Chapter 121 Heart Palpitation (Part 2)

The moment Zhou Xiye leaned over, Jiang Zhizhi felt her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

His fingers couldn't help but curl up together.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiye didn't kiss her at all. He simply stroked the back of her head and gently pressed her cheek against the side of his neck, near the artery.

She could clearly feel the throbbing of his arteries; it was strong and rapid, almost in sync with her own heartbeat.

Jiang Zhizhi felt dizzy; this intimate contact made her feel even more excited than a kiss.

Zhou Xiye gently hugged Jiang Zhizhi for a while, then let go and reached out to rub the top of her head: "I'm going to make lunch. I have to go out again this afternoon."

Jiang Zhizhi blushed and looked up at Zhou Xiye with a smile, saying, "I want to eat the potato rice that Aunt Fengmei makes."

I've been eating too well with Zhou Xiye lately, and I'm really afraid we'll eat our family out of house and home.

Zhou Xiye paused for a moment, then said, "I really don't know how to do that."

Jiang Zhizhi didn't make things difficult for him: "Then let's keep it simple. I'm easy to take care of and not picky about food."

Zhou Xiye went to cook, and Jiang Zhizhi followed behind him like a little tail, insisting on helping to pick vegetables and peel garlic.

After cooking rice and preparing to chop vegetables, Li Zhiguo's orderly came over and called Zhou Xiye.

Her tone was hurried, and Jiang Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat. She knew that Zhou Xiye's mission had been brought forward. Suppressing her reluctance and worry, she watched Zhou Xiye hurriedly get up, go inside to get his coat, and waved her hand, saying, "Be careful."

Zhou Xiye nodded, walked quickly to the door, and just as he was about to open it, he turned around and took a deep look at Jiang Zhizhi. This time, he opened the door without hesitation and left quickly with the orderly.

When Jiang Zhizhi went out, the two had already disappeared, and she felt a sudden emptiness and pain in her heart.

There was also a sense of helplessness at not being able to help Zhou Xiye.

After standing at the door for a while, I turned back. The small room felt empty and spacious. I instantly lost my appetite and slowly finished the work that Zhou Xiye had only half-finished.

He went to check on the rice, put out the fire in the stove, carried the rice back into the house, and then went back to the inner room.

Feeling frustrated, Jiang Zhizhi picked up Zhou Xiye's pillow, intending to lie down for a while to calm down.

The moment I picked up the pillow, I froze. Underneath it was a small red velvet pouch.

She picked up the cloth bag with some curiosity; it was rather heavy. She opened the bag and poured out a brand-new Shanghai brand women's watch.

She had seen it a few times before. This women's watch was exquisite and small, but also expensive, costing over 170 yuan, and you also needed a watch voucher.

Jiang Zhizhi looked at the watch repeatedly for a while, then looked inside the cloth bag and found a note. She took it out and opened it. It was written by Zhou Xiye: "To Comrade Jiang Zhizhi, may you be happy every day and have good fortune every year."

Jiang Zhizhi read the somewhat old-fashioned and official words repeatedly.

My eyes welled up with tears. When did I prepare this gift for her?

...

In Li Zhiguo's office, Zhou Xiye and Li Zhuo were fully armed and ready to depart.

Looking at the two men, Li Zhiguo felt even heavier than when they went on missions before: "I'll say it again: come back alive, and I'll treat you to drinks."

Then, looking at Zhou Xiye, she said, "Don't worry about Xiao Jiang. I'll have your sister-in-law help take care of her."

Zhou Xiye paused for a moment: "If I don't come back, give her the compensation. Also, since she likes rice, give her a monthly allowance, replacing flour with rice. Send her to Beijing, encourage her to study, and find her a good marriage in the future."

Li Zhiguo was stunned for a moment, then spat and said, "I've never seen anyone start worrying about finding a partner for their wife while they're still alive."

Li Zhuo grinned from the side: "I don't have a wife. If I did, I'd be just like Captain Zhou."

Zhou Xiye ignored the two and continued, "Keep an eye on Bian Xiaoxiao and Wang Qinglan, and don't let them make things difficult for Zhizhi."

Li Zhiguo sighed and glared at Zhou Xiye: "It's your own wife, you should come back and protect her yourself. I don't care."

Zhou Xiye didn't say anything; he was just saying what was on his mind.

Li Zhiguo checked the time: "It's time to go. There are two of you leaving today, so remember to come back safely."

Watching the two get into the car and leave, Li Zhiguo couldn't help but curse. He would be heartbroken if either of them got hurt!

...

Jiang Zhizhi lay on the bed with her watch in her hand, not sitting up until evening. She rubbed her eyes; something was wrong with her.

Zhou Xiye is just going to carry out a mission, it's not like she'll never come back. Look at her current state, it's really too ominous!

I washed my face, cooked the vegetables I hadn't cooked for lunch, and ate a few bites with some cold rice.

While we were eating, Tian Aiqin came over carrying half a bag of rice: "Eating dinner so early? My husband said your arm is not convenient, so he asked me to come and cook for you."

Jiang Zhizhi stretched her arms: "It's nothing serious, I just need to move them a little."

Tian Aiqin looked at the white rice and shredded cabbage in Jiang Zhizhi's bowl and smiled: "This rice was sent over by my husband, Lao Li. Don't worry, it was delivered using your Zhou Xiye's food coupons."

Jiang Zhizhi thanked her repeatedly, saying, "I can get it myself, there's no need for you to bring it over."

Tian Aiqin waved her hand: "It's okay, I'm just free anyway. My eldest and second eldest can cook now, so my days are much easier. By the way, did you collect the work protection supplies that were issued this month? If not, I'll go get them for you tomorrow."

Jiang Zhizhi shook her head: "Not yet, sister-in-law, don't bother, I'll go by myself."

Tian Aiqin smiled and said, "Look, why are you being so polite with me? You're injured, your arm is inconvenient, and Zhou Xiye isn't home. It's our duty to take care of you."

"We have an unwritten rule here: if the man in a household is away on a mission and there's something going on at home, the other family members have to come and help. We all live in the same compound, so helping each other is only natural."

"Although people eat different kinds of grains, most people in our family compound are good. If you have any difficulties, just tell me."

Jiang Zhizhi was a little touched: "Sister-in-law, thank you."

Tian Aiqin sighed: "No need to thank me, this is what we should do. You just got married, so you definitely won't be able to adjust to him leaving. But you'll get used to it as time goes on. When I first brought the child here, Lao Li went on a mission, and I was so scared that I didn't sleep a wink all night. I didn't know when he would come back until I could finally get a good night's sleep."

“I remember one time, they went together and someone sacrificed their life. At the time, I didn’t know who it was. When I saw someone carrying the body back, I felt like the sky had fallen.”

Jiang Zhizhi's heart sank again; her sister-in-law hadn't offered her any comfort at all.

...

For the next two days, Jiang Zhizhi spent her time either eating or going to the bookstore, where she read many books about this era. She would also go to the training ground to watch the soldiers train from afar.

Li Zhiguo saw her twice, and seeing Jiang Zhizhi standing far away at the edge of the training field, watching intently, he didn't go over to disturb her.

He thought that Jiang Zhizhi must miss Zhou Xiye so much that she came to the training ground.

I didn't want to bother her because I really didn't know what to say to Jiang Zhizhi.

He's been so worried these past two days that he can't sleep.

On the third day after Zhou Xiye left, Jiang Zhizhi went to the hospital to change her dressing and also took the opportunity to visit Jiang Zhenhua.

Surprisingly, Sun Xiaoyue was there, looking haggard and several years older.

Jiang Zhenhua, who had been keeping a stern expression, softened when he saw Jiang Zhizhi enter the ward. He waved to her and asked, "Zhizhi, you're here? Is your wound any better?"

Jiang Zhizhi nodded: "Much better. You look good, you should be discharged soon, right?"

Jiang Zhenhua nodded: "Yes, the doctor said I can be discharged the day after tomorrow."

Seeing Jiang Zhizhi talking to Jiang Zhenhua, Sun Xiaoyue silently stepped aside, her eyes filled with resentment.

Why does Jiang Zhizhi seem even more beautiful than she was in Qingquan Village? Her skin is supple and radiant, and she looks like a flower that has drunk its fill of water, plump and full.

Song Wanying saw Jiang Zhizhi enter without greeting her, and was chatting animatedly with Jiang Zhenhua. She glanced at Sun Xiaoyue and said, "Come out with me."

After leaving the ward, Song Wanying sighed, "Don't come looking for us again."

Sun Xiaoyue shook her head repeatedly: "No, Mom, I'm definitely your child. There must have been a mistake that day. If you don't believe me, shall we go back to Beijing and get tested again? We can even find a professional to test whether we are related by blood."

"If I weren't your biological daughter, why would I look like you? Besides, I have no reason to lie to you. Mom, it's just a blood type test, and you're going to deny our blood relation? Aren't you being too hasty?"

Song Wanying was stunned for a moment. She had thought about these things before, but...

Finally, he sighed and said, "You should go back now, and don't come over anytime soon."

Sun Xiaoyue knew that Song Wanying was starting to waver, but because of Jiang Zhenhua, she didn't dare to agree immediately. As long as she could get Song Wanying to give in, she could play the victim and, after a while, once those two were dead, the house in Beijing would still be hers.

That small courtyard house would have been worth hundreds of millions after 2008.

With a drawn-out expression, she continued to feign pitifulness: "Mom, I'll head back now. Take good care of yourself; you've lost a lot of weight lately."

Song Wanying was tempted for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "You should go back first. Take good care of yourself in the countryside."

When she returned to the ward, Jiang Zhizhi had already left.

Seeing Song Wanying's hesitant expression, Jiang Zhenhua immediately frowned: "You're not going to soften your heart, are you? You're going to believe her again? Think about it carefully, how many things have happened in the family since she came here? How much slander has she smeared Zhizhi? Her intentions have never been pure. If you continue to believe her, then wait for her to drink our blood."

Song Wanying opened her mouth, unable to refute Jiang Zhenhua, but in her heart she wondered what if there was a misunderstanding.

...

Jiang Zhizhi left the hospital and went to the department store to pick up her clothes.

At the entrance of the department store, she ran into the sunny boy who had almost bumped into her that day.

He was still wearing a white shirt and black pants, with a military satchel slung across his body. The shirt buttons were fastened at the top, but it didn't look stiff. He still gave people a sunny and clean feeling.

Right now, she was waving her fist, grabbing a man's collar with one hand, her face full of anger: "I saw you steal that old lady's money, you better hand it over right now."

The man shook his head: "You can't talk nonsense. I did pass by here, and you're framing me."

The boy gripped his collar tightly: "Then do you dare let me search you?"

The man laughed, his triangular eyes filled with mockery: "A body search is fine, but if you don't find anything, you'll kneel down and kowtow to me in apology!"

The boy confidently began, "Sure, I saw you steal it with my own eyes..."

Seeing that the man was confident enough to allow a body search, Jiang Zhizhi glanced around and saw someone in the crowd smile at him before turning to run away.

It instantly dawned on me that the arrested man had accomplices who had already transferred the stolen money.

They quickly gave chase.

Her pursuit startled the man whose collar the boy was grabbing, who shouted, "Biaozi, run!"

The boy turned his head and saw Jiang Zhizhi chasing after a man. He realized that this man was so confident because he had an accomplice!

He kicked him in the weakest spot on his body, then chased after Jiang Zhizhi in the direction she had run.

In just one street, Jiang Zhizhi caught up with the thief and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling face-first into the mud.

The boy caught up and pinned the thief down on the ground: "So you're an accomplice! Hand over the money now."

The thief, pinned to the ground, couldn't move and cried out in pain, "I'll give it to you, I'll give it to you, okay?"

The boy didn't believe him. He pressed his knee against the boy's back and searched through his pockets himself, finding a gray handkerchief containing money and two wallets.

The boy slapped the thief's face with his wallet: "You stole quite a lot. You'd better confess properly when you get to the police station later."

Jiang Zhizhi glanced around and reminded the boy, "Hurry up and leave, lest they have accomplices. Let's take them to the police first."

The boy obeyed and picked up the thief, saying, "How could you have the nerve to steal money from an old lady? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

After saying that, he thanked Jiang Zhizhi again: "Sister, thank you for earlier. My name is Shang Xingzhou."

Jiang Zhizhi was surprised; she hadn't expected the boy to be so handsome, and his name was so pleasant to hear. She smiled and said, "No need to be polite. Take them to the police station first."

The old woman who had lost her money also came over shakily. After recognizing her handkerchief, she kept thanking Shang Xingzhou.

This made Shang Xingzhou, whose face was still a bit green, look embarrassed: "Auntie, this is what I should do, and thanks to this sister for her help, you should thank her instead."

The old woman quickly thanked Jiang Zhi again: "Girl, thank you so much. This is our whole family's food supply. If it were lost, how would we survive?"

Jiang Zhizhi smiled and said, "It's okay, check first to see if any money is missing."

Sun Xiaoyue was mingling in the crowd when she saw Shang Xingzhou's face and was completely stunned.

He was a businessman from the Zhou Dynasty. His father held a high position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, he joined the army and became a soldier under Zhou Xiye. After Zhou Xiye's sacrifice, he was discharged from the army and went back to business, becoming one of the earliest business tycoons.

Also, he has always been very good to Jiang Zhizhi!

Sun Xiaoyue still remembers that at the time, there were even rumors about Shang Xingzhou and Jiang Zhizhi, but Jiang Donghua used his power to suppress them.

Could it be that Shang Xingzhou knew Jiang Zhizhi so early on?