Chapter 5: Your Deputy Regiment Commander Doesn’t Want Anyone to Know He’s Married

　　　　　　　　

Jiang Ning handed him the household registration booklet, confirming the address and name on it.

Qian Feng compared the information in his mind with the household registration booklet, and everything matched.

After confirming the identity of this beautiful comrade, he immediately stood up straight and spoke with a firm tone, “Sister-in-law, hello. My name is Qian Feng, and I am the Deputy Regiment Commander’s orderly.”

Jiang Ning was a bit puzzled. “Why didn’t Shen Mo come?”

Qian Feng scratched his head and grinned, showing eight teeth. “The Deputy Regiment Commander has been on a mission recently and won’t be back for a few more days. When the leader informed me, I couldn’t believe that the Deputy Regiment Commander was really married.”

Jiang Ning smiled. “Maybe your Deputy Regiment Commander doesn’t want anyone to know he’s married.”

Seeing her smile, Qian Feng felt an inexplicable chill down his spine, even though she looked very beautiful.

Being straightforward, he followed Jiang Ning’s words and said, “How could that be? Actually, the Deputy Regiment Commander mentioned three years ago that he was already married. But he never went home for a visit, and you never came to see him at the unit, so we all thought he was joking with us.”

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. The man seemed honest and straightforward, so he probably wasn’t lying.

Qian Feng looked at Jiang Ning. “Sister-in-law, let me take you to the reception room at the unit first.”

Jiang Ning nodded and followed Qian Feng into the car.

Qian Feng sat upright in the driver’s seat, not daring to look sideways, but the presence of such a beautiful comrade sitting next to him was too strong to ignore.

He noticed that Jiang Ning didn’t seem to want to talk, so he refrained from disturbing her.

An hour and a half later, the jeep drove down a road where the traffic gradually thinned out until they reached the gate of the military unit.

No matter the era, the security measures at the gate of a military unit were always well-implemented. There were guard posts on both sides, with soldiers standing tall and vigilant.

As the jeep passed the gate, a soldier on duty ran over. When he saw Qian Feng, he saluted.

Qian Feng said to the guard, “This is the Deputy Regiment Commander’s wife, our sister-in-law. I’ve already checked her identity, and there are no issues.”

Hearing the term “Deputy Regiment Commander’s wife,” the soldier’s surprised gaze fell on Jiang Ning, and he greeted her politely, “Hello, sister-in-law.”

“Hello.” Jiang Ning felt a bit embarrassed by their repeated use of the term “sister-in-law.” She was here to get a divorce, after all.

The car drove into the military unit, and Qian Feng parked it next to a row of jeeps. Jiang Ning followed him out of the car and walked towards the unit. The unit was full of men, and they rarely had the chance to interact with female soldiers, making the atmosphere on the road somewhat awkward.

Thinking for a moment, Qian Feng found a topic to break the silence.

“Sister-in-law, where are you from?”

Jiang Ning replied, “Yanghe County, Jiangjia Village.”

“Oh, from the countryside,” Qian Feng nodded, sounding understanding. But he quickly realized that his words might have sounded like he looked down on her for being from the countryside. He immediately started sweating and tried to correct himself, “Sister-in-law, I didn’t mean to… No, I also joined the army from the countryside. Ah, I’m not good with words, please don’t mind me!”

Jiang Ning was amused by his reaction. “It’s okay.”

Along the way, she didn’t ask questions or cause any trouble. When they arrived at the unit, she didn’t curiously look around but followed him openly.

She didn’t look like a girl from the countryside at all. When Qian Feng first saw her, he thought she was the daughter of a wealthy family.

Jiang Ning actually had many questions, but in such a sacred and solemn place, she chose to stay silent. Speaking too much could lead to mistakes. If she unconsciously asked something she shouldn’t, she might be mistaken for a spy.

Realizing he had just said something wrong, Qian Feng completely stopped talking and silently led Jiang Ning into the unit.

“At ease!”

A firm and solemn voice came from ahead. Jiang Ning instinctively looked up and saw a team of soldiers running in their direction.

They saluted upon seeing Qian Feng, who returned the salute.

During training, there was no joking around, and no one asked who the beautiful comrade next to Qian Feng was.

However, Jiang Ning could feel the gaze of the entire team on her.

Cough, it almost made her social anxiety flare up.

Soon, the training team left, and Qian Feng escorted Jiang Ning to the reception room, where he had her sit in a chair by the table.

Qian Feng poured a cup of water for Jiang Ning. “Sister-in-law, please rest for a while. I’ll go ask the leader about your accommodation. Since the Deputy Regiment Commander didn’t have any family members accompany him to the capital, there was no application for family housing. He has always lived in the male soldiers’ dormitory.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” Jiang Ning said, taking the water cup.

Qian Feng smiled. “It’s no trouble at all.”

After Qian Feng left, Jiang Ning finally had the chance to look around the reception room. Across the table, there was a teacup with the words “Stay vigilant, protect the country” printed on it.

Jiang Ning took a sip of her water and heard the door open. She turned her head to see a young boy wearing a red scarf walk in.

He was quite young, probably around six or seven years old, and looked a bit thin.

Seeing Jiang Ning, he paused for a moment, then stepped back to the doorway and looked up to confirm he hadn’t entered the wrong room. Satisfied, he came back in.

He walked to the only table in the room, sat down opposite Jiang Ning, and took out his homework from a somewhat worn-out backpack. Without a word, he started writing his homework.

Jiang Ning observed his small actions and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Such a young child, yet he had such a composed demeanor.

The little boy heard Jiang Ning’s laugh, looked up at her for a moment, then quickly lowered his head to continue his homework.

Jiang Ning looked out the window. The midday sun filtered through the branches, adding a touch of warmth to the slightly chilly day.

“Gururu~”

Hearing this soft sound, Jiang Ning turned her head.

Soon after, she heard the sound of a stomach growling again. She was sure it wasn’t her stomach, but the little boy sitting across from her.

Hearing his stomach growl made Jiang Ning’s own stomach start to protest.

She rummaged through her bag and found the two meat buns she hadn’t finished that morning. She took one and took a fragrant bite. Noticing the boy’s gaze, she looked up. The boy immediately lowered his head.

“Oh no!”

Jiang Ning pretended not to notice that the bun had fallen on the table, but quickly picked it up.

Holding the bun, she said, “It’s a bit dirty, I should throw it away.”

“It seems like a waste,” Jiang Ning said, offering the bun to the boy. “Do you want to eat it?”

The boy looked at the bun in her hand, swallowed, but didn’t move.

“Not eating it? Then I’ll throw it away.”

As Jiang Ning pretended to toss the bun into the nearby trash can, the boy, as if he was starving, grabbed it from her hand and quickly gobbled it down.

The sound of footsteps came from outside, and Qian Feng pushed the door open.

“Sister-in-law, the leader said that since the Deputy Regiment Commander didn’t submit an application for family housing, we can’t approve it for you. I’ve temporarily arranged for you to stay in the unit’s guesthouse. Once the Deputy Regiment Commander returns and applies for family housing, you can live with him.”

“Okay,” Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

She didn’t have enough money to stay outside, so it was better to take advantage of the free accommodation.

Qian Feng fully opened the door and saw the boy lying on the table. “Zhiqi, why are you writing your homework here again? Why aren’t you home for lunch after school?”

Huo Zhiqi lowered his head. “That’s not my home.”

Qian Feng immediately noticed his bad mood and walked over to pat him on the head. “Did you have another argument with the troublemakers from the chief’s family?”

“Don’t pat my head, I won’t grow taller,” Huo Zhiqi turned his head away to avoid the pat. “I didn’t have an argument. I just wanted to find a quiet place to do my homework.”