Chapter 45

Chapter 45

On the afternoon of the twentieth, Ji Yunshu was still in the kitchen mixing up the cats' food for Hua Juan and Shen Shen when someone knocked on the courtyard gate. The knocking was soft—three taps, a pause, then three more—as if worried about bothering anyone.

Ji Yunshu put down the bowl and ran to open the door. Standing outside was Huang Paimei, already dressed in going-out clothes: a dark blue floral short-sleeved top paired with black wide-leg trousers, her hair pinned up meticulously with a silver hairpin, the tassels at its end swaying gently in the morning breeze. The three children stood neatly behind her.

"Comrade Ji, there's a cadre competition on the beach today. Do you want to go watch?" Huang Paimei's voice was still soft and gentle, but her fingers were turning white around the bamboo basket handle, and her eyes held an excitement she couldn't hide. She paused, then quickly added, "If you're busy, I can just take the kids myself."

Ji Yunshu smiled the moment she saw that expression—wanting to go but afraid to go alone. She bent down, picked up Hua Juan who was rubbing against her ankle, and set him on the doorstep. She tilted her chin at Huang Paimei. "Of course I'm going! It'd be boring to watch alone anyway. I'll go with you—my husband also signed up for this martial arts competition, so I need to go cheer him on."

"Deputy Regiment Commander Pei signed up too?" Huang Paimei blushed slightly. She'd heard Old Liu mention that the deputy regiment commander from the neighboring regiment was formidable, but she'd never seen it firsthand. That said, Deputy Commander Pei's face stood out in the military like a peacock among pigeons—a lot of the wives were jealous Ji Yunshu got to marry him. If they ever got into a fight, she figured one look at that face would be enough to make her anger melt away.

Huang Paimei thought about Pei Yufeng's looks, then about her own Old Liu's looks, then about some of the other less conventionally attractive male comrades, and suddenly felt like she couldn't compete with the top tier, but she was better off than the bottom rung. She let out a little sigh.

Ji Yunshu had no idea what Huang Paimei was thinking. Noticing the bamboo basket in Huang Paimei's hand had some shovels and other beachcombing gear, she asked curiously, "Sister Huang, are you planning to go dig for sand crabs after the competition?"

Xiaogong immediately protested: "Aunt Ji! We're going to watch Uncle Pei fight, not dig for sand crabs!" Xiaocheng nodded vigorously in agreement beside him, but his eyes had already drifted, out of his control, to a sand crab crossing the road.

"Not originally, but if the kids want to, all five of us can go." Huang Paimei was amused by the children's reactions and gave a small smile, nodding.

"Alright, wait for me—I'll change clothes and go with you." Pei Yufeng had headed to the training grounds early that morning. The competition was scheduled for after the afternoon drills, which conveniently wrapped up right around dinner time at the nearby officers' mess hall, so folks could grab a bite after all the excitement.

A moment later, Ji Yunshu came out wearing a rose-red floral dress. She'd braided her hair into a loose braid, slinging a cloth bag over her shoulder, and locked the courtyard gate.

The group walked down the slope of the family compound. Halfway down, they heard a big, booming voice from behind: "Xiao Ji! Xiao Huang! You're going to watch the competition too?"

Ji Yunshu turned around and saw Wang Yulan striding down the slope. She wore a bright red short-sleeved shirt today, her hair pulled back with a headband, her face all crinkled up in a smile. The most eye-catching thing was the colorful hand drum she carried—the drumhead painted with traditional Li ethnic diamond patterns, trimmed with a ring of colorful tassels. As she walked, she slapped the drumhead twice with her palm, the thumping echoing down the slope and scaring a few birds out of the coconut trees by the road.

"Commander Lu asked me to help get the crowd going. I figured just yelling cheers wouldn't cut it, so I dug this thing out!" Wang Yulan raised the drum and shook it, the tassels rustling. "A Li sister gave this to me years ago—haven't touched it in forever, but today's the perfect excuse to use it!"

Ji Yunshu smiled and linked her arm through Wang Yulan's. "With Aunt Wang as cheer captain, the place is guaranteed to be lively. Don't you think so, Sister Huang?"

Huang Paimei nodded firmly beside her.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked down the slope, past the training ground and the bulletin boards, until they spotted the makeshift competition area set up on the beach in the distance.

Ji Yunshu had expected a small in-house thing, but when she got there, it was way bigger than she'd imagined. Two large circles were drawn in the sand with white lime—one for the martial arts area, one for the tug-of-war area. The martial arts circle was marked with branches stuck in the sand, surrounded by a simple rope barrier. The tug-of-war area had two parallel lines drawn, with a thick hemp rope between them and a red cloth tied at its center.

The venue was already ringed with people several rows deep—cadres and soldiers in uniform, family members in civilian clothes, plus villagers from nearby fishing villages and workers from the compound. Kids wove through the crowd, waving little flags and holding half-eaten fruit. An old fisherman stood at the edge of the beach with a shoulder pole, empty fish baskets hanging from both ends—clearly he'd just sold his fish and rushed over to watch.

Ji Yunshu scanned the crowd, her gaze landing briefly on a familiar figure. Fang Xue stood at the edge of the crowd in her blue work uniform, flanked by her mother Bai Qiumei and father Political Commissar Fang. Fang Xue was on her tiptoes, peering toward the martial arts area with a look that was hard to read—nervous or excited, hard to tell. Ji Yunshu looked away after just one glance.

"Aunt Wang, are you heading over to Commander Lu's side?" Ji Yunshu asked.

"Yes, he's at the referee's table." Wang Yulan pointed to a simple referee platform made of wooden tables at the edge of the martial arts area, where a scoreboard, whistle, and enamel megaphone sat. "I'll head over first—you guys find a good spot. In a bit I'll drum up some cheers for your Deputy Commander Pei, and I guarantee the whole place will hear it!"

With that, Wang Yulan shook her drum and strode off toward the referee platform, leaving a trail of thumps and tassel rustles.

Ji Yunshu and Huang Paimei led the three children to a sandy slope outside the martial arts area with a good view. The slope was higher than the flat ground, allowing them to see clearly over the heads of the crowd. They'd barely gotten settled when a crisp voice came from behind: "Aunt Ji!"

Ji Yunshu turned around. Niuniu popped out of the crowd with two little pigtails sticking up, followed by her mother Li Shu. Li Shu was Commander Lin's wife. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt today and held a palm-leaf fan, waving it as she smiled and greeted Ji Yunshu and Huang Paimei.

"I knew you'd come. Old Lin signed up for the martial arts too—who knows how many rounds he'll last. I checked the registration list; there are eighteen people in the martial arts bracket, and several of them are old rivals he can never beat on the training ground. I've got butterflies." Li Shu pointed at the center of the venue with her fan, saying discouraging stuff but looking anything but worried—in fact, she had the look of someone ready to enjoy a good show.

"I still can't spot Brother Pei." Ji Yunshu shielded her eyes from the sun and scanned the area, but couldn't find Pei Yufeng anywhere.

"My Old Lin hasn't shown up either—his regiment's been busy lately." Li Shu explained, pointing at her wristwatch. "Fifteen minutes until it starts. Don't worry, he's probably just held up. He'll be here soon."

Ji Yunshu waited a while longer, her gaze sweeping past the crowd and coconut trees to the far end of the sandy road from camp, searching for that familiar figure.

Pei Yufeng walked over from the camp side, followed by several cadres in white shirts and military trousers. He stood half a head taller than the guys around him, walking at an easy pace, back straight, his combat boots leaving deep footprints in the sand.

He was tilting his head, saying something to the cadre beside him, his expression as calm and cool as ever, jaw slightly tight—as if he were already mentally rehearsing the upcoming match.

Ji Yunshu's lips had already curved upward involuntarily. She took a deep breath, lowered her hand from her forehead, rose onto her tiptoes, and waved at him vigorously. Her movements were large, her arm raised high, conspicuous among the crowd.

Pei Yufeng's footsteps paused. He stopped his conversation with the cadre beside him, looked up, and turned his gaze toward Ji Yunshu's direction. Across dozens of meters of sand and the bustling crowd, his eyes found her precisely—like two signals locking onto each other through all the noise. He saw her standing on the sandy slope, her rose-red dress fluttering in the sea breeze, one hand raised high above her head, waving at him as hard as she could. Ji Yunshu's eyes shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and you could see the anticipation even from that far away.

Pei Yufeng couldn't help the corners of his eyes crinkling. He raised his right hand to his brow and snapped off a crisp salute at Ji Yunshu. Then he lowered his hand and tilted his chin at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly—like he was saying: I see you, don't worry. Or maybe: You came. I'm glad.

Ji Yunshu's tiptoes returned to the ground. She lowered her hand and tucked back the stray hairs the sea breeze had loosened. When her fingers touched her earlobes, she found them burning hot. She pressed her lips together, holding back a smile, and gave him a little cheer gesture.

Pei Yufeng's mouth curved slightly—a small arc, but Ji Yunshu noticed it anyway. He withdrew his gaze, rolled his shirt sleeves up a bit higher, as if preparing for the upcoming match.

Tug-of-war went first. Five garrison regiments plus one artillery regiment, ten people each, drawing lots for head-to-head matchups.

Beach tug-of-war was nothing like on solid ground—the sand was soft, every step sank in, and you couldn't get any real traction. Some teams started chanting in unison to coordinate their rhythm; others relied on sheer weight to drag backward, only to pull so hard they toppled over themselves, drawing laughter from the crowd. Regiment Commander Liu's Third Regiment drew the artillery regiment and was dragged straight across the center line by their overwhelming weight advantage. Liu climbed up from the sand, brushing himself off, and spread his hands helplessly in Huang Paimei's direction.

After the tug-of-war ended amid laughter and cheers, the crowd's mood shifted from relaxed to excited—because the martial arts competition was about to begin.

Commander Lu stood on the referee platform with the enamel megaphone, announcing the rules: the eighteen registered cadres would draw lots to form nine pairs, fighting head-to-head, with winners advancing to the next round until the top three were decided. Matches were to the point—strikes to the back of the head and groin were prohibited, and a match ended when one party conceded or was pinned for ten seconds. The top three would each receive a notebook printed with quotes from the Chairman, and the first-place winner would additionally receive a certificate.

Commander Lu personally presided over the referee table, flanked by Political Commissar Fang and two division-level cadres. Wang Yulan stood behind Commander Lu, hand drum at the ready, looking poised to spring into action.

The drawing of lots began. Ji Yunshu watched Pei Yufeng step out of the formation. He was dressed simply and casually, his rolled-up sleeves revealing two sturdy arms. He reached into the lot container, pulled out a slip, glanced at it with an expressionless face, and handed it to the referee. The referee registered the names on the scoreboard—Pei Yufeng versus Regiment Commander Ye. Ye was the artillery regiment's commanding officer, half a head shorter than Pei Yufeng but with extremely broad shoulders and a neck as thick as a tree stump.

The matches proceeded in draw order. The first pair was two deputy company-level cadres who exchanged several rounds before one ended it with a beautiful hip throw. The following matches varied in pace—some quick, some slow. The most exciting one was between two evenly matched deputy battalion commanders who fought over a dozen rounds before a winner emerged.

When it was Commander Lin's turn, Li Shu shoved her palm-leaf fan into Ji Yunshu's hand and straightened up. Lin had drawn the opponent he least wanted—Commander Xiong of the neighboring Fourth Garrison Regiment. Xiong lived up to his name—tiger-backed and bear-waisted, standing in the center of the arena like a moving wall, his arms looking thicker than Ji Yunshu's thighs. Standing before him, Commander Lin looked like a man preparing to challenge a brown bear.

Less than twenty seconds into the match, Commander Xiong executed a bear hug takedown and pinned Commander Lin flat on the sand. Lin struggled a few times but was held immobile by Xiong's weight.

Niuniu covered her eyes, peeking through her fingers, and whispered, "Daddy's so embarrassing." Li Shu sighed, took the fan back from Ji Yunshu, and fanned herself vigorously twice, with a resigned "I knew it" expression: "Still needs more training."

Commander Lin climbed up from the sand, brushed himself off, and made a helpless gesture toward Li Shu—his expression clearly saying: It's not that I didn't try, he's just too big.

Li Shu had expected this outcome and wasn't too upset. As Lin walked over, he gave her a sheepish grin. Li Shu reached out and poked his forehead. "Alright, let's watch the match."

Lin quickly turned to Ji Yunshu. "Comrade Xiao Ji, Comrade Pei Yufeng is our regiment's greatest hope. He's the only one who can beat Commander Xiong."

"And you're a full regiment commander who can't even match a young man!" Li Shu sighed helplessly.

"How can you compare? Comrade Pei Yufeng always gets assigned the high-difficulty sea missions. I mainly handle coastal defense—there's no comparison." Lin was unabashedly confident in his reasoning. He asked Ji Yunshu curiously, "Comrade Xiao Ji, what place do you think your Comrade Pei can take?"

"Guaranteed second, fighting for first." Having watched the previous matches, Ji Yunshu thought Commander Xiong and that deputy company-level cadre would be tough, but she had complete faith in Pei Yufeng.

"Ambitious!" Lin gave Ji Yunshu a thumbs up. "I'll tell him that in a moment."

Ji Yunshu: "...?"

Before Ji Yunshu could react, it was Pei Yufeng's turn.

He walked from the edge of the arena into the martial arts circle. Sunlight fell on him, clearly outlining the contours of his arm and shoulder muscles. His expression was calm—neither Commander Xiong's fierce aggression nor Commander Lin's on-edge tension. He simply stood quietly in the center, rolled his wrists, then nodded at Regiment Commander Ye.

Just then, Commander Lin rose onto his tiptoes, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted at Pei Yufeng: "Old Pei! Your wife says you're taking first place—don't let her down!"

Ji Yunshu: "?!?"

The moment Lin's voice rang out, the surrounding crowd and cadres burst into laughter. Even the ever-serious Commander Lu couldn't resist teasing Pei Yufeng: "Comrade Pei Yufeng, fight well—don't disappoint your wife."

Pei Yufeng saluted in Ji Yunshu's direction: "I promise we'll get the job done!"

Cheers and excited screams broke out all around. Ji Yunshu's face flushed slightly. Pei Yufeng waved at her with unrestrained vigor, and Ji Yunshu nodded back at him.

Commander Lin was so pleased watching the two of them interact that he couldn't help raising his hand and yelling, "Go Second Regiment! Second Regiment is the best!"

Li Shu: "..."

Li Shu tried to tug at Commander Lin's sleeve: "So embarrassing. Quit yelling."

Commander Lin said indignantly, "Our deputy commander's got a real shot at winning. What's wrong with a little cheering?"

Li Shu was speechless: "Comrade Xiao Ji hasn't even said a word, and now everyone's staring. What if..."

"You don't trust me, but don't you trust Comrade Pei?" Commander Lin raised an eyebrow, humming in a tone that said "I know you too well." "Who was it that couldn't stop staring at Comrade Pei Yufeng the first time she met him, forgetting she even had a husband?"

Li Shu blushed slightly and gave Commander Lin a hard smack: "Comrade Ji is right here. Watch your mouth."

"Is Pei Yufeng very popular in the army?" Ji Yunshu wasn't bothered by such trivial matters; she asked curiously.

"Popular doesn't even begin to cover it. The female comrades in the cultural troupe and the women workers around here all had their eyes on him. The Political Commissar and the Commander were both worried sick about his marriage prospects. If he weren't so busy with missions, the Commander would've had him on blind dates every single day." Commander Lin boasted with great pride, only to get another smack from Li Shu.

"That was all in the past. Of course, Comrade Pei Yufeng never went to a single one." Commander Lin knew when to backpedal and quickly explained, scared of messing things up between the couple.

"I know. Thanks, Brother Lin." Ji Yunshu knew Pei Yufeng was popular—after all, standing in a crowd, he was the most dazzling presence, impossible not to notice—but she hadn't expected him to be *this* popular. Watching him out there, her heart was bubbling with sweetness: this amazing man was hers now—and she was absolutely worthy of him!

Just then, the match officially began. Regiment Commander Ye made the first move. With a low growl, he lunged at Pei Yufeng like a cannonball, grabbing for his belt. Pei Yufeng sidestepped so fast it was almost a blur, his right hand locking onto Ye's arm as his foot swept the ground in one fluid motion—Ye's own momentum plus Pei Yufeng's leverage sent him flying, slamming hard into the sand with a dull thud.

A collective gasp went through the crowd. From Ye's charge to his fall, barely three or four seconds had passed—quick as the blink of an eye.

Ye scrambled up from the sand, his face burning with embarrassment. Commander Lu declared Pei Yufeng the winner of the first round, and per the rules, both parties should have repositioned before starting the second. But Ye didn't wait for the referee's whistle. He suddenly lunged at Pei Yufeng from the side, grabbing his shoulder with one hand while slamming his elbow viciously into Pei Yufeng's right arm and kicking hard at his stomach.

From the edge of the crowd, Ji Yunshu saw everything clearly. The spot where Ye's palm hit was exactly where Pei Yufeng had once suffered a comminuted fracture—his old right-arm injury. Her fingers clenched the hem of her clothes, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her heart jumped into her throat.

The moment he was ambushed, Pei Yufeng's body reacted instinctively. Without looking back, he shifted sideways with Ye's push to deflect the force, simultaneously reversing his right hand to lock onto Ye's wrist, grabbing his belt with his left hand, and sweeping his supporting leg—Ye crashed onto the sand again, even harder this time, his back slamming down and kicking up a spray of sand.

But Ye still wouldn't quit. He scooped up a handful of sand and threw it in Pei Yufeng's face. Pei Yufeng immediately raised his hand to shield his eyes, but plenty of sand still got on his face and clothes, and his grip loosened a bit. Ye broke free, a vicious look on his face, and swept his leg to attack Pei Yufeng's lower body again. But the next second, Pei Yufeng ruthlessly pinned him from behind, pressing him face-down into the sand so he couldn't move.

"You've gone too far. This is a sparring match—it ends at first contact." Pei Yufeng said coldly. "Ambushing someone is just plain shameful."

Commander Lu stood up from the referee's seat, his face ashen. He raised the enamel megaphone, his voice low and icy, every word landing like a hammer on steel: "Ye Zifeng, this match ends at first contact. Ambushes are prohibited. You've already lost. Get off the field right now. One more stunt like that and you'll get a formal demerit."

Commander Lu's voice wasn't loud, but his commanding presence was unmistakable. Everyone on the beach heard him clearly, and the noisy crowd fell instantly silent.

Ye Zifeng's face was just as livid. He picked himself up from the sand, brushed himself off, and walked away without looking back, as if the contemptuous stares and pointing fingers around him had cut right through him. His figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.

By the time Pei Yufeng walked off the arena, Ji Yunshu had already pushed her way to the very front of the crowd. She hurried up to him, grabbed his arm, turned him around, and quickly scanned him from head to toe. She saw a clearly visible red handprint on his arm where he'd been grabbed. Her fingers brushed feather-light over the scar on his arm, trembling slightly.

She looked up into his eyes, her voice urgent and tense: "When he ambushed you just now, he hit your old injury... Did he hurt you? Does it hurt?"

Pei Yufeng looked down at her, reached out to tuck the windblown strands of hair from her temple behind her ear, his fingertip grazing her earlobe so gently it was as if he feared breaking her. "I'm fine. He doesn't have much strength. Nothing's hurt. Don't worry."

Ji Yunshu carefully examined him from head to toe once more, lifting the hem of his undershirt to check the red mark on his lower back, confirming the skin wasn't broken and no bones were damaged. Only then did she finally relax.

Commander Lin patted Pei Yufeng on the shoulder from the side: "Well done. That Ye Zifeng fights dirty. He's arrogant, thinks being from the Artillery Regiment makes him better than everyone else. Just stay away from him from now on."

"It's fine. He can't beat me." Pei Yufeng said calmly.

Through their conversation, Ji Yunshu learned that before Pei Yufeng, Ye had been the youngest deputy regiment commander in the military district, and being from the artillery regiment, he'd always been popular with the local female comrades. He'd enjoyed being feted and looked down on everyone, believing no one could match him. But after Pei Yufeng led the Second Regiment to a first-class merit, the dynamics in the military district shifted. Pei Yufeng became the youngest battalion commander, and was on track to become the youngest regiment commander. The men and women who used to fawn over Ye all switched to praising Pei Yufeng, and Ye's resentment began to fester. He started throwing obstacles in Pei Yufeng's way at every turn.

For the sake of unit unity, Pei Yufeng never bothered with Ye's petty provocations. But Ye's targeting of Pei Yufeng was so blatant that everyone around could see it—Commander Lu and Political Commissar Fang naturally saw it too. Commissar Fang called Ye in for a talk, but Ye, being petty and suspicious, assumed Pei Yufeng had gone behind his back to complain to Commissar Fang. Relying on the fact that Commissar Fang's daughter, Fang Xue, had feelings for him, Ye tried to use Commissar Fang to suppress Pei Yufeng.

But that wasn't something Pei Yufeng had done, and he had no relationship with Comrade Fang Xue. Frustrated, Ye spread false rumors that Pei Yufeng had risen through the ranks by leeching off female comrades. But Pei Yufeng was too well-liked, and his abilities were plain for all to see. No matter how much Ye slandered him, no one believed it—it only made everyone in the unit dislike Ye even more.

"Then why did he even bother joining this competition?" Li Shu asked. "It can't be that he was trying to target Comrade Pei, right? He can't even beat him!"

Commander Lin shrugged helplessly: "Who knows. Probably wanted to pull some dirty trick like that during the match."

Ji Yunshu was furious after hearing all this. How could someone like that be worthy of being a soldier? She brushed the sand off Pei Yufeng's shirt, looked him straight in the eyes, and said seriously, "I don't actually expect you to take first place—of course, it'd be even better if you did—but the most important thing is to stop at first contact and not get hurt. Got it?"

Pei Yufeng saw how anxious and concerned she was for him and let out a low chuckle: "Yes, I know."

Author's note:

None.