Huo Yuan had a wife!
That aloof Battalion Commander Huo Yuan of the Ninth Battalion actually had a wife!
The news instantly sent the entire military district into an uproar.
It wasn’t surprising that everyone was shocked.
Who was Huo Yuan?
He was an all-around elite who excelled at shooting, combat, command, and physical fitness.
He had become a battalion commander at just twenty-two years old. On top of his exceptional skills, he was also incredibly handsome, ranking first on the military district’s annual list of men everyone wanted to marry.
Whenever a military family came to join their loved one at the base, they would inevitably ask around to find out whether Huo Yuan was married, hoping to introduce their own younger sister or sister-in-law to him.
Yet over the years, everyone had failed time and time again.
Huo Yuan rejected them without the slightest hesitation. Whenever anyone asked, his answer was simply that he wasn’t interested.
He never said another unnecessary word.
Combined with his perpetually cold expression, most people didn’t dare ask any further.
Gradually, rumors began spreading that Huo Yuan was too proud and looked down on ordinary people in the military district. They said he was determined to marry into a powerful family and become the son-in-law of some high-ranking leader.
But only a few people spread such nonsense.
Those who were actually close to Huo Yuan knew that he didn’t even give the leaders much face, let alone have any intention of marrying into a powerful family.
And yet a man like that actually had a wife?!
And she was a fool!
How could a fool possibly be worthy of their godlike battalion commander?!
Zhao Jianshu was so anxious that he practically bounced off the walls. He wished he could rush straight to the mission site and ask their battalion commander what was going on.
Finally, when his shift ended, Zhao Jianshu walked out of the training grounds, intending to find the battalion commander of another unit and ask about the situation.
But suddenly, someone blocked his path.
“Comrade Zhao, what happened? Why is everyone acting like this?”
It was none other than He Manhong, the wife of Regiment Commander Hu. The woman beside her who looked somewhat similar to her was presumably her younger sister.
He had heard that she had also transferred to the hospital here to work as a nurse.
Sure enough, He Manhong introduced her.
“This is my younger sister, He Manqing. And this is Zhao Jianshu, the communications officer of the Ninth Battalion.”
Zhao Jianshu put on a smile and was just about to greet them when He Manqing raised her chin and asked,
“I just heard them saying that Huo Yuan has a wife?”
“What? Huo Yuan has a wife?!”
He Manhong exclaimed in disbelief.
“Comrade Zhao, you can’t be messing with us! I specifically asked around and confirmed that Huo Yuan wasn’t married before I had my sister come here. You…”
Your family being wishful has nothing to do with our battalion commander. Why are you making it sound like he somehow wronged you?
Zhao Jianshu complained inwardly.
But outwardly, he awkwardly said,
“I haven’t confirmed it yet either. Just wait until the battalion commander comes back and ask him yourselves.”
With that, Zhao Jianshu didn’t wait for He Manhong to question him further. He turned around and ran off.
He Manhong stomped her foot.
“This Zhao Jianshu is so unreliable! Qing’er, don’t worry. They must be talking nonsense. Huo Yuan has been single for so long. There’s no way he suddenly has a wife!”
He Manqing nodded confidently.
“I don’t believe there’s anyone other than me worthy of him!”
“If he really has a wife, we’ll just compare ourselves. As long as Huo Yuan isn’t blind, he’ll know who to choose.”
……
On the train, Qian Xing had no idea that before she had even arrived, plenty of people were already waiting to get a look at her.
At that moment, she was eating a boxed meal from the train.
There were only two dishes to choose from: braised chicken with potatoes and braised pork.
Qian Xing wanted both, but since she still had two days of train travel ahead of her, she chose the one with braised pork first.
When she opened the box, there was also a serving of green vegetables alongside the braised pork.
The vegetables were slightly overcooked, and the braised pork was a little tough.
For someone like Qian Xing, who was accustomed to fine food, the taste really couldn’t be considered very good.
So she ate slowly, occasionally taking a bite while gazing out the window at the passing scenery.
Suddenly, an impatient woman’s voice came from beside her.
“Can you eat any faster? What’s there to show off about eating braised pork?!”
Qian Xing turned around.
The woman sitting opposite her was dressed simply, without any makeup. The only noticeable feature was her eyebrows, which had been drawn extremely thick and dark, looking abrupt and out of place on her otherwise plain face.
The woman was holding a boy of around five years old in her arms. He was gnawing on a dry flatbread while staring longingly at the braised pork, practically drooling.
Qian Xing had been bored anyway, so she simply put down her chopsticks and raised an eyebrow.
“What does it matter to you whether I eat quickly or slowly?”
“How does it not matter? Do you know how strong the smell of your boxed meal is? There are already so many people on the train. And now you’re eating something with such a strong smell without considering anyone else. You’re incredibly selfish!”
Qian Xing curved her eyes into a smile and deliberately asked,
“I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”
“I said eating such a strong-smelling boxed meal on the train is selfish!”
The woman’s voice was loud enough to carry throughout the entire carriage.
It happened to be mealtime, and countless passengers were eating boxed meals or the pastries and steamed buns they had brought themselves.
As soon as they heard her, they immediately fired back.
“How is eating a boxed meal selfish?”
“Exactly! The train itself sells them. Are you the only one who’s against it?”
“If you don’t like the smell, buy yourself a private compartment. Why are you squeezing in here with us in hard seats?”
The crowd overwhelmed the woman with one remark after another, leaving her speechless.
She could only glare at Qian Xing.
“You—you deliberately made me look bad!”
Qian Xing shrugged and gave her a polite, customer-service smile.
But after the boxed meal had been thoroughly contaminated by the woman’s spittle, she had completely lost her appetite.
She packed it up and was about to throw it away when a small, slightly dark hand suddenly reached out and grabbed a piece of meat from the box, stuffing it into the child’s mouth.
He devoured it ravenously, looking no different from the homeless children Qian Xing had seen in her previous life.
Qian Xing frowned and pushed the lunchbox toward the woman.
“If you don’t mind, you can have it.”
Across from her, Zhu Xiuyun froze for a moment before becoming even angrier.
“What, are you treating me like a beggar?! Who wants your leftovers?!”
After saying that, she noticed the meat still in her son’s mouth and suddenly felt embarrassed.
She slapped him across the mouth.
“Qian Baogen, why are you so greedy?! What if it’s poisonous? You just eat it without even knowing!”
Her son remained silent and simply continued chewing the meat.
This made Zhu Xiuyun even angrier. She was about to hit him again when her raised hand was stopped.
“Don’t take your anger out on a child.”
“You—who do you think you are—”
Zhu Xiuyun’s face flushed red as she tried to yank her hand back, but she couldn’t move it at all.
She could only shout,
“Comrade! Comrade! Someone is hitting people here!”
As soon as she shouted, a woman in uniform came down the aisle, followed by a man carrying a child.
“Comrade, there’s an empty seat here. You can sit here.”
After speaking, the woman looked at Zhu Xiuyun.
“What happened? Who hit someone?”
Zhu Xiuyun pointed at Qian Xing.
“Her!”
“Are you injured?”
“No, but she just grabbed my hand—”
“If you’re not injured, why are you shouting? All right, sit down and stop arguing!”
Before Zhu Xiuyun could say anything else, the conductor hurried away, looking extremely busy.
Zhu Xiuyun could only glare viciously at Qian Xing before reluctantly shutting her mouth.
“Comrade, could I switch to the window seat? The child gets motion sick…”
The man who had just arrived suddenly asked Qian Xing as he sat down beside her.
Qian Xing turned her head and glanced at the child in his arms, who was completely wrapped in a blanket.
She frowned slightly and focused her gaze on the child’s exposed hand.
When the man noticed Qian Xing looking, he hurriedly tucked the small hand back beneath the blanket and gave her an embarrassed smile.
“The child caught a bit of a chill.”
He was explaining why the child was wrapped so tightly.
Qian Xing smiled back.
“Is this your child? How old is he?”
“He’s seven.”
“I happen to know some medicine. Why don’t you let me take a look at him?”
The man’s arms tightened around the child.
“No need to trouble yourself. We’ve already seen a doctor at the hospital and given him medicine. He’s almost recovered. Comrade, could you switch seats with me?”
Qian Xing smiled.
“I’m afraid that won’t be convenient. I get motion sick too.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman opposite them began mocking her.
“Some people were just pretending to care so much about children earlier. Now she won’t even switch seats. How hypocritical!”
Qian Xing wasn’t angry at all. She simply smiled sweetly at her.
“Since you’re so kindhearted, then you’re surely willing to switch with him, right?”
Zhu Xiuyun’s expression froze.
The window seat had a great view. There was also a table, and she wouldn’t have to be squeezed by people constantly walking through the aisle.
Only an idiot would switch!
Qian Xing raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Yet her silent reaction made Zhu Xiuyun feel as though she were being mocked.
Her head began buzzing with anger, and the words slipped out before she could think.
“I’ll switch with you!”
The man froze for a moment, then looked extremely grateful.
“Then thank you, Comrade!”
As though afraid Zhu Xiuyun might regret it, he immediately went over to stand beside her.
Zhu Xiuyun: “…”
Since she had said it herself, she could only grit her teeth and accept it.
But when she stood up, she still glared at Qian Xing, her eyes clearly saying, I won.
Qian Xing found it amusing.
These people cared so much about meaningless pride, yet treated the child who truly needed their attention so carelessly.
No matter how many years passed, some people simply never changed.
Qian Xing suddenly lost interest and closed her eyes to rest.
In her sleep, she heard a soft click beside her.
Qian Xing opened her eyes.
The man across from her, who was holding the child, was climbing out through the train window.