Chapter 6: Qin Lang Returns

Suddenly, when Lin You woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room and felt a bit dazed. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was already 12 o’clock. Remembering that her father had said he would come today, she hurried out of bed, changed her clothes, and waited. After finishing her meal and tidying up, she realized that Qin’s father still hadn’t arrived.

She picked up her phone to make a call but found there was no signal. Walking to the window, she pulled back the curtains and saw the rolling mountains in the distance. A group of soldiers was practicing in the training ground, their chants rising and falling.

A few military wives with children walked in downstairs. Lin You opened the window, and a refreshing breeze rushed in, making her feel at ease. Taking a deep breath, she savored the fresh air.

The climate here was completely different from that of City C, where it was already hot summer. Here, it was cool and pleasant, with particularly fresh air. The weather made her feel comfortable, and Lin You gradually calmed down.

Then there was a knock at the door, and Lin You knew it was Qin’s father. She hurried to open it and found Squad Leader Zhou had come along, with Qin’s father carrying vegetables.

“Hello, Squad Leader Zhou,” Lin You greeted.

Squad Leader Zhou nodded in acknowledgment.

“Dad, why are you only just getting here? I thought you had left already. Why are you carrying vegetables?” Lin You asked.

Qin’s father replied, “I had a bit too much to drink with Squad Leader Zhou last night and woke up a little late. I brought these vegetables from the kitchen for you to cook.”

Lin You took the vegetables from her father and placed them in the kitchen, slightly annoyed as she complained, “Dad, Mom said not to let you drink, and you always ignore her.”

“Lin You, your mom isn’t here, is she? It’s okay to drink a little occasionally.”

Seeing her still upset, Qin’s father gently coaxed, “Alright, Lin You, I’m getting ready to leave. Don’t be upset.”

Lin You’s sadness resurfaced as she complained to Qin’s father, “Dad, are you leaving so early? Aren’t you going to stay and have a meal with me?”

Qin’s father felt sorry for her but feared she might cry again. He gently patted her shoulder, encouraging her to be strong, and advised, “Squad Leader Zhou said to wait for Qin Lang to come back, and he’ll take you to the health team. You can rest here for a few days and adjust. Once Qin Lang returns, you can live well together. If you need anything, you can contact me through Squad Leader Zhou.”

“Okay, Dad, I’ll go see you off.”

“This place is quite secluded, with guards everywhere. It will be hard to find me when you return. Once Qin Lang is back, he’ll take you around more often, so you don’t need to see me off.”

With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Lin You to hold back her tears as she said goodbye.

After closing the door, Lin You returned to the window and watched as her father’s car disappeared. Her mood fell once again, so she turned to find a novel to lift her spirits.

She read for the entire afternoon and only realized she was hungry when it was time to prepare dinner. She simply boiled a packet of instant noodles, and just as it was done, she heard a knock at the door.

Could Qin Lang have returned? She rushed to open the door.

To her surprise, a well dressed, graceful middle aged woman stood there, holding dumplings and vinegar. She asked, “Are you Qin Lang’s partner, Doctor Lin?”

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?” Lin You replied quickly.

The woman smiled, “I’m Squad Leader Zhou’s wife’s you can just call me sister in law. My surname is also Lin, so we’re related. My husband said you just arrived and asked me to come by often to keep you company.”

“Sister in law, please come in.”

Zhou’s wife placed the dumplings on the dining table. Seeing the noodles on the table, she advised Lin You, “When men are away so often, we need to learn to take care of ourselves. You can’t just eat this. Come, eat the dumplings.”

Lin You thanked her and invited her to sit down.

Zhou’s wife looked around at the well furnished and tidy room, and at the beautiful woman before her, smiling as she asked, “Did Qin Lang prepare all this?”

“Qin Lang usually comes in the evenings to tidy up. He doesn’t let anyone help. Now that I see you, I think it’s only right that he does this, after all, marrying such a stunning wife like you deserves to be pampered,” Lin You praised shyly.

Zhou’s wife beamed at the compliment. Initially, she had thought such a beautiful woman might be proud, but Lin You was genuine and straight forward, and she instantly liked her.

Then she asked, “I heard you’ve been married for a long time. Why haven’t I seen you visiting?”

Lin You felt puzzled, Qin Lang had never told her she could visit, nor had Professor Song or Qin’s father mentioned it. So she replied diplomatically, “I was busy studying and working at the hospital and couldn’t find the time.”

Zhou’s wife nodded in understanding. Lin You then asked, “What about you? You and Squad Leader Zhou seem well matched.”

Zhou’s wife told Lin You, “We’ve been married for over 20 years. I’ve been teaching at a university back home. Now that our son and daughter are studying in different cities, it’s too lonely for me at home, so I applied to go along with the troops and got transferred to a nearby university here.”

After hearing this, Lin You nodded in understanding.

Zhou’s wife offered, “If you need to buy anything in the future, just let me know in advance, and I’ll bring it back for you.” Lin You felt very grateful at her words.

They chatted for a while longer, and before Zhou’s wife left, Lin You gave her some local specialties from City C, along with instructions on how to make them.

In the following days, Zhou’s wife almost came by every evening to keep her company. They cooked together, drank tea, and talked, becoming good friends.

During those days, Lin You mostly stayed inside. Occasionally, when she went downstairs to throw out the trash, someone would pull her over to ask questions, gradually making her lose the desire to go out.

As Lin You looked in the fridge and noticed supplies running low, she planned to ride with Zhou’s wife to the city for shopping the next day. It was a good opportunity to take a look around the area as well.

In the passenger seat of the military Dongfeng Warrior, Qin Lang held a cigarette, focused intently on the road ahead. Occasionally taking a puff, his calm exterior belied the restlessness within. She should have arrived here several days ago. What had she been doing during these days? Had she adapted? What had she been eating? Did her beautiful face attract too much attention? Had she reported to the health team yet?

Thinking about these questions, he wished he could fly to her side immediately.

At long last, the vehicle pulled into the parking lot at the base, just as Qin Lang had hoped.

Li Yang was already waiting there. When he saw Qin Lang get out of the car, he hurried over to salute and report, “Report, Captain, your wife has been here for several days.”

Qin Lang shot him a glare, bypassed him, and tucked his hat under his arm as he headed toward the dormitory.

Li Yang was puzzled. Shouldn’t the captain be going to the family area? Why was he heading to the dorms instead? Dan Ye approached and slung an arm around his neck, teasing, “You little slacker! Do you know how dangerous our mission was this time?”

Li Yang immediately looked worried, glancing at all the team members and noting that none were missing or injured. Then he heard Dan Ye say, “Don’t worry, nobody got hurt, it was just a bit dangerous.”

Li Yang punched Dan Ye hard in the chest, “How can you joke about that? Are you trying to get us killed?”

Dan Ye brushed it off, and the two happily embraced. The other team members gathered around, anxiously asking, “Did you see the captain’s wife? How is she?”

Li Yang hung his head in shame and recounted the events from that night, mentioning how Squad Leader Zhou ordered him not to appear in front of Lin You for three months.

Everyone laughed heartily, teasing Li Yang for his lack of restraint.

When the laughter subsided, Dan Ye asked, “Is she really that beautiful?” Li Yang nodded solemnly. Dan Ye pressed on, “Where can we meet her?”

“She seems to be staying in the family building and hasn’t come out. In a few days, she’ll start working at our health team, and you’ll all get to meet her then,” Li Yang explained.

“But I advise you all to visit the health team less often. Even if the captain allows it, the squad leader won’t agree. Just look at how anxious he is,” Li Yang voiced his thoughts. Just then, they saw Qin Lang emerge from the dormitory building, wearing a short sleeved training uniform, his hair still damp from a shower.

Seeing Qin Lang’s appearance, the team decided to heed Li Yang’s advice and suppress their curiosity.

At that moment, Lin You had just finished preparing a bowl of rice and stir fried a bit of greens. Concerned that the meat might spoil, she had cooked

all of it as braised pork. Looking at the generous serving of meat, she thought it was too much for her to eat alone, so she planned to set some aside for Zhou’s wife when she returned from work.

The weather was a bit warm today, so Lin You simply tied her hair into a bun, wearing a beige knitted halter top paired with light blue skinny jeans and canvas shoes. The outfit was simple yet refreshing, accentuating her fair skin and well proportioned figure, making her look fashionable and playful.

Just as she divided the braised pork, she heard a knock at the door, wondering who it could be. Zhou’s wife hadn’t come back from work yet. Glancing at her outfit, she felt it was inappropriate to answer the door like this, so she hurried into her bedroom and quickly put on a short shirt of the same color as her top before heading to the door.

When she opened it, she found Qin Lang standing at the door.