Chapter 328 Farewell
Zhou Xiye felt Jiang Zhizhi squeeze his hand tightly and could feel the warm sweat on her palm.
She was clearly nervous about something, so I gently squeezed her hand: "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"
Jiang Zhizhi chuckled: "Are you nervous about having a baby? Do you prefer a boy or a girl?"
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "Anything is fine. We'll talk about it after you graduate."
He wasn't in a hurry to have children. He always felt it was unfair to Jiang Zhizhi to get pregnant and have a child right after graduation. She had studied so hard, but hadn't achieved anything in her career yet. Getting pregnant and having a child right away would take up a lot of her time.
He even had a very trendy idea: if possible, he and Jiang Zhizhi could choose not to have children and just the two of them would be fine for life.
He didn't voice this thought, fearing that Jiang Zhizhi would overthink it and think he didn't want children.
...
Jiang Zhizhi had a tough New Year, spending her days visiting relatives and friends and her nights partying.
Zhou Xiye had a very fulfilling New Year.
Time flies, and on the afternoon of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Xiye received a phone call asking him to return to the army on the fifth day.
Fang Hua was completely stunned when he heard the news: "Why is it suddenly being moved up? Wasn't it supposed to be after the fifteenth?"
Zhou Xiye declined to elaborate, saying, "There were last-minute arrangements, and there just happened to be a plane available."
Zhou Chengzhi waved his hand: "Isn't it normal for things to change at any time? Alright, hurry up and pack your things, I'll take you to the airport first thing tomorrow morning."
Jiang Zhizhi was picking vegetables when she heard the news. She was stunned and stared blankly at Zhou Xiye.
Although I had been mentally prepared, I still couldn't accept the sudden separation; my heart felt hollowed out.
Zhou Xiye first looked at Jiang Zhizhi, and seeing that her little face was tense and about to cry, he walked over and took the celery from her hand: "I will come back when I have time off."
Jiang Zhizhi never thought she was a crybaby, but Zhou Xiye's words made her unable to hold back her tears, which fell down in a flash.
Zhou Xiye felt as if that tear was burning his heart. He raised his hand and used his thumb to wipe the tear off her face: "Don't cry. I haven't left yet. I'll write to you when I get there, and call you when I have the chance, okay?"
When Jiang Zhizhi shed tears, Fang Hua also started crying.
The main reason is that we've seen each other frequently in the past two years and have gotten used to such happy and frequent reunions. Suddenly we have to separate and go to such a far place. When will we be able to come back?
It will be very difficult to even meet them then.
The more I think about it, the sadder I become.
Zhou Chengzhi said repeatedly from the side, "Look at you two, how can Xiye go out with peace of mind when you're like this? You guys... alright, stop crying, cheer up. It's not like he's not coming back."
Jiang Zhizhi quickly wiped away her tears, suppressing her own sadness as she comforted Fang Hua: "Mom, Dad is right. It's not like Xiye isn't coming back. If we keep acting like this, he'll be worried when he gets there."
Fang Hua silently shed tears for a while, then called out to the nanny, Sister Chen, "Sister Chen, bring out a piece of meat. We're making dumplings tonight!"
After dinner, Jiang Zhizhi followed Zhou Xiye back to the room to pack her things. Watching him take the clothes out of the closet and fold them one by one, she felt sad again. She hugged his waist from behind, pressed her face against his back without saying a word, like conjoined twins, following him wherever he went.
Zhou Xiye also felt a lot of reluctance in his heart, and could only patiently comfort him: "I will write to you when I arrive, and you can come to see me during your summer vacation."
Jiang Zhizhi still clung to him affectionately, her reluctance mixed with worry: "You must be careful and don't get hurt. If you do get hurt, don't hide it from me."
Zhou Xiye responded to each of her requests. That night, he also sensed Jiang Zhizhi's worry and fear in addition to her reluctance to part.
He couldn't understand what Jiang Zhizhi was worried about or afraid of, so he could only kiss her repeatedly to comfort her.
Jiang Zhizhi was so exhausted that she didn't have time to think about anything else, and she didn't stop until dawn.
When Zhou Xiye left, Jiang Zhizhi, despite feeling unwell, went with Fang Hua to the front gate.
Watching the car drive away, Fang Hua couldn't hold back her tears, which fell again. She felt even more heartbroken and reluctant to part with Zhou Xiye when he first left to join the army.
Although Jiang Zhizhi felt a void in her heart, she didn't cry. She held Fang Hua's hand and comforted her, "Mom, it's okay. After I graduate, we can go see Zhou Xiye together. Then our family will still be together."
Fang Hua sighed, "I'm really getting old. I never felt anything before, but now it makes me very sad when I think about it."
Jiang Zhizhi took her arm and said, "Let's go home first, it'll be fine in a couple of days."
As the two were nearing home, they ran into Shang Shiying.
Shang Shiying was quite surprised to hear that Zhou Xiye had returned to the army today: "Why so suddenly? Didn't we say it would be after the fifteenth?"
Fang Hua felt somewhat saddened when she brought it up: "I suddenly had a mission."
Shang Shiying sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it. That's what they do in this line of work. Look at Si Min, it's been over a year and there's still no news. Li Chengzhang comforts me at home every day, saying that no news is good news."
"But I'm a mother. Even if I understand all these big principles, I still want to know if my son is eating well, whether he's gained or lost weight. I'm not as heartless as him. No news is the best news. I can't help it."
Fang Hua nodded repeatedly: "Yes, that's true, but it's still very painful."
As Jiang Zhizhi listened, a fragment flashed through her mind, too fast to grasp, as if she had overlooked something.
Fang Hua desperately needed someone to chat with to distract her, so she invited Shang Shiying to her house for a chat.
Shang Shiying asked around and confirmed that Fang Hua had no guests at home today, then followed him inside.
First they talked about the children, then complained about how much trouble they caused, and then they mentioned Li Yuanchao and Shang Xingzhou, who had been in the army for two years and hadn't come back.
Jiang Zhizhi listened quietly. She had been corresponding with Shang Xingzhou and Li Yuanchao and knew that the two were very ambitious and wanted to make a name for themselves in the army.
Shang Shiying changed the subject again, suddenly bringing up Song Man: "I heard that Song Man is getting married? Have you heard?"
Jiang Zhizhi shook her head: "No, I haven't seen Sister Song Man recently. It seems like she's been working overtime all the time during the Chinese New Year."
Fang Hua hadn't heard either: "I haven't seen Chen Limin recently, so I don't think she's married. If she were, she would definitely come to show off."
Shang Shiying didn't know either: "I heard it from Sun, the big loudspeaker in the compound. She said that before the New Year, she saw Song Man come back with a man, carrying some things. They looked like a couple."
Fang Hua pondered for a moment: "It would be great if we could get married. Song Man is already thirty; if she doesn't get married soon, she'll really become an old maid. Besides, is Song Man waiting for your Si Min to get married?"
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