Chapter 104: Crisis on the Island?!

Zhao Guifen, who was usually a bold and carefree person, showed genuine fear and nervousness as she spoke these words.

Her whole body was tense.

Especially when she mentioned the word “explosion.” she trembled slightly.

She gripped the hoe tightly in her palm and said with an embarrassed expression,

“Sister Rou, I must have made a fool of myself. I was just too scared.”

Zhao Guifen was in her thirties. If one did the math, she had been a child during the war-torn 1940s.

During that turbulent era, what she remembered most vividly was the relentless bombings in the sky. She had to hide in caves from time to time.

Sometimes, a single hideout would last for several days.

They couldn’t even make fire to cook food. They could only drink cold water and eat dry rations.

That was how she got through those days, one after another.

As she grew older, life finally improved, and the times became peaceful.

But peace did not mean safety.

Because of that period of war, countless bombs and explosives had been left behind on the land of Huaguo.

Some had already exploded, but others remained deeply buried in the soil.

At certain times, a single careless mistake could lead to another heart-wrenching tragedy.

Having lived through all of that, Zhao Guifen panicked the moment she heard Er Huzi mention an “explosion.” That was why she had been so terrified.

But why did Er Huzi say such a thing in the first place?

In Zhao Guifen’s household, she had a habit of eavesdropping when she had nothing to do. Her two sons followed her example, often standing on wide wooden stools, peeking around and listening in on conversations.

Today, Da Huzi was not at home. Er Huzi was bored alone, so he stood on a stool, playing with his slingshot, trying to shoot birds.

As he played, he suddenly caught a whiff of an enticing aroma.

It was the fragrance of sesame oil.

Unlike ordinary rapeseed oil, sesame oil had an especially rich and strong aroma that could travel far.

Not to mention, Jiang Rou had heated the sesame oil, making the scent even more intense.

Er Huzi, who was in the neighboring courtyard, smelled the fragrance and immediately started salivating.

He also heard the crackling sound of cooking.

Right away, he knew that the Zhou family was making something delicious!

He remembered that a new aunt had moved into the neighboring courtyard. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she also cooked exceptionally well.

Er Huzi, feeling greedy, wanted Zhao Guifen to go over to Jiang Rou’s place and hopefully bring back some food.

However, Zhao Guifen was busy tidying up the house and had no time to entertain this troublemaking rascal.

After a few failed attempts, Er Huzi came up with a terrible idea.

He directly shouted,

“Mom, Uncle Zhou’s house next door exploded!”

That sentence nearly scared Zhao Guifen out of her wits.

She felt as if her soul had left her body.

As she rushed over, she grabbed a hoe in her hand, probably already preparing to dig through debris to search for survivors.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

…

Jiang Rou quickly pieced the situation together.

She helped Zhao Guifen sit down on a nearby chair and poured her a cup of water to calm her nerves.

“Sister Guifen, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. The moment you heard ‘explosion,’ you rushed over without even thinking about your own safety. That just means you care about us. I’m truly grateful. Having you as a neighbor makes me feel so much more at ease.”

With Jiang Rou’s comforting words, a few sips of water, and a deep breath, Zhao Guifen finally started to recover from the shock.

She clenched her teeth and said angrily,

“It’s all because of my Er Huzi and his nonsense. Just wait until I get home—I’ll smack his little butt!”

Jiang Rou covered her mouth and chuckled.

As for how Zhao Guifen chose to discipline her child, Jiang Rou had no intention of interfering.

The two of them sat and chatted for a while.

Zhao Guifen set down her cup and sighed.

“Sister Rou, to be honest, I wasn’t overreacting. I was really terrified. Just a few days ago, there was an explosion on our island.”

Jiang Rou frowned, puzzled.

“An explosion?”

How had she not heard about this?

She truly had no idea.

Zhao Guifen was momentarily stunned, then counted on her fingers.

“…It was during the two days when Regiment Commander Zhou took you and the children to the city. You weren’t on the island at the time, and Sister Hong didn’t allow us to talk about it, so it’s no wonder you didn’t hear anything.”

“Explosion… was it a bomb?”

Jiang Rou’s brows furrowed slightly as she asked in a hushed voice.

As someone from modern times, she had lived in an exceptionally peaceful and safe country, protected by those braver than herself.

She had never experienced this kind of danger before.

The most perilous situation in her life had only been when Lin Xiu’er knocked her unconscious and threw her into the ship’s cabin.

The word “bomb” was entirely foreign to her.

Completely foreign.

At this moment, Jiang Rou finally saw the tension and seriousness on Zhao Guifen’s face.

Zhao Guifen nodded.

She glanced at Zhou Xiaohua and Zhou Xiaochuan, who were nearby, and lowered her voice.

“Yes, it was a bomb. It landed in the fields—probably had been there for decades. The Production Brigade was farming in that area and accidentally triggered it, which caused an explosion.”

“After all these years, the bomb’s power wasn’t as strong anymore, and since it was buried in a pit, thankfully, only one person got injured. It was just a superficial wound—no one died.”

“But this problem needs to be solved. Otherwise, how can we farm if we have to worry about stepping on bombs all the time? Hasn’t your Old Zhou been going out early and coming back late recently? He’s probably busy with this issue too.”

“My Old Zhao is also involved, which is why I’ve been so scared.”

After hearing this, the uneasiness in Jiang Rou’s heart deepened.

She recalled the day they returned from the city—how Song Yan had been anxiously waiting for Zhou Zhongshan at the dock.

And yet…

For the past few days, Zhou Zhongshan had left early and returned late, but he hadn’t mentioned a single word about it.

If Zhao Guifen hadn’t told her today, Jiang Rou would still be completely in the dark.

This kind of worry and fear didn’t just weigh on Jiang Rou’s heart—it was something every wife in the compound carried.

That day, even though Zhao Guifen had smelled the rich aroma of Sesame Oil Duck lingering in Jiang Rou’s house, she didn’t have the mood to mention it.

After clearing up the misunderstanding, Zhao Guifen left, still carrying a heart full of unease.

Jiang Rou stood in the courtyard, watching Zhao Guifen’s departing figure.

Then, suddenly—

“Er Huzi!”

“You little rascal! Let’s see where you can hide now!”

“I swear, I’m going to smack your butt today! Hmph! That’ll teach you to spout nonsense!”

Zhao Guifen’s furious shouts, along with the sound of Er Huzi’s frantic footsteps, echoed from the other side of the courtyard wall.

A full-blown commotion ensued—chickens flapping, dogs barking, chaos unfolding.

This lively, everyday scene made the heaviness in Jiang Rou’s heart lighten just a little.

Then—

She felt a soft touch on her fingertip.

Lowering her head, she saw Zhou Xiaohua standing beside her, tilting her adorable little face up with a worried expression.

Jiang Rou quickly hid the emotions in her heart and replaced them with a warm, radiant smile.

“Come on, let’s go inside. We only washed our hands earlier—we still need to wash our faces. Xiaohua worked so hard to fetch that water, we can’t let it go to waste~”

Zhou Xiaohua immediately smiled along with her.