Zhou Runqing frowned and shot her a glance. “You’re getting more and more out of line. Father worked with Uncle Li for years, and our families have been neighbors for a long time. What kind of behavior is this, making a fuss like that?”
Zhou Wanyi made a face, completely unafraid of her outwardly cold but inwardly warm brother who had doted on her since childhood.
Zhou Runqing’s tone grew heavier. “I’ve already submitted a marriage application. As for who the bride is, I’ll tell the family once everything is settled. Watch your tongue. If you keep stirring up trouble, I’ll send you to the troops to toughen you up.”
Zhou Wanyi wasn’t frightened by the threat of being sent to the army—but the words marriage application nearly made her choke. Even the apple in her mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
“What? Brother, you filed a marriage report?”
“And you’re saying the bride isn’t Sister Shiyun?”
“Then who else could you be marrying besides Sister Shiyun? Explain yourself! Mom and Dad won’t agree and I won’t either!”
Hands on her hips, she stood before him indignantly, determined to find out who it was.
In her heart, Sister Shiyun was already her future sister-in-law and their parents’ favored daughter-in-law. No one could replace her!
Watching his sister’s noisy fussing, Zhou Runqing felt his temples throb. Yet in his mind surfaced a pair of calm, gentle eyes like still water, and somehow the furrow between his brows smoothed.
“Out. I have work to do.”
Reluctantly driven out, Zhou Wanyi planned to chase after Xiao Liu to pry into the mysterious woman’s background.
But by the time she ran downstairs, the jeep had already driven off. She stamped her foot in frustration before storming back toward the family compound.
Inside the study, Zhou Runqing picked up the military telephone and dialed.
When the line connected, he said in a steady voice, “Is this the Rongcheng Military Region Rehabilitation Center? This is Zhou Runqing. Please arrange a single room urgently, under my personal sponsorship. I will cover all expenses myself.”
“Yes, for my fiancée’s mother. She’s in poor health please assign an experienced caregiver to assist with daily living. I’ll settle the fees according to regulations. The sooner the better. Thank you.”
By the time Xiao Liu obtained the necessary certification from the subdistrict office, it was already afternoon.
If not for the official military letter he carried, they would have refused to issue the document, even muttering about the Lin family’s “capitalist background.”
Not daring to draw attention, worried the matter might affect his commander if mishandled, Xiao Liu drove straight back to the military district mailroom to send the documents by express to the regiment headquarters.
He hadn’t even stepped inside when Zhou Wanyi blocked his path from the shadows.
“If you don’t tell me who my brother’s marrying and what that woman’s background is, I won’t let you through this door today.”
Helpless, Xiao Liu said, “It’s the commander’s order, Miss Wanyi. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
“Go ahead and mail it!” she declared stubbornly. “Once the report reaches Uncle Li, no one will approve it anyway.”
Still indignant, she decided to lodge a complaint first. Mounting her bicycle, she rushed to the military district office building, heading straight for her father’s office only to be told by his aide, “The commander is out. He won’t be back until tomorrow.”
Unwilling to give up, she pedaled to her mother’s cultural troupe office. Seeing her mother sitting elegantly behind a desk sipping tea and reviewing performance rosters, she leaned against the doorway, panting. “Mom, something huge has happened in our family!”
Mother Zhou set down her teacup and list, taking in her daughter’s flushed face. Calmly she said, “What’s the panic? No wonder your brother scolds you.”
“Brother filed a marriage report! And we don’t even know who the bride is. And you’re still sitting here drinking tea!”
“What?” Mother Zhou shot to her feet, abandoning her work, more anxious than her daughter. “Let’s go home and ask him what’s going on.”
At that very moment, the telephone rang in the family compound.
Zhou Runqing answered.
“Commander Zhou, we’ve urgently arranged the bed you requested. It’s near the nurses’ station, a good location. You should handle the admission as soon as possible.”
“The caregiver you requested has also been arranged very experienced. When will you be coming?”
“I’ll bring them over immediately,” Zhou Runqing replied.
After hanging up, there was a knock at the door.
Xiao Liu entered. “Commander, the paperwork is done. It’s been sent together with the marriage report to the regiment.”
Zhou Runqing nodded. “Good work.”
Xiao Liu grinned. “As instructed, I also informed Political Commissar Wang. Once he receives your marriage report, he’ll report it immediately to Deputy Director Chen. He even asked me to congratulate you in advance!”
A faint smile curved Zhou Runqing’s lips, warming his stern features.
“Thank Old Wang for me. When I return to the island, I’ll bring him a box of wedding candies.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Then Xiao Liu added hesitantly, “I ran into Miss Wanyi again. She kept pressing me about Comrade Lin’s background. I’m worried her class background could become an issue. Shouldn’t you give the commander-in-chief a heads-up?”
“No need,” Zhou Runqing replied decisively. Then he ordered, “Come with me.”
Xiao Liu followed, sighing inwardly.
He understood the commander’s concern. The commander-in-chief valued his son’s career above all. If he learned about Lin’s family background in advance, he would never allow such a marriage.
As Zhou Runqing and Xiao Liu drove off, Zhou Wanyi and her mother returned just in time to catch a whiff of exhaust as the jeep sped away.
An idea struck Zhou Wanyi. “Mom, Brother won’t say a word. Could it be that the bride’s background is problematic?”
Mother Zhou’s brows knit tighter. “Don’t talk nonsense. We’ll wait until your father comes back.”
At the Military General Hospital, Lin Yuqiu had just finished massaging and wiping her mother down. Carrying a basin into the corridor, she saw Zhou Runqing and Xiao Liu approaching.
The tall, upright figure of the man appeared beneath the fading sunset filtering through the corridor windows. Even in the dim, mottled light, his pine-green uniform outlined his powerful frame. His deep gaze seemed tangible as it settled on her.
She maintained a composed expression, though inwardly she felt awkward and uncertain.
Two people who were practically strangers now bore the title of fiancés. Compared to their last meeting, she no longer felt composed only a subtle, indescribable tension.
Feeling the heat of his gaze, she didn’t dare look up. Instead, she turned to Xiao Liu with a faint smile.
“Comrade Xiao Liu, why have you come so late?”
Xiao Liu glanced at his unreadable commander before replying, “Comrade Lin, the rehabilitation center has freed up a bed. The commander said we should transfer your mother as soon as possible.”
With tact, he took the basin from her hands. “Go handle the discharge paperwork. I’ll wash this.”
As Xiao Liu walked away, the man behind her felt even more present. She turned toward the nurses’ station.
Suddenly, his low voice sounded behind her. “Are your hands better?”
She stared blankly ahead for a moment, almost not realizing he was speaking to her. Then she turned, as if only just noticing. “Hm? Much better.”
He took a small tube of ointment from his pocket and handed it to her. “Use this. It works well.”
She blinked, glancing at the aluminum tube stamped with a military code and the words For Military Use Only.
She recognized it. Once, when she had scraped her leg, her elder brother had applied this same ointment. It had healed without leaving a scar.
Tucking it into her pocket, she said politely, “Thank you, Commander Zhou.”
Then she hurried toward the nurses’ station.
Seeing her keeping him at arm’s length, the man raised a brow and followed.
At the station, the nurse cast a curious glance at him behind her.
“Comrade Lin, sign here,” the nurse said, handing over discharge documents.
After signing, Lin Yuqiu reached for the billing statement but another hand was faster.
“I’ll take care of it.”
His magnetic voice, though spoken from behind, seemed to brush past her ear with heat.
Her heart skipped a beat. Unaccustomed, she stepped aside and glanced back.
Zhou Runqing took the paper, giving her a calm look. “Let’s go.”
She touched her warm earlobe before following him.
At the payment counter, he presented his officer’s ID. A small amount required personal payment.
As he reached for his wallet, Lin Yuqiu immediately pulled out her own money. “I’ll pay it myself.”
He observed the quiet stubbornness beneath her fragile appearance, a barely perceptible smile touching his lips.
Back in the ward, Zhou Runqing had Xiao Liu fetch a metal wheelchair.
Lin Yuqiu tried to help her mother up but struggled to lift her from the bed. A few damp strands of hair clung to her flushed cheeks.
Zhou Runqing stepped forward, lightly tapping her arm to signal her to step aside.
“I’ll do it.”
She rose, watching as he effortlessly lifted her mother and placed her gently into the wheelchair.
Her eyes grew hot.
No one knew how many nights she had longed for stronger arms to carry her mother.
Though unable to move, her mother looked at Zhou Runqing with questioning eyes, leaving Lin Yuqiu at a loss for words.
How was she to tell her mother.
That this man, whom she had met only once, was about to become her husband?