Chapter 317 His Skill Remains Undiminished
Early in the morning, the island was bustling with lively "hey-ho" sounds.
A few days ago, the villagers were busy digging pits and laying foundations, and today they officially started construction to build houses.
Outside the makeshift shed, several crooked wooden beams had just been erected. Zhou Jiuzhen had a thick wooden board under his left arm, the bandage wrapped tightly from his shoulder to his forearm, while his right hand still gripped a hammer, hammering at the mortise and tenon joints.
Sweat dripped down his jawline, soaking his faded military shirt, and his previously listless demeanor was now evident in his expression.
I didn't sleep a wink last night, and this morning I was hit again by the red marks on Ling Huanwu's body. Even a person made of iron couldn't withstand it.
The sound of a wheelchair rumbling and a woman's silvery laughter could be heard from not far away.
Zhou Jiuzhen suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly brightening.
As soon as Ling Huanwu pushed the wheelchair to a stable position, she saw her husband's slightly hunched back straighten up with a "whoosh," and his right hand, which was gripping the iron hammer, deliberately pushed to the side, making the tight shoulder line under his shirt clearly visible.
The next hammer blow was three times stronger than the previous one.
The wooden beam was firmly pressed into the groove.
He turned his head and smiled at the aunties watching, "Aunties, make way, this beam is heavy, I'll carry it!"
As he spoke, he lifted the beam with one hand, his muscles rolling out a firm curve beneath his clothes.
Aunt Liu stopped using her wood plane, and tugged at the girl beside her with a smile, "Commander Zhou, with this much energy, you don't look like you just broke your hand!"
The girls next to him blushed and lowered their heads, secretly glancing at him.
Zhou Jiuzhen had already caught sight of Song Panmei in the wheelchair out of the corner of his eye. He deliberately hoisted Liang onto his shoulder and looked directly in that direction when he raised his eyes.
His eyes seemed to say: Even if you can't move because you're in a wheelchair, I can still support Huanwu even if I have an injured hand.
Song Panmei gripped the wheelchair armrests tightly, utterly speechless. She noticed Ling Huanwu, oblivious to her man's provocation, frowned and strode over, pressing her hand on Zhou Jiuzhen's left shoulder. "Don't be a show-off! Trying to prove you're still got it? The doctor said you can't use your hand too much! Do you still think you're an eighteen-year-old?"
As Ling Huanwu was speaking, Zhou Jiuzhen's face suddenly darkened.
She was confused, not knowing which word had offended him.
The man, who had been saying he loved his wife's touches and pats, suddenly recoiled from Ling Huanwu's touch as if he'd been electrocuted. He staggered back as if stabbed by something, muttering to himself, "You mean I'm 'old'?"
Ling Huanwu was even more bewildered, her hand that had just been on his shoulder now hanging in mid-air.
His attitude of avoiding the plague truly hurt her.
Before Ling Huanwu could lash out, the man in front of her exploded first.
Zhou Jiuzhen immediately let out a roar, picked up a huge rock that would have taken five people to move, tossed it into the air, and it landed steadily on the foundation of the stone house. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Where am I old! I can move a rock that would take five people by myself!"
His shout silenced the entire room.
All his comrades and fellow villagers who were building the house were stunned, not understanding why he suddenly started yelling.
Ling Huanwu had just wanted to say something to Zhou Jiuzhen, but now she swallowed all her words. Facing the various gazes from the crowd, she felt utterly humiliated.
Just then, Song Panmei suddenly coughed incessantly while clutching his chest. Ling Huanwu quickly seized the opportunity to push him back under some pretext and then turned and ran away.
Even as she lifted her foot to leave, she could still feel the burning gaze following her like a shadow.
It was midday.
The medicine I had been waiting for finally arrived.
Ling Huanwu looked after Song Panmei inside the tent while helping the military doctor take the patient's temperature and get medicine.
Aunt Liu brought Da Ya to get the medicine. Looking at the handsome and refined Song Panmei on the hospital bed, she liked him more and more.
"Young man, how did your parents manage to give birth to such a handsome son? His face is as white as a freshly peeled egg, and his features are even more refined than those of a young scholar in a New Year's painting. If he stood at the entrance of our village for a while, I guarantee all the girls would stare at him. He's incredibly handsome!"
Lin Xiaoqin and Qiao Hui, who was coughing, came to get medicine together, and the two of them couldn't help but glance at Song Panmei.
It would have been better if she hadn't looked; once she did, Lin Xiaoqin's eyes widened in disbelief.
Although they had all met Song Panmei before, they were only amazed by him the first time the plane landed. After he was replaced by Qin Jinshen, that amazing spirit seemed to disappear immediately.
Now that the genuine product is back, everyone is amazed that even with the same appearance, a different soul and a different temperament give people a completely different feeling.
Song Panmei's eyes seemed to speak volumes; even lying in bed, they were captivating.
Lin Xiaoqin, holding a small paper bag of medicine, grabbed Ling Huanwu, who was preparing the medicine according to the medic's instructions, and made a low, hissing sound like boiling water, "Ahhh... Comrade Xiaozi, you've had such a beautiful woman by your side since you were little, how did you manage to resist making a move? Why didn't you introduce her to me sooner..."
Lin Xiaoqin kept talking, completely unaware of Qiao Hui's increasingly grim expression.
Before she knew it, a large group of young women and middle-aged women had gathered around her, all chattering and asking about Song Panmei's family situation.
Ling Huanwu was extremely annoyed and told them to ask for themselves before sending them away.
She looked at Lin Xiaoqin, her face full of helplessness.
"You see, with his popularity, I'm constantly being asked about him. Who could stand that?"
Lin Xiaoqin's gaze shifted from Song Panmei to Ling Huanwu, her eyes filled with gossip. "Can't stand it? But seriously, is there really nothing between you and Pilot Song? Otherwise, why would Qin Jinshen impersonate him to seduce you?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Ling Huanwu was startled, and the medicine in her hand trembled and fell to the ground.
"If my Battalion Commander Zhou finds out about this, he'll skin me alive!"
Lin Xiaoqin leaned closer and pressed her lips to her neck, looking at the bright red marks on her neck with a half-smile, clicking her tongue, "That's right, if Battalion Commander Zhou knew, he really would want to skin you alive tonight!"
Ling Huanwu glared at her, her fingers deftly picking up the medicine, but her cheeks were puffed out in anger. "You're overthinking it. I don't know if it's because of his broken hand or his poor health lately, but he's been sleeping early in the morning and throwing tantrums for no reason..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a series of soft thuds as something fell to the ground behind him.
The two of them turned around at the same time.
Zhou Jiuzhen stood at the tent entrance, his face ashen. He was carrying a thermos in one hand and a paper bag of White Rabbit milk candies in the other. The candy bag was tilted and kept falling to the ground, with some candies rolling to Ling Huanwu's feet.
Ling Huanwu felt embarrassed, as if she had been caught red-handed, after hearing him speak ill of her behind her back. She hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean you slept too much or had a bad temper. I was just joking with Xiaoqin!"
Seeing Zhou Jiuzhen's almost broken state, Lin Xiaoqin realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly chimed in to explain, "That's right, I was just saying that even though Pilot Song had a broken bone, he was still so gentle, but Qiao Hui's temper flared up as soon as he caught a cold. Don't misunderstand, Comrade Xiaozi is talking about you..."
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