Chapter 202: Wounded

Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Wounded

The first night in their new home was a hectic one. Su Wan was up until the early hours of the morning unpacking and was utterly exhausted.

After taking a shower, she fell asleep a moment after lying down.

Fortunately, Lu Zhengchuan had already arranged for someone to install a squat toilet and tile the bathroom in their family-residence house, so it was relatively clean and convenient for showering.

Lu Zhengchuan didn’t go to bed so early. He had to get his dressings changed daily as part of his recovery.

He had just gotten his dressing changed that morning, so ordinarily, he could have waited until the next day.

But Lu Zhengchuan felt himself sweating, and the sharp increase in pain told him something was wrong with the wound, so he went to the clinic on the military base.

The clinic was perfectly capable of handling this type of external injury.

As Lu Zhengchuan sat there, the army doctor removed his bandage and said, "It’s festering a little. I’ll have to drain it before I apply more medicine."

"Go ahead." Lu Zhengchuan was long accustomed to this kind of pain; his expression didn’t flicker.

While getting his dressing changed, however, Lu Zhengchuan ran into He Rong, who was just walking in.

"Old Lu, I heard you were back. I was just saying I should take you out to eat."

Lu Zhengchuan glanced at He Rong’s casted arm and raised an eyebrow. "How’d you get injured?"

"A slip-up during a mission. It’s just a minor injury, and at least the problem’s solved. I heard you did well on your end, too." He Rong was referring to the mission to catch spies he had undertaken with Qi Hao.

The mere mention of it gave Lu Zhengchuan a headache.

He had a feeling that Wanwan still hadn’t forgiven him for it.

The thought of her love for him fading made him both anxious and heartbroken. He worried about when he would be able to shift more of his focus to his family. Deep down, he knew that if he were truly forced to give up his family, the pain would be like a knife to the heart.

’But my behavior before was truly irresponsible.’

’Other than bringing money home, I wasn’t much use. Wanwan took great care of the children, and of me. She never spent money recklessly or made any other mistakes. All she did was pull back her affection, so what could be wrong with that? She’s only human, and a human heart is a fragile thing.’

"What are you thinking about? You haven’t said a word this whole time."

He Rong gave his shoulder a shove, not at all concerned about Lu Zhengchuan’s injury.

After all, he had suffered far more serious injuries than this himself.

He was in the special forces, after all—as was Lu Zhengchuan, which explained their numerous field missions.

"I was thinking..." Lu Zhengchuan trailed off. He waited until his wound was bandaged and He Rong had collected his medicine. As the two of them were walking out side-by-side, he waited until they were alone before speaking his mind.

"From now on, I’ll be in the Armored Group."

He Rong understood what he meant. "Impossible."

Lu Zhengchuan frowned.

He Rong shot him a glance, his tone still haughty. "For your wife and kids, right?"

"With your father’s status, believe me, the moment you come back from leave, the military will reappoint you to a new post."

"It’s only because you just arrived in the Capital and haven’t been properly vetted in the Armored Group that the higher-ups don’t care. But now, with your father—a major figure with military power—overseas, there’s no way they’ll let you get your hands on managing that kind of heavy equipment."

"What a mess. It was much easier when my parents were gone and I had no family background to speak of. I never had to think about all this."

"Now everything I do is restricted. It’s pointless," Lu Zhengchuan grumbled.

He Rong let out a dry laugh. "Everything has its pros and cons. At least now, no one will dare to mess with your achievements. The credit you earn will be yours. And the living and educational conditions here in the Capital are excellent."

"You’ve got two kids. For their sake, this situation is much better."

"By the way, I need your advice. I did what you said and sent Comrade Qin those inexpensive but thoughtful gifts, and her attitude toward me really has softened. She’s even willing to let me pay a visit to her home."

"But if she knows I’m pursuing her, why is she still going on matchmaking dates with other people?" He Rong grew angry just thinking about it.

Lu Zhengchuan could hardly sort out his own romantic affairs.

He felt a pang of sympathy for his good friend, seeing a reflection of his own misery.

"Did you confess your feelings to her?"

"I did." He Rong had a craving for a cigarette, but between his injury and being on base, there were none to be had. He fumbled in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a piece of fruit candy and popping it in his mouth, having no idea which of his nieces or nephews had stuffed it there.

"And she rejected you?"

He Rong shot him a look that said, ’Dare to kick a man when he’s down and you’ll regret it.’

Lu Zhengchuan struggled to suppress a smile. He racked his brain for a moment before saying, "Well, you can’t really blame Comrade Qin for going on dates, can you? Since things didn’t work out with you, and she’s of marrying age. She has to get married sooner or later."

"But I’m so good to her. Why won’t she be with me?" He Rong protested.

"Just ask her directly. I can’t guess why Comrade Qin would do that. But if it were Wanwan, she’d explain her reasons if I asked. Although, a lot of the time, even knowing the reason doesn’t necessarily solve the problem." Lu Zhengchuan had always believed that communication could solve any problem between a husband and wife.

’I was still so naive.’

’What does it matter if you know what the other person is thinking? You both have different personalities and things you won’t compromise on.’

’You can’t even truly empathize with your own past self, so how can you promise to constantly cater to someone else’s every whim?’

"Fine, you’re right. If I don’t ask, Comrade Qin will end up with someone else."

He Rong was grateful for his friend’s advice. After all, on his own, he’d have a hard time finding a wife.

"I’m heading back to the Southwest Military Region tomorrow. I can recover from this injury anywhere, so I might as well go and work on my relationship with Comrade Qin."

"I hear you and Comrade Su Wan moved into the base housing? My family lives not too far from you. I’ve already told Xiao Qing to come find Comrade Su Wan to hang out when she’s free. If you need anything in the future, just go directly to my old man." He Rong wasn’t one to ask for a favor without offering something in return.

He was quick to return the favor.

Since it was for Wanwan’s benefit, Lu Zhengchuan didn’t refuse.

He was genuinely worried about Wanwan being mistreated, especially in the Capital Military District’s family compound. There were far more senior officials here than in the Southwest Military Region. You could bump into someone, and they’d likely have multiple bars and stars on their shoulders.

With Xiao Qing to help her integrate with the other families, he would feel more at ease.

Especially since the Xu family also lived on the base.

After parting ways with He Rong, Lu Zhengchuan kept busy for the next few days, continuously investigating the situation with Mr. Lu and the Zhang family.

And he learned that Zhang Xiaohong had indeed been gossiping to Zhou Yu over the phone.

Lu Zhengchuan contacted Aunt Zhang directly.

His first words were, "Aunt Zhang, were Sister Xiao Hong’s words her own, or were they yours?"

The smile in Aunt Zhang’s voice as she answered the phone faded. "Zheng Chuan, your Sister Xiao Hong is just immature, she shouldn’t have said those things. Wanwan is actually very good to us. Please don’t hold it against her."

So she was protecting Zhang Xiaohong.

"I understand. Please tell Xiao Hong that even if she ruins Wanwan’s reputation in Mr. Lu’s eyes, she won’t get a share of the Lu Family’s inheritance. This compensation will be the last."

Aunt Zhang’s smile grew even more strained. "Zheng Chuan, your uncle and I took care of you because we were supposed to, not because we were greedy for this money. Your Sister Xiao Hong is having a hard time at home, her child is sick and in the hospital, and it’s costing a lot..."