On the third day, Rong Jiaojiao reluctantly bid farewell to Qing Xuanzi and boarded the train heading south alone.
No one saw Rong Jiaojiao off this time, nor did anyone notify her to pick her up. This is what the Xuanqing Sect goes through when entering the world for training, except that the age difference is different.
Rong Jiaojiao didn't tell her master to buy an upper bunk this time, so she got a lower bunk. The noisy carriage made her frown.
When Rong Jiaojiao saw a woman with two children, one older and one younger, who had bought a middle bunk and an upper bunk, she decided to do a good deed and exchanged her lower bunk for the woman's upper bunk.
The woman was extremely grateful and even gave him some candy.
After refusing, Rong Jiaojiao nimbly climbed to the upper bunk, shut down her hearing and smell, closed her eyes, and began her cultivation.
Once Rong Jiaojiao started cultivating, she couldn't stop. She thought she wouldn't eat since no one was with her this time, but she forgot that there were so many kind-hearted people in this era.
She boarded the bus at 10 a.m., got up around 2 or 3 a.m. to use the restroom, and continued on her way. She only drank a little water during that time, and by 9 p.m., she still hadn't eaten anything.
The woman who had switched beds with her couldn't help but call out to her. When Rong Jiaojiao opened her eyes and looked at her, the woman handed her a dry biscuit and said, "Little girl, I saw that you haven't eaten and I'm afraid you'll ruin your stomach from hunger. I don't have anything else to eat, but if you don't mind, you can have this."
Seeing that she looked to be in her early twenties, Rong Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Thank you, big sister. I have food, you just didn't see me eating it."
As he spoke, he pretended to reach into his pocket and pulled out a bag of cookies.
The woman, feeling embarrassed, said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I've disturbed your rest."
Rong Jiaojiao shook her head: "It's okay, my sister meant well."
For the rest of the journey, no one disturbed Rong Jiaojiao. Except for going to the toilet once, she seemed to be sleeping the rest of the time.
No matter how noisy the carriage was, Rong Jiaojiao slept soundly all the way to Taiyuan County.
When Rong Jiaojiao got off the bus, she saw that the woman was carrying a child in front of her, a large bag on her back, and holding a large bag in one hand and her eldest daughter's hand in the other.
Rong Jiaojiao couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she said, "Big sister, if you trust me, give me your bag and I'll help you carry it."
The older woman was both delighted and hesitant: "Little sister, this bag is quite heavy!"
Seeing that she wasn't afraid of her snatching her bag, Rong Jiaojiao directly reached out and said, "It's okay, I'm very strong, let's go!"
Without further hesitation, the woman released the bag and handed it to Rong Jiaojiao, saying gratefully, "Thank you for your help, little sister."
Rong Jiaojiao took the bag and carried it easily in her hand, as if the bag was not heavy.
She followed the woman out of the carriage and onto the platform.
The woman was secretly surprised to see Rong Jiaojiao walking so easily; the little girl looked so thin and small, but she was unexpectedly strong.
"Little sister, what's your name?" the woman asked curiously as she walked away.
"My name is Rong Jiaojiao."
The woman nodded: "Jiaojiao, a good name. My name is Zhao Lihua, this is my eldest daughter Pan Hongxiao, and this is my youngest son Pan Hongjun."
The two children, one about five years old and the other about three, smiled at Rong Jiaojiao when she looked at them, and Rong Jiaojiao returned their smiles.
Just then, Zhao Lihua's gaze was drawn to a figure in the distance.
The man was dressed in a pristine white naval uniform, making him stand out conspicuously.
He held up a wooden sign with her name clearly written on it.
She smiled and said, "Little sister, someone's here to pick me up!"
Rong Jiaojiao followed Zhao Lihua's gaze and saw a tall and straight young man standing in the middle of the platform, his snow-white naval uniform standing out in the crowd.
The three characters "Zhao Lihua" on the wooden sign in his hand were written neatly and powerfully.
Rong Jiaojiao was somewhat surprised; it seemed that the person beside her was a military family member!
Zhao Lihua, holding her daughter's hand, approached the man and said, "Comrade, I am Zhao Lihua!"
The young man saluted and said, "Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Liu Wenzhang. I've come to pick you up at the request of Deputy Battalion Commander Pan."
After saying that, he went up and helped Zhao Lihua take off the backpack on her back.
Zhao Lihua asked with some disappointment, "Where is he?"
The young man pursed his lips, but finally said, "Deputy Battalion Commander Pan was injured during a mission and is currently in the hospital."
When Zhao Lihua heard the news of her husband's injury, her face turned deathly pale. The little Red Army soldier in her arms seemed to sense his mother's unease and clutched her clothes tightly with his little hands.
"Are you badly injured? Which hospital are you in?" Her voice trembled slightly.
Liu Wenzhang said solemnly, "Deputy Battalion Commander Pan was stabbed in the lung while saving his comrade. He is currently in the military hospital. Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. The doctor said he is not in any danger."
Rong Jiaojiao stood to the side, keenly noticing a hint of hesitation in Liu Wenzhang's words.
She discreetly observed the naval soldier—his posture was as upright as a pine tree, but there was a fresh scar on the web of his right hand, and the edge of a bandage was faintly visible on his sleeve.
“This is…” Liu Wenzhang finally noticed Rong Jiaojiao, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Lihua quickly introduced, "This is Rong Jiaojiao, who helped me on the way. If it weren't for her helping me carry the luggage, the three of us would have had a hard time getting off the train."
Liu Wenzhang nodded and took the luggage from Rong Jiaojiao's hands: "Thank you for your help, comrade. However, we are going to the military hospital next, so it may not be convenient for us to come together."
“I’m also going to the 11th Regiment of the 3rd Navy Brigade. Could you give me a ride?” Rong Jiaojiao said, taking out her letter of introduction. “My brother is serving there, and I’m here specifically to visit him.”
It wasn't that she wanted to hitch a ride, but if she didn't tell anyone now, and they found her near the base later, they might arrest her as an enemy agent.
Liu Wenzhang frowned slightly. Although Zhao Lihua had received help from Rong Jiaojiao, as a military wife, her awareness of guarding against enemy agents was definitely not lacking, so she could not offer to help at this moment.
After thinking for a while, Liu Wenzhang felt that if Rong Jiaojiao was really a bad person, then her target would not be Zhao Lihua and her three children, but would be someone with bigger ambitions. He thought it would be better to take her back with him, and they could find out the truth by investigating.
So he nodded and said, "Then let's follow!"
He carried Zhao Lihua's two large suitcases, and Zhao Lihua took her daughter's hand and walked behind with Rong Jiaojiao.
She said to Rong Jiaojiao, feeling embarrassed, "I'm sorry, little sister, I didn't offer to help you earlier."
Rong Jiaojiao smiled and said, "You did a good job. As a military family member, you should have this kind of vigilance."
Zhao Lihua smiled and asked, "You said your brother is serving in the army here?"
Rong Jiaojiao nodded, and Zhao Lihua smiled and said, "Then you are also a military dependent."
Rong Jiaojiao laughed too: "Sister, even if my brother doesn't serve in the military, I'm still a military dependent."
"Oh?" Zhao Lihua was clearly surprised.
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