The news of Qin Yuanzheng's wife being pregnant spread through the entire military camp like a gust of wind in just one morning. Even the neighboring garrison had heard about it.
He was stationed at the mining area all year round, but the news traveled faster than people could.
Walking on the road, soldiers and officers, whether he knew them or not, would come up from time to time, smiling and congratulating him: "Regimental Commander Qin, congratulations! Congratulations on expecting a baby!"
The people in the army were honest and straightforward; they didn't play empty games.
As soon as the words of congratulations were spoken, they would stuff money, food coupons, or half a bag of white flour and millet directly into his arms.
These were all saved up from their frugal daily lives. No one hid anything; they all held onto one belief: an addition to the Regimental Commander's family was a great joyous event for the entire regiment.
When the news reached the regiment's political commissar, he took it even more to heart.
Goodness knows where he got a plump and sturdy milk goat, but he led it personally all the way to Qin Yuanzheng's office.
"Regimental Commander Qin,"
The commissar handed the goat's rope to him, smiling radiantly, "Keep this goat. When it produces milk, it will be good for nourishing Comrade Xiao Qiao's body, and the baby will benefit too."
Qin Yuanzheng looked at the docile goat in front of him, then turned his head to look at the corner of the office where there were a few lively free-range chickens and a large goose that stretched its neck to peck at anyone it saw. The originally spacious and tidy office had been stuffed into something resembling a makeshift livestock shed.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say, feeling both touched and amused.
Usually, everyone lived on a tight budget and could only afford a bit of meat during festivals. But now, chickens, geese, goats, grain, money, and coupons were all being sent to him in droves.
He knew very well in his heart that these things were the heartfelt intentions his comrades had squeezed out through gritted teeth.
In the past, with discipline at the forefront, Qin Yuanzheng wouldn't have accepted them no matter what.
But at the thought of his young wife at home who had just gotten pregnant, his heart softened.
It didn't matter if he suffered a bit of hardship and fatigue, but he absolutely could not let his wife suffer any grievances.
He would remember these favors in his heart and slowly repay them in the future.
The most important thing right now was to properly nourish his wife.
Qin Yuanzheng called his orderly and asked him to load the things that could be put into the vehicle and take them home first.
However, for live animals like chickens, geese, and goats, there was no place to keep them at home, and it was inconvenient.
He thought it over and simply ordered the orderly to temporarily house them in the shed built for retired military dogs over in the mining area.
The military dog kennel was spacious and sturdy; partitioning off a section would do. It was winter right now, and they couldn't just let these livestock freeze outside.
Having finally dealt with wave after wave of people coming to congratulate him, Qin Yuanzheng had just picked up his thermos to take a sip of water, wanting to quietly read a report, when the office door was pushed open again.
A travel-worn Guan Wenjun walked in, his face not looking too good.
Qin Yuanzheng didn't even lift his eyelids, already feeling a bit impatient in his heart.
Guan Wenjun, however, walked straight to his desk, stared directly at him, and got straight to the point: "Comrade Xiao Qiao is pregnant?"
Qin Yuanzheng slowly raised his eyes, his tone cold: "What does it matter to you?"
Guan Wenjun immediately raised his voice, as if he had seized upon some massive justification: "Of course it matters to me! This child is mine!"
Before he even finished speaking, Qin Yuanzheng's face suddenly sank, his eyes instantly turning cold. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists as he stared at Guan Wenjun: "Yours? Say that again?"
Guan Wenjun: "..."
Seeing that the situation was turning bad, Guan Wenjun hurriedly changed his tune, speaking as fast as pouring beans: "I mean, I'm the child's godfather! Godfather!"
Qin Yuanzheng looked at him speechlessly and said, "Get lost."
But Guan Wenjun didn't leave; he was feeling quite upset inside.
Thinking back to those days, Qin Yuanzheng had stolen his girlfriend.
Now, he couldn't steal Qin Yuanzheng's wife away from him.
Moreover, Qin Yuanzheng actually had a wife now.
The more he thought about it, the more unbalanced he felt. Holding it in for a long time, he deliberately provoked Qin Yuanzheng, saying, "No, I say, Old Qin, don't let yourself be fooled. You have infertility, so how could Comrade Xiao Qiao possibly be pregnant?"
Qin Yuanzheng was in a good mood today, so he didn't get angry upon hearing this. He deliberately said to Guan Wenjun, "I did have infertility originally, but because I worked hard enough, Comrade Xiao Qiao got pregnant. What, are you envious? If you're envious, go find a wife for yourself and work hard at it. Don't spend all day staring at other people's wives, understand?"
Qin Yuanzheng's words were also spoken with a hint of a threat.
Because of some past events, Guan Wenjun used to always keep an eye on Qin Yuanzheng's wife.
Guan Wenjun still had a bottom line; he just had a foul mouth. But if he were really asked to do something to Qiao Lanshu, he probably wouldn't dare.
But now, Qiao Lanshu was pregnant.
If Guan Wenjun dared to run up to Qiao Lanshu again and spout nonsense, Qin Yuanzheng would not be polite.
Guan Wenjun stared at him for a long while, feeling angry and stifled, and finally left in a huff.
As he went out the door, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
After driving Guan Wenjun away, Qin Yuanzheng didn't delay for a single moment. He grabbed his military cap and hurried to the headquarters.
Keeping in mind that he had to go pick up his young wife from work, he handed over all the matters that didn't require immediate decisions to the vice regimental commander and Staff Officer Lin, and headed straight to the headquarters right on time.
But he never expected that the news of Qiao Lanshu's pregnancy would travel faster than he could run; it had already reached the headquarters a step ahead of him.
Logically speaking, it was a common occurrence for a military officer's family member to get pregnant in the army. An addition to anyone's family was a joyous event, and there was no need to spread it around like a storm.
But with this happening to Qin Yuanzheng, it was completely different.
It wasn't a small matter; it was a huge deal.
It wasn't just a joyous event; it was major news.
Back when the news of his marriage to Qiao Lanshu came out, the entire military district, along with the surrounding factory areas, had gossiped about it for nearly half a month, and the hype had never died down.
Now that his wife was pregnant, judging by this momentum, the gossip wouldn't dissipate for at least half a year.
When Qiao Lanshu eventually gave birth, people might gossip for another half a year.
Just thinking about it made Qin Yuanzheng's scalp tingle.
As soon as he entered Commander Li's office, his eyes immediately caught sight of a bulging bag of rice at the corner of the desk—a full fifty catties!
Just as he walked in, Commander Li smiled and said, "Yuanzheng is here. Take this bag of rice back with you later for your wife to eat. Doesn't she like eating rice? I specially had someone prepare it."
Qin Yuanzheng: "..."
He felt utterly helpless: "Chief, how did you find out about this too?"
Commander Li laughed heartily, "The whole military district is talking about it now. It'd be hard for me not to know."
Qin Yuanzheng was completely speechless.
Commander Li then asked with concern, "Could the previous diagnosis have been a mistake? Why don't you go get it checked properly again, just for peace of mind."
Qin Yuanzheng gently shook his head, his tone calm: "I'm not going, I don't have time."
At this point, whether he got checked or not was no longer important.
The child had truly arrived; it was an unexpected joy, a special grace from the heavens.
He asked for nothing else. He just wanted to peacefully guard Qiao Lanshu and the little life in her belly, living a solid and steady life.
Seeing his absent-minded look, as if his soul had already drifted back home, Commander Li didn't force him to stay longer. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, it won't be too late to discuss the rest of these trivial matters tomorrow. It's getting late, you go on back first."
As soon as those words were spoken, the heavy gloom in Qin Yuanzheng's eyes vanished, instantly lighting up.
He stood up immediately, straightened his back, and gave a crisp, standard military salute. "Thank you, Chief! Goodbye, Chief!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he turned on his heel and headed for the door.
But after taking barely two steps, he abruptly spun back around.
Without standing on ceremony, he grabbed the fifty-pound bag of rice. Then, his gaze swept across Commander Li's desk, and he casually swiped the two large, round oranges sitting there, pocketing them as well.
Commander Li sat frozen in his chair, staring at the man's smooth, practiced movements, taking a long moment to process what had just happened.
He was truly left speechless. Those oranges had been a respectful gift from one of his longtime subordinates to honor him in his old age. And now? Swiped by another longtime subordinate.
He didn't even leave him the orange peels.
