Chapter 74

The wall of the courtyard was very low, and an adult man could jump in. Su Ying was worried that it would not be safe even if the gate to the courtyard was locked, so she urged Jiang Suihan to take Jiang Leyun upstairs to stay in the room and not come out. The door of the room should also be closed tightly, while she stayed in the living room on the first floor to guard.

Not only was the door of the living room locked from the inside, but a heavy cabinet was moved from the utility room and placed behind the door. Su Ying held a stick in her left hand and a kitchen knife in her right hand, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the door in front of her, not daring to relax for a moment.

Jiang Suihan felt sorry for her mother-in-law. She hadn’t realized how serious the matter was at first, but after her mother-in-law did this, the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Su Ying, having kept her eyes open for a long time, felt her eyelids growing heavy. She couldn’t help but blink, then saw Jiang Suihan still standing by. She said, “Go upstairs. I can keep watch here. You’re pregnant, and Lele is still small. You two would just be in the way. Hurry up and go.”

Knowing that what her mother-in-law said made sense, even though Jiang Suihan was very worried about her mother-in-law being alone downstairs, she had no choice but to go upstairs, close the room, and she and her brother sat on the bed facing each other.

Jiang Leyun, unfamiliar with such situations, looked confused and scared. He couldn’t help but call out softly, “Sister.”

Jiang Suihan patted her brother’s head, unsure if she was comforting him or herself, and said, “It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

It was the middle of the night and everyone was very sleepy. Lele’s little head was nodding, and he couldn’t stand the call of Zhou Gong. He tilted his body and fell on the bed, snoring soundly.

Jiang Suihan yawned, shook her head to stay awake, and thought about how she usually would have been asleep by now. Given the current uncertainty and her anxiety, she couldn’t sleep, while the child had nothing to worry about and simply sleep when tired.

She tucked the blanket around her brother, making sure no cold air could get in.

Jiang Suihan wanted to go downstairs to check but worried that her mother-in-law would be concerned and distracted. So she forced herself to stay put and wait.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard some noise from downstairs. She jolted awake, instantly alert, and tiptoed to the door, pressing her ear against it.

The sounds grew closer, and her heartbeat raced, pounding in her ears.

Su Ying gripped her weapons tightly, ready to confront any intruders.

“Mom, open the door. It’s me,” Xu Zhao knocked three times on the door.

It sounded like her son, but since enemies could be cunning and might be trying to trick her with a similar voice, Su Ying wasn’t about to let her guard down easily.

Su Ying cleared her throat and asked loudly, “If you’re my son, then tell me: when you were seven, which neighbor’s fruit did you and your friends steal from the yard?”

Outside the door, Xu Zhao’s lips twitched slightly. It seemed his mother still remembered that old incident and even brought it up now.

Was this the memory and nagging ability of middle-aged women?

“From Aunt Cai’s house.” He replied, his tone showing a hint of helplessness and embarrassment.

Su Ying nodded, and the answer was correct, but she couldn’t let her guard down yet, so she asked again, “What fruit was stolen?”

Xu Zhao sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Persimmons.”

Correct answer!

It’s my son.

Su Ying hurriedly pushed the cabinet aside. She didn’t remember how she managed to move the heavy cabinet earlier, maybe it was because she had some energy after dinner. Now, with her energy spent and feeling hungry, she struggled.

“Wait a moment. I need to move this cabinet out of the way. It’s too heavy.”

The cold wind outside made her shiver.

Xu Zhao remained silent.

After finally moving the cabinet aside, Su Ying opened the door, and the cold wind rushed in. She shivered and sneezed: “Come in quickly.”

She then hurried to the table, picked up the thermos, and poured a cup of hot water for Xu Zhao.

It was truly cold outside. Xu Zhao drank half a cup of water and warmed up a bit before asking, “Where are the others?”

Su Ying brought the thermos over and poured him more water: “They’re upstairs, probably asleep. Is everything alright?”

Xu Zhao didn’t want to reveal too much: “A few thieves who sneaked in were caught.”

Could those who dared to steal from the army really be called small thieves?

Su Ying knew that she couldn’t ask any more questions, as she wouldn’t get any results. She wasn’t that curious, so she yawned twice and said, “I’m so sleepy. I’m going to bed first.”

Xu Zhao finished his water, went upstairs, and knocked on the locked bedroom door: “Sui Sui, it’s me.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Suihan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly opened the door, looking at him with joy and surprise: “You’re back!”

Xu Zhao noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes, just a pair of white socks on the floor. He frowned, bent down, and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. When he was about to set her down, he saw a small lump on the bed.

Her younger brother was sleeping soundly on their big bed, snoring away.

While the adults in the house were on edge and anxious, the child was sleeping soundly, completely at ease.

Jiang Suihan sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a bit guilty: “I got so anxious earlier that I forgot to put on my shoes.”

Then she changed the subject and asked him: “Have things been resolved?”

Xu Zhao was changing out of his clothes as he replied: “The people have been caught, and the remaining issues are being handled by specialists in the army.”

They had caught the culprits, and the interrogation would be handled by professionals.

Tonight’s events, while not overly complicated, involved a few thieves who had committed crimes in their hometown and fled here. They had planned to sneak into another country but lacked guns and dared not take risks. When one of them learned about a nearby military unit, they decided to attempt a major theft.

It was a coincidence that the military had planned a New Year’s celebration tonight for soldiers and their families, with all the arrangements made, including food and entertainment. However, due to an unexpected delay, the ordered pork did not arrive on time and would only come tomorrow, forcing the plans to be postponed.

The thieves, unaware of the delay in the military’s celebration, found a weakly guarded spot after searching for two days. They had planned to scale the wall and sneak in, hoping that the relaxed mood during the New Year would make the guards less vigilant.

The plan was not very precise. Ideally, they should have waited until the dead of night for a better chance of success. However, their thick clothing was insufficient for the cold weather, so they advanced their plan. After all, the soldiers were at the cafeteria, and they thought no one would notice them under the noses of the military personnel.

One of them had indeed managed to sneak in, but his skills were mediocre. While climbing the wall, he slipped and wobbled the flashlight he was holding.

By chance, Jiang Suihan was going out for a walk and happened to glance in that direction.

Xu Zhao changed into his pajamas, then turned to Jiang Suihan and said: “You were the biggest contributor tonight. The political commissar said that once the matter is fully clarified, he will help you apply for a reward from the army.”

Jiang Suihan’s eyes lit up: “What kind of reward? Is it money?”

Xu Zhao tapped her forehead: “Material reward.”

Upon hearing it wasn’t money, Jiang Suihan pouted and replied vaguely: “Oh.”

Xu Zhao smirked slightly and added leisurely: “There is money.”

Jiang Suihan immediately brightened up: “Money is the most practical. Please thank the political commissar for me.”

Xu Zhao went over, lifted the blanket, and carried her younger brother out of the bedroom, placing him in his own room. He thoughtfully covered him with the blanket and adjusted his pillow.

Seeing Xu Zhao about to get into bed himself, Jiang Suihan quickly stopped him: “Don’t get in yet. You haven’t washed your feet.”

In winter, taking a bath every day isn’t practical due to the cold, and there isn’t enough firewood for daily use.

Skipping a bath every one or two days is bearable, but getting into bed without washing his feet was unacceptable to her. After a whole day in shoes, feet can get stinky, and she didn’t believe that winter was any different from summer in that regard.

Xu Zhao had actually forgotten. He was usually quite clean, but compared to the other smelly men in the army, he was known for his cleanliness in his previous dorm. Even with the exhausting daily training and insufficient time to rest, he made himself presentable. His roommates also wanted to clean up daily but lacked the energy, envying Xu Zhao’s neat appearance.

Jiang Suihan had many requirements: she had to wash her feet before going to bed, wash her hands before and after eating, and bowls and chopsticks had to be scalded with hot water before meals. She also preferred to bathe and shampoo daily if conditions allowed. She would get upset if these requirements were not met.

Xu Zhao silently let go. Fortunately, there was still half a bottle of hot water in the thermos. He used it to wash his face and feet, and once he had tidied himself up, he returned to the bedroom. He saw that the person on the bed was sleeping sweetly, with a smile on her face, as if she were dreaming of something that made her happy.

The next morning, the New Year atmosphere was still strong, with laughter and New Year greetings everywhere. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that everyone’s smiles were tinged with something else.

My mother-in-law had prepared a lot of candy. When children came to pay New Year’s greetings, she would give them a couple of candies and some peanuts. Each child came with anticipation and left with their pockets full, happy and content.

Some children were very sweet-talking and would call out cheerfully, “Grandma, Happy New Year! Auntie, Happy New Year!”

Su Ying, delighted, gave them a few extra candies.

Xixi’s smile was so wide that her little pocket couldn’t hold any more candy. She turned to her mother with an uncertain look.

Wu Guihua was about to help her daughter when Zhao Xiaojun unexpectedly reached out and snatched some candy, saying, “Second Brother will help you eat it.”

Then he turned and ran away.

Xixi watched her brother run off, blinking her eyes. She looked down at the single candy left in her hand, blinked again, and then burst into tears, crying with a sense of grievance.

“Second Brother took my candy, wah wah wah…”

Jiang Suihan, smiling, covered her ears. She wasn’t surprised by Zhao Xiaojun’s behavior; the child was indeed very mischievous.

Wu Guihua quickly picked up her daughter to comfort her. “Stop crying. I’ll make sure to get it back for you and give your Second Brother a good thrashing.”

Hearing that her mother was going to give Second Brother a good beating, Xixi’s small face showed a look of reluctance. She pouted and said, “Don’t hit Second Brother.”

Wu Guihua was speechless. “Alright, you two siblings have a good relationship. I won’t get involved.”

Youyou trotted over to Xixi, holding out a piece of milk candy and saying in a milky voice, “Here.”

Dai Jia couldn’t help but facepalm, laughing uncontrollably. “Mommy eats a piece of candy, and you pout at Mommy, but now when no one is giving you candy, you’re the one offering it. Want to play with your sister?”

Wu Guihua also laughed. “Youyou is such a good child. Sister gets candy, and Youyou can have some too.”

Youyou looked at the adults smiling at him, confused, and shyly buried his face in his mother’s arms.

The adults laughed even more joyfully and loudly.

Dai Jia held her son, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. “Still shy?”

Jiang Suihan grabbed a handful of candies and distributed them to the two children. During the New Year, Dai Jia and Wu Guihua couldn’t limit the kids’ candy consumption, so they let them enjoy it. There was more good food at home these days than usual, and the children’s pockets were filled with treats, except for a few small red envelopes.

Dai Jia’s family was in a better situation. She and Zhang Xiangqian had only one son and no burdens from their hometown. Her mother occasionally secretly supplemented her, so Youyou don’t lack for candy, though his mother didn’t let him eat too much.

The adults sat together by the fire, peeling peanuts and eating.

Dai Jia suddenly asked, “Did you all hear about last night?”

Jiang Suihan remained noncommittal, sensing from Dai Jia’s expression that she couldn’t keep a secret.

Wu Guihua tossed the peanut shells into the fire and asked meaningfully, “What are you referring to?”

Jiang Suihan was puzzled. Could it be that more than one major event had occurred last night?

Dai Jia raised her eyebrows, looking excited to share gossip. “Wang Lijuan came back last night. We all thought she had gone back to her hometown, but the incident happened suddenly. Hearing the alarm, we all stayed indoors and didn’t go out. Who would have thought that Wang Lijuan, with her brain not functioning properly, ran out into the cold night and was caught as a hostage? Fortunately, Xu Zhao from your family has good shooting skills and shot the gun out of the kidnapper’s hand, saving Wang Lijuan’s life.”

“Don’t you think she’s crazy? It was freezing cold, and she left her home at night, only to be taken hostage. Who does that? My family and Wang Lijuan’s family live in the same building. Last night, the troops searched her home overnight, and Wang Lijuan’s family stood shivering outside, looking pale. Captain Li was also taken away and hasn’t come back yet. Having such a troublesome sister-in-law, Captain Li must be having the worst luck.”

The amount of information was overwhelming, and Jiang Suihan felt she needed time to process it.

She looked at Dai Jia and summarized the information: “So, you’re saying that last night, a thief broke into the troops’ area and was discovered. The thief ran into the family compound, and Wang Lijuan, not knowing what she was thinking, ran out of her house and was captured as a hostage to threaten the army. Is that right?”

Jiang Suihan had thought that Wang Lijuan had disappeared from her life, but unexpectedly, a couple of months later, she heard her name again, giving her a sense of disorientation.

Dai Jia nodded, her expression complicated. She couldn’t understand why Wang Lijuan did that. There were rumors that Wang Lijuan was mentally unstable, but she wasn’t sure if it was true.

Jiang Suihan pondered for a moment and then asked, “Do you know who she was looking for when she went out? Or which direction she was headed?”

Dai Jia thought for a moment and wasn’t very sure. “It seems the direction the thief fled was towards your home.”

So, Wang Lijuan was looking for her or Xu Zhao?