Chapter 21: The Childhood Friend Wants to See Yinuo

Dongzi secretly glanced at his friend, truly worried that he might rush over and beat up Ding Zixu right then.

Qiu Qianjin let out a cold snort. “Such a showy display. Afraid the whole village won’t know there’s something going on between them.” With that, he slammed their shabby little door shut, producing a loud bang.

Dongzi reacted quickly, taking a large step back just in time to avoid having his face crushed by the door of the Qiu family.

Ding Zixu, who was holding the beautiful girl in front of him, paused in his steps. He instinctively looked toward the Qiu family’s house.

The tightly closed door caused his heart to tremble for no reason, and he thought about Yinuo, who had been gone for almost two years. A wave of guilt surged in his chest.

During her hardest times, he hadn’t been by her side—she must have felt so helpless!

An Xin had been feeling sweet and content, thrilled that for the first time, Zixu cared so much about her. Surely, he must have feelings for her too!

But as they kept running, his steps slowed.

Following his gaze, she looked in the same direction, and her heart inexplicably sank.

That place was where his childhood sweetheart lived. After so many years, he had never defeated this woman. She was stubborn, unwilling to accept defeat, and unwilling to let go.

Feigning a slight gasp of pain, she added with a trace of a cry, “Zixu, my foot hurts.”

Ding Zixu snapped back to reality. “An Xin, don’t worry, I’ll take you to the town’s hospital right away.”

At that moment, he no longer cared if his actions would reach Yinuo’s ears. He only wished he could sprout wings and get to the hospital faster.

After all, the leader’s daughter had gotten into trouble at his house, and he couldn’t escape responsibility.

Cheng Hongying pulled her younger son back into the house. “Why did you slam the door? The village old women will start gossiping again.”

“It’s my family’s door. I’ll slam it however I want. Who can stop me?”

In truth, Qiu Qianjin had already accepted Ding Zixu as his future brother-in-law long ago. It was just that both sides’ parents had their own selfish motives, and in the end, the marriage talks fell through.

His sister hadn’t been able to marry the man she loved, and that had always weighed heavily on his heart.

Their father had only ever seen his daughter as a bargaining chip to exchange for money to benefit his son—but no one was that easily fooled.

Growing up, Qianjin was treated like a little prince at home. Whatever he wanted, he got. Even during the busiest harvest seasons, the whole family would rather go hungry just to save enough food to keep him full.

As a child, he didn’t understand. He thought it was only right.

But as he got older and watched his sister waste away until she was little more than skin and bones, he began to reflect—had he been wrong all along? Had their father also been wrong?

He had tried to speak up a few times, but their father always assumed it was his sister manipulating him behind the scenes. The result was always the same: a raised fist.

After a few such beatings, Qiu Qianjin didn’t dare speak up anymore. In their father’s eyes, no matter what he did, it was always right.

Eventually, he decided to act out more, hoping their father would like him less.

But old-fashioned favoritism didn’t disappear so easily. Even if he was a little troublemaker, it couldn’t stop their father’s endless, irrational preference.

In the end, it only made his sister resent him more. Even though he wanted to get close to her, she didn’t want anything to do with him.

The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Ding Zixu returned from town.

He didn’t go home.

He went straight to the Qiu household.

After Uncle Qiu’s passing, it was said that Aunt Qiu had gone far away. The village gossip suggested that she was looking for Yinuo.

Upon hearing this, his heart had never been so uneasy.

Cheng Hongying was squatting on the ground doing laundry when she saw him approaching. She immediately called out and invited him in. “Zixu, you’re here. I heard people say your comrade got lost in the mountains and even twisted her ankle. How is she now?”

At the mention of An Xin, a trace of discomfort appeared on Ding Zixu’s face.

“She’s fine, Auntie. Actually, she’s the daughter of one of our superiors and works as a nurse at the military district hospital. She came to visit her family and decided to stop by and see me too. So… it wasn’t really easy for me to ask her to leave.”

Cheng Hongying sighed, “Zixu, I believe you, but I can tell that girl likes you.”

“Auntie, I don’t like her. There are just some things I can’t say too directly. I don’t want to hurt An Xin’s self-esteem, and I’m also worried about what the leader might think of me.”

“I understand what you’re saying. You probably already guessed, but I went far away recently to look for Yinuo.”

Ding Zixu’s heart skipped a beat. “Auntie, how is Yinuo? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

“Zixu, stop waiting for Yinuo.”

His face turned pale. “Does she think An Xin…?”

Cheng Hongying’s heart ached as she spoke about her daughter’s tragic fate. She couldn’t waste any more time, though, so she told him everything about Yinuo’s amnesia, her marriage, and the birth of twin children.

She didn’t mention that Yinuo was now a widow. “Not only does she not remember you, but she doesn’t even remember me. You need to forget Yinuo.”

Ding Zixu didn’t even know how he left the Qiu family’s house. He rushed straight to his room and didn’t come out again.

His mother thought An Xin’s injury was serious and was scared. She pulled her son aside, asking him questions in a flurry.

“It’s over! It’s over! What if your leader finds out? Will he still promote you to platoon leader?”

“How bad is An Xin’s injury? If it’s not too serious, just marry her! Her father is a regiment commander. He can definitely help you with your career in the future.”

“You little brat! Are you even listening to me?”

“Enough!” Ding Zixu snapped, his voice low with anger. “Mom, please, can I have a moment of peace?”

Ding’s mother was startled, especially seeing her son’s pale face. She felt a sharp pain in her heart. “Zixu, don’t get upset. I won’t push you anymore.”

Ding Zixu couldn’t accept that Yinuo had forgotten him. He wanted to see her in person.

He ran to the Qiu family’s house without caring about his mother chasing behind him.

He looked at Cheng Hongying and pleaded, “Aunt, please let me see Yinuo. Just once.”

Cheng Hongying gazed at him with a complicated expression. Before she could respond, Ding’s mother rushed forward and began shouting.

“Cheng Hongying, do you have no shame? My son already has a girlfriend, and yet you’re still dangling Yinuo in front of him!”

“Is she unable to find a man, or have all the men in the world died? Why does she have to cling to our son? How shameless is she, and how shameless is your family?”

“Shut your damn mouth! Who’s clinging to who? Your son has a girlfriend, and he’s still after my girl. It’s your son who’s shameless, and your family’s the disgraceful one!”

Though Cheng Hongying liked Zixu, that didn’t mean she could tolerate anyone insulting her daughter. When it came to defending her, her ability to fight back with words was unmatched.

“Auntie, don’t listen to my mom. An Xin is really not my girlfriend; she’s just the daughter of my leader’s family,” Ding Zixu quickly intervened, unable to stop his mother’s mouth. He had no choice but to drag her away.

Ding’s mother, used to farm work, was strong, but faced with Ding Zixu, a soldier, she couldn’t truly ignore him. They tugged at each other and hadn’t even left the Qiu family’s yard when Ding Zixu glanced at Qiu Qianjin, who was coming out of the kitchen with a cleaver in hand. He shouted urgently, “Jinzi, don’t act impulsively!”

Ding’s mother, seeing the cleaver, nearly fainted. She immediately stopped arguing with her son and yielded to his pull.

Just as they exited the door, the cleaver swished past Ding’s mother’s ear.

“Get out! If you come to my house again and insult my sister, I’ll kill your entire family. Ding Zixu, don’t ever come to my house again! My sister’s already married, and you two have no chance. No matter how low we fall, we won’t marry into your family!”

Qiu Qianjin’s roar startled the birds perched on the branches and made the gossiping women nearby snap to attention.