back stiffened like an iron plate.
The arm holding Jiang Wu tightened even more.
He wished he could just meld her entire body into his own.
“Put me down. I can walk myself.”
Jiang Wu also sensed the strange atmosphere and whispered in his ear.
If they kept being stared at like this, she was afraid this man might explode on the spot.
But Qin Lie acted as if he hadn’t heard.
He carried her straight to the counter.
The salesclerk, wearing a blue uniform and sporting two long braids, was scrutinizing them up and down with a critical eye.
Especially when she saw Jiang Wu’s excessively beautiful face, the disdain in her eyes was impossible to hide.
“What do you want?”
The salesclerk spoke dismissively, not even stopping the knitting needles in her hands.
In this era, being a salesclerk at the supply and marketing cooperative was a highly respectable job, carrying a natural sense of superiority.
“Soy sauce.”
Qin Lie was brief.
“Soy sauce ration coupon.”
The salesclerk didn’t even look up.
Qin Lie fished the coupon and money from his pocket and placed them on the counter.
Only then did the salesclerk stand up reluctantly. She took a funnel and filled a bottle of soy sauce for them from a large soy sauce vat.
“Anything else?”
“Sugar.”
This time, it was Jiang Wu who spoke.
Her voice was sweet and soft.
The salesclerk glanced up at her, lips curling slightly. She casually grabbed a small handful of fruit candies from a nearby glass jar and tossed them onto the scale.
“Is this enough?”
Her tone was as if she were doling out charity.
“Not enough.”
Jiang Wu shook her head and pointed a delicate, pale finger toward a larger jar behind the glass one—a jar filled with White Rabbit milk candies.
“I want that.”
The salesclerk’s face darkened.
“That’s White Rabbit! It’s very precious! Can you even afford it?”
White Rabbit milk candies were a luxury among luxuries at this time.
Not only expensive, they required special sugar ration coupons that ordinary people rarely ever saw.
“Whether we can afford it or not is none of your concern.”
Qin Lie spoke coldly.
He slapped a stack of colorful ration coupons and several ten-yuan bills heavily onto the counter.
“This, and that.”
His finger pointed not only to the White Rabbit milk candies but also to a long strip of fatty-and-lean pork belly hanging nearby.
“I’ll take it all.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable force.
The entire cooperative fell silent once more.
Everyone gasped.
Good heavens!
That was White Rabbit milk candy!
And such a large piece of pork!
Was Commander Qin this doting on his wife?!
Was he spending most of his month’s salary on this vixen?
The salesclerk was completely dumbfounded.
She stared at the stack of money and coupons on the counter, her face alternating between red and pale, not daring to show the slightest bit of negligence anymore.
She efficiently packed a large, full bag of White Rabbit milk candies and cut off that hefty piece of pork belly—weighing at least three or four jin—wrapping it in oiled paper before handing it to Qin Lie.
Her attitude was nothing short of respectful and humble.
“Comrade, here you go.”
Qin Lie took the items without giving her another glance.
Holding Jiang Wu, he turned and strode out of the supply and marketing cooperative under a gaze full of envy and jealousy.
On the way home.
Qin Lie remained silent as ever, but his steps were steadier than before.
Nestled in his arms, Jiang Wu unwrapped a White Rabbit milk candy and popped it into her mouth.
A rich milky sweetness instantly spread through her mouth.
“Husband, you have one too.”
She unwrapped another and held it up to Qin Lie’s lips.
Qin Lie kept his eyes straight ahead, his thin lips pressed tightly together, not opening his mouth.
“Ah—”
Jiang Wu made a single, coaxing sound, as if encouraging a child.
Qin Lie felt his ears burning again.
He quickly glanced left and right, making sure no one was around.
Then, like a thief, he lowered his head and swiftly took the candy into his mouth.
The cloying sweetness mixed with the faint taste of tobacco in his mouth.
It formed a peculiar, comforting flavor.
Watching his act—clearly wanting it yet trying so hard to look cool—Jiang Wu couldn’t help but laugh.
She nuzzled her head against his chest.
“Husband, you’re so good.”
Her voice was soft and clingy.
Like a candy melting in Qin Lie’s heart.
Soaking his heart, hardened for over twenty years, until it too became soft and sweet.
He thought, it wouldn’t be so bad to just keep holding her like this, walking until the end of time.
However, this warm atmosphere didn’t last long.
As they neared the residential compound, a stream of sharp, acrid gossip drifted over with the wind.
“Did you see that? Commander Qin just carried that vixen back from the cooperative!”
“Not just carried! He had meat and candy in his hands too! I bet that pork was at least three jin! Are they just throwing their lives away?”
“Absolutely! He’s truly been bewitched by that vixen! A grown man, and a regiment commander too, completely shameless!”
“Just wait and see, these good times won’t last! When Commander Qin gets tired of her, she’ll have plenty to cry about!”
It was Sister Zhang and a few other military wives.
They were gathered under a large banyan tree not far away, sewing shoe soles while chatting away without restraint.