Battalion Commander Wang was fuming. "Did you ask Director Pan to arrange a match for you?"
"Oh, that." Old Lady Wang's face flushed with embarrassment. "Yes, that did happen. But I only did it for your sake. Otherwise, at my age, I wouldn’t even consider remarrying."
Battalion Commander Wang wiped his face in frustration. "Mom, if you really want to find a companion, I have no objections. But can you please stop acting on every whim?"
"The military strictly prohibits anyone from using 'reputation' or 'responsibility'—these feudalistic notions—to blackmail or coerce rescuers." Knowing his mother’s temperament, he cut straight to the point.
"The loudspeakers in the family quarters broadcast this every day. As a military family member, surely you understand this?"
"Wait, what are you implying?" Old Lady Wang finally sensed something amiss in his words.
"Why does it sound so harsh when you say it? Blackmail? Coercion? Can’t it just be... mutual attraction?"
Truthfully, Old Lady Wang wasn’t lying—she had taken a liking to him.
But it was entirely one-sided.
The Third Uncle hadn’t even gotten a clear look at her face.
Battalion Commander Wang gave his mother a long, hard stare. "Mom, do you even believe that yourself?"
Old Lady Wang felt a pang of guilt, but she steeled herself and insisted, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. How will I know if I don’t try? Listen, son—"
"Mom!"
Battalion Commander Wang had no patience for her twisted logic. He knew exactly what would hit her hardest.
"If you think my life is too peaceful right now, I’ll submit my resignation tomorrow."
"Have you lost your mind? You enlisted at eighteen and worked your way up to this position—it wasn’t easy!"
Battalion Commander Wang let out a bitter laugh. "Mom, if you know how hard I’ve worked to get here, then why are you doing this? Do you really think spreading rumors will force someone to—"
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
"I was only thinking of you!" Old Lady Wang finally dropped all pretense.
"That old man is handsome, wealthy, and Regiment Commander Huo and his wife dote on him. If we got married, Regiment Commander Huo would have to call you uncle!"
Good heavens!
Battalion Commander Wang and his wife were utterly stunned.
His wife, who usually stayed out of their arguments, couldn’t remain silent this time. "Mom, this isn’t something you can force."
"If spreading a few rumors could arrange a marriage, then given how many people Dacheng has saved over the years—hundreds, if not thousands—would we have to marry them all off?"
Her words left Old Lady Wang speechless.
But she wasn’t done. "No wonder people in the family quarters were looking at me like I was some circus act this morning."
Her mother-in-law might not care about her dignity at her age, but she did.
Still, she couldn’t say that outright. Instead, she turned to her husband. "Now, not only is there no marriage, but we might’ve made enemies. What do we do?"
After a moment of thought, Battalion Commander Wang said, "Gather some gifts. We’ll go apologize to Regiment Commander Huo’s family later."
Then he looked at his mother. "Once things settle down, I’m sending you back home."
The mention of returning home deflated Old Lady Wang instantly. "I won’t go."
"Mom, this isn’t a negotiation."
Battalion Commander Wang said firmly, "You came here to help Little Mei after childbirth. I filed for a three-month leave, but it’s been half a year since she recovered. Do you know how many times my superiors have called me in over this?"
Old Lady Wang had been ready to argue, but hearing that her son had been reprimanded drained her resolve.
The matter was settled.
At noon, Battalion Commander Wang and his wife set out with gifts in hand. Along the way, they ran into several military family members, and Battalion Commander Wang took the time to explain the situation to each of them.
When they arrived, Jiang Si was in her room painting. Hearing the knock, she glanced outside and saw the couple standing awkwardly at the door, gifts in hand. She could guess why they were there.
She didn’t interfere with how Huo Tingzhou handled it.
By the time she came out, Battalion Commander Wang and his wife had already left.
Huo Tingzhou hadn’t accepted their gifts, but he relayed every word of their apology to the Third Uncle.
The Third Uncle wasn’t one to hold a grudge. Since they had apologized and promised to clarify matters in the family quarters, he saw no reason to dwell on it.
Still, the incident left him wary.
Normally, after meals, he and Uncle Zhong would take a stroll. But today, he refused to step outside.
The next morning, he packed his bags early.
Jiang Si knew there was no point in trying to make him stay, so she and Huo Tingzhou saw him off.
They spent the morning cleaning the house from top to bottom.
The furniture was already in place, and Jiang Si had bought all the necessary kitchenware from the service center days ago.
Anything else could be purchased as needed.
Fortunately, the village had its own supply and marketing cooperative, making shopping convenient.
Jiang Si also left behind a bicycle for their use.
Besides these, she had brought some of her own clothes, so she could stay over occasionally.
They had left as four but returned as just the two of them.
Jiang Si felt a little unsettled by the quiet.
But before she could dwell on it, work came calling.
That afternoon, two police officers delivered all the materials needed for the mannequin project.
Seeing how much they had brought—enough to overflow the trunk—Huo Tingzhou realized this wasn’t the simple task his wife had made it out to be.
Once the officers left, he rolled up his sleeves.
"Sweetheart, what can I do to help?"
He might not be able to contribute much, but he could at least assist.
Jiang Si did need his help.
The tools available in this era were far from ideal—nothing like the compact electric drills of later years.
When she saw the officers hauling out the industrial-sized drill earlier, she had been stunned.
No wonder they had asked if she wanted the steel rods pre-cut.
At the time, she had thought they were being considerate.
Now she realized it was because their cutting tools were too bulky to transport all at once!
Shaking off the thought, Jiang Si marked the spots on the wooden base with her pencil.
"Drill holes here for me."
Huo Tingzhou nodded.
The drill was too loud, so he carried it outside to work.
By the time he returned, Jiang Si had already shaped the steel rods into a torso frame.
Next came the limbs.
Jiang Si worked with intense focus, so much so that Huo Tingzhou hesitated to interrupt.
But their lifelong tacit understanding allowed them to communicate effortlessly—sometimes a single glance was enough.
It was already four hours later by the time the skeleton framework was completed.
After finishing all this, Jiang Si was so exhausted she could barely move.
As usual, Huo Tingzhou gave her a massage for over half an hour.
The filling and shaping process began early the next morning, which was much easier compared to the previous day’s work.
Next came joint reinforcement.
Creating a mannequin dummy was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Without proper reinforcement, it could only withstand one or two tumbles at most.
So instead of traditional bolts, Jiang Si opted for shock-absorbing springs salvaged from scrapped cars.
Once that was done, she wrapped the entire body with plaster bandages soaked in water.
The plaster took eight hours to dry.
Now, all they were waiting for was the silicone from Deputy Regiment Commander Lei.
As the saying goes, different trades are separated by mountains. Hearing her mention silicone, Huo Tingzhou couldn’t help but feel curious.
"Darling, will adding a layer of silicone on the outside make it better?"
Jiang Si smiled. "Of course. Without it, the model would fall apart after just two or three drops."
Huo Tingzhou fell silent. His wife had worked tirelessly for three days on this model—if it broke after a couple of falls, he’d be devastated.
Fortunately, Deputy Regiment Commander Lei was efficient and delivered the silicone that very afternoon.
Jiang Si worked through the night and finally completed the model by noon the next day.
Looking at the finished product, she felt a wave of relief.
Huo Tingzhou immediately contacted the police department.
Half an hour later, officers from the police department, doctors from the military hospital, and Auntie Lei’s group arrived at the residential compound.
The large, bustling crowd quickly drew the attention of everyone in the compound—
