As soon as Gu Huai'an turned around, Shen Yu was standing at the door.
She had already changed into the outfit she had just bought.
A white shirt was tucked into the waistband of her work pants, with the sleeves rolled up several times, revealing a section of slender, pale arm.
Her hair was casually tied into a ponytail, making her look neat and sharp.
Gu Huai'an frowned.
Who let her come up?
Lu Jianguo was about to reprimand the intruder, but when he saw a pretty girl at the door, the words got stuck in his throat.
Having spent most of his life in the army, he was used to seeing female comrades dressed in Lenin suits who hardly dared to speak above a whisper. Suddenly encountering someone like this, he couldn't help but be taken aback.
With her figure and appearance, even the lead dancer of the provincial cultural troupe performing The White-Haired Girl would likely be overshadowed.
"Who are you?"
Lu Jianguo adjusted his glasses, his tone softening unconsciously.
Gu Huai'an watched Shen Yu's flamboyant display, his eyes darkening.
He stepped in front of her, blocking Lu Jianguo's line of sight.
"Didn't I tell you to stay put in the car?"
He lowered his voice, sounding somewhat harsh. "This is the regimental headquarters. Do you think this is a place you can just barge into?"
"If I hadn't come, your position might already be in jeopardy, right?"
Gu Huai'an glared at her. "What nonsense are you talking?"
"I'm not talking nonsense. I heard someone shouting downstairs just now."
Shen Yu curved her eyes into a smile, sidestepping Gu Huai'an's human barrier and walking up to the desk.
She stood still, raised her hand, and gave a not-quite-standard military salute.
"Hello, Political Commissar. I'm Shen Yu. I heard someone has been whispering to you, saying I have improper conduct and even assaulted a village cadre?"
Being confronted like this, Lu Jianguo felt somewhat awkward. "Oh, this matter, we…"
Shen Yu didn't let him finish.
"Political Commissar, I'm straightforward by nature and can't stand being wronged. Rather than having you listen to gossip behind my back, I'd rather stand here myself and clear things up face-to-face."
Lu Jianguo was thrown off by this sudden turn of events.
The girl before him was striking in appearance, with sharp eyes that didn't seem deceitful.
But in matters like this, what anyone said was irrelevant.
He straightened his expression and cleared his throat lightly. "This is a place of discipline. You barging in here is already against the rules. As for your issue, the organization will naturally send someone to verify it."
Shen Yu nodded.
She took a step forward, pulled out a red booklet from her chest, and slapped it down in front of Lu Jianguo.
"What's this?"
"A martyr's certificate."
Shen Yu said, "If the report says I extorted money, that was me reclaiming my father's subsidy. If it says I assaulted a village cadre, that was because the village Party secretary allowed a hooligan to harass me. Was I supposed to just stand there and let myself be violated?"
"My father died in '63 while plugging a breach. As his daughter, if I can't even protect my own innocence, that would truly disgrace the organization!"
Her words came like rapid gunfire, leaving Lu Jianguo with no opening to interject.
All he could see was the martyr's certificate lying right before his eyes, burning with a weight that unsettled him.
He had also been there during the breach-plugging support effort that year.
The person on the certificate was his unknown comrade-in-arms.
Gu Huai'an leaned against the side, still chewing on the half-extinguished cigarette butt, his gaze fixed on Shen Yu. He let out a low, amused snort.
Hearing the sound, Shen Yu's eyes shifted, and she glanced back at Gu Huai'an.
Gu Huai'an felt his brow twitch under her gaze.
This woman was about to start scheming against him again.
Shen Yu turned back, tapping her finger twice on the martyr certificate. Her tone suddenly turned aggrieved, and her eyes reddened.
"Political Commissar, I only came to seek help from the commanding officer because I had no other choice. I thought the army was a place of reason, but I never expected to be slandered here too."
She sniffled, reaching out to grab the marriage application on the table. "Since the political commissar also believes what that village Party secretary said and thinks I'm a bad seed, I won't get married."
Lu Jianguo was startled and quickly pressed his hand on the paper. "Hey, hey, what's all this about? Who said you're a bad seed? How did we get so far off track?"
He was an old-school soldier who couldn't bear to see martyrs' families wronged, especially with Shen Yu's words carrying a tone of resignation to death.
"What else can I do if I don't leave? Stay here and tarnish Commander Gu's reputation?"
Shen Yu tugged the paper back. "I'll just return to the Xiangyang Brigade. At worst, I'll let them drive me to death, but I won't drag down Commander Gu's bright future."
Gu Huai'an watched her playing the victim, the corner of his mouth twitching.
On the way here, she was talking about slapping Wang Dashan's face until it was swollen, and now she was pretending to be a delicate little cabbage.
Lu Jianguo felt a headache coming on and hurriedly tried to calm her. "Comrade Shen Yu, calm down! This is all a misunderstanding! Put the paper down first, and let's talk properly."
Gu Huai'an flicked his cigarette butt into the enamel mug and snorted.
"Old Lu, use your head. What kind of person is Wang Dashan? Someone who'd push a martyr's child into the fire for a few yuan of pension—you believe someone like that?"
"When did I say I believed him?" Lu Jianguo felt somewhat guilty.
"If you don't believe him, then approve it."
He picked up the pen from the table and shoved it into Lu Jianguo's hand. "If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility. If you don't approve it and something really happens to this girl later, I'd like to see how you explain it to her father."
Lu Jianguo retorted, "What do I need to explain to her father?"
Gu Huai'an thought for a moment and said, "I'll burn paper money with her for her father and ask him to visit you at night for a chat."
Lu Jianguo: "…"
In his fifties, he was worn down by their tag-team act, his blood pressure nearly spiking.
"Alright, alright, I'll sign! I'll sign, okay?"
He sighed and uncapped the pen.
"But let me make this clear: the investigation team will arrive tomorrow to verify the situation. If they really find misconduct, you, Gu Huai'an, will be sent to the pig farm to feed pigs!"
"Feeding pigs it is, then." Gu Huai'an looked indifferent. "Hurry up and write."
The pen scratched heavily across the report twice before the official seal was stamped on it.
Shen Yu's tears vanished instantly. She swiftly snatched the report, her aggrieved expression gone, replaced by a bright smile.
"Thank you, Political Commissar! You're truly discerning, a reincarnation of Judge Bao!"
Lu Jianguo stared at her, speechless for a long moment.
"Let's go." Gu Huai'an patted the back of her head. "Stop embarrassing yourself here."
By the time they left the regimental headquarters, the sun was already setting in the west.
Gu Huai'an had long since sent Xiao Zhang back first. Now, gripping the steering wheel himself, he drove at breakneck speed.
The wheels rolled over speed bumps without even tapping the brakes, jolting Shen Yu upward before her bottom landed heavily on the hard seat.
"Gu Huai'an! Do you think you're driving a tank?"
Shen Yu rubbed her sore bottom, glaring at the crew-cut head in the driver's seat.
"Too delicate."
Gu Huai'an steered with one hand, pulling the car to a stop in front of the tube-shaped apartment building. "If you can't handle a little bump like that, how will you manage following the army in the future?"
"Do I have to practice being thrown around to join the army?" Shen Yu pushed the car door open and jumped out, rubbing her waist. "Tomorrow, are you going to make me do weighted cross-country running too?"
Gu Huai'an pulled out the keys, placed his military cap on his head, and stepped out of the car with his long legs, ignoring her remark.
"Get up early tomorrow and wash your face properly."
Shen Yu asked irritably, "Why get up early?"
"To take photos."
"Photos?"
"How else are we going to put them on the marriage certificate? Draw them with chalk?"
Gu Huai'an locked the car door, stuffed the keys into his pants pocket, and turned to walk toward the building entrance.
"There's only one photo studio in the county. We need to go early. If we’re late, we’ll have to queue up and waste time."
Shen Yu froze.
Are we really getting the certificate already?
She hurried after him, grinning as she sidled up to him. "In such a hurry? Afraid I’ll change my mind?"
Gu Huai'an paused, glancing back at her.
"I’m afraid of complications."
He reached out a large hand and pinched the back of Shen Yu’s neck through her shirt collar, making her itch.
"Now that the report’s been approved, let’s get the red stamp first. Once it’s a military marriage, let’s see who dares to interfere."