Chapter 127: A Heart Guarded Against Others Is Essential

The days after marriage were much smoother than Zhong Xiao had imagined. Since they lived in the military housing compound, she often returned to the Song family to share meals. Jiang Yuan was heavily pregnant and found it difficult to move around. Zuo Lan, Song Qingfeng, and Song Tingshen had to go to work, and Song Yanzhou was still restricted in movement, so it was Zhong Xiao who tirelessly shuttled back and forth every day between the Song family’s old and new homes.

Each morning, after getting up and preparing breakfast, she would bring several lunchboxes back home. Except for mornings and evenings when Zuo Lan cooked, Zhong Xiao usually prepared lunch at home and delivered it over. Jiang Yuan and her husband especially enjoyed Zhong Xiao’s cooking, particularly Song Yanzhou, who always went back for seconds, visibly gaining weight. Both his physical health and spirit improved noticeably day by day.

Zhong Xiao secretly observed that after eating food made with her spiritual spring water, Song Yanzhou’s physique seemed much stronger. She tentatively asked Jiang Yuan and Song Yanzhou about his condition. Jiang Yuan smiled and said, “Xiao Xiao, you’re our family’s lucky star. With you around, we’re getting better every day. Your eldest brother’s health is improving day by day too.”

Zhong Xiao then asked, “Has your leg felt stronger recently?” Song Yanzhou replied, “Yes, much stronger than before. Xiao Xiao, thank you for making these meals every day. When I have an appetite, naturally I feel better.” Yet Zhong Xiao hadn’t heard the words she longed for, so she pressed on, “I mean, do you feel like you might be able to stand up?”

At this, both Jiang Yuan and Song Yanzhou were momentarily stunned, then let out bitter smiles, thinking Zhong Xiao was naïve. Song Yanzhou explained, “Xiao Xiao, you don’t know my situation. My injury is to the nerves, it’s not just a leg problem. Though I feel stronger than before, standing up again is almost impossible.”

Jiang Yuan added, “Xiao Xiao, I know you care about your brother, but his leg was severely wounded by a gunshot back then. He almost lost his life. I’m already very grateful for how things are now and don’t dare to ask for more.”

After chatting for a while, Song Yanzhou grew sleepy. Jiang Yuan took him to rest for a nap. When she came downstairs again, she saw Zhong Xiao sitting heavily on the sofa, lost in thought. Zhong Xiao was thinking that she had been feeding Song Yanzhou crab for over three months now. According to the crab in her spatial realm, he should at least be able to move his leg occasionally by now, yet there was still no sign of improvement.

Recalling Song Yanzhou’s mention of nerve damage, she asked Jiang Yuan, “Sister-in-law, what exactly happened to my brother back then? Why did he become paralyzed all of a sudden?”

Jiang Yuan sighed deeply at the memory and asked, “Didn’t Tingshen ever tell you?”

Zhong Xiao shook her head. “No, Tingshen seemed heavy-hearted whenever he mentioned my brother, and since you know he’s lost his memory, I didn’t want to push him.”

Jiang Yuan hesitated, but Zhong Xiao gently tugged her arm and coaxed, “Sister-in-law, I consider you my closest family. Don’t treat me like an outsider and keep things from me.”

Her soft, pleading voice melted Jiang Yuan’s heart, who hurriedly said, “It’s not that I was hiding anything. It’s just that this is Dad’s story… Well, since we’re family now, I’ll tell you.”

“Back then, when Yanzhou was on a mission, he was caught in the enemy’s trap and taken as a prisoner of war. The enemy knew he was the son of the Military District Commander and used his life to threaten Dad. Dad went alone to negotiate and when confronting the enemy, accidentally shot Yanzhou in the back…”

“That’s how it happened. Your brother was injured and unconscious. The enemy thought he was dead and no longer a hostage, so while fighting Dad and his men, they retreated.”

“When the enemy withdrew, everyone rushed in and found your brother still breathing, not dead yet.”

As Jiang Yuan recounted the past, perhaps out of sorrow for Song Yanzhou’s ordeal or fear over his near-death experience, a few tears slipped down her cheeks. Zhong Xiao felt sorry for bringing up such painful memories and comforted her gently.

“Sister-in-law, so the reason Tingshen resented Dad for so many years was because Dad accidentally shot my brother?”

Jiang Yuan nodded. “I don’t know all the details, but since your brother narrowly escaped death, and the person who caused him such near-fatal harm was Dad, Tingshen and Dad were practically at odds for years. Only after Tingshen lost his memory did their relationship improve slightly… though they’re still not very close.”

Now that Zhong Xiao understood the full story, she noticed Jiang Yuan’s sadness and asked, “Sister-in-law, have you ever resented Dad over the years?”

A trace of melancholy crossed Jiang Yuan’s face. “It’s impossible not to at all, but that was only in the first few years. I know Dad’s struggles and that on the battlefield, there’s no mercy. Yanzhou is his own son. He cares for him more than anyone. If Dad hadn’t risked his life to negotiate and bring him back, Yanzhou might not have survived at all. Given how things are now, I’m content.”

Jiang Yuan spoke sincerely. Zhong Xiao, now the partner of Song Tingshen, understood deeply that within the military community, every soldier’s spouse knows that their loved one first serves the country, second their family. Their lives belong to the nation above all.

Even if Song Yanzhou had died in enemy hands, Jiang Yuan would have had no right to blame anyone. With this understanding, Jiang Yuan let go of any lingering resentment toward Song Qingfeng and instead felt grateful.

Though Song Yanzhou remained bedridden, there was no longer worry for his life. Jiang Yuan no longer had to live in constant fear of sudden warfare or the day she might awaken to devastating news about her husband. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Yuan suddenly asked, “Xiao Xiao, if one day Tingshen goes to the battlefield, you’ll be home alone and worry terribly. It’s best to have a child soon, so even if Tingshen is away, you’ll have something to hold onto.”

Unexpectedly, Zhong Xiao shook her head earnestly. “I won’t be waiting at home.”

Jiang Yuan was taken aback. Then Zhong Xiao said, “Wherever he goes, I’ll follow. If he goes to war, I’ll go as a military spouse.”

Jiang Yuan never expected such words and instinctively asked, “But you can’t march or fight. If you go with him, you might—”

Zhong Xiao smiled gently. “If war breaks out, there will be plenty to do—frontline and logistics alike. I have no other skills, but sister-in-law, you’ve seen I can cook. Even if I just cook for the soldiers, I want to be with Song Tingshen.”

Her determined expression stunned Jiang Yuan. The usual delicate and gentle Zhong Xiao now shone with a resolute light in her beautiful eyes and a confident curve to her lips, as if claiming her future by sheer will.

Jiang Yuan murmured, “Xiao Xiao, I’m not as brave as you…”

She had always heard that daughters of wealthy capitalists were haughty and distant, never imagining that Zhong Xiao, raised in the influential Zhong family, possessed such clarity of purpose.

Zhong Xiao patted Jiang Yuan’s large belly and smiled. “It’s no big deal, sister-in-law. There are thousands of ways for women to live. No single way is nobler than another.”

Seeing Jiang Yuan smile, Zhong Xiao continued, “And, sister-in-law, bearing and raising children is so hard. Outsiders may think it easy, but only a mother knows the hardships. Raising a child isn’t a matter of days or months, but a lifelong commitment. Women bear children and carry on the family line, helping the country prosper. Isn’t that just like fighting in the army—bringing honor to the nation?”

Her eloquence lifted Jiang Yuan’s spirits. They talked for a long time until both grew sleepy, yawning. Zhong Xiao urged Jiang Yuan to rest early before returning home.

Alone at home, Song Tingshen had gone to work. Though newlywed and entitled to marriage leave, the military district was extremely busy, especially the signal corps, intercepting new telegrams daily. Each interception required all hands to decrypt and investigate, greatly increasing their workload.

Zhong Xiao hadn’t minded this until she ran into Liu Guangmin’s wife, Hu Xinxin, at the market. They had met once before at Zhong Xiao’s wedding and greeted each other. When Zhong Xiao mentioned Song Tingshen’s busy schedule, Hu Xinxin’s expression darkened, and she confided something.

“Ever since Signal Officer Sun returned, Captain Song’s workload has skyrocketed. There are more telegrams in just these few days than in the entire previous six months.”

“No one knows if Sun’s really that capable—intercepting what others can’t—or if she has some hidden agenda, using the telegrams as a cover…”

Hu Xinxin trailed off, trusting Zhong Xiao to understand the implication.

Zhong Xiao smiled knowingly. “I guess many people already know about her feelings for Captain Song.”

Hu Xinxin was surprised. Zhong Xiao’s tone suggested she’d been aware of Sun Xiaojing’s intentions all along.

Hu Xinxin, frank as ever, said, “Of course. Tingshen’s a good match—good background, good looks. Many women admire him, though most are reserved. Only two are well-known: Hou Manling and Sun Xiaojing.”

“But Manling is different,” Hu Xinxin walked alongside Zhong Xiao, continuing, “We’ve known Manling for years. She’s all talk, no action—bold in words but timid in deeds. Everyone knows she likes Tingshen, but she’s done nothing real.”

“Sun Xiaojing is different. Quiet and reserved, but very calculating. My husband Liu told me once that when liaison officers were assigned to each regiment, Sun Xiaojing worked hard to get into Tingshen’s regiment.”

“There’s more…” Hu Xinxin glanced around to ensure privacy before speaking. “Originally, another woman was assigned to Tingshen’s regiment. Sun Xiaojing begged my husband to let her transfer there, but he refused, fearing her personal feelings would interfere with her work. Sun left then, but I saw it all—her eyes filled with hatred and resentment. Women understand women, and that look was unmistakable.”

Zhong Xiao asked, “Then why did she end up working with Tingshen later?”

Hu Xinxin said, “That’s the strange part. The personnel were finalized, but the day before the announcement, the woman originally assigned to Tingshen’s regiment drowned.”

Zhong Xiao stopped, her expression growing serious. “Drowned?”

Hu Xinxin nodded gravely. “It was suspicious. She didn’t know how to swim and never went near water. She avoided even small streams during military swimming drills, saying she’d choked on water as a child and was afraid.”

“Why, then, did she go alone to a remote seaside area and drown? And the first person to find her was Sun Xiaojing.”

Zhong Xiao and Hu Xinxin exchanged looks, their silent suspicions evident.

“What happened then? How was it handled?”

Hu Xinxin sighed. “The woman was unlucky. It rained heavily that night, washing away any traces along the shore. Sun Xiaojing had no alibi, but no proof tied her to the incident either. She found the body because she had a habit of morning jogging, which others could confirm. So the case was left unresolved.”

“After that, Sun Xiaojing naturally became the liaison officer for Captain Song’s regiment. Later, she was chosen for overseas exchange study. She didn’t want to go, but someone told her that studying abroad would speed up her promotion and help her match Captain Song.”

“Who knew that upon her return, she would find out you and Captain Song were already married? Xiao Xiao, don’t blame me for being cautious, but I saw clearly at your wedding banquet how Sun Xiaojing looked at you—it was the same look she gave the woman who drowned. It was terrifying.”

“You must be careful and watch your back.”