Feng Shunhua’s startled cry drew the attention of several of the sisters-in-law nearby.

Feng Chunhua’s expression changed when she saw what the fuss was about. She nudged Feng Shunhua. “What are you getting all worked up for?”

She thought Feng Shunhua, only eighteen, didn’t fully understand these things yet.

The other women glanced over too, and their gazes grew meaningful.

After they had finished reacting, Xu Suining casually touched her neck and smiled. “That? Qingshan knows about it. I was planning to return to my parents’ house in the provincial capital, but I ran into a robbery at a hotel in the city. I was nearly strangled. Luckily, Qingshan arrived just in time to save me. That’s how I ended up with these marks. They still hurt when I touch them.”

She repeatedly referred to him as Qingshan, sounding especially close.

Then she turned to Huo Qingshan and asked with a smile, “Isn’t that right, Qingshan?”

She was betting that he’d go along with it. No man would want to publicly admit he’d been made a cuckold.

In fact, Feng Shunhua had unwittingly done her a favor by giving her the perfect opportunity to clear her name in the compound, where everyone believed she had eloped.

Huo Qingshan glanced at her, then looked toward Feng Chunhua. “Sister-in-law, she needs time to recover. I’ll take her home first. Let the commissar know I’ll come by later.”

He hadn’t explained things directly, but by saying Xu Suining was injured, he was indirectly confirming that the robbery had happened.

Xu Suining couldn’t help smiling. This man really wasn’t bad at all.

Feng Shunhua hadn’t expected Huo Qingshan to help Xu Suining. Could the marks on her neck really not be from some illicit affair?

Still unwilling to let go of the chance, she bit her lip and said, “So it was a robbery? I thought those marks were from something else.”

Feng Chunhua’s expression darkened, and just as she was about to stop her, Xu Suining spoke up with a sweet smile. “Something else? Shunhua, you’re only eighteen, right? You sure know a lot.”

Feng Shunhua’s face changed instantly, and she couldn’t even come up with a proper excuse.

Watching Xu Suining sway her hips as she walked away with Huo Qingshan only made her more frustrated.

Once they were gone, Feng Chunhua turned to glare at Feng Shunhua. “Shunhua! What were you saying just now? You’re an unmarried girl, don’t you care about your reputation?”

The other military wives, seeing Feng Chunhua’s anger, quickly tried to smooth things over.

“She didn’t mean it.”

“She’s still a young girl. What could she really know?”

Despite their words, they didn’t believe a single thing they said. With little else for entertainment, they passed the time indulging in gossip about men and women. Just give them a starting point, and they could spin an entire countryside romance saga in their minds.

…

Xu Suining couldn’t keep up with Huo Qingshan’s pace, so she slowed down deliberately.

She watched him enter a small courtyard—the cleanest one among the rows. Inside, there was almost nothing, just a patch of wild grass growing where the ground was damp.

Compared to the neighboring homes, which were full of life and activity, this place looked bleak.

The driver delivered her luggage to the door, handed it to Huo Qingshan, then left.

Seeing Huo Qingshan holding her suitcase in one hand and his key in the other, Xu Suining hurried over. “Let me help you with the door.”

Without a word, Huo Qingshan handed her the key.

She unlocked the door and stepped aside to let him enter first.

Behind him, Xu Suining quietly took the place she’d be living in from now on.

It was very simple. The floor was just packed earth—no matter how clean, it still looked dusty.

There were two rooms: one outer, one inner. In the outer room, a stove stood against the wall, with a dish cabinet beside it. Along the rear wall, there was a single bed piled with miscellaneous items.

In the middle stood a small dining table, still holding the dirty dishes and chopsticks left behind when the original host had stormed out.

Xu Suining felt a bit guilty as she followed Huo Qingshan into the inner room.

The furnishings were sparse, but the place was tidy.

A heated wall built into the entry provided warmth when the fire in the outer room was lit.

Inside, there was only a double bed about one and a half meters wide, a tall narrow cabinet, a three-drawer desk by the window, and a wooden chair.

Xu Suining looked around and couldn’t help thinking how tough life must have been in those days.

When she saw Huo Qingshan place the bedding on the bed, she noticed there was only one quilt and blurted out, “Huo Qingshan, where are you going to sleep tonight?”

The question slipped out before she remembered what had happened three months earlier. After that incident, the original host had thrown a fit, crying and yelling that Huo Qingshan had forced himself on her and threatened to report him to the authorities.

Furious, he had moved out to the dormitory and never returned.

Her mention of it now clearly reminded him as well. He frowned and looked at her. “Neither this child nor this marriage was what you wanted. Even if you’ve lost your memory, take these next few days to think it over.”

He was exhausted from all the drama she had caused. That night, she had been the one holding his hand, smiling brightly, setting him on fire with every touch.

But the next morning, she’d refused to acknowledge anything, screamed, cried, and scratched him.

He had already made up his mind. Even if she had lost her memory, there was no way this marriage could continue. First, she needed to recover. Then, perhaps, she could reflect on things.

Otherwise, once her memory returned, she’d start causing trouble all over again.

Xu Suining met his gaze seriously. “I’m telling the truth. I really do want this baby. Even if I can’t remember the past, whenever I think about the child in my belly, I feel happy.”

Huo Qingshan clearly didn’t believe her. “Get some rest. I’ll have the mess hall send some food over later.”

With that, he walked past her and left the room.

Xu Suining sighed inwardly and followed him out, thinking she needed to explain things better so she had to start improving their relationship as soon as possible.

She watched as Huo Qingshan collected the dirty dishes into a basin and then went to start a fire.

He hadn’t been home for days. The stove was cold. In early April, the northwestern weather was still chilly enough that the house would feel freezing without a fire at night.

She watched as he carefully fed bits of dry grass and twigs into the stove, then added some coal once the flames caught.

After placing the kettle on the covered stove, he turned and went to the washstand by the door to wash his hands.

Xu Suining leaned against the doorway and watched. She had to admit, he really did look good while working. Tall, long-legged, and handsome, with strong, steady movements.

His sleeves were rolled to the elbow, revealing lean, muscular forearms with bronze skin that gave off an undeniable strength.

After quietly admiring him for a moment, she spoke in a small voice. “You can’t judge me based on who I used to be. I really will change. I don’t know everything I did before, but not wanting this child… that’s just too cruel.”

Huo Qingshan straightened up, grabbed a towel to dry his hands, and seemed about to respond when someone called from outside.

“Brother Huo! My brother-in-law’s back. He’s asking you to come over for dinner.”

It was Feng Shunhua’s voice.

Xu Suining quickly said, “Go eat first. We can talk more when you come back.”

Huo Qingshan picked up his uniform jacket from the hook by the door. Just as he was about to leave, he paused, turned around, and looked at her.

“There are some letters and a diary in the drawer of the three-drawer desk. Take a look. Maybe it’ll help you remember something.”