Chapter 203: Acting Bravely for a Just Cause
Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Acting Bravely for a Just Cause
At the entrance to the military family compound.
Seeing his daughter and son-in-law walking over side-by-side, Jiang Dahai grinned from ear to ear.
He couldn’t wait for the couple to get closer and eagerly went to greet them.
"Xiao Lu."
"Dad, are you doing well?"
"Yes, I’m great. Your Aunt Hongying has already finished cooking. Let’s go home and chat over dinner."
"Okay."
It was dinnertime, and every household was cooking in front of their homes.
Lu Cheng stood tall at six-foot-two, his cadre uniform making him look heroic and dashing, drawing the gazes of all the family members.
"That must be Mr. Jiang’s son-in-law. He has such a remarkable presence."
"I heard he’s a battalion commander!"
"Wow, a battalion commander at such a young age? He’s so accomplished!"
...
Tonight, the Jiang family’s dinner table was more lavish than a New Year’s feast.
There was twice-cooked pork, cold-dressed free-range chicken, pan-fried tofu, scrambled eggs, and three or four vegetable dishes.
It was clear just how fond Jiang Dahai was of his son-in-law, Lu Cheng.
"Xiao Lu, eat, don’t hold back. It’s just some simple home-style cooking, I hope you’ll like it."
"It’s wonderful. These are all my favorite dishes. Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Hongying."
Li Hongying quickly waved her hands. "You’re too kind, Xiao Lu. You all go ahead and eat. I’m just going to make a soup."
Lu Cheng said, "Please, sit and eat with us. There are more than enough dishes."
"It’s alright, I’ll be quick. You eat first."
At Jiang Dahai’s urging, Lu Cheng finally picked up his chopsticks. He first placed a piece of chicken thigh in Jiang Moli’s bowl before starting to eat himself.
Watching this, Jiang Dahai couldn’t have been happier.
He went to get some liquor and cups to drink and chat with Lu Cheng.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lu Cheng and Jiang Moli made plans with Jiang Dahai to return to Plum Valley the day after tomorrow to pay respects to their ancestors. Then, the couple left.
Jiang Dahai saw the two of them out of the compound before heading back.
As soon as he walked in the door, he saw Li Hongying sitting on a stool, secretly crying.
Seeing him return, Li Hongying quickly wiped away her tears and got up to busy herself.
"There’s a lot of food left over, and we can’t finish it. Pick out some of the good dishes and take them to Xiao Qing."
Hearing this, the tears Li Hongying had been holding back started to fall again.
Seeing her stepdaughter and son-in-law looking so happy and in love at the dinner table, she couldn’t help but miss her own daughter.
The thought of her daughter getting married and then divorced, now displaced and alone, made her heart ache with sadness.
"I’ll clean up the table when I get back."
Jiang Dahai nodded and went back to his room to rest, his hands clasped behind his back.
...
Looking at the delicious meat and vegetable dishes in the food container, Jiang Qing couldn’t help but sneer, "What’s the special occasion? Eating so well?"
"Xiao Lu is back."
Hearing that Lu Cheng was back in Rongcheng, Jiang Qing’s expression darkened.
"What’s he back for?"
"He said he’s on leave. The day after tomorrow, they’re going to Plum Valley to pay respects to their ancestors and meet the relatives from the Jiang family. He wasn’t here for the wedding banquet, so none of the Jiang family relatives have met him yet."
Hearing that Lu Cheng was going to accompany Jiang Moli back to her hometown, Jiang Qing’s mood grew even fouler.
With how gossipy the people in Plum Valley were, she would inevitably be compared to Jiang Moli.
She couldn’t understand. ’How could someone as superior as Lu Cheng—in terms of family background, ability, and intelligence—be so utterly spellbound by someone like Jiang Moli?’
"Xiao Qing, how have you been lately?"
"Not dead yet."
Looking at her daughter’s gloomy, gaunt face, Li Hongying couldn’t help but wipe her tears. "Why did you have to get a divorce? Jia Ming was such a good man..."
Jiang Qing cut her off impatiently. "The divorce is final. Instead of wasting your time crying, you should be figuring out a way to help me!"
Li Hongying looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "How can I help you?"
"The college entrance exams have been reinstated. I want to take them."
But you couldn’t just sign up for the exams whenever you wanted. You needed official documents from your place of household registration, as well as the household registration booklet itself.
If Jiang Dahai didn’t agree, she really would have no way to register.
The next day, after breakfast, Lu Cheng and Jiang Moli went out together on their bicycles.
As a new son-in-law visiting his wife’s hometown relatives for the first time, the proper courtesies were essential.
They arrived at the department store and had just parked their bicycles when a sudden commotion broke out up ahead.
Amidst screams and shouts, many citizens ran in their direction, their faces filled with panic.
Lu Cheng stopped a passerby and asked, "Comrade, what’s happening up there?"
Seeing Lu Cheng in his military uniform, the man shouted in panic, "Someone’s being murdered! There’s a madman with a knife, just hacking at everyone he sees!"
Just as he finished speaking, two bloodcurdling screams came from up ahead.
The man shuddered in fear, pushed Lu Cheng aside, and took off running.
Lu Cheng and Jiang Moli both instinctively looked toward the direction of the screams.
About fifty meters ahead, a middle-aged man in a white tank top was swinging a gleaming kitchen cleaver, indiscriminately hacking at passersby.
Seeing a young man get cut down with her own eyes, blood spraying all over the ground, Jiang Moli’s legs went weak with shock.
In both of her lives combined, she had never witnessed such a scene.
"Moli, find a place to hide."
Watching Lu Cheng’s tall figure run toward the attacker, Jiang Moli’s heart leaped into her throat.
"Lu Cheng!"
Lu Cheng looked back and shouted, "I’m fine!" then resolutely continued charging toward the attacker without a second thought.
Amidst the fleeing crowd, the man’s tall, straight figure was like an arrow flying against the current.
Resolute and fearless!
At that moment, Jiang Moli truly understood the sense of mission and responsibility that the military profession bestowed upon a man.
"Haha, all of you can die! Not a single one of you will get out of this alive!"
"They won’t let me live in peace, so even if I die, I’m taking a few of you down with me!"
The attacker screamed maniacally as he swung the cleaver at a little girl who was about seven or eight years old.
The little girl was so scared she burst into tears, collapsing to the ground.
The sight made everyone present’s blood run cold.
Lu Cheng’s eyes sharpened. He lunged in front of the attacker, grabbed the hand holding the knife with one of his own, and viciously kicked the back of the man’s knee.
The kick forced the attacker to his knees, and Lu Cheng snatched the cleaver from his hand.
He tried to fight back, but Lu Cheng grabbed the back of his neck and slammed him to the ground.
Just then, police officers from the local station arrived on the scene.
Seeing the attacker was already subdued, they quickly took out their handcuffs and cuffed him.
"Comrade, thank you for your heroic act."
The police officer from the station shook Lu Cheng’s hand in thanks.
Lu Cheng nodded. "It was my duty. We all share the same responsibility to protect the people."
The mother of the rescued girl also pulled her daughter over to Lu Cheng. "Soldier, thank you for saving my daughter. Xiao Juan, quick, say thank you to the PLA uncle."
"Th-thank... you... PLA... uncle."
The little girl was clearly still in shock, her words of thanks coming out in fragments.
"It’s okay now. No matter what trouble or danger you face, the police uncles and the PLA uncles will always be there to protect you."
After comforting the little girl, Lu Cheng suddenly remembered his wife and quickly scanned the area for her.
When he saw Jiang Moli standing safely in the crowd, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Once they were away from the crowd, Jiang Moli couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. "That was pretty cool back there."
For Lu Cheng, who had been through hails of bullets, subduing a single thug was nothing.
But being praised by his wife still made him feel pleased as punch.
"How cool?"
Jiang Moli glanced at him. "So cool I want to spread my legs for you."