Chapter 167 I just wanted to hold her close, to be all lovey-dovey and tender.

"We can't control what other people say," the old woman sneered. "But! If anyone dares to say a bad word about my granddaughter-in-law in front of this old woman, I'll risk my old life to tear their mouth apart!"

Zhao Xiaohua sobbed and wiped away her tears, her heart still heavy: "Mom, then... then should we give all our things to Wenchang now? I think we should just leave them with him in Beijing..."

"Wait." Upon hearing this, Ma Jinhua frowned. "Wait a little longer."

Zhao Xiaohua was taken aback, but didn't ask any more questions. She knew the old lady understood.

Although she said she would wait, the old lady's heart had already flown to the military hospital.

She was starting to get restless too.

After a long silence, she spoke again: "Let's leave it at that for now. Didn't the telegram from Wenchang say that he'll hold a wedding banquet with Wanqiu once he recovers? We can't let that girl suffer any injustice. Xiaohua, go and pack up the betrothal gifts we've prepared for Wanqiu, as well as all the mountain produce we've saved up at home, and send them over first thing tomorrow morning!"

...

A few days later, at the military hospital.

Just as Jiang Wanqiu was being pestered by Zhao Wenchang to give him a massage, a postman delivered a heavy package from the village.

Zhao Wenchang's injuries have healed considerably, and he is now able to walk slowly on the ground.

He leaned over and helped Jiang Wanqiu unpack the package that was tightly bound with hemp rope.

As soon as the package was opened, a familiar, earthy aroma wafted out. Inside were dried mushrooms, hazelnuts, strings of red chilies, and several packets of cured meat carefully wrapped in oil paper.

Beneath these local specialties lies a rustic wooden box.

Jiang Wanqiu curiously opened the wooden box and immediately gasped.

Inside the box was a thick stack of brand-new "Great Unity" coupons, next to which were neatly stacked various grain coupons, cloth coupons, industrial coupons... And under these coupons lay two gold bracelets of excellent quality, engraved with intricate patterns, and a pair of small gold rings.

In the 1970s, gold was a controlled commodity, and it was simply unimaginable to possess so much privately. It was an enormous sum that an ordinary family could never afford in a lifetime.

Jiang Wanqiu was so shocked by the expensive "bride price" that she was speechless, and her hand holding the wooden box trembled slightly.

Seeing her in a daze, Zhao Wenchang casually leaned over for a glance, then reached in and picked up a gold bracelet, saying nonchalantly, "Grandma and the others gave it to me. You can keep it. Do you like it?"

"This...this is too valuable!" Jiang Wanqiu snapped out of her daze and hurriedly tried to push the things back. "How...how come your family has these things?"

Zhao Wenchang didn't answer, but simply smiled and pulled her slender wrist. He held her slightly cool hand in one hand, and with the other hand, he slipped the icy gold bracelet onto her wrist.

"It's a long story," he began, a faint smile on his face. "When the opportunity arises, I'll have Grandma tell you herself. Just know that our Zhao family will never mistreat you, our great contributor."

The gold bracelet sat securely on her fair wrist, the perfect size. Its golden sheen made her skin appear even more radiant and jade-like.

Zhao Wenchang held her wrist, examined it for a long time, and then suddenly frowned in disgust: "It's just too thin, like a coil, not impressive. If you ask me, it has to be a thick and wide gold bracelet, that's what looks good on you."

Jiang Wanqiu was amused by his straight-man aesthetic sense, and the shock and unease in her heart were diluted by this jarring remark.

She raised her eyes, gave him a reproachful glare, and her eyes sparkled with alluring charm.

"you……"

Seeing the woman's charming appearance, Zhao Wenchang's mind started to wander again. He grabbed her wrist with his large hand and slid it down to her elbow.

"Dad! Mom!"

Before he could even finish speaking, Zhao Ping'an, who had just seen the postman off, burst back in, volunteering to carry the large box: "I'll carry all this back! Mom, what do you want for lunch? I'll get it for you from the cafeteria!"

These past few days, because Jiang Wanqiu is pregnant, Zhao Ping'an has practically become a little adult, not letting her do anything and running around on his own, yet he does it all in a very organized and reliable way.

Zhao Wenchang's good time was interrupted, so he clicked his tongue and told that brat to take his things and leave quickly.

After everyone left, Zhao Wenchang pulled the woman into his arms again. Before they could even get intimate, there was another knock on the ward door.

"Tsk."

Seeing Zhao Wenchang's annoyed expression, Jiang Wanqiu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

A guard in military uniform walked in. He stood ramrod straight, his expression serious. He first saluted Zhao Wenchang, then turned to Jiang Wanqiu, stood at attention again, and spoke in a loud voice:

"Comrade Jiang Wanqiu, reporting to you! The criminal Du Wenxiu was apprehended and brought to justice yesterday! Commander Le has instructed that the military court will hold a public trial in three days for the case of Du Wenxiu and He Xiaoman. Please attend on time as an important witness in this case!"

Standing to the side, Zhao Wenchang keenly grasped a few key words. He looked at the guard seriously, his voice suddenly turning cold: "Trial? What happened?"

The young guard was taken aback by his gaze, instinctively straightening his back. He looked at Zhao Wenchang, somewhat confused, and said, "Commander, didn't your wife tell you? Just a few days ago, He Xiaoman, along with Du Wenxiu, tried to take advantage of you at the abandoned warehouse..."

Before he could finish speaking, the atmosphere around Zhao Wenchang had become frighteningly tense.

"Dishonesty?" He felt a rush of blood to his head. The next second, he took a few steps forward, as if he was about to rush out and cause trouble for them: "Where are they?! Where are they locked up?! I'm going to kill them with my own hands right now!"

His movements were so violent that his wound, which had only healed a few days prior, burst open instantly.

A muffled groan escaped his throat, and his whole body swayed. Bright red blood quickly seeped from the wound, staining layer after layer of white gauze, and finally soaking through the hospital gown on his leg, a shocking sight.

"Zhao Wenchang!"

Jiang Wanqiu was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She screamed and pounced on him from behind without thinking, using all her strength to hug his strong waist tightly.

"Are you crazy! Your injury!" Her face was pressed against his burning, taut back, and she could clearly feel his muscles trembling violently with rage. "I'm fine! Did you hear me! I'm perfectly fine! Gu Feiyan arrived just in time, I'm perfectly alright!"

That's what she's afraid of.

She knew Zhao Wenchang's temper; he easily lost his temper and reason when it involved her. She was afraid of affecting his recovery, so she planned to keep it a secret for a few days until he was healed before telling him. Who knew…

The man was breathing heavily due to his emotional state. Jiang Wanqiu could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if it were about to burst out of his chest.

She dared not let go, and could only hold him tighter, transferring her body heat to him, repeating in his ear again and again: "I'm really fine, look at me, I'm perfectly alright, aren't I? If you move again, the wound will all reopen! Zhao Wenchang, be good!"

The man in her arms gradually lost his strength, his tall body trembling slightly, and finally let the woman pull him back to the bed.

Seeing that things were not going well, the guard immediately ran away after relaying the commander's order.

"It's all my fault," Zhao Wenchang said, his brows furrowed as he hugged the woman's waist and buried his face in her stomach. His voice was filled with regret and fear. "If I had come back sooner... if I had been by your side, if he had dared to come near me, I would have killed him on the spot!"

A few days later, a military court.

In the solemn and dignified courtroom, no one dared to breathe loudly.

Jiang Wanqiu sat in the witness stand as a witness. Her expression was calm, her voice clear, and she calmly recounted everything that had happened in the warehouse that day, word by word. Without a trace of emotion, her words sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

When it was He Xiaoman's turn, she was crying uncontrollably, her face covered in snot and tears. She collapsed to the ground, only to be pulled up by two People's Liberation Army soldiers on either side of her. Pointing at Du Wenxiu beside her, she cried out hoarsely, "It wasn't me! Judge, it was all him! He lied to me! He said he loved me, that he would marry me, I... I was blinded by love, I was just confused for a moment!"

Du Wenxiu, whom she was pointing at, retaliated like a mad dog, hysterically shouting, "You're talking nonsense! He Xiaoman! It was you! You were the one who wrote letters to seduce me time and time again, saying that Zhou Jianguo was no good in that area and couldn't satisfy you! You slut, you took the initiative!"

Desperate to escape punishment, he disregarded everything else, his face flushed, and blurted out a shocking secret: "Judge! This bitch is not honest at all; the child in her belly isn't even Zhou Jianguo's!"

The moment those words were spoken, the courtroom erupted in an uproar!

All eyes instantly focused on Zhou Jianguo, whose face was ashen.

Summoned by the judge, he walked forward silently, like a walking corpse.

He took out a crumpled hospital diagnosis certificate from his shirt pocket and handed it over with both hands.

“Reporting to the judge,” his voice was somewhat hoarse, “I… suffer from azoospermia and am unable to father children.”

...

Ultimately, the court delivered its verdict in court: Du Wenxiu was sentenced to twenty years of hard labor for multiple crimes, including attempted rape and theft of military property! He Xiaoman was forced to divorce, dismissed from her military dependent status, and sent to a farm in her hometown for ten years of supervised labor for adultery, false accusation, and complicity in crimes!

As he listened to the verdict, Zhao Wenchang sat in the gallery, coldly staring at the adulterous couple who were being dragged away by their guards.

Labor camp?

Very well. Since they've been sent to a labor camp, they're now in his territory.

He won't let those two have a single day of peace.

As the trial concluded, Jiang Wanqiu walked out of the courthouse, the glaring sunlight causing her to squint slightly. Standing at the entrance was a gaunt, emaciated figure.

It's Zhou Jianguo.

He seemed to have aged ten years overnight; most of his hair had turned white, and his back was hunched. When he saw Jiang Wanqiu, he silently walked forward and bowed deeply to her.

"Thank you, Comrade Jiang Wanqiu." His voice carried a hint of relief. "Although... it was very embarrassing, it was a relief for me as well."

After saying that, he turned around dejectedly and left step by step.

Looking at Zhou Jianguo's desolate figure, as if struck by frost, Jiang Wanqiu felt a tightness in her chest. She wanted to say a few words of comfort, but when the words reached her lips, they felt pale and powerless.

No man could bear the thought of being cuckolded and then having to admit in front of everyone that he couldn't have children.

She subconsciously thought of her own space, and vague images of bottles and jars flashed through her mind. It seemed... like some kind of medicinal wine or elixir that could cure male infertility?

Jiang Wanqiu thought that she would have to search for it carefully when she got back today.

As she was lost in thought, a large, hot hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a firm embrace.

Zhao Wenchang's voice was deep and cold: "Stop looking. You can't even control your own wife. If it weren't for his pitiful state, I wouldn't have let Zhou Jianjun go either."

His chest heaved violently, clearly still angry about what happened in court. Jiang Wanqiu leaned against him, tilted her head back, and said softly, "You can't say that. After all, he was also deceived by He Xiaoman. Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go back first. Your leg is still injured, you can't stand for too long."

Unexpectedly, after returning to the ward, Zhao Wenchang pondered for a long time and then suddenly said to Jiang Wanqiu, "No! This can't wait!"

Jiang Wanqiu was taken aback by his gaze: "What can't wait?"

"Marriage!" Zhao Wenchang uttered the two words firmly, took a few steps to the bedside table, pulled open the drawer, and pulled out a form that had been placed there at some point.

It was the marriage application form he had filled out long ago.

"Your injury hasn't fully healed yet, what's the rush! Getting married is such an exhausting thing, we should wait until you're fully recovered before talking about it." Jiang Wanqiu felt both sorry for him and amused, and got up to stop him.

This man, he's so impulsive!

Zhao Wenchang stubbornly pushed her hand away: "No, we can't wait any longer."

He must marry her immediately!

He wanted everyone in the entire military region to know that Jiang Wanqiu was Zhao Wenchang's woman!

He wanted to see who the hell would dare to lay a finger on a woman again!

In Division Commander Zhao Changfeng's office, Zhao Wenchang pushed open the door with a bang and slammed the application form heavily onto the desk.

Zhao Changfeng, who was looking down at the documents, was startled by the commotion. He looked up and saw Zhao Wenchang's hurried appearance. Then he glanced at the application form that the man had slammed on the table and couldn't help but chuckle. He leaned back in his chair and said slowly and teasingly, "Oh, isn't this our Battalion Commander Zhao? I remember he was so stubborn before, telling me he was happy being single and absolutely refused to settle down. What's wrong with him now? Running away faster than anyone else. Is there a wolf chasing you?"

"Commander, please stop teasing me!" Zhao Wenchang solemnly announced, "I'm getting married! And I'm going to give my wife the most lively and splendid wedding in the entire military region!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Changfeng's smile faded slightly. He picked up the application form, glanced at it, then looked up at Zhao Wenchang, picked up his pen, and signed his name in a flourish.

"However, there's something I need to tell you before you marry Jiang Wanqiu."