Chapter 148 Doing something bad, got beaten by his wife
Zhou Jianjun then dragged He Xiaoman back home.
With a loud bang, the door was slammed shut, making the windowpanes rattle.
Zhou Jianjun suddenly let go, and He Xiaoman stumbled back two steps before regaining her balance by holding onto the corner of the table.
She rubbed her red wrist, tears welling in her eyes, and looked up at him: "Zhou Jianjun, what's wrong with you! You're hurting me!"
Zhou Jianjun asked coldly, "I'm asking you, are you pregnant?"
He Xiaoman's heart skipped a beat; she never expected that Zhou Jianjun would know about this.
"What...what nonsense are you talking about?" She looked away in a panic. "Am I pregnant or not!"
"Then tell me, what did Comrade Jiang Wanqiu mean by what she just said?" Zhou Jianjun asked. "She heard it in the hospital, and said it was the doctor who said it. But we haven't had sex in the last few months, have we? He Xiaoman, give me an explanation!"
It's that vixen again!
She cursed inwardly, but put on a face as if she had been terribly wronged, and tears streamed down her face.
"Jiang Wanqiu? You believe everything others say?!" He Xiaoman stomped her foot angrily. "Zhou Jianjun, I've been married to you for months, have you ever touched a single hair on my head? Have you ever treated me like your wife? Now you listen to some outsider's instigation and come here to question me about being pregnant with someone else's child? You're trying to drive me to my death!"
She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, then suddenly turned and rushed towards the door: "Fine! Since you don't believe me, I won't live either! I'll jump into the river right now and prove my innocence with my death!"
"Stop right there!" Zhou Jianjun grabbed her and pulled her back. He was a soldier, used to being straightforward, and had never seen a woman throw such a tantrum, crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. He was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Seeing He Xiaoman's tear-streaked face, his attitude softened: "I... I didn't say I didn't believe you, I just wanted to clarify."
Seeing that his tone had softened, He Xiaoman immediately leaned into his arms, her fists pounding his chest weakly as she cried out, "Ask clearly? Is that how you ask? You're embarrassing me in front of outsiders! Zhou Jianjun, are we even going to continue this marriage? If you don't want to, just give me a straight answer! Then I can give up on this idea!"
As she cried, she vented all the resentment she had accumulated over the past few months, accusing him of not sharing a room with her, making her feel ashamed in the military compound, and that she hadn't conceived since they got married, and that her family was pressuring her to get pregnant.
Zhou Jianjun was at his wits' end by her crying; he was the worst at handling these kinds of situations.
He stood there stiffly, and after a long while, he managed to stammer out, "Let's talk about this later."
After saying that, he pushed He Xiaoman away, turned around and walked to the cabinet in the corner to rummage through it: "I have something to do."
Seeing that the man had moved on from the matter, He Xiaoman felt a surge of joy, but her face remained sobbing as she watched his retreating figure and asked, "Where are you going with your things?"
"The pigsty," Zhou Jianjun answered without turning his head, taking a small paper packet from the cabinet. "The sows in the team refuse to be bred, and I forgot the estrus-inducing powder here."
He Xiaoman looked at the paper packet in Zhou Jianjun's hand; it seemed to contain pink powder.
A calculating glint flashed quickly in her teary eyes.
At midday, the soldiers' special training was nearing its end at the military training ground.
Ping An stood on the sidelines, his eyes wide with amazement.
His thin body was wrapped in an ill-fitting cotton coat, and compared to those vigorous soldiers, he looked like a bean sprout. But he always felt that he could be as brave as the soldiers on the training ground.
During a break, he mustered up his courage and ran up to Zhao Wenchang: "Dad, I...I also want to train with them."
As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier next to him who was drinking water burst out laughing. The water got into his airway and made him cough several times: "Cough cough... I say, kid, are you still breastfeeding? With your small body, you want to train? Don't get a stitch after running a few steps."
"That's right, let's go back and eat for a few more years!" another soldier chimed in.
Ping An's face flushed red, and he stubbornly retorted, "I can do it!"
Zhao Wenchang looked at Ping An with a half-smile, sizing up the boy: "Want to train?"
"Yes!" Ping An's answer was firm and resolute.
“Okay,” Zhao Wenchang said decisively, pointing to the huge training field, “Run twenty laps around here first. After you finish, I’ll let you train with me.”
Upon hearing this, Ping An's eyes lit up, and without saying a word, he sprinted towards the track.
Zhao Wenchang looked at his thin yet stubborn back and shook his head with a helpless smile.
Just then, a messenger rushed over.
"Battalion Commander Zhao! The division commander wants you to go to his office immediately!"
Zhao Wenchang's smile vanished instantly, and his expression turned serious: "I understand."
In the office, Zhao Changfeng paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his face full of worry.
Upon seeing Zhao Wenchang enter, he stopped and went straight to the point: "Wenchang, something's happened."
He slammed a telegram on the table: "The military region leaders' fears have come true. A group of spies took advantage of the lax border defenses during the New Year holiday and infiltrated the area."
He said, "And there are quite a few. Recently, we've received reports of missing educated youth and several incidents of vandalism, looting, and arson. Just last night, they were incredibly audacious and robbed the county department store! They even injured nearby residents. They are truly lawless, utterly lawless!"
Zhao Changfeng grew increasingly agitated as he spoke: "The Central Committee has issued a death order: we must wipe out this enemy force in the shortest possible time! This mission is not to be failed; it must succeed!"
Zhao Wenchang picked up the telegram and looked at it: "Commander, I understand. Please give the order, I am ready to lead the troops out at any time!"
Zhao Changfeng looked at the energetic young battalion commander in front of him, his eyes full of approval: "The specific time for the operation has not yet been determined, but the order may come down at any time, which is within the next few days. Go back and hand over your work properly, and... and explain things to your family."
He really didn't want to say the last few words, lest it spoil the mood. But this mission was a life-or-death situation, and no one could guarantee they'd return unscathed.
"Yes, sir! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Zhao Wenchang straightened his back and gave a standard military salute.
When he returned to the training ground, he saw a crowd gathered around him from afar, making a lot of noise.
Zhao Wenchang frowned slightly and immediately stepped forward to reprimand, "Why aren't you all training? What are you all doing here!"
When the crowd saw Zhao Wenchang approaching, they immediately parted to make way for him.
Behind the crowd, Ping An, who had run less than ten laps, had a face that had turned a liverish color. He was covered in sweat, panting heavily, and his legs felt like lead, yet he still gritted his teeth and moved forward step by step.
"Alright! Stop running!" Zhao Wenchang shouted.
An old soldier nearby advised, "Yes, kid, that's enough. Take a break, or you'll get into trouble!"
Ping An stubbornly shook his head, his lips turning white, but he still stubbornly said, "No... I can do it... Dad said... run twenty laps..."
Zhao Wenchang was both angry and amused. He wondered where the boy got his stubbornness from.
Just as he was about to step forward and forcibly pull the person down, Ping An's body suddenly swayed, and suddenly "waaa!" he bent over and vomited up everything he had eaten that morning, vomiting until he was dizzy and disoriented.
This terrified the soldiers around them.
"Quick! Take him to the clinic!"
Zhao Wenchang didn't care about anything else. He hoisted the limp boy onto his shoulder and ran wildly towards the military hospital.
In the hospital, after hearing the situation and examining Ping An again, the doctor in the white coat immediately darkened his expression. Behind his glasses, he stared sternly at Zhao Wengong: "Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Is he your son?"
“Yes…” Zhao Wenchang felt a little guilty.
"What kind of father are you?" The doctor slammed the medical record onto the table with a loud thud. "Don't you know that children's bodies are not fully developed? Suddenly engaging in such strenuous exercise can easily cause myocardial ischemia, and in severe cases, it can lead to sudden death! You are abusing a child!"
"I'm innocent, doctor!" he quickly waved his hands. "He just insisted on showing off. I just came back from the division commander's place and saw him like this..."
The doctor snorted, clearly disbelieving, but seeing Ping An's condition, it was indeed just acute gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by insufficient blood supply. He then softened his tone: "Alright, he was lucky this time. Go back and prepare some light, liquid food for him. No strenuous exercise for the next few days! Got it?"
"I've got it, I've got it." Zhao Wenchang nodded vigorously.
In the evening, Jiang Wanqiu was sitting at her desk, casually flipping through a book, when the door creaked open and Zhao Wenchang returned with a dejected Ping An, carrying several packets of bitter-smelling Chinese medicine.
When she saw the father and son, one with their heads drooping and the other with a grinning face, she knew something bad was going to happen.
"What's wrong? Why does Ping An look so pale?" She put down her book, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
Zhao Wenchang chuckled and briefly recounted the thrilling scene that had unfolded on the training field that afternoon.
Jiang Wanqiu's face instantly turned cold.
She stood up without saying a word and walked up to Zhao Wenchang.
Zhao Wenchang thought she was going to show concern for him and was about to grin when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. With a "smack," he received a solid slap.
"Jiang Wanqiu, why did you hit me?" Zhao Wenchang covered the back of his head, feeling both aggrieved and shocked.
"I'll hit you?" Jiang Wanqiu glared at Zhao Wenchang angrily. "The child is ignorant, but are you, as his father, also ignorant? How old is he? You're making him run twenty laps like those adult soldiers? Do you want him to die on the training field?!"
"He insisted on running away! I couldn't stop him!" Zhao Wenchang felt more wronged than Dou E.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
