Lu Fangfang's heart skipped a beat.
She and Zhuang Mingcheng aren't married yet, so sleeping in the same room would be a mistake.
In this day and age, this is no joke.
This Team Leader Zhang is utterly wicked, a complete scourge.
Just as she was about to refuse, a staff member at the reception asked, "Let me see your marriage certificate."
"They left in a hurry and didn't bring their marriage certificate. Oh well, just give us the normal certificate and four rooms."
Team Leader Zhang shook his head, somewhat regretfully.
The guesthouse in the county was very simple and inexpensive, costing 45 cents a night for a bed.
The county is remote, and most of the rooms are currently empty.
After the guesthouse staff registered everyone, Team Leader Zhang promptly paid for the beds for several people, except for Zhuang Mingcheng and Lu Fangfang.
"Comrade, we're still short nine cents."
Team Leader Zhang turned to look at the two of them.
"I'll do it."
Lu Fangfang knew that the investigation team wouldn't pay for the room; she didn't want to sleep on the streets again.
She took out a handkerchief from her pocket, pulled out ninety cents, and handed it to the guesthouse staff.
On her first day out, she spent more than a dollar, and with the food coupons, she really felt a bit of a pinch.
"Let's go."
The investigation team pushed them inside.
After the guesthouse staff left, Team Leader Zhang smiled slightly.
He looked around the rooms, found one without windows, opened the door, and then gave his men a wink.
The members of the investigation team understood each other perfectly.
They pushed Zhuang Mingcheng and Lu Fangfang hard, and then Team Leader Zhang slammed the door shut.
"Bang, bang, bang."
"Comrade Zhang, what do you mean by this? Open the door! Open the door for me."
Inside the room, Lu Fangfang pounded on the door, her face dark with anger.
This shameless bastard is now framing people, he's really not hiding anything at all.
"Comrade Lu, I'm doing this for your own good. You and Comrade Zhuang are so close during the day, it's a good time to have a good chat together tonight."
"Lock it!"
Team Leader Zhang snorted coldly and immediately ordered his men to lock the door.
Seeing Zhu Haiming huddled to the side, trembling, he smiled and asked, "Comrade Zhu Haiming, what did you see?"
Zhu Haiming quickly shook her head.
Team Leader Zhang was somewhat dissatisfied. He frowned and said:
"It was clearly the two of them who requested to share a room. They misled our investigation team about the fact that they weren't married. How come you didn't see anything about it?"
Zhu Haiming was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then quickly nodded.
"You...you're right."
"That's right, Comrade Zhu Haiming. From now on, you'll be a witness. You're very conscientious."
...
Lu Fangfang pressed her head against the door and was furious when she heard what Team Leader Zhang was saying outside.
That bastard is so vicious.
Turning around and seeing Zhuang Mingcheng lying on the bed, she felt somewhat helpless.
"Comrade Zhuang Mingcheng, they're trying to harm you and smear our reputations, yet you're acting like nothing's wrong. What are you thinking?"
Zhuang Mingcheng sat up in bed and then waved to his fiancée.
Lu Fangfang stormed over.
"Please sit down."
Zhuang Mingcheng patted the bed, then shook his head and said, "These people from the Political Department are clearly trying to find something on us. We can't hide from them."
Lu Fangfang sighed and plopped down on the floor.
"If we had just gotten our marriage certificate first, we wouldn't have had so much trouble."
Zhuang Mingcheng glanced at his fiancée and suddenly felt quite happy.
He got up, took the thermos, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Lu Fangfang. "Drink some water first. Don't worry, I have a way. They can't keep me here."
Lu Fangfang's eyes lit up.
She looked around. The double room was very simple, with no windows. There was only one way to get out.
She glanced at the door, then looked at Zhuang Mingcheng.
Seeing the man nod, Lu Fangfang suddenly felt a pang of heartache; it seemed she would have to pay for the guesthouse door tomorrow.
With her worries gone, she relaxed completely.
After a while, the members of the investigation team opened a small crack and threw in two multigrain steamed buns.
Lu Fangfang also had no appetite, so she drank hot water and ate half of it.
Seeing that the man opposite her had finished eating, she gave the half-eaten steamed bun in her hand to Zhuang Mingcheng.
The room was bathed in a pale yellow light. Lu Fangfang sat on the bed, propping her head up, looking at Zhuang Mingcheng across from her.
This man had a good appetite. While he was eating his steamed bun, he was catching the crumbs that fell with one hand. When he had enough, he threw them into his mouth without wasting a single crumb.
"You must have had a tough time in Xinjiang."
"It was tougher than when I was in the regiment. It was all Gobi Desert there, and transporting supplies was very difficult, but people's spirits were very high."
While eating, Zhuang Mingcheng recounted his experiences in Xinjiang.
He gained a lot from this trip, getting to know many people from all over the country who came to offer their support.
Lu Fangfang propped her head up and listened quietly to the man's story, feeling quite envious.
"There are many people over there, all working towards the same goal. Unfortunately, I'm on an escort mission this time, so I can't stay there any longer."
Upon hearing this, Lu Fangfang felt sorry for Zhuang Mingcheng.
What an honor it would be to witness a hydrogen bomb explode with one's own eyes!
"By the way, Fangfang, didn't you ask me to bring back some Hetian jade raw stones? I took leave and went to the local commune in Hetian by train. I bought several sacks of them, and Wang Haibing should have brought them back to the regiment by now."
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