Surprise! The rough husband is the hidden boss of the period literature

Chapter 357 Stranger

Jian Jingchuan received the evidence from Xu Qinghuan. He casually flipped through it, and although there were many offensive words inside, it obviously did not cause the slightest ripple in his heart.

Regardless of the passage of time, he was indeed captivated by Song Wanlin at first sight. She was beautiful and elegant, and to a boy like him from the countryside, she was simply breathtaking.

The noble and elegant temperament of the capitalist's daughter is captivating.

But later, after three years of marriage, infidelity and cheating had long since worn away any remaining affection in Jian Jingchuan's heart.

In the final year, Song Wanlin refused to join the army because she was having an affair. He "died in battle," she remarried, and the two went their separate ways completely.

When we met again, we were strangers.

In the second month of the lunar calendar, the weather in Northwest China is still cold, with the highest temperature only reaching five or six degrees Celsius. There has been a long drought with no rain, and when the wind blows, yellow sand fills the sky.

Song Wanlin received special care from the Lu family at the farm, but only in terms of workload. She didn't experience the harassment that other women on the farm faced.

Whether as Xu Jing'an's widow or Lu Ranglian's "deceased" ex-wife, it would have been enough to spare her from such a fate.

However, while many women used this method to obtain food, Song Wanlin did not have such an opportunity, and she did not know whether to call it a blessing or a curse.

As dusk fell, before the workday was over, someone called to Song Wanlin, "You don't need to do your work today. Go to the farm office; someone wants to see you."

Song Wanlin never dreamed that the person who came to find her would be Xu Jing'an.

He was dressed in casual clothes, without epaulets, and sat in the office talking to Zhao Qirui. Apart from the unavoidable fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes that unconsciously appeared when he smiled, he looked no different from fourteen years ago.

Song Wanlin looked at herself awkwardly, and couldn't help but touch her face. In that instant, she felt ashamed and turned to leave.

But the junior officer stopped her and scolded, "Go inside, why are you running?"

"I...I'm dirty, can I go back and change my clothes?"

"What clothes do you need to change into? What clothes do you have to change into? Go inside, ask your questions, and then get out."

Seeing that the man was looking over, Song Wanlin had no choice but to drag her heavy steps inside. Zhao Qirui got up to leave, but Jian Jingchuan stopped him, saying, "You stay."

Zhao Qirui sat down again.

Jian Jingchuan sized up Song Wanlin, then gently gestured to the chair near the door, "Sit down!"

There was tea and snacks on the table.

Song Wanlin was starving, her stomach practically touching her back, and her mouth watering, but she dared not look at the food. Her back was straight, as if this was her last remaining pride.

She stubbornly tilted her head back.

On her first day at the farm, she saw Jian Jingchuan at the entrance and recognized him immediately. She couldn't believe he was still alive.

From that time on, she could not find peace of mind. The labor on the farm was very strenuous, but her greatest pain came from within.

It's impossible not to regret it. Looking back over the years, the time when she felt most at ease, most secure, and most comfortable was the three years she spent with Xu Jing'an.

He fell in love with her at first sight back then.

Their meeting was premeditated by her.

She knew he was a battalion commander, a twenty-three-year-old battalion commander with a bright future, whose ancestors for eighteen generations were all poor peasants, with impeccable revolutionary credentials. To her, he was like a lifeline.

Later, she lived a comfortable life for too long and forgot about her predicament and desperation. She always felt that she was a young woman who had lost out by marrying Xu Jing'an, a man from a poor peasant family.

If we wait a little longer, we might meet a noble young master like Lu Ranglian.

But she never considered that if Xu Jing'an hadn't cleared her name, Lu Ranglian would have avoided her like the plague at the age of eighteen. A capitalist's daughter—Lu Ranglian must be insane to associate with her, risking his future.

She never imagined that Xu Jing'an would marry her, and if he hadn't later "died in battle" and his status hadn't changed, his career would have ended before him.

Life takes many twists and turns, and when we meet again, it's in this state.

Song Wanlin sat down, raised her head, and looked directly at Jian Jingchuan. In fact, she was filled with mixed feelings, and no matter how hard she tried to hide it, her eyes still inevitably revealed a lot of emotions.

Jian Jingchuan remained calm; he had a clear conscience and therefore no worries.

"Hello, Comrade Song, I am Jian Jingchuan..."

"Aren't you... aren't you Xu... Xu Jing'an?" Song Wanlin exclaimed in shock.

Jian Jingchuan shook his head and smiled slightly, "No, you may have mistaken me for someone else. I am Jian Jingchuan. I am here on behalf of the military to investigate something. We have already learned that you were very familiar with Comrade Lu Ranglian fifteen years ago, is that right?"

Song Wanlin's face turned pale. She wanted to deny it, but Zhao Qirui reminded her, "Song Wanlin, this is your chance to make amends!"

A sudden realization dawned on her; this was also her time for revenge. Gritting her teeth, she smiled coldly, “That’s right, I was indeed very familiar with him back then, and I knew a lot about his whereabouts.”

Jian Jingchuan nodded. "Alright, fourteen years ago in May, we found out that Lu Ranglian went to Dongshan County in the south. Are you aware of this?"

Song Wanlin said, "I know. Before he left, he told me that he was going to Dongshan on a business trip and that the pearls there were very beautiful. He would bring me a pearl necklace."

"And then?" Jian Jingchuan asked.

Song Wanlin choked, pursed her lips, and lowered her eyes. "Later, when he came back, he said that he was too busy with his job and didn't have time to buy it."

Lu Ranglian said that the pearl necklaces in state-run stores were not very good and of poor quality. If you wanted to buy pearls, you had to go to the fishermen's homes. He didn't have time, but he would take her with him next time.

There will never be a next time.

Jian Jingchuan asked, "If you remember correctly, Comrade Lu Ranglian did say he was going to Dongshan County on a business trip? Dongshan County in Funan Province?"

“Yes.” Song Wanlin nodded. “I can’t remember wrong.”

She watched Jian Jingchuan leave the farm. Zhao Qirui saw him off at the gate. The two said goodbye again. Just as Jian Jingchuan was about to get into the car, Song Wanlin shouted, "Xu Jingan!"

She saw Jian Jingchuan turn around.

Song Wanlin rushed out like a madwoman, but was stopped by the people at the farm gate.

Zhao Qirui looked at Jian Jingchuan and saw that he was frowning and not speaking, so he scolded Song Wanlin and ordered her to be taken away.

“I have something else to say…” Seeing that Jian Jingchuan remained unmoved, Song Wanlin called out, “I also know about Lu Ranglian. I’m talking about his affairs.”

Jian Jingchuan walked over, raised his chin, and compared to his flamboyant and fearless youth, he was now gentle and refined, like a well-read Confucian scholar. This refined air was wrapped around the sharp killing intent that had not melted away after fighting on the battlefield.

Song Wanlin never imagined that she would be afraid of this person one day. She used to despise him to death, boss him around, and vent all her resentment on him. Now, looking back, she only feels regret.

"It was Lu Ranglian who arranged for Mana Chika and Jiang Zhenguo to meet. I know that Lu Ranglian and Mana Chika had also had intimate relations before."

This surprised Jian Jingchuan somewhat, since Mana Chika was at least twenty years older than Lu Ranglian.

"Are you sure? You can't just make baseless accusations; you need evidence."

“I have no evidence. I only found out later. They met at a dance in Shanghai and dated for a while, but they didn’t want anyone outside to know, so very few people know about it.”

"How did you know?"

First update!