“What? Something like that actually happened?”
The moment Zhou Weiguo heard that a military wife had been assaulted, his expression turned serious. He frowned deeply, patted Lu Yanbei on the shoulder, and reassured him.
“Go home without worrying. You’ve barely used any of your leave over the years. Add in the leave you’ve earned from this latest commendation, and I’ll approve a full month for you. Settle things at home properly, and if anything comes up, give me a call.”
Then he remembered what Lu Yanbei had mentioned about family housing and smiled broadly.
“As for moving your wife into military housing, your rank more than qualifies. Submit the application, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Having his wife accompany him to the military base was a good thing—it meant his heart truly belonged here now.
Chuckling, Zhou rested one hand on his hip and pointed at the office telephone with the other.
“When I asked Old Xu to transfer you here, if I hadn’t promised to handle all these arrangements, do you think that overprotective old man would’ve let you go?”
“Thank you, Commander!”
With Zhou Weiguo clearing every obstacle, Lu Yanbei finally felt at ease.
His heart was already racing home.
After saluting gratefully, he took the approved leave slip and strode out.
Watching the normally composed young officer leave in such a hurry, Zhou couldn’t help shaking his head with a smile.
“Looks like the rumors were wrong.”
A harmonious marriage was, after all, an important consideration for promotion evaluations.
Thinking about everything he’d heard during the phone call, Lu Yanbei changed direction and headed toward the communications station.
Following behind him, He Mingqiang scratched his head in confusion.
Wasn’t the commander eager to go home? Why was he heading there first?
“Good afternoon, Commander Lu!”
Along the way, they passed numerous soldiers who had just finished training and were heading to the mess hall.
One after another, they saluted enthusiastically, their booming greetings startling He Mingqiang.
He had been with the Seventh Division for nearly a month, and this was the first time he’d seen soldiers this excited to salute any commanding officer.
Why are they so fired up just to salute?
Though Lu Yanbei was walking briskly, he still swept his gaze over them and gave a small nod.
“Hm.”
After he left, the soldiers could no longer contain themselves.
Several turned to watch his departing figure.
Among them, a man in a four-pocket military uniform stared at Lu Yanbei’s tall silhouette with undisguised admiration.
“I wish I could get into the Special Operations Regiment.”
Not only were its members the elite of the elite, but they were personally commanded by Commander Lu himself.
Every soldier dreamed of joining.
Unfortunately, the selection standards were brutally demanding.
For most, it remained nothing more than an aspiration.
The man nudged the person beside him with his elbow and joked,
“So, Battalion Commander Chu… how does it feel?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Chu Xu withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the mess hall as usual, genuinely puzzled by Lin Changyuan’s question.
With something weighing on his mind, he subtly widened the distance between them.
Lin Changyuan had delicate features.
Whether intentionally or not, his skin had been tanned into a deep bronze from years in the field.
He had spent many years stationed in the far north and had only recently transferred here.
The Seventh Division consisted of four infantry regiments, one Special Operations Regiment, and an artillery regiment.
Although Lin Changyuan commanded the First Battalion of the First Regiment, he was constantly seen hanging around Chu Xu, commander of the Third Battalion of the Second Regiment.
No one quite understood when the two had become so close.
But Chu Xu certainly wasn’t happy about it.
It wasn’t because they didn’t get along.
It was because Chu Xu knew exactly why Lin Changyuan had gotten close to him.
That knowledge alone made him desperately want to keep his distance.
When Lin Changyuan first learned that Chu Xu was from Xiaohe Village in Rongcheng, he’d deliberately sought him out.
At the time, Chu Xu had curiously asked why.
Lin Changyuan had laughed and said,
“Huh? Obviously because my cousin asked me to keep an eye on you. Chu Xu… don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your childhood engagement?”
Chu Xu’s mind had gone completely blank.
His mother’s casual mentions years ago about a childhood betrothal slowly resurfaced.
The bride’s family was supposedly from neighboring Dahe Village.
Her surname had been Lin.
He had never actually met her.
And Lin Changyuan’s surname was also Lin.
Pulling himself back to the present, Chu Xu took a deep breath to suppress the complicated emotions rising inside him.
Then he heard Lin Changyuan chuckle.
“I meant how it feels being overshadowed by Commander Lu in every category. What else would I be asking?”
Before the deputy division commander transferred here, Chu Xu had been one of the Seventh Division’s most outstanding young officers, both in appearance and military achievements.
Then Commander Lu arrived…
And suddenly Chu Xu wasn’t nearly as impressive anymore.
“How could I possibly compare myself to Commander Lu? We’re worlds apart. Stop joking around.”
Chu Xu didn’t want to continue the conversation.
Thinking back to the tall, cold-faced officer he’d just seen, an inexplicable heaviness settled in his heart.
Seeing that Chu Xu wasn’t interested, Lin Changyuan naturally changed the subject.
He bumped Chu Xu’s shoulder.
“My cousin’s almost old enough to marry. If you ever mistreat her, I won’t let you off.”
The cafeteria was crowded but orderly.
After getting his food and finding a seat, Chu Xu looked curiously at Lin Changyuan, who had plopped down across from him.
“Why do you always talk about your cousin? I remember you mentioning you have a younger sister too.”
The moment his sister was mentioned, Lin Changyuan’s face darkened.
The cheerful smile he always wore vanished.
Chu Xu immediately realized he’d touched a sore spot.
“I was stationed in the far north before. Conditions were harsh, and I couldn’t go home for years. I didn’t want my family worrying about me.”
“When I finally transferred here, I took leave to visit home…”
“…only to discover my little sister had already been married for three years.”
Chu Xu paused mid-bite.
Carefully, he asked,
“Does her husband treat her badly?”
At that, Lin Changyuan snorted and jabbed angrily at the vegetables in his bowl with his chopsticks.
“She married a soldier too. That guy… some ‘Fourth Brother Lu’… doesn’t treat her well at all.”
“My father said she’s basically lived alone for the past three years.”
Another soldier?
Wasn’t it normal for soldiers to spend years away from home?
Chu Xu couldn’t quite understand why Lin Changyuan was this angry.
“Aren’t most military wives like that?”
“I don’t want her marrying a soldier.”
Lin Changyuan understood the reality.
He just couldn’t accept it.
After holding back for a while, that was all he managed to say.
Thinking about the younger sister who had been doted on by their parents since childhood, his feelings became even more complicated.
She hadn’t been as obedient as their second uncle’s daughter.
Nor had she been particularly close to him or their older brother.
For reasons he never understood, she had grown more distant from them as she got older.
Still…
When she was little, she’d spoken in the softest, sweetest voice.
As her older brother, how could he possibly hold anything against her?
Years spent far from home had only made him cherish family ties even more.
Just then, a few soldiers from the communications company nearby began chatting about Commander Lu’s leave.
“Our commander is already heading home, but he still stopped by the communications station first to send a telegram to his wife.”
“Seriously… Commander Lu really dotes on his wife. He even sends his entire salary home.”
Those comments drifted straight into the ears of Chu Xu and Lin Changyuan.
Unable to resist, Lin Changyuan muttered,
“They’re both surnamed Lu. How is that ‘Fourth Brother Lu’ so completely different from Commander Lu?”
He quickly finished his porridge, stood up, and slung an arm over Chu Xu’s shoulder.
Looking utterly serious, he warned,
“You’d better not turn into someone like that Fourth Brother Lu. Got it?”
Chu Xu felt a headache coming on.
Lin Changyuan was capable, easygoing, and generally pleasant to be around.
The only problem…
He was an overly protective older brother.
It was exhausting.
All Chu Xu could do was answer helplessly,
“I heard you.”
Otherwise, Lin Changyuan would spend the whole evening lecturing him back at the barracks.