Afraid that her grandmother would continue asking questions, Qin Ruan quickly picked up the thermos and stood up.
“Grandma, I’ll go get some hot water so I can make you a cup of malted milk.”
Several people were already lined up at the hot water boiler at the end of the train carriage. She waited for a while before finally filling the thermos.
When she returned to their berth, Hu Yufen had already taken out the eggs wrapped in cloth and was carefully peeling them by hand.
“Let them sit in some hot water first.” Her grandmother handed her a peeled egg. The smooth egg white felt cool to the touch. “These eggs came from our old hen at home. They’re very nutritious. You should eat one too.”
Qin Ruan accepted the egg, placed it into an enamel mug, and poured in some boiling water.
She then peeled two more eggs and put them into the mug as well, planning to share them with her grandmother in a little while.
Five minutes later, Qin Ruan removed the lid, poured out the hot water, handed two eggs to her grandmother, and kept two for herself.
She took a bite.
The rich flavor of the yolk spread through her mouth—it was the familiar taste of home.
As she ate, she prepared a cup of malted milk for her grandmother with hot water. The creamy white powder dissolved instantly, filling their small compartment with a sweet, milky aroma.
“Go ahead and try it, Grandma. It’s sweet and good for your health.”
Qin Ruan handed her the cup, watching with satisfaction as her grandmother took small sips.
After drinking most of the cup, Hu Yufen set it down. The smile on her face gradually faded, and her tone became more serious.
“Ruanruan, when we get to the military base, you can’t be as casual as you are at home.”
Qin Ruan immediately sat up straight and listened attentively.
“When your uncle got married, your grandfather had just passed away, so we couldn’t attend the wedding. This will be our first time meeting your aunt, and we can’t embarrass the Qin family.”
Hu Yufen took Qin Ruan’s hand and spoke earnestly.
“Your aunt is the daughter of a military commander. She was pampered growing up, but your uncle says she’s kind and doesn’t put on airs. Once we’re there, help her out whenever you can and speak sweetly to her. She’s pregnant now, so try to accommodate her as much as possible.”
Qin Ruan nodded, committing every word to memory.
“Don’t worry, Grandma. I know what to do. I’ll take good care of Aunt and won’t let her suffer any grievances.”
Seeing how sensible her granddaughter had become, Hu Yufen finally felt relieved. But she couldn’t resist adding,
“And another thing… There are lots of fine young men in the military. Keep your eyes open. If there’s someone suitable…”
“Grandma!”
Qin Ruan blushed and hurriedly interrupted.
“Let’s focus on taking care of Aunt first. We can talk about everything else later.”
Hu Yufen couldn’t help laughing at her embarrassed expression.
“Alright, alright. I won’t say any more. We’ll focus on what’s in front of us first.”
The train rattled steadily along the tracks, carrying the grandmother and granddaughter—and all their hopes and nervous anticipation—toward the distant military district.
Leaning against the window, Qin Ruan watched the scenery slip by. She looked forward to seeing her uncle and aunt, but she also couldn’t help wondering whether that mysterious man would really come back to find her, just as he had promised.
While her grandmother was asleep, Qin Ruan secretly redeemed another can of malted milk from the system marketplace.
She couldn’t very well give someone an already opened can as a gift.
[Purchased 1 can of malted milk. Cost: 60 points. Current balance: 15,150 points.]
After the train rattled on for most of the day, it finally arrived in the city where the military district was located as evening fell.
Qin Ruan carried a large cloth bag on her back and a bamboo basket filled with eggs in her hand.
Hu Yufen carried a small cloth bag containing the malted milk and the jade bracelets they had brought as gifts for Qin Ruan’s aunt.
The grandmother and granddaughter followed the crowd out of the railway station. Looking up at the unfamiliar city, they felt both excited and a little overwhelmed.
“Grandma, let’s make a phone call to Uncle first and ask him to come pick us up,” Qin Ruan suggested as she spotted a public telephone booth by the roadside.
Hu Yufen waved her hand dismissively and pulled Qin Ruan toward the station exit.
“Why waste money on a phone call? Long-distance calls are so expensive—you could buy several pounds of eggs with that money! Didn’t your uncle already tell us where the military base is? We’ll just go there ourselves and surprise him.”
Qin Ruan couldn’t persuade her grandmother otherwise, so she had no choice but to follow along.
Several tricycle rickshaws were parked by the roadside. As soon as one of the drivers spotted the grandmother and granddaughter, he eagerly called out,
“Ma’am, where are you headed? My tricycle is fast and cheap!”
After asking for the location of the military base, Hu Yufen spent quite a while bargaining with the driver before finally settling on a fare of 0.5 yuan.
The grandmother and granddaughter climbed aboard. The driver pedaled quickly down the road, and the wind soon left their hair tousled.
The tricycle stopped at the entrance to the military base. Qin Ruan and her grandmother got off and looked at the sentry standing guard by the gate, both feeling a little nervous.
“Comrade, hello. We’re here to see Regiment Commander Qin Ruofeng,” Hu Yufen said politely as she led Qin Ruan up to the sentry.
The sentry looked them over before replying seriously,
“Do you have an appointment? Or do you have Regiment Commander Qin’s contact information?”
Hu Yufen froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected that visiting the military base required an appointment.
“We don’t have an appointment or his contact information. I’m his mother, and this is his niece. We’ve come all the way from our hometown to see him.”
The sentry frowned slightly.
“I’m sorry, but without an appointment, I can’t let you in. You can wait here, or have Regiment Commander Qin come out to meet you.”
Qin Ruan quickly stepped forward.
“Comrade, we don’t have a way to contact him. Could you please help us pass along a message? Just tell him that his mother, Hu Yufen, and his niece, Qin Ruan, have come to see him.”
The sentry hesitated before nodding.
“Alright. I’ll go inside and ask. Please wait here.”
With that, he turned and walked through the gates.
Not long afterward, Qin Ruofeng came hurrying out of the base. Dressed in military uniform, he stood tall and straight, his face overflowing with joy.
“Mom! Ruanruan! When did you get here? Why didn’t you call me first?”
He rushed over, wrapped Hu Yufen in a hug, and his eyes reddened with emotion.
Hu Yufen patted him on the back and laughed.
“Why waste money on a phone call? Calls are so expensive. We came straight here to surprise you.”
Qin Ruofeng smiled as he discreetly wiped the corners of his eyes. Taking Qin Ruan’s hand, he said,
“Ruanruan, you’ve grown up so much. You’ve become even more beautiful.”
Qin Ruan smiled shyly.
“Uncle, you look even more impressive than before.”
Qin Ruofeng took their luggage.
“Come on, let’s go inside. Your aunt has been waiting at home. She’ll be overjoyed when she sees you’ve come.”
The grandmother and granddaughter followed Qin Ruofeng through the gates of the military base.
As they looked at the neat rows of barracks and the soldiers training on the parade grounds, they couldn’t help feeling awed.
“Uncle, your military base is enormous!” Qin Ruan exclaimed.
Qin Ruofeng smiled.
“You’ll be staying here for a while. You’ll have plenty of time to look around.”
As Qin Ruan followed Qin Ruofeng and Shen Jianing into the military family compound, the sentry at the gate and several soldiers passing by gathered together and began whispering among themselves.
“Did you see that? That’s Regiment Commander Qin’s niece. She’s unbelievably beautiful—like a fairy!” one young soldier said, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
Another soldier immediately agreed.
“Exactly! Her skin may be a little tanned, but her features… and her figure… absolutely stunning! I’ve never seen such a beautiful girl in my life.”
“What a pity she’s a little dark. If her skin were fairer, she’d be absolutely perfect,” another soldier remarked regretfully.
“So what if she’s tanned? That’s healthy! I like girls like her,” the young soldier protested.
The soldiers chatted enthusiastically, completely unaware that Qin Ruofeng’s orderly was standing not far away.
The orderly shook his head helplessly.
Looks like all the unmarried men in the unit are about to get restless again.
The moment Qin Ruan, Qin Ruofeng, and Shen Jianing stepped through the entrance of the military family compound, the military wives sitting together at the gate sorting vegetables fell silent.
Every pair of eyes landed on Qin Ruan.
As soon as the three disappeared around the corner, the small square in the family compound erupted with chatter.
“Oh my! Old Qin’s niece is unbelievably pretty! She looks just like a fairy from a New Year’s painting!” Aunt Zhang exclaimed, clutching a handful of vegetables as she lowered her voice, unable to hide her excitement.