Chapter 39

The Flying Tigers' field training isn't always confined to remote mountains and wilderness; sometimes it takes place in rural areas. One day, during a challenge involving a jungle ambush, the two groups of Flying Tigers, while trying to prevent each other from reaching the finish line, accidentally damaged a vegetable patch belonging to a farmer named Zhang. After scolding the group with her hands on her hips, Zhang, in a fit of anger, then ordered these burly men in camouflage to help repair her home as compensation. Thus, a routine training exercise turned into a large-scale voluntary labor operation.

Granny Zhang lived alone in the countryside in a small house covered with corrugated iron. Last year's floods had worsened her living conditions. Fortunately, the entire SDU had helped her during the disaster relief efforts, and she recognized them. This time, she spared no effort in using them. With clear division of labor, everyone carried, lifted, and hammered, repairing most of the furniture. In the end, only Zhan Sir, the tallest man assigned to repair the roof, hadn't finished. The others watched as their usually authoritative commander was being criticized and scolded by Granny Zhang for his clumsy movements, and they all stifled their laughter. Although Zhan Sir was helpless, he had no choice but to humble himself and obey Granny Zhang's orders.

The reward after the work was a plate of tea and fruit. Zhuang Zhuoyuan picked one up and chuckled to himself as he and Zhang Jiguang and the others secretly exchanged phone numbers with Qiu Junxuan, who was determined to help Granny Zhang for free in the future. Just then, he heard a very familiar shout from not far away. He looked up, his eyes immediately crinkled, and his feet stepped out before he even thought.

"Husband!" Iris was overjoyed to unexpectedly bump into her baby during her fieldwork. She ran and waved as she ran, and when she saw Zhuang Zhuoyuan coming towards her, she excitedly called out again, which made people feel incredibly sweet.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan caught her as she lunged at him, scooped her up with one arm, and spun her around halfway. Iris, overjoyed, gave him a kiss before turning to greet the group. However, compared to her earlier, heartfelt "Husband," her subsequent "Hello, everyone" sounded rather perfunctory. But there was no way to protest it. The others smiled and waved back, watching as Zhuang Zhuoyuan fed Iris a piece of tea and fruit, then pulled her forward, before teasing the newly minted sister-in-law: "Iris, you're out having fun again? I'm so envious of how you're doing."

Iris puffed out her cheeks, then took another bite of food from Zhuang Zhuoyuan's hand before retorting, "We're combining knowledge with practice. Don't laugh at us. You'll see later that I might know Hong Kong better than you do."

Zhuang Zhuoyuan put his arm around her shoulder for support: "Don't disbelieve me, my wife is almost a tour guide now."

Jianren immediately chimed in, "So, what's fun around here? Tell me quickly."

This village was already in a remote location, and with the exodus of residents, only a few scattered households remained. Iris and her classmates came to document the village before it faded away, to create a detailed record. However, what they considered treasures were mostly just junk to ordinary people, so what they thought were good places might not be suitable for Jianren and his group. Therefore, she didn't answer his question directly, only saying, "There are many beautiful places in this village. If you want to hear stories, I can take you there next time. But there's one place I suggest you avoid: the soy sauce factory with its gates tightly shut on the back hill. I guess they don't make soy sauce anymore, but they still keep a lot of vicious dogs. We hadn't even gotten close when the dogs kept barking incessantly; it was really frightening."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hantao frowned slightly.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan was only concerned about his wife for the time being: "There are quite a few dogs in the village, so you should be careful when you pass by."

"I know," Iris said, giving an OK sign. Seeing her enjoying the tea cake, Zhuang Zhuoyuan fed her the remaining half. Just as he was about to ask if she wanted more, Iris shook her head, covering her mouth which was still chewing, and mumbled, "I'm still in the novelty-seeking stage."

She just wanted to try everything. Zhuang Zhuoyuan gripped Iris's other hand tightly: "If I had known you were here, I would have left some tables and chairs for you to fix, or even asked Zhan Sir to leave the roof for you."

Iris chuckled, then asked, "You guys are dressed like you're here for training, how come you look like volunteers?"

Now everyone had found a place to complain. They all pointed to a vegetable patch next to them that was full of rotten vegetable leaves and said, "Sister-in-law, it was your husband and Ah Xing who damaged this land just now."

No wonder Mr. Zhuang was covered in dirt, like he'd been rolling in mud. Iris ignored their comment, but whispered to Zhuang Zhuoyuan, "Ask Grandma if she sells her vegetables later. How about we bring everyone over for hot pot tonight? We haven't gotten together in ages. I'll have someone deliver some other dishes and beer to your house later. Oh, and remember to call Wenqiang when you get back."

"Thank you, wife!" Zhuang Zhuoyuan whispered in Iris's ear, then turned around and announced loudly, "Make sure you're free tonight, come to my house for hot pot, your sister-in-law is treating!"

As expected, it was "Long live Sister-in-law!"

Actually, this event would have been more suitable to be held at Mr. Zhan's house, as they have a large space and Pauline, a culinary expert, would have provided a better opportunity for everyone to have a good time. However, Iris and Zhuang Zhuoyuan hadn't been to Mr. Zhan's house in a long time. Initially, they were both busy with their own things, and later it was all because of Ding Huihui. After leaving their house that day, she went to a bar to drown her sorrows, and was eventually brought back home by Zhan Hantao. Ding Huihui then started staying at Mr. Zhan's house again. Originally, Iris wanted to learn how to make soup from Pauline, but upon hearing about this, she immediately declined Pauline's equally enthusiastic invitation.

It was only once or twice, but even PC Bar was coming less and less, and Pauline couldn't help but start to have doubts. She was a straightforward person and wanted to get things straight. Unable to catch Zhuang Zhuoyuan, she first stopped Su Wenqiang, who was closer to Iris among the group: "Qiang, thank you for installing this camera for me. With it, I can know which jerk is dumping trash in front of our door. Thanks to you!"

"It's nothing, just a small favor, Sister Pauline," Su Wenqiang said, raising the wine bottle in a gesture of acknowledgment.

Pauline then got to the point: "Yeah, Qiang, I told you guys to come to the bar more often last time, but I haven't seen Iris in so long! I haven't seen Yuan much either. Haha, have you guys found a new place for happy hour? Don't hide it from me!"

“What new place is there? Our group is often here, it’s just that not everyone is here every time.” Su Wenqiang didn’t expect Pauline to ask this question. He was stunned for a moment before covering it up with a smile. “Iris has been busy with her studies and work lately, and Ayuan is very attached to her, so naturally she doesn’t come here as often.”

Pauline, however, didn't quite believe this reason: "Iris used to be busy too, but she would still come over to ask me for soup from time to time. When she went shopping, she would often bring some fruit over to chat with me. Ah Yuan was the same; he would come to our house for meals every now and then, even after he started dating..."

Su Wenqiang was genuinely afraid that Pauline would directly ask why. Although she knew the reason, she knew even more that it was best if she didn't say it aloud. His eyes darted around, unsure how to respond, when the male and female protagonists finally appeared at the PC Bar entrance: "Pauline, Iris and A-Yuan are here!"

Today's trip was absolutely necessary. Through Inspector Chan's recommendation, Inspector Leung agreed to recommend Chong Cheuk Yuen to participate in the promotion selection exam. At noon, a group of people had already celebrated at the headquarters cafeteria, but it wasn't enough fun, so in the evening, after having dinner with Chong Cheuk Wah at home, Chong Cheuk Yuen and Iris came out together to continue the second round with the A Team brothers.

Su Wenqiang gave Iris a wink, and Iris knew that her first priority was to appease Pauline. After clinking glasses with Ah Xing, Guangzai, and the others, Iris approached Zhuang Zhuoyuan to let him know, and then got up alone to go to the bar to chat with Pauline and Uncle Cheng.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan also had plenty to talk about. He was the main character tonight, so everyone naturally started by talking about him. It was Granny Long who spoke first, unusually: "Zhuang Zhuoyuan, I told you before that Iris is a lucky charm for her husband, wasn't I right? Look, it's only been less than a year since you started dating, and you've already achieved success in both love and career. The future looks very promising!"

Yu Xueli, who was the least skeptical of all this, immediately said that he was just being wise after the event. He said that the combination of Iris and Zhuang Zhuoyuan was obviously a perfect match: "I won't say much about their character, everyone knows that. As for their identities, Iris is a best-selling female author and a rich heiress, while A-Yuan is a senior and capable sharpshooter in our SDU. The two of them together are the best combination, so of course A-Yuan will have everything go smoothly."

When his friend got married, Qiu Junxuan was happy for him and became quite talkative: "Ah Yuan, you've settled down and started a family, so is the next step to have a baby?" Zhuang Zhuoyuan and Iris's relationship was progressing so quickly that everyone had no doubt that by the time they attended their wedding in June, they would already be able to prepare a second gift.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan covered his eyes and joked, "How come my desire to be a dad is so obvious?" He and Iris had actually agreed that they wouldn't officially start trying to conceive until after the Mid-Autumn Festival next year at the earliest. The U1 and U2 courses still have a lot of practical activities, and Iris is a playful, energetic person who loves to run and jump. He couldn't bear to see her give up these experiences for the sake of a child, nor did he want her to face various risks while heavily pregnant. So even though they both love children so much, they decided to let Iris focus on enjoying her studies and life first.

The most pressing matter was finding a house. Edward, Jennie, Gloria, and AK didn't come back to Hong Kong often, and the latter two preferred to stay in hotels whenever they did. So, before having a child, the villa felt rather lonely with only the three of them living there. Their current residence was also somewhat cramped. Zhuang Zhuoyuan wanted to find a house before the wedding so they could move in all at once. After chatting for a while, Zhuang Zhuoyuan moved to sit next to Ye Shuhui. He knew his mother was preparing to move for their second child, so seeking advice from him was the best thing to do. But halfway through the conversation, a voice that had recently frightened him suddenly rang out behind him: "Zhuang Zhuoyuan, I heard you're meeting Board. Congratulations!"

Zhuang Zhuoyuan really hoped that she also knew about her other good news.