"Which one of you is Song Yaoyao? Our commander is looking for her!"

The lead guard spoke first, walking towards the crowd gathered in the family compound to inquire.

Confused, everyone looked at Song Yaoyao.

In their eyes, if someone was looking for Song Yaoyao, it must mean she had done something bad again and was about to be arrested.

Just as everyone was whispering about what serious crime Song Yaoyao had committed this time, Political Commissar Hao stepped forward and calmly identified her, "Commander, she is Song Yaoyao!"

After saying that, Political Commissar Hao looked at Song Yaoyao with a meaningful expression, "Comrade Song, congratulations! Commander Zhao came here today specifically to propose marriage, hoping you will agree to marry his son, Zhao Zhiqing!"

"What?"

This left everyone watching in shock.

It was unbelievable that Commander Zhao would personally come to propose marriage, and that Zhao, a fine young man, would actually marry a woman who had given birth.

Besides, Song Yaoyao and Zhou Shuyao are not divorced yet, are they?

The crowd started discussing amongst themselves.

Song Yaoyao felt as if she had been struck by luck, and was so excited that she almost fainted.

Afraid that Commander Zhao might overhear the people around her saying she wasn't divorced yet, she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, afraid he would change his mind. "Commander, I'm willing to marry Jingxiang. I never thought I'd finally get to meet you..."

After saying that, she started crying, her face streaked with tears, looking like she was overjoyed that she had finally gotten her wish with her sweetheart.

Ling's parents were overjoyed. They stepped forward, grasped Commander Zhao's hand, and couldn't help but smile as they sincerely praised him, "Commander, you really have good taste! My Yao Yao is much better than our Ling girl. If your son marries my Yao Yao, you'll definitely be able to hold triplets next year!"

Commander Zhao raised an eyebrow, a rare smile appearing on his face. "No rush, triplets are a matter of fate."

He patted Song Yaoyao on the shoulder, "Our rascal Jingxiang will need you to keep him in line from now on, Comrade Song. I've been urging him to propose to you for a long time. Now that he's finished his training in the countryside, I came here to pick you up and take you back together."

"Okay, thank you, Commander. I... I will definitely be a good wife..."

Song Yaoyao burst into tears of joy.

She glared smugly at Zhou Shuyao, whose face was pale beside her. Just moments ago, she had been devastated because she couldn't go to Hong Kong, but now that her status had risen, she was already strutting around like a madwoman.

However, she still pretended to be deeply moved and shed tears.

But before she could even enjoy her joy for two seconds, a booming voice suddenly rang out behind her, shattering her elation.

"She's not the eldest daughter of the Ling family; she's just their adopted daughter!"

Zhao Jingxiang strode over, grabbed Ling Huanwu's hand, and faced Zhao Tingguo expressionlessly, "Dad, this is actually the real granddaughter of the Ling family. Song Yaoyao is just an adopted daughter of the Ling family!"

One sentence not only shattered Song Yaoyao's dream, but also completely shattered Ling's parents' little scheme to get away with it.

They had long wanted to give the marriage to Song Yaoyao.

Originally, I was planning to use tonight to force Song Yaoyao and Zhao Jingxiang to consummate their marriage and make it a done deal, but unexpectedly, Zhao Jingxiang jumped out and clarified things himself.

Zhao Jingxiang looked at his elderly father, whose temples were now streaked with white, with unwavering eyes, and said, word by word, "And most importantly, I want to marry Comrade Ling!"

Zhao Tingguo looked at Song Yaoyao with surprise, then at Ling Huanwu, and finally fixed his gaze on Zhao Jingxiang. "So, when you first brought Comrade Song home, you registered her household in our family? Saying she was Er Gou's fiancée?"

"At the time, I thought Comrade Song was the granddaughter of the Ling family, but I later found out I was wrong..."

Zhao Jingxiang explained earnestly, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at Ling Huanwu beside him.

Ling Huanwu, however, was already struck dumb and couldn't wait to refuse, "No, actually I..."

"Comrade Ling, come here for a moment, I have something to say to you!"

Political Commissar Hao suddenly interrupted Ling Huanwu's next words.

Amidst the varied gazes of the crowd, Political Commissar Hao pulled Ling Huanwu to a corner and earnestly advised her to calm down, "Comrade Ling, Commander Zhao is here today to award Jiu Zhen a first-class merit medal. You cannot reveal your relationship with him, otherwise his first-class merit medal may be revoked!"

"First-class merit?"

Ling Huanwu was a little confused. "Would it prevent Jiu Zhen from being awarded a first-class merit if I publicly announced my relationship with him?"

“Yes,” Political Commissar Hao said seriously, “Just imagine what the higher-ups would think if they knew that their Commander Zhou had become a vegetable while trying to save his girlfriend?”

"Although I believe that given Jiuzhen's character, he would risk his life to save others even if they were in danger, the people in the organization do not think so."

Hearing Political Commissar Hao's confession, Ling Huanwu's eyes suddenly reddened. "But you just heard it too. If I don't talk about my relationship with Jiuzhen, it's like I'm admitting that I'm going to marry Zhao Zhiqing. And I still have to wait for Jiuzhen to wake up..."

At this point, her throat seemed to be blocked, and she choked up, unable to utter a single word.

Over the past year, she has watched Zhou Jiuzhen, who has become increasingly thinner and thinner, lying in bed every day, and her heart aches as she recalls their past.

Every day, as she lay beside him, she fantasized that he would suddenly move his fingers slightly and grasp his fingertips.

I fantasize about getting our marriage certificate together and strolling on the beach watching the sunrise and sunset.

Seeing her so heartbroken, Political Commissar Hao sighed, "Comrade Ling, I understand how you feel, but none of us can guarantee when Jiuzhen will wake up. We can't delay you. But given his current condition, the best outcome is a first-class merit, which will guarantee his future medical treatment and benefits. You don't want Jiuzhen's mother to have to take care of him for the rest of her life, do you?"

“I can take care of him. He would be so heartbroken if Jiuzhen woke up and found out I was married…”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She knew that Political Commissar Hao was only thinking about Zhou Jiuzhen's future.

If she hadn't stored everything in the space, and now that the space is no longer accessible as he's in a vegetative state, she wouldn't be in such a passive position, unable to provide him with the best treatment.

Who would have thought that the pool full of spiritual spring water in the space would ultimately fail to save him?

Seeing her like this, Political Commissar Hao said nothing more, sighed deeply, and turned back to the family compound.

A group of people in the family compound gathered in front of Zhou Jiuzhen's small house, and they were all moved to tears as they watched the scene inside where military medals were being awarded.

Zhao Tingguo placed the military medal with the five-pointed star on Zhou Jiuzhen's chest, saluted solemnly, and his pleading was palpable throughout the room.

Wang Guihua was already in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

This is the scene that Ling Huanwu saw when she pushed through the crowd.

A red and yellow military medal lay quietly on Zhou Jiuzhen's chest, its red light shining brightly under the lamplight.

The man on the bed could no longer stand up to accept the military medal he had once longed for.

Ling Huanwu opened her mouth, but swallowed the words of explanation she was about to say.

Behind me, I heard the whispers of the women from the family compound, "Don't you guys think Commander Zhao looks a lot like Regiment Commander Zhou...?"