When Zhan Xian returned home, he saw his wife and daughter, waiting in the yard, eagerly looking at him.

He smiled and asked, “What are you all doing here?”

Ning Qin replied, “Just soaking up the sun, Brother Xian. How did it go? Is everything resolved? It’s not fair to blame Xiao Qian for this. She was just kindly inviting them for dinner, and also speaking up for me.” In front of Zhan Xian, she always played the role of a good mother defending her daughter.

“It’s all settled now. That kid just had a minor injury to his back, a bit of ointment and rest for a few days will do.” Zhan Xian said, “I had a long chat with Captain Lin about other matters. Let me tell you about it…” He then turned to Xiao Qian, “Xiao Qian, it’s time for you to go to school.”

“Okay, I’m off to school!” Zhan Qian happily bounced away to school.

With only Ning Qin and Zhan Xian left in the yard, Zhan Xian went over to support Ning Qin and said, “Let’s talk inside.”

Ning Qin felt a bit nervous, not knowing what Lin Guodong and Zhan Xian had discussed.

But she tried to remain calm, saying, “Okay.”

The couple entered the house, Zhan Xian helped Ning Qin to sit down, then began discussing his conversation with Lin Guodong, “Today, I talked with Captain Lin about our future. It seems the conflict between you and Ning Shu might not be reconcilable. What do you think?”

Ning Qin really wanted to say it wasn’t true, but that would be deceiving herself.

She was well aware of how they treated Ning Shu in the past, and she knew Ning Shu was not one to forgive easily.

If things continued like this, they would only get uglier.

And if it did, both Zhan Xian and her in-laws would blame her. So, she couldn’t afford to have a falling out with Ning Shu.

“I don’t know either.” In the end, Ning Qin could only offer this vague response.

Zhan Xian didn’t mind her answer and continued, “If you and Ning Shu can’t resolve your issues, the kids next door and Zhan Qian will continue to argue because of your conflicts. Since we’re all neighbors, it’s not good for the kids to keep quarreling. So, Caprain Lin and I discussed it and decided that one of the families should move to another place. We won’t be neighbors anymore. This way, we’ll reduce the chances of interaction and it won’t be so awkward.” He didn’t mention that it was Lin Guodong’s suggestion, not wanting his wife to argue with the Lin family again, leading to a big fight.

Ning Qin’s eyes lit up when she heard this solution.

She agreed with it because she also didn’t want to have any more contact with Ning Shu.

Actually, Ning Qin was a little afraid of Ning Shu.

Ning Shu had been a bit rebellious since childhood, and she was daring.

Ning Qin wasn’t her match even when they were kids, and now, if they were to argue again, she was afraid she would lose again.

As for telling her parents-in-law, Ning Qin hadn’t even thought about it.

Just like she understood Ning Shu’s parents, she also understood her own. Ning Shu had caused trouble for her parents-in-law since childhood, and now that Ning Shu had succeeded and married the battalion commander, for the sake of Ning Qi, her parents-in-law might even help Ning Shu.

But even if they didn’t help, Ning Qin didn’t want her family to know about her current situation.

She had her pride.

At the same time, she was afraid of making the situation worse and how her in-laws would see her.

“Which family will move out?” Ning Qin asked. “If it’s our family, it will be embarrassing. If it’s their family…” With Ning Shu’s personality, they definitely wouldn’t move out.

But if their family slipped away quietly, who knows what people would say behind their backs? Ning Qin felt embarrassed at the thought.

“I have an idea,” Zhan Xian said. “It wouldn’t look good if our family just moved out like this. So, I thought, since you’re pregnant now, we could say that you need someone to take care of you during pregnancy and that you’ve gone back to our hometown to let my mom take care of you. With you gone, I’ll terminate the lease for this place in a few days. In a few months, I’ll apply for a new house. By the time you come back, we’ll say the pregnancy is stable. This way, if we move to a new place, no one will say anything.”

Ning Qin thought Zhan Xian’s proposal was indeed a good idea.

She wasn’t worried about her in-laws not allowing her to accompany the military.

She understood her in-laws a bit, despite having known them for a short time. Both of them were workers and would approve of her accompanying the military.

This time, since she was pregnant, going back to her in-laws’ to rest during pregnancy would be a big favor to the Zhan family.

Compared to doing everything by herself here, it was indeed better to rest at her in-laws’. But she asked, “What about Zhan Qian if you terminate the lease?”

“Zhan Qian will go back to our hometown with you. Then, you’ll come back together when the time comes,” Zhan Xian replied.

“Then you can rest assured, I’ll take good care of Zhan Qian,” Ning Qin thought to herself.

Zhan Qian listened to her, so it would be fine to take her away, ensuring that everything remained under her control.

After the two of them discussed and finalized the plan, Zhan Xian said, “Since you’re pregnant and the doctor advised you to rest, and I have no missions recently, I’ll take leave to accompany you back.” He also intended to inquire about Ning Shu and Ning Qin’s affairs while there.

With Zhan Xian accompanying them back, Ning Qin felt reassured.

Little did she know that Zhan Xian had other motives for this trip back home.

———

“Dad, Mom, hurry up!” Er Bao urged.

The three kids ran ahead, while Lin Guodong and Ning Shu walked behind at a leisurely pace.

Strictly speaking, it was Ning Shu who walked slowly, and Lin Guodong adjusted his pace to accommodate her, taking longer strides than usual.

“We just finished eating, don’t run so fast,” Ning Shu said.

But the usually obedient three kids didn’t listen. They missed their dog and wanted to see it as soon as possible.

So, the three kids ran back to their parents and started pushing them forward.

Yi Bao and Er Bao each took one parent, while San Bao glanced between the two and then stood behind his dad, joining in the pushing with little grunts.

Family members on the sides of the road noticed.

Some watched, while others waited until they were far away before saying to those nearby, “The relationship between these newcomers and their man is really good.”

They couldn’t exactly pinpoint why, but it just seemed nice.

Of course, some disagreed, “The family members look frivolous.”

“Yeah, I heard the teacher Ning Qin from Captain Zhang’s house is her sister. She doesn’t seem as good as Teacher Ning Qin.”

But regardless of what others thought, Ning Shu didn’t know, nor did she care.

The family of five arrived at the entrance of the camp. Without a guide, even family members couldn’t enter the camp.

The area for the military dogs’ activities was in the training ground of the camp. Although the training and breeding of military dogs had been discontinued, the space remained for the dogs to play and rest.

Of course, occasionally soldiers would come to train the military dogs, which was also necessary for mission readiness, to cultivate the bond between the dogs and the soldiers, and to increase the rapport between them.

“Captain Lin, all the retired military dogs due to injuries are here,” the soldier in charge of taking care of the dogs led Lin Guodong’s family into a large warehouse. “Take a look around, and let me introduce them to you.”

Inside the warehouse, many military dogs were lying down. When they heard the commotion, some of them lifted their heads or stood up and looked towards the entrance.

Seeing the familiar soldiers and the unfamiliar faces, two of the dogs approached, rubbing against the soldiers’ pants, showing affection.

Although they didn’t recognize Lin Guodong and his family, they recognized the uniform Lin Guodong was wearing. Wearing such a uniform meant they were one of them.

The soldier patted the heads of the two dogs and said with a smile, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, meet my comrade, Captain Lin Guodong, and his family.”

Of course, the dogs couldn’t understand his words, but their long-standing rapport made them understand what the soldier was doing.

So, the two dogs crouched down and extended a paw towards Lin Guodong: a handshake.

Ning Shu, seeing this, said, “Let me do it.”

It wasn’t that she was bold, but she trusted the military dogs. “Will they bite if I touch them?” Although she trusted them, she still asked cautiously.

“They won’t, they won’t bite humans. In their training, humans are considered family,” the soldier explained with a smile.

Hearing this reassurance from the soldier, Ning Shu felt relieved.

She extended her hand and said, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, hello. I’m Ning Shu, your friend. Nice to meet you.” She reached out both hands simultaneously, one to each dog, shaking paws with Da Mao and Tie Dan.

Their fur wasn’t particularly soft or shiny.

After all, in this era, conditions for raising dogs couldn’t compare to those in the future.

But Ning Shu still felt their fur was soft.

“Mom, hurry, I want to shake hands with the doggies too,” Er Bao urged.

“Mom…” San Bao was also excited, his cheeks turning red.

It can be said that no child can resist the temptation of dogs, especially those as understanding as these military dogs.

Ning Shu let go of their hands and stepped aside. “Alright, it’s your turn.”

As soon as Da Mao and Tie Dan withdrew their paws, they saw the three kids reaching out to them.

“Da Mao, Tie Dan, hello. I’m Yi Bao, your friend,” Yi Bao introduced himself, following his mother’s example.

“Da Mao, Tie Dan, hello. I’m Er Bao, also your friend,” Er Bao introduced himself in the same way.

When it was San Bao’s turn, he couldn’t express himself as smoothly, so he simply said, “Hello, I’m San Bao.”

Three tender little hands, three adorable smiles.

Seeing them, Da Mao and Tie Dan also extended their paws.

They didn’t interact with many people here, apart from those who took care of them and the soldiers who needed them for missions.

Especially not such young children.

So Da Mao and Tie Dan were a bit reserved, afraid of accidentally hurting the kids with their paws.

They extended their paws cautiously, trying not to touch the three little kids too hard, as their paws were quite sturdy.

In the eyes of Da Mao and Tie Dan, they were also young ones who needed protection.

“Mom, they shook hands with us,” Yi Bao exclaimed excitedly.

“I don’t want to wash my hands today, Mom,” Er Bao chimed in.

San Bao was even more direct.

He lunged forward, trying to hug Da Mao… but he lost his balance and fell over. And then, something magical happened…!