Chapter 86 He grasped and kneaded her bright red fingertips.

Seeing the woman's expression of swearing an oath to heaven and earth, Zhang Li crossed his arms and remained silent for a while.

“Comrade Gu Feiyan is a technical staff officer in our military region; her status is special.” He stared at the woman, speaking with some uncertainty, “If this is true, the impact will be extremely bad. Are you sure everything you saw and heard is true?”

He confirmed with Sun Xiaomei again.

Based on his understanding of Staff Officer Gu, he knew that the man would never do something so shocking.

Sun Xiaomei's heart skipped a beat when he stared at her, but the thought of Jiang Wanqiu's alluring face emboldened her. She puffed out her chest and said resolutely, "Officer Zhang, I swear on my honor! I heard them say with my own ears that tomorrow at noon, in the county town, at the state-run restaurant! I even saw them pulling and tugging at each other, holding hands and refusing to let go! If they dare to do this in broad daylight, what will they be like in private?"

Zhang Li: "..."

He knew in his heart that it was better to believe in the existence of such a problem than to dismiss it entirely.

Especially since it involves a promising technical backbone like Staff Officer Gu, if word gets out, it will be a huge blow to the reputation of the entire military region.

He pondered for a moment, then finally made a decision: "Okay, I understand. I will personally investigate and verify this tomorrow."

He paused, then added coldly, "You'll come with me tomorrow. As the whistleblower, you must be there to identify the suspect."

“No problem!” Sun Xiaomei immediately agreed, overjoyed inside, but her face still showed a righteous and awe-inspiring expression, as if she were pointing out the bad apples for the organization.

By the time Jiang Wanqiu went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy groceries for dinner, it was already dark.

Unlike in the south, the supply and marketing cooperative here has far fewer vegetables available during this period; most of the produce consists of radishes, potatoes, and cabbages.

A kind-hearted sister-in-law even pulled Jiang Wanqiu aside and reminded her that it was almost time to stock up on vegetables for winter.

"Just stock up on five or six hundred catties of cabbage. It's just you and Battalion Commander Zhao at home. That'll be enough to eat for the whole winter."

This was the first time Jiang Wanqiu had ever heard of a family storing grain by the hundred-jin (a unit of weight), which truly surprised her.

Back inside, she lifted the heavy curtain, and the warm air from the heater rushed out, dispelling the chill from her body.

Inside the house, Zhao Wenchang was squatting by the stove, slowly drying a piece of clothing in the fire. She had washed the clothes yesterday, and after being outside in the cold all day, they were now as stiff as a brick.

"Look at you," Zhao Wenchang sighed without turning his head when he heard the door open, his tone tinged with helpless indulgence, "Don't you know how to keep a change of clothes for yourself? All the clothes in the house, big and small, are washed out by you in the blink of an eye. Our Wanqiu is really too capable."

Jiang Wanqiu smiled a little embarrassedly, walked over, and took the slightly softened garment from his hands. "I was just thinking of taking advantage of the good weather to wash them all."

Zhao Wenchang stood up and took her hand. As soon as he touched her cold fingertips, his brows furrowed.

Without saying a word, he pulled her to the stove, wrapped her small hands in his warm hands, and warmed them by the fire.

"Don't touch this cold water anymore." He said while carefully rubbing the woman's fingertips, "A woman's hands are precious and afraid of the cold. From now on, I'll wash the clothes in the house."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu looked up at him.

The firelight illuminated his sharply defined profile, making him appear exceptionally focused. In those days, men willing to take on the laundry chores were extremely rare.

She nodded and obediently hummed in agreement.

Seeing that she was obedient, Zhao Wenchang smiled with satisfaction. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "By the way, the military region has a procurement vehicle going to the county town tomorrow. Let's go with them and buy some things."

Seeing Jiang Wanqiu's confusion, he explained, "In a few days, a heavy snowfall will close the roads, making it difficult to get into the city. Moreover..."

He abruptly changed the subject, a smirk playing on his thin lips as he leaned close to her ear mysteriously: "Besides, there's an important mobilization event in the military region soon, and the families of our battalion have to attend. I need to get you the most eye-catching outfit in advance, so that when you stand there, you'll definitely outshine everyone else!"

"What kind of event is it?" Jiang Wanqiu's curiosity was immediately piqued.

Zhao Wenchang deliberately kept her in suspense, only saying it was a good thing and refusing to say more. He reached out and pinched her delicate cheek with a mischievous smile: "You'll find out when the time comes, I guarantee you'll be in the limelight."

It's always good to be able to go out for a stroll, so Jiang Wanqiu stopped asking questions and agreed with a smile.

The next morning, a military green jeep drove out of the military compound. Sun Xiaomei sat in the passenger seat, her face full of excitement and anticipation.

At the same time, Zhao Wenchang, holding Jiang Wanqiu's hand, got into a large procurement truck that the military region was using as a stop along the way, and they leisurely entered the city.

He was in a great mood today and talked much more than usual on the way. When they arrived in the county town, seeing that it was too early and most shops were not yet open, Zhao Wenchang pulled Jiang Wanqiu straight to the bustling morning market.

For Jiang Wanqiu, the morning market in the north was a completely new world. Frozen pears and persimmons, frozen red and crisp, steaming sticky rice cakes, and all sorts of dried goods and mountain products that she couldn't name dazzled her.

"What is this? It smells so good."

"What about this one? It looks really strange."

Her little mouth never stopped moving, taking a bite of roasted sweet potato one minute and a bite of candied hawthorn the next. Zhao Wenchang followed behind her, a satisfied smile on his face. Whatever she took a liking to, he would pay for it without hesitation.

After the woman had eaten and drunk her fill, Zhao Wenchang took her to visit several of the earlier supply and marketing cooperatives, but he didn't like the fabrics and styles of clothes there. A woman like his wife deserved to wear the best.

After much deliberation, Zhao Wenchang finally decided to wait for the department store to open.

As the two walked down the street, a gust of cold wind blew by, making Jiang Wanqiu rub her hands together.

Zhao Wenchang noticed that Jiang Wanqiu's small, exposed hands were red from the cold, and he felt extremely distressed.

He immediately waved his hand grandly and announced loudly, "I'm not shopping anymore! This shabby supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have anything good! Come on, honey, I'll take you out to eat!"

He pointed to a two-story building not far away, looking smug and saying, "Praise me!" He continued, "Let's go to the best state-run restaurant in the whole county, have a hot meal to warm ourselves up, and by then the department store should be open. We can stroll around there at our leisure!"

Jiang Wanqiu couldn't help but chuckle at his smug look and nodded.

The state-run restaurant that Zhao Wenchang mentioned was indeed the best establishment in the county.

The two-story building, with its clean white paint on the facade and gleaming glass, looked particularly impressive on the dusty streets of the county town.

Several tables were already occupied in the restaurant, mostly by men dressed in cadre uniforms or military uniforms with four pockets, who were talking and drinking loudly while eating peanuts.

At this hour, the restaurant wasn't particularly lively, but as soon as Jiang Wanqiu walked in, seven or eight pairs of eyes turned to her. Several people stared wide-eyed when they saw her fair and delicate face.