“Alright.”
Qiao Yuewei glanced at Qin Xingye, surprised that despite his cold expression, he was surprisingly easy to talk to.
“You should know about my family background…”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll protect you.”
Qin Xingye said this before Qiao Yuewei could finish her sentence, leaving her unsure whether to continue.
Sensing her hesitation, Qin Xingye rubbed his hand on the steering wheel.
“Sorry, go on.”
He knew this was a sensitive topic for Qiao Yuewei and had interrupted her in haste.
Qiao Yuewei smiled. “I don’t feel ashamed of my family background. My grandfather has done so much good over the years—I’m proud of him.”
If anyone dared to speak ill of him in front of her, she’d tear them apart verbally.
“I have a bad temper. If someone says something unpleasant, I won’t hold back—I’ll fight.”
Qin Xingye: “?”
“With me around, you won’t have to fight yourself.”
Over the years, Qin Xingye’s grandfather had told him about the Qin family affairs. Grandfather Qiao devoted himself to the country and the people, but had little luck with his children. Qiao Yuewei, the treasure of the Qiao family, would now also be a treasure of the Qin family.
“Pfft~”
Qiao Yuewei couldn’t help laughing.
Hearing her laugh, Qin Xingye’s tense back relaxed considerably.
Fortunately, he had asked his mother for advice on interacting with girls over the past few days.
His mother had said: If she wants something, don’t resist. If she wants the moon, get it. If she wants to fight, fight!
Qin Xingye had taken her words to heart.
And it seemed to be working.
“Alright, I’m done. Now you tell me your requirements.”
Qin Xingye turned to meet Qiao Yuewei’s sparkling eyes.
“I…”
“I have at least three to four months of missions every year.”
Qiao Yuewei raised an eyebrow. That seemed normal.
“And then?”
“The neighbors here at the family quarters—Sister He and the others—are reliable. If you need anything while I’m away, you can ask them for help.”
Qiao Yuewei nodded. “Are you going on a mission soon?”
Qin Xingye hadn’t expected her to ask. “Yes. In five days, new recruits arrive. I’ll be responsible for training. The training grounds are over fifty kilometers from the military district.”
“I see.” Qiao Yuewei yawned. This was probably just a heads-up.
“Tired? Want to nap? I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
The military district was four to five hours from the train station. Qiao Yuewei was indeed drowsy.
Qin Xingye drove steadily, and Qiao Yuewei actually managed to sleep soundly.
When she woke up, she was on a bed.
She felt a little embarrassed. Qin Xingye must have carried her to the bed. She wondered how rumors would spread if anyone saw her like this.
But Qiao Yuewei didn’t care.
The family quarters.
The military wives gathered to chat.
“Did you see that? Commander Qin carried a woman off the vehicle in broad daylight. Tsk tsk tsk.”
Sister He, calmly knitting, didn’t even look up. “What’s the fuss? That’s Commander Qin’s fiancée. Couples hug—it’s normal.”
Qin Xingye had previously lived in a four-person dorm. Suddenly, he filed a report requesting a two-bedroom family quarters, approved specially by their senior. He said it was for Qin Xingye’s future wife.
“But even so, in broad daylight… Also, who knows what the fiancée looks like?”
One of the wives shook her head. “Pfft, probably some delicate little thing.”
Her family had some distant connection with Fang Yuanyuan’s. Everyone knew Fang Yuanyuan liked Qin Xingye, but he was icy.
Sister He rolled her eyes at Fang’s wife. “So what if she’s pampered? She has her man to spoil her.”
Fang’s household troubles were well-known—they constantly quarreled with the mother-in-law, and their man always sided with his mother. Fang’s wife often sat at the door, complaining sarcastically. Arguments escalated, and the military district’s women’s director had mediated many times, to no avail. Once she left, the fights resumed.
Initially, Sister He would try to soothe crying children, but the two women would gang up on her, so she eventually ignored the fights, only comforting children if needed.
“What pampering? That’s a matter of conduct! That woman clearly isn’t a good person.”
Fang’s wife was green with envy seeing Qiao Yuewei being carried by Qin Xingye. If not for this little vixen, Qin Xingye would’ve been her brother-in-law! With him backing her up, her terrible mother-in-law wouldn’t dare behave like this.
So she resented Qiao Yuewei—and blamed Qin Xingye for choosing such a cunning woman.
Sister He couldn’t stand it anymore. She stood up, face stern, and scolded Fang’s wife in front of everyone. “Fang Guizhi! You can’t say anything you like. Are you allowed to claim conduct issues?”
Fang’s wife, embarrassed, flushed red. “Did I say something wrong? Everyone saw it! And previously Commander Qin was so close to Comrade Fang—now suddenly a fiancée appears. Who knows what’s going on!”
She felt increasingly justified and even threatened, “I’ll report it!”
This was a classic case of if I can’t have it, I’ll destroy it.
“You! Fang Guizhi, have you no shame? Don’t think I don’t know your intentions. You’re just upset that Commander Qin didn’t notice Fang Yuanyuan! The real person hasn’t said anything, yet you, a distant relative, stir trouble!”
“Reporting? Let’s see if your man will hit you!”
Everyone knew her husband, Liu Jianmin, was Qin Xingye’s battalion commander. His promotion depended entirely on Qin Xingye.
The cold wind sobered Fang’s wife instantly. Red-faced, she ran off.
Sister He spat toward her back, then looked thoughtfully at Qin Xingye’s yard.
Qiao Yuewei got up and changed clothes.
When Qin Xingye returned from the mess hall, he knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Hungry? I brought food.”
He held a red mesh bag containing four aluminum lunch boxes.
Qiao Yuewei gratefully exclaimed, “I am!”
She got up and looked around. The room was tidy; the bed she had slept in smelled of fresh soap.
The room had a large bed, a desk with a lamp, a chair, a simple sofa, and a coffee table covered with a white lace cloth. A red tray held cups and a bamboo thermos.
“This ointment is for you. I got it from the medical unit.” Qin Xingye handed her a white tube.
Qiao Yuewei touched her knee. After a nap, it hurt less.
She put the ointment away. “I’ll apply it after I shower tonight.”
Now, she was really hungry.
The four lunch boxes were neatly arranged. One had braised pork and fish, another had vegetables, tofu, potato shreds, and green beans, and the remaining two had rice and steamed buns.
Qiao Yuewei picked a piece of braised pork.
The meat was fatty but not greasy, beautifully colored, and melted in her mouth.
Her eyes lit up as she asked Qin Xingye, “It smells amazing! Did you add sugar?”
He nodded, picking up another piece for her. “The mess hall has a chef from Shanghai. He cooked it separately for you.”
She tried the fish—it was fresh, and the vegetables crisp.
She ate most of one box, then couldn’t finish more. Knowing waste was taboo, she said, “I’ll save the rest for tomorrow.”
“I’ll get more from the mess hall tomorrow.”
Qin Xingye transferred the leftovers to his box and finished everything.
Qiao Yuewei embarrassedly looked away.
“Well, Qin Xingye, I…”
“Is Commander Qin here?”