Passing through the corridor between the Golden Horn and Silver Horn mountains, the view suddenly opens up.
What came into view was a broad, neatly-knit field of winter wheat, with lush green seedlings swaying in the sun. Seeing her entranced, Cang Kaiyu took the initiative to introduce, "Comrade Mu, these are all the army's responsibility fields. The one at the easternmost end belongs to our Fourth Battalion."
She nodded, looked up at the green hills around her, and suddenly realized that she was in a valley. Thinking of the path she had just passed, it was as if she had been sucked into the belly of the gourd!
At the end of the wheat field is a river, and a swaying suspension bridge connects the two banks. Standing at the bridgehead is a woman in her forties, wearing a blue jacket and black pants. Her hairstyle looks careless, but in fact it is the "wave to stop" bangs that are also popular in Jiangcheng.
"Comrade Xiao Mu, I am Captain Wei's lover. My name is Yu Aihong, you can just call me Sister Yu," Sister Yu greeted her warmly and stretched out her hands to her.
Mu Huaixi hurriedly shook his hand, "Hello, I'm Mu Huaixi, Ying Mingcheng's...wife!"
"Hello, hello," Sister Yu said warmly, swaying a few times before taking her hand and walking forward. "The suspension bridge is not very stable. You might be scared the first time you walk on it, but you'll get used to it."
Mu Huaixi felt her kindness and said, "Thank you for picking me up."
"What are you thanking me for? We're all family from now on." Sister Yu smiled and patted her hand, pointing to the left side of the suspension bridge. "Look, over there is where our military dependents live. Xiao Cang should have told you the basic situation. Let's send your luggage to the guesthouse first, and then go to my house to sit, drink tea and chat. As for choosing a house and packing, let's talk about it after you've rested up tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," Mu Huaixi had no objection to this arrangement. She was already here, so the rest could be taken care of slowly.
The small building used as a guesthouse was right next to the cement road. The room prepared for Mu Huaixi was on the third floor. There was no heating in the room, but there was a heater. The exhaust pipe of the heater extended from the cut in the glass. When she opened the door, she felt a hint of cool air in the warm current.
"The conditions are a bit tough, Comrade Xiao Mu, you'll be staying here for the time being. The bedding is all new, and there's someone guarding downstairs 24 hours a day. If you need coal or hot water, just let me know." Sister Yu showed her around the house, handed her the key, and considerately walked out. "You should rest for a while. I'll go downstairs and say hello to them and get you a blanket. It's windy at night."
Mu Huaixi hurriedly thanked him, and saw Sister Yu smiling and waving to the right of the corridor, "Xiao Zhao, are you going to the cafeteria? Are you used to living here? I'll go down and get a blanket for Xiao Mu later, do you need it?"
"No need, I'm leaving tomorrow," Xiao Zhao replied coldly, walked past Sister Yu without even looking at her, and went straight downstairs.
Mu Huaixi shyly withdrew her hand that was about to greet her, and was too embarrassed to ask Sister Yu who this person was. But just as she was about to close the door, she heard Sister Yu turn her head and explain to her, "Xiao Mu, Xiao Zhao just now is the girlfriend of the Second Company Commander of the Second Battalion. She might not be in a good mood, so please don't mind."
The next morning, just as Mu Huaixi was about to go out, he ran into Xiao Zhao again.
She wore a neat black leather jacket, a red plaid tweed skirt, and carried a brown cloth suitcase. She walked towards the stairs with a cold face.
She walked so quickly that she almost bumped into Mu Huaixi.
"Sorry," Xiao Zhao tilted her head slightly, and Mu Huaixi saw her red eyes and a tear that was about to fall. However, Mu Huaixi had no intention of delving into other people's private affairs. She nodded and turned back to lock the door, then she heard Xiao Zhao's call.
"What are you doing?!"
When Mu Huaixi rushed over, she saw Xiao Zhao being blocked at the stairs. Her suitcase had been stolen. She was excitedly hitting the "robber" with her small bag, "Cao Aijun, what are you doing? Let me go!"
Mu Huaixi finally saw that the "robber" was a tall man in military uniform. She slowed down, coughed violently, and stared at him closely. He probably hadn't expected there was someone else upstairs. His brewing anger was punctured, his tense jaw trembled, and he sighed helplessly, "Zhao Huihui, let's talk."
"What's there to talk about?" Xiao Zhao cried as she fiercely snatched the suitcase back. "Cao Aijun, I can't go with the army, and I don't want to stay at home. There's no other way. We can't be together."
"Hui Hui!" Cao Aijun's eyes were filled with pain, "You, you have changed..."
"Yes, people change," Zhao Huihui said coldly, wiping away her tears. "I'm not worthy of you now. I'm leaving now."
Cao Aijun obviously couldn't accept it. He suddenly caught sight of the silent Mu Huaixi and asked, "You are Deputy Ying's lover, right? Can you help me persuade Huihui?"
Mu Huaixi didn't expect that the war would spread to her. She stood there just because she was afraid that Cao Aijun would attack Xiao Zhao.
"This is our business, why are you dragging others into it?" Zhao Huihui glanced at Mu Huaixi and shook her head disapprovingly. "It's useless to persuade him. We agreed before, so let's part ways amicably."
"Why break up? We can't!" Cao Aijun looked at her painfully. "Huihui, how can we break up on good terms after three years of relationship? You said you didn't want to be alone with my mother after marriage. I worked hard to gain promotion and finally got the chance to join the army, but you don't want to anymore. Yes, the conditions here are a bit harsh, but isn't our being together the most important thing? How come others can live well here, but you can't?!"
"Yes, I can't stand it. I can't accept being stuck in this mountain. I can't accept seeing mountains every day. I can't accept a life without movie theaters or workers' dance halls. I can't accept giving up my job to dedicate my life to the mountains!" Zhao Huihui spoke more and more calmly. "I admire the generosity of military families, but we're not married yet. I have the right to choose how to spend my life!"
Cao Aijun opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. He once again looked at Mu Huaixi for help. Zhao Huihui sneered and took a step forward to stand in front of her.
Mu Huaixi was a little surprised. She reached out and patted Zhao Huihui's arm gently, and found that she was shaking.
"Hello, Captain Cao, I'm Ying Mingcheng's wife." Mu Huaixi took a step slowly and stood with Zhao Huihui. "I did volunteer to join the army, but Ying Mingcheng never agreed."
Cao Aijun's eyes lit up when she mentioned her willingness to join the army, while Zhao Huihui frowned. But when she heard Ying Mingcheng disagree, she couldn't help but snort coldly and glared at Cao Aijun. "As expected of a battalion commander, you're even more considerate and caring than a company commander."
Mu Huaixi burst out laughing. She suddenly realized that what she said was a bit boastful, and quickly changed her words, "Every family's situation is different. Xiao Zhao does have the right to choose."
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