I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

"Wenhui, I want the blue one, it's so pretty."

A familiar voice rang out, startling Lin Jie. He turned around, and Qiaoqiao exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Lin? You bought a car too?"

Lin Jie stammered, at a loss for words, "I...I hit someone with my car, I have to pay for...pay for the car..."

Qiaoqiao saw Zhang Man behind Lin Jie, but Han Dan was not there.

"Are you driving?" Zhou Wenhui stepped forward, shook hands, and asked.

"I knew how to drive back in the army, and I can drive with one hand now. It snowed on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and I had been drinking. That's why I bumped into that girl." Lin Jie tried to explain as clearly as possible.

"You can't do that, drinking and driving is too dangerous."

"Yes, yes, I heard you can walk now, you really can walk now." Lin Jie looked at Zhou Wenhui's prosthetic leg with curiosity.

"Yes, look, I can move around freely. My brother-in-law made it especially for me." Zhou Wenhui pulled up his trouser leg to show Lin Jie, which seemed to be showing off.

"Great, that's wonderful." Lin Jie was genuinely envious; what if he had such hands?

"Hello, my name is Zhang Man, and I'm a teacher at No. 2 Elementary School. Comrade Lin hit my bike. It's actually still rideable, but he insisted on paying for a new one. Look, I really got a great deal out of this."

Zhang Man generously extended her hand to shake hands with Zhou Wenhui and Qiaoqiao.

"You are all heroes, worthy of admiration." Zhang Man expressed her sincere respect.

"That's a soldier's duty. Lin Jie was wrong to drink and drive, and he should pay for it," Zhou Wenhui said with a gentle smile.

"Do you like blue? It's very pretty, and it'll suit you well," Zhang Man said to Qiaoqiao, pointing to the blue bicycle.

"I think the blue one is smaller and less likely to be tripped over."

Qiaoqiao blushed; she couldn't ride a bike yet.

"You'll get used to it after a few rides. The blue ones require a ticket and cost 120 yuan. I bought the black one for 108 yuan."

The sales clerk wasn't there, so Zhang Man enthusiastically introduced the products.

"120? That's too expensive!" Qiaoqiao's mouth dropped open. Even if you have money, you can't spend it like that.

"I think it's great, I'll buy the blue one," Zhou Wenhui said confidently.

"It's too expensive, how about we buy the black one?" Qiaoqiao hesitated.

"Making money is my business, you don't need to worry about it, just buy the blue one," Zhou Wenhui said indulgently.

When buying a big item, you naturally want to buy something that suits your taste. Since Zhou Wenhui said so, Qiaoqiao gritted her teeth and said, "Then let's buy the blue one."

The sales clerk hadn't arrived yet, so Lin Jie asked awkwardly, "Wenhui, did you move to another location, or is it still the military family compound?"

Lin Jie left the military family compound before Zhou Wenhui, and was never seen again.

"The military dependents' compound has been converted into the Armed Forces Department. I've gone to the newspaper office to be in charge of the supplement of the Huailin Daily."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Man interjected dramatically, "You, you're an editor at the Daily News?"

"Yes."

"May I submit my work to you?"

"Sure, submissions are welcome. Our supplement mainly features literary works, but poetry is also acceptable, as long as it reflects the spirit of the times," Zhou Wenhui nodded gently.

"What is your surname?"

"Zhou Wenhui, this is my wife, Yang Qiao."

Zhang Man immediately bowed and said, "Hello, Teacher Zhou, hello, Teacher's wife."

Qiaoqiao was amused by Zhang Man: "Zhang Man, you're too kind. If you've written a good article, just send it to Teacher Zhou. As long as it's published, you'll even get a payment."

"Yes, I dreamed of becoming a writer. I never imagined that a car accident would lead me to meet a newspaper editor."

Unable to contain her joy, Zhang Man bowed to Lin Jie and said, "Thank you, Comrade Lin, for bumping into me."

"You... Hahaha, you see, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Don't worry, Wenhui is my neighbor and comrade-in-arms. Just write it, it'll definitely get published."

Lin Jie was no longer nervous. Zhou Wenhui and his wife were reasonable people, unlike his own crazy husband.

"Brother Lin, how is Sister Han?" The topic still turned to Han Dan.

"That's great. She's staying home with the baby. In June, she'll be going to work at the popsicle factory. Hey, how old is your child?"

"He's eight months old. I heard from Sister Liu that your little boy is fair-skinned and chubby."

"That's right, she has the best appetite. Han Dan's heart is entirely devoted to her children. Next time I have the chance, I'll visit you at the newspaper office."

"Great, welcome, welcome."

The four were chatting happily when the saleswoman came out pushing a black women's bicycle: "Check it over, and if there are no problems, you can ride away. Here's your change of two yuan."

Lin Jie went to push the cart, looked it over from left to right, and said, "There's nothing wrong with it, Zhang Man, you give it a try."

Zhang Man took the bicycle and said, "It's great, I like it very much, thank you, Comrade Lin."

Lin Jie awkwardly rubbed his hands and said, "Wenhui, Qiaoqiao, I rushed out to buy a bicycle during my lunch break and have to go back to work now. I live in the chemical plant's residential area. Come visit me next time."

"Okay, Brother Lin, go to work now."

Zhang Man waved goodbye, saying, "Teacher Zhou, my name is Zhang Man. You must see my work!"

Zhou Wenhui nodded: "Submissions are welcome."

The snow on the road had been cleared, and Zhang Man tried out her new bicycle. It was indeed small and easy to handle. The cold wind was biting, but Zhang Man's heart was warm.

"Lin Jie, jump up, I'll take you to work."

Slow down the car, Zhang Man turned her head and shouted.

It's not Comrade Lin, it's Lin Jie?

After jogging a few steps, Lin Jie asked worriedly, "Can you carry me?"

"Don't worry, I'm not a delicate little girl. Come on up."

Lin Jie gently shifted his buttocks and sat on it, afraid that Zhang Man would not be able to ride steadily and was ready to jump off at any time.

The front of the bike wobbled slightly, but I rode steadily.

"How was it? Not bad, right?"

"Very good, I didn't expect you could carry a big man."

"Women aren't necessarily weak, Lin Jie. Thank you, I really like this car."

"What a beautiful jasmine flower, what a beautiful jasmine flower! The fragrance of all the flowers in the garden can't compare to its scent. I'd like to pick one to wear, but the people admiring the flowers will scold me..."

In high spirits, Zhang Man sang at the top of her lungs while riding her bicycle, and Lin Jie joined in with the rhythm: "What a beautiful jasmine flower, what a beautiful jasmine flower..."

"Lin Jie, if my article is published, will you read it?"

"Of course I do. Our department publishes the Huailin Daily, and I read it every day."

"Then you can't laugh at me."

"How could that be? I admire you scholars the most."

"I can't be considered a scholar, but Teacher Zhou is the real scholar. Look at him, so gentle and refined. That's what you call 'a person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance.'"

Lin Jie's smile froze. Zhang Man was so happy not because she bought a new bicycle, but because of Zhou Wenhui.

His bookish manner is like that of a woman; what's there to admire about him?

"Yes, he is indeed talented," Lin Jie said, his praise not entirely sincere.

"You are both the same kind of people, heroes, one a frail scholar, the other a man of iron will, each with your own strengths."

"Really?"

"Of course! Hey, Lin Jie, do you have any touching stories from the battlefield? I can help you write them down."

Touching stories? Aside from transporting weapons, they just talked about women's butts.

Military discipline is very strict, so what kind of stories could there be?

If there has to be a story, then the various dangers encountered on the way to transport weapons, wouldn't that count as a story?