Chapter 29 — I’m Waiting for You to Come Back

Hearing this, Shen Nanqing was a bit surprised. In her impression, Zhu Xiaomeng had only shown interest in Song Huaiwen on the first day he arrived; afterward, during their gossip sessions, she was merely a bystander and never voiced any opinions.

Unlike Liu Huixin, who was like a possessive fangirl—whenever any girl tried to chat up Song Huaiwen, she would gossip behind their backs.

Shen Nanqing seemed to be thinking about something and squinted at Liu Huixin. She looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on—flinching slightly before pretending to be busy.

“Hmm.” Shen Nanqing withdrew her gaze, replied softly, and got up to grab a small spoon from the rack, beginning to eat.

Song Huaiwen probably knew she didn’t like the steamed corn buns in the cafeteria, so he put a layer of rice under the dishes.

Tomato scrambled eggs and rice were a perfect match. Mixing them together, the rice soaked up the sauce, looking irresistible.

Shen Nanqing always paid attention to her figure and usually didn’t eat staple foods at night because she had little exercise, but this looked too appetizing to resist—she decided to indulge herself just this once.

Zhu Xiaomeng noticed how delicious Shen Nanqing’s food looked and her expression darkened slightly as she murmured, “I really didn’t think he could cook.”

Her voice was low, and Shen Nanqing, immersed in her meal, didn’t pay much attention.

After finishing, Shen Nanqing cleaned the lunchbox and then began to sort through the large bag Song Huaiwen had given her.

The bag contained cookies and candies—three types of candy, to be exact: fruit candy, rock candy, and milk candy. These were clearly the kinds of treats kids liked. Apparently, he was treating her like a child.

Shen Nanqing smiled helplessly, then pulled out an envelope. She opened it and found, besides a love report, a small note with three contact numbers.

One was for his sister’s home, one for his family, and one for his military unit.

At that moment, Shen Nanqing recalled him saying not to carry burdens alone and to contact him immediately if anything happened. Her heart instantly felt warm and safe, as if soaking in warm water.

But staring at the handwriting on the love report, she suddenly felt a bit conflicted.

His handwriting, like himself, was strong and forceful—completely different from hers. Would this report be rejected if she handed it in as-is?

After thinking it over, Shen Nanqing copied a version herself. As for Song Huaiwen’s original, she folded it neatly and kept it.

Maybe someday she could brag to her children and grandchildren that this was the glorious record of how their father and grandfather wooed her.

Perhaps Shen Nanqing didn’t even realize she was thinking that far ahead.

The morning sunlight was very gentle. Thin morning mist still lingered on the ground, but the courtyard was already bustling.

One military green truck after another was lined up neatly, each with a banner that read, “Cultural Troupe Cavalry, Going to Comfort the Grassroots.”

Everyone busily made their final preparations—tuning instruments, moving props—with each person playing their part efficiently and orderly.

Once everything was ready, Political Commissar Zheng stood on the steps and began his pre-mission speech.

Shen Nanqing held the love report in her hand, her eyes fixed on Commissar Zheng, preparing to hand it to him directly afterward.

The team leader leading this trip was Regiment Commander Song Huaizhi. Commissar Zheng stayed at the troupe to handle daily work, and matters related to personal emotions were usually managed by him.

Commissar Zheng glanced at the love report but showed little reaction. Even if Shen Nanqing didn’t submit it today, he planned to remind her later—after all, the cafeteria incident wasn’t exactly proper.

Commissar Zheng said, “On this grassroots trip, perform well. Always present your best state and bring joy and warmth to the masses.”

“Rest assured, Commissar, I will perform well,” Shen Nanqing nodded, her heart quite excited. This was truly her first grassroots performance.

The whistle blew, and troupe members climbed onto the trucks.

Shen Nanqing quickly climbed aboard and sat at the very back of the truck. The rough wooden plank pressed against her slightly, causing a faint frown, but it didn’t diminish her excitement at all.

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After everyone had gathered, the trucks started up one by one, slowly driving out of the gate.

Song Huaiwen knew Shen Nanqing was leaving today, so he had gone out early. The state-run restaurant was really too far away, and by the time he returned with the big meat buns, he had already missed the departure.

He had a sharp eye and soon spotted Shen Nanqing on one of the trucks. She seemed to be in good spirits, eyes closed as she enjoyed the breeze. A few strands of hair were lifted by the wind, brushing her cheeks and adding a touch of liveliness to her face.

Someone on the truck noticed Song Huaiwen and whispered excitedly.

Only then did Shen Nanqing open her eyes and look outside. When she saw Song Huaiwen not far away, she waved excitedly, wanting to call his name but realizing the setting wasn’t appropriate, so she just gave a big smile instead.

Song Huaiwen seemed touched by her joy. His normally cool and handsome face broke into a smile, silently saying, “Have a safe journey. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

The truck drove farther and farther away.

Only after the vehicles disappeared completely from sight did Song Huaiwen turn and head back to the Cultural Troupe’s family compound.

Yu Hongfang opened the gate and immediately saw Song Huaiwen with a drooping face, looking like someone owed him money.

“What’s wrong? You missed it, didn’t you?” Yu Hongfang had already heard from Song Huaizhi about Song Huaiwen’s relationship situation.

Seeing his brother-in-law’s smug look, Song Huaiwen didn’t want to engage. “Here,” he said, shoving the lunchbox into his hands.

The lunchbox was still warm. Yu Hongfang opened it and saw two large meat buns packed inside, shiny with oil on top and looking very tempting.

He closed the lunchbox and, acting like an experienced man, said, “We’re soldiers. Being apart is normal. You’ll get used to it.”

Song Huaiwen glanced at him with a look full of disdain.

Who didn’t know? His sister once said that when she first started dating, her husband was extremely clingy. He would travel overnight just to spend an hour alone with her, looking pitifully eager.

“Oh, by the way, brother-in-law, I’m heading back today. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight,” Song Huaiwen said, then went to tidy up the study.

The Yu family’s home had three bedrooms and one living room. Song Huaiwen was too big to squeeze in with the kids, so Song Huaizhi had set up a folding army bed in the study, where he slept.

Actually, “tidying up” really meant dismantling the folding bed and returning the study to its original state.

He had very few personal belongings. Initially, he hadn’t planned to stay overnight; apart from his underwear, which he bought himself, everything else was borrowed from his brother-in-law.

Fortunately, they were about the same size, so the clothes fit well.

“All right.” Yu Hongfang wasn’t surprised at all. He turned and went into the kids’ room, waking them up.

The kids’ eyes lit up at the mention of the big meat buns and they didn’t want to stay in bed.

Yu Zian grabbed a big meat bun, munching until his mouth was greasy. When he saw Song Huaiwen come out of the room, he shouted loudly, “Thank you, uncle! It’d be even better if I could eat big meat buns every morning!”

Even the usually quiet and shy Yu Ziting quietly said, “Thank you.”

“Flattering you,” Yu Hongfang lightly patted his son’s head, his eyes scanning the package in Song Huaiwen’s hands. “You’re leaving now, huh?”

“Mm,” Song Huaiwen nodded. “There’s something I have to handle.”

His voice turned noticeably colder. Yu Hongfang thought there might be a tough issue in the military and didn’t ask further. He just said, “Be careful on the road.”

When Yu Zian heard Song Huaiwen was leaving, the meat bun instantly lost its appeal. He wanted to rush forward to stop him.

Yu Hongfang firmly held him back and said with certainty, “Finish your bun. I guarantee your uncle will be back in just a few days.”