Chapter 81

In the afternoon of the day Cheng Jingmo received Yu Xiangnian’s call, he shared the news with Xiao Jie.

The two men, one big and one small, began a new round of waiting, hoping that Yu Xiangnian would return home soon.

By the evening of July 31, they had still not seen any sign of her. Without a word, they hung their heads and went to their rooms to sleep.

The good mood from the previous days had vanished completely that night.

On the evening of August 1, the military district held a social event.

This event only happens once a year, and the military families started dressing up in the afternoon, accompanying their men and bringing their children to attend.

Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie walked towards the grand auditorium, both in low spirits and silent.

Cheng Jingmo was truly angry today.

It was supposed to be that Yu Xiangnian would be back by August 1, but today was already August 1, and she still hadn’t returned!

On the way, other military families looked at the tall and short figures and whispered among themselves.

“Isn’t that woman coming? Why are there just these two men?”

“I haven’t seen that woman for a long time. Could it be that they’ve separated?”

“Didn’t you hear? She left with a man recently, carrying a suitcase, and left early in the morning! Many people in the family quarters saw it!”

“She ran off with another man?! So, it seems that they’ve definitely separated this time!”

The men nearby, hearing their wives gossiping behind their backs, shot them a fierce glare.

The women immediately fell silent.

That night, after Yu Xiangnian spoke in front of everyone on the playground, every man had gone home and warned their own wives not to gossip or spread rumors.

Inside the grand auditorium, the performers from the cultural troupe were on stage, and laughter and cheers echoed throughout.

Cheng Jingmo watched the stage with a stony expression, but he was completely oblivious to the performances, appearing like an outsider.

The curtain was drawn again and then slowly lifted.

The sound of a melodious accordion filled the room, causing a stir among the audience. Cheng Jingmo’s deep and somber eyes suddenly widened.

On stage, Yu Xiangnian stood there with her hair pinned up and wearing a white dress. The colorful stage lights illuminated her, giving her an ethereal, fairy-like appearance.

Cheng Jingmo, seeing the long-missed figure, forgot even to breathe.

She was always so radiant that everything else seemed to pale in comparison.

Xiao Jie, excited, tugged at his sleeve, “My aunt! My aunt is back!”

Yu Xiangyang also excitedly nudged him with his elbow, “Look, it’s Xiangnian!”

Yu Xiangnian slowly raised the microphone, and her ethereal voice echoed through the grand auditorium.

The room fell silent immediately. Her singing was so penetrating that Cheng Jingmo felt his heartbeat become uncontrollable.

He stared at her on stage, and suddenly, a relieved smile appeared on his lips, only for his eyes to quickly fill with tears.

At that moment, he was overwhelmed with joy!

She was back!

She always had a way of lifting his mood from the lowest depths to the highest peaks.

Cheng Jingmo felt an impulse to pull her into his arms, holding her tightly, and not letting anyone else see her.

Below the stage, everyone was captivated, all eyes focused on Yu Xiangnian.

Ding Yunfei was among them. From the moment Yu Xiangnian appeared on stage, his gaze never left her.

Tonight, Yu Xiangnian was so elegant and enchanting. Every frown and smile stirred his heart.

He was deeply unsettled, wishing he could claim her for himself.

When the song ended, Qiu Yang retreated backstage, holding the accordion.

Yu Xiangnian smiled and said, “I want to thank the military district leaders for giving me the opportunity to speak.”

“As a military spouse, I am proud of my husband. Soldiers are the greatest people in the world; they protect our home and country, selflessly dedicating themselves. On this special day, I represent all military families in saying to you: you can rest assured to protect our country; we are your solid support, and we will be waiting for you to come home safely! Thank you!”

Yu Xiangnian bowed and walked off the stage, and the auditorium erupted in a prolonged applause, much warmer than the reception for the cultural troupe’s performance.

Her few words were succinct and heartfelt, expressing the sentiments of all the families and deeply moving the soldiers present!

As he watched her figure disappear from the stage, Cheng Jingmo felt as though his soul had been whisked away.

He wanted to rush out to find Yu Xiangnian, but the thought was quickly suppressed.

He kept telling himself: This is not appropriate!

All night, aside from vividly remembering Yu Xiangnian’s performance, he had no recollection of the other acts.

As soon as the event ended, he grabbed Xiao Jie, and they hurried home, skipping the remaining interactive segments.

The family quarters were eerily quiet, with everyone still absent.

From a distance, they saw the lights on at their door, and their hearts were lifted as well.

Upon returning home, Yu Xiangnian was packing things up.

In fact, she had returned to South City that morning but had intentionally not gone home to surprise Cheng Jingmo.

She had asked Yu Xiangyang to request an opportunity to perform from the military district leaders.

The leaders, eager to have family members participate in performances, agreed readily. It would enliven the atmosphere and encourage families to actively participate in such events in the future.

Yu Xiangnian had spent the afternoon preparing, making sure every detail was perfect, and had rehearsed several times with Qiu Yang before performing.

“You’re back?”

“Aunt, you’re back?”

Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie spoke in unison. Yu Xiangnian turned around with a radiant smile, “Yes! Were you surprised?”

Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie were left speechless.

Seeing their lack of surprise, Yu Xiangnian felt a bit disappointed.

She pulled out a box of building blocks from her bag and handed it to Xiao Jie, “This is for you.”

Then she produced a pen and offered it to Cheng Jingmo, “This is for you.”

Her hand was open, showing the intertwined lines of her palm, with the black pen resting in her palm.

Cheng Jingmo reached out to take the pen, and when his fingers brushed against Yu Xiangnian’s palm, it felt like an electric shock running through him.

“Thank you.” He retracted his hand, his ears burning, “Did your deal go through?”

Yu Xiangnian nodded proudly, “They’ve asked me to translate a work. I calculated that it will probably bring in around a thousand yuan!”

She was still wearing the white long dress she had on earlier, which had a square neckline that exposed her milk-white neck and graceful collarbones. The waist was cinched, accentuating her slender figure, and the skirt was adorned with a few white flowers, looking both noble and pure.

Cheng Jingmo had never seen her wear this dress before—it was truly beautiful!

He blurted out, “It looks really nice. Uh… I mean, it’s great that your deal went through!”

Yu Xiangnian smiled, her pretty dimples appearing, “I bought this dress from a department store in Shanghai. Do you like it?”

As she spoke, she twirled slightly to show Cheng Jingmo.

Cheng Jingmo felt like his thoughts had been laid bare, his ears growing even warmer, “Yes, it’s beautiful.”