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In order to get closer to Gu Weicheng, Su Wenyen knowingly accepted the flatbread from that person on the train, despite suspecting their ill intentions.
As expected, things unfolded just as she had anticipated—Gu Weicheng and another soldier came to her rescue. Seizing the opportunity, she told them she was also heading to the army base to find her brother and pleaded with them to take her along. The soldier surnamed Hu agreed without hesitation.
Although it was mainly the soldier Hu who chatted with her along the way, while Gu Weicheng remained as taciturn as ever, Su Wenyen saw their encounter as a stroke of fate.
She firmly believed that, as long as she set her heart on it, even the toughest steel could eventually be molded into something gentle and yielding.
Once the argument outside had subsided, Su Wenyen finally pushed open the door and stepped out.
“Sister-in-law, this is my fault. I’ve been unwell recently, and our parents were worried that I wouldn’t be able to withstand life at the labor farm in northern Jiangsu. That’s why they suggested I come to the army base to find my brother. Please don’t blame him—if you must blame someone, blame me,” Su Wenyen said with reddened eyes as she looked at Chen Lina.
Hearing this, and seeing how determined Su Wenbin was to keep his sister here, Chen Lina knew that further arguments would be pointless.
She could only say, “Wenyen, what are you talking about? Since you’re here, just settle in properly. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Thank you, Sister-in-law. My brother always praised you in his letters, saying how wonderful you are. Now that I’ve met you in person, I can see that everything he wrote was true,” Su Wenyen said with a smile.
Right now, she was relying on others for shelter, so she had to do her best to win over her sister-in-law. No matter what she truly thought, she needed to maintain appearances.
Seeing that his wife and sister were getting along well, Su Wenbin finally felt relieved.
His younger sister was a full fifteen years younger than him. Their parents had her late in life and doted on her immensely, raising her to be somewhat spoiled. He had initially worried that she might not get along with his wife, but it seemed that their family’s recent misfortunes had changed her temperament significantly.
Su Wenyen, however, had no interest in what her brother was thinking. She had come out because she had something important to say.
“Oh, right, Brother, on my way here, I encountered human traffickers on the train. If it hadn’t been for Commander Gu and Deputy Commander Hu rescuing me, I don’t know what would have happened. I really want to thank them properly, so I was thinking of inviting them over for a meal. I’ll cook, so Sister-in-law won’t have to do anything. Is that okay?”
Since she was now at the army base, she had to take the initiative.
If Gu Weicheng wouldn’t come looking for her, then she would invite him over for dinner.
Su Wenyen had it all planned out—she would find ways to spend more time with Gu Weicheng, and as they grew familiar with each other, when the time came for him to marry, she would be the most suitable choice.
Just as Su Wenyen was feeling confident, she heard Su Wenbin say, “It’s good that you have this thought. Commander Gu is indeed a good person. He even spoke up for me before, so our family should definitely maintain a good relationship with him.
“But his wife and child just arrived at the base for military family relocation a few days ago. He’s probably busy setting up their family housing and arranging furniture, so he won’t have time for a visit. Inviting only Deputy Commander Hu wouldn’t be appropriate either. Let’s wait until another time.”
Su Wenyen’s smile froze on her face, her eyes filled with disbelief.
“Commander Gu’s wife and child have arrived at the base for military family relocation? How… how is that possible?”
“What’s so impossible about it? If you ask me, they should have come a long time ago. Commander Gu has been married for years. Back when your sister-in-law and I got married, I had just been promoted to company commander, which met the requirements for military family relocation. I immediately brought her over. No matter where you go, a husband and wife should never be apart for too long—separation only weakens the bond,” Su Wenbin said, glancing affectionately at Chen Lina as he spoke.
Chen Lina had sacrificed a lot, giving up her job in the city to follow him here, and she had stayed for years without complaint.
Meeting Su Wenbin’s gaze, Chen Lina blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. She then shot him a warning look—her sister-in-law was still here! How could he look at her like that in front of others?
But Su Wenyen had no time to pay attention to the interactions between her brother and sister-in-law. Her mind was in turmoil, like a tangled mess of threads she couldn’t unravel, no matter how hard she tried.
She distinctly remembered that Gu Weicheng’s previous wife had never relocated with him. Back in their hometown, there had been rumors that she had run off with a lover and then died in an accident.
So how could she suddenly be here for military family relocation?
“Wenyen, what’s wrong? You look so pale,” Chen Lina asked with concern, noticing her sudden loss of color.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just sat on the train for too long, and I still feel a bit dizzy. I think I’ll go lie down and rest for a while. Sister-in-law, Brother, I’ll head to my room now,” Su Wenyen said before quickly retreating to her room.
Lying on the bed, she tossed and turned restlessly.
She couldn’t accept this outcome.
Hadn’t fate granted her this second chance so that she could be with Gu Weicheng?
But why hadn’t Gu Weicheng’s first wife died early, as she had in Su Wenyen’s previous life?
Where had things gone wrong?
No, she had to see it for herself…
…
The next day, as usual, Gu Weicheng brought breakfast for Li Xia and An An.
After eating, the three of them headed to their new family housing to clean up.
Li Xia had braced herself for a full day of hard work. She wore an old set of clothes, so she wouldn’t mind if they got dirty or couldn’t be washed completely clean. She dressed An An in an old outfit as well.
But when they arrived, the place wasn’t as filthy as she had imagined. In fact, it was relatively clean—only in need of a little tidying up.
The main issue was the overgrown weeds in the courtyard. Inside, when she ran a finger across the surfaces, she was surprised to find hardly any dust.
It instantly dawned on her—Gu Weicheng must have come here yesterday to clean in advance. He had taken care of all the hard and dirty work, deliberately leaving some lighter tasks undone so that she and An An could still participate.
For a man who appeared so tall and imposing, he was unexpectedly thoughtful.
Li Xia glanced at Gu Weicheng, her eyes expressing that she had already figured out what he had done.
Gu Weicheng caught her gaze, chuckled, and handed her a damp cloth. “No one’s lived here for months. It was too dusty, so I cleaned it up a bit first.”
“Commander Gu is so capable—gold star for you.” Li Xia took the cloth and teased him with a smile.
Apparently, the man was quite receptive to praise. Though Gu Weicheng didn’t say anything in response, his diligent movements betrayed his happiness.
Seeing the many weeds in the courtyard, An An picked up a small hoe and enthusiastically threw himself into weeding.
Despite his young age, he wielded the hoe with surprising energy, swinging it with loud and determined grunts.
Li Xia reminded him to be careful not to hit his own foot, then turned back to continue cleaning inside.
Yesterday, Gu Weicheng and Hu Songlin had only dusted the place; they hadn’t yet mopped the floors. At that time, the floors were just bare cement—no tiles. At first glance, they didn’t seem too dirty, but as soon as she started mopping, a thick layer of dust lifted from the ground.
Besides a bed, the room was completely unfurnished. They would need to purchase everything themselves.
“There’s nothing at home right now. Let’s go to the city tomorrow and buy furniture, bedding, and other necessities. I made a list last night—take a look and see if there’s anything else we need. You can write it down, and we’ll get everything in one trip.” Gu Weicheng took a folded list from his pocket and handed it to her.
In her original memories, Gu Weicheng had only completed junior high school. But when Li Xia looked at the handwriting on the list, she was surprised to find it bold, strong, and full of character—nothing like what one would expect from someone who hadn’t even finished middle school.
Even back in her previous life, as a university student, her handwriting wasn’t necessarily better than his.
The saying ‘a man’s handwriting reflects his character’ seemed to hold true for Gu Weicheng.
Yes, Gu Weicheng hadn’t finished junior high school. That was why, in her past life, she had always looked down on his lack of education.
What she hadn’t known was that after joining the army, Gu Weicheng had undergone numerous training programs, even studying at an artillery school. Compared to Zhou Qingshan, who could only write flowery poetry, Gu Weicheng was far more knowledgeable.
“Your handwriting is really beautiful.” Li Xia didn’t hold back her praise.
Gu Weicheng smiled slightly but didn’t say anything.
No matter how good his handwriting was, it still couldn’t compare to the love poems Zhou Qingshan had once written for her.
—
Commander Gu: Feeling jealous… Only my wife’s comfort can make me feel better.
Li Xia: There, there, don’t pout~