Chapter 111

Hearing about the five job openings at the mechanical factory, Lu Wenchan fell into depression once more.

Half a year had passed, and she was still just a low-level worker in the background. Hearing about more job openings outside made her heart ache.

If only she had known earlier…

She had thought about it many times, but life rarely offers such hindsight.

If it weren’t for the regiment commander saying that their new batch would have a chance to perform next year, she felt she might not have held on.

The excitement about the job openings at the mechanical factory subsided only after the hiring was complete.

Time quickly passed, and as December approached, Shi Tingyu’s school began its winter break. The army’s holiday schedule was also released.

Currently, the camp had single days off, and for the New Year holiday, including the weekends before and after, they had five days off in total.

But taking the train from Jinling to Huaixian County in the eastern province took two days and one night, almost consuming the entire holiday.

Fortunately, Lu Weiguo had family leave. Officers with parents not living with them had thirty days of family leave every two years.

His most recent family leave was two years ago, just after returning from the battlefield.

He would never forget the feeling during his first family leave.

He wanted to breathe the air of his hometown and see if the trees at the entrance of the steel factory’s family compound had grown sturdier.

After eight years of not returning home, he almost couldn’t find his grandparents’ house when he got back to the village.

The village had changed a lot in those eight years. The small trees had grown taller, the ditches were widened, and the old house where he had spent his childhood had been renovated.

Everything looked both familiar and strange.

This time, he felt the same nervousness and excitement because he would be bringing his wife to his childhood home.

The thought of revealing this deep, hidden part of himself to his loved one made him look forward to it.

Lu Weiguo and Shi Tingyu planned to leave on the twentieth of December so they could still be home for the Lantern Festival.

After agreeing on this, Lu Weiguo went to ask Captain Han for leave.

Knowing it was Lu Weiguo’s first time bringing his wife home, Captain Han readily granted the leave.

Lu Weiguo’s leave had been scarce, given he hadn’t returned home once in the past eight years.

Once the leave was approved, Lu Weiguo went to buy tickets, but it wasn’t easy.

Soldiers had priority, but they were bringing a dog, which complicated matters.

Lijian was a large dog, and the railway department’s policies on pets were still underdeveloped, with no shipping services. Pets had to travel with their owners, but the crowded trains made staff worry about large dogs hurting people.

Lu Weiguo had to return and think of another solution.

They definitely wanted to bring Lijian along; leaving him with someone else wasn’t reassuring. Lijian was different from ordinary dogs, more sensitive and emotionally delicate, making him unsuitable for others to care for.

Shi Tingyu suggested making a muzzle for the dog to reduce people’s fear. She sketched a design and asked Lu Weiguo, “Is this easy to make? If so, we could make one for Lijian, book a soft sleeper compartment, and keep him inside.”

Lu Weiguo thought it was feasible. The muzzle didn’t look hard to make, and the camp had engineering soldiers with tools and materials, making it easy to create.

With limited time, Lu Weiguo quickly borrowed the necessary tools and materials.

Pet travel regulations were not well-known as few people traveled with pets by train.

Shi Tingyu remembered Sister Qin, who had given Lijian ten pounds of meat for catching a thief. Sister Qin’s family worked for the railway bureau. Shi Tingyu didn’t intend to ask for favors but to understand the regulations better to cooperate accordingly.

She searched her bag for the phone number Sister Qin had given her, finally finding it in the inner pocket.

With time pressing, Shi Tingyu borrowed the school’s phone to call Sister Qin instead of going to the post office.

As the call connected, Shi Tingyu felt a bit regretful and awkward, worried it might seem too much to ask for help after receiving the meat for Lijian.

Just as she was pondering this, the call went through.

Sister Qin’s cheerful voice came through, “Hello, this is Jinling Railway Bureau. Who are you looking for?”

Shi Tingyu cleared her throat and said, “Is this Sister Qin? This is Shi Tingyu.”

She worried that Sister Qin might not remember her, but to her surprise, Sister Qin’s tone immediately became enthusiastic, “Oh, Comrade Shi! Hello, hello.”

Shi Tingyu sighed in relief and carefully chose her words, “Sister Qin, you work at the railway bureau. I have something to ask you about if it’s convenient.”

“Of course, feel free to ask.”

Shi Tingyu explained the situation with Lijian needing to travel by train and the preparations she had made. Then she asked, “Can we bring the dog on the train this way?”

Sister Qin, who was particularly fond of Lijian, was thrilled to hear this. She quickly said, “There’s no need for a muzzle. I’ll notify the train station, and you can bring him in the soft sleeper compartment.”

However, Shi Tingyu insisted on using the muzzle. While dog lovers might not fear dogs, some people do, and she couldn’t ignore their concerns.

Hearing this, Sister Qin found it even easier to handle. If the dog was muzzled, there would be no issue with bringing it on the train. People even brought chickens and ducks on trains, so why not a heroic dog?

Sister Qin took full responsibility, “Leave it to me. Just tell the staff when you buy the tickets. I’ll inform them in advance.”

After hanging up, Shi Tingyu was still a bit dazed.

Was it really that easy?

When Lu Weiguo returned with the finished muzzle, Shi Tingyu explained Sister Qin’s assistance. Lu Weiguo also sighed in relief.

They had no objections to spending more money on safety measures as long as they could bring Lijian.

In fact, they could have obtained a military dog certificate for Lijian, which would have meant no extra ticket needed. Given Lijian’s past achievements in catching spies, this wouldn’t be considered abuse of power.

But since he could handle it himself, Lu Weiguo didn’t want to trouble the military.

With the issue resolved, Lu Weiguo tried the muzzle on Lijian.

Lijian was a well-behaved dog, accepting the muzzle willingly. However, it didn’t fit perfectly, so Lu Weiguo adjusted it, carefully wrapping the wire with cloth. This was the best muzzle he could make for Lijian in a short time.