Chapter 3 Resignation

The next morning, Fang Yingyue stepped into the factory, walking briskly toward the telephone room. She lightly knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, pushed it open. Calmly collecting herself, she picked up the receiver and dialed that familiar yet distant number.

The waiting tone—“beep… beep…”—pulled at her nerves. After a moment, the call connected, and a clear male voice came through: “Hello, comrade! May I ask whom you are trying to reach?”

Fang Yingyue cleared her throat and responded politely, “Hello, comrade! I’m trying to reach Deputy Regiment Commander Jiang Qingzhou of the 2nd Regiment. I’m his wife. Could you please transfer the call? Thank you.”

On the other end, Xiao Wang’s tone immediately became warm upon hearing that the caller was the deputy commander’s family. “Oh! It’s sister-in-law! Not a problem at all. Please wait a moment; I’ll go call him. He’s been looking forward to your call!”

Xiao Wang ran to the playground, shouting, “Deputy Commander Jiang! Deputy Commander Jiang! Sister-in-law is calling!”

At that moment, Jiang Qingzhou was guiding the new recruits through drills. Hearing the shout, he stiffened and responded loudly, “Alright, coming!”

The new recruits, hearing this, immediately started giggling, and the scene quickly began to get out of hand. Jiang Qingzhou’s face darkened; frowning, he said sternly, “It seems you’re full of energy. Each of you will run an extra 10 kilometers, and squad leaders, make sure everyone follows!” The recruits groaned but reluctantly began the extra exercise.

Without further delay, Jiang Qingzhou strode to the telephone room. Picking up the receiver, he said expectantly, “Hello, this is Jiang Qingzhou.”

“Qingzhou, I’ve made up my mind. I plan to join you with the army!”

Jiang Qingzhou was momentarily stunned, then joy flooded his heart. “Really? That’s wonderful! You really want to come? I’ll come back to get you myself.”

“No, Qingzhou, I can manage. You don’t need to make a special trip.”

Jiang Qingzhou’s tone was firm. “No, that won’t do! You traveling alone on such a long journey—I can’t be at ease. Don’t argue. Trust me.”

“Alright then, I’ll wait for you to come get me. I need a few days to hand over my work at the factory, so don’t rush. Stay safe. I’ll hang up now.”

“Okay, be careful and don’t catch a cold.”

After the call, Jiang Qingzhou hung up, composed himself, and briskly returned to the playground, a spring in his step.

Fang Yingyue finished her call and went to the factory director’s office. She knocked lightly. “Director Guo, are you in? This is Fang Yingyue. I have something to discuss.”

“Oh, Director Fang, come in!” Director Guo stood up, pulled over a chair, and said, “Sit down. Why the rush?”

“Director Guo, I’m here to resign.”

“Resign?” Director Guo was surprised. “Is the work unsatisfying, or is the pay too low? If there’s a difficulty, just tell me!”

Fang Yingyue quickly explained, “No, Director. The colleagues are easy to get along with, and the salary is fine. It’s just that my husband is in the army, and we’ve been separated too long. I plan to join him.”

“I see,” Director Guo nodded in understanding, then sighed with a worried look. “The new plan hasn’t even been implemented yet, and you’re leaving… what are we to do?”

“Don’t worry, Director. I have a background in fashion design and have prepared a number of design sketches. Even after leaving, I’d like to contribute.”

She handed the designs to Director Guo. “Please take a look and give me your feedback.”

Director Guo took the sketches, flipping through them. His eyes brightened. “These designs are fresh and beautiful, very clever!”

“I usually modify most of my own clothes according to my preferences, so they suit my taste better.”

“No wonder! I thought they were the latest fashions from Yangcheng.” Director Guo suddenly realized, still studying the sketches. After a moment of thought, he looked up. “Director Fang, leave the sketches here. I’ll discuss them with the key staff and decide on the follow-up.”

“All right, no problem.”

Fang Yingyue selected six sketches and handed them over, then stood to bid farewell to Director Guo. Back in her office, she methodically completed the handover documents. Once everything was settled, she leaned back in her chair, exhausted, gazing out the window to rest for a while.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qingzhou went to the military commander’s office, knocked, entered, and rendered a standard military salute.

“Reporting, Commander! I have something to report!”

Commander Zhao looked up. “Oh, what’s up, young man?”

Jiang Qingzhou’s face was full of joy. “Commander, I’d like to request half a month’s leave to go home and pick up my wife.”

“Finally this day has come!” Zhao joked. “Your wife is willing to come over?”

“Yes. She called today saying she wants to join me with the army. It’s almost the New Year, and the roads aren’t safe. I want to pick her up so we can spend the holiday together. Next year, we won’t have to make the trip back and forth.” Jiang Qingzhou spoke of his wife with tenderness in his eyes.

“All right. Newlyweds shouldn’t be apart for long. Go home quickly!” Zhao waved his hand and approved the leave.

Jiang Qingzhou received the leave form, saluted, grabbed his keys from the dorm, and headed toward the family quarters. Thinking of soon being reunited with Fang Yingyue and beginning a life without separation, a smile naturally appeared on his lips.

Back at the factory, Fang Yingyue diligently completed her final work handovers. She said goodbye to her colleagues one by one. Though everyone was reluctant to see her leave, they were happy that she could reunite with her husband.

At home, Fang Yingyue began packing her luggage, each item carefully arranged, carrying her hopes for the life ahead.

Halfway along the way, Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly walked and ran into his childhood friend Ji Beiwang.

“Oh, old Jiang! In such a rush, where are you headed?” Ji Beiwang asked, curious, blocking his path.

Jiang Qingzhou replied irritably, “If you have so much free time, why don’t you help me clean up?”

Ji Beiwang chuckled, winking. “I guess sister-in-law is coming over, right? Ever since you got her call, you’ve been glowing. Everyone in the unit has noticed!”

Jiang Qingzhou snorted lightly, quickened his pace, focused entirely on returning to his small house to clean up and welcome his wife.

Arriving at his small courtyard, he saw the overgrown weeds and silently resolved to tidy it up. He turned and headed to Commander Chen’s house next door, planning to borrow some cleaning tools.

At the door, he called out, “Aunt Liu, are you home? I’d like to borrow a hoe and a broom.”

Inside, Liu Jinhua was washing clothes. Hearing him, she quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and came out.

“Yes, yes! Little Jiang, what are you busy with?” She walked to the door and handed him the hoe and broom.

Jiang Qingzhou took the tools and explained with a smile, “Aunt Liu, my wife is coming to join me with the army. I need to tidy up the house before going to pick her up.”

Liu Jinhua looked at the young man and teased him, “Ah, that’s great! When she arrives, I’ll be sure to take good care of her. You two have been apart for too long. Now it’s good—you’ll finally be reunited.”