Chapter 110
Political Commissar Xu came in carrying a teacup. When he saw the injury on Shen Mingzheng's face, he exclaimed, "What are you doing? If you want to spar, you can fight during the next reconnaissance competition. There will be plenty of opportunities then."
He had sensed something was amiss when he heard that Shen Mingzheng and Commander Gu were exchanging ideas and techniques at the training ground.
Today was fine, and there weren't any projects that needed to be discussed, so why the sudden sparring? Are they just bored? And the commotion didn't look like a sparring match; it looked more like they had some personal grudge to settle, and they weren't going to hold back.
Shen Mingzheng ignored him and tidied up the documents on the table.
Political Commissar Xu then asked, "Old Shen, what did your brother-in-law do to you?"
He was quite puzzled, thinking that Shen Mingzheng was really brave, daring to even hit his brother-in-law. Wasn't he afraid that his brother-in-law would give him a hard time? You know, once you marry someone's sister, you have to be careful in front of your brother-in-law. No one is as arrogant as him. He should be careful that his wife doesn't hold a grudge against him for this.
Younger sisters tend to side with their brothers.
“It’s just a normal sparring match,” Shen Mingzheng said calmly. “Are you that free? If you are, let’s talk about work. Here are some documents, you can…”
Political Commissar Xu: "I'm not free. I have other work to do. I need to do ideological work with the troublemakers below later."
"Then shut up!"
Political Commissar Xu: "..."
Well, what can I do but put up with such a serious, meticulous partner?
Shen Mingzheng got home rather late today. When he arrived, dusk had fallen and the light was dim, making it difficult for anyone to see the injuries on his face unless they got very close.
He returned home calmly and saw the three Gu sisters sitting in the main room as soon as he entered.
Gu Xi was tutoring Xu Huaisheng with his homework. Xu Yuansheng cut fruit for them and then sat down to practice calligraphy.
Upon seeing him return, Gu Xi told Xu Huaisheng to continue doing his homework and Xu Yuansheng to continue practicing calligraphy, while she got up to greet him.
"Brother, you haven't eaten yet, have you? We saved some food for you and are keeping it warm in the pot." Gu Xi said as she went to the kitchen and turned on the kitchen light.
The lights were bright, and the whole room was lit up in an instant.
She took out the food that had been kept warm in the pot and placed it on the small table in the kitchen. Since he was eating alone, he didn't need to go to the main room to eat; he could eat directly in the kitchen.
Shen Mingzheng washed his hands, took off his dirty outer clothes, and was only wearing a vest underneath.
The vest accentuated his smooth, beautiful muscles, making him look incredibly sexy.
Gu Xi turned her head and saw him like this, feeling a little envious. She couldn't help but reach out and touch the smooth and firm muscles on his arm, and asked in a whimsical way, "Big brother, if I follow your training plan, can I also develop muscles like yours?"
His physique was truly well-built, with prominent muscles. It wasn't exaggerated, but they were solid. As soon as he took off his clothes, you could feel the smooth muscles that had been developed over the years, containing immense power, like a nimble cheetah.
She usually loves to touch his muscles; the feel is amazing. Unfortunately, if she touches them for too long, he gets very agitated, so she doesn't dare to tease him too much.
Shen Mingzheng paused, turned to look at her, thought for a moment with a rigorous scientific attitude, and said tactfully, "It's probably not possible to become like me, but there's a 50% chance, as long as you can persevere, rain or shine, and never give up every day..."
Gu Xi immediately backed down: "Forget it, I didn't really want it that much anyway. Since you have it, it's the same as me having it, right?"
Shen Mingzheng: "..."
Her life was peaceful, and she didn't need to go to the battlefield. Asking her to train day after day was too much to ask.
She still prefers to sleep in every day and then go out for a bike ride as exercise, rather than working out hard to train herself.
Seeing him looking at her, she said matter-of-factly, "You're my husband, so what's yours is mine, isn't it?"
Shen Mingzheng was always rendered speechless by her twisted logic.
It doesn't sound like that at all, but she always manages to make it sound so convincing and natural. I don't know where she learned it, but it's quite amusing.
Before marriage, he thought she was just like his mother and younger brother described in their letters—a gentle, considerate, quiet, somewhat reserved but ambitious girl. He even had plans for how to get along with her and how to take care of her after marriage. Only after marriage did he discover that she was far more vibrant than described in those words. Once you get to know her, she will make your life warm and interesting.
A monotonous and dull life is like a pool of water being filled with fresh water, making every day feel new.
When Shen Mingzheng sat down to eat, Gu Xi's gaze fell on his face, and she was suddenly shocked.
"Big brother!" She reached out and cupped his face. "What happened to your face? Who hit you? How could they hit your face like that?"
She touched the bruises on his cheek with heartache. His lips were blue, and his once handsome face had been transformed into a battle-worn one. Although it had a wild and untamed charm, it was still heartbreaking.
Shen Mingzheng said, "I got this by accident while sparring with someone on the training field today."
"Who was so careless?" Gu Xi said unhappily, her anger somewhat unreasonable.
Shen Mingzheng coughed lightly, "Don't worry, the other party is more seriously injured."
Gu Yuanyang did fight back, but he probably guessed why Gu Yuanyang was hitting him, so he was more restrained and could only passively take the beating.
Gu Xi muttered to herself that she didn't like him having injuries, as it made her sad.
But she also knew that this kind of thing was normal, and it was just something she said a few times.
After he finished showering, she personally applied the medicine to him.
When the Xu sisters saw the injuries on his face, they both looked worried.
"Brother-in-law, do you guys always fight like this during training?" Xu Huaisheng couldn't help but ask, even though their faces were getting injured from the fight.
Shen Mingzheng corrected him seriously: "It's a normal exchange of skills, not a fight."
The two sisters didn't understand these things, but they could comprehend them.
Understanding doesn't mean accepting, just like Gu Xi, who was muttering something to herself.
Gu Xi still had strong opinions and continued, "Such a handsome face, and now it's injured, turned into a battle-damaged face."
Xu Yuansheng said, "Brother-in-law, be careful in the future, don't get hurt."
Judging from her sister's behavior, you can tell she really likes her brother-in-law's face. She complains endlessly about even the slightest injury, which is quite amusing.
Having no other choice, Shen Mingzheng could only promise that he would take good care of his face in the future and not let it get hurt.
"It's not just about your face!" Gu Xi corrected him. "It should be about making sure you don't get hurt. I'll feel bad if you have any injuries." He has so many injuries, and every time she touches those scars, she feels bad.
Even though it's a hero's medal, he must be in a lot of pain when he's injured, right?
Shen Mingzheng paused for a moment, then assured him, "I will."
**
On the other hand, when Gu Yuanyang returned home, his miserable appearance almost frightened his wife and daughter.
"Dad, why does your face look like a pig's face!" Gu Tuantuan exclaimed in shock. "Quick, quick, Mom, take Dad to the hospital!"
Ji Ya wasn't as anxious as her daughter; she was used to this kind of thing. She asked, "What happened? Who hit you?"
It's obvious from the look that it was deliberately aimed at his face. I wonder who hates him so much to do something like this.
As she spoke, she asked her daughter to fetch the first-aid kit from home so she could treat the injuries on his face.
Gu Yuanyang glanced at his daughter who had run off and whispered to her, "It's Commander Shen."
"Huh?" Ji Ya was taken aback. "How did you manage to offend your brother-in-law?"
Gu Yuanyang was immediately displeased. "Why was it me who provoked Commander Shen, and not him who provoked me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ji Ya analyzed rationally. "Putting aside Commander Shen's character, he's an extremely serious person who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters, and he would never specifically target you in the army. Secondly, he's your brother-in-law and respects you as his elder brother. Unless there's a huge grudge, he wouldn't go to such lengths."
So, what enormous grudge suddenly arose that drove him to such rage that he took action?
Gu Yuanyang snorted coldly, "You're wrong. How can he respect me? I haven't felt any respect from him."
He only maintains a superficial respect because he is Gu Xi's older brother; it's impossible for him to truly respect her from the bottom of his heart.
Gu Tuantuan brought over the first-aid kit, and Ji Ya treated the wounds on his face.
"Dad, does it hurt?" Gu Tuantuan asked with concern as she stood beside him.
Gu Yuanyang pretended to be relaxed, "It just looks scary, but it doesn't hurt. The marks on your face will disappear in a couple of days, so Tuantuan doesn't need to worry."
Hearing her father's repeated assurances and her mother's assurances that it wasn't serious, Gu Tuantuan finally felt relieved.
As soon as the child turned around, Gu Yuanyang grimaced in pain and muttered under his breath, "What an animal! He hit so hard. Even if you need to vent, don't take it out on me."
Shen Mingzheng is really good at fighting. I heard that he once won first place in an individual competition in a joint competition with other military regions.
Ji Ya found it somewhat amusing and asked, "What exactly did you do to make him hit you so hard?" Shen Mingzheng is a very measured person, and it's rare for him to do something like this, which shows how angry he really was.
Gu Yuanyang suddenly fell silent.
Seeing this, she realized something. "Is it related to Xixi?" Only Gu Xi could affect Shen Mingzheng's emotions.
Gu Yuanyang's shoulders slumped slightly. "I guess so. I'm definitely not a good older brother. It's understandable that he'd be angry."
He recalled Gu Xi's reaction last night when she heard about Gu Yuanhui's accident; it was too cold, so cold that it chilled him to the bone.
To a normal person, her reaction would be considered extremely cold-blooded.
He had seen what Gu Xi was like ever since she came to the army.
For someone so easily moved to become so cold, it's clear how deeply her relatives hurt her, leaving her with no attachment to them whatsoever. You reap what you sow; she can't be blamed.
Even he could see Gu Xi's unusual behavior, let alone Shen Mingzheng, who was closer to Gu Xi.
Perhaps he heard something from Gu Xi last night that angered him, and today he used the pretext of sparring to attack me.
Ji Ya didn't know what to say. She always understood the principle that one should not advise others to be kind if one has not experienced their suffering, and she couldn't bring herself to criticize them.
She smiled and said, "Comrade Gu, you've really worked hard."
Gu Yuanyang could only sigh, touch his face, and say nothing more.
**
It was two days later that Gu Xi learned that the person who had been exchanging ideas with Shen Mingzheng was Gu Yuanyang.
She was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Was it my brother who injured your face? How could he hit you so hard?"
Before Shen Mingzheng could speak, Xu Huaisheng said, "Big sister, when I got home today I saw Commander Gu. His face was more badly injured than your brother-in-law's. It was covered in bruises and looked terrible. He was even disfigured."
Gu Yuanyang was at least a handsome man, but now his face doesn't look handsome at all.
Xu Yuansheng calmly said, "Didn't my brother-in-law say that this is a normal exchange of skills? In the end, there will inevitably be accidental injuries during exchanges, which is normal."
"accidental injury?"
Xu Huaisheng looked at her sister with suspicion. With Commander Gu's face, could it have been an accidental injury? She had also heard some of the older women in the family compound gossiping today, wondering if Commander Gu had offended his brother-in-law, Shen Mingzheng, which was why he had resorted to such violence.
It just goes to show that there's really no privacy in the military; the slightest thing can easily spread.
Fortunately, Shen Mingzheng and Gu Yuanyang were good people, and although they went a bit too far during their sparring match, no one thought too much about it and just watched it as a novelty.
After returning to the room, Gu Xi asked, "Why did you fight with my brother? Did he provoke you?"
“No,” Shen Mingzheng said, “I just feel that he’s not a good enough brother.”
Gu Xi paused for a moment, then realized what he meant. She stepped forward, hugged his waist, buried her face in his warm chest, and was secretly delighted. She muttered, "He was wrong, but it's only human nature. I don't really care."
Gu Xi never believed that just because someone is family, they should be loved unconditionally.
Relationships between people really depend on fate. Blood ties alone cannot sustain a relationship; it also depends on first impressions.
Feng Min's affection for her, the Shen family's fondness for her, and the feelings of the Xu sisters all prove that blood ties do not represent everything.
Although Gu Yuanyang is the eldest brother, he has his own family and career. It's really nothing that he puts his sister, whom he has never met, last.
If she hadn't come here and lived close to them, she and Gu Yuanyang would probably only have the title of "brother and sister" for the rest of their lives, with no real affection between them.
It's just a matter of visiting more relatives.
Shen Mingzheng put his arm around her, lowered his head and kissed her, without saying anything.
**
After more than half a month, Shen Mingzheng and Gu Yuanyang got busy again.
The military is organizing a cross-country reconnaissance competition, and everyone is extremely busy with it, rarely even going home.
This has no impact on the family compound; life goes on as usual.
At the end of May, a man arrived at the military base, weary from his journey.
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