Chapter 35

He was so forceful… and his lips carried the roughness of winter, along with the bristles of his coarse, hard stubble, grinding painfully against her…
It felt as if he was about to crush her…

But she remained silent. If he truly couldn’t, then perhaps this small gesture of comfort was for the best…

After a long, long while. So long that she could hardly breathe, he finally withdrew.

Lying on the bed, she could hear his breathing—rough and hurried. Her own heart was racing, almost leaping out of her chest. But she really did sympathize with him. She leaned against him, wanting to comfort him a little more. 

“Juncheng…”

“Shut up! Go to sleep! Be good!” he gruffly commanded.

Lin Qingping felt a bit wronged in her heart. She had been so obedient just now, not daring to move a muscle…

But she didn’t mind. He was clearly struggling, and it must’ve made him unhappy. How could she hold a grudge over such a trivial thing?

Even as a woman, there were those days each month when she became irritable, not to mention something as significant as his situation! 

Lin Qingping softly spoke: “Alright, Juncheng, then you…”

“Say one more word, and I’ll make you memorize the text!”

Lin Qingping: …Alright, the punishment’s been raised, now it’s upgraded from reciting to copying… 

She obediently shrank back into her blanket, and before long, she fell asleep. What she didn’t know was that after she fell asleep, Gu Juncheng got up and went to the shower to clean up.

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Before dawn the next day, the sound of the bugle echoed. Lin Qingping had slept especially well that night, warm and peaceful.

She vaguely heard the sound of the bugle, but she didn’t have the consciousness to wake up. It wasn’t until a sudden jolt ran through a nerve in her brain that she shot up from the bed. The bugle was still blaring, and Gu Juncheng had already gotten dressed and was ready to depart.

“Juncheng!” She jumped out of bed. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Gu Juncheng was standing at the door. He turned around and said: “What are you getting up for? Go back to sleep!”

“No, I have to see you off!” Lin Qingping anxiously hopped to him barefoot, but her feet were lifted off the ground and she was tossed back onto the bed. The look on his face was as dark as could be. “You’re not even wearing shoes!”

Lin Qingping paid no attention to his tone and hurriedly said: “Juncheng, be sure to stay safe! And remember to write home when you come back, let us know you’re safe.”

“I know.” He suddenly remembered something else. “As for the family matters, you take care of it. Spend the money I gave you however you like, don’t worry about it. I may not have a big fortune, but supporting you is no problem.”

Lin Qingping froze for a moment. “You knew?”

“Mm, my elder sister wrote to tell me.” He said it calmly.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose all your money?” she asked.

“If you lose it all, so be it. It’s not like it’s gone forever. Even if…” Gu Juncheng paused, turned his head away, and then continued: “I’m leaving now. Someone will take you to the train station, be careful on your way.”

“Mm! You be careful too!” Lin Qingping watched as his figure disappeared from the doorway and he shut the door behind him. Her heart was full of mixed emotions. It was only then that she realized she had actually slept in his blanket last night. She didn’t know when he had pulled her into his arms, and no wonder it had been so warm. 

Now that he had left, the room suddenly felt empty. In truth, even when he was here during the day, he couldn’t accompany her. But the feeling was different. Even when he wasn’t in the room, she still felt his presence in the air, in her heart—everything felt full. But now that he was gone, everything felt empty.

The evening gathering with Lei Sufang and the others soon lost its charm. Lin Qingping’s dejection was so apparent that even Lei Sufang and the others noticed. 

“Little Lin, are you thinking about Commander Gu?” 

“No, no…” Lin Qingping felt a little embarrassed. 

“Hey, what’s there to be shy about? When we first came, we were just like you. Once they leave, we’re all uneasy, hearts all over the place. But after a while, we get used to it. If you can’t get used to it, what can you do? It’s their duty.” Lei Sufang’s tone carried both melancholy and concern. 

It turned out that, although everyone joked and laughed, they all shared the same feelings deep down. 

“If Little Lin went with the troops, you’d see Commander Gu more often and wouldn’t be so worried.” One of the military wives said. 

“Yeah, technically, Little Lin could go with them. Why aren’t you going?” someone else asked. 

Lin Qingping didn’t know why either. In both this life and the previous one, Gu Juncheng had never mentioned her joining the military.

It was actually her mother-in-law who had mentioned it once in the past, saying that for the Gu family to expand, it would be good for her to accompany him.

But Lin Qingping had rejected the idea outright, and no one had brought it up since. But why hadn’t Gu Juncheng mentioned it? In her past life, she had wondered whether it was because Gu Juncheng didn’t care about her, just like she didn’t care about him.

At that time, she had thought it was fine, that they didn’t care for each other, which saved them from the ties and burdens. But now, being asked about it, she felt a bit disappointed. 

She smiled and said: “The family is busy. I think it’s better for me to stay with the Gu family.” 

“Yes, I understand.” Lei Sufang nodded, her voice filled with understanding. “We marry them, and it’s like this. We want to take care of our families, but we can’t be everywhere at once. If we focus on one place, we can’t manage the other. Don’t worry, Little Lin, they’ll be fine.” 

“Mm.” Lin Qingping nodded, focusing on her task. She made two cakes. 

Once the cakes were done, they were a hit with the military wives and children. One of the military wives, named Zhou Jiarong, who came from a big city, praised them endlessly. “It’s exactly the same as the ones I used to have at the grand hotel!”

Everyone repeatedly said it was a pity. If Lin Qingping had gone with the military, they could have learned from her. Yes, it was a pity. Lin Qingping would be leaving the next day. That night, Lin Qingping slept alone, and the blanket felt cold. It turned out, he had been so warm… 

The next morning, as Gu Juncheng had said, someone came to pick her up. It wasn’t Xiao Tian. 

“Xiao Tian went out with the commander. I’m here to see you off, sister-in-law. My name is Lu Liang.” he said.

“Thank you, Xiao Lu.” Lin Qingping didn’t have much to pack. She had only brought a few changes of clothes and some local specialties for Gu Juncheng’s family. Now that the specialties were put down, her luggage was light. Oh, and that sweater. 

Lin Qingping opened the wardrobe and found the sweater still lying quietly inside. 

“Xiao Lu, Commander Gu’s things…” she asked.

“Oh, I’ll pack them up and take them to the commander’s barracks when the time comes.” Lu Liang replied.

Lin Qingping nodded. “Thank you so much.”

And so, she left.

Lin Qingping got into the car headed to the city, constantly looking back at the lightly snow-covered mountain, her heart filled with reluctance. The next time they met, who knew when that would be? 

The journey back went more smoothly than the trip there. She even managed to get a sleeper ticket. Lu Liang escorted her into the station and only left once she was safely inside. 

She slept through most of the journey back, and as she got closer to home, the temperature gradually rose. When she returned to the county town, the weather was crisp and clear, just right for autumn. 

She didn’t delay and went directly back to Gujia Village. To her surprise, both Gu Youlian and Du Gen were at home. As soon as she arrived, everyone came to greet her. 

“Oh, we’ve finally been waiting for you to come back!”