Chapter 47

That night’s conversation shattered Wang Lanhua’s last psychological defenses. She returned to Shizi Guo dazed, like a soul lost, scaring the Wang family.
They wondered if it was because of poor exam results, affecting her mind.
Her father killed a chicken and made soup; the family was quiet at the table.
Finally, her mother carefully asked, “Lanhua, shall we try again next year? I heard Uncle Zhang say exams happen every year. If this time wasn’t good… it’s alright.”
She held her bowl cautiously.
Her father agreed. In this mountain village, parents who let their daughter skip work to read leisurely were considered very indulgent. Wang Lanhua, meanwhile, had little appetite.
After they spoke, she noticed new gray hairs at her father’s temples and deeper wrinkles on her mother’s face. Fortunately, they were healthy. In early December, her father wanted to go to the mountain for some wild game for a feast.
Wang Lanhua stopped him. Days later, another group went to the mountain, encountered a bear, and someone died, she recognized…
Some things had changed, some hadn’t. She had saved her father and put Hao Jianguo in prison. She should be satisfied.
She had applied to Imperial Capital University. Though her exam results weren’t out yet, she had spent her past life studying diligently, wondering if attending university would have prevented Hao Jianguo from treating her so badly, making her path less arduous…
Yes! She still had to go to university. Since things had already gone off track, she would look forward. As for Jinping… he was now a stranger to her. Let them part ways, each to their own happiness. She was heading toward a bright future. With the reform winds about to blow, she felt a surge of anticipation; the merchant genes in her bones stirred restlessly.
When the Qin family returned from town and saw Qin Yuanzheng standing alive in the house, they were nearly as stunned as Bai Xinmei had been earlier. Only Qin Yuanzheng’s mother seemed a little better; her eyes had long ceased to function properly, so she simply assumed it was that young man in the room.
“Third Brother!”
“Third Son!”
“Third Uncle!”
For a moment, the Qin household erupted into chaos, with even the brigade leader dropping by to inquire.
Because military intelligence was involved, Qin Yuanzheng couldn’t go into too much detail. He picked out only the crucial points: how he had been severely wounded in battle, recuperated for a while, then returned to continue secret missions. As for specifics, he kept mum like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, not a word escaped.
The Qin family only got a rough idea. Li Zhaodi patted her chest, speaking her mind bluntly as usual. “Good heavens, being an officer isn’t easy, you have to put your life on the line, years away from home, and in the end, your wife and child run off with someone else.”
Her mouth always spilled what everyone else didn’t want to say.
Immediately, she struck a nerve with Old Qin. Back when he had agreed that his third son’s wife could find another man, he had consented, reasoning that a young woman in her twenties shouldn’t be widowed for his son.
Now that the third son had returned, how could he explain this?
Everyone had seen how much the third son cherished his wife. If mishandled, he might harbor resentment.
What a mess…
“Zhaodi! Ahem! Go collect the eggs first.”
“I already did today. Third Brother, you don’t know, right? This sister-in-law already found someone else. No problem, a hero needn’t worry about a wife. My family… uh-uh!”
Once she opened her mouth, she left everyone speechless.
All eyes turned to Qin Yuanzheng, but he merely smiled lightly. “I know. We’ll talk about this later. No rush.”
His gaze was imposing, causing Li Zhaodi to shrink back. She felt that after returning, her little uncle seemed even more intimidating. After being cuckolded, he could still smile…
Since Qin Yuanzheng was aware, the rest of the family dared not bring it up again. They turned the page and began happily celebrating his return.
Especially the little car parked at the village entrance.
“It’s a military vehicle. I’m still injured, so I drove it back.”
Later, they all sighed. But when night came, there was a dilemma. The Qin family homes were built according to the number of people.
The third son’s mud-brick room had been given to his wife, but now he was back alive. Everyone knew about Bai Xinmei and Song Jinping’s relationship. Where would he sleep? One woman with two men? That would be absurd.
They exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
In the end, Qin Yuanzheng’s father said, “Third Son, tonight you’ll squeeze in with your second brother.”
Qin Yuanzheng, expression unchanged, held Niuniu, who no longer resisted her suddenly-returned father.
“I’ll stay in my own room. Why just stand there? Let’s eat. I also brought some meat, creamer, and fabric, quite a lot. Mother, you can make some good dishes.”
Hearing this, Bai Xinmei’s face flushed. She remembered their first intimate moment in that very room… Her heart was in turmoil. Rationally, she knew she had to cut through the mess quickly, but reality left no time for hesitation. Qin Yuanzheng had already made arrangements.
Others, seeing his calm demeanor and Bai Xinmei’s odd expression, wisely withdrew. After all, they were family. Though logically, after so many years of his absence, his wife nearly starting a new family, he had returned…
But it was clear he couldn’t let go. Of course, he was helping the family. As for Song Jinping, a sent-down youth from out of town, any sensible third son’s wife would know what to choose.
When only the two of them remained in the room, Bai Xinmei had regained composure. Her delicate brows knitted slightly. “Yuanzheng, this… may not be very convenient.”
She wouldn’t prevent her daughter from being close to Qin Yuanzheng. After all, as a high-ranking officer, having him as a father would make Niuniu’s life much better.
He returned in civilian clothes, not a uniform, no rank visible, but able to use a government vehicle, clearly of some standing.
Qin Yuanzheng gently stroked his daughter’s scorpion braids. She had fallen asleep. Her black, silky hair was well-kept, like her mother’s, but all of it owed to another man. He didn’t like it.
“But we’re still husband and wife. I didn’t die. We have a marriage certificate. Our marriage is legally protected. The Song man, so knowledgeable, should know the consequences of breaking a military marriage.”
The jealous man’s face was unpleasant, and his veiled remarks were ugly. He insisted their marriage remained legitimate, making him the illegitimate third party, male, no less. Who knew where he got the courage to cling to Meimei knowing Yuanzheng had returned?
Bai Xinmei frowned, feeling unfamiliar with this side of Qin Yuanzheng. In her old memory, he had been like a tall, steadfast tree, loyal and silent, always beside her.
But she didn’t want to offend him, nor break things with Song Jinping, at least not until after she got into university. She had her own calculations.
“Yuanzheng, it’s not his fault. Everyone is innocent here.”
“So should I hand my wife over to another man? Meimei, tell me, is that fair?”
Qin Yuanzheng spoke calmly, his emotions tightly controlled, giving Bai Xinmei the sense she could still bargain with this fierce man.
She was stifled, somewhat annoyed. “You weren’t like this before. You never argued with me.”
Clearly, she had used the wrong approach, trying to appeal to the obedient man he had once been to persuade the man he had become.
She hadn’t considered why he had been obedient in the first place.
“I received critical illness notices five times. Every time on the operating table, I thought of you. That’s why I survived. When I closed my eyes, I remembered your smile, your tears in my arms. What did you want me to do, Meimei? Because of you, I went to military school. Married for four years, and you always longed for your old life. I had to fight, to strive. But a wife of poor background held me back. I had to gamble once. Now I have the power and position to satisfy your desires. You don’t want me. What am I supposed to do?”
In the past, Qin Yuanzheng had despised thinking women affected his career. He didn’t mind his wife’s poor background causing setbacks, but her desires were insatiable.
Now, the woman he loved most wanted to leave. He became petty, using this sense of entitlement to pressure her into compromise. If it failed, he didn’t know what he might do.
Faced with this calm but pressing questioning, Bai Xinmei lowered her eyes, her eyelids twitching slightly, lost in thought.
After a while, she lifted her right hand, fingertips soft and porcelain-like, gently tracing the rough, vicious scar on his face. As dusk fell, only the smoke curling from nearby chimneys was visible. The cramped mud-brick room filled with tension and desire.
His sharp eyes stared at her, dark and inscrutable.
“Yuanzheng, does it hurt?”
Her clear, beautiful voice calmed the storm in his heart.
Qin Yuanzheng stared at the woman before him, his wife who had betrayed him. He held the small hand that sparked fire in his chest. He forgave all her disloyalty; whatever she gave, he accepted sweetly.