"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Seeing Chen Lishu's concern, Gu Xingdong gave her a reassuring look and slowly unbuttoned the collar of his uniform.
"Acting like you're some kind of fighter. You might know what you're doing, but the weapons we're holding don't have eyes."
The man in the floral shirt spoke and made the first move, swinging a steel bar as thick as a finger towards Gu Xingdong's head.
Just as the steel bar was about to hit, Gu Xingdong swiftly dodged to the side. The man in the floral shirt, propelled by inertia, stumbled forward. Gu Xingdong hooked his long leg and kicked. With a "thump," the man in the floral shirt crashed to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
While Gu Xingdong was taking down the man in the floral shirt, Zhao Liang also made his move. The knife he thrust out was fast and vicious, aimed at Gu Xingdong's back.
"Be careful!" Chen Lishu's heart leaped into her throat at the sight.
As if Gu Xingdong had eyes in the back of his head, he swung his arm back, precisely deflecting Zhao Liang's arm. He then quickly spun around, his raised iron fist connecting directly with Zhao Liang's jaw.
Zhao Liang felt a sharp pain in his jawbone, so intense that his vision went black. He staggered backward.
"You've got nerve, attacking a soldier. The three of you must be working together," Gu Xingdong said, squatting down. Seeing the man in the floral shirt struggling to get up, he raised an eyebrow. He placed his palm on the man's shoulder. While the man was stunned, Gu Xingdong patted his shoulder kindly. Without any obvious effort, the man in the floral shirt suddenly cried out in pain. His arm had been dislocated by Gu Xingdong.
"Kid, you better not leave! I'm calling my guys..." Zhao Liang couldn't finish his threat. He felt his jaw tighten, and with a "crack," his mouth hung open, unable to make a sound.
Gu Xingdong frowned. "Too noisy."
"Brother-in-law, you're amazing." Seeing Gu Xingdong take down everyone in just a few moves, Wang Aixiang let out a long sigh of relief, filled with awe for Gu Xingdong's capabilities.
Gu Xingdong looked up and smiled. "Thank you for taking care of Lishu while I was away."
Wang Aixiang seemed a little embarrassed. "We're family, no need to thank me. Besides, Lishu is so capable, she didn't need much looking after."
Chen Lishu looked at Liang Chunsheng. "Are you feeling any better? Why don't you go sit on that chair over there for a while?"
She then turned to Wang Aixiang. "Sister Aixiang, could you go call Officer Yang and the others?"
"Sure, sure, I'll go right now." Wang Aixiang readily agreed and quickly walked out of the shop.
With Gu Xingdong here, she felt reassured. From now on, these troublemakers would have to think twice before causing any more problems.
Yang Shuang and his colleagues arrived quickly. When she heard Wang Aixiang report the incident, she was very worried. After all, Chen Lishu was a woman, and she didn't know what those men like Zhao Liang might do. She had even brought two extra officers with her.
However, when they entered the shop and saw the situation, they were momentarily stunned.
The three men were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain. They didn't look like troublemakers at all; rather, they looked like they had been dealt with by someone else.
"You're just in time. These three attacked me with dangerous weapons. I suspect they are enemy agents."
Gu Xingdong's casual remark almost scared the three men on the ground to death. Their faces turned a shade greener than before.
What were enemy agents? Even illiterate people knew that. With such a serious accusation, ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay for it!
Who was Gu Xingdong? He had just returned from the battlefield. And yet, they had gotten into this situation. The matter was so serious that Yang Shuang and the other two police officers didn't know how to proceed with the interrogation, or whether they should report it to higher authorities.
"Let's take them in," one of his colleagues said, glancing in Gu Xingdong's direction.
"You three, get up quickly," Yang Shuang said unceremoniously, seeing that the men were still lying on the ground.
Gu Xingdong seemed to just remember. He said nonchalantly, "It all happened so suddenly, I might have been a bit heavy-handed."
With that, he squatted down. With a few "cracking" sounds, the dislocated jaws, arms, and wrists of the three men were all reset.
However, Gu Xingdong deliberately took his time while helping them. The faces of Zhao Liang and the other two instantly turned from green to the color of liver.
As the three men were being taken away, peace was finally restored to the shop.
Only then did Chen Lishu remember to take a good look at Gu Xingdong.
He was darker, darker than ever before, and thinner. His already sharp jawline appeared even more angular, and the stubble on his chin gave him a travel-worn look.
"Shall we go home first?"
Gu Xingdong nodded. "Ruirui must have grown quite a bit taller this past year, right?"
Chen Lishu smiled. "He was only about your waist high when you left. If you see him again this time, you might not recognize him."
Children grow fast. In a year, he would have grown five or six centimeters.
After saying goodbye to Wang Aixiang and Liang Chunsheng, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong returned to their home across from the school.
Zhao Qiuyue was preparing lunch, and Ruirui was playing with building blocks at the living room table.
Chen Lishu had asked Zhang Tiezhu to help shape various geometric figures from wooden blocks, which could be combined in many different patterns.
"Mama." When Ruirui saw Chen Lishu enter, he called out happily. His gaze then fell on Gu Xingdong, who followed closely behind. He paused for a moment and asked uncertainly, "Daddy?"
Seeing the unfamiliarity and hesitation in his son's eyes, Gu Xingdong felt a pang in his heart. It wasn't painful, but rather a sense of guilt.
"What are you playing?" Gu Xingdong walked over, his eyes falling on the building blocks on the table. He chuckled, "Building houses, huh? I'm good at that."
Ruirui's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course." Gu Xingdong unbuttoned his shirt cuff and sat down opposite him at the table. He picked up two blocks and said, "How about we have a competition?"
Within moments, Ruirui's initial distance had completely vanished.
"Brother-in-law is back?" Zhao Qiuyue came out of the kitchen. Seeing Gu Xingdong return, she was also happy for Chen Lishu. She took off her apron and walked out. "I'll go buy a couple more dishes."
Zhao Qiuyue made four dishes for lunch. After they finished eating, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong took Ruirui back to the military dependents' quarters.
Upon entering their home, Chen Lishu sent Ruirui off to play with the Wang brothers. She then pulled Gu Xingdong into the inner room, closing the door behind them. She then drew the curtains, and after ensuring everything was ready, she turned back to Gu Xingdong and said, "Take off your clothes."
Pale light streamed through the gaps in the curtains. Gu Xingdong raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a slight hesitation. "It's daytime, and it might not be good if someone sees."
It was rare for him to be shy.
"It's okay, it won't take too long."
Gu Xingdong seemed displeased. "You think too little of your man. This won't be finished in less than an hour."