Because she was so excited, Zhao Qinglan only slept for two hours that night and got up very early.

She didn't take much with her when she left the Wang family home; many of her belongings were things she had only recently acquired, and she packed them all into two bags.

After packing up, the mother and daughter had just gone downstairs with their things when they saw the girl at the guesthouse reception stand up.

"Are you leaving now?"

Zhao Qinglan nodded.

These past few days, Li Huai has been bringing Zhao Qinglan and her daughter back home. The receptionist also learned about Zhao Qinglan's remarriage and even ate a few pieces of wedding candy to share in the joy.

It's rare for someone to stay in a guesthouse for so many days, and Zhao Qinglan's plight evoked sympathy from the receptionist, who helped them quite a bit during this time.

The receptionist was quite reluctant to see the mother and daughter leave so suddenly.

"Sister, live your life well. If you have the chance in the future, come back and visit."

"Don't worry, if I bring Xiaoduo back, I guarantee I'll come to see you."

As they were talking and laughing, Li Huai's tall figure appeared at the door.

He didn't bring much with him when he went out. Even though he bought some things, he was still only carrying a large military bag.

Knowing that she was going to the army with Li Huai, Zhao Qinglan didn't want to buy too many things. If she was missing anything, she could buy it when she got there.

They snatched a bag from Zhao Qinglan's hand, said goodbye to the receptionist, and left.

Li Aiguo and his wife were originally going to take them to the train station, but Li Huai didn't want to trouble them, so he came by himself.

The train station wasn't too far from the guesthouse where Zhao Qinglan was staying, so the three of them walked there.

Because it was still early and quite cold, Xiao Duo and Zhao Qinglan were both wrapped in thick scarves, and Xiao Duo was also wearing a cotton hat.

Zhao Qinglan carried a bag in one hand and held her daughter's hand in the other.

"Have you eaten?" Zhao Qinglan asked as they walked down the street.

Li Huai nodded. "I've eaten. Sister Sui and Aunt Li also brought me some pancakes and boiled eggs. You can have some too later."

“Okay.” Zhao Qinglan didn’t stand on ceremony at all.

Both of them were married, and given her understanding and closeness with Li Huai, it would be difficult for her to pretend to be polite.

There weren't many people in the train station waiting room, but a few were sleeping in the corner, probably because of the cold weather and they were all bundled up tightly.

This is a small station. Unless it's a holiday, there aren't many people traveling. Usually, those who go out are on official business trips.

They arrived quite early; the train wouldn't start boarding for another hour, so the three of them waited in the waiting room.

Li Huai took out pancakes and boiled eggs from his bag, and then picked up his military water bottle to fill it with some hot water.

Since Zhao Qinglan was staying at the guesthouse, she couldn't cook. The only food she brought was biscuits and malted milk powder bought from the supply and marketing cooperative. Now that there were pancakes and eggs, she wouldn't let her daughter eat those.

She was full after eating a pancake and an egg. Watching her daughter eat slowly, she started talking to Li Huai.

"Are Yan Sen and Yan Xun alright?"

"It's alright." Li Huai's expression became somewhat unnatural when he mentioned his son.

He spoke with the regimental commander on the phone and naturally inquired about the situation of his two sons. The regimental commander had tried his best to downplay it, but he still knew that his sons were unwilling to accept their stepmother's arrival.

It's better not to think about it, because just thinking about Li Huai gives me a headache.

"Don't worry, it's normal for the kids to not accept it right away. Let's take it slowly and not force them. Kids are rebellious; the more you forbid them from doing something, the more they want to do it."

Hearing how understanding Zhao Qinglan was, Li Huaiyue felt that she was considerate, and his worries about returning home soon lessened.

Leaving aside the children, Zhao Qinglan inquired about some things in the family quarters, also to gain some understanding of their future life in advance.

There weren't any military secrets that couldn't be mentioned in the family quarters, so Li Huai just told them everything he could.

Hearing that one of her neighbors was the helpful regimental commander Li Huai, and that the commander's wife was also a nice person, and that the other house was temporarily vacant, Zhao Qinglan felt much more at ease.

Sometimes having a troublesome neighbor can be a real headache.

As the two were chatting, a man came out of the toilet, waving his hands. He turned around and his eyes were fixed on him.

Zhao Lao Er jogged to the corner of the wall and kicked the person who was still sleeping on the newspaper.

"Big brother, get up! What are you still sleeping for?"

Old Zhao opened his eyes groggily.

Wang, the second son's wife, who was lying down fully clothed, and Xiao Zou, the third son's wife, also sat up.

Four members of the Zhao family went to the city this time. Old Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Zou also wanted to come, but it was late at night and the weather was cold. They were afraid that they would fall ill if they went to the city, which would be a greater loss than gain, so they waited for news at home.

Zhao Laosan was too lazy to travel and suffer at night, while Zhao Qinglan's mother wanted to come, but the old lady disliked her and stopped her. In the end, it was Zhao Laoda and his three companions who went into the city.

However, before the Zhao family members set off, Old Mrs. Zhao gave them a long lecture and admonition.

"What the hell happened to your father?" Wang yawned.

"Look over there, isn't that Qinglan?" Zhao Lao Er pointed.

The group looked over and, sure enough, although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they still recognized their daughter and niece's features.

They all jumped up immediately, led by Boss Zhao, and rushed over.

Li Huai was speaking when he noticed someone approaching and frowned as he looked over.

The Zhao family members also arrived.

"Qinglan, you brat, we've finally got what we've been waiting for!" Old Zhao cursed.

Zhao Qinglan turned around and, good heavens, one, two, three, four, what are they doing here!

Zhao Lao Er gestured with his chin toward Li Huai. "You're the one Qing Lan just found?"

Li Huai looked at Zhao Qinglan with a puzzled expression.

Upon seeing who it was, Zhao Qinglan's expression turned grim.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!