Volume One, Chapter Four: Fortune Smiles—Marrying a Wife and Bringing a Child Along

Shen Sisi looked serious as she said, "Senior, I know you want to help me, but marriage is not a child's game. Besides, this is a military marriage. Being associated with someone like me, and considering my family's background, it will affect your career."

How could he, a young and promising battalion commander, be so irrational as to want to marry someone like her?

Her father had been reported by others years ago, and he had passed away without ever clearing his name.

And what about her?

She was an educated youth sent to the countryside, an unwed mother with a child, and the child was a sickly thing at that.

Even if he closed his eyes and picked someone at random, anyone would be better than her, and more suitable for him.

If he truly married her, it would provide no help to Gu Chengfeng's career whatsoever; instead, it would only bring him trouble, potentially ending his career or even leading to a demotion.

Seeing her face flushed, her delicate lips pressed tightly together, and her eyes misting over, Gu Chengfeng felt frantic. He didn't know how to convince her, and in his desperation, the words just tumbled out.

"I can help you move your household registration out. You can follow me to the military compound. The military hospital has excellent medical facilities, far better than the county hospital, and also..."

"Enough!" Shen Sisi dared not continue this topic. "Let's just stop there, Senior Gu. Let's eat; the food is getting cold."

Seeing that she remained unmoved—preferring to go on blind dates and marry someone else rather than give him a chance—his gaze grew dark and possessive. He gritted his back teeth and let out a low murmur from his throat: "I... I was injured..."

"Injured?" Shen Sisi felt her heart skip a beat, her gaze scanning him with concern.

Gu Chengfeng closed his eyes, his vision turning dark, as he consoled himself: A wound of the heart is still a wound, that counts, right?

He steeled himself and let the rest of the words slip through his teeth: "Don't ask for details, but in short... I cannot possibly marry or have children. You understand."

Shen Sisi's mouth opened into an 'O' shape. Before she could react, she heard a snort of laughter from behind her, quite exaggerated.

She turned to see another man in uniform, half a head shorter than Gu Chengfeng and looking quite refined, clutching his stomach and laughing at the doorway.

Feeling the glare from someone, Feng Yanzhou suppressed his smile, though he was roaring with laughter inside. "This comrade, I can vouch that everything he just said is true!"

"You are..." Shen Sisi looked at the man before her. He had a naturally smiling face that gave off the feeling of a gentle spring breeze.

"This is my comrade, Feng Yanzhou, Political Commissar Feng." Gu Chengfeng gave him a dark look, his cheeks flushing red enough to forge iron. "Old Feng, this is Shen Sisi, the daughter of Teacher Shen that I mentioned to you, and her daughter, Niuniu."

Feng Yanzhou's eyes lit up. So this was her! She was indeed beautiful! No wonder Old Gu had been obsessed with her for so many years; he hadn't given up even after she had a child.

Shen Sisi, unaware of the twists and turns in his mind, was simply amazed. He was only in his early twenties and already a political commissar; he was truly a prodigy.

"Political Commissar Feng, please sit and eat with us." Shen Sisi warmly pulled out a chair.

Feng Yanzhou did not stand on ceremony. He took off his gloves and looked at Gu Chengfeng, who was blushing to the roots of his hair, unable to stop the playfulness in his eyes.

Gu Chengfeng had thrown away all dignity to chase a girl. It was the first time Feng had ever seen anyone claim they were injured and couldn't marry. To see the "Steel War Wolf" of the First Field Division become so humble for a woman was truly an eye-opener.

Gu Chengfeng glared at him fiercely, signaling that he would be dead if he dared to spill the truth.

"Political Commissar Feng, what you said just now..." Shen Sisi’s brows furrowed slightly.

"Ah... I'm not bragging, but this problem of his really does affect his future prospects of finding a wife, and even more so his ability to have children," Feng Yanzhou said with a grave expression.

Shen Sisi suddenly felt an inexplicable ache. Was Gu Chengfeng injured on the battlefield?

Her gaze unconsciously drifted downward. A proud son of heaven with such a backbone, to be injured in such a vital area and be unable to marry or have children—he must be feeling terrible inside!

She didn't look down on him; she only felt a pang of heartache, and her heart gave a strange, painful throb.

Seeing Gu Chengfeng looking entirely uncomfortable and Feng Yanzhou grinning, she immediately straightened her face. "Political Commissar Feng, Senior Gu is already in this state, and you are still mocking him. That's too much..."

"Ah, this..." Feng Yanzhou was actually stunned by the young girl.

Was she already starting to defend her own?

"As a political commissar, not only are you not helping or counseling him, but you are also mocking him. Your ideological awareness is problematic!" Shen Sisi gave him a cold look and, without inviting him to eat, picked up some braised pork and placed it in Gu Chengfeng's bowl.

"Senior, eat more," she comforted him.

Gu Chengfeng's mouth twitched slightly, his heart feeling heavy. He brazenly asked, "Do you still think we aren't a good match?"

He said it lightly, but his eyes never left Shen Sisi’s face, waiting for her answer.

Shen Sisi fell silent. She poked at the rice with her chopsticks, forgetting to feed Niuniu.

Niuniu, hungry, reached out herself and grabbed a piece of braised pork to stuff into her little mouth.

Seeing this, Feng Yanzhou smiled gently at Niuniu and beckoned her over. The little girl climbed over to his side and pestered him to feed her with a spoon.

Shen Sisi wanted to pull the child back, but Feng Yanzhou gently "stole" her away.

He had just been lectured by Shen Sisi and was looking for a chance to redeem himself. After all, this was his future sister-in-law; he couldn't afford to offend her.

He smiled ingratiatingly, "Let me feed her. You two go ahead and chat."

Feng Yanzhou had a gentle, patient nature, and his presence was as soft as water, which made him very popular with children.

Seeing that he was feeding the child quite capably—balancing meat and vegetables and making funny faces to amuse Niuniu—Shen Sisi let them be.

Turning her head, she noticed that Gu Chengfeng hadn't touched his chopsticks. He sat like a stone statue, waiting for her answer.

"It's too sudden. This is no small matter. I... I need to consider it."

Gu Chengfeng understood that this was a polite way of rejecting him.

His mood plummeted, and a subtle gloom emerged in his dark eyes.

"That's fine, I'll wait for you." He knew Shen Sisi had her reservations, but he, Gu Chengfeng, was not one to give up easily.

He had already missed her once; he didn't want to miss her a second time!

Gu Chengfeng didn't want to be rejected again, nor did he want to make things difficult for her, so he picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of translucent, marbled pork belly in her bowl.

"Don't think about it anymore; let's eat... If you make up your mind, come to my aunt's house to find me. It's the same place as before."

"Mm, okay," she replied perfunctorily.

After the meal, Shen Sisi had no heart to continue the blind date. She carried Niuniu and said goodbye to the two men, planning to return to her aunt's house to give Niuniu her medicine.

Watching her slender figure recede, Feng Yanzhou stroked his chin and remarked, "She's a beautiful girl, and her personality is very open. It's a pity..."

Gu Chengfeng cast a predatory look after her, determined to win her over. "There is nothing to pity."

Then, his expression dimmed. "I only blame myself for coming to find her too late, letting her suffer so many grievances..."

"That's not your fault. We were in the desert, a place where even ghosts could die; who could have contacted the outside world? It’s just hard on our Regiment Commander Gu, who is willing to lie about being sick just to win the beauty's heart," Feng Yanzhou teased.

Gu Chengfeng kicked him, leaving a "beautiful" footprint on his polished leather shoe. "The appointment for the regiment commander hasn't been announced yet. Watch your mouth."

"It's a done deal... As an old comrade, I congratulate you on your double happiness: your promotion and getting a wife with a child in tow..." Feng Yanzhou's eyes crinkled with laughter, and he was already two meters away.

"Your skin itching, is it? You can talk about me, but you aren't allowed to tease her..."

"She's not even through the door yet, and you're already protecting her. You two really are a match made in heaven..."

"Get lost!"