That day, Ling Ruoke hadn't slept well the night before and was catching up on sleep in bed. While drifting off, she felt something important was about to surface, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wake up. When she finally managed to wake up, she was stunned by the strange sight before her.
He was disheveled and had a unkempt beard, but she wouldn't mistake those eyes—they belonged to her colonel!
"You're back!" Ling Ruoke's smile blossomed, and tears instantly streamed down her face. "You're finally back..."
Huo Qingfeng held her trembling, petite body tightly in his arms, a gentle smile on his usually cold face. "Wife, your husband is home. I'm here, don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"
Ling Ruoke's emotions, which had been taut like a fully drawn bow for so long, suddenly relaxed, causing her to lose control. Clutching his clothes, she silently shed tears in his arms. Laughing and crying at the same time, she looked even more heartbreaking.
After she finally calmed down, she let him wipe away the tears that blurred her vision. Then she looked up and began to touch his scruffy, unshaven face. "So ugly, like a wild man," she sniffed, like a child who evoked pity.
Huo Qingfeng, being mischievous, deliberately rubbed his face against hers, making her ticklish and causing her to dodge away. A moment later, the person who had just been crying was now letting out a clear, bell-like laugh.
Once she calmed down, Ling Ruoke hugged his waist tightly, pressing her face against his chest so she could hear his strong heartbeat. "Huo Qingfeng, thank you!" Thank you for not making a promise, thank you for coming home safely! Thank you for making my world stand tall again!
Huo Qingfeng's eyes welled up, and he almost shed tears like a woman. He had returned from the brink of death, and these words, unlike those he received from others, burned even more intensely within him. He understood perfectly why she had said thank you!
He reached out and pressed her head against his shoulder, gently stroking her hair. "I promised you, no matter where I go, no matter how far, I will always come back to you." He always felt that she was his world. But wasn't he also her world?
Ling Ruoke smiled, her smile as radiant as a flower. "Are you hungry? I'll cook you something delicious, okay?"
"Okay." Huo Qingfeng didn't use her pregnant belly as an excuse to stop her from sitting. He understood that she needed to do something to express her emotions. If this was what she wanted, then he would naturally support her.
Ling Ruoke went into the kitchen to get busy, followed by a little tail. As she worked, she suddenly wondered, where was her mother-in-law? "Husband, where's Mom?"
Huo Qingfeng hugged her slender waist and kissed her cheek. "Mom went out. She wanted to give us some space. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know. It would be so awkward for her to be there."
Ling Ruoke chuckled foolishly, then tapped him. "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."
Huo Qingfeng didn't take it to heart, and continued to hug and nuzzle her, whispering in her ear, "Wife, don't you want to? But I do, I really, really want to, what should I do?"
Ling Ruoke stopped what she was doing, turned around and glanced at him, then chuckled softly. "Nothing much. If you want to, then do it."
Huo Qingfeng cheered loudly. "Wife, you're so good!" Whether or not they did it in the end wasn't really important. What mattered was helping her slowly recover from her previous state and return to their usual routine.
Ling Ruoke felt her heart was overflowing with joy. As long as he was by her side, she felt unafraid even if the sky were to fall. As long as he was by her side, she was always happy.
It was a delightful lunch; the couple fed each other, eating with great enjoyment. Later, they both seemed quite full. So, arm in arm, they went downstairs for a stroll to digest.
Ling Ruoke's smile was exceptionally bright, and she greeted everyone she met with a beaming smile. Although she was like this normally, it was even more pronounced today.
It wasn't until evening that Ling Ruoke received a call from her mother-in-law, informing her that she had already flown back to B City.
“Now that your husband has come back to be with you, I have to go back to be with my husband too.” These were Yang Ziyun’s exact words, and she shouted them out loud.
Ling Ruoke held the phone, listening to the busy tone, her eyes slightly warm.
The couple took a shower together that evening, each helping the other, making quite a fuss. After leaving the bathroom, they lingered for a long time before finally embracing and chatting against the headboard.
Ling Ruoke nestled against him like a cat, listless and unwilling to move. Having experienced both great despair and great joy, she felt completely drained, her body limp.
"Huo Qingfeng, you must be well! I'd rather you fall in love with someone else than be in danger." Her big eyes looked at him, watery and making his heart soften.
Huo Qingfeng lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Wife, I will never fall in love with someone else. I will stay with you for the rest of my life. I will also be good to you and stay with you until we grow old, watching our children grow up, get married, and establish their own careers. In this life, we will live together happily!"
Ling Ruoke smiled sweetly, feeling extremely satisfied. "Okay!"
The shadows left by the flood slowly disappeared as the sun shone on them, and life returned to its usual peace and joy.
Because of this incident, Ling Ruoke forgot to care about Chen Shan and Mei Yanting. It wasn't until Chen Shan broke his leg due to a lack of focus during training that Ling Ruoke suddenly remembered the two of them.
When Huo Qingfeng told her this unfortunate news, Ling Ruoke was truly shocked. She accompanied Huo Qingfeng to the hospital, wanting to find out exactly what had happened between them.
Everyone else had left, leaving only the three of them. Only then did Ling Ruoke speak up. "Chen Shan, did something happen between you and Yanting?" She was already pretty sure that there was definitely a conflict between the couple.
When Chen Shan mentioned this, the smile on his face immediately vanished like a fire doused with water. He looked at his sister-in-law and then at his brother, unsure of how to begin.
"Just say what's on your mind. I'm close to Yanting, maybe I can help. Couples shouldn't let things fester for too long, or they'll run into problems."
Chen Shan remained silent for a while before recounting the whole story. It turned out that a family member of Chen Shan's was ill, and quite seriously so. Chen Shan had sent all of his meager savings of tens of thousands of yuan home. He had originally given the money to Mei Yanting, but after taking it back and sending it all home, Mei Yanting became suspicious.
To be honest, Mei Yanting used to live a hard life, having to stretch every penny. But after marrying Chen Shan, he treated her well and never hesitated to buy her things. Besides, Mei Yanting had money in her hands, and people with money feel secure. But after holding onto money for a long time, they naturally get used to it, and suddenly not having it is unsettling.
They hadn't used contraception after getting married, hoping to have a child. However, they weren't as efficient as He Jingwen and Li Jun; despite getting married first, they didn't conceive. Now, Chen Shan's family is facing financial difficulties, and all their money has gone to them, so the two of them dare not discuss having children anymore.
The difference was too great, and Mei Yanting found it hard to accept. The couple didn't spend much time together and lacked communication, which eventually led to conflicts.
Ling Ruoke thought it wasn't a big deal. "How about this? I'll call Mei Yanting when I get back and have a good talk with her."
Mei Yanting was unaware of Chen Shan's injury, and it seemed he had no intention of informing her.
After returning from the hospital, Ling Ruoke called Mei Yanting. "Yanting, it's the weekend today, where are you going?"
"I'm at home. Sister Ximeng, is there something you need?" Mei Yanting's voice was lazy, clearly indicating that she wasn't in a good mood.
Ling Ruoke sighed softly. "No. I just wanted to talk to you. You seemed down last time we met, and I've been keeping that in mind. I heard from your brother-in-law that Chen Shan has been preoccupied lately, and he's not concentrating on training, almost getting injured. Tell me honestly, did something happen between you two? If you won't tell me, I'll go ask Chen Shan."
Mei Yanting was silent for a while before speaking. "Sister Ximeng, it's not a big deal. It's just that he gave all the money we had to his family, and now we don't have a penny left. If there's an emergency, we won't be able to handle it. I'm not saying we can't give money to our families, but we're married now, and this is also a family. We can't just think of one side and ignore the other, right? That's what I told him, and he got upset."
"Has something urgent happened at his home that he urgently needs money?"
"He said it was his uncle or someone else who was sick, but he didn't say clearly. Sister Ximeng, I'm not such a heartless person, I just feel... I don't know how to say it." Mei Yanting was clearly still confused.
Ling Ruoke thought to herself that perhaps Yuan Meng and Xia Mo were right; Mei Yanting really was someone who easily got stuck in a dead end. "Yanting, I told you last time, money isn't that important. Saving lives is the priority! Besides, money can be earned again, right?"
“Sister Ximeng, I understand what you mean. But I feel that this matter…”
"So you're planning to stay angry with him over something like this? Are you two going to ruin your relationship?" Perhaps she really doesn't have that kind of pressure, so she can't understand the pain of not having money.
"I'm just feeling really upset, so I don't want to talk to him. I'll be fine after a while." She was still a little sullen.
Ling Ruoke let out a long sigh, feeling extremely distressed. "Yanting, I told you before that military marriages are different from ordinary marriages, do you remember? I said so much, but you still married him in the end. Now you're making a scene with him over such a small thing. Are you regretting your decision? Do you know what kind of impact your sulking and ignoring him will have on him?"
"Sister Ximeng, don't scare me. He wouldn't go and commit suicide like those neurotic people, would he?"
These words made Ling Ruoke want to curse. She took a deep breath and held back. "He won't commit suicide, but ignoring him like this might kill him. You need to understand, being a soldier isn't just about training on the parade ground; it's not like the childish military training for middle school students. Chen Shan is a... soldier, and soldiers are there where they are needed. Like during earthquakes, or flood relief—these are very dangerous jobs. If he's distracted for even a moment, he could lose his life. Have you thought about that?"
Mei Yanting didn't know Chen Shan was a special forces soldier, so Ling Ruoke changed her mind at the last minute. She really wanted to tell Mei Yanting that Chen Shan's job was assassination. In the process of killing, he might be killed due to a lack of concentration! Was it worth losing a loved one for something so trivial?
Mei Yanting remained silent, as if these words had truly resonated with her. After a long while, she said, "Sister Ximeng, I understand. I will tell him."
“You two really need to have a serious talk. Yanting, Chen Shan and your brother-in-law just got back from fighting the floods a few days ago. Your brother-in-law was swept away by the flood. Luckily, he turned out alright. If… Yanting, we have a long road ahead of us, and we can be happy. So, don't get upset over such a small thing. It's not worth it!”
After hanging up the phone, Ling Ruoke was still in a bad mood. However, Mei Yanting had at least taken her words to heart. But a lingering worry remained in her heart; she was concerned about the demon within Mei Yanting.
However, some things are unpredictable and impossible to guard against.
Mei Yanting eventually found out that Chen Shan had broken his leg.
Huo Qingfeng sent someone to bring Mei Yanting to the military hospital.
The couple whispered to each other for a long time in the hospital room. It was unclear whether they had truly reached an agreement, but on the surface, everything seemed fine. Smiles appeared on both of their faces, a far cry from their previous lifelessness.
Mei Yanting even borrowed Ling Ruoke's kitchen to make bone broth for Chen Shan. They say you are what you eat to replenish your body, so with a broken leg, it's natural to make a big bone broth.
Ling Ruoke waited until she put the bone broth on the stove to simmer before coming out into the living room and asking, "Has everything been discussed?"
"We've already talked it over, and everything's fine now," Mei Yanting said with a smile. It wasn't that she had no feelings for Chen Shan; after all, Chen Shan had been the best person to her in her entire life.
To be honest, the reason Mei Yanting was so eager to have sex with Chen Shan at the beginning was because she was afraid that Chen Shan would be disgusted by the fact that she wasn't a virgin. Although society has become more open, she knew that many men still had a virginity complex. She also understood that if a man truly disliked a woman for not being a virgin, things would only get worse after they had sex. However, Mei Yanting thought that Chen Shan was a soldier, and that once things were done, he wouldn't be so irresponsible.
As it turned out, her thinking was correct. Chen Shan didn't look down on her; it wasn't that he was completely indifferent to the matter. If a man is completely indifferent to a woman's past, there are only two possibilities: either he doesn't care about the woman at all, or he knows all too well what the woman has been through, and may even have been involved in it.
Ling Ruoke nodded and smiled slightly. "That's good. Marriage requires both people to work hard at it. Don't let small things escalate to the point of being irreparable. Marriage is a matter for two people, and since you can't hear each other's voices, communication is very important. You should openly discuss your thoughts and feelings, don't keep things to yourself, and especially don't say hurtful things during arguments without offering an explanation, as that can easily lead people to misunderstand. Chen Shan is a good man, live well, and you will be happy."
"Sister Ximeng, I will, thank you." Mei Yanting was still somewhat grateful to Ling Ruoke. After all, when she was desperate, Ling Ruoke gave her the most help, allowing her to settle down in this city and live a better life than ever before.
If it weren't for Ling Ruoke, she would never have married Chen Shan. To be fair, Chen Shan's circumstances weren't bad. In the past, she would never have dared to imagine meeting a man like him, willing to spend money on her and treating her so well.
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