Time flew by, and Xu Qingzhou had already returned to his unit for nine days. Fang Yao had not heard from him at all. As the date of his accident drew closer, her unease grew stronger. She even made several mistakes in her knitting, only realizing it after Wang Hua pointed it out, and had to unravel and redo the work.
Over the years, Wang Hua had long grown accustomed to her son’s work. Whenever he went to the military unit, it was normal for him to have no contact for ten days or half a month, or even not return home for two or three months. However, seeing her daughter-in-law suddenly become absent-minded made her nervous as well.
She could understand Fang Yao. Watching Xu Manjiang and Li Xuemiao, who had also just gotten married, spending every day by each other’s side, it was inevitable that Fang Yao would feel a sense of disparity.
So, after breakfast that day, she casually remarked as if nothing was wrong: “Qingzhou has been back at his unit for so many days. I wonder how his work is going? Yao Yao, could you go to the city later and make a call for me to ask about his situation? If he can take leave, have him come back to see Grandma. The elderly are getting older, and we should do our filial duties while we can, so we won’t regret it later.”
Fang Yao had actually been thinking the same thing but hadn’t found an excuse. Wang Hua’s reminder gave her an idea.
“Alright, Mom, I’ll go right away.”
Fang Yao put down her knitting, went back to her room to put on a thick cotton coat, wrapped herself tightly with a scarf and gloves, and rode her bicycle into the city to find a phone booth.
It was nearly spring, and the soil on the main road was not as hard as it had been in winter. Riding on it felt like cycling on soft, sandy ground. Fang Yao pedaled hard but still struggled to make progress.
Once she entered the city, Fang Yao loosened her scarf, beads of sweat already forming on her temples. Spotting a phone booth by the roadside, she took out the five-cent coin she had prepared in advance, walked over, picked up the receiver, and inserted the coin.
As she pressed the last digit, a busy tone sounded from the receiver, followed by a clear voice.
“Hello, who are you looking for?”
“Hello, I’d like to speak to Xu Qingzhou. I’m his wife.” Fang Yao had lived two lifetimes but had only made a limited number of phone calls. Speaking to someone from such a distance felt increasingly surreal.
“Alright, please hold on for a moment. I’ll ask Company Commander Xu to call you back.”
Fang Yao agreed, and the line went silent.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the phone in front of Fang Yao rang. She immediately picked it up and held it to her ear.
A low “hello” came through, mixed with static but carrying the familiar accent she remembered. Fang Yao’s heartstrings trembled uncontrollably, and it took her a moment to remember what she wanted to say.
“Xu Qingzhou, when are you coming back?”
Well, she had rehearsed her words all the way here, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she skipped all the formalities and went straight to the point.
“Miss me?” Xu Qingzhou chuckled on the other end. Fang Yao could almost picture his face and the teasing curve of his slender eyes, so blatantly alluring.
A faint blush crept onto the girl’s cheeks, but her tone remained fierce: “Not at all! Mom asked me to call and check on you, and also to ask if you can take leave. Grandma has fallen ill, so you’d better come back and see her.”
Fang Yao thought that if she made it sound serious enough, Xu Qingzhou would take it seriously, take leave, and come home to avoid the impending accident.
Xu Qingzhou indeed grew serious, asking gravely, "She was fine when I left, how did she suddenly fall ill? Did something happen at home?"
Fang Yao then recounted the whole ordeal of Xu Manjiang and the others teaming up with the Li family to cause trouble, and complained to him: "They clearly took advantage of your absence to come and bully us, mother and daughter. I’ve realized that without a man in the house, not only do stray cats and dogs cause trouble, even relatives add to the misery! And Grandma—during the days she was bedridden and couldn’t get up, it was Mom who took care of her by her bedside, yet in the end, she still ended up being blamed for everything. As for me, don’t even mention it—she hasn’t spoken a word to me since that day! I was hoping you’d come back and mediate, maybe things could improve…"
On the other end of the call, Xu Qingzhou rubbed his temples with his fingers.
He hadn’t expected so much trouble to arise at home just after he left, forcing his newlywed wife to bear so much.
"It’s my fault for not handling the issues properly and letting you suffer. I’ll go ask my supervisor in a bit—if I can get leave, I’ll come back right away." His tone carried not only apology but also a hint of heartache for her.
Having achieved her goal, Fang Yao suppressed the sob in her voice: "Alright, then hurry and go. Mom and I will be waiting for you at home."
"Mm, that’s it for now."
Xu Qingzhou hung up the phone. Once Fang Yao confirmed the call had ended, she placed the receiver back, took a deep breath, and rode her bicycle home to relay the message to Wang Hua.
At the same time, she prayed in her heart that Xu Qingzhou would succeed in getting leave and avoid the near-catastrophic blow that could ruin his life.
At that time.
Xu Qingzhou went from the communications room to find his supervisor but was informed by the guard at the door that the supervisor had suddenly called an assembly. All the officers were in the meeting room, and he was the only one missing.
Xu Qingzhou hurried to the meeting room. The moment he opened the door, he saw the grave expressions on everyone’s faces and the tightly furrowed brow of the political instructor, realizing that his hope for leave was about to be dashed.
"Sorry, sir, I just went to take a phone call." Xu Qingzhou nodded to the political instructor.
The political instructor’s sigh cast a pall over the atmosphere in the meeting room: "Take your seat. Let me reiterate the content of the meeting just now…"
The meeting lasted over ten hours. By the time Xu Qingzhou and his colleagues emerged, it was already 11 p.m.
The main force was set to depart at six the next morning. As an outstanding officer favored by his superiors, Xu Qingzhou had been assigned a special mission and could not be absent under any circumstances.
Just before entering the dormitory, he paused and glanced in the direction of the communications room, silently thinking that he would make it up to his family once the mission was completed.
After calling Xu Qingzhou, Fang Yao waited at home for two days, but the man who had promised to return never showed up. Her slightly eased heart immediately tightened again, and she began to feel restless and distracted.
On the third day, she informed Wang Hua and went to a telephone booth in the city to dial the military base number for Xu Qingzhou again.
When the call was answered, she anxiously spoke up first: "Hello, could you please help me find Company Commander Xu Qingzhou? It’s urgent."
"What’s your relationship with Company Commander Xu?" This person’s voice differed from the standard Mandarin of the last operator, carrying a heavy regional accent—clearly, the operator had changed.
But Fang Yao didn't notice any of this, only concerned with the other party's response: "I'm his wife. My surname is Fang, and my name is Fang Yao."
When she heard the words that followed, they clearly reached her ears, yet she felt they were drifting further and further away, so distant that they became somewhat indistinct.
"I'm sorry, due to special circumstances, Company Commander Xu is currently unable to take your call. If you have an urgent matter, you can leave a message with me, and I'll relay it to him later…"