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

After watching his sister and Zhou Zhonghai get into the car, Lu Han and Liu Dabao waited for a while at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau before coming out.

Lu Han looked dejected, while Liu Dabao trembled all over, his face turning ashen.

"Factory manager, what's going on? We went to find someone, how did we become murderers?" Lu Han asked, dissatisfied.

Tang Ping, his previous amiable demeanor vanished, replaced by a dark expression. He said, "Lu Han, whether you are a murderer or not, you are directly involved in Kong Xiange's death."

"How am I directly involved? She's being unreasonable and falsely accusing me of molesting her. Does that mean that as a man, I deserve to be smeared with dirty water?"

"What are you yelling about? You think you're so proud of yourself? The three of you almost didn't make it out of here. Come back to the factory with me and we'll talk," Tang Ping said angrily.

Back at the factory, Yang Zheng and Liu Dabao went back to work, while Lu Han stayed at the factory to write a self-criticism.

Lu Han was dissatisfied, but Kong Xiange was dead, and he had to explain the matter clearly.

Back in the workshop, Liu Dabao was still trembling with fear. Yang Zheng comforted him, "Brother Liu, we've done our best. Kong Xiange's death in the rainy night was her fate. Sigh, I've never seen such a strong-willed woman. If she can't have him, she'll destroy him. It's a lose-lose situation. Why bother?"

"You, you can't say that about her. She's a good girl, she's just blinded by love."

"Yes, I was wrong. She's dead, and we shouldn't talk about her anymore. I also feel it's a pity. There are plenty of good men out there; how could she have been so bewitched?"

Yang Zheng sighed, "It's such a pity that that beautiful woman, who was like a butterfly, died so suddenly."

Liu Dabao was perhaps frightened, or perhaps he had been caught in the rain and hadn't slept all night. He was listless at work, so Yang Zheng told him to take leave and go home to rest.

In the workshop, everyone craned their necks to inquire about Kong Xiange's situation.

"Yang Zheng, tell me the truth, did you find Kong Xiange or not?"

"You can't say such things. Human life is at stake. A joke could ruin your future," Yang Zheng sternly warned.

"Even if I offered myself to you, you wouldn't dare."

His colleagues burst into laughter. Yang Zheng blushed; he really didn't want to bring it up again.

On the way back to the military family compound, Qiaoqiao thanked them again: "Dad, thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you and Mom."

Zhou Zhonghai smiled and said, "What are you thanking me for? Your brother was innocent."

"That girl's death was also suspicious, what a pity. There was a huge thunderstorm last night, I was terrified."

Thinking of last night's thunderstorm, Qiaoqiao felt a little scared.

But on that stormy night, a girl was raped and pushed into a pond, where she drowned.

It's truly heartbreaking.

"Qiaoqiao, do you think that girl's death was an accident, or was it intentional?" Zhou Zhonghai asked.

"I...how would I know?"

"Just saying."

"If she just drowned and wasn't raped, I think it was an accident. The rain was really heavy last night. But she... was raped, so there has to be someone involved," Qiaoqiao said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it rained heavily last night, so even if there were some clues, they probably wouldn't be found. The police arrested your brother just to close the case, which is ridiculous."

He sighed and said, "These kinds of absurd things happen all the time."

"It happens in our village. Whenever grain is stolen, even if a family is struggling financially, they might have two eggs taken from them."

But who knows if the brigade's grain was missing? My grandfather would argue a few words, and he would be scolded. Later, when they came to search again, we kept quiet. This time, my brother was falsely accused, and I'm really afraid I won't be able to explain myself."

As she reminisced about the past, Qiaoqiao's eyes welled up with tears.

"Things will change eventually. One day, those who act recklessly will be brought to justice," Zhou Zhonghai muttered to himself.

"Dad, sometimes I don't understand either. My grandfather was clearly a private tutor, educating and nurturing people, so how did he become the target of criticism? If no one becomes a teacher, then all the young people are book-illiterate. Isn't history going backwards?" Qiaoqiao bravely voiced her doubts.

"Because someone has blinded you. Qiaoqiao, one day, those eyes will open. Relatively speaking, the military is much better than the civilian sector. Soldiers are highly respected by the people, and no one will bully your family again."

"Yes, it was my parents who protected my family. Thank you."

"Qiaoqiao, it's too formal to say thank you to family. If anyone should be thanking someone, it's me thanking you. Wenhui's timely suggestion that you contact us shows that he cares about you. Subconsciously, you are changing him." Zhou Zhonghai smiled with satisfaction.

Qiaoqiao blushed deeply. These past few days, apart from making Zhou Wenhui get covered in excrement and urine, she seemed to have accomplished nothing.

By the time Zhou Zhonghai got home, it was already afternoon. He hadn't even had a meal before rushing back to his unit.

Qiaoqiao felt extremely guilty and insisted on having a bowl of noodles before leaving, which Zhou Zhonghai agreed to.

Qiaoqiao was busy in the kitchen when Zhou Zhonghai looked at Zhou Wenhui with a kind expression and asked, "What have you all been doing at home?"

"Nothing much, just reading and sunbathing," Zhou Wenhui said expressionlessly.

Zhou Zhonghai was overjoyed and stole a glance at Luo Meiyun, who also had a smile on her face.

"Sunbathing is good. By the way, Yang Zheng will be resting in a few days. When he comes back to see Qiaoqiao, don't be stern."

"Is he alright?"

"He's a well-behaved child, he definitely wouldn't do those things. As for the other two, Dad doesn't know."

"Dad suspects it was one of the three of them?"

"Hey, don't try to trap me, I didn't say that. But, I have some doubts. If it's a stranger, rape is already heinous, why take their life? Unless the woman knows the rapist. Rape and murder are serious cases, and it's illegal for the police to arrest someone without evidence."

"Then there's no result. The heavy rain has washed away all the evidence," Zhou Wenhui said quietly.

"That woman was also strong-willed. Why should a man and woman be hung up on each other when they are in love? Especially since the man is heartless, even humble pleas are useless."

Looking at Qiaoqiao busy in the kitchen, Zhou Zhonghai suddenly realized he had spoken out of turn. What difference was there between Qiaoqiao and that pitiful woman?

"How's it going at the front?" Zhou Wenhui casually changed the subject.

"Oh, our division hasn't received orders to go to the battlefield. However, the training is getting heavier every day."

"Can you handle it?"

"What's so special about this little bit of training? Your father can kill a tiger. I just look forward to the day when I can go to the battlefield and avenge my son," Zhou Zhonghai said calmly.

Luo Meiyun chimed in, "At your age, why are you still showing off?"

"What do you mean by showing off? I am a soldier. I am ready to serve whenever the country needs me. In ancient times, generals were still guarding the border even when they were seventy or eighty years old. I am only in my early fifties, in the prime of my life."

"Good, good, you are a lucky year."

Qiaoqiao came out carrying a large bowl of noodles: "Dad, the noodles are ready."

Zhou Zhonghai asked with a smile, "Wenhui, Meiyun, would you like something else to eat?"

"We had braised pork from the cafeteria for lunch, and we were so full we couldn't eat anymore."

Zhou Zhonghai laughed and said, "Qiaoqiao, they've eaten their fill, we'll have noodles."

Qiaoqiao brought out a small bowl of noodles: "Dad, try it and see if it's good."

"Delicious, delicious! Much better than the braised pork in the cafeteria!"