When the village chief handed Su Qing the letter of introduction, he looked at her sympathetically.
“Su Qing, six years have passed. I know you and Colonel Zhou were both victims in this matter, but the Zhou family… isn’t a family you can hope to marry into.” All these years, she’d had a hard time raising two children on her own.
“Once you’ve divorced Colonel Zhou and come back, I’ll ask a matchmaker to find you a good match. Make sure the man treats Yunzhou and Tangtang as if they were his own children.”
All these years, she’d had a hard time raising two children on her own.
Looking at the fashionable dress Su Qing was wearing, the village chief sighed to himself.
Su Qing had suffered plenty to raise the children. She’d had to be both father and mother to them, and the strain had worn her down.
She’d had no time to work in the fields while caring for the children, and without the wind and sun beating down on her, her skin had grown fair again.
Su Qing now was like a completely different person from before.
It was understandable that she’d attached herself to a wealthy man to support her two children.
But it was no long-term solution.
A wealthy man surely already had a wife. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he marry her?
She needed to find a decent man and settle down properly.
If Su Qing had known what the village chief was thinking, she would have spat right in his face!
She, Su Qing, had raised two children with her own hands. When had she ever relied on a man?
She didn’t take the village chief’s words seriously at all. All she wanted now was to get the letter of introduction and go to the military region to divorce Zhou Huaijin.
…
Early the next morning, Su Qing boiled a few eggs and made each of them a bowl of milk powder. After breakfast, she picked up her suitcase and took the two children to the train station.
After two days and a night on the train, Su Qing carried her suitcase and walked out of the station with the children.
She saw soldiers in military-green camouflage, backpacks on their shoulders, marching into the station in perfect formation.
The book said that the military region where Zhou Huaijin served was Beicheng First Military Region, which had repeatedly made great contributions to the country.
Every soldier was a man of iron and blood.
She wondered whether these soldiers were from Zhou Huaijin’s unit.
The otherwise orderly formation broke when some of the soldiers couldn’t help looking at Su Qing, their eyes full of astonishment, like wolves scenting blood.
Su Qing was long used to looks like that.
A soldier walking behind kicked the soldier in front in the backside. “Seeing a beauty won’t do you any good. Keep marching properly—the whole formation’s a mess.”
Su Qing couldn’t help laughing.
To see such a peerless beauty before heading off to the battlefield would be some consolation for the unmarried men.
At the railway police station, Su Qing asked where Zhou Huaijin’s military region was, then took a bus there with the children.
Before setting off, she had sent Zhou Huaijin a telegram.
She wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t come to meet her outside the station.
Neither the original owner nor Su Qing herself had any feelings for Zhou Huaijin.
And Zhou Huaijin had no feelings for her, either.
This divorce would be easy.
…
Military Region Commander’s Office.
Wearing a crisp uniform, Zhou Huaijin clicked his heels together and saluted the Commander with a sharp snap.
“Commander, I request permission to join this mission!”
Wei Qingshan regarded Zhou Huaijin with a grave expression and rejected him without hesitation. “No. You’ve just returned from a mission, and your injuries haven’t fully healed.”
“Commander, I’m almost completely recovered!” Zhou Huaijin pleaded again. “Please approve my participation in this mission!”
Seeing Zhou Huaijin’s resolute expression, Wei Qingshan knew he was exceptionally capable. And since the mission was indeed a difficult one, he stopped objecting.
As Zhou Huaijin came out of the Commander’s office, Jiang Weidong hurried over to him.
“Dad Zhou, are you sure you’re leaving today?”
Jiang Weidong had picked up Zhou Huaijin’s telegram from the communications office. When he saw it said that Dad Zhou’s wife was coming to join him at the military region, he immediately told him.
But Zhou Huaijin had gone straight to the infirmary and asked Doctor Han to prescribe him a special medicine to speed up the healing of his wounds.
Early that morning, he had gone to the Commander to ask for a mission.
He was clearly trying to avoid that woman.
The thought of Su Qing made Zhou Huaijin furious.
Even now, he couldn’t understand it. He’d only gone to visit a fellow soldier. They were all simple, honest country folk, and he’d let his guard down. But then someone had attacked him from behind.
Zhou Huaijin said irritably, “Is she more important than the mission? Go buy a train ticket at once!”
Jiang Weidong was speechless.
Considering how Dad Zhou treated Doctor Han, it seemed their marriage was probably over, too.
“Huaijin…” Han Mei was still wearing her white coat. When she heard Zhou Huaijin was leaving on a mission, she came running after him, breathless.
Zhou Huaijin turned around. Seeing Han Mei’s cheeks flushed from running, he said gently, “I had to leave in a hurry and didn’t get a chance to tell you. Take good care of the child. When I come back, I’ll bring you both a present.”
“Be careful.” Han Mei handed Zhou Huaijin a bag of medicine, all of it good for helping wounds heal.
“All right.” Zhou Huaijin took the medicine. “Go back.”
Jiang Weidong looked at Dad Zhou and Doctor Han regretfully.
If Brother Zhou hadn’t gotten caught up in that whole mess, who knew how happy they might be now!
…
“Comrade, I’m here to see Zhou Huaijin.” Su Qing handed her papers to the soldier on guard at the gate.
The soldier looked at Su Qing, puzzled. She was here to see Colonel Zhou?
When he saw the marriage certificate, his eyes widened.