Chapter 30: Commander Han Nearly Cried from Worry

Luo Yaqing wasn’t surprised at all—she had long suspected there was something going on between them.

After all, Liu Chunlei had previously mentioned that Ye Hongping was his girl.

At the time, both Luo Yaqing and Zhang Guiqin were quite shocked.

But Ye Hongping had denied it on the spot, so no one took it seriously.

If Liu Chunlei hadn’t brought it up again now, Luo Yaqing would’ve forgotten.

Liu Chunlei held the red hairband in his hand, his face beaming with pride. “We’re seeing each other.”

Luo Yaqing glanced at the red hairband. “That’s not what Nurse Ye said. I remember she called you a friend.”

Liu Chunlei chuckled. “Hongping’s worried it’ll affect her chances of advancement. We’re dating in secret.”

“How long have you been together?” Luo Yaqing asked, a bit curious.

“Half a year,” Liu Chunlei replied.

Luo Yaqing cursed Ye Hongping in her heart—what a jerk. Already in a relationship and still pining after someone else’s husband?

And not just anyone—a married man.

Liu Chunlei went on and on. “Hongping treats me really well—so gentle and caring.”

“She gave me frostbite cream, worried I’d get chilblains.”

“When it’s cold, she reminds me to dress warmly.”

“I care about her too, buy her little things from time to time. This hairband? I bought it for her.”

“My uncle said we’ll get married by the end of the year.”

“He’s the village party secretary. He doesn’t have a son, so he treats me like his own.”

“Hongping marrying me? She won’t suffer a bit.”

This kind of over-familiar chatterbox was exactly what Liu Chunlei was.

He kept going without caring whether Luo Yaqing wanted to hear it or not.

Still, from his rambling, Luo Yaqing picked up a few important things.

Liu Chunlei wasn’t a zhiqing (educated youth sent to the countryside).

More importantly, he had an uncle who was a party secretary.

That explained how Ye Hongping managed to transfer from the zhiqing settlement to study at the clinic.

There was more to it than met the eye.

“All done—you can ride now.”

The rear tire had been reinstalled, and the repairman had pumped it up fully.

Luo Yaqing pulled out some change to pay.

Liu Chunlei dashed across the road to fetch his own old-style bike.

He had a flashlight tied to the handlebars. “Sister-in-law, let’s go.”

Luo Yaqing: “……”

She didn’t want to ride with him, but there was only one road from the housing compound to Xinglin Village.

“Sister-in-law, don’t just stand there. Let’s hurry up,” Liu Chunlei urged.

“……”

“I just changed the batteries in my flashlight—super bright. Ride next to me, okay?”

“……”

Luo Yaqing kept a distance—neither too far nor too close—as they rode in the dark using his flashlight for visibility.

…

The food on the table was getting cold. Especially the lard-fried cabbage, which had started to congeal without the heat.

Han Zhixu glanced at his watch, grabbed his coat, and strode out.

He went straight to knock on Zhang Guiqin’s door.

“She still hasn’t come back?”

“Nope.”

Han Zhixu nodded.

Zhang Guiqin was surprised. A flat tire shouldn’t take this long to fix.

Worried something had happened, she quickly explained the situation to Han Zhixu.

Then she called out to her husband—they were planning to go look for Luo Yaqing together.

But Han Zhixu declined. “It’s dark and the roads are rough. Better let me and my guards go.”

Watching his tall figure melt into the night, Zhang Guiqin was filled with regret.

Han Zhixu rushed to the military district, brought along two guards, and took a jeep along the road toward the town to look for her.

An unprecedented wave of panic filled him.

He scanned the surroundings unblinkingly, terrified of missing her.

“Ma’am will be fine,” said Xiao Jiang, one of the guards, trying to reassure him.

The commander was always calm and composed, unshakable in crises. Seeing him this nervous was a first.

The dark road made Luo Yaqing pedal slowly, carefully avoiding potholes.

Liu Chunlei kept chatting, not giving his mouth a break.

Since she was relying on his flashlight, it didn’t feel right to completely ignore him.

So she replied occasionally.

Suddenly, headlights appeared in front of them, too bright to keep their eyes open.

They quickly stopped their bikes and moved closer to the roadside for safety.

Luo Yaqing shielded her eyes with her hand, guessing it was a military jeep.

The engine roared closer and then stopped on the road.

Two soldiers in green uniforms jumped out of the car and ran over.

They saluted. “Commander’s in the car.”

Luo Yaqing was stunned.

Liu Chunlei muttered under his breath, “They’re looking for you, sister-in-law.”

Luo Yaqing handed her bicycle to the guards and carried her bag toward the jeep.

Watching her go, Liu Chunlei murmured, “Didn’t expect her husband to be such a big shot.”

Xiao Jiang blocked Liu Chunlei’s view with his body. “Comrade, we’ll escort you back!”

Luo Yaqing climbed into the front passenger seat and reached out to poke the man slumped with his eyes closed.

“Han Zhixu.”

He opened his eyes but didn’t look at her. He started the car.

Luo Yaqing didn’t sense anything off and beamed, “Did you come looking for me?”

Han Zhixu nodded slightly.

Yes, he had come for her—rushed out in a panic, searching the whole way.

Only to see her with another man.

Luo Yaqing smiled. “Bike broke down. The tire got punctured.”

Han Zhixu responded with a flat “Mm.”

Luo Yaqing looked at his profile. “The repair guy was so slow. Took forever to fix a tire. Then I ran into the nephew of the Xinglin Village Party Secretary. Had to use his flashlight to get back.”

At that, Han Zhixu finally glanced at her. “Hungry?”

“…A little,” Luo Yaqing replied.

Han Zhixu stepped on the gas. “We’ll be home soon.”

When they returned to the housing compound, they parked the jeep and used a flashlight to walk home.

Just as they entered the courtyard, someone suddenly emerged from the shadows.

Luo Yaqing jumped in surprise, then saw it was Zhang Guiqin under the beam of the flashlight.

“Auntie?”

“You’re finally back,” Zhang Guiqin grabbed Luo Yaqing’s hand. “What happened? Why so late?”

Just as Luo Yaqing opened her mouth, Zhang Guiqin went on, “You had us all worried to death. Your Han Zhixu nearly cried from worry!”

That last sentence left Luo Yaqing stunned.

Nearly cried…

Was he really that worried about her?

Zhang Guiqin wrapped her coat tighter. “Alright, now that you’re home, I can sleep peacefully.”

She’d waited in the freezing night for so long. Now that Luo Yaqing was safe, she could finally go rest.

Once Zhang Guiqin left, the couple unlocked the door and went inside.

Luo Yaqing carried her cloth bag straight into the inner room. Han Zhixu glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

He silently went to make dinner.

Luo Yaqing opened her bag and saw a few skeins of yarn. She figured she might as well roll them into balls tonight.

That way she could start knitting a scarf tomorrow.

The sooner she knit it, the sooner she could wear it.

In a good mood, she walked out and saw Han Zhixu standing at the stove, reheating food.

She leaned over. “Whoa, that’s a lot of lard bits.”

In the pan, the ratio of lard bits to cabbage was nearly 5:4.

“You don’t like it?” Han Zhixu asked.

Luo Yaqing giggled. “Of course I like it—you know that.”

Han Zhixu nodded. “Yeah, I know you like it.”

That’s why he’d added so many lard bits.

Luo Yaqing scooted closer and nudged him with her elbow. “What else do you know I like?”

Han Zhixu shook his head.

Luo Yaqing pouted. “You’d better start paying attention and get to know the current me. Got it?”

Han Zhixu nodded.