After a short while, Li Zhan brought Wen Wan to the state-owned restaurant in the provincial capital.
As soon as they walked in, Wen Wan noticed several people already seated inside. Besides the soldiers she had met earlier on the platform, there were now two unfamiliar women at the table.
One had dark skin and wore a simple blue cotton blouse, looking every bit the typical rural housewife.
The other was fashionably dressed, with permed hair, a brand-new Dacron blouse, and a little girl of five or six sitting beside her.
“Oh, Commander Li is here!”
The tall soldier greeted them with a broad grin.
“Come on, have a seat! The dishes are all ready!”
The fashionable woman looked up at Wen Wan and smiled.
“And who is this?”
Li Zhan answered simply,
“Wen Wan. My wife.”
A flash of surprise crossed the woman’s face, but she quickly recovered and warmly invited Wen Wan to sit beside her.
“Come sit here, little sister. Don’t be shy. We’re all military wives here. We’ll look after one another from now on.”
“My name is Bai Ge.”
Only then did Wen Wan learn that Bai Ge was the wife of another regiment commander in the Third Regiment.
Everyone had come to the provincial capital specifically to escort Bai Ge back to the garrison.
She herself had merely been picked up “along the way.”
The realization left an unexpected ache in her heart.
If not for Comrade Bai, she probably would have spent several more exhausting days making the journey by herself.
The hardships would have been unimaginable.
At the dinner table, everyone chatted and laughed while helping themselves to the food.
Bai Ge repeatedly placed pieces of braised pork into Wen Wan’s bowl.
“Little sister, you’re much too skinny.”
“Eat more!”
Watching the little girl beside Bai Ge pout and ask her mother to feed her, Wen Wan suddenly remembered the bag of roasted chestnuts her father had tucked into her luggage before she left.
Her eyes grew warm.
Forcing a smile, she thanked Bai Ge.
Though the fragrant hand-pilaf looked delicious, she had little appetite.
By the time dinner ended, night had already fallen.
As they walked back to the guesthouse, Wen Wan gradually regained her composure.
She believed her family would be reunited someday.
The night sky over the Northern Frontier was extraordinarily brilliant.
The cool wind carried the dry scent unique to the Gobi Desert.
Suddenly, Li Zhan, who had been walking ahead, stopped without turning around.
“I didn’t know you were coming.”
Wen Wan blinked.
“What?”
Li Zhan turned around.
His dark eyes looked especially deep beneath the moonlight.
“If I’d known…”
“I would have gone to pick you up.”
Wen Wan’s heart skipped a beat.
Before she could respond, he had already resumed walking, as though he’d never said anything at all.
Quickening her pace, she caught up beside him.
“I was only feeling homesick.”
“I wasn’t trying to give you the cold shoulder.”
After a brief pause, she added sincerely,
“And…”
“I’m really grateful to you.”
“Thank you for taking me in at a time like this.”
Given her current circumstances, most people would avoid her at all costs.
Yet after reading her second brother’s letter, Li Zhan had accepted without hesitation.
Although her first impression of him had been terrible, time revealed a person’s true character.
Now Wen Wan genuinely felt that Li Zhan was a truly good man.
Moonlight bathed her profile, outlining her gentle features in silver.
Even her eyelashes shimmered faintly.
As Li Zhan gazed into her eyes, his heartbeat unexpectedly skipped.
“It’s only what I should do.”
His voice was low.
“If you miss home in the future…”
“You can tell me.”
The two continued walking side by side.
The atmosphere between them was noticeably lighter than before.
Remembering something, Wen Wan asked curiously,
“By the way, why does everyone call you Commander?”
“My brother clearly told me you were a battalion commander.”
A faint smile tugged at Li Zhan’s lips.
“I’m capable.”
“So I got promoted quickly.”
Wen Wan couldn’t help laughing.
“Before I boarded the train, my brother reminded me over and over not to mistake someone else for you.”
She blinked playfully.
“It’s a good thing I met you at the station first.”
“Otherwise I’d probably have run all over the camp looking for ‘Battalion Commander Li.'”
“I doubt I’d have found you even by next year.”
Li Zhan slowed his pace and casually asked,
“What if you really had mistaken someone else for me?”
Wen Wan answered without much thought,
“Soldiers are all good people.”
“Even if I found the wrong person, nothing bad would happen, right?”
Li Zhan: “…”
Li Zhan escorted Wen Wan back to the guesthouse.
Before leaving, he handed her a still-warm piece of naan.
“If you get hungry tonight, eat this.”
Holding the warm flatbread, Wen Wan felt her heart grow warm as well.
She had barely lain down when someone knocked on her door.
Knock. Knock.
Opening it, she found the rural woman from dinner—Li Hua—standing outside with a rolled-up quilt in her arms.
“Comrade Wen.”
“I snore when I sleep.”
“I’m afraid I’ll disturb my sister-in-law.”
“Mind if I squeeze in here for one night?”
Wen Wan immediately felt her scalp tingle.
“I… I’m a light sleeper too.”
“Just one night!”
“Sorry!”
Without waiting for permission, Li Hua squeezed into the room.
She pulled an apple from her bundle and stuffed it into Wen Wan’s hands.
“I grew it myself.”
“It’s really sweet!”
Watching Li Hua climb directly onto the bed, Wen Wan couldn’t help asking,
“Aren’t you going to wash up first?”
Li Hua’s face instantly darkened.
“You rich girls sure are fussy!”
“My sister-in-law’s the same.”
“Washing her feet, brushing her teeth…”
“She fusses around half the night.”
She glanced sideways at Wen Wan.
“So…”
“Have you and Commander Li actually registered your marriage?”
“If not…”
“Things could get tricky.”
Lowering her voice, she continued,
“My brother married a rich girl too.”
“Now his promotion keeps getting held up.”
Wen Wan asked,
“Then isn’t your brother worried about hurting his career?”
Li Hua sat cross-legged on the bed, munching on her apple as she answered through full cheeks.
“My brother loves my sister-in-law.”
“Sure, she’s a little spoiled…”
“But he adores her.”
“He says she’s the moon in the sky…”
“…and it just happened to fall right into his arms.”
“My brother always says…”
“His wife matters more than any promotion.”
Holding the apple tightly, Wen Wan became even more uneasy.
She and Li Zhan had no feelings for each other.
If the political review really affected his career…
How could he possibly sacrifice his future for her?
What would become of her then?
Her thoughts churned endlessly.
Sleep never came.
Li Hua’s snoring, however, arrived right on schedule.
At first it was only a gentle rumbling.
Wen Wan could barely tolerate it.
But before long it sounded like an old tractor starting up.
The bed frame itself seemed to vibrate.
RRRRR… SNORE! RRRRR… SNORE!
Wen Wan buried her head beneath the blanket.
The sound pierced right through it.
She tossed and turned.
She counted sheep until she reached one thousand.
Still, she couldn’t fall asleep.
At three o’clock in the morning, she’d finally had enough.
She abruptly sat up.
By the moonlight, she looked at Li Hua, who was sprawled across the bed with her mouth hanging open.
An inexplicable surge of irritation shot straight to her head.
“Comrade Li Hua!”
She pushed her.
Li Hua merely smacked her lips, rolled over…
…and snored even louder.
Taking a deep breath, Wen Wan lifted her leg.
Bang!
With one swift kick, Li Hua tumbled straight off the bed.
Still half asleep, Li Hua slowly climbed to her feet, rubbing her sore backside.
“Huh…?”
“W-What happened?”
“Was there an earthquake?”
Wen Wan answered with an innocent expression,
“You fell off the bed.”
Li Hua scratched her head.
Muttering to herself, she gathered up her bedding.
“You’ve got strange sleeping habits.”
“I’m going to sleep with my sister-in-law.”
With that, she carried her quilt away.
At last, Wen Wan let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally…
She could get a proper night’s sleep.
The next morning, Wen Wan walked out of the guesthouse with two dark circles under her eyes.
She looked as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant.
Li Zhan was already waiting outside.
The moment he saw her, he frowned.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
Forcing herself to look energetic, Wen Wan shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m just not used to sleeping in a different bed.”
Li Hua laughed.
“Comrade Wen’s surprisingly strong!”
“Last night she kicked me right off the bed.”
“I thought there’d been an earthquake!”
Looking embarrassed, Bai Ge apologized.
“I’m sorry, Comrade Wen.”
“Li Hua’s snoring must have kept you awake.”
So you knew all along?
Wen Wan thought silently.
I thought you didn’t know.
How hypocritical.
Li Zhan studied Wen Wan for a couple of seconds before turning to the others.
“Wait here.”
A short while later, he returned carrying a brand-new mattress.
“Sleep on this.”
He placed it into Wen Wan’s arms.
His voice remained as gruff as ever.
Yet his movements were unexpectedly gentle.
Wen Wan froze.
Holding the soft mattress against her chest, her nose suddenly stung.
For some reason…
She felt like crying.