The two took a walk in the courtyard in the morning. Song Yan was about to tell Deputy Division Commander Zhao that she was leaving; she didn't want to eat breakfast at the Public Security Bureau. She was afraid it would create a bad impression.

"Is this a grapevine?" Song Yan said, looking at the winding vines wrapped around the support.

“These are wild grapes. They can still bear fruit every year, but they don’t taste very good,” Shi Quan replied.

Shi Quan's attitude was quite good; it wouldn't be right for him to always have a cold face. Song Yan gently tugged at Wei Aiguo's sleeve.

Wei Aiguo understood Song Yan's meaning, and besides, he had overcome his initial fear and anger.

The two greeted each other politely.

Song Yan casually broke off a section of grapevine...

Shi Quan warmly invited Wei Aiguo and Song Yan to eat in the canteen. Song Yan didn't really want to take advantage of this. But the comrades were so enthusiastic! Alas, several more police officers arrived, plus some military personnel, which really overwhelmed Song Yan.

Lin Tao grabbed Wei Aiguo's arm: "Let's go, let's go! Your wife is a hero. We don't know her well yet." Lin Tao suddenly lowered his voice again, "You didn't tire her out, did you? You need to take good care of your delicate wife!"

Wei Aiguo suddenly stopped and looked at Lin Tao with a very serious expression.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is it because you're not good enough?"

It's not unreasonable for a group of men to make some crude jokes together. But Wei Aiguo didn't want others to say anything crude about Song Yan. "My wife said she has a jar of pickled vegetables at home, and she wants to bring it over. I think we should forget about it," Wei Aiguo said, and then strode forward to catch up with Song Yan, pushing Shi Quan, who was talking enthusiastically with Song Yan, aside.

"Ugh, why is he so stingy?" Lin Tao's good mood was ruined. This Wei Aiguo was really something.

"What's wrong? Who's being stingy?" The regimental commander and deputy division commander arrived.

Lin Tao opened his mouth but said nothing. How could he forget that Wei Aiguo hated it most when people joked about his wife? Pang Tao was a prime example. "I wasn't talking about anyone," he said, and then ran off. If everyone found out, he might have ruined an entire jar of pickled vegetables…

Lin Tao was unhappy throughout the meal.

Wei Aiguo was very happy as he diligently served his wife the meal, but when he saw Lin Tao's expression, the rice in his bowl tasted even better.

Serves him right! Lin Tao was being cheeky yesterday, and he's being cheeky again today…

Aside from the military personnel, the only people eating breakfast in the canteen were police officers working the night shift. Female officers in the Public Security Bureau usually work in administrative positions and don't need to work night shifts. In the morning, Song Yan was the only woman in the canteen; the rest were all men. Wei Aiguo's attentiveness made Song Yan quite uncomfortable.

Actually, no one laughed at Wei Aiguo. Even the police officers knew how tough it was to be a soldier. Some couples wouldn't see each other even once a year. Song Yan was courageous and skilled in martial arts. In everyone's perception, a woman like her would be tall and strong. But Song Yan wasn't like that; she was quite slender and ate very politely. She wasn't exactly delicate, but she was close enough. As her husband, how could Wei Aiguo not take special care of her?

After finishing breakfast, Song Yan couldn't wait to leave. Wei Aiguo, however, wouldn't allow it and told her to go back to her room. He suggested she try asking her supervisor for leave herself. After all, he couldn't offer much help with the work here.

When Wei Aiguo was about to go to see his boss, he suddenly remembered that the canned food from yesterday was prepared by his boss. He couldn't very well ask his boss to pay for it out of his own pocket.

Song Yan suddenly thought of this as well.

When Wei Aiguo opened his mouth to ask his wife for money, she clutched it tightly in her hand. "Yesterday's canned goods were paid for by your boss, right? I don't have the canning coupons, but you still have to pay me back!"

Wei Aiguo suddenly pulled Song Yan close, their foreheads touching. "How come you thought the same thing as me?" he said, then kissed her on the cheek before leaving…

It's true that Wei Aiguo was going to ask for leave, but he also wanted to try to get some help for Chang Xiaohu...

Deputy Division Commander Zhao listened to Wei Aiguo's words and pondered for a moment. Chang Xiaohu had indeed rendered meritorious service, and a leniency should be possible. Chang Xiaohu was still young, and he might not be suited to work. But if he didn't work, who would support him? Sending him back to his hometown would only leave him to wander the streets. This child wanted to learn a good life…

Deputy Division Commander Zhao was growing increasingly fond of Wei Aiguo, this soldier. His keen observation skills were evident in his discovery of the two men's unusual behavior in the mountains. His ability to follow them all the way to J City demonstrated his alertness. His skill in infiltrating the black market and obtaining intelligence showed his shrewdness and cunning.

Especially his decisive action in killing the criminal on the spot. It's really not easy for a new recruit who has only been handling a gun for a few months to do that.

According to Deputy Division Commander Zhao, the Public Security Bureau has already set up a cordon and will conduct a full-scale crackdown on the black market today. Chang Xiaohu is lucky to have encountered Wei Aiguo, as he wasn't prosecuted. Wei Aiguo is even here to advocate for him, which shows his loyalty and compassion.

"You little rascal, you've got a lot on your plate these days. You're on leave today, go spend time with your wife! But you have to be back at your unit tonight," said Deputy Division Commander Zhao.

Does Deputy Division Commander Zhao mean he agrees to take charge? Wei Aiguo immediately saluted. "Thank you, sir."

"roll!"

…

Song Yan was quite happy that Wei Aiguo was able to take leave to come.

He met Song Yan's parents last night. But he wondered if he should also visit Song Yan's other relatives.

Song Yan thought Wei Aiguo's suggestion was acceptable. "Let's go see Auntie and the others!"

Song Yan bought some pastries and carried them around. Actually, this was a perfectly acceptable gift for visiting relatives these days. Compared to the apples she brought last time, it was a bit meager. She wondered if her aunt and uncle would think Wei Aiguo was stingy. But what could she do?