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Chapter 143: Chapter 137 A Match Made in Heaven
The most awkward situation had occurred, and yet the two of them interacted with even more ease than before. What could surpass the scene they had just experienced?
In the evening, since Shen Yunfang saw that Li Hongjun was in good spirits, she started chatting with him.
She had been taking care of him ever since she arrived, without even asking him how he got injured.
"How did you get hurt?"
"State secret," Li Hongjun coolly replied with this line.
Shen Yunfang was stunned; she hadn’t considered this aspect. Thinking about it, Li Hongjun was a soldier and probably couldn’t disclose the details of whatever mission he was on.
Li Hongjun saw that Yunfang remained silent and thought she was angry. After thinking it over, he said somewhat awkwardly, "I led my troops on a mission. I can’t discuss the specifics, but something unexpected happened during the mission. I got injured while saving a rookie."
Shen Yunfang looked at him for a long time, making him somewhat uneasy, before she finally nodded and then fell silent again.
"What’s wrong? If you have something to say, just say it. If there’s something you don’t understand, just ask. I’ll tell you everything I can," Li Hongjun said, his heart unsettled by her stare and uncertain if he had said something wrong that had made her unhappy.
"It’s nothing. I was just thinking, my dad seems to have died saving a comrade and I became the family of a martyr. If things go badly, I could even end up a martyr’s widow," Yunfang said without any trace of anger, just calmly stating the facts.
Li Hongjun’s expression turned serious, and the room fell silent.
"I promise you, I will ensure my own safety to the greatest extent possible," Li Hongjun finally spoke again after a long silence.
Shen Yunfang didn’t respond. Such a promise seemed too pale. She understood his profession, that he had no control over it, but she somewhat resented this noble sentiment of sacrificing oneself to save others. Perhaps, being from a later generation, her level of thinking wasn’t high enough.
Seeing that Yunfang didn’t respond, Li Hongjun, lying on the bed, suddenly said, "Go lock the ward door."
Yunfang looked up at him.
"I have something to tell you."
Seeing him earnest, coupled with his injuries, Yunfang figured he truly had something important to say to her. She got up, walked over to the door, and clicked it locked.
"Alright, speak your mind."
Li Hongjun paused for a moment, then said softly, "Actually, I knew the identity of the soldier I saved was special; he is the grandson of a certain high-ranking officer in the Capital Military Region."
Yunfang’s eyes widened in shock. Damn, what was this situation? Weren’t soldiers supposed to be selfless? Today reality had given her a vivid lesson.
"I had my reasons for saving him," Li Hongjun clarified, "Competition in the military is brutal. I don’t ask for much, just a fair competitive environment. And before I saved him, I had already assessed the situation, knowing that if I didn’t save him, he definitely wouldn’t survive, and if I did, I wouldn’t die." After saying this, he glanced at Yunfang, fearing that his wife would look down on him.
Yunfang stared blankly at Li Hongjun for a while, then eased up and nodded, "Hmm, you aren’t too foolish." Knowing how to maximize benefits; our blood must not be shed in vain, it must have value.
"You don’t despise me for being so utilitarian?" Li Hongjun knew that if he had concluded he would die saving the soldier, he wouldn’t have gone through with it, despite any calculations.
"No, I really admire you. Truly, I like people who take care of themselves. You should know, if you marry me, you’re not just a soldier, not just responsible for protecting your country, you’re also my husband, and I’m your responsibility too," Yunfang said. She had always known she was selfish and now it seemed her future husband was somewhat scheming; they were probably a perfect match. "As long as you have a clear stance on major national issues, I don’t think having a bit of self-interest in minor matters is wrong."
Li Hongjun extended his hand towards Shen Yunfang, who was silent for a moment before placing her small hand in his, and then their ten fingers intertwined.
"I feel like we were just made for each other," Li Hongjun’s smile was so sincere.
Shen Yunfang gave him a look, a pair of selfish people, huh?
Then, Li Hongjun told her about the situation these past few days.
Many leaders had visited him the day he had surgery, showing great concern for his situation. They had arranged for him a private room and assigned someone to take care of him exclusively. He thought this wasn’t just because he deserved it for saving a soldier. It must have been that a certain high-ranking official had pulled strings for him.
He figured that this week would go just like this. He had just finished surgery, and his body was too weak for visitors. By next week, when he felt a little better, people would surely come to pay him a visit.
Shen Yunfang just watched him without saying a word.
"Why aren’t you saying anything?"
"I’m just looking to see which one of your family you take after, having so many clever ideas," Shen Yunfang clicked her tongue in wonder.
She had met Li Hongjun’s parents, and although she hadn’t had in-depth interactions, she had roughly guessed their characters. Li’s father seemed to be the sort without much capability. Even though he had been a soldier, the many years of poverty seemed to have worn away any military rigidity in him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Qiu Shuping lead him by the nose.
Qiu Shuping, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have too many clever ideas and was easily influenced, with not very firm convictions.
"How could I not be a bit more cunning? I’m the second child at home—neither cherished by Dad nor loved by Mum. If I were any more simple-minded, my life would probably be over," Li Hongjun said nonchalantly. Every family has its own difficulties. Although he was a biological son of the Li family, it mattered who was favored, and he was the overlooked middle child. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
He knew from a young age that he couldn’t expect much from his parents. If he wanted to stand out, he would have to rely on himself, and he had always been working hard towards that goal.
"Is that so? Aren’t you a son? I think your mum pays quite a bit of attention to you. Knowing that you were injured, both your parents came to take care of you. That’s not too bad," Shen Yunfang said, nodding her head.
"If you really think so, how about you live at my place after we get married?" Li Hongjun teased her.
"No way," Shen Yunfang replied without hesitation. "She’s your mum, not mine. I won’t lie and say that after we get married, I’ll treat her like my own mother and honor her. Given how your mother is, I might not be able to do that. But I’m not unreasonable—I can respect her as an elder as long as she doesn’t deliberately pick on me."
Li Hongjun laughed, nodding, "That’s fine. There are the three of us brothers to honor my mother. After we’re married, as long as you can put up with her for my sake, refrain from arguing too much, and avoid getting physical during conflicts, that’s all I ask."
Pfft, Shen Yunfang chuckled, "You sure do understand your own mother."
Li Hongjun also laughed, then became serious again, "Yunfang, there’s something else I haven’t been entirely honest with you about."
Shen Yunfang raised an eyebrow.
"The worst injury I got this time was to my leg. The doctor said that if it doesn’t heal well, I might end up crippled. That means I’ll probably be discharged and go back home to farm," Li Hongjun revealed his secret, feeling a weight lift from his heart.
"Oh, going back home is not bad—we can work for work points together," Shen Yunfang said instinctively, "Wait, that’s not right. Even if you were discharged, you don’t have to go back to farming, do they not have any arrangements for you?" she gestured towards his leg.
Li Hongjun understood what she meant, "They did, but I refused."
"Good, you’re principled. It’s not bad this way—later, you can farm, and I can raise chickens and ducks. We can still make a good life," Shen Yunfang had no objections. She had thought through all this before coming.
"Hey, don’t tell me your mother changed her attitude towards me today because of this, afraid that if you became disabled and jobless, you couldn’t find a wife, so she settled for me."
Li Hongjun smiled without speaking.
