Chapter 82.1

“Sister-in-law, Commander Xie has been taken away.”

Ruan Mingfu couldn’t help but take a step back, and Hu Wanning quickly stepped forward to support her.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry,” she looked at the young soldier, “What’s the situation? Has there been any notice from above?”

The young soldier shook his head.

“I only saw several people from above come in and take Commander Xie away.”

“How could this happen?”

Ruan Mingfu’s brows furrowed tightly.

“It’s probably just cooperating with the higher-ups. It’s nothing serious,” Hu Wanning comforted her. “Once Old Xu comes back, we’ll know what’s going on.”

The young soldier stood by, watching the worried expression on Ruan Mingfu’s face. He swallowed the words he had almost said.

What he didn’t mention was that the people who came were armed with knives and guns, clearly not there for a friendly visit.

“Don’t worry, sister-in-law. I’ll go find out more,” he said.

“Thank you for coming to tell me,” Ruan Mingfu replied gratefully. “I’ll make sure Old Xie thanks you properly when he returns.”

The young soldier scratched his head, “No need to be polite.”

After sending the soldier away, Hu Wanning helped Ruan Mingfu sit down in a chair.

“Don’t panic, sister-in-law. It might just be that some urgent task came down from above, and they needed Old Xie to gather people to complete it.”

Ruan Mingfu’s beautiful brows were tightly knit together.

Even after hearing Hu Wanning’s words, she didn’t relax her frown.

She wasn’t naive.

If it were really as Hu Wanning said, why would the young soldier be in such a hurry to inform her?

“That’s right, sister-in-law,” Li Xianglan added, trying to reassure her. “It’s common for soldiers to disappear like this. When I was dating Old Wang, he would sometimes vanish for half a year without a trace.”

“Back then, my parents thought we wouldn’t end up together and even tried to find someone else for me.”

He Cuixiang looked over curiously, “What happened next?”

“Do I even need to say? Old Wang came back just when it mattered most.”

Li Xianglan nodded shyly.

“Sister-in-law is right.”

If it weren’t for Captain Wang’s timely return, they wouldn’t have ended up together.

Hearing this, Ruan Mingfu couldn’t help but smile.

Hu Wanning patted her hand, “Don’t worry. Sometimes Old Xu goes out on missions and doesn’t have time to pack. It makes me anxious too, but he always sends me a message through the superiors to reassure me.”

“Maybe Old Xie is the same.”

Ruan Mingfu nodded, but for some reason, an uneasy feeling lingered in her heart.

Sensing her unease, the three of them stayed with her. As night fell, Ruan Mingfu finally convinced He Cuixiang and Li Xianglan to go home.

As darkness enveloped the area and Xie Yanzhao still hadn’t returned, Ruan Mingfu’s unease grew stronger.

“Sister-in-law, you should head home too.” 

Hu Wanning has a younger child to look after and couldn’t stay with Ruan Mingfu forever.

“No, I won’t go,” Hu Wanning firmly refused. “I’ll wait with you. If something happens, Old Xu will definitely come to inform you first.”

As time passed, her expression grew more serious.

“Is the little fat boy still at home?” she asked.

“It’s fine, I’ll go bring him here,” Hu Wanning said as she left without waiting for Ruan Mingfu’s agreement.

Watching her leave, Ruan Mingfu opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

She gazed at the setting sun, and her worries felt like the last light being swallowed by the darkness. Unable to sit still, she began to pace back and forth, frequently glancing toward the courtyard gate.

In the meantime, Wangcai ran over.

“Woof~”

Ruan Mingfu pushed aside her anxiety and gently patted the dog’s head.

“I don’t have time to play with you right now, be good.”

Wangcai wagged its tail, remaining beside her. It sat down at Ruan Mingfu’s feet, resting its chin on the ground, both watching the gate together.

As the last rays of light faded into the night, Ruan Mingfu’s unease intensified.

A breeze began to stir, rustling the thick radish leaves in the vegetable garden. The wind brushed against her, further tangling Ruan Mingfu’s long hair.

The chill swept over her, but it was nothing compared to the coldness she felt inside.

She pressed her lips together, her brow furrowed tightly since the afternoon.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the courtyard gate.

Ruan Mingfu quickly looked up, hoping to see the familiar tall figure. But as the person stepped into the light, disappointment washed over her.

It was only Hu Wanning, returning with the sleepy little fat boy in his pajamas.

“Sister-in-law, hurry and get inside,” Hu Wanning urged as she grabbed Ruan Mingfu’s hand, which felt as cold as iron, making her shiver involuntarily. “It’s so cold, what if you get sick?”

Pulling Ruan Mingfu with her, they went inside.

Wangcai followed them in.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the usually lively dog calmed down and found a corner to curl up quietly.

Hu Wanning draped a blanket from the sofa over Ruan Mingfu’s shoulders.

“Sister-in-law, you need to take care of yourself,” she said, pouring a cup of hot water and handing it to her. “Don’t get sick from a false alarm.”

The warmth in her hands temporarily eased Ruan Mingfu’s unease.

“Sister-in-law, Brother Xu hasn’t come back yet?”

Hu Wanning paused for a moment before shaking her head.

“I don’t know what happened in the army,” Hu Wanning sighed. “Not just Old Xu, but also Xianglan, Cuixiang, and even Sister Wang and Sister Lin’s husbands—all of them haven’t returned.”

This had never happened before.

Ruan Mingfu’s brow furrowed even tighter.

“What about the others?”

Hu Wanning shook her head again.

“That’s a good thing,” she said, holding Ruan Mingfu’s hand. “If everyone gets caught, it’s not a major issue.”

What was truly worrying was if only one person had been taken…

Ruan Mingfu obviously understood this and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Sister-in-law, what you said makes sense.”

“Are you still worried now?” Hu Wanning teased, glancing at her. “You haven’t eaten, right? It’s too late to cook, so let’s just have some noodles.”

Ruan Mingfu nodded.

“There’s still some meat in the refrigerator. I’ll get it for you…”

The two of them had a simple meal, but Xie Yanzhao still hadn’t returned. The little boy had already fallen asleep, unable to stay awake any longer. As time passed, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

This time, even Hu Wanning couldn’t keep her composure.

Like Ruan Mingfu, she frequently glanced outside. With every sound of the wind, she felt compelled to walk to the door and look.

She had lost count of how many times she had been disappointed, especially as the clock’s hands reached midnight.

Suddenly, a sound came from the courtyard gate. Ruan Mingfu and Hu Wanning, half-awake on the sofa, quickly got up to open the door. When they saw the figure against the backdrop of the dark night, hope flickered in Ruan Mingfu’s eyes.

In that moment, she realized just how important Xie Yanzhao was to her.

However, she was soon let down again.

The person who arrived was Xu Zhu.

Seeing him, Hu Wanning let out a heavy sigh of relief and, forgetting Ruan Mingfu was right beside her, rushed forward to hug his waist.

“You scared me to death,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

“I’m fine,” Xu Zhu replied, patting her shoulder. “The house was dark, so I figured you were here with sister-in-law.”

Ruan Mingfu couldn’t help but glance behind him.

It was empty there, and there was no sign of Xie Yanzhao at all.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Hu Wanning released Xu Zhu.

They had been a couple for years now, yet she still hugged him in front of others. A blush crept onto her cheeks, but she didn’t forget the matter at hand.

“Old Xu, where’s Old Xie? Why didn’t he come back with you?”

Not wanting to interrupt the couple’s moment, Ruan Mingfu would have spoken up sooner if it weren’t for the situation.

But to her surprise, Xu Zhu’s expression darkened.

He looked up at Ruan Mingfu. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

The way Xu Zhu looked at her made Ruan Mingfu feel increasingly uneasy.

Once they settled on the sofa, she couldn’t help but ask, “Tell me, did something happen to Old Xie?”

Hu Wanning’s gaze also fixed on Xu Zhu.

His face was grim as he slowly nodded in response to Ruan Mingfu’s question.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Mingfu’s face paled.

“Sister-in-law,” Hu Wanning quickly moved to Ruan Mingfu’s side, supporting her and shooting Xu Zhu a glare. “Sister-in-law, let’s hear what Old Xu has to say. It can’t be that bad.”

Ruan Mingfu looked at Xu Zhu. “Tell me, will Old Xie die?”

“That won’t happen.”

Ruan Mingfu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then that’s good.”

Xu Zhu hesitated before saying, “Old Xie has been implicated.. If things are serious, he might… he might lose his position in the army and be sent back home.”

“It’s okay, I can support him.”

Without the danger of losing his life, Ruan Mingfu felt less anxious.

The dog man couldn’t stay in the army anymore, so at worst, he can just follow her brother.

It was just a pity.

The dog man had joined the army at a young age and had fought for at least a decade. The various scars on his body indicated he must have liked it there.

If it came to that, it would be a serious blow to him.

Xu Zhu was taken aback by the sudden twinge of envy he felt.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry,” he said, looking at Ruan Mingfu’s suddenly calm face, unsure of what to say next. “Things might not reach that point.”

Knowing the dog man was not in mortal danger gradually eased Ruan Mingfu’s anxious heart.

“What on earth happened today?”

“It’s about Commander Xie,” Xu Zhu’s face darkened as he spoke. “Bai Qianzhu has reported him.”

Ruan Mingfu was taken aback.

“What? What’s going on?”

She was completely confused.

The recent happenings were downright surreal.

“What exactly is going on?” Hu Wanning frowned as well. 

“Bai Qianzhu values the position of the commander’s wife. How could she have reported Commander Xie?”

It seemed that this incident was quite serious, as it had also implicated Xie Yanzhao.

“A few days ago, Commander Xie took people to catch someone in the act. In a fit of anger, he injured Xie Yin. Xu Zhu took a deep breath. “I heard there was internal bleeding, and they almost couldn’t save her. Even if she did survive, she might be weak from now on.”

Most importantly, if he injured her organs… she might not live past forty.