505

On the way back, Wei Xin's back was already soaked with cold sweat, and the blue cloth shirt clinging to her body felt stuffy and heavy. As she passed the general store, the owner behind the counter slowly glanced at her, then reached out and made a clattering sound on the abacus beads—three long, two short, a code to confirm that the intelligence had been received.

Wei Xin's fingers, hanging by her side, curled slightly, then slowly relaxed, and she continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

When she finally returned to the military family quarters, the sun was already setting. Wei Xin touched the copy of the secret report hidden in her bosom, her heart still pounding in her chest.

This rendezvous, conducted without a single word, was filled with hidden meanings in every glance and gesture, and a new conspiracy was quietly brewing in the shadows, like the lingering ripples on the moat.

Unbeknownst to Wei Xin, all of this was being observed by the military personnel responsible for tracking her. However, the way they were communicating was incomprehensible to them. The only person she made contact with was the man who accepted the handkerchief.

They could only report the truth upon their return. Commander Kang frowned, while Wei Xin returned looking relaxed, clearly indicating the message had been passed on. However, she hadn't contacted anyone the entire time; how exactly did the message get out?

This left Commander Kang completely baffled. However, they still needed to strengthen their precautions.

The night before her departure, Lin Cuicui received a message from Commander Kang. Lin Cuicui was startled after reading it. She assumed the spy's invitation to the border town meant the operation would take place there.

However, Commander Kang and his team's analysis suggested that the border town might just be a pretext, and what they really wanted was to take Lin Cuicui away directly on the ship. Lin Cuicui suddenly became a little anxious.

She couldn't swim. A landlubber from the north, even after coming to the South Island, she had no chance to learn. If something really happened on the ship, she wouldn't even have a chance to jump overboard and escape.

"What's wrong? Has anything changed?" Old Li asked with concern, holding Xixi in his arms. Xixi's big eyes were also fixed on Lin Cuicui.

Lin Cuicui looked at the old man and the child in front of her and smiled, "It's nothing, I just feel that Commander Kang and the others are very thoughtful. It's alright, Dad, don't worry. Tomorrow after I leave, Dad, you must put on an invisibility talisman and then leave with Xixi."

I've already spoken to Commander Kang; you can go find him yourselves, no military escort is needed.

Old Li nodded. Since there was no one in between, their chances of coming into contact with spies in the army were even smaller. He had no objections.

The next morning, the boat was scheduled to depart at 6:30. Lin Cuicui had just gotten up and finished getting ready, and hadn't even eaten a bite of food when Wei Xin knocked on her gate. Lin Cuicui saw it was her and quickly came out to greet her. At the same time, she gave Old Li some instructions.

"Oh, Sister Wei, you're up so early! Have you eaten yet? I was just about to eat."

Wei Xin followed her into the courtyard. She subtly looked around and, finding no outsiders, replied with a faint smile, "I've already eaten. I was thinking about going to the border town today, so I didn't sleep well last night and woke up early."

"Sister-in-law, I'm fine. You should eat first. There's still time. I just couldn't sit still at home, so I came to find you. Please don't mind."

Lin Cuicui laughed heartily, "Oh, it's nothing. Sister-in-law Wei, you're being too polite."

Wei Xin smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, it feels awkward that we both call each other 'sister-in-law.' I'm 31 this year, so who's older?"

Lin Cuicui quickly waved her hand, "Then you are a year older than me, sister-in-law. But sister-in-law, your battalion commander Yang is already in a high position, so it is only right that I call you sister-in-law."

Wei Xin smiled and said, "Then I'll call you Sister Lin from now on."

"Okay, sister-in-law, you can call me whatever you want. I'll eat something first."

Wei Xin followed her into the house and saw that only Lin Cuicui was eating. She asked casually, "Xixi hasn't gotten up yet."

Speaking of this, Lin Cuicui sighed softly, "This child, I don't know what happened. He was fine yesterday, but somehow he caught a cold last night. He had diarrhea several times throughout the night and didn't fall asleep until dawn."

My dad's watching.

Wei Xin's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't show it on her face. She pretended to be concerned and asked, "Oh dear, children are all weak. Is it serious? Have you taken him to the clinic?"

Lin Cuicui shook her head, "I think he's much better now, so I thought I'd let him sleep for a while. If he stops having diarrhea, he should be fine."

Wei Xin thought to herself, "How can there be no problem? Does she not want to take the child with her? That won't do! Without the child, she'll lose a bargaining chip. Besides, if Lin Cuicui doesn't cooperate, she can still use the child to threaten her."

If this child doesn't go, wouldn't her chances of winning decrease even further?

"Sister-in-law, we can take Xixi to the hospital in the border town. The hospital there is bigger and the medical facilities are better than here. We can give the child a thorough check-up and see what the problem is."

Lin Cuicui hesitated, realizing that Wei Xin's words made sense.

Old Li came out from the inner room and saw that Lin Cuicui seemed interested. He frowned unhappily and said, "Why go? Every child catches a cold or gets diarrhea. They can just sleep at home and be fine. Why waste money?"

"Go do what you're supposed to do; I can take good care of the kids at home."

Lin Cuicui immediately put on a learned expression, "Then, thank you for taking care of Xixi all day, Dad."

Wei Xin...

Lin Cuicui is such a mess! She has absolutely no opinions of her own, she can't even make decisions about her own child?

She casually added, "Things are different now than before. If a child is sick, it's best to take them to a big hospital."

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