Huo Guangji’s face immediately darkened.
Does this woman really hate me that much?
To be honest, he and Qin Yue’e had never shared much of a relationship. Back then, his family had insisted that he marry her, so he simply did as they said. To him, having a woman in the house didn’t seem much different from before.
Who would have thought that right after their wedding night, he would be urgently called back to the unit? Later, when they had two children, he only found out through letters from his family back home.
Could it be because of this that she hated him so much?
But wasn’t she the one who had cried and begged to marry him in the first place?
Before she married him, he had already made it clear that someone like him could never stay at home, work the land, and live an ordinary life with her.
Hadn’t she agreed to that?
So why was she acting like this now?
Just as he was thinking about it, the young soldiers behind him finished eating and came out.
Seeing Huo Guangji standing there blankly, Ning An walked over and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Captain, did you make Sister-in-law angry again?”
“Get lost!” Huo Guangji snapped.
Then he suddenly remembered what Qin Yue’e had said and turned to Ning An.
“What kind of person do you think I am?”
Ning An’s eyes widened as he stared at his captain as though he’d seen a ghost.
When did Captain start asking such philosophical questions?
Still, he answered honestly.
“Captain, you’re the toughest guy in our unit. You always take on the most dangerous missions!”
“That’s not what I’m asking!” Huo Guangji frowned and waved his hand impatiently.
After hesitating for a moment, he tried to explain.
“I mean… toward other people. Have I ever done anything so heartless, outrageous, or unforgivable…?”
Ning An was completely confused.
But when he turned around, he caught sight of Qin Yue’e’s figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the kitchen.
He immediately understood.
“Oh! You mean toward Sister-in-law! Well… yeah, you have been a little too much.”
“What’s wrong with me?” Huo Guangji immediately glared at him.
He had just handed over all the money he had to that woman.
What more did she want?
“Well…” Ning An scratched his head awkwardly before speaking honestly.
“Look at Sister-in-law and those two little kids. They’re so thin it’s heartbreaking. Captain, did you really send money home?”
“Of course!” Huo Guangji’s expression darkened even further.
He sent thirty yuan home every month. He couldn’t believe that wasn’t enough to raise two children.
“Has your request to the company commander been approved yet? Didn’t you ask to go back to my hometown and find out what was going on?”
“It was approved. The company commander said I should leave tomorrow.”
“Go today. I’ll pay for your train ticket!”
Huo Guangji said this and reached toward his pocket, only to suddenly remember that Qin Yue’e had just taken all his money.
His face darkened.
After a brief cough, he added,
“Pay for it first. I’ll reimburse you when you get back.”
When Qin Yue’e went to Wei Wenjie’s place to pick up the children, Wei Wenjie was extremely reluctant to let them go. She held the children’s little hands and didn’t want to release them.
Xiao Zhuyue rolled her eyes mischievously, then suddenly wrapped her little arms around Wei Wenjie’s face and gave her a loud kiss.
“Auntie Wei, I’ll come play with you again tomorrow!”
That instantly made Wei Wenjie smile from ear to ear.
She knew the children hadn’t seen Qin Yue’e for almost the entire day, so she finally let them go.
Even then, her eyes remained fixed on the children.
“Sister-in-law, make sure you bring the kids again tomorrow!”
“Of course!” Qin Yue’e readily agreed. “I’ll have to trouble you again tomorrow, Sister Wei.”
“Don’t call it trouble! I love looking after these two!”
Qin Yue’e smiled and led one child by each hand as they slowly walked out of the Propaganda Department’s office.
The children had already eaten lunch at Wei Wenjie’s place, so they were unusually well-behaved.
As they walked, Qin Yue’e overheard several women talking.
“Section Chief Wei is really pitiful. She was injured when she was young and can no longer have children. Now that she’s older, whenever I see her with children, the smile on her face is so genuine.”
“Exactly. She never had children of her own. At her age, she doesn’t expect anything anymore. She just loves seeing other people’s children.”
Qin Yue’e’s heart tightened.
She had always felt that Wei Wenjie seemed to love children a little too much.
So that was the reason…
She couldn’t help feeling sympathy for her.
In her previous life, Qin Yue’e herself had suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome and had never had children. Before she suddenly died in her thirties, she had always loved playing with other people’s children whenever she saw them.
Wei Wenjie was even older than her, so her longing for a child must have been even stronger.
“Mommy, why did they say Auntie Wei is pitiful?” Xiao Zhuyue asked with her big eyes wide open.
“Because Auntie Wei can’t have children of her own, so…” Qin Yue’e realized the subject was too heavy for a child and quickly changed her explanation. “Because Auntie Wei likes Xiaoyue, but Xiaoyue isn’t Auntie Wei’s child.”
“That’s easy!”
The little girl immediately waved her hands excitedly.
“Then I’ll be Auntie Wei’s child from now on! I’ll call you Mommy, and I’ll call Auntie Wei my godmother! In our village, Dandan made Dashu his godmother too!”
Children didn’t have complicated thoughts.
But her innocent words gave Qin Yue’e another idea.
Her children weren’t exactly favored by Huo Guangji. If she let them recognize Wei Wenjie as their godmother, then at least within the unit, no one would dare openly bully them.
Her face immediately brightened.
She picked up Xiao Zhuyue.
“Then tomorrow, when Xiaoyue goes to see Auntie Wei, will you call her Godmother?”
“Okay!”
The weeds on the back mountain were thick, and mosquitoes and insects were everywhere.
Qin Yue’e braided mugwort into little rings and put them around the children’s heads and ankles to keep the insects away.
She instructed them to play on the hillside and not wander off.
Only then did she tie a rope around her waist and slowly make her way down toward the stream below the slope.
She had discovered this little stream in the mountains earlier.
Reeds and wild grass grew thickly along the banks, making it difficult to spot.
But places like this were exactly where waterfowl and wild ducks loved to stay.
They often came here in groups to lay and hatch their eggs. Once the ducklings grew bigger, the mother ducks would lead them downstream.
The terrain was steep and difficult to approach, so Qin Yue’e left the children on the hillside.
Both children were sensible. They stayed beside the basket and didn’t wander around.
The vine rope around Qin Yue’e’s waist rubbed against her skin and made it sore.
She gritted her teeth and carefully stepped down over the loose stones.
The smooth slope was incredibly steep, and because of the moisture, a thick layer of moss covered the rocks.
Suddenly, Qin Yue’e stepped directly onto the moss.
Her foot slipped violently.
Her body suddenly plunged downward.