CHAPTER 192: 186 FALLING FROM THE SKY: BIG AND SMALL BUNDLES (TWO IN ONE)

Guan Kunling said, "I believe what I saw. Sangsang, hold on, I’ll go find something to clean your wound." With that, she disappeared like the wind.

The group dispersed, leaving only Jiang Jinghuai standing silently where he was.

Tian Sangsang glanced at his sharp and stoic profile. She didn’t approach, but instead let out a small cough. "Hitting a woman isn’t very nice, is it?"

Jiang Jinghuai turned his deep black eyes toward her. "I’m not a gentleman."

"I think you might have violent tendencies." Tian Sangsang felt frozen under his gaze. Mustering her courage, she cautiously asked, "Do you engage in domestic violence?"

If he did, there’d be no way she’d agree to marriage. A military marriage had to be considered seriously...

At this point, if anyone else were present, they would’ve been infuriated by Tian Sangsang’s line of thinking. Wasn’t the usual reaction to such a moment supposed to be heartfelt tears of gratitude? He’s standing up for you, yet you’re doubting if he’s an abuser? Fated to be single—this is the destiny of someone fated for singledom. And yet you still have the nerve to judge others for ending up single.

Jiang Jinghuai’s eye twitched slightly. "I’m not a villain either."

So, neither a gentleman nor a villain... But who said only villains engage in domestic violence... "I’ve heard even normal people can have high rates of domestic violence."

"You really have nothing better to do, do you?"

Tian Sangsang pouted. "I just want peace of mind, okay?"

Jiang Jinghuai raised an eyebrow and let out a dry chuckle. "So, to answer your question: would I engage in domestic violence? If I were to say no now, but then one day after we’re married I suddenly did, would you still feel at ease?" So what’s the point of asking or not asking? This woman clearly lacks sense. He worried she’d raise their son to be an idiot. Fortunately, it wasn’t too late since they’d met in time to correct this.

"Getting an answer is better than none at all." Tian Sangsang batted her eyes expectantly and repeated, "So, would you or wouldn’t you engage in domestic violence?"

"No." This time, Jiang Jinghuai was straightforward.

"Well, that’s a relief."

It was rare for Jiang Jinghuai to speak so much. In a low voice, he said, "Li Qiong’er is someone who bullies the weak but fears the strong. She’s been like this since she was a kid. You don’t need to be afraid of her. If she pushes you an inch, make sure to push her a mile, understand?"

Tian Sangsang tilted her head and said, "Were you two childhood sweethearts or something?"

Jiang Jinghuai’s expression suddenly darkened.

Tian Sangsang mentally kicked herself for honing in on the wrong detail.

"Do you have anything else to say? I need to go help Master Xiao Chun. Yanyan is in the medical station with Chen Ying. If you want to see her, you can go."

"Alright."

By late afternoon, drizzle began to fall. There wasn’t a hint of wind, and the heavy, stifling air made it hard for people to breathe.

The disaster victims outside were in a state of suppressed distress, drenched in sweat. Inside the military tents, the tension was palpable, each person preoccupied with their thoughts.

"We’ve received word from the air force—the supplies won’t arrive until tomorrow morning at the latest. I checked with the kitchen. All that’s left is rice," Jiang Jinghuai said calmly to the other meeting attendees.

In other words, until tomorrow morning, both the disaster victims and the relief team themselves would only have rice to eat.

Lu Chi lifted his gaze slightly. "Having rice is already something. We’ll make do for a meal; there’s no other choice."

"The problem is, the people outside are starting to complain," another officer interjected. "It’s fine for us to eat rice—we’ve been through worse. But the civilians are emotionally fragile right now. Only by filling their stomachs can we distract them temporarily and alleviate some of their psychological trauma. The earthquake alone was hard enough to bear; now they’re left with nothing—not even a single vegetable leaf, just plain rice."

"I think they’ve been eating too well if they still have the energy to complain. If they go hungry for a bit, all their focus will be on their empty stomachs. Where would they even have the luxury of overthinking?" Lu Chi replied impatiently. "Psychological trauma is something that can’t be alleviated in a lifetime."

Jiang Jinghuai cast him a long, measured look and said calmly, "Since food supplies are insufficient, have the cooks in the kitchen get creative with the rice. Who says rice can only be made into plain rice?"

"Fine," Lu Chi agreed. "That’s all we can do. We can’t exactly hope for pies to fall from the sky."

But no one expected that pies really would fall from the sky. And this conversation, as it turned out, would go down in history as a pivotal moment. The pies from the sky, along with the unique circumstances surrounding their origin, would later become one of the "unsolved mysteries" of the military—puzzling troops for years to come.

Earlier that afternoon, Tian Sangsang had already noticed that the kitchen was left with nothing but rice. This was an ominous sign. If they were to eat just rice tonight, it would likely leave everyone feeling unsettled, unable to sleep even.

Tian Sangsang wasn’t someone extraordinarily altruistic, capable of grand gestures. But she would always do whatever was within her ability.

For instance, while she couldn’t help all the victims of this earthquake disaster, she could at least do something for the people of this small town—these villages.