Chapter 25

As Tang Wenlan finished washing her hands and stepped outside, she saw Captain Huo carrying his wife down from the truck.

A wave of envy washed over her—she hadn’t expected Captain Huo to be such a devoted husband.

Thinking back to when she first moved in, Old Xing didn’t even help her, let alone hug her. She planned to have a good talk with him when she got back.

It’s bad enough that he’s not as good-looking as others, but his awareness is low too!

However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on this. Tang Wenlan still remembered her husband’s instructions.

She quickly squeezed through the crowd and greeted with a smile, “Captain Huo, I found them.”

Huo Xiao turned around, saw the person clearly, nodded at him first, then led his mother and wife forward to introduce both sides.

Hu Xiu was a bit reserved. After hearing her son’s words, she simply smiled and said, “Hello, Comrade Xiao Tang.”

Lin Ting, however, didn’t keep things so formal. Since Huo Xiao just mentioned that the visitor was his partner’s wife and their families were neighbors, she smiled warmly and said, “Hello, sister-in-law, I’m Lin Ting. We just arrived and still have much to learn. I may end up bothering you in the future.”

Tang Wenlan, who used to be in an art troupe, had transferred to logistics after a year because she couldn’t endure the hardship. Though she had seen many beautiful women, she was still stunned by Captain Huo’s wife’s beauty.

With such a refined appearance and temperament, she looked more like a city dweller than Tang Wenlan, who actually was one. Moreover, she seemed too young to have given birth to a child.

Of course, no matter how curious she was, Tang Wenlan wouldn’t ask too much right away. Instead, she smiled and replied, “What are you saying? Our men are in the same unit, and our families are neighbors. It’s natural to visit each other often.”

As she spoke, she glanced down at the twins—a boy and a girl—again admiring them in her heart. “Are these your children? They’re so good-looking and well-raised.” The two children were fair, chubby, and adorable.

Lin Ting gently stroked Guoguo, who was hugging her thigh. Feeling the child’s stiffness, she bent down, picked her up, and introduced them with a smile. “This is my daughter, Miaomiao. The one in my mother-in-law’s arms is my son, Guoguo. They’re four years old.” She then turned to her children. “Miaomiao, Guoguo, greet your aunt.”

Miaomiao clung to her mother’s neck but, though a little nervous in the unfamiliar environment, turned her face and said sweetly, “Hello, Auntie.”

Guoguo, always the braver one, cheerfully called out, “Hello, Auntie!” and flashed a bright smile.

“Oh my, they’re so cute! Lin Ting, right? You’ve taught them so well.” Tang Wenlan also had two children, both boys aged 10 and 7, who were at the mischievous age. Seeing such adorable twins made her envious.

Lin Ting smiled, stroking her daughter’s back. “Sister-in-law, you can call me Xiao Lin or Tingting. The children are quite sensible, but my mother-in-law takes care of them more.”

Tang Wenlan, finding Lin Ting easy to talk to, felt relieved. “Alright, I’ll call you Tingting. I’m older than you, so just call me Sister Wenlan.”

Lin Ting had a good first impression of Tang Wenlan, and both were willing to become friends. By the time Huo Xiao and his men finished moving the luggage into the house, the two women were already chatting away.

Huo Xiao didn’t understand how women bonded so quickly, but he was glad his wife was adjusting well.

Worried she might be too tired after the journey, he thought for a moment before stepping forward. “Tingting, don’t worry about cooking tonight. Once I return the car, I’ll go get food from the cafeteria.”

Before Lin Ting could respond, Tang Wenlan interrupted, “Oh, look at me! I got so busy chatting that I forgot. Don’t go to the cafeteria. Come to my house for dinner. I made a lot of dumplings, just waiting to cook them.”

Lin Ting quickly waved her hands. “Oh no, Sister Wenlan, we don’t want to trouble you. The cafeteria is fine.”

Tang Wenlan insisted, “Why be so polite? We’ll be neighbors for a long time. Besides, everything’s already prepared. Just come over after you rest.”

Before Lin Ting could say more, Tang Wenlan had already rushed off. Lin Ting turned to her husband. “What do you think?”

Huo Xiao reassured her, “Go ahead. Old Xing and Sister Wenlan are good people.”

Hearing that, Lin Ting nodded and decided to enter the house first with the children. “Then you go return the car. Mom and I will wait at home and go together.”

As she turned, she noticed dust on Huo Xiao’s shoulder and instinctively brushed it off.

Seeing this, Huo Xiao smiled slightly. He liked his wife’s small gestures of affection.

“This house is made of bricks and tiles, with white walls. It’s as spacious as our old place, but the furniture is a bit plain. Xiao has poor taste.” Hu Xiu, who had already inspected the house, seemed satisfied overall but still made a few remarks.

“The furniture is probably issued by the army. If you don’t like it, we can cover it with homespun cloth tablecloths,” Lin Ting replied, feeling relieved. A clean and bright house was a blessing.

But at the moment, she was too tired to look around. She set Miaomiao down so the twins could explore on their own and then sat on a stool to rest.

Seeing this, Hu Xiu grew concerned. “Are you tired? Should I make the bed so you can take a nap?” She knew Lin Ting had barely slept during the journey, staying alert the whole time.

Lin Ting shook her head. “I’ll just sit for a while. We have to go to Sister Wenlan’s for dinner later.”

Hu Xiu was surprised. “You’re quite considerate. Then rest first. I’ll find something to bring along. It’s not polite to go empty-handed.”

Lin Ting agreed. “Take a pickled rabbit.”

“Will that be enough?” Hu Xiu asked, considering that all five of them were going.

“It’s fine. A single rabbit is several kilograms of meat. They’ll invite us back another time anyway.”

The mother-in-law didn’t like taking advantage of others, so she followed the other party’s suggestion and said, “Then add one more to make it an even number.”

Hu Xiu laughed. “That’s right. You rest, I’ll do it myself.”

Huo Xiao returned the car, went to Old Xing’s office, and asked some people to go back to the family compound with him.

A few minutes after everyone got home, he brought his mother and wife, now dressed in clean clothes, to visit.

When Xing Guoqiang met Lao Huo’s wife, he realized the compliments about her were not exaggerated. He also mocked his partner with his eyes, teasing him for being in such a hurry to pick someone up.

Huo Xiao ignored him and focused on his mother and wife. Seeing that they got along well with his sister-in-law and that the twins were playing with Lao Xing’s children, he finally relaxed.

Xing Guoqiang, sitting beside him, was surprised by his attentiveness. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Do you really need to watch them so closely? The kids are already this big, yet the old couple is still so clingy?”

Huo Xiao was silent for a moment but didn’t explain that the children were adopted. Adopting the orphans of fallen comrades was common, but since he had deliberately changed his environment, he didn’t want to take risks. More importantly, he didn’t want the children to worry about whether they were his biological children or not. He also didn’t want anyone scrutinizing or monitoring his wife, Tingting.

In the end, Huo Xiao simply said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

Xing Guoqiang was speechless. Just as he was about to tease him, his wife’s voice came from the dining table. “Time to eat!”

This was Huo Xiao’s first time having dinner at home since joining the army. Normally, Xing Guoqiang would have ordered some liquor, but since Huo Xiao’s family had been traveling for days, they likely wanted to rest. This was also why dumplings were prepared—they were quick and easy.

After eating, the family of five returned home within twenty minutes. They could have stayed longer since it was a gathering, but the twins fell asleep halfway through the meal in their parents’ arms. So, they had to be ‘sent home’ after dinner.

Lin Ting and Hu Xiu felt a little embarrassed, but they didn’t want to leave their sleeping children behind, so they left early.

“I was planning to bathe the twins,” Hu Xiu said, taking Guoguo from her son’s arms, undressing him, and tucking him into bed. Then she reached for Miaomiao from her daughter-in-law’s arms.

Knowing her mother-in-law liked cleanliness, Lin Ting suggested, “Should I get some warm water to wipe their hands and feet?”

Hu Xiu shook her head. “Forget it. We’ll change the quilt tomorrow.”

Children could skip a bath, but adults couldn’t. After settling the twins, Hu Xiu and Lin Ting grabbed their packed toiletries and rushed to the bathroom for a quick shower before hurrying back—such was life with young children at home.

By the time they returned, Hu Xiu’s short hair had already dried. Before heading to her bedroom, she reminded her son not to touch the luggage, as she wanted to sort it herself.

Lin Ting liked having long hair, but at moments like these, she envied short hair that dried quickly. Even though her eyelids were drooping, she still had to force herself to dry her hair.

When Huo Xiao entered the bedroom to grab clean clothes for his shower, he saw his wife sitting on the bed, struggling to dry her long black hair while yawning. She looked exhausted yet determined.

He wanted to laugh at her pitiful state but also felt a pang of sympathy. His mother had whispered to him earlier that Tingting had barely slept for days while taking care of her and the children.

Thinking of this, Huo Xiao grabbed a dry towel, lifted his wife’s long hair, and started drying it for her.

Lin Ting was so sleepy that it took her a few seconds to realize what he was doing. Normally, she would have felt shy about the intimate gesture, but she was too exhausted to care and just let him continue.

However, her thick, long hair was difficult to dry without a hair dryer. She wasn’t sure how long he had been drying it when she finally gave in to sleep, resting her head against his waist. Her mind was still somewhat awake, but her body refused to move.

She could feel Huo Xiao’s large hand gently soothing her head. Then, he carefully laid her down and tucked her in.

She even felt him kiss her forehead softly.

Just as she drifted into deep sleep, his words snapped her back to wakefulness.

“I was planning to tell you earlier that Guoguo and Miaomiao aren’t my biological children, but I guess it’ll have to wait until tomorrow… I wonder if you’d mind.”

Lin Ting’s mind froze.

What…what did he just say?

Her groggy brain restarted. When she finally processed his words, she jolted upright, staring at him with bloodshot, sleepy eyes. “What did you just say?”

Huo Xiao hesitated.

It seemed like… she cared a lot?

***

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