“Take your time eating. If you can’t finish it, I’ll help.”
Song Yunli filled a bowl with rice for her and thoughtfully poured her a large cup of warm water. Though his expression remained as stoic as ever, he didn’t neglect a single thing he should do.
For some reason, Tang Jin’s mood improved.
She had always eaten slowly, chewing each bite carefully. Song Yunli didn’t rush her at all; in fact, he found her manner of eating rather pleasant.
“Urgh…”
Halfway through the meal, Tang Jin suddenly gagged.
Her morning sickness had finally arrived.
Alarmed, Song Yunli immediately handed her the water.
“Drink some water. Does this happen often?”
“It wasn’t this bad before. Maybe it’s because of the bus ride—the air inside was stuffy.”
After taking a few sips, Tang Jin found she had completely lost her appetite and simply put down her chopsticks.
“I don’t feel like eating anymore.”
“Alright. No need to force yourself.”
Song Yunli poured all of her leftover rice into his own bowl, dumped the remaining dishes on top, and immediately accelerated his eating speed, devouring everything like a whirlwind.
Tang Jin: !!!
She stared in shock, hastily supporting her jaw before it could drop.
Her cheeks turned slightly red.
Although they had spent a night together, they were still practically strangers. Seeing him eat her leftovers made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
Song Yunli, however, showed no discomfort whatsoever. Within two or three minutes, he had completely finished the remaining food.
Tang Jin stared at his stomach in amazement.
How could it possibly hold that much food?
Finding her expression unexpectedly adorable, Song Yunli chuckled.
“When our unit gets an emergency mission, we have to eat as fast as possible. Otherwise, we’ll end up going hungry. It’s a habit I developed from training.”
“That’s impressive.”
Tang Jin awkwardly praised him.
Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Song Yunli said, “Wait here for a moment.”
He got up and headed back to the service window. A short while later, he returned carrying several oil-paper packages.
“I noticed you barely ate anything, so I bought some buns and flatbread. If you get hungry later, you can have these first.”
“Okay.”
Tang Jin glanced at him again.
This man… was actually quite considerate.
“When I submit the marriage application, I’ll also apply for housing. For the next couple of days, you can stay at the military guesthouse.”
Song Yunli had never expected Tang Jin to come looking for him at this time. He normally stayed in the barracks, so he could only ask her to put up with the guesthouse for a few days.
“That’s fine with me.”
Tang Jin had no objections.
He then took her to the supply and marketing cooperative.
The place was packed with people, so Song Yunli simply said, “Tell me what you need, and I’ll go in and buy it.”
“I already brought all my daily necessities.”
Her space storage contained more than enough supplies.
But Song Yunli assumed she was just being polite. He squeezed through the crowd and insisted on buying her a new toothbrush, toothpaste, enamel mug, enamel washbasin, towel, and other necessities.
“If you need anything else later, just tell me.”
Afterward, he brought Tang Jin to the military guesthouse beside the army compound.
Tang Jin handed her introduction letter to the receptionist, Zhang Mei.
The woman glanced at Song Yunli.
“Marriage certificate.”
“We’re not married yet.”
Looking embarrassed, Song Yunli explained, “She’s my fiancée. We’ll be getting married very soon!”
“Oh.”
Zhang Mei nodded.
After carefully verifying Tang Jin’s introduction letter and inspecting Song Yunli’s military officer credentials, she looked at him sternly.
“Then carry her luggage upstairs and come right back down. Don’t linger.”
“Yes, thank you, Comrade.”
Song Yunli accepted the key and prepared to escort Tang Jin upstairs.
Tang Jin walked empty-handed, which made Zhang Mei glance at her again.
This young woman certainly looked pampered.
After opening the room, Song Yunli placed her luggage inside.
Tang Jin surveyed the tiny room and quietly sighed.
Although neither of her parents had ever cared much for her, both her grandfather and maternal grandfather had doted on her.
This was the first time in her life she had stayed somewhere with such poor conditions.
Noticing her slightly furrowed brows, Song Yunli quickly asked,
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“I brought my own bedding set. Could you help me make the bed?”
Opening her suitcase, Tang Jin took out a complete set of bedding, including sheets, quilt cover, and pillowcases.
Song Yunli: !!!
In this era, there really weren’t many people this particular about such things.
Still, he obediently helped her make the bed.
“Why are you taking so long? Come down already!”
When Zhang Mei noticed Song Yunli still hadn’t emerged, she walked over to the room.
The moment she saw him putting a quilt cover on for Tang Jin, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
This was the first time she had ever seen a man treat his sweetheart this well!
And his sweetheart was truly delicate—she had even brought her own bedding.
“Here are my introduction letter and household registration booklet. Take them downstairs with you.”
Seeing that he had nearly finished, Tang Jin decided she could handle the rest herself.
She shared a household registration booklet with her grandfather. Now that he had passed away, she was the head of the household.
Even if she wanted to get married, she didn’t need Tang Zhiyuan’s approval.
After taking the documents, Song Yunli suddenly pulled out a thick stack of cash and ration coupons from his pocket and stuffed them into her hands.
“Keep these. Buy whatever you need.”
“I…”
Tang Jin wanted to tell him she wasn’t lacking money.
But Song Yunli was eager to submit the marriage application and turned to leave before she could finish.
“I’ll come see you later.”
He left so quickly that Tang Jin could only escort him to the doorway.
Zhang Mei smiled enviously at her.
“Comrade, your sweetheart treats you very well. He really dotes on you.”
“Thank you, Auntie. We’re not married yet, after all. Of course he has to treat me a little better.”
Tang Jin understood women well.
Sure enough, that single sentence made Zhang Mei beam with delight.
“You’re absolutely right! Before my husband married me, he treated me wonderfully. After marriage? It’s all the same no matter who you marry.”
Cracking sunflower seeds as she spoke, Zhang Mei walked away.
Only then did Tang Jin close the door.
After all the commotion from the previous night, she was exhausted. She washed up briefly and soon fell asleep.
What she didn’t know was that when Song Yunli excitedly took his marriage application to his superior, Regiment Commander Huo had just finished a phone call with Song Yunli’s mother.
“Commander!”
Song Yunli snapped a salute.
Before he could speak, Commander Huo began earnestly,
“Yunli, you’re not getting any younger. It’s time you settled your personal affairs. I heard your sister brought your girlfriend to the base. Be sure to treat her well.”
“You misunderstand, Commander. She’s not my girlfriend.”
With a serious expression, Song Yunli placed his marriage application on the desk.
“This is my marriage application. Please approve it, Commander!”
“You’re getting married?”
Commander Huo was completely dumbfounded.
Just moments ago, Song Yunli’s mother had been asking him to pay more attention to her son’s love life.
And now the man was suddenly applying to get married?
Picking up the documents and reading through them, Commander Huo finally shook his head.
“I can’t approve this marriage application.”
“Commander!”
Song Yunli immediately became anxious.
Commander Huo sighed.
“Your fiancée comes from a family classified as red capitalists. Policies are constantly changing these days.
“If her family classification changes, it could affect your future at any time. Your mother won’t agree to this either.”
No wonder Yunli’s mother had called him in such a hurry.
“Commander, my fiancée’s grandparents on both sides have already passed away. Not to mention that they contributed to the country in the past, but all of their family assets have already been turned over to the state.”
Song Yunli repeated what Tang Jin had told him during lunch.
Commander Huo’s expression remained helpless. He was thinking entirely for the young man’s sake.
“Yunli, your father and I were like brothers. I can’t just stand by and watch you choose a more difficult road.”