"It's coal! How did Little Green get coal on him?"
Shocked, Zhou Jiuzhen grabbed Xiao Lü and rummaged through its body, trying to find more coal. He pulled so hard that several more of its feathers fell out, and the little green thing cried out in pain, "Indecent assault! Indecent assault!"
Finally, he found a tiny bit of damp coal dust between Little Green's toes, confirming that what had been on Little Green was indeed coal!
"No wonder it's all black. Could it be that our island really has coal?"
Ling Huanwu's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent. "If it really exists, then our island can start building coal mines!"
Song Panmei tapped her forehead, her peach blossom eyes crinkling with laughter. "Maybe this parrot flew a long way to the city to pick up some coal. Besides, this place is by the sea, so the chances of finding coal here are very low. And if there were coal, the older generation here would have found it long ago, instead of waiting for us!"
One sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured on them, extinguishing the flames of excitement that had been burning between Zhou Jiuzhen and Ling Huanwu.
Zhou Jiuzhen glared at Song Panmei and retorted, "Young people are just young people. Don't you know that our country is vast and rich in resources, with many resources distributed in places you can't even imagine? How can you deny it just because of your subjective guess?"
"If your subjective judgment causes us to lose a coal mine, what a huge loss that would be for us!"
"So young people these days are fickle, self-righteous, and don't know how to restrain themselves at all. They know that what they say and do is wrong, but they still insist on doing it..."
Zhou Jiuzhen kept rambling on and on, unconsciously plucking Xiao Lü's feathers as he spoke. The little green bird cried out in pain and then fainted.
Ling Huanwu quickly picked up Xiao Lü, her eyebrows furrowed as she scolded him, "Zhou Jiuzhen, what are you doing? How could you treat it like this? What did it do wrong..."
With a loud "boom".
Looking at his wife's accusing face, Zhou Jiuzhen felt like the sky had fallen.
He thought Ling Huanwu was speaking up for Song Panmei and criticizing him for treating Song Panmei that way, never imagining that she was actually protecting that poor little parrot.
And so, the people in the tent witnessed how the once tough and resolute Battalion Commander Zhou, amidst Ling Huanwu's repeated accusations, slowly slumped down, his entire being appearing broken and fragile, as if he would shatter at the slightest touch.
Ling Huanwu belatedly shut her mouth, looking at the man in front of her who looked exactly like a desperate husband, and a sense of guilt inexplicably rose in her heart.
She opened her mouth to reassure him, "Are you...are you alright?"
Zhou Jiuzhen took a deep breath, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his lips, his voice suddenly becoming agitated and sharp, "I'm fine, what could possibly be wrong with me!"
After saying that, he slowly turned around, staggered a bit, and, utterly exhausted, slid into the covers and fell asleep immediately.
Ling Huanwu and the others in the tent exchanged glances, all seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
Suddenly, suppressed and restrained sobs came from under the covers, startling them all.
Even the triplets seemed to have suddenly grown two years older overnight, thinking they were just being silly, and after lining up to pee, they obediently went to bed.
Faced with the doctor's ambiguous smile, Ling Huanwu covered her face, too ashamed to show her face to anyone.
Because she knew that once the military doctor found out about their argument, it would be a disaster.
The next day, everyone on the island, including the villagers and the soldiers, will surely know about this!
Early the next morning.
Ling Huanwu blocked Zhou Jiuzhen at the entrance of the public toilet.
"Old man, I was wrong last night. I shouldn't have yelled at you over such a small thing..."
Ling Huanwu hooked his little finger with her little finger.
Seeing that he still had a stern face, she tugged at his large hand again and whispered in his ear, "Alright, old man, let's not be angry anymore. We're an old married couple, don't be so petty. We haven't done 'that' in a long time, let's go to the space..."
Ling Huanwu was thinking of luring him into her space, and then having a fight in bed and making up before it was time to get out of bed.
She thought to herself that she had been too disrespectful to him last night, publicly criticizing him over a bird; no wonder he was angry.
Ling Huanwu forced a smile and waited for his response.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Jiuzhen's expression, which had softened slightly, became gloomy again.
"An old married couple?"
Zhou Jiuzhen frowned, his eyelashes trembling as he spoke in a choked, incredulous voice, "We've only been married for two years, and I'll be in a vegetative state for another year. Are we already an old married couple? You've already thought I'm too old?"
His roar startled Ling Huanwu, leaving her stunned as if a black pot had been placed on her head.
She explained with a smile, "Okay, I misspoke. You're not old, I'm the one who's old. Okay, let's hurry back and have breakfast, Panmei is still looking for you..."
Actually, including the previous life, she was indeed older than him.
At this moment, he inexplicably got angry over such a small matter. Ling Huanwu was also annoyed. For some reason, she had been itchy for the past few days, and she hadn't slept all night because she kept scratching herself. She was so depressed.
But thinking that the boy might be easily angered because his hand was broken and he was inconvenient after saving her, she held back.
Upon hearing the name "Song Panmei" and noticing the red marks on Ling Huanwu's body, Zhou Jiuzhen exploded again, his voice sharp and agitated, "I won't eat! I don't want to go back and eat with someone!"
When Ling Huanwu heard him say that he didn't want to eat with him, she became completely angry.
She was rejected after making a physical advance, and now she's even being refused a meal. Even a clay figure would have some temper, let alone a pregnant woman like her.
"Zhou Jiuzhen, if you don't want to live together anymore, just say so, and we'll get a divorce! Don't deliberately cause trouble!"
After saying that, Ling Huanwu, with red eyes, turned and ran away from the public restroom, leaving Zhou Jiuzhen standing there as if struck by lightning.
On the drying ground.
The villagers all used enamel basins or metal lunch boxes to get their meals.
Ling Huanwu was absentmindedly getting her food while carrying a thermos.
Thinking of the hurtful things Zhou Jiuzhen said this morning, I couldn't help but want to cry.
Suddenly, the once orderly drying ground began to stir.
Immediately afterwards, gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd, and everyone covered their mouths and looked in the same direction.
Ling Huanwu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhou Jiuzhen in a crisp military uniform, holding a red hibiscus flower, standing outside the queue, striding towards Ling Huanwu with military steps.
A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd.
They assumed that Battalion Commander Zhou wanted to propose again, just like before.
They privately marveled that the flower had been growing on the south side of the mountaintop, and after the storm surge, very few remained, making it extremely difficult to pick. Yet, Battalion Commander Zhou had climbed the mountain with one hand, risking his life to pick it, just to give to his wife.
Everyone envied Ling Huanwu.
Even Ling Huanwu was almost moved to tears by the surrounding discussions.
Just as the villagers were shoving Ling Huanwu forward, she was suddenly pushed by someone and fell forward without warning.
Just as everyone exclaimed in surprise, Song Panmei, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, suddenly rushed out, dropped her crutch, and used the cushion of her body to catch Ling Huanwu steadily.
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