Chapter 1: Seeking refuge (the story begins)
Go, Da Hu!
"Kick him in the lower body!"
"Watch out on the left!"
...
Wang Chunsheng rushed over from the reception desk and heard a series of loud shouts as soon as he got close to the training field.
Normally, he would have stopped to take a look and enjoy it, but now he couldn't care less. His anxious gaze swept over the extremely similar groups of people.
He scanned the area but still couldn't find the figure he was looking for, and muttered to himself:
"Didn't Commander Zhou say that Battalion Commander Ren was here?"
Just as he was wondering where to look for the person, the crowd that had just gathered suddenly dispersed, and familiar voices of praise rushed into his ears.
"Battalion Commander Ren is truly amazing! Who can possibly defeat him?"
Upon hearing the words "Battalion Commander Ren," Wang Chunsheng automatically recognized them, quickly looked up, and the moment he confirmed it was Ren Qingsong, his tense face relaxed slightly, and he ran quickly towards Ren Qingsong.
He ran while frantically waving his hands, trying to get Ren Qingsong to notice him as soon as possible.
Wang Chunsheng achieved his goal. Ren Qingsong wiped the sweat from his face and, with eyes as sharp as a hawk, immediately spotted Wang Chunsheng in the crowd.
The others also snapped out of their exhilarating battle and looked at Wang Chunsheng, who had suddenly appeared, with puzzled expressions.
Someone in the crowd remembered that Wang Chunsheng's team was responsible for the security of the camp today and should be standing guard at the main gate. Why did they suddenly come here?
At this moment, Ren Qingsong had already walked up to Wang Chunsheng, and his deep voice rang out, "What is it?"
Wang Chunsheng quickly saluted and replied in a rapid-fire voice, "Battalion Commander Ren, your family has arrived. Regiment Commander Zhou wants you to go and see them as soon as possible."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but recall the figure he had seen before, and his gaze toward Ren Qingsong held a hint of pity.
Upon hearing this, Ren Qingsong frowned slightly, wondering who the person who had come to his home was. He quickly walked towards the guesthouse next to the camp.
If he remembered correctly, the last letter was sent home two months ago, and the letter that arrived didn't mention who would be visiting.
But thinking that he hadn't seen his family for almost ten years, he walked faster and faster, and Wang Chunsheng couldn't keep up at all.
The group left behind on the training field watched the two figures disappear into the distance and couldn't help but start discussing what had just happened.
"Did I hear that right? Battalion Commander Ren's family has come to visit!"
"If I remember correctly, there's no application for Battalion Commander Ren on this list of family members accompanying the military. So who's here?"
"It's most likely Battalion Commander Ren's mother. It's been almost ten years since we last saw her. She's finally settled down and will definitely come to see her son. Besides, right now outside..."
The words were left unsaid, but everyone present understood what they meant.
On the other side, Ren Qingsong went from walking to brisk walking, and now he's jogging, leaving Wang Chunsheng far behind.
Before long, he arrived at the guesthouse at the entrance of the military camp.
Although it was called a guesthouse, it was actually just a simple bungalow used to check outsiders who wanted to enter the military camp and as a place for them to rest temporarily.
The soldier on guard saw Ren Qingsong and immediately saluted loudly, "Battalion Commander Ren!"
Ren Qingsong returned the salute, his gaze sweeping over a room with a tightly closed door. "Is the person looking for me in there?"
"Commander Zhou is here to pick up your wife, so please arrange for her to stay in room number one!"
Before he finished speaking, Ren Qingsong was already approaching the room.
The steady, powerful footsteps made a sound on the pebbly ground, startling Daya in the room. She could clearly feel the footsteps approaching her step by step.
The footsteps were like a dull knife pressed against her neck, threatening to cut her flesh at any moment.
Daya instinctively pulled the military overcoat she was wearing even tighter, buried her head in her chest, her body trembled violently, and curled up in the corner, like a rabbit whose territory had been suddenly invaded by an enemy, and could only try to escape the enemy's attack by fleeing.
As the door was pushed open, all of Daya's expectations vanished into thin air.
She gripped the military coat tighter and tighter, her hands straining so hard that it felt as if her bones were about to burst through the thin layer of skin.
The moment Ren Qingsong stepped into the room, his keen hearing immediately detected a rapid breathing sound inside. Following the sound, he saw a small figure in military green hiding in the corner.
The soldiers who came before said they knew Commander Zhou and that he had been assigned here. Commander Zhou must have already checked the letters of introduction from those who had come before.
Having not returned home for nearly ten years, Ren Qingsong could only gather and organize all the information from letters sent from home.
Not to mention the older and younger brothers in the family, even if they were starving, they wouldn't be this thin. The fourth sister also got married and had children early.
It wouldn't be just a few nieces, otherwise there would definitely be a mother among the people who came.
The moment Ren Qingsong arrived at the answer, a sense of helplessness flashed in his eyes. He covered his forehead and let out a long breath.
"Miya."
"Miya?"
"Da Ya?"
Upon hearing her name, Daya forgot her fear and instinctively lifted her head from under her military coat, her eyes meeting Ren Qingsong's calm, deep gaze.
When she realized what she had done, she quickly turned her head away.
With just one glance, Ren Qingsong immediately connected the small face in front of him with the innocent face in his memory.
But soon, he couldn't care less about the identity of the person who came; all he could see in his mind was Miya's thin, sunken face and her dry, claw-like hands.
If I remember correctly, whenever he stayed in one place over the years, he would always find a way to send his salary home. How could Miya have become so thin? Some people might even believe that Miya had fled from famine.
A nameless fear gripped Ren Qingsong's heart. He ran quickly toward Miya, trying to soften his voice.
"Miya, how are your parents at home?"
Upon hearing her parents' names, Daya couldn't help but recall the figures of her parents as she sat by the train window, listening to their earnest teachings, and remembering that the name of the body she was possessed by was Cui Miya.
He cautiously poked his head out and met Ren Qingsong's nervous expression.
She realized that the other person might have misunderstood, and she was anxious to say something, but she swallowed her saliva because of fear.
"Cough cough cough!"
A violent coughing fit erupted, Cui Miya's face flushed red, her brows furrowed, and she helplessly patted her chest with both hands.
Ren Qingsong didn't care about anything else. He pulled Miya's hand and walked towards the table in the center of the room. The moment he touched Miya's arm, a surge of soreness welled up in his heart.
Logically speaking, even the thickest part of his arm was still quite large when he wrapped his arm around it, which shows how slender Miya's figure is.
He quickly poured a bowl of tea and stuffed it into Miya's hand.
Cui Miya glanced at Ren Qingsong, took the tea, and sipped it several times to suppress the itching that was spreading in her throat.
When she realized what she had done, she slightly raised her eyelids, met Ren Qingsong's anxious gaze, and quickly looked away, leaning her body slightly backward like a taut bow.
"Third...Third Brother, Father and Mother are both well."
"Are you alright? How come you're so hungry? Didn't I send money home?"
The three questions in a row were enough to prove just how anxious Battalion Commander Ren was, despite his usually calm demeanor.
When hunger was mentioned, Cui Miya recalled the past three years of her life, giving Ren Qingsong an unbelievable answer.
"My mother said that even if you have money, you can't buy food."
Upon hearing this, Ren Qingsong was filled with deep regret. How could he not have thought of the difficulty in buying food, and how hungry his parents and brothers were with the money?
Just as Ren Qingsong was immersed in deep self-blame, Cui Miya continued to speak.
"So, seeing that this year's situation is estimated to be only slightly better than the previous three years, and that we're about to reach the lean season, and with you, Third Brother, having secured a stable job and location, thinking..."
“Third brother, you’re not young anymore, so Mother specially sent me here to reduce the family’s food consumption and also to avoid gossip in the village.”
When she said the last three words, Cui Miya felt as if her face was on fire, burning hot. Her eyes blinked rapidly, and she dared not look at the person sitting opposite her.
Ren Qingsong looked up and saw Miya's reddened ears, and immediately understood what she meant.
In the village, it was considered outrageous that he was still unmarried at his age.
Miya is almost eighteen this year. If she delays any longer, the gossip in the village will probably drive her to her death.
In a previous letter to his family, Ren Qingsong had already stated that he had no romantic feelings for Miya and instructed his parents to find her a reliable partner and not to take the rumors circulating in the village that Miya was a child bride of the Ren family seriously.
Perhaps it was the drought a few years ago that hindered the marriage, but what's the point of the parents sending someone over?
Ren Qingsong braced his hands on the table, pinching his brow with two fingers to suppress the headache, especially when he saw Miya across from him looking shy, his head almost split open.
He was only fourteen when he left home, and Miya was only seven or eight years old. How is there any difference between him and a beast when he has such thoughts?
Judging from Miya's appearance, she had clearly taken her mother's words to heart.
Ren Qingsong guessed correctly. Although Daya didn't know how she suddenly turned from Daya into Miya, she always regarded the words of her elders as gospel.
Moreover, she is very self-consistent with her past life and her current status as a child bride. If she hadn't married and had children at this age in her past life, her husband's family would have rejected her long ago.
Mother sent her here hoping she would carry on the family line for Third Brother.
"Third brother, I..."
Ren Qingsong subconsciously raised his hand to stop Miya from continuing, but before he could speak, he saw Miya with a tearful expression, which startled him so much that he immediately stood up.
“Miya, you are still young, don’t take your mother’s words to heart.”
"Third brother, I'm not young anymore. Mother is this age and already has an older brother." Cui Miya said, choking back tears with fear.
"But that was the past. Now it's a new era, where free love is valued. Arranged marriages are a product of feudal society and should be abandoned..."
Ren Qingsong raised his hand, wanting to instill more of the spirit of the new era in Miya and liberate her spiritual world, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Miya's eyes filled with tears and she was sobbing silently, instantly swallowing all the words he wanted to say.
He stood up nervously, wanting to say something to comfort him, but he didn't know what to say.
Her footsteps were hurried as she paced back and forth behind Miya, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. She raised her hand, scooped up her head, and then opened her mouth again.
“Miya, you’re only 17. It’s illegal to get married before you’re 18. You know it’s illegal. The government… no… the authorities don’t allow girls under 18 to get married. Otherwise, they’ll be arrested and imprisoned.”
"What?"
Miya squeezed out the incredulous sound through her teeth. How could the government be so nosy, even interfering with the age at which people can get married?
Ren Qingsong nodded affirmatively, showing absolutely no sign that he was lying.
In Miya's mind, her third brother, Ren Qingsong, was also an official and would definitely not lie to her, so she reluctantly suppressed the matter her mother had entrusted to her for the time being.
"But what about my mother... if I go back..."
But thinking about how she hadn't fulfilled her mother's wishes to marry her third brother and have children, Miya was a little afraid of what would happen when she returned home.
Seeing that Miya had temporarily forgotten about marrying him, Ren Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief. Looking into Miya's clear eyes, which were filled with fear like a frightened deer, he quickly spoke up to comfort her.
“Miya, you should stay in the family compound for now, as my sister. It might be difficult for you to go back home after the disaster. Let’s talk about it in a few days.”
A note from the author:
The story has begun! [Cat emoji][Cat emoji][Cat emoji]
Update tentatively scheduled for 6 PM, will follow the rankings before V-list.
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