Why was Comrade Xiao Jiang’s new bride’s face growing paler and paler?
That feeling of discomfort—she knew it all too well.
Ning Qiao took the chopsticks Luo Shulan handed her, determined to eat at least a little.
But then, all of a sudden, her vision went black.
Ning Qiao slumped over.
“Comrade Ning!”
“Comrade Ning, are you alright?”
Luo Shulan went to inform Ning Qiao’s father and brother, then borrowed a bicycle from one of the guesthouse staff and rushed to the family compound.
There was a doctor from the military district clinic in the compound whom she knew well. She called him out, and they rode back to the guesthouse together.
Jiang Beirong sat by the bed, taking care of Ning Qiao.
The young girl was delicate and frail, lying under the covers, her small face as white as paper.
Her eyes were closed, her brows knitted tightly, and cold sweat kept beading on her forehead.
Since Jiang Beirong was a woman, it was easier for her to care for Ning Qiao. She changed towel after towel, gently pressing them to her forehead.
Ning Zhiping and Ning Yang were frantic, wondering where the hospital was and whether they should make a trip.
“Open the door—quick!” There was an urgent knock, and Luo Shulan called out, “Doctor Zheng is here.”
After the doctor examined her, he confirmed she had a high fever. Taking her medicine on time would suffice; a trip to the hospital would only exhaust her further.
Ning Zhiping knew well that his daughter had a weak constitution—two days of nonstop travel had simply been too much for her.
As distressed as he was, he thought to himself that at least she wasn’t being sent to the countryside. Otherwise, with her catching colds so easily, she would suffer even more.
The daily life of the families in the military compound was monotonous, day in and day out. When they learned that Battalion Commander Jiang’s young wife had arrived and would be married on the island soon, their eyes practically lit up.
They gathered together, buzzing with chatter about her.
Word had it that the old man had given the three little rascals a stern scolding the night before, strictly ordering them never to bully their big brother’s wife in the future.
The compound wives quickly picked out the key details—
An eighteen-year-old girl, delicate and soft, easily pushed around!
As women who had been through it all, the sisters-in-law in the compound concluded it was a recipe for trouble.
Battalion Commander Jiang had a cold personality and was often away on long trips—it would be hard for him to protect his new wife.
He should have married a tougher, more spirited comrade, someone who could keep his three younger siblings in line.
Otherwise, those three half-grown kids would probably end up running wild.
“I also heard it’s an arranged childhood betrothal…”
“The comrades at the broadcasting station were talking about it too. Early this morning, when Comrade Luo Qin heard the news, she immediately went and cut her hair short—she must be heartbroken.”
“I was wondering why Battalion Commander Jiang suddenly brought back a wife out of nowhere. If it’s a childhood betrothal, that explains it.”
As they chatted idly, they suddenly saw the door of Battalion Commander Jiang’s house swing open.
The three kids were heading out for school, right?
Sure enough, out came Battalion Commander Jiang’s three younger siblings.
Jiang Yuan led the way, Jiang Qi followed behind, and Jiang Guoguo hung her head low.
All three looked utterly dejected.
The kids were acting strange.
Everyone figured they were protesting, refusing to let their sister-in-law set foot in their house.
The three children kicked pebbles along the road to school.
Suddenly, Jiang Guoguo said in a small voice, “Second brother, Third brother, I suddenly remembered some strange things yesterday.”
Jiang Yuan froze, his expression odd. “What things?”
Jiang Qi swallowed hard. “Second brother, did you remember strange things too?”
Last night, while Grandpa was sternly scolding them, strange, inexplicable thoughts had surfaced in all their minds almost simultaneously.
Once upon a time, it seemed, they had done something wrong.
They skipped school that day. They hid out behind the island’s back mountain for the whole day, finally sorting through their thoughts.
They had planned to pretend they were just coming home from school. But the moment they stood up and poked their heads out, they were caught.
The three kids turned around.
Why was their big brother back so early!
Jiang Yuan gave the order: “Run!”
They bolted faster than rabbits, but Jiang Heng was an expert at “catching rabbits.” As long as their big brother was there, they could never escape his grasp.
Scoldings were the least of it—at worst, just like usual, they’d get a spanking.
The three of them hung their heads nearly to their chests.
“Come with me to the beach,” Jiang Heng said, as stern as ever. “I have something to tell you.”
Ning Qiao’s fever ran high. She drifted in and out of sleep for two days, and had many bizarre, disjointed dreams.
She dreamed that she was living in a period novel, as a foil to the male and female leads.
The leads lived a blissful, happy life.
Her own little household, however, was in constant chaos.
Jiang Heng was often away on missions. They weren’t familiar with each other, and their interactions could only be described as distant and polite.
Most of the time, the Ning Qiao in her dreams lived with his younger siblings.
The second brother would shine a kerosene lamp under his face in the dark and catch sea spiders to scare her. The third brother skipped school; she kindly reminded him, but he didn’t appreciate it and chased her away with a broom. The youngest sister was the most rebellious—she cut up Ning Qiao’s clothes during craft time and stuck out her tongue in defiance.
It was a nightmare.
Ning Qiao kept her eyes tightly shut, her slender, pale hands gripping the edge of the bed, shaking her head violently—but she couldn’t wake up.
Suddenly, a cool touch came to her forehead.
Rustling sounds reached her ears.
Her head was buzzing, her lashes fluttered, and a harsh light hit her eyes.
She slowly opened them.
Their eyes met.
Jiang Heng was staring intently at her.
Ever since he had returned to Xicheng, she had been running a high fever and drifting in and out of consciousness.
He thought, for a moment, that he was about to lose her again.
In his previous life, their time together had been far too short.
He was often away on missions, yet she never complained, managing the household well and devoting herself to guiding his younger siblings back onto the right path.
Gradually, the younger ones opened their hearts to her and accepted their little sister-in-law.
Only then, when they confessed on their own, did Jiang Heng learn how much she had suffered at home.
Their family life had finally found its footing—when an accident occurred.
She passed away.
Every second after that, Jiang Heng was consumed by memories, living on in a daze of despondency.
Until he discovered that her death was not an accident—it was murder.
Perhaps there was a protective mechanism in his memory, because he couldn’t recall the exact details of the conspiracy.
All he knew was that it happened six months into their marriage, and her radiant young life had ended at just eighteen.
In his previous life, he and his younger siblings had outlived Ning Qiao by a year. They had avenged her.
Among the four of them, some ended up in prison, some crippled, some dead.
And now, she was still alive.
Jiang Heng was beyond grateful—Ning Qiao was still alive.
“Can Little Sister-in-Law come home with us now?”
“She can’t live with us until after the wedding!”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Soon, soon! It’s tomorrow!”
The older kids whispered among themselves.
Ning Qiao’s eyes adjusted to the light. Beside her, she saw the handsome man gazing at her with deep intensity.
On the day they first met, a girl’s tender feelings had just begun to bloom—but now, the original plot had snuffed them out.
She felt a little disappointed.
In front of her stood the younger siblings, standing in a neat, obedient row.
The three children’s eyes lit up, and they shouted in unison: “Little Sister-in-Law!”
Getting married tomorrow?
Like a bolt from the blue, Ning Qiao instantly clutched the bedsheet and curled into a ball.
Tears welled up, her eyes misty.
She had fallen straight into a wolf’s den!
Leave a Reply