The jeep eventually stopped at the entrance of the military family compound.
It was just after the evening workday, when every household was preparing dinner. People were coming and going throughout the compound, making the place especially lively.
The arrival of a jeep was already eye catching, but what made it even more noticeable was the person stepping out of it. It was Huo Qiang, the young and promising regimental commander who had recently become the subject of much attention because of his family affairs.
When the passenger door and the rear door opened one after another, Huo Qiang stepped out with his walking stick. Right behind him came an unfamiliar female comrade dressed simply yet elegantly, with a graceful figure and an obviously swollen belly.
Almost instantly, the military wives who were taking walks, returning from buying groceries, or sitting at their doorways eating and chatting all turned their gazes toward them like spotlights.
Whispers spread through the crowd like a rising tide.
“Hey, look! Regimental Commander Huo is back!”
“That female comrade beside him… that must be his wife, right? Judging by all this, is she moving in?”
“She really has no shame. Regimental Commander Huo already submitted the divorce report, yet she still shamelessly followed him here!”
Although Ruan Yingying had been mentally prepared before coming, actually hearing those words still made her feel uncomfortable all over.
She avoided those gazes and bent down to pick up a bundle of lightweight clothes beside her feet, wanting to find something to do to ease the awkwardness.
However, when she crouched down and stood back up, she moved a little too quickly. Combined with the heaviness of her body, she suddenly stumbled and nearly fell.
“Careful!”
Xiao Cheng, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and immediately reached out to support her arm. His voice was loud and concerned.
“Sister in law! You’re pregnant. How can we let you do this kind of work? Leave it to me!”
Ruan Yingying steadied herself and awkwardly pulled her arm back, speaking softly.
“Thank you… but it’s fine. These things aren’t heavy. I can…”
Before she could finish, a loud woman’s voice came from the crowd.
“Oh my, who are you putting on an act for? If you ask me, with that delicate little body of yours, you should stop trying to show off here! What if you fall and something happens? How could Xiao Cheng possibly take responsibility?”
Her words were completely unapologetic, drawing a round of quiet laughter from those nearby.
Ruan Yingying followed the voice and saw a woman in her early thirties.
She wore a blue cotton tunic that had been washed until it had faded, and she had a slightly plump figure and dark complexion. Her eyes were not large, but they were sharp and shrewd. At that moment, she was standing with her arms crossed, looking at Ruan Yingying with a half mocking smile.
The moment Ruan Yingying saw the woman’s face, fragments of the original owner’s memories were activated again, and her embarrassment instantly intensified.
Ding Furong!
She was the wife of He Songbai, the deputy battalion commander under Huo Qiang. She was famous throughout the family compound for being outspoken and warm hearted. She was also one of the people who had a grudge against the original owner during the short period when she had lived in the compound before.
The original owner had once publicly mocked Ding Furong for being a “country bumpkin” and “uneducated.” She had even complained that the pickled vegetables Ding Furong had brought from home had “a poor person’s sour smell,” making Ding Furong furious.
As they say, enemies really do have a way of crossing paths.
She had run into her on the very first day.
But with the original owner’s reputation hanging over her, Ruan Yingying did not feel it was appropriate to argue. She could only press her lips together and refuse to engage with her.
At that moment, a gentle voice filled with a smile came from nearby.
“Sister Furong, Sister in law, you’re both here?”
Huang Xue’er had appeared at the edge of the crowd at some point. She was wearing her nurse’s uniform with a beige cardigan over it, and she carried a small cloth bag in her hand. Clearly, she had just returned from work.
The moment she appeared, Ding Furong and several military wives who had been quietly laughing just moments earlier immediately changed their expressions and greeted her warmly.
“Miss Xue’er, you’re off work?”
“Hey, has Auntie Song still not returned from visiting her relatives back home?”
“We’ve all been missing Auntie Song…”
Huang Xue’er smiled and exchanged pleasantries with everyone on the surface, but her gaze remained fixed on the bundle at Ruan Yingying’s feet.
Her eyes shifted, and she immediately walked over. She naturally and considerately took the bundle from Ruan Yingying’s hands.
“Sister in law, how could I let you do this kind of rough work? You’ve been pampered since you were little, with such delicate skin. Don’t tire yourself out. Let me do it!”
Her words sounded caring, but her actions reinforced the impression that Ruan Yingying was spoiled, incapable of doing any work, yet insisted on showing off.
Seeing this, Ding Furong immediately gave a mocking laugh and raised her voice at Huang Xue’er.
“Xue’er, you’re too soft hearted! What do you mean she was pampered?
Once you come to our compound, which military wife hasn’t suffered and worked hard? Who here hasn’t been pregnant and done housework? Why is she so precious?”
There were many military wives in the compound who were friendly with Ding Furong. Upon hearing this, they all nodded slightly in agreement.
Huang Xue’er acted as though she had not noticed the mockery in Ding Furong’s words. Instead, she smiled gently, her voice becoming even softer.
“Sister Furong, we’re all family, so there’s no need to fuss over these things. My sister- in-law has just arrived. She’ll slowly get used to things.”
Who in the compound did not know that Miss Xue’er was honest and capable?
And who did not know what kind of person this regimental commander’s wife was?
Therefore, Huang Xue’er’s eagerness to defend Ruan Yingying looked completely different in the eyes of the others. It seemed as though the spoiled young lady Ruan Yingying was bullying the hardworking and honest Huang Xue’er because of her status, while Huang Xue’er was still swallowing her grievances and defending her.
The whispers around them immediately became even more suggestive.
Ruan Yingying could naturally see that Huang Xue’er was deliberately putting her in an awkward position. She had just reached out to take the bundle back when a large hand with distinct knuckles and faint calluses suddenly reached over and snatched it from Huang Xue’er’s hands.
Huo Qiang had apparently already finished unloading the larger items from the vehicle with Xiao Cheng. At some point, he had joined the crowd.
His expression was slightly dark as his gaze swept over Ding Furong before finally landing on Huang Xue’er.
“I’ll do it. There’s no need for you female comrades to handle these things.”
Huang Xue’er’s hands suddenly felt empty. The gentle smile on her face stiffened for a moment, and a trace of surprise and embarrassment quickly flashed through her eyes as she stood frozen in place.
Was it just her imagination?
Why did she always feel that there was something fierce about the way Big Brother Huo looked at her?
But Big Brother Huo had always been generous and kind toward others.
Perhaps he had simply said it casually and was not deliberately targeting her…
Although she felt somewhat uncomfortable, with everyone watching, Huang Xue’er could only follow his words and force a smile.
“Big Brother Huo really knows how to take care of people…”
Huo Qiang did not respond to her comment. He picked up the boxes and bundles from the ground and said to Xiao Cheng, “Xiao Cheng, give me a hand.”
Then he walked straight into the family compound without looking back.
Ruan Yingying quietly let out a breath, slowly releasing the indescribable pressure that had been weighing on her chest.
Thankfully, he had come…
She lowered her eyelashes and stopped looking at the various gazes around her. She simply took a step forward and followed the tall yet slightly limping figure ahead of her.
She followed Huo Qiang all the way to the row of houses at the very back of the family compound.
The winter wind of the northwest blew against her face like tiny knives. In the distance, the mountains looked especially cold and hard beneath the leaden gray sky.
The houses in this area were clearly more orderly than those outside, and it was much quieter. Only a few bare poplar trees stood upright in the cold wind.
Most of the houses in the family compound were allocated according to rank.
One of the Huo men was a highly respected senior commander, while the other was a young regimental commander with numerous military achievements. Therefore, the Huo family had been allocated a two story detached house with its own courtyard.
This was the first time Ruan Yingying had seen a military family compound from this era, and she could not help looking around curiously.
The ground in the small courtyard had been simply paved with gravel.
Several pieces of coal and neatly chopped firewood were stacked in one corner, while a large water vat with a wooden lid stood quietly beneath the eaves.
Huo Qiang pushed open the heavy wooden door, which had been painted military green. The smell of old wooden furniture, coal smoke, and faint dust immediately rushed toward them.
The inside of the house was considerably warmer than outside, though it still carried the distinctive dryness of northern winter indoors.
The living room was spacious, furnished with wooden furniture. Apart from an old landscape painting on the wall, there were also various military district maps and faded certificates of merit pinned across it.
Overall, the furnishings were simple, but they had the neat and orderly feel unique to a military family.
Although it was far from comparable to the Western style house of the Ruan family, within a military compound where living conditions were generally difficult, this was certainly considered a good home.
Huo Qiang placed the things in the corner. When he turned around, he happened to see the curiosity in Ruan Yingying’s clear almond shaped eyes.
His heart inexplicably tightened.
He remembered how, during the short period when she had lived here before, she had complained that the house was too small, the furniture was too rustic, and there was no flush toilet. She had thrown tantrums about changing this and replacing that, and in the end had become so angry that she had run straight back to her family home in Shanghai.
A familiar irritation and guardedness rose within him.
His thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his voice carried deliberate coldness and distance.
“The conditions here are what they are. They can’t compare with the comfortable life you had at your family home. If you regret coming now, it’s not too late to change your mind.”
Ruan Yingying was secretly thinking that the living room faced south, so it would probably be very warm when the sunlight came in. She thought there should also be an enamel vase on the table with some hardy plants in it.
That would make the place feel more homely…
When she suddenly heard Huo Qiang ask this, she did not fully understand the deeper meaning and guarded tone behind his words. She simply responded naturally according to her most immediate impression.
“It’s clean and bright here. I think it’s quite nice.”
After she finished speaking, the room fell completely silent. The only sound was the faint crackling of coal in the stove.
Even Huang Xue’er was momentarily stunned.
Before entering, she had secretly been looking forward to this. Given Ruan Yingying’s former spoiled and demanding nature, she had expected her to make a scene, or at the very least show some dissatisfaction and grievance.
Yet she had never expected such a calm response, one that even sounded somewhat satisfied.
After speaking, Ruan Yingying herself noticed the sudden silence.
She had not been making polite conversation. She had genuinely meant what she said.
The original owner had a terrible reputation and no particular skills. Even her own family disliked her. Now it was the dead of winter, and simply having a place to stay was already fortunate.
It was the middle of winter, and the wind and snow of the northwest were no joke. To have a safe, warm home with its own courtyard was truly the best arrangement she could hope for right now.
After a long while, Huo Qiang finally withdrew his astonished gaze.
He said nothing more and silently turned around, crouching beside the metal stove.
He picked up the fire tongs and used them to take a black piece of coal from the nearby coal basket. He added fresh coal to the stove, then turned around, added another piece of charcoal, and lit it.
The fire had only just begun to burn. The chill inside the room had not yet completely disappeared, and faint white vapor could still be seen when they breathed.
Yet for some reason, as Huo Qiang crouched beside the stove, he felt warmth slowly spread from his chest to his limbs.
From the moment Ruan Yingying had started making a fuss about divorce, followed by one incident after another, he had not had a single day when he truly felt at ease.
But at this moment, he unexpectedly felt a sense of peace.
That faint warmth and sense of reassurance remained in Huo Qiang’s heart for only a brief moment.
The flickering firelight reflected in his eyes, but it was soon covered by deeper worry.
Perhaps she could accept everything before her so calmly because she had only just arrived. Perhaps it was simply because she had no other choice right now.
This was deep in the northwest, a harsh and bitter place. Winter was long and severe, and daily life involved countless hardships and inconveniences that people from the south could hardly imagine.
Take the metal stove in front of them alone. Starting the fire, adding coal, keeping the fire going, and covering it properly all required skill.
She had grown up as a pampered young lady in Shanghai, surrounded by comfort and luxury, never having to lift a finger around the house. She probably could not even tell the difference between coal and firewood. How was she supposed to survive this long winter?
At that thought, the warmth that had just risen in Huo Qiang’s heart cooled again.
He straightened up and brushed the coal dust from his hands. His gaze fell on Ruan Yingying, and his tone returned to its usual calmness, even becoming somewhat stern.
“If you’re going to live here, you have to learn how to start the stove. That’s a basic skill for getting through winter.”
He expected to see her frown or show some sign of reluctance.
Instead, Ruan Yingying simply looked up at him and nodded readily.
“Okay, I’ll learn.”
Ruan Yingying was not the original owner. She was not the spoiled young lady who needed someone to wait on her hand and foot.
Moreover, reality was right in front of her.
Her father in law, Huo Jianguo, was still in the hospital and needed her mother in law, Zhou Xiulan, to care for him closely. Song Yumei, who had originally helped manage the Huo family’s daily life, had apparently returned to her hometown temporarily to visit relatives, as she had learned from the conversations among the people in the compound.
Right now, there was only herself to rely on in this household.
What was learning to start a stove compared with everything else she would have to learn and face in the future?
Since she had come, she had no intention of retreating.
Just then, a clear “growl” suddenly came from Ruan Yingying’s stomach, sounding especially obvious in the suddenly quiet room.
Only then did she belatedly remember that she had been traveling all day and had barely eaten a proper meal.
Now that she had finally relaxed, the burning emptiness in her stomach surged up all at once, leaving her so hungry that her heart felt faintly unsettled.
But the timing could not have been more embarrassing. Her cheeks grew slightly warm, and she lowered her eyes awkwardly, too embarrassed to say anything.
Huo Qiang was observant and perceptive. He did not ask any questions or point out her embarrassment. He simply said calmly.
“At this hour, there should still be food at the mess hall. I’ll go take a look.”
As he spoke, he neatly straightened the front of his military uniform and turned to leave.
When he reached the door, his figure seemed to pause for a moment, but he did not turn around. He only left behind a stiff sounding explanation, as though he needed to justify this sudden action.
“…There’s still a child in your belly.”
By the time his words fell, he had already pushed open the door and walked out.
The moment the door closed, only the two women remained in the room.
The gentle expression Huang Xue’er had been maintaining finally faded little by little until it disappeared completely.
Who did Big Brother Huo think he was fooling with those words?
When had a man as cold and taciturn as Big Brother Huo ever hurried off just for the sake of getting someone food?
The child was merely an excuse. In reality, Big Brother Huo was concerned about Ruan Yingying, yet was too stubborn to admit it.
At that thought, Huang Xue’er felt as though a ball of cotton were blocking her chest, leaving her unbearably stifled.
Just look at this Ruan Yingying. Apart from having a seductive face, what did she have that made her worthy of Big Brother Huo?
In terms of being sensible and capable, which military wife in the compound did not praise her, Huang Xue’er?
Right.
The people in the compound!
At this thought, an idea quickly took shape in Huang Xue’er’s mind.
“Sister in law,” Huang Xue’er’s voice returned to its usual sweet and clear tone, even carrying a hint of intimacy. “Oh, there’s something I forgot to tell you. Tomorrow evening, we’re having a social gathering in the compound.
Every household will be going, and it’ll be very lively. Would you like to come too?”
She paused, as though she were genuinely considering Ruan Yingying’s interests, then continued.
“This is a good opportunity to get to know the other military wives in the compound. It’ll make things easier for you to get along with everyone later.
A lot of people are going. There’s the wife of Battalion Commander Li, the wife of Deputy Regimental Commander Wang, and several wives from the logistics department…”
Although Huang Xue’er said all this aloud, she was certain in her heart that Ruan Yingying would not go.
She knew this spoiled young lady’s personality far too well. She looked down on everyone and considered people like them “country bumpkins.”
Every time she had come to the compound before, had she not complained about this and that?
Moreover, there were already plenty of rumors about Ruan Yingying circulating throughout the compound. If she went, she would probably be subjected to pointing and whispering.
Huang Xue’er secretly calculated that it would be best if Ruan Yingying did not go. That way, tomorrow evening, she could attend the gathering openly as the representative of the Huo family.
The medical clinic would be selecting its outstanding workers at the end of the year. Apart from the professional evaluation by Director Ji, votes from the residents of the family compound also carried considerable weight.
She absolutely could not miss this opportunity.
Ruan Yingying’s hand, which had been tending the stove, paused slightly.
If she went, she would definitely have to face cold looks and mocking remarks. She had already experienced Ding Furong’s attitude today.
But if she did not go, it would confirm the reputation that she was “unfriendly” and “looked down on others.”
For the moment, she genuinely did not know what the best choice was.
“We’ll see.”
Ruan Yingying answered indifferently, neither agreeing nor refusing.
“I’ve been exhausted all day. I want to rest for a while first.”
This answer surprised Huang Xue’er somewhat, but after thinking about it, she decided that Ruan Yingying was simply making an excuse to avoid going.
She knew it. Ruan Yingying simply did not consider the gathering worth attending.
Having received the answer she wanted, Huang Xue’er no longer felt like wasting time with her.
“Then you rest first, Sister in law. I’ll leave now.”