Chapter 2 Excuse me, I’ll leave first

When Lin Suisui returned from the neighboring production team early in the morning, she stopped by the team leader’s office to get a letter of introduction. Then, dragging along the luggage she had packed in the middle of the night, she set out with Doubao.

In those days, it was nearly impossible to travel without a letter of introduction. So, if she wanted to avoid the fate of being reported, she had no choice but to follow the army.

This was her first time traveling far from home—and with a child, no less. She was headed to Lincheng, where Huo Changzheng was stationed, a journey that would take three days and two nights by train. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared.

Just last week, Doubao had been hospitalized with pneumonia. She had barely slept while caring for him at the hospital. On the train, she was constantly worried someone might steal their money—or worse, steal the child—so she didn’t dare shut her eyes.

Even if she wanted to sleep, it was hard to relax. After all, she had come to follow the army without informing anyone. Huo Changzheng had no idea she and their son were coming.

When they got married, his military rank was already high enough to allow for family accompaniment, yet in five years, he never once mentioned the possibility. It was clear he didn’t want her to follow him. And now that the daughter of a high-ranking officer had taken a liking to him, he would surely want her to stay away even more.

To be honest, she was anxious—afraid he would drive them away. If that happened, she would have no choice but to return to the production team and wait to be reported.

The train clattered forward as the sun outside gradually sank, finally disappearing into darkness.

Before leaving, she packed all the dry food from home, along with six salted baked eggs she had prepared—this would be their food for the three-day journey.

She only found out there were boxed meals for sale once she was already on the train. But even if she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have dared to go buy them. The train was crowded, and she had to watch both the child and the luggage—not a moment could she afford to let her guard down.

“Doubao, time to sleep,” she said gently after he’d eaten.

“Mom, let’s sleep together,” Doubao replied, as if he knew what was on her mind. “We can tie our hands together with a cloth strip. That way you won’t have to worry about someone sneaking off with me.”

The little guy was surprisingly perceptive—he not only understood her fear, but also came up with a solution.

“Alright, Mommy will sleep with Doubao.”

Lin Suisui pulled out a cloth strip and tied her hand to Doubao’s. Then she wrapped him in her arms and closed her eyes.

She only meant to rest her eyes, since she still couldn’t fully relax. But after so many days of exhaustion, sleep overtook her quickly.

Suddenly, she saw Doubao standing in front of her with his back turned.

“Doubao,” she called out.

He turned and smiled at her. Then, in front of her eyes, he began to grow—his face shifting from childlike innocence to youthful adolescence, and finally into a mature adult whose features closely resembled Huo Changzheng.

“Mr. Huo, you’ve achieved great success. Could you share with the audience a bit about your upbringing?”

Grown-up Doubao was stunned at first by the question, then gave a soft smile. Despite his handsome appearance, there was unmistakable sorrow in his eyes as he said:

“Adler once said, ‘Those who are happy use their childhood to heal their whole life. Those who are not spend their whole life healing their childhood.’

The second half of that quote sums up my life.

My father was a soldier and never around while I was growing up. Before the age of five, it was just me and my mother.

Although sometimes I felt the pain of his absence, I was happy as long as I had her.

Unfortunately, she passed away when I was five. After that, I was taken in by my father. But he was always busy with work, so I basically raised myself. My childhood was not a happy one.

Even now, though others say I’ve achieved success and fame, I can’t say I’m particularly happy…”

Watching Doubao calmly say these words crushed Lin Suisui—her chest felt like it was being weighed down by a giant rock. In the next instant, her eyes flew open.

The train was dark all around her. The only sounds were the rhythmic clattering of the wheels and the thunderous pounding of her own heart.

After what had happened before, she no longer doubted the truth of such dreams.

She looked at the small child sleeping in her arms and felt a surge of pain.

Such a sweet child—why did he have to go through so much?

No matter what, she had to survive for Doubao. She couldn’t let him become a motherless child.

As for Huo Changzheng, she couldn’t count on him. Not only was he too busy with work, but if he remarried and gave Doubao a stepmother, then he’d essentially become a stepfather too—how else could Doubao have ended up saying such things?

She had made up her mind. Even if Huo Changzheng tried to kick them out once they reached the base, she would cling to him shamelessly and refuse to leave.

As for him and the officer’s daughter? She’d just turn a blind eye. No—she’d pretend to be completely blind. Let them do whatever they wanted.

After thinking things through, Lin Suisui felt much more at ease. The three-day train ride didn’t seem quite so unbearable anymore.

However, when she finally got off the train, she was lost again—she had no idea how to get to Huo Changzheng’s unit.

After several failed attempts at asking for directions, she finally dug out the phone number he had once given her. At a state-run guesthouse, she spent a hefty sum asking one of the staff to call the number for her.

She was inexplicably nervous as she made the call. When she heard a voice on the other end of the line, she froze for a moment before trembling out a greeting:

“Hello! I’m looking for Huo Changzheng.”

“Hello! And who may I ask is calling?”

“I’m… his… family.” Lin Suisui didn’t quite know how to introduce herself. It took her a long time to squeeze out those words.

“Oh! You’re the sister-in-law!” The person on the other end suddenly sounded excited. “Did you hear that the commander was injured and came specially to take care of him?”

“….”

She really hadn’t known he was injured.

Although she hadn’t come specifically to care for Huo Changzheng, as a family member she was still entitled to proper reception.

She and Doubao waited at the train station for over two hours before finally seeing a military jeep arrive to pick them up.

The young soldier who came to pick them up was very warm and welcoming. He took the initiative to carry their luggage and, once they got into the vehicle, began explaining the situation to her:

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. The commander’s injuries aren’t serious. He just hit his head and has a mild concussion. The doctor said he’ll be fine in a couple of days. The rest are just some scrapes and bruises—nothing major.”

Lin Suisui didn’t know how Huo Changzheng got injured. She wanted to ask but was afraid it might involve military secrets, so she chose to remain silent.

Still, she wasn’t too worried—after all, he was the male lead, and was about to experience the three great blessings of life: promotion, wealth, and the death of a wife. So even if he was injured, it surely wouldn’t be anything serious.

“That’s good to hear,” Lin Suisui nodded and smiled slightly in gratitude. “Thank you for your trouble today.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re too polite,” Fang Weiguo replied with a sheepish grin. He couldn’t help but think to himself: The deputy commander’s wife may dress plainly, but she’s truly stunning—an absolute beauty, even prettier than the female performers in the arts troupe.

Unaware of the compliments she was receiving, Lin Suisui stared out at the scenery flashing past the window. Her heart started to grow uneasy at the thought of seeing Huo Changzheng again.

It had been nearly two years since he last came home. Back then, Elder Chen and Madam Chen had passed away within three days of each other. He rushed home briefly, and once everything was settled, he hurried back to his unit.

Looking back now, she could barely recall saying more than ten words to him. If it hadn’t been for the bag of candies he brought for Doubao—candies even the county supply and marketing cooperative didn’t carry—she might’ve thought his return had all been a dream.

“Sister-in-law, we’re here,” Fang Weiguo called out from the front, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and saw the large characters for “Military District Hospital” outside the window.

Taking a deep breath, she gently patted the sleeping Doubao in her arms.

“Doubao, wake up. We’re about to see your daddy.”

Doubao opened his eyes, still a bit groggy, and snuggled deeper into her arms. But by the time they got off the jeep, he was fully alert.

Lin Suisui held Doubao’s hand tightly and followed closely behind Fang Weiguo as they entered the hospital. They walked down a corridor, climbed some stairs, and finally stopped in front of a ward.

“Sister-in-law, the deputy commander is in here. Let’s go in,” Fang Weiguo said as he pushed open the door.

Lin Suisui looked up and saw three people in white coats standing by the hospital bed. Before she could get a clear look at the man lying on the bed, someone suddenly burst into the room.

She turned to see a woman in military uniform with delicate features rushing past her. The woman ran straight to the bedside, grabbed the patient’s hand, and began sobbing like a pear blossom bathed in rain:

“Brother Changzheng, please wake up! You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay…”

Perhaps the crying was so moving that in the next moment, Huo Changzheng opened his eyes.

He felt extremely dizzy, and the sunlight streaming through the window made him squint. When he opened his eyes again, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye.

First came shock—then confusion.

Compared to the wedding photo in Lin Suisui’s dream, the current Song Xiao looked a bit more youthful and innocent. But it didn’t stop Lin Suisui from recognizing her instantly.

She hadn’t expected to walk straight into a dramatic life-and-death reunion scene between the male and female leads. Her role as the cannon-fodder wife suddenly felt incredibly out of place.

Not knowing what to do, she instinctively looked toward Huo Changzheng—only to find that he was also staring at her.

Apparently surprised by her appearance, his eyes widened, the sharpness in his gaze making her instinctively shrink back a little.

Just then, one of the doctors noticed her and asked, “Who are you?”

Even as a military doctor, his eyes were sharp and full of authority—enough to make Lin Suisui’s heart tremble.

“S-sorry for the disturbance,” she stammered nervously. “I—I’ll just step outside.”

At this moment, she should have been standing outside the room—not inside it.