The guard, Wang Xiaohu.
Su Qiao’s gaze lingered for a second on that young, honest-looking face.
She knew that Gu Changfeng had sent him to gather information.
Officially, he was here to visit her, but in reality, he was here to make sure she was truly safe and well.
She understood perfectly, but on her face, she put on just the right amount of surprise and flattered embarrassment.
“You’re Changfeng’s comrade-in-arms? Please… please come in!” She quickly stepped aside, making way for him. Her tone carried the warmth and shyness characteristic of a newlywed wife meeting her husband’s colleagues. “It’s hot outside. Come in and have some water.”
Her poised and generous demeanor quietly eased half of the tension in Wang Xiaohu’s heart, which had been hanging nervously at the thought of meeting the commander’s wife.
He followed Su Qiao into the house somewhat awkwardly.
The moment he stepped through the door of Room 301, he froze.
This… this was the “bare-bones, empty house” the commander had mentioned?
The cement floor was so clean it practically gleamed, with a gray carpet spread across it that he couldn’t name but which looked incredibly high-end. Against the wall stood two cream-colored sofas that looked unbelievably soft, with a small wooden coffee table between them.
A painting hung on the wall. He couldn’t understand what it depicted, but somehow, it gave him the feeling that it was very impressive.
The entire house was completely different from the shabby, rundown cadre dormitory he had imagined!
Especially when he saw the brand-new, gleaming Forever bicycle in the corner, he was utterly stunned.
Good heavens! Had the commander really emptied out several generations’ worth of family savings for his wife?
“Comrade Xiaowang, don’t just stand there. Sit down.” Su Qiao’s voice pulled him out of his shock.
Wang Xiaohu came back to his senses and hurriedly sat down on the edge of the sofa, only daring to use half his backside. His back remained ramrod straight.
Su Qiao turned and went into the kitchen. A moment later, she came out carrying a steaming cup of malted milk and a plate of neatly sliced apples.
“There isn’t much at home to entertain you with. Just have some of this.”
The rich milky aroma and fresh fragrance of apples drifted into his nose. Looking at the two luxurious treats before him—items that were practically extravagances in this era—Wang Xiaohu suddenly didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet.
“Sister-in-law, this… this is too much!”
“It was all sent back by Changfeng. He isn’t home, and I can’t finish it all myself.” Su Qiao casually gave all the credit to Gu Changfeng before sitting down across from him and asking with a gentle smile, “Is the army very busy? Changfeng… is he doing well?”
Her gentle, virtuous appearance, always putting her husband first, instantly filled Wang Xiaohu with goodwill toward her.
“He’s doing well, everything’s fine! The commander just… just worries about you a little.” Wang Xiaohu smiled honestly and scratched his head. “Our commander said that you’re alone at home and he’s afraid you might be mistreated. He even said that if any fool dares to bully you, all of us brothers in the Guard Company should pool our money and take the train over to stand up for you!”
Su Qiao’s heart stirred when she heard that.
This silly boy had probably taken something Gu Changfeng had said in anger completely seriously.
She let out a soft giggle.
The smile was like flowers blooming in spring, making Wang Xiaohu’s face flush. He hurriedly lowered his head.
“He just worries too much. I’m doing perfectly fine here. Sister-in-law Wang and the others take good care of me. Tell him not to overthink things and to focus on his work.” Her voice was as gentle as flowing water, and every word struck Wang Xiaohu right in the heart, making him feel that his commander had truly married the best wife in the world.
An hour later, Wang Xiaohu had finished the malted milk and apples and received his “sister-in-law’s” most earnest instructions.
As he prepared to leave, Su Qiao handed him a small package wrapped in a handkerchief, along with a neatly folded letter.
“Comrade Xiaowang, I really appreciate you making the trip this time. Take this with you to eat on the way, and please make sure this letter gets directly into Changfeng’s hands.”
“Mission guaranteed!” Wang Xiaohu straightened his chest and solemnly accepted the letter and package, feeling as though he had been entrusted with an incredibly sacred mission.
……
Two days later, thousands of miles away at the border military district.
Gu Changfeng had just returned from the training grounds, his entire body radiating an icy pressure that could freeze a person solid.
Ever since receiving Su Qiao’s letter, he hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw her beautiful face and that casually written line in her letter: “I’ll be a little scared.”
He had sent Wang Xiaohu back to check on her, but there had still been no news. His heart had been hanging by a thread.
“Reporting!”
Wang Xiaohu’s loud voice rang out from the doorway.
Gu Changfeng abruptly turned around. A trace of urgency flashed through his dark eyes, an urgency even he himself failed to notice.
“How are things?”
“Reporting to the commander! Everything is fine!” Wang Xiaohu stood ramrod straight and reported everything he had seen along the way, embellishing the details as he went.
From the brand-new bicycle to the high-end malted milk, and even the neighbors’ praise for his sister-in-law—under Wang Xiaohu’s description, Su Qiao had become a well-off, socially adept, universally beloved, perfect military wife.
Gu Changfeng listened, and his tightly knitted brows slowly relaxed.
It was completely different from the miserable situation he had imagined.
“This is what sister-in-law asked me to personally give you!” Wang Xiaohu eagerly presented the letter and small package.
Gu Changfeng waved for him to leave and closed the door.
He opened the letter first.
It was very short, containing only a few lines of graceful handwriting.
“Changfeng:”
The moment he saw the way she addressed him, his heartbeat involuntarily stalled again.
“I received the money and coupons. Everything at home is fine. Don’t worry. The bicycle you sent is very nice. I like it very much. Also…”
The letter stopped there, leaving a large blank space.
At the very bottom of the paper were just four simple words.
“Stay safe.”
The moment Gu Changfeng saw those four words, he froze as if struck by lightning.
They were exactly the words he had written last time, only to hurriedly cross them out afterward!
Not only had she noticed them, she had returned them to him word for word in this way!
This woman…
How had she noticed?
She was far smarter, more perceptive, and… much more cunning than he had imagined.
An unfamiliar, completely uncontrollable stir of emotion, like a vine breaking through the soil, began spreading wildly through his heart, tightly wrapping itself around it.
He gripped the letter, his knuckles turning white from the force. He stood there for a long time before slowly exhaling.
Then he picked up the small package, which carried a faint fragrance.
He opened the handkerchief. Inside were several pieces carefully wrapped in wax paper.
He peeled away one layer of paper, and a rich, sweet aroma immediately filled his nose.
Chocolate.
In this era, it was an expensive imported delicacy that, to ordinary people, practically existed only in legend.
Where… had she gotten this?
For the first time, Gu Changfeng felt an enormous, uncontrollable sense of doubt and curiosity toward this contract wife he had only met a few times.
Just as he was staring blankly at the piece of chocolate, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.
A deputy battalion commander in a military uniform of the same rank as his poked his head inside and shouted boisterously, “Old Gu, what are you spacing out for? I heard you sent someone home to check on your wife? How is she? Didn’t your little wife get bullied?”
As he spoke, the deputy battalion commander spotted what Gu Changfeng was holding. His eyes lit up, and he rushed over in three quick strides.
“Holy crap! Chocolate! Where did you get that?”
His shocked voice instantly attracted even more heads in the hallway.
“What? Chocolate? Let me see!”
“Good heavens, Old Gu, what kind of magical trick did your wife pull? Didn’t I hear that sister-in-law is a… delicate flower from the countryside?” a young company commander squeezed his way inside, shouting without the slightest filter.