Chapter 93 Sweet Honey
Zhou Xiye listened quietly to Old Man Liang's ramblings, taking in everything he said without uttering a sound.
Who could Jiang Zhizhi offend in this small village? At most, it would be Sun Xiaoyue.
But it won't be Sun Xiaoyue. Although Sun Xiaoyue is targeting Jiang Zhizhi, she doesn't have that much power to get someone above her to suppress Jiang Zhizhi.
There is only one other person who could do such a thing, and it can only be her.
That's Bian Xiaoxiao's mother, Wang Qinglan!
Old Liang spoke until his throat was dry, just to prove that he had no intention of harming Jiang Zhizhi. He then pressed Zhou Xiye, "Captain Zhou, do you want to investigate? Don't let Technician Jiang suffer any losses."
Zhou Xiye casually changed the subject: "I'll be careful. I want to talk to you about something work-related."
When Old Man Liang heard that it was a work-related matter, his attitude became serious: "What is it? Just tell me what to do."
Zhou Xiye said calmly, "It's not really an order. We'll be withdrawing from the mountain in the next couple of days, and other engineering units will come to take over. During this time, you need to keep an eye on things and make sure no one goes into the mountains. There are many pits from the previous construction that haven't been filled in, and it's easy for danger to occur if we're not careful."
Even if a sign for a military restricted area is put up, people who want to enter the mountains will simply pretend they don't see it.
Old Liang assured him repeatedly, "No problem, I'll have Dazhuang and Xiaowu and the other young men take turns keeping watch."
After Zhou Xiye finished speaking, he asked Old Man Liang to stay while he went to the village committee to pick up Jiang Zhizhi.
Old Liang stood at the gate, scratching the back of his neck in bewilderment. Such a small matter, why did Zhou Xiye have to make a special trip? Even if they sent a soldier, they would still take it very seriously.
Jiang Zhizhi rolled the quilt into a ball, wrapped it in a sheet, and carried it away.
The only pity is that the stove by the door hasn't been used properly yet.
Zhou Xiye came over and carried the bedding out the door. She was still looking at her stove with reluctance: "My aunt put a lot of effort into building this stove, but we haven't even cooked a proper meal with it yet. I was thinking about stewing goose in an iron pot here when it snows in winter. Just thinking about it makes me happy."
Zhou Xiye glanced at the stove: "There are also stoves in the family compound. You can stew them there later."
Jiang Zhizhi laughed: "I'll just think about it, it won't be that extravagant."
She's lost her job and will have to live off Zhou Xiye from now on.
...
When we returned to the mountain, it was already dusk, past dinnertime.
At the entrance of the tent, the orderly and clerk lit a fire and hung a kettle to boil water.
Seeing Zhou Xiye and Jiang Zhizhi return, the orderly quickly stood up: "Captain, haven't you eaten yet? There are still some cornbread and vegetable soup in the kitchen. I'll go get some for you."
Zhou Xiye declined, saying, "No need, you guys are busy, I'll go take a look in a bit."
He told Jiang Zhizhi to go into the tent to tidy up the bedding, and then went to the kitchen.
A kerosene lamp was lit inside the tent. Having grown accustomed to days without electricity, Jiang Zhizhi found the kerosene lamp quite bright.
Carefully, I put Zhou Xiye's bedding away on the desk and neatly arranged it.
In just a short while, Zhou Xiye returned, accompanied by Zhang Zhao, and they were talking quietly about work.
Zhang Zhao's voice was unusually serious and low, making it difficult to hear what he was saying.
Jiang Zhizhi was afraid of disturbing their work conversation if she went out, so she sat in the room for a while longer and flipped through several books that Zhou Xiye had placed on the wooden box by the bed. They were all theoretical books about war.
He pulled out a book and read a few pages. He heard a commotion outside, and Zhang Zhao's voice became cheerful and laughing. Several unfamiliar voices joined in.
They must have already finished discussing the work.
Jiang Zhizhi put down her book and went outside, wondering how to greet everyone.
As soon as the curtain was lifted and one foot was stepped out, Zhang Zhao started chattering, "Sister-in-law is out! Come on, greet her!"
A group of enthusiastic young men looked over in unison, their loud voices echoing through the valley: "Hello, sister-in-law!"
Jiang Zhizhi didn't feel embarrassed at first, but now that she was called out like that, she felt a little shy. Fortunately, it was dark and she was thick-skinned enough!
He smiled and nodded at everyone, then walked towards Zhou Xiye.
Zhou Xiye glanced at Zhang Zhao: "You can leave now if you're alright."
Zhang Zhao objected: "No, boss, today is Sunday. It's rare that we don't have to study in the evening. Everyone wants to relax and listen to you play the harmonica."
He then turned to the others and asked, "Do you want to?"
Several young people shouted in response: "Yes!"
Zhang Zhao then looked at Jiang Zhizhi: "Sister-in-law, you've probably never heard our boss play the harmonica, have you? It's so beautiful, how do I describe it? The sound keeps circling around the roof..."
As Zhou Xiye looked at the enamel mug hanging above the fire, he coldly corrected him: "The lingering sound is unforgettable."
Zhang Zhao nodded repeatedly: "Ah, yes, yes, it's exactly like the lingering sound."
Jiang Zhizhi turned to look at Zhou Xiye. Perhaps it was because the fire was so warm, but although Zhou Xiye's tone was cold, his expression was gentle, even with a hint of indulgence.
It was an indulgence of his soldiers.
The air still smelled of rice. Jiang Zhizhi interrupted Zhang Zhao's jeers and moved a little closer to Zhou Xiye: "What's cooking in the pot?"
Zhou Xiye glanced down at the little head that was practically touching his chest, and chuckled helplessly, "The rice will be ready to eat in a little while."
He then moved some of the firewood underneath to reduce the flames.
Seeing the two of them whispering together, Zhang Zhao deliberately egged them on: "Boss, you can't just talk to your wife and ignore us! Hurry up and play a song for me!"
The others joined in the commotion: "Captain, give us one! Captain, give us one!"
Zhou Xiye still ignored these people, but Zhang Zhao knew tacitly that the boss had agreed.
Otherwise, they would have just kicked him out without hesitation.
He sat cross-legged on the ground with a smile, waiting for Zhou Xiye to finish his work.
When the rice in the teacup was cooked, Zhou Xiye took it out and placed it in front of Jiang Zhizhi: "It's a little hot now, let it cool down a bit before you eat it."
Then he went back to the tent, took out his harmonica, sat on the rock next to Jiang Zhizhi, wiped the harmonica, and began to play.
It was a song that Jiang Zhizhi was unfamiliar with, but it was emotionally uplifting and deeply moving.
Looking at Zhang Zhao, they all stared at Zhou Xiye with eyes full of admiration.
Jiang Zhizhi was also unconsciously drawn in, her gaze falling on Zhou Xiye's face. In the firelight, his features appeared even more angular, yet with a touch of gentleness.
His eyes were lowered, his long eyelashes concealing the emotions within.
When the song ended, Zhang Zhao and the others clapped excitedly, wanting another one.
Zhou Xiye turned his head and saw Jiang Zhizhi clapping and cheering, her eyes crinkling with laughter, the firelight reflecting in them making them appear exceptionally bright.
His voice was deep as he asked, "What else would you like to hear?"
Jiang Zhizhi thought it sounded nice, but she didn't know what kind of music was popular at the time. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, "Sweet Honey!"
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