Huo Yingjie felt somewhat uncomfortable being looked up and down by the woman in such an impolite manner, but he was thinking that he could hurry to the county town to catch the train, so he couldn't ignore her.

“That’s fine. My surname is Huo, you can call me Comrade Huo,” Huo Yingjie said succinctly, without looking to the side.

The young soldier, without any guile, smiled and said, "Comrade Huo, are you going home?"

"Yes, we're on holiday," Huo Yingjie replied.

"How long are your holidays?" the young soldier asked again, full of envy. He had been in the army for two years and had never been home once, and he missed home terribly.

"Ten days, plus my compensatory leave, a total of fourteen days," Huo Yingjie said, answering some trivial questions.

One of the female soldiers whispered to another female medic, "Wang Bing, I think I know where this person is from?"

It turned out that the woman who had spoken rather harshly earlier was named Wang Bing. At this moment, Wang Bing was looking at the back of Huo Yingjie's head and whispered, "Feng Qiaoqiao, are you talking nonsense? Even I don't know, how could you?"

“Of course I know. You see, although he’s wearing a military uniform, it’s a bit different from ours. And since he’s here, he must be a researcher at the weapons research institute,” Feng Qiaoqiao replied. “So it’s understandable that he said it was confidential just now.”

"Oh, I see." Wang Bing nodded. This man did not seem like a rough and rugged man who would brave wind and rain. On the contrary, he was gentle and composed.

“Where do you live? Maybe we can even ride the same train!” Feng Qiaoqiao said with a smile. “We’re also going home for the holidays.”

Huo Yingjie succinctly replied, "Nanshi!"

“Oh my, we’re going back to Nanshi too! What a coincidence, we’re even from the same hometown!” Feng Qiaoqiao said. “Is someone coming to pick you up? If not, have Wang Bing’s dad’s driver take you home.”

"No need," Huo Yingjie said. "My home is very close to the train station."

Wang Bing found Huo Yingjie increasingly attractive and, no longer holding back, asked, "Where do you live? We can come back together for the New Year."

“Yes, my mom will definitely bring me a lot of things, which I definitely won’t be able to carry. It would be much more convenient if a man came on the bus with me,” Feng Qiaoqiao said with a smile. “Right, Wang Bing?”

"Hehe, if you say that, Comrade Huo will be too scared to travel with us," Wang Bing said tentatively, wanting to see Huo Yingjie's reaction.

Huo Yingjie didn't mention his home address, nor did he continue their conversation. Instead, he acted as if he hadn't heard anything, staring straight ahead at the money.

Upon seeing this, Wang Bing and Feng Qiaoqiao exchanged a glance and both rolled their eyes. So what if she's good-looking? She's just a blockhead, completely clueless about romance!

Even the most naive young soldier could sense that Comrade Huo seemed uninterested in the two beauties of their unit, and he couldn't help but admire him. He also felt that Wang Bing and Feng Qiaoqiao were not good people; they were very obedient in front of their superiors, but in front of them, these greenhorns, although not arrogant, they were still very haughty, as if looking at them would lower their status.

There were only four doctors among so many soldiers in the army. They would bump into each other during training, which was commonplace. So even if they were dissatisfied, they dared not say anything because the doctors were women.

Huo Yingjie didn't answer. Feng Qiaoqiao and Wang Bing, feeling awkward, stopped talking, and the car became quiet.

Two hours later, we finally arrived in the county town.

"Go and line up to buy tickets for us." Feng Qiaoqiao took out her military officer's ID and asked the young soldier to buy tickets while they rested on the train.

The young soldier looked rather embarrassed and said, "The company commander instructed me to go back immediately after dropping you off at the station, as I have other things to do this afternoon!"

“It’s almost Chinese New Year, what could possibly happen! You go buy it, it’s cold outside, we’ll wait.” Feng Qiaoqiao said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Although Wang Bing didn't say this, he didn't stop her either.

The young soldier was so anxious he was about to cry. He rubbed his hands together, not knowing what to do.

Huo Yingjie patted him on the shoulder, then looked at Feng Qiaoqiao. Wang Bing said, "He's your comrade-in-arms, how can you make things difficult for him like this?"

“With so much stuff, we can’t buy tickets,” Feng Qiaoqiao said. “That’s our business, don’t meddle.”

Huo Yingjie chuckled coldly and said, "Alright, young comrade, go buy the ticket. I'll write a letter and send it to your post, proving that it was these two female comrades who ordered you to buy the ticket, which caused the delay."

Hearing Huo Yingjie's words, the young soldier was very grateful and said, "No need, Comrade Huo, I'll go buy the ticket..."

"No need!" Wang Bing got off the bus with her things, took her ID, and went to buy a ticket herself.

Seeing Wang Bing leave, Feng Qiaoqiao glared at Huo Yingjie, the young soldier, and stomped her foot to chase after him.

The young soldier was a little scared, worried that they would make things difficult for him when they came back next year.

"Don't be afraid!" Huo Yingjie said. "Explain these things to your company commander first. If your company commander is upright, he will definitely protect you."

The young soldier's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Our Company Commander Qi is so good, upright and fair."

"That's good." Huo Yingjie agreed, then suddenly remembered that He Tiantian had mentioned in a letter that her good friend Qi Xiaoyan had an older brother serving in the army in Nanshi. Could it be such a coincidence that this young soldier's company commander also had the surname Qi?

"Your company commander is Qi Rongjun?" Huo Yingjie asked tentatively.

The young soldier was taken aback for a moment, then scratched his head and said, "Hey, Comrade Huo, do you know our company commander?"

What a coincidence!

“I don’t know your Company Commander Qi, but I know people from Qijia Village. I heard he’s serving in the army here, and since you just said your surname is Qi, I asked out of curiosity,” Huo Yingjie said, patting the young soldier on the shoulder. “Go back quickly and be careful on the road.”

The young soldier was puzzled but didn't know what to ask, so he got into the car and left. He planned to go back and tell Company Commander Qi about it, asking if he knew a soldier surnamed "Huo".

When Huo Yingjie saw Wang Bing and Feng Qiaoqiao queuing, he went to another window to queue.

After waiting in line for half an hour, it was finally Huo Yingjie's turn. Suddenly, after hearing Feng Qiaoqiao say that she wanted a sleeper berth, Huo Yingjie decisively changed to a hard seat, so as not to share a small compartment with such a woman.

When Feng Qiaoqiao heard Huo Yingjie mention buying a hard-seat train ticket, she muttered, "Poor bastard!"

Wang Bing's eyes were also cold, and there was a hint of regret in them.

It's such a pity that such a beautiful face was wasted. It's rare to find a man who could catch her eye at first sight and leave a lasting impression. If his family had some connections, perhaps they could be a good match for the Wang family, but Huo Yingjie didn't.

Even if she liked a man like that, her parents wouldn't approve.

******

I highly recommend Xian Ke's new book, "The Vibrant Fragrance of Medicine." The female protagonist is intelligent, beautiful, and possesses both skill and strategy—don't miss it! (To be continued.)