The group had originally planned to rely on their numbers to force back Zhou Yunting and Liu Zhixia.
But at this moment, Liu Zhixia had already turned that hope into a fantasy.
Not to mention the equally unfathomable Zhou Yunting.
Facing the men scattering in panic, Liu Zhixia and Zhou Yunting once again displayed their tacit understanding.
One intercepted from the front while the other attacked from behind.
When Old Master Zhou noticed Liu Zhixia had been gone for too long, he grew worried and wanted to go look for her himself.
But Song Zhihua quickly stopped him.
Lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear, he said softly,
“Old Chief, I’ll take two men to check things out. Please wait here for now. Don’t worry.”
By the time Song Zhihua and the others arrived, Liu Zhixia had just kicked a burly man to the ground.
Zhou Yunting twisted the man’s arm behind his back, pinning him completely with no chance of escape.
The moment Song Zhihua and the others saw the captive’s face, their pupils shrank violently.
“It’s him…”
Several of them cried out almost at the same time, unable to hide their excitement.
Their mission this time had been to capture this very group.
But the targets were extremely cunning, always changing hideouts like crafty rabbits with multiple burrows.
The leader—the man Liu Zhixia had kicked down—was especially terrifying, with strength impossible to measure.
They had only dared accept the mission because Zhou Yunting was here.
Otherwise, none of them would have dared go after such a dangerous figure.
Back then, this man had fought ten people alone with ease, injuring many of their comrades.
Yet Liu Zhixia had handled him with a single casual kick.
The soldiers weren’t fools.
They instantly realized Liu Zhixia was powerful.
Very powerful.
A deep sense of respect rose in their hearts, and their admiration for their captain grew even stronger.
No wonder their boss had ignored all the military beauties—his wife was on an entirely different level.
Song Zhihua and the others escorted away the criminals they had captured so effortlessly.
For the first time ever, a mission they’d expected to drag on for ages had ended this quickly.
At that moment, they sincerely wished their captain could bring their sister-in-law back with him.
Then maybe they could learn a few moves from her.
The way they looked at Liu Zhixia was full of fanatic admiration.
Liu Zhixia rubbed her forehead helplessly.
She’d lost control for a moment, and these people had shown up at exactly the wrong time.
Awkwardly, she touched her nose.
Seeing his men staring nonstop at his little wife, Zhou Yunting felt uncomfortable.
“How much longer are you planning to stare? Hurry up and take them away.”
His voice was cold enough to make the soldiers jump in fright.
They quickly grabbed the prisoners and left in a rush.
Song Zhihua and the others came quickly and left just as quickly.
The village aunties and grannies of Hongshan Village beat their chests in regret—they hadn’t managed to seize the opportunity to matchmake with the soldiers.
Once the soldiers were gone, Village Chief Xu Kaishan finally let out a long breath of relief.
To him, the soldiers leaving also meant the danger had left Hongshan Village.
He felt completely relaxed afterward.
That evening, after Liu Zhixia escorted Old Master Zhou home, she made an excuse and went out again.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yunting carefully explained Song Zhihua’s mission and everything that had happened to Commander Zhou and Old Master Zhou.
Naturally, this included Liu Zhixia’s display of strength.
Old Master Zhou put away his usual cheerful expression and turned serious.
“Yunting, are you telling the truth? Zhixia is stronger than even you?”
Zhou Yunting sighed, though there was also a trace of pride in his voice.
“Grandpa, with my judgment, how could I be mistaken? Her strength… even in the military…”
A sharp gleam flashed through the old man’s eyes before he seemed to make up his mind.
“Yunting, tell me your thoughts.”
Zhou Yunting straightened his back, his gaze firm.
“Grandpa, I want to return soon…”
Old Master Zhou looked unsurprised.
“It’s not impossible. Technically, your recent actions count as meritorious service. Besides, your exile happened because of this old man’s troubles. Returning isn’t hard.
“The difficult part…”
“Grandpa, I know,” Zhou Yunting interrupted calmly. “The hard part is promotion. We’ll probably face suppression and exclusion. Originally, I planned to lie low in the countryside.
“But Zhixia’s abilities make me uneasy.
“Grandpa…”
“……”
“……”
When Liu Zhixia returned, she carried two chickens, a sack of mushrooms, a bag of dried daylilies, and two crucian carp.
Commander Zhou and Old Master Zhou had long gotten used to it.
And after learning more about Liu Zhixia’s abilities, they asked even fewer questions.
As for Zhou Yunting, he already knew she probably possessed many other hidden talents.
He simply chose not to ask.
All he needed to do was grow stronger and stay by her side.
What Zhou Yunting didn’t realize was that, without noticing, he had already tied the two of them together in his heart.
He no longer had any thoughts of letting her leave.
Soon, the familiar aroma of food drifted through the house.
Breaking everyone’s thoughts.
Chicken stewed with mushrooms, stir-fried daylily with meat, and crucian carp soup.
The meal was perfectly balanced and wonderfully nourishing.
Only after tasting it did they truly understand what “perfect in color, aroma, and flavor” meant.
It was so delicious they practically wanted to scrape the bottom of the pots clean.
After dinner, Old Master Zhou lay down happily, rubbing his belly every so often.
Though expressionless, he felt deeply regretful.
His stomach was simply too small.
Otherwise, he could’ve eaten even more.
Life gradually settled into a steady rhythm.
Half a month later, Commander Zhou and Zhou Yunting’s recovery period came to an end.
Although Commander Zhou could now leave the house publicly, he would never again be able to do heavy labor for the rest of his life.
Zhou Yunting, meanwhile, had recovered about seventy to eighty percent.
Early that morning, he got up and went with Liu Zhixia and Old Master Zhou to work at the construction site.
Meanwhile, Zheng Chunli—who had finally recovered somewhat—ran into the Zhou family trio the moment she stepped outside.
At first, she was startled to see Zhou Yunting completely unharmed.
Then her eyes reddened with tears as she looked at him pitifully.
Combined with her pretty face, she looked utterly fragile and lovable.
Unfortunately for her, Zhou Yunting was a straight-laced man whose heart already belonged to someone else.
She was destined to receive none of his attention.
Zhou Yunting strode right past Zheng Chunli without even glancing sideways.
Zheng Chunli suddenly shouted,
“Brother Zhou, do you know how vicious Liu Zhixia really is?!
“She pushed me into the water! I’ve been recovering at the educated youth station this whole time because of her injuries!
“She pushed me down a steep slope and into the river…”
The moment Zhou Yunting heard Liu Zhixia’s name, he immediately stopped.
Anger filled his voice.
“If you continue slandering my wife, I can personally take you to the police.”
His words were as concise and direct as always.
Even Liu Zhixia had to admire the original heroine’s white-lotus tactics.
She’d acted so discreetly that neither Zheng Chunli nor the original male lead could possibly have discovered any evidence against her.
Yet Zheng Chunli directly pinned the blame on her anyway.
Interesting.
As for Zhou Yunting’s reaction, Liu Zhixia was very satisfied.
Meanwhile, a chill spread through Zheng Chunli’s body.
She had witnessed this man’s domineering methods in her previous life.
Now, seeing how fiercely he protected Liu Zhixia, thoughts of retreat gradually surfaced in her mind.