Chapter 4: She Is Still My Wife

Ye Taoyao was pulled securely into his arms.

Realizing her rescue had finally arrived, her anger boiled over instead. She raised her foot and gave him a sharp kick, glaring at him in thorough vexation. “Why didn’t you take your sweet time? You might as well have let the two of us, mother and child, perish together!”

Gu Jincheng had never seen his little sister act so fierce.

He pressed his tongue against his cheek and looked down at the woman in his arms for the very first time. Her gaze was incredibly haughty, looking down on everyone, and her temper was genuinely fierce.

Where was the old affection, the bashful modesty, and the cautious timidity that used to keep her from even looking him in the eye?

The kick landed right on his abdomen. It didn’t hurt at all, but it left a strange, lingering sensation.

Gu Jincheng realized for the first time that he actually possessed such a side; he could allow a woman to kick him in the stomach without his body invoking a single instinct to defend or retaliate. It was truly a novelty.

He looked down at his little sister and said in a low voice, “I am sorry. It took us some time to locate this place.”

Taoyao merely let out a cold snort and turned her head away, completely ignoring him.

Her prickly attitude came as quite a surprise to Gu Jincheng. Nevertheless, he comforted her and promised to take her out of there shortly, completely unfazed by her critical demeanor and her rough behavior.

While he didn’t mind, the comrades who had come along with him were thoroughly astonished. Initially, they hadn’t paid much attention to the woman in Gu Jincheng’s arms. But that sudden kick instantly drew everyone’s eyes toward her.

In their minds, Gu Jincheng was a notoriously fierce officer whom no one dared to kick so casually. Yet he hadn’t shown a shred of anger. Just how enchanting must this woman be to tame him so completely?

However, when they took a closer look, they were underwhelmed.

Not only was her bright red outfit entirely plain, but her appearance was also rather underwhelming. Her skin was sallow and thin, and her pregnant state made her look incredibly frail. She was the absolute furthest thing from enchanting.

No matter how his brothers tried to rationalize it in their minds for his sake, they could only conclude one thing: this girl was simply not attractive.

Gu Jincheng had no time to ponder his comrades’ thoughts because the current situation was far from ideal, and the trouble before him required immediate attention.

Their original plan was simple: Gu Jincheng would take her and break out first, while the remaining men would handle the aftermath. In short, they needed to get out of this village before anything else.

But they were now completely surrounded by the arriving villagers, making an immediate escape impossible.

The courtyard was in utter chaos. The comrade standing next to Gu Jincheng scanned their surroundings and whispered into his ear, “There are too many of them. It won’t be easy to force our way out.”

Since brute force was out of the question, they had to rely on strategy.

Seeing Lei Zhentian rallying the villagers to rush forward and reclaim the bride, Gu Jincheng’s eyes turned cold. With lightning speed, he pulled out a dark weapon from his coat and pressed it firmly against Lei Zhentian’s forehead.

This single movement instantly froze the rioting villagers in their tracks.

The murderous aura Gu Jincheng radiated thoroughly intimidated the crowd, and no one dared to move another inch. Even so, several people still grumbled loudly, accusing him of using his position to bully civilians and claiming that disrupting a wedding was unlawful.

The village chief was genuinely furious this time. His face turned pale with rage, and he asserted that if he could leave the village today, he would head straight to the county committee to report them for flagrant lawlessness.

Gu Jincheng shoved Lei Zhentian away with a powerful thrust. Then he turned his gaze directly toward the village chief and said in a resonant voice, “Chief, it seems I haven’t made myself clear. Ye Taoyao is not just my little sister. She is also the foster bride my mother arranged for me when we were children. We have been betrothed since infancy, and we held a banquet to celebrate our union when she turned eighteen. Although we couldn’t register the marriage at the time due to unforeseen circumstances, and she later ran away after a disagreement, she is still my wife. Since she has never divorced me, how can she possibly marry someone else? This wedding banquet today is entirely invalid under the law, and you can verify that the national policies state exactly the same.”

As soon as Gu Jincheng finished speaking, the courtyard erupted into a deafening clamor.

The onlookers stared in disbelief, unable to credit what they were hearing. If this statement were true, then Lei Zhentian’s wedding was no longer a simple marriage; it was a serious crime involving the abduction of a military officer’s family member, which carried severe penalties.

Lei Zhentian was completely shaken by these words, and his eyes turned bloodshot with rage. He screamed hysterically, “That is impossible! Taoyao explicitly told me she was a helpless orphan. How could she have already held a wedding banquet with you?”

In that era, people in remote rural areas placed very little importance on a marriage certificate. Most marriages were recognized based on actual cohabitation. In the countryside, as long as both sets of parents agreed and a formal banquet was held to announce the union, the couple was considered husband and wife by the community.

This was precisely why he had agreed to Taoyao’s request to hold the banquet first and handle the registration later. He had never anticipated that a rightful husband would storm in halfway through.

The village chief was completely at a loss for words. He frowned heavily and turned to question Taoyao about the situation, demanding to know why she had come to their village to marry someone else when she was already wed.

Taoyao found herself momentarily speechless. After all, these complicated matters were entirely the doing of the original owner, and she had no way to explain the convoluted details.

Furthermore, Gu Jincheng had clearly exaggerated the facts. In reality, he had never acknowledged the original owner as his fiancée due to his own reservations, and he had never intended to marry her. The child she carried was the result of a complete accident, and Gu Jincheng probably could not even recall the specifics of that fateful night.

However, since things had escalated to this point, Taoyao simply adapted to his narrative and replied coldly, “I did not intentionally deceive anyone into marriage. I was locked up by the Lei family and couldn’t leave.”

“You… you are rewriting history!”

Lei Zhentian was so furious he felt like spitting blood. It was true that he had kept her under watch out of fear that she would run away, but hadn’t she previously agreed to marry him of her own accord?

Lei Zhentian began to throw a tantrum on the ground, wailing loudly and proclaiming that he was more wronged than anyone else in history.

By this time, Gu Jincheng had concluded his discussion with the village chief. He briefly explained that Ye Taoyao had run away in a fit of anger after a domestic dispute. Because he had been deployed on a secret mission immediately afterward, he was unable to search for her for several months, which allowed unscrupulous people to take advantage of her vulnerability.

In short, his message was clear: the child belonged to him, the woman was his wife, and he was absolutely taking her home today.

The village chief was, after all, the recognized authority in the area. Out of respect for Gu Jincheng’s military uniform, he maintained his composure and managed to keep the agitated villagers quiet long enough to hear him out.

However, when Lei Zhentian heard that Gu Jincheng was still intent on taking her away, panic and resentment took over. Seeing that the villagers were intimidated by the soldiers, he refused to let his hard-won bride escape so easily and threw himself onto the ground to throw a tantrum.

Lei Zhentian was a disabled man with a hunchback, and he usually behaved like a common scoundrel. Gu Jincheng initially paid no attention to such an insignificant rogue and continued his negotiations with the village chief.

But an unexpected turn occurred. Rolled onto the ground behind a wall of villagers, Lei Zhentian believed he was safe from the weapon. The bitterness of losing his bride fueled his malice, and he pointed a finger at Gu Jincheng, shouting insults at the top of his lungs.

“You claim she is your fiancée, but does that make it true? Let me tell you, she has already entered my house and we have held our wedding! She became my woman days ago! To tell you the truth, I have seen and touched every single inch of her body, and I have already used her thoroughly! She is nothing but a piece of ruined cloth now! Even if you take this fiancée back today, how can an officer like you swallow your pride and touch her ever again?”

In the countryside, crude men didn’t care about such things, but surely a prominent military officer cared deeply about his reputation. If he were smart enough, he would sit down politely and drink a toast to the marriage. Afterward, he could use his connections to get Lei Zhentian’s eldest son a position in the military so they could support each other as one family.

Lei Zhentian’s calculations were running perfectly in his head, but he had completely misjudged Gu Jincheng’s character.

Moreover, although Ye Taoyao was raised by his mother and forced upon him as a fiancée, Gu Jincheng had never viewed her with romance. He protected her because he genuinely regarded her as his own little sister. Lei Zhentian’s vile slander had thoroughly crossed the line.

Consequently, before the last malicious word could fully leave his mouth, a powerful fist driven by a furious wind struck his cheek without warning.

With a heavy, sickening thud, Lei Zhentian was sent crashing to the ground.

Gu Jincheng’s eyes were filled with absolute fury. Moving with terrifying precision, he pinned Lei Zhentian to the ground and began to pummel him relentlessly.

With every punch, he rasped through gritted teeth, “The person I protect may suffer misfortunes in the outside world, but as her brother, I will only blame myself for failing to care for her and pity her suffering! An absolute piece of trash like you has no right to stand there and project your own filth onto her!”

Gu Jincheng truly held no romantic feelings toward his sister. If a respectable man had treated her with genuine kindness, he would have gladly blessed the union. But the man before him was physically wretched and possessed a thoroughly depraved mind.

These words were spoken with the clear intent to ruin her reputation and destroy any hope of a future. Gu Jincheng delivered his blows with immense force. He shuddered to think what her life would have become if he hadn’t arrived today to save her from an abusive, unprincipled man.

That would have been a true living hell. At that thought, his movements grew increasingly violent.

Gu Jincheng’s attacks were swift and brutal. As a trained soldier who practiced combat daily, every punch landed squarely on target. Within a few moments, the courtyard was filled with Lei Zhentian’s agonizing, pig-like shrieks.

The surrounding villagers, who had never witnessed such violence in their lives, were completely paralyzed with fear, and not a single soul dared to step forward to intervene.

Even the village chief stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend how Lei Zhentian could be so incredibly foolish at a critical moment. He felt a massive headache coming on, but his wife was holding tightly to his sleeve to keep him out of trouble, which slowed his reactions considerably.

In the end, if Gu Jincheng’s comrades hadn’t rushed forward to pull him away, Lei Zhentian might have genuinely lost his life right then and there.

Fortunately, as soldiers, they understood boundaries, and Gu Jincheng knew he could not cause a fatality in a civilian jurisdiction. Once his comrades managed to pull him back, he took a heavy breath and delivered one final kick to the groaning man on the ground, warning him sternly, “Keep your filthy mouth shut! If I ever hear you utter another slanderous word against her, I will personally destroy you!”

Lei Zhentian was now bruised and bloody, lying on the ground unable to get up. He clutched his chest and raised a trembling hand, shouting at Taoyao, “Taoyao, you heartless woman! Are you really going to stand there and watch an outsider beat your husband to death? Have you no sense of virtue left?”

Taoyao felt a wave of profound speechlessness.

Looking at the unrepentant scoundrel on the ground, she was genuinely astonished by his sheer shamelessness. As a celestial flower spirit, she had originally intended to show some consideration for the original owner’s lingering sentiments and settle the matter peacefully.

But since the man had stooped to such a vulgar level, her own anger was thoroughly ignited.

She walked over to the second-hand husband, looked down at him, and asked with a cold smile, “Based on what you just said, are you publicly admitting to committing a crime of hooliganism against me?”

In that era, the authorities were incredibly strict regarding the code of conduct between men and women. A charge of hooliganism was severe enough to warrant a firing squad in an open field.

Although Lei Zhentian was terrified of the physical beating, he was clever enough to know he could not accept a charge that could cost him his life. He gritted his teeth and yelled, “Why should I be charged with hooliganism? Besides, the child in your belly has absolutely nothing to do with me!”

Taoyao raised an eyebrow and countered smoothly, “Oh? Then who was it that just boasted in front of everyone that he had touched me thoroughly?”

Fearing the soldiers would drag him straight to the police station, Lei Zhentian quickly clarified to save himself. “I was just angry and spouting nonsense! To tell you the truth, I have never even touched a single finger of that woman!”

Taoyao shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the village chief, saying calmly, “Chief, you heard him clearly just now. There is absolutely nothing improper between this man and me. Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, can we leave now?”

The village chief found himself in an incredibly awkward position.

The moment Taoyao mentioned leaving, Lei Zhentian began to shout again from the ground. “I might not have touched her, but she is an unmarried woman carrying some random man’s child! Who knows how many men used her when she was first sent down to our countryside?”

His words were incredibly venomous. He was clearly operating under the mindset of destroying what he couldn’t have, determined to completely ruin her reputation.

With a sudden thud, Lei Zhentian was kicked directly into unconsciousness by Gu Jincheng, unable to finish his sentence.

Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, the village chief quickly led a few villagers to shield the unconscious man and demanded that Gu Jincheng provide a proper explanation to the village.

Gu Jincheng kept his sister firmly behind him, his own anger reaching its limit. He had already decided to take her away by force if necessary, so his tone became exceptionally harsh. “Chief, what kind of explanation do you want from me? We held a banquet and established a prior marriage, which you admitted yourself. Furthermore, the child she carries is my own flesh and blood. Tell me, do the people of Lei Village intend to unlawfully detain a military officer’s family?”

The village chief was completely silenced by his words. The rightful husband and the father of the child had arrived with a squad of soldiers; what could the villagers possibly do? They certainly couldn’t oppose weapons with bare hands.

Noticing Gu Jincheng’s furious expression, the chief understood that Lei Zhentian was entirely in the wrong. To prevent another violent confrontation, he quickly ordered someone to attend to Lei Zhentian’s bleeding while softening his own tone to resolve the matter.

The chief pointed to Lei Zhentian, who had just been brought back to consciousness by the villagers, and sighed helplessly. “Officer Gu, please calm down. We have no intention of detaining anyone unlawfully; we simply want to see justice served. As you can see, when Comrade Ye first arrived at our brigade, Lei Zhentian spent a significant amount of money on bridal gifts and these wedding tables to marry her.”

The chief continued, “He is a disabled man who already has a child to raise, and that money represented his life savings for a marriage. If you take her away without any compensation, you completely destroy his livelihood. If this matter isn’t handled properly, he might end up harassing Comrade Ye in the city or filing complaints against you, which would cause significant trouble for your career.”

Gu Jincheng frowned in disgust. “What exactly do you propose, Chief?”

Seeing room for negotiation, the chief quickly offered a solution. “If you are willing to pay a fair compensation, I will personally ensure he keeps his mouth shut afterward. Furthermore, I will make him sign a formal statement dissolving their relationship. The document will state clearly that they were simply courting with the intent of marriage, but because Lei Zhentian failed to clarify Comrade Ye’s marital status, a misunderstanding occurred. Now that the misunderstanding is resolved, they are parting ways amicably, and the wedding banquet is entirely void. If he ever attempts to cause trouble in the future, you can have the police arrest him immediately.”

Pausing for a moment, the chief glanced at Lei Zhentian’s battered state and added, “However, considering he was beaten so severely, you should provide a sum for his medical expenses. Additionally, you should cover the debts he incurred for this wedding and the cost of Comrade Ye’s meals during her stay at his house. Since he is a disabled man, leaving a small financial cushion will ensure he doesn’t starve, and everyone can part on good terms. What do you think?”

The chief placed the decision back on Gu Jincheng.

In truth, civilians during that era respected military personnel deeply. If this matter were investigated strictly by the authorities, Lei Zhentian could be imprisoned for interfering with a military marriage.

However, the man’s physical disability was a reality, and his future would be bleak if left entirely destitute. If the situation were handled too aggressively, he might become a permanent nuisance. Therefore, the chief sought a practical financial settlement.

By this time, Gu Jincheng’s deputy, Zhou Jun, had subtly analyzed the surroundings and the villagers’ movements. Forcing their way out would incur too high a cost and was not the wisest path.

Zhou Jun leaned in and whispered to Gu Jincheng, “Jincheng, we can agree to this condition and pay the money. Settling this financially creates a favorable narrative for her reputation and guards against future gossip.”

He gestured toward the watching villagers and continued his analysis. “After all, a banquet was held in this village, which represents a recognized union in the eyes of the locals. If we simply take her away without paying a single cent, an unscrupulous person might use this to accuse you of abusing your power to steal a civilian’s bride, which would be a devastating blow to your position in the military.”

“We must ensure that our actions are entirely beyond reproach in both law and custom,” Zhou Jun added at the end.

Hearing his sensible words, Taoyao couldn’t help but steal a glance at him, wondering if this refined man served as a political officer in the unit.

“Very well.”

Gu Jincheng was a decisive man, and having weighed the pros and cons, he asked the chief for the amount. The chief was diplomatic and told him to pay what he deemed appropriate.

Gu Jincheng reached into his pockets and pulled out his remaining one hundred and fifty yuan, handing it over to the chief. “My sister stayed here for approximately three months, so at a rate of one yuan per day for meals, that comes to ninety yuan. The remaining sixty yuan will serve as compensation for the wedding expenses and his medical treatment.”

Although the injuries looked alarming, Gu Jincheng had controlled his force to ensure no bones were broken, so a few yuan for basic medicine at the clinic would suffice.

As for a standard rural feast in those days, thirty yuan was more than enough to cover the cost.

Furthermore, a rate of one yuan per day for food was exceptionally high. During that period, even a luxurious diet of meat in the city would not cost a yuan a day. In a remote village like this, one hundred yuan was enough to sustain an entire household for a year. Gu Jincheng offered this amount specifically to ensure no one could find fault with the settlement.

Fearing he might change his mind, the village chief immediately directed the village clerk to draft the statement dissolving the relationship.

To ensure its validity, he even sent someone to fetch the official committee stamp and pressed a bright red seal onto the paper. In the countryside during that period, a document bearing an official stamp carried far greater weight than a standard divorce certificate.

Since it was a formal agreement, it required the signatures and thumbprints of both parties. Gu Jincheng guided Taoyao’s hand to sign her name and press her ink print onto the paper.

However, when it came time for the groom to sign, the process stalled again. Realizing that Taoyao was truly about to leave him forever, Lei Zhentian flatly refused to cooperate and began to wail loudly on the ground.

A helpful villager leaned down and whispered, “Are you out of your mind? The money they are giving you is enough to marry two respectable young women from the neighboring villages. Why are you still causing trouble?”

Lei Zhentian continued to weep, crying out toward Taoyao, “Taoyao… I won’t sign it! I genuinely love you, and I truly want to spend the rest of my life with you!”

“Taoyao, didn’t you promise me in that room that you would teach me an exciting new routine after the wedding banquet? Have you completely forgotten your own words?” He stared at her with swollen, bloodshot eyes and pleaded, “Taoyao, I am willing to give up everything for you!”

Seeing that pleading was ineffective, his malicious nature resurfaced, and he threatened her fiercely. “Ye Taoyao, remember this clearly! If I hadn’t taken you in and given you food when you first arrived in these mountains, you would have frozen or starved to death in the wilderness! If I hadn’t claimed that the child in your belly belonged to me, you would have been dragged away by the authorities long ago!”

“How have I ever mistreated you?” He stood up with his crooked body, his face stained with blood, and pointed directly at Gu Jincheng. “Now that this handsome officer has shown up, you are throwing me away to run off with him?”

“Our wedding banquet was held, and the entire village witnessed it! There is no logic in the world that allows someone to come and steal a bride!” He stamped his feet in frustration and added, “I don’t care! The moment you walk out of this gate, I will report you to the county registry, and I will report the village chief for protecting you as well!”

This sudden reversal infuriated the village chief as well.

Gu Jincheng listened to the threats with furrowed brows, his fists clenching as he prepared to strike the man again.

This time, Taoyao reached out and held his arm, giving him a reassuring look. Then she gathered her bright red skirt and walked over to Lei Zhentian. She tilted her head slightly and offered him a radiant smile, her voice incredibly sweet. “You say you genuinely love me?”

Lei Zhentian had never seen her look so beautiful, and his mind grew completely addled as he nodded eagerly. “Yes! I love you with all my heart!”

Taoyao’s smile deepened, and she asked softly, “Then tell me, what exactly do you love about me?”

“Loving me and wanting to marry me so we can live together forever… that sounds rather wonderful,” she murmured, stepping directly in front of him. Just as the man thought she had changed her mind and reached out his hand to touch her, a flash of absolute malice flared in the depths of her eyes.

In the next instant, she channeled the full strength of her fragile body and delivered a swift, powerful kick straight to his most vulnerable spot.

A succession of agonizing shrieks shattered the silence of the courtyard. Lei Zhentian’s face contorted with immense pain, and he curled up like a boiled shrimp, sinking to the ground while clutching himself.

Taoyao crouched down beside him and whispered into his ear, “Do you still dare to say you love me like this?”

“If you say yes, I wouldn’t mind using these to completely rid you of that troublesome part of yours right now.”

As she spoke, she drew a pair of sharp scissors from her sleeve and pointed them directly at his bleeding lower body, making a deliberate motion to snip.

Lei Zhentian’s eyes filled with absolute terror. Looking at the woman who seemed completely unhinged, he began to scramble backward in a panic, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Help! She is a crazy woman! I don’t want her anymore! I don’t want a single cent! Someone please take this lunatic away from me!”