Chapter 43 Xingyue Sees Xie Zhongming's Wedding Photo
Outside the Xie family compound gate.
Chen Jiahui was carrying a bundle of brown sugar, a net bag of eggs, and a net bag of bananas and apples. She was going in to thank Qiao Xingyue.
Unexpectedly, Deng Yingying stopped her and said so many bad things about Comrade Qiao.
Seeing that her attempts to sow discord had failed, Deng Yingying switched to a more earnest and persuasive tone, saying:
"Jia Hui, why are you so ungrateful? I'm telling you all this for your own good. You need to be careful of that Qiao Xingyue. She's no good. You have no idea how scheming she is. If she finds out that you also like Commander Xie, she'll definitely try every possible way to get rid of you."
"You have no idea, she has taken down the entire Xie family, including Uncle Xie, Aunt Lan, and the old lady. Her methods are extraordinary."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jiahui's face fell.
She was very disgusted by Deng Yingying's fabricated accusations against Comrade Qiao, saying, "Do you think I don't know what you're up to?"
She's not stupid; she couldn't possibly be unaware of Deng Yingying's intentions.
Chen Jiahui added irritably, "Who doesn't know that you've liked Commander Xie since you were a child? You're making me hate Comrade Qiao and deal with him. When the two of us start fighting, you hope to use me to drive Comrade Qiao out of the Jincheng Military Region so that you'll have a better chance to get close to Commander Xie, right?"
"Jia Hui, why do you miss me like this? I..."
Chen Jiahui interrupted decisively:
"And what do you mean Aunt Lan, Uncle Xie, and the old lady have all been taken down by Comrade Qiao? Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think they're all stupid?"
Aunt Lan and Uncle Xie have seen countless people; how could they not distinguish between good and bad? Besides, Commander Xie's grandmother participated in the revolutionary war; she has sharp eyes and can tell friend from foe at a glance.
Since Comrade Qiao is so well-liked by Aunt Lan, Uncle Xie, and the old lady, it means he must have some extraordinary qualities to win the favor of everyone in the Xie family. How could Comrade Qiao possibly be the kind of scheming and manipulative person you're describing?
I think you're the one who's using cunning and tricks.
Deng Yingying's face turned green instantly after her thoughts were exposed. "You, how can you be so unable to distinguish between right and wrong?"
"I can't be bothered to talk to you." Chen Jiahui moved the net bag of apples and bananas in her left hand, freeing her right hand to forcefully push away Deng Yingying, who was blocking the Xie family's gate.
He then patted the red-painted wooden door in front of the Xie family's courtyard.
Huang Guilan opened the door and was immediately filled with mixed emotions of joy and worry when she saw Chen Jiahui and Deng Yingying standing at her door. She was happy because she hadn't seen Jiahui for many years and instantly adored her kind and understanding daughter. But she was worried because Deng Yingying was here again.
The first to speak was Deng Yingying, "Aunt Lan, I thought you were bored at home all by yourself, so I came to keep you company."
Huang Guilan looked at Deng Yingying without smiling, "Who told you I'm bored? I have a lot of things to do."
After saying that, she took Chen Jia Hui's hand and smiled, "Jia Hui, it's been so many years, you've become more and more beautiful."
That year, she gave birth to her fourth son, Xie Zhongming. The next day, Commander Chen's wife, Wang Shufen, gave birth to Chen Jiahui. Old Xie and Old Chen were comrades-in-arms for many years, and the two families even joked about arranging a marriage between Zhongming and Jiahui.
After growing up, Jia Hui actually fell in love with her fourth son, Xie Zhongming.
But the goddess was willing, while King Xiang was not.
Her fourth son just didn't like Jia Hui. It wasn't that Jia Hui was bad; after all, Jia Hui was the most beautiful girl in the Jincheng Military Region. Her shallow dimples when she smiled had captivated countless young and outstanding officers in the compound. It was just that her fourth son didn't have the same feelings for Jia Hui.
It seems that relationships are all about fate.
Her fourth son and Jia Hui grew up together, but the fourth son had no feelings for Jia Hui at all. However, not long after the fourth son and Xing Yue met, she saw in the fourth son's eyes the shyness and nervousness of a young man experiencing his first love.
Afraid of disturbing Huang Guilan, Chen Jiahui directly stated her purpose, "Aunt Lan, I heard that Comrade Qiao works at your house. She saved my father yesterday, so I came here specifically to thank her. Is Comrade Qiao home?"
"What happened to your dad? I haven't heard anything about it."
Chen Jiahui's father, Chen Shenghua, was the division commander of the Sixth Division of the Jincheng Military Region, a rank above Xie Jiang.
Yesterday, Commander Chen suddenly collapsed and remained unconscious. The news had already spread throughout the compound, but Huang Guilan didn't like listening to the neighbors gossip about this family or that family, so she didn't pay attention.
Chen Jiahui replied, "Yesterday, my dad suffered a myocardial infarction due to high blood pressure. When he collapsed, his heart stopped beating. It was Comrade Qiao who performed CPR on him, which saved his life."
"Xingyue can even perform CPR!" Huang Guilan breathed a sigh of relief for Chen Shenghua, but couldn't help but admire how capable Xingyue was!
"Aunt Lan, is Comrade Qiao home? I would like to express my gratitude in person."
"Xingyue has gone out, and I don't know when she'll be back. Jia Hui, why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
Faced with the invitation, Chen Jiahui hesitated, "Aunt Lan, I'll visit another day. I have to go to the military base for some business."
She handed over a net bag containing brown sugar, a net bag containing eggs, and a net bag containing bananas and apples, saying, "Aunt Lan, please pass these on to Comrade Qiao. I'll come back another day to thank him in person."
When Chen Jiahui returned from Kunming, she also brought Huang Guilan a gift.
As she spoke, Chen Jiahui took out a handkerchief from her pocket.
A silver bracelet was wrapped in the handkerchief.
“Aunt Lan, I saw this at an old silversmith’s shop in Kunming. The moment I saw it, I felt that this bracelet was a perfect match for your refined and cultured demeanor.”
Huang Guilan smiled from ear to ear, "You're so good at praising people, you've hit the nail on the head."
"Aunt Lan, you truly possess the air of someone well-versed in literature!"
"Okay, Aunt Lan, I'll accept it. You have important business to attend to at your unit, so go ahead and get busy."
After Chen Jiahui left, Deng Yingying, who had been left standing there, felt a pang of jealousy. Seeing Huang Guilan about to close the door, she quickly went up to her and said, "Aunt Lan, can I come in and talk to you for a while?"
Ever since Huang Guilan saw through Deng Yingying's thoughts and learned that she deliberately told Jiang Yongqiang that Xingyue had passed through that cornfield, almost causing Xingyue to be assaulted by Jiang Yongqiang, she truly hated Deng Yingying.
She looks well-behaved and has a sweet tongue, but her heart is so vicious.
Fortunately, Xingyue was skilled at using silver needles and could use them to subdue bad people. Otherwise, if Jiang Yongqiang, that lecherous man, had dragged her into a cornfield taller than a person, her innocence would have been ruined, and her life would have been destroyed.
"I'm busy! You should go back."
After saying that, Huang Guilan closed the door.
Xingyue had taught her that if she wanted to refuse a request from someone she didn't like, she should just refuse directly without feeling embarrassed.
After closing the door, Huang Guilan no longer had to deal with Deng Yingying. The feeling of directly rejecting someone she didn't like was incredibly refreshing.
She really had to listen to Xingyue to live a less stifled life; she was growing to like Xingyue more and more.
...
The next day, Jincheng was sunny again.
Ningning and Xie Jiang have almost finished their asthma medication.
Early in the morning, Qiao Xingyue rode Xie's old bicycle alone to the military hospital. She had just gotten her medicine and was about to leave when she saw a man with a buzz cut and a long scar near his eye holding a knife to the neck of a boy who looked to be about ten years old.
The boy was so frightened that he wet his pants, his whole body was trembling, and his face was pale. He was about to have a stress reaction. The onlookers included civilians and police officers in uniform with guns.
However, there was a wall behind the man with the buzz cut, and a ten-year-old boy was blocking his way in front of him, so the police officers could not get close enough to shoot.
"Let me go, or I'll stab this boy to death."
Qiao Xingyue judged that the man with the buzz cut must be a dangerous fugitive.
The atmosphere at the scene was extremely tense. The parents of the boy who was being held hostage knelt on the ground, crying and begging, "Comrade, I'll be your hostage, please let my child go."
The man with the buzz cut didn't hear the boy's parents' heart-wrenching pleas at all. He viciously pressed the dagger against the boy's neck, and a bloody gash appeared on the boy's neck.
Among the onlookers were Commander Chen Shenghua, who was recuperating in the hospital, and his daughter, Chen Jiahui.
Wearing a hospital gown, Chen Shenghua took half a step forward and said, "Let go of that child, and I'll be your hostage."
“Dad, you haven’t recovered yet. I’ll go and be his hostage.” Chen Jiahui stopped Chen Shenghua, raised her hands, and carefully walked forward.
Qiao Xingyue was also a mother. She saw that the boy, who was about ten years old, had blood all over his neck. If the assailant's knife had gone any deeper, the boy would definitely have died.
She pulled Chen Jiahui back.
"Comrade Qiao, it's you!" Chen Jiahui turned around and recognized her at a glance as Comrade Qiao, who had saved her father the day before yesterday.
However, now was not the time to greet her, and Qiao Xingyue had no time to pay attention to Chen Jiahui.
She noticed that the man with the buzz cut had dry, parched lips, with peeling skin on both the upper and lower lips. She handed him the enamel cup filled with water, which she had specially grabbed from the doctor's office half a minute earlier and filled with hot water, all in an attempt to distract him.
Sure enough, the man with the buzz cut stared at the glass of water and licked his dry lips.
During his days on the run, he had gone three days without food or water, and his longing for that cup of water was written all over his tired eyes.
Qiao Xingyue pushed the water cup forward again. "Comrade, if you have any requests, drink some water first, then you can make your request slowly. All you want is a motorcycle, right? If you drink some water, I'll help you negotiate with the police."
The man with the buzz cut knew she couldn't genuinely help him, but he truly needed the water. "Bring the water closer, don't try anything funny, or I'll stab this kid to death."
"Okay, I won't play any tricks. Here's some water..." She slowly approached and handed over the enamel cup in her hand.
In the nick of time, as the man took the cup to drink water, a silver needle swiftly and cleanly pierced the arm of the man holding the knife.
Before the man could even react, his arm went numb and he lost all strength, the knife falling to the ground. The boy he had been holding also collapsed limply to the ground. Taking advantage of this moment, Qiao Xingyue grabbed the assailant's wrist, twisted it forcefully with her thumb against his web of the hand, and twisted his arm behind his back. She pressed her knee against his lower back and said in a crisp and calm voice, "Try moving!"
The thug struggled and tried to lift his leg, but was firmly pressed to the ground. There was a cracking sound, like the sound of an arm bone being broken. Qiao Xingyue dislocated the man's arm. The man was panting heavily and staring with wide eyes, and his previous ferocity was gone.
The onlookers, police officers, and Chen Jiahui and her father Chen Shenghua didn't even see what move Qiao Xingyue used.
How did the knife in the assailant's hand fall to the ground? And how did she manage to subdue him?
"This woman is brave, resourceful, and highly skilled; she's a rare talent!"
When Chen Shenghua looked at Qiao Xingyue, his eyes shone as if he had suddenly discovered a treasure.
Looking at Qiao Xingyue, Chen Jiahui said with admiration, "Dad, she's the Comrade Qiao who performed CPR on you the day before yesterday and saved your life."
It's her!
He is skilled in medicine, courageous and resourceful, calm and wise, and also incredibly skilled in martial arts—a true talent! A talent the Jincheng Military Region has never seen before.
...
The next day, in the evening.
Qiao Xingyue was in the Xie family's kitchen, preparing to use discarded newspapers to start a fire and cook rice.
Suddenly, someone entered the main room.
Xie Jiang led Chen Shenghua into the house.
When Huang Guilan saw that it was Chen Shenghua, she immediately got up from the small stool she was picking vegetables on. "Old Chen, what a rare guest! What brings you here?"
Xie Jiang took an enamel mug, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to Chen Shenghua. "Old Chen came here specifically to find Xingyue. Quickly call Xingyue out."
When Chen Shenghua accepted the tea, Qiao Xingyue had already been called out of the kitchen by Huang Guilan.
Upon seeing Qiao Xingyue, Chen Shenghua put down his enamel cup, extended his hand to Qiao Xingyue, and gestured to shake her hand.
Looking at those rough hands with prominent knuckles and calloused palms, Qiao Xingyue quickly wiped her hands, which were covered in cigarette ash, on her floral apron and stepped forward to politely shake them.
Chen Shenghua simply squeezed the back of her hand gently, his voice carrying the strength of years, "Comrade Xiao Qiao, firstly, thank you for saving my life. Secondly, thanks to you taking down that thug yesterday, there were no casualties. Thank you for your hard work!"
As he spoke, Chen Shenghua smiled and released his hand. "Comrade Xiao Qiao, it's a real waste of your talent to be a nanny in the Xie family. Would you be interested in serving in the military?"
Chen Shenghua had already thought it through, and decided to recruit her into the army on the grounds that she was a special talent.
If the military had someone as talented as her, they wouldn't have to worry about not having a suitable person to take on any difficult task in the future.
After the incident at the hospital yesterday, Chen Shenghua inquired about Qiao Xingyue's situation with Xie Jiang and Xie Zhongming. He was surprised to learn that this thin, frail girl, after being dragged into the cornfield, had managed to beat the scoundrel black and blue and get him to the police station. He also learned that she was an exceptionally skilled acupuncturist, capable of numbing and weakening someone's hand with a single needle.
Such calm, intelligent, courageous, resourceful, skilled, and medically adept individuals are a rare find in the military, perhaps only once every few decades.
Of course, whether Comrade Qiao can join the army depends on Comrade Qiao's wishes.
Qiao Xingyue thought for a moment and said tactfully, "Commander, I have two children, one of whom often has asthma. I just want to stay with them and raise them safely. I don't want to join the army."
The commander must have valued her skills. Joining the army would certainly have secured her a stable job, but she would undoubtedly face many challenging tasks.
In that case, she won't see An An Ning Ning very often.
Chen Shenghua felt very sorry, but looking at the two well-behaved and adorable children in the main room, he didn't want to force them any further, so he didn't continue to persuade them.
He recruited her into the army, which inevitably meant that she would be assigned some difficult tasks. Considering that the two children were still so young, the army needed someone like her, and the two children also needed their mother by their side.
Chen Shenghua had no choice but to reluctantly give up.
After Chen Shenghua left, Qiao Xingyue returned to the kitchen.
Huang Guilan asked, "Old Xie, why does Old Chen suddenly want to recruit Xingyue into the army? Does Old Chen want Xingyue to be his special forces soldier?"
Those personally selected by Chen Shenghua will be given priority training to become special forces soldiers in the military.
Before Xie Jiang could answer, Huang Guilan continued, "No, no, that's too dangerous. I was thinking of having Xingyue become a military doctor or do some civilian work in the army after she takes the college entrance exam. Being a special forces soldier is too dangerous; we can't let Xingyue go."
Xie Jiang took a sip of tea, put the enamel cup lid back on, and said, "Don't worry, even if Xingyue doesn't refuse Lao Chen, I won't let him take her away. After Xingyue's college entrance exam, we'll figure out a way to arrange an easy job for her."
In the kitchen.
Qiao Xingyue put a pile of dry firewood into the stove.
She quickly struck another match on the matchbox and lit a newspaper that Uncle Xie had read, then placed it under the dry firewood in the stove.
Uncle Xie reads the newspaper every day, and she organizes the newspapers she has read and places them next to the firewood in the kitchen to start the fire.
The burning newspaper was a copy of the "Youth Daily" that Xie Jiang brought back from Kunming. There was a missing person notice in the middle of the advertisement.
The missing person notice included a wedding photo of Xie Zhongming and Pang Ya.
As the flames ignited, Qiao Xingyue inadvertently saw the wedding photo printed in the newspaper. She immediately recognized the man in the shirt; he looked so much like Xie Zhongming.
Next to Xie Zhongming was a chubby woman who, at first glance, looked a bit like the chubby girl from before.
She quickly took the burning newspaper out and stomped on it repeatedly on the ground...
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