Chu Yanhan didn’t panic at all. He took out the military ID card from his upper pocket and handed it over.
The railway policeman carefully flipped through it for two pages. The inside was densely packed with the honors the man had won over the years. He saluted the other party and said, “So it’s Commander Chu. It turns out to be a misunderstanding. We apologize to you.”
Another railway policeman just came out of the police room. “We just called the military region. Commander Chu and the young lady beside him are indeed registered for marriage! The military is still reviewing it!”
The people around: Isn’t he just a common soldier? Turns out he’s an officer. No wonder he’s getting married at such an older age.
Outwardly, though, they said: “Young lady, you are truly blessed to find such a handsome officer for a husband.” “What good fortune for a young lady. Are you following him to live at the military base?”
A slightly plump woman smiled and looked at Jiang Nuo with a very gossipy expression. Just a moment ago, she had thought the rough-looking man must have bought a young bride with money, but it took an unexpected turn—officers were great! They earned a lot and had good benefits. If she weren’t so old herself, she would want to marry Chu Yanhan too.
“Mm.” To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Jiang Nuo simply responded with a hum.
She and Chu Yanhan were not a couple at all; they had no marriage and no ceremony. If people kept questioning her, she probably wouldn’t have enough mouths to clear her name. If she said she was bought as a bride by an old man, and because she accidentally ran into this man, they ended up embracing? People would only think it was a joke.
The hard seats were truly exhausting. Unconsciously, Jiang Nuo leaned her body against Chu Yanhan.
Discovering this, Chu Yanhan naturally slipped an arm around her shoulder. Since everyone in the carriage thought they were a married couple anyway, a real couple embracing was completely normal.
After a day and a night on the train, they finally arrived at the military region the next morning.
The military region unit under Chu Yanhan’s command was located in the desert of Northwest China, where sandstorms were fierce all year round and the weather was unpredictable.
Jiang Nuo kept close behind Chu Yanhan. Looking at the man’s sturdy physique blocking the wind and rain in front of her, she felt a profound sense of security.
Not far away, a military jeep was parked, and Chu Yanhan walked straight toward it.
Xiao Wu, the military policeman in the vehicle, saw that the battalion commander had arrived and quickly stepped out of the driver’s seat.
“Commander, why did you return so quickly from your leave this time?”
As a battalion commander, Chu Yanhan was entitled to a month of family visit leave every year, yet he had returned after just five days.
Xiao Wu took the luggage from the commander’s hands and carefully placed everything in the trunk.
Instead, Chu Yanhan asked, “Did you handle the matter I asked you to take care of a couple of days ago?”
It was only then that Xiao Wu noticed the petite young woman following behind the commander. She looked very young, yet her features were lively and bright—he couldn’t find a girl this pretty anywhere in the entire military region.
The next second, a pair of attractive, almond-shaped eyes also looked over, and Xiao Wu’s face flushed red with nervousness!
“Reporting to the battalion commander, I’ve already submitted the marriage application you asked for! When the unit leaders heard that you were finally getting married, they immediately expedited the paperwork, and it’s already approved!”
Jiang Nuo belatedly realized that when Chu Yanhan had spent so long talking on the public phone the other day, it was actually about this matter. Didn’t that mean she was already legally bound to him?
She hadn’t truly agreed to marry this man—when was this fake marriage supposed to become real?!
On the way back, Jiang Nuo sat alone in the back seat of the car, feeling sullen and depressed! Her careful plans were probably going to fall through. She had originally intended to draw a clear line with Chu Yanhan once she arrived here and got her work arranged!
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Chu Yanhan knew nothing of what was going on in her mind.
“Has the house been cleaned up?”
Xiao Wu hurriedly fished the keys out of his pocket. “Commander, the military dependents’ quarters have already been cleaned. It’s just that the timing was too rushed, so the furniture won’t arrive until tomorrow.”
Chu Yanhan nodded, and the car soon arrived at a compound for military families.
On one side of the military dependents’ area were multi-story apartment blocks, and on the other were houses with private courtyards. Different ranks enjoyed different benefits.
When Xiao Wu parked the jeep in front of a courtyard gate, Chu Yanhan jumped out of the vehicle and pulled open the back door. “We’re here.”
Jiang Nuo had almost fallen asleep, but woke up as the car came to a stop. Her body was completely tense; it was her first time in a place like this, and her heart felt very nervous.
With drowsy eyes, she was lifted out in Chu Yanhan’s arms.
Xiao Wu was taking the luggage out of the trunk and stared in utter shock at the scene before him. Back when the commander had told him to submit a marriage application, he had sensed the man had changed.
The military region’s notorious “Living閻王 (King of Hell)” had actually developed romantic feelings for a woman, and even the way he held her was so tender.
Seeing Xiao Wu frozen in place, Chu Yanhan, carrying the person in his arms, walked straight into the yard. “Aren’t you going to bring the things inside?!”
Startled, Xiao Wu stumbled slightly. True enough, falling in love could overheat the brain—even their aloof commander was in such a rush to get indoors that he felt too embarrassed to linger.
After putting the luggage down, Xiao Wu opened his mouth as if to speak.
Chu Yanhan: “There’s nothing else for you here!”
Xiao Wu gave a military salute and quickly retreated.
Standing inside the house, Jiang Nuo looked over the simple layout, lost in thought.
Suddenly, Chu Yanhan grabbed her from behind, burying his face in the crook of Jiang Nuo’s neck, his lips moving in as if to kiss her.
Jiang Nuo pushed away his embrace, stammering, “Chu Yanhan, there are still people outside!”
The jeep parked outside the yard, which had just started up, halted once again as Xiao Wu anxiously ran back in carrying two lunch boxes.
Seeing the expressions of the two people inside and the lingering aura of ambiguity in the air, Xiao Wu panicked thoroughly. “Com-Commander, the meal you asked the cafeteria to prepare separately… I’ve brought it back.”
Without even turning his head, Chu Yanhan replied in a voice tinged with exhaustion, “Just put it on the table.”
This time, Xiao Wu truly vanished in a flash of smoke.
“There’s nobody here now!” The previously stern look on Chu Yanhan’s face vanished instantly.
His gaze softened completely, focused entirely on Jiang Nuo!
“Um… is this courtyard the one you mentioned was assigned by the health team?”
Jiang Nuo hurriedly cut straight to the point, hoping to pivot the man away from her.
The corners of Chu Yanhan’s mouth twitched upward as he looked at Jiang Nuo with a straight face. “Mm, this courtyard was assigned by the health team. Take a look—are you satisfied?”
There were neighbors on both sides of the courtyard. Since it was already dark by the time they returned, and there were no recreational activities in the military region, everyone had gone to bed early.
The courtyard was empty. Against the wall to one side was a kitchen. The main house consisted of a two-bedroom, one-living-room layout. The larger bedroom already had its bed made with a set of standard military-green sheets, atop which lay two military-green quilts.
The other room contained only a wooden plank bed without any bedding yet.
The living room connected to a dining area furnished with a wooden table and four chairs.
Chu Yanhan rubbed the bridge of his nose with his finger. “The furniture is arriving tomorrow, so you’ll just have to make do for tonight.”