Chapter 50 Her eyes were red, and the man comforted and kissed her.

Zhao Wenchang felt the person in his arms suddenly stiffen, then go limp.

He looked down and saw a bloody hole right in the center of Liu Shengnan's forehead. Her eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief.

She never imagined that her own people would kill her.

Once the pieces have been exposed, they are no longer of any use to them.

Zhao Wenchang released her hand expressionlessly, letting her body slide to the ground.

He held his gun up and waited a few more seconds in the dark woods.

Apart from the suppressed groans of the villager who had been shot, there was no other sound around.

Those people have already left.

Zhao Wenchang holstered his gun, turned around, and growled at the terrified villagers behind him, "Count everyone! Carry the wounded brother! We're going back right now!"

His voice was like a calming pill, gradually stabilizing the panicked crowd.

Jiang Wanqiu quickly walked over to an aunt who was so frightened that her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground. She helped her up and said, "Auntie, don't be afraid. Lean on me, let's go home."

Aunt Ma grabbed her arm tremblingly, as if she had grasped a lifeline, and could barely speak coherently.

The group carried the wounded soldier, not daring to linger any longer, and hurriedly retraced their steps back to the village. The road they had come from seemed exceptionally long, and everyone's heart was in their throats, fearing that the group might turn back.

Once home, she closed the door and confirmed that the surroundings were safe before Jiang Wanqiu's heart began to pound belatedly.

Without saying a word, Zhao Wenchang leaned his hunting rifle against the corner of the wall, then walked to the table and sat down.

He didn't turn on the light; the dim moonlight shone through the window paper, outlining his silent profile.

His face was grim, his jawline taut, and his eyes, which usually held a warm gaze when he looked at her, now resembled two bottomless, icy pools, churning with an uncontrollable murderous intent.

That was Zhao Wenchang, whom Jiang Wanqiu had never seen before.

He was a soldier who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, exuding a fierce and cold aura that kept strangers at bay.

Jiang Wanqiu's hands trembled slightly; for some reason, she was somewhat afraid of the man in front of her.

She wanted to get a glass of hot water, but her feet seemed glued to the ground, unable to move.

Just then, Zhao Wenchang seemed to notice her stiffness.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on her pale face. The chilling aura that could freeze a person melted away quickly, like ice and snow meeting the warm sun.

The coldness in his eyes faded, replaced by warmth.

The man stood up and walked towards her.

Jiang Wanqiu subconsciously tensed up.

Zhao Wenchang stopped in front of her, said nothing, but simply stretched out his large, rough hand and gently grasped her cold hand.

His palms were very hot, radiating a reassuring warmth that flowed continuously.

He looked down at her, his gaze focused and deep, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice a little hoarse.

“I didn’t expect this,” he paused, as if unsure how to organize his thoughts, and finally uttered only the most direct statement, “You are so brave.”

“Most women would be so scared by what they just saw that they wouldn’t be able to walk.” Zhao Wenchang’s thin lips curled up slightly. “But you, on the other hand, were able to think of helping others and bringing them back safely.”

It would have been better if Zhao Wenchang hadn't brought it up, because once he did, Jiang Wanqiu remembered it again.

First, there was the mangled corpse abandoned in the mountains, then the bloody hole in Liu Shengnan's forehead; the two unseeing faces kept flashing through her mind.

Isn't she scared? She's terrified!

Jiang Wanqiu's nose tingled, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She sniffed sharply, but the tears, like pearls from a broken string, still streamed down her face.

"Who...who said I'm not afraid anymore..." She tried to calm down, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her voice betrayed her fear, trembling with tears, "My, my legs are still weak..."

When she cried, Zhao Wenchang's heart clenched.

He didn't say another word, and with a stretch of his long arm, he pulled the woman, who was still shedding tears, into his embrace.

Jiang Wanqiu's cheek collided with his hard chest.

The embrace was firm and strong, with a comforting assertiveness that enclosed all her panic and fear in this small space.

“It’s right to be afraid,” Zhao Wenchang said, raising his hand to ruffle the woman’s soft hair. “It’s my fault for dragging you into this. Cry, it’ll make you feel better.”

His words were like a switch being flipped, and Jiang Wanqiu could no longer hold back. She clutched his shirt and burst into tears.

Zhao Wenchang just stood there, letting her tears and snot soak him, his large, kind hands patting her back rhythmically, as if he were comforting a child who had suffered a great injustice.

After she had cried enough and her body was as limp as a puddle of mud, Zhao Wenchang swept her up in his arms and easily lifted her horizontally. He walked a few steps to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and gently placed her on the bedding.

Jiang Wanqiu leaned against the man's chest, listening to his steady and strong heartbeat. She was exhausted from crying, her eyelids were too heavy to lift, and she unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

Zhao Wenchang looked down at the peaceful sleeping face of the woman in his arms. Tears still clung to her long eyelashes, and her eyes and nose were red from crying, making her look like a pitiful little rabbit.

The fierceness and murderous intent surging in his eyes transformed into tenderness at this moment.

He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on the woman's smooth forehead.

Then, he carefully withdrew his arm, covered her with the blanket, and then turned and left the room quietly.

He went straight to the woodshed in the village where Liu Wei was being held.

He was right after all.

The door to the woodshed was ajar. He pushed it open and saw Xu Wei, who was tied up inside, lying on the ground with a precise bullet hole between his eyebrows. Blood was flowing everywhere, and he was already lifeless.

This group has been exposed; their target is clearly him. Staying in the village any longer will only drag his family down with them.

The next day, when Jiang Wanqiu woke up, it was just dawn.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Zhao Wenchang sitting at the table, stuffing his few changes of clothes into a military green canvas bag.

The man's eyes were bloodshot, and a ring of bluish stubble had appeared on his chin, clearly indicating that he had been busy all night without sleep.

"You're awake?" Noticing her movement, Zhao Wenchang turned around, smiled at the woman, and said, "Get ready, we'll go to the military region right away, it's safe there."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu instinctively asked, "What about my parents?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, and his father-in-law, Zhao Shan, walked in carrying a steaming bowl of corn porridge.

“I’m here at home, so it won’t be a problem.” Zhao Shan placed the bowl on the kang table, gesturing for Jiang Wanqiu to have something to eat first. “They’re after Wenchang. You and Wenchang are in the most danger here. We have to leave, leave quickly.”

When they parted, the mother-in-law and grandmother had red eyes and couldn't say a word. They just desperately stuffed all the edible things in the house into two large sacks.

Boiled eggs, dried sweet potato fries, homemade pickled vegetables... The two large bags were full and heavy, filled with their unspoken worries.

A military green jeep pulled up outside the yard. A young man in military uniform jumped out, saw Zhao Wenchang, snapped to attention, and gave a crisp salute: "Battalion Commander Zhao!"