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◎The King of Volumes, Day Twenty-One◎

Jiang Renzhou's eyes instantly turned cold.

He quickly turned around and shouted to his comrades in the vehicle, "Old Liu, get out of the car and protect my sister! The rest of you, follow me!"

Jiang Wanzhou watched the jeep drive away, feeling somewhat relieved.

She was holding her knees, breathing heavily, her body trembling slightly.

Old Liu, who stayed behind, gently comforted her and handed her a military water bottle.

"Thank you, but I don't need it."

At this moment, she was so concerned about Zhou Qingyu's safety that she had no desire to drink water.

On the other side, Jiang Renzhou sped along the path and soon heard the sounds of fierce fighting and shouts ahead.

They got off the bus and quickened their pace.

Zhou Qingyu was struggling to cope with the attack from the five people, and he already had several wounds on his body.

It's easy to see that he is agile.

"Stop!" Jiang Renzhou roared.

The five men were startled by the sudden roar and stopped what they were doing, turning to look at Jiang Renzhou and the people behind him.

"Who are you? Mind your own business!" the tall, thin man in the lead shouted, trying to appear calm but sounding weak inside.

Jiang Renzhou sneered and walked towards them step by step.

The powerful aura caused the five people to involuntarily take a few steps back.

“We are soldiers. You dare to commit violence and injury in broad daylight… no, in the dead of night. You will not escape the punishment of the law today!” Xiao Zhao shouted from behind.

The others did not falter at all, clearly indicating that they were already familiar with the technique.

"So what if we're soldiers? We're not easily intimidated!" The burly man brandished his wooden stick, trying to charge forward again, but was stopped by the tall, thin man.

The tall, thin man's eyes darted around, and he secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.

He knew he had met his match, but he was unwilling to give up.

"Brothers, let's go together and take care of these three soldiers first!" the tall, thin man shouted through gritted teeth, and the five of them rushed forward again.

Jiang Renzhou flashed behind the tall, thin man, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it hard. The tall, thin man howled in pain, and the wooden stick in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

Xiao Zhao was not to be outdone. He was incredibly strong and punched each of the two men who rushed at him, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.

Another guy, Lao Gao, solved the other two problems.

Zhou Qingyu seized the opportunity and kicked the man with the muscular face in the knee.

He knelt down with a thud.

Seeing that things were not going well, the remaining person turned around and tried to run away, but Jiang Renzhou and the other two grabbed him by the collar from behind and lifted him up like a chicken.

"Speak, who sent you?" Jiang Renzhou stared intently at the tall, thin man, his eyes blazing.

The tall, thin man gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Old Gao sneered, "You're not going to talk, huh? Then go to the police station and we'll talk slowly. I didn't expect to get a job so soon after I left the military."

When the tall, thin man was handcuffed, the other four panicked and immediately knelt down, begging for mercy.

“We said, we said, it was Brother Li from town who instructed us to do it. He said Zhou Qingyu ruined his plans and told us to teach him a lesson.”

The man with a face full of scars said with a mournful expression.

The group had already reached an agreement: these days, bullying women is definitely more serious than dealing with men.

Jiang Renzhou frowned. He had heard of the man surnamed Li in the town. He was lazy and always causing trouble because his uncle was the deputy director of a textile factory.

"Old Gao, take these people back to the police station first. I'll take Zhou Zhiqing to the hospital," Jiang Renzhou instructed.

Old Gao nodded and led the five men toward the jeep.

Jiang Renzhou turned to look at Zhou Qingyu, only to see that his face was pale and his wounds were still bleeding.

“Zhou Zhiqing, you are badly injured. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Zhou Qingyu nodded weakly and, with Jiang Renzhou's support, walked step by step toward the jeep.

Jiang Wanzhou got into the car and saw her brother and Zhou Qingyu, her heart tightened.

"Zhou Zhiqing, how are you?" she asked anxiously, her eyes filled with worry.

Seeing Jiang Wanzhou's nervous expression, Zhou Qingyu forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Upon arrival at the hospital, the doctor immediately rushed Zhou Qingyu into the emergency room.

Jiang Wanzhou and Jiang Renzhou waited anxiously outside the door, and time seemed to drag on endlessly.

Finally, the doctor came out, and Jiang Wanzhou rushed to greet him, "Doctor, how is he?"

The doctor smiled and said, "Don't worry, the injured person is not in life-threatening danger. It's just some superficial injuries and minor fractures. He will recover after a period of rest."

Jiang Wanzhou and Jiang Renzhou both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

At this time, Lao Gao also arrived at the hospital.

Jiang Wanzhou said regretfully, "Those people were clearly coming for me, so why are they only saying that Zhou Zhiqing offended them?"

Jiang Renzhou and Lao Gao exchanged a glance.

Old Gao vaguely changed the subject.

Jiang Wanzhou stayed at the town's guesthouse to take care of Zhou Qingyu, bringing him hot soup and fruit.

"Comrade Jiang, thank you for taking care of me," Zhou Qingyu said gently.

Jiang Wanzhou's cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled and said, "I should be thanking you. If you hadn't desperately blocked it for me, I might have..."

“Protecting women and children is the right thing to do,” Zhou Qingyu said, sipping her soup.

Jiang Renzhou stood at the door of the ward, watching this scene unfold.

When Zhou Qingyu saw Jiang Renzhou, she suggested being discharged from the hospital and returning to the educated youth settlement to recuperate.

Jiang Wanzhou disagreed, but Jiang Renzhou had already said that Jiang Weiguo had agreed.

It turns out it was planned last night.

Jiang Wanzhou didn't say much.

—

Red Star Brigade.

Jiang Renzhou and Shen Xinglian sat under the peach tree in front of the door.

Shen Xinglian fanned Jiang Renzhou, who was holding Shen Mingyuan.

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled light and shadow.

Jiang Renzhou recounted to Shen Xinglian the whole story of Zhou Qingyu's heroic protection of Jiang Wanzhou that night, and what happened afterward.

"Xinglian, the educated youth, faced five thugs without flinching, doing everything in her power to protect Wanzhou as she escaped. Although she was injured, her courage and sense of responsibility are truly remarkable. I think Zhou Zhiqing is a really good person." Jiang Renzhou said, gently patting the stone bench with his hand, his eyes full of admiration.

Shen Xinglian listened quietly, the image of Zhou Qingyu fighting bravely appearing in her mind.

She nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, "It's rare to find someone who would risk their own safety to protect others."

After saying that, her eyes suddenly lit up: "Honey, do you think there's something going on between my little sister and Zhou Zhiqing?"

“I mean, he’s a good person, how could he think of something like this?” Jiang Renzhou shook his head.

There's nothing wrong with admitting that.

"This is boring." Shen Xinglian stood up and walked towards her private plot.

Jiang Wanzhou was squatting down in her private plot picking vegetables.

Shen Xinglian tiptoed up behind her, suddenly reached out and covered her eyes, deliberately lowering her voice to say, "Guess who I am?"

Jiang Wanzhou was startled by this sudden action, then laughed and pried Shen Xinglian's hand away, scolding, "Xinglian, you just love to tease me. Who else could it be but you?"

Shen Xinglian sat down next to Jiang Wanzhou, tilting her head and looking at her with curiosity.

Jiang Wanzhou looked at her with amusement: "Xingxing, stop laughing, what's wrong?"

Shen Xinglian asked mysteriously, "Then you'd better tell the truth."

Jiang Wanzhou looked at her with some curiosity: "Would I hide it from you?"

Shen Xinglian leaned closer to Jiang Wanzhou and lowered her voice, saying, "I just heard Renzhou talk about Zhou Zhiqing, and I'm wondering if you like Zhou Zhiqing?"

“I heard he’s only been here for six months, but his family always sends him lots and lots of things. He’s well-off and a good person.”

"You won't suffer if you marry him."

After asking the question, she stared intently into Jiang Wanzhou's eyes, not missing a single subtle change in her expression.

Jiang Wanzhou lowered her head: "The conditions are too good. I would never have considered it before, let alone now."

“It’s so easy to cross social classes now. Just go to university, or wait for the reforms and start your own business. Wouldn’t it be a sure way for us to get rich?” Shen Xinglian disagreed.

She hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "Xinglian, I'm afraid of getting into a deep intimate relationship, and I also think that starting a family is too much trouble. These days, dating without getting married is just being a scoundrel."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xinglian's eyes sparkled with excitement. She hugged Jiang Wanzhou tightly and said with a smile, "Silly girl, you can talk about marriage now. If you go to university, you can always be in a long-distance relationship. You can even get a divorce later when the environment is more tolerant."

Jiang Wanzhou looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes, and asked, "Isn't that just marriage fraud?"

“How can I calculate it? I’m afraid if you don’t choose carefully, that cheap mother will sell you off.” Shen Xinglian had another concern.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

After dinner, Jiang Renzhou went to check on the progress of the base construction.

Shen Xinglian carried Shen Mingyuan as they delivered food to Zhou Zhiqing.

Jiang's mother rushed in, her face full of anxiety and anger.

"Wanzhou, you have to come to town with me!" Jiang's mother grabbed Jiang Wanzhou's hand, her voice trembling slightly.

Jiang Wanzhou looked puzzled and quickly asked, "Mom, what's wrong? Let your second brother stay with you."

Jiang's mother said angrily, "Your second brother hasn't been home for the past few days. I was cheated out of money in town! I was confused and bought a batch of cloth, and now he's disappeared."

“I’m getting angrier and angrier. I have to go to town to demand an explanation, but I’m not sure if I’ll make it. Will you come with me?”

"If you don't stay with me, I'll go find your older brother."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanzhou, not wanting his mother to use Jiang Renzhou, comforted her, saying, "Mom, don't worry, let's go and see if we can get the money back."

The next morning, she told Shen Xinglian, "Xingxing, I'll go to town with Mom first. If I don't come back tonight, have my brother look for me."

Shen Xinglian nodded. "Okay, be careful on the road."

Jiang Wanzhou accompanied her mother to the town and, following her mother's memory, arrived at the tenement building where Lin Yu lived.

But when they arrived at the place, there were no houses to be seen.

Lin Yu pretended to be passing by casually: "This family paid a month's rent and left in a hurry."

Jiang's mother stomped her feet in anger, "What am I going to do? My money is gone just like that!"

While comforting her mother, Jiang Wanzhou inquired around.

A kind-faced middle-aged woman dressed simply walked over.

"Young ladies, are you looking for this family? Don't bother looking anymore, they're just a scam gang, they've already run away. I heard a lot of people have been scammed, you should go and report it to the police as soon as possible," the woman said.

Jiang Wanzhou thanked the woman and then took her mother's hand as they headed towards the police station.

When they arrived at the police station, they ran into Lao Gao, a comrade-in-arms of Jiang Renzhou.

Even after leaving the police station, Jiang's mother was still somewhat downcast.

Jiang Wanzhou was thinking about how to comfort her mother.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with thinning and slightly greasy hair walked over.

"This must be Comrade Jiang?" The middle-aged man looked Jiang Wanzhou up and down, his eyes filled with an uncomfortable scrutiny.