"Did I do something wrong?" he asked nervously.
"Qinglan, I've already said I won't force you, so don't feel pressured."
Hearing his words, Zhao Qinglan chuckled. "What are you talking about? I have something to do back home."
Li Huai then realized that he had lost his composure and quickly let go of her arm.
“My mother is in the hospital, and my sister and her friends aren’t very experienced, so I have to go back,” she explained.
"I see," Li Huai breathed a sigh of relief, "at least it wasn't because of me."
In just a few days, he found that he had become accustomed to her presence in this home, and if she were to suddenly leave, he would feel very reluctant and unaccustomed to it.
That's probably why he reacted so unusually just now.
"Is my mother-in-law alright?" He finally calmed down.
"There is no danger to his life."
"That's good, Qinglan. I'm sorry, I can't go back with you," he said apologetically.
The fact that he had left for so many days to go on a blind date already showed that the regimental commander and political commissar had been exceptionally lenient with him.
"It's nothing, just focus on your work. By the way, I won't be taking Xiaoduo and the others with me this time. You'll have to take care of them."
"Okay, by the way, you haven't bought your ticket yet, have you? I'll talk to the group leader tomorrow and he'll drive you to the train station."
"become."
After agreeing to the arrangement, Zhao Qinglan tidied up for a few more moments before putting the bag aside.
As soon as she lay down, she saw Li Huai staring at her with intense gaze, and she immediately felt a little embarrassed.
"What are you looking at?" she asked shyly.
"Qinglan, you are so beautiful."
"You." Zhao Qinglan was speechless.
Thinking of Li Huai's nervousness towards her earlier, she suddenly bit her lip and said, "I... I'm willing."
If my departure makes him uneasy, then perhaps it's better to leave it as it is.
Li Huai paused for a moment before realizing what she meant, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He rolled over and pinned her down, their lips meeting.
The room suddenly warmed up.
Just as Zhao Qinglan was dazed from the kisses and Li Huai was about to put his hand inside, the door was pushed open.
Li Huai was so frightened that he rolled to the side, and Zhao Qinglan immediately pulled up the blanket.
Xiao Duo walked in.
"Mom, I want to sleep with you?"
Although she didn't resist being left behind, she couldn't bear to get up when she thought about her mother leaving.
Because Li Huai and Zhao Qinglan reacted quickly, Xiao Duo didn't notice anything amiss.
Looking into her daughter's pleading eyes, how could Zhao Qinglan possibly say "no"?
“Okay, Mom will sleep with you.” Zhao Qinglan pulled back the covers. “Come on up.”
Xiao Duo happily took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.
Li Huai awkwardly hunched over as he got out of bed to cover his discomfort in a certain area. "I'll go sleep over there."
Zhao Qinglan recalled the scene just now and inexplicably wanted to laugh, nodding silently.
Li Huai picked up his blanket and left.
As he walked out, Li Huai thought to himself that he would definitely remember to lock the bedroom door in the future.
Otherwise, if this happens a few more times, he wonders if he'll be scared out of his wits.
Holding her daughter, Zhao Qinglan gently patted her until she fell asleep.
Seeing his father carrying a blanket, the eldest child even seemed a little disgusted. "Dad, why did you come here?"
Li Huai flicked his son's forehead in an annoyed tone. "This is my house, I can go wherever I want."
The older child touched his forehead and pouted, "Hmph, so childish."
Zhao Qinglan got up earlier than usual in the early morning and started kneading dough as soon as she got up.
She didn't know how many days she would be gone, so she steamed some more steamed buns and cornbread. Since it was cold and they would keep well, they could feed the family for several days.
Li Huai got up when he heard the commotion outside.
Understanding Zhao Qinglan's intentions, he also offered his help.
Thanks to the stove and large pot outside, they can steam more buns at once; otherwise, using the one inside would have resulted in fewer buns and a slower cooking time.
Li Huai had already taken the train once, so he naturally knew which train it was and what time it departed for Zhao Qinglan's hometown.
While Zhao Qinglan was busy, he went to the neighbor's house.
Last night, Wu Mei had mentioned Zhao Qinglan to her husband, and when Li Huai brought it up, Sun Shengli readily agreed to his request.
Zhao Qinglan borrowed the phone again, but couldn't reach Sui Wenjing. She then called Li Aiguo, and this time someone answered.
After informing Li Aiguo that she was taking the train back today and asking a few more questions about her mother and sister, Zhao Qinglan thanked him and hung up the phone.
After breakfast, the steamed buns were ready, and everything at home was settled. Zhao Qinglan looked at her three children and began to give them instructions.
“Be good at home and listen to your dad. We have steamed buns at home, so use those first. Even if your Aunt Wu calls you over, remember to bring the steamed buns with you.”
"Also, don't go out and play around while I'm not home. Even when you're home, remember to review what I taught you. If there's anything you don't understand, either wait for me to come back, or you can ask your Aunt Wei when she has time."
"And..." The thought of leaving all three children behind and having Li Huai, a grown man, look after them filled Zhao Qinglan with indescribable worry.
Zhao Qinglan only left reluctantly, after the eldest child had become tired of being told so many things.
Watching her get into the jeep and drive away, the three children felt a void in their hearts.
Erwa almost burst into tears, thinking about how he hadn't been able to eat Zhao Qinglan's delicious meals for so many days.
Li Huai didn't let anyone else drive; he drove himself, so there were only the two of them in the car.
Zhao Qinglan had many things to say to the children, but now that she was alone with Li Huai, she didn't know what to say.
"You must be tired from getting up so early this morning. Why don't you take a nap first? We might not be able to get a sleeper berth if we have to rush to buy tickets." He, a grown man, was fine sitting in a hard seat for a long time, but he was worried that Zhao Qinglan would suffer.
Zhao Qinglan appreciated his thoughtfulness, hummed in agreement, and closed her eyes to rest.
She said she was resting, but she didn't actually fall asleep. She was still thinking about what to do when she went back and saw her mother and sister.
When they finally arrived at the train station, Li Huai went to the ticket window to queue up and buy a ticket.
Zhao Qinglan went to the side and bought some food that she could take with her.
When Li Huai returned, he looked quite pleased.
"Luckily there are still sleeper berths available. I'll wait for you to get on the train before going back." If he hadn't used his military officer's ID, he wouldn't have been able to buy a sleeper ticket at all.
"No need, you can go back. I'll just wait in the waiting room."
"Qinglan, I'm worried about you." Li Huai stared at her, his voice low.
Zhao Qinglan surrendered. This man was really something, but she felt a sweet feeling in her heart.
When it was time for her to board the train, Li Huai used his standing ticket to escort her all the way to the train, helped her put her things away, and then reluctantly got off the train.
The train began to clatter along, and Zhao Qinglan leaned out of the window as she looked at the man's figure on the platform.
"Li Huai, wait for me to come back!" When I return, I will make sure he gets what he wants.
"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back!" When this woman returns, I'm going to take advantage of her and make her lose everything!
The two smiled at each other, everything understood without a word.
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