Chapter 27: Reporting the Marriage

The next day, worried that Song Jingzhi hadn’t fully recovered, Tang Xiaoxiao didn’t dare let him ride his bicycle, so they asked Song Wei to take them in the tractor.

Because he had other things to say, Tang Xiaoxiao didn’t go into the commune office with him. Even Wang, the director of the commune, had left the office before he made the call.

“Political commissar, I want to report my marriage, but I can’t return to the unit for now.” After the call was transferred, Song Jingzhi directly stated his purpose.

The voice on the other end paused for a few seconds, obviously shocked by the news.

“You found someone? Report the other person’s information. The army will help you handle it. You can go to the local area to get your marriage certificate directly.”

“Yes.” He reported Tang Xiaoxiao’s information. The army would naturally verify the situation and then approve it.

“How is your leg?” the political commissar asked.

“I can walk normally now, but I’m still in rehabilitation.”

“So fast?” The political commissar was happy to hear the news. “Don’t worry, your leave has been scheduled for after the New Year. Stay home and recover well.”

The doctor had said during the surgery that it would take at least three months to recover, and it would require long-term rehabilitation, so the fire department had been giving him sick leave.

“Thank you, the organization.” If it were before, Song Jingzhi might have been eager to return to the unit, but he also had to set a date for the wedding, and he hadn’t spent the New Year with his parents for many years. He didn’t refuse.

“For these few months’ allowance, should I transfer it to you or wait for you to come back and collect it together?” The political commissar thought that since he was getting married, he would need money.

“Let’s collect it together when I return to the unit.” He paused. “Political commissar, I want to bring my wife with me when I return to the unit.”

“Haha, good, good. You need to apply for a family housing, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, no problem. Once the marriage report is approved, I’ll apply for you. I guarantee that you’ll have a place to live when you come back.”

“Thank you, political commissar.” Song Jingzhi asked a few questions about the current situation in Xushan and then hung up the phone.

Because the village still needed the tractor, the two of them didn’t delay Song Wei’s time and went back to the village.

“I’m going to collect pigweed.” After returning home with Song Jingzhi, Tang Xiaoxiao put on her backpack and prepared to go out.

“I’ll go with you.”

She blinked at him. The mountain path was not as easy to walk as a flat road. She wasn’t sure if he could handle it.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” He had even tried doing half a set of exercises yesterday, and he didn’t feel any discomfort.

“Okay, if you feel uncomfortable, tell me.”

Song Jingzhi took the backpack from her and put it on himself. He picked up the sickle from the corner of the wall, and the two of them slowly went up the mountain.

“Uncle Tang, Auntie Tang.”

“Uncle Jingzhi, Auntie Tang.”

Shi Tou and the children greeted them enthusiastically. Song Jingzhi took out candy from his pocket and asked Shi Tou to distribute it to everyone.

“Uncle bought this candy for everyone. Today, Uncle will cut the pigweed for Auntie Tang.”

“Then we’ll give Uncle the wild berries we picked.” The children had picked some wild berries earlier and now piled them in front of the two.

Song Jingzhi accepted them with a smile. It was early autumn now. He took off his thin jacket and wrapped the wild berries in it. Then he took Tang Xiaoxiao to another direction.

“Why don’t you stay with the children?” she asked curiously.

“I want to be alone with you.” He stopped and took her hand.

“Captain Song, you’re really different after reporting your marriage. You even know how to hold hands.” She was referring to their intertwined fingers.

Song Jingzhi looked at her lips that were opening and closing, his eyes darkened slightly as he looked away.

“Go sit over there. I’ll cut the pigweed.” He found a clean spot for her and gave her the wild berries wrapped in his clothes, letting her sit and rest.

Tang Xiaoxiao didn’t argue with him. It was normal for her partner to help with the work.

She watched him start cutting the pigweed with his sickle. She opened her clothes and curiously took out a wild berry. It was small, about the size of a jujube.

She peeled it and put one in her mouth. “So sour!”

Song Jingzhi turned around and saw her delicate eyebrows furrowed. He laughed.

“You little glutton, that’s a sour jujube. You won’t be able to accept it the first time you eat it.” He took out the water bottle she brought and handed it to her. “And they pick them to make sour jujube slices with sweet potatoes.”

Even if they didn’t make sour jujube slices, these children didn’t have many snacks and were already used to the taste.

“…” Tang Xiaoxiao was from the north, so she naturally didn’t know this.

“I’ll ask Mom to make some for you when we get back.”

Seeing that she had recovered, Song Jingzhi continued to cut the pigweed.

He was wearing a white shirt under his jacket, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong forearms. As he bent over to cut the pigweed, the lean lines of his back were also revealed.

Tang Xiaoxiao had seen male models in the future, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Song Jingzhi had abs, and how many?

Her gaze stayed on him. Although he was facing away from her, he quickly noticed.

He pretended not to know and continued cutting the pigweed.

Song Jingzhi worked quickly, and a basket of pigweed was soon full. Tang Xiaoxiao’s gaze hadn’t moved away.

“Do you like looking at it?”

“It’s beautiful.” When she realized it, he was already standing in front of her. Suddenly, she felt like she had been caught.

Sticking to the principle that if she wasn’t embarrassed, the one who was embarrassed was the other person, Tang Xiaoxiao blurted out a sentence.

“Captain Song, do you have abs?”

Song Jingzhi dropped the jacket he had just taken from her hand to the ground, and the sour jujubes rolled everywhere.

He knew Tang Xiaoxiao was bold, but he never thought she would say something like that.

Seeing his reaction, her curiosity grew even stronger.

“Do you? Do you? You must have, right?”

She was right in front of him, asking as he squatted down to pick up the sour jujubes.

“Have you asked anyone else this question?” he mumbled.

“Of course not. I haven’t even asked my brother. I only asked you because you’re my partner.” She said seriously.

Song Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief. Good!

“So, do you or not?”

After picking up all the sour jujubes, he stood up straight. She also stood up, blinking at him, as if waiting for his answer.

Song Jingzhi’s eyes darkened slightly as he looked at her bright, curious eyes.

“Why don’t you feel?”

“…” Tang Xiaoxiao’s face flushed red like a ripe apple.

“You, you’re a rascal.” She threw out a sentence and walked down the mountain.

Looking at her blushing figure, he curled his lips. Sure enough, she could still be teased.

Song Jingzhi quickly caught up with her. “Are you angry? Have some candy.”

He took a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it out to her. Because he had been cutting pigweed, his hands hadn’t touched the candy.

She glanced at him and opened her mouth to take the candy, holding it in her mouth. The two of them walked home side by side.

While Song Jingzhi was washing his hands at the well, Tang Xiaoxiao was still looking at him.

She was the kind of person who couldn’t sleep if she had something on her mind. She probably wouldn’t be able to get over this question about abs today.