“Captain, have some water!”
A young soldier in combat fatigues, his face smeared with camouflage paint, held out a canteen to Sheng Xiao, who had just finished inspecting his weapons.
After several days of hard fighting, they had finally completed their mission successfully. They were now on their way back and had stopped to rest for a while.
Sheng Xiao casually took the canteen and drank a large mouthful. After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he handed it back.
“Thanks.”
Now that they were back in a safe area, everyone could finally relax. They sat around in small groups, chatting.
A soldier named Qin Dayong noticed their captain sitting silently off to the side and decided to start a conversation.
“Captain, when the art troupe came to perform for us last time, that girl Yuanyuan—their leading performer—actually sent someone to ask around about whether you had a girlfriend! Does that mean we’re getting a sister-in-law soon?”
Everyone’s curiosity was immediately piqued. They all fell silent and pricked up their ears.
Sheng Xiao showed no reaction. He continued working on the equipment in his hands without even looking up and said calmly,
“Stop making things up. I already have a fiancée.”
“What? How come none of us heard about that?”
“Who’s the girl? Was she introduced to you by your family?”
Everyone started firing questions at him.
Xu Guangyao had accompanied Sheng Xiao on their last mission to another province, so he knew the whole story better than anyone.
Whenever he thought about that unexpected incident, he felt deeply guilty. They had misjudged the enemy’s capabilities at the time, and their captain had been caught only because he was covering for him.
Later, the captain had told him not to blame himself and said that he would take responsibility for the girl.
But Xu Guangyao still felt guilty. In his eyes, his captain deserved a much better woman. He shouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life with a complete stranger simply because he felt obligated to take responsibility for what had happened.
Seeing everyone bombarding the captain with questions, he decided to help him out.
“Stop asking. You’ll know when the time comes!”
Since even the deputy captain had said that, and they clearly weren’t going to get any answers, everyone dropped the subject.
Yet being questioned about it had reminded Sheng Xiao of what happened that day.
He didn’t know whether the fragrance he had sensed had been some kind of hallucination caused by the drugs or something else.
That faint scent of gardenias had lingered in his mind and refused to disappear.
He shook his head.
He must have been overthinking it. The jade pendant and the letter had both been left there by him personally. There was no way they could be fake.
Once he returned, it would be time to start arranging the engagement. He was the one who had been in the wrong first, so it was only right that he take responsibility for the girl.
Seeing that everyone had rested enough, he stood up and ordered the unit to continue moving.
The jeep gradually slowed down, and Su Man and the others finally arrived at the military compound.
Wang Yong first dropped Sun Qinqin off at the sentry post.
Sun Qinqin eagerly jumped out with her luggage and turned to Su Man.
“Manman, I’m going home first. I’ll come find you tomorrow!”
Su Man knew she was eager to get home and nodded firmly.
“Go on. Your parents must have been missing you. Get home and have a good rest first!”
The sentry recognized Sun Qinqin at once and let her through. Carrying her luggage, Sun Qinqin jogged home.
Wang Yong drove a little farther inside before finally stopping in front of a courtyard that looked somewhat old but had a distinctive design.
This should be Commander Liao’s residence.
Wang Yong helped Su Man unload her things.
She hadn’t brought much with her. She had already stored anything important in her space. The rest consisted mostly of clothes and daily necessities.
She stepped forward and knocked on the door.
After a while, a middle-aged woman who looked to be around forty opened it.
Su Man had already heard Sun Qinqin tell her about the woman, so she quickly greeted her.
“Hello, Auntie He. I’m Su Man. I’m not sure if Uncle Liao mentioned that I might have to trouble you and your family for a while during my stay here.”
The moment He Jinxiu saw her, she understood.
A warm smile spread across her kind face.
“Hello, hello! Lao Liao told me about you ages ago. I thought you wouldn’t arrive for another couple of days!”
“Oh my, I never knew Lao Liao had such a beautiful niece! You must be exhausted after such a long journey. Come in and get some rest.”
She warmly ushered Su Man inside.
The courtyard was exceptionally clean and tidy. Two plots of land had been neatly arranged and planted with several common vegetables. Beside them stood a small shed, and judging by the sounds coming from inside, they seemed to be keeping chickens, ducks, or other poultry.
It was clear that the owner of this home was a simple and unassuming person.
Knowing that Su Man was coming, He Jinxiu had already prepared a room for her with a good orientation.
She led Su Man over to take a look first and helped her put down her luggage.
The entire room had been thoroughly cleaned, inside and out. Even the sheets and quilt covers had been replaced with brand-new floral ones, and the faint scent of laundry detergent lingered in the air.
There was even a dressing table beside the window. From its appearance, it was obvious that it had been newly made.
Su Man was deeply grateful.
Ever since her mother had passed away, she had never again stayed in such a clean, tidy, thoughtfully prepared room.
Faced with such unexpected kindness from a stranger, she didn’t quite know what to do and felt terribly embarrassed.
“I’m really sorry to trouble you the moment I arrived! You even prepared such a wonderful room for me!”
But the more He Jinxiu looked at Su Man, the more she liked her.
It had started when Lao Liao told her that one of his former superior’s nieces would be staying with them for a while.
That former superior had done their family a tremendous favor. If he hadn’t personally vouched for Lao Liao back then, her husband probably wouldn’t have been able to keep his position.
Now that this old superior needed their help, they had agreed without hesitation.
Over the past few days, they had thoroughly cleaned the entire house and carefully prepared the room.
The moment He Jinxiu saw Su Man, she felt that there was something very pleasant about the girl.
She had an exceptionally beautiful and radiant face, yet she was polite and modest. Even her voice was soft and gentle, making He Jinxiu like her immensely.
She and Lao Liao had raised two sons, but what she had always lacked was a daughter.
Finally, after the boys got married, their wives had followed their husbands to other places where they were stationed.
He Jinxiu had always envied families with daughters, so now that such a beautiful and easygoing young woman had come into her home, she was absolutely delighted.
Seeing how embarrassed Su Man was, she quickly waved her hand.
“What are you talking about? You’re here now, so treat this place like your own home. Don’t you dare be polite with Auntie He. Lao Liao’s niece is my niece too. I’m usually bored at home anyway. Having someone to keep me company makes me happy!”
With that, she took Su Man around the entire house, showing her the rooms and helping her get familiar with the surroundings.
She told Su Man to return to her room and rest while she prepared dinner, but Su Man insisted on helping.
Unable to talk her out of it, He Jinxiu finally had her help start the fire.
Commander Liao had work and hadn’t returned yet, but He Jinxiu still cooked six dishes for dinner, three of which were meat dishes. It was quite an elaborate meal and a generous spread for a guest.
After taking a bath that evening, Su Man lay on the bed, her heart filled with warmth.
She had thought that arriving in a new place might make it difficult for her to sleep.
Unexpectedly, the moment she lay down on the soft bed, she quickly drifted into a deep sleep.