Huo Qingfeng lunged forward, grabbed her, and they rolled to the ground together, he holding her tightly in his arms.
When they stopped, Ling Ruoke blinked, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"
"What are you doing! You scared me to death, you know?" He looked at her as she leaned against the railing, looking like she was about to fall.
Ling Ruoke stared at him blankly for a while before she understood what he meant, and then smiled with a forced smile. "You think I'm going to commit suicide?" She reached out and poked his face hard.
Pouting, she added, "I'm not that fragile. I just came up here to get some fresh air. I was just leaning on the railing looking at our garden, not trying to commit suicide!"
Seeing that his face was still a little stiff, she reached out and rubbed Qin Qin's face, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, I made you worry."
Huo Qingfeng hugged her tightly, rubbed his face against her neck, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It's good that you're alright. You really scared me to death."
After a while, he let go of her, looked into her eyes, and said very seriously, "You have to promise me that no matter what happens, you will never think of suicide to solve the problem!"
"Okay." Ling Ruoke looked into his eyes and promised earnestly. Her parents had also told her that no matter how bitter or difficult things got, she had to live on strongly, because as long as she was alive, there was hope!
Huo Qingfeng smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Dinner's ready, let's go eat."
Ling Ruoke smiled too. She had been crying all day, and finally she smiled. The hardships of the past were over; what mattered was future happiness. With such a loving man by her side, she wasn't afraid of any difficulties ahead! "Let's go, I'm starving, I can barely walk."
Before she could finish speaking, Huo Qingfeng had already scooped her up in his arms. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling at him through her red and swollen eyes.
"Time to eat!"
Ling Ruoke giggled. Actually, being carried down the stairs was a little scary; the slanted feeling always made her worry about slipping and tumbling. But since the person was a colonel, she didn't have that worry.
Huo Qingfeng didn't put her on the table, but instead carried her to the kitchen to wash his hands. Then he carried her out again and placed her beside him.
"Wow, it smells so good!" There was a whole chicken, a celery and beef stew, a stir-fried lotus root, and a stir-fried bok choy with garlic. The rich aroma of the chicken was incredibly appetizing.
Huo Qingfeng ladled a bowl of chicken soup for her in a small bowl. "Have a little soup first, and see if it's salty."
Ling Ruoke took a sip and immediately beamed with joy. "The taste is just right, it's especially delicious! I think if you didn't join the army, you could definitely be a great chef."
“That won’t do.” Huo Qingfeng refused decisively.
Ling Ruoke was taken aback. "Why? Do you look down on chefs?"
Huo Qingfeng reached out and touched her face, and said with a smile, "I only cook for my wife and children, no one else can even think about it."
Hearing this, Ling Ruoke giggled. She took a tissue to wipe her mouth, then leaned over and kissed her. When she let go, he pulled her close and nibbled at her several more times.
The sadness and heaviness of the day were suppressed in a corner of my heart, untouched. Let the past be the past; focus only on the present and the future. So, this dinner was quite a sweet and pleasant experience.
After they finished eating, Ling Ruoke offered to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen, but Huo Qingfeng refused.
He carried a chair into the kitchen, then carried her inside and placed her on the chair. "You stay here and watch; you're the supervisor, understand?"
Ling Ruoke laughed so hard she almost fell over, swinging her legs like a child in the chair. She directed his work while chatting with him. The conversation had no set topic; they said whatever came to mind, some things serious, but mostly casual.
Huo Qingfeng's conversation was less of a chat and more of a prank. He even made some hilarious poses, making his wife laugh out loud.
After finally getting everything ready, he looked at his overjoyed wife and said seriously, "If this were ancient times, I would definitely be a foolish ruler who played with the feudal lords by lighting beacon fires and loved beauties more than his country."
Ling Ruoke chuckled and stuck out her tongue. "Then I'll have to stay away from you. I don't want to earn eternal infamy."
"You can't escape!" With that, he rushed over and scooped her up in his arms. "If you are Su Daji, I am King Zhou of Shang; if you are Yang Guifei, I am Emperor Xuanzong of Tang; if you are Chen Yuanyuan, then I will be Wu Sangui... In short, I'm determined to be your man!"
Ling Ruoke laughed loudly, cupping her face in her hands and giving it a good rub. "Big brother, has anyone ever told you that you're arrogant?"
"Yes." He nodded very seriously. "My wife. But she didn't say I was arrogant, she just said I was cocky!"
Ling Ruoke burst into laughter again, rolling around in his arms. If it weren't for his strong arms and martial arts skills, she would have fallen. "Huo Qingfeng, if you didn't become a comedy star in the entertainment industry, it would be a real loss for the industry!"
"That's right, with your husband around, who can compete!"
Ling Ruoke laughed and covered her face, shouting, "Don't tell anyone I know you! Being so arrogant is just too embarrassing."
The two of them laughed and joked as they returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa.
Huo Qingfeng took the remote control and handed it to her. Then he put his arm around her waist and let her lean on his shoulder.
Ling Ruoke pressed a few channels, then suddenly felt a bit bloated. "I feel a little full, how about we go for a walk?"
"My wife decides." He cupped her face and kissed her hard. "Just a walk outside, or do we want to go into the city?"
Ling Ruoke pursed her lips, rolled her big eyes, and thought for a moment. "How about we go see Mei Yanting? I haven't had a proper conversation with the girl lately."
Huo Qingfeng frowned instinctively as soon as he heard the name "Mei Yanting".
Ling Ruoke felt somewhat helpless, as did Tan Peishi. They had only met Mei Yanting once and already disliked her. "Let's go, let's go, we'll just stay a little while. She's come all this way to seek refuge with me, we should at least show her some concern."
Huo Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, said nothing, grabbed his car keys and phone, and put his arm around her as they left.
"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I have a feeling that Mei Yanting seems to be in a relationship lately. By the way, I promised you I'd introduce some people to those soldiers. I need to find some time to organize a matchmaking event for all the girls in our company, what do you think?"
"Okay." Huo Qingfeng saw that she seemed to have truly let go of her sorrows, so naturally he agreed to whatever she said; he had to listen to his wife. "Speaking of which, I've noticed that Chen Shan seems to be dating someone too."
The two exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes widening slightly.
Ling Ruoke exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be... that they paired up on their own?"
As soon as she said that, Huo Qingfeng frowned.
Ling Ruoke looked at him and giggled, leaning back and forth in her seat. "You, you know what, hehe... the way you are now, hehe, it's like, it's like your own son has chosen a daughter-in-law you don't like."
Huo Qingfeng glared at her, feigning anger. "You think I could have a son when I was ten? I wasn't even fully developed back then!"
"You scoundrel! You big scoundrel!" Ling Ruoke stopped laughing and accused him of being a scoundrel.
The light turned red, so Huo Qingfeng stopped, pulled her close, and kissed her fiercely a few times. "I'm only a rogue with my wife, who dares to object?"
"Me!" Ling Ruoke puffed out her chest.
Huo Qingfeng glanced at her sideways, his gaze slowly moving downwards until it reached the area that was prominent because she had straightened her chest and pulled in her stomach, and he smiled ambiguously.
"What are you looking at!" Ling Ruoke leaned over and raised her hand to hit him, but the force was weak.
Taking the opportunity, Huo Qingfeng hugged her and whispered in her ear, "What's a little look? I'm going to sleep with it all tonight!"
"You really are a scoundrel!" Ling Ruoke accused, her face flushed. She broke free from his arm, turned to look out the car window, and made up her mind never to speak to him again.
Huo Qingfeng was about to pull her back when the light turned green, so he had to give up. "Wife, are you really angry? What should we do? How about I kneel on the washboard tonight as punishment?"
"snort."
"How about I be punished by sleeping in the guest room tonight?"
"snort."
"How about I be punished by sleeping on the living room sofa tonight?"
"snort."
"How about I be punished by having to have sex nine times a night?"
"Hmph." Ling Ruoke snorted coldly before realizing what was happening. Her almond-shaped eyes glared angrily, but she couldn't help but laugh first. "You, you're so mean!"
Once you laugh, you can't stay angry anymore. You weren't really angry to begin with.
Huo Qingfeng raised his eyebrows smugly.
Before long, the car drove into the residential area and all the way to the building. Towering green trees and a cool breeze made it a truly wonderful place to live.
It was only nine o'clock, so Mei Yanting was still awake and the light was on.
"What do you think about me sneaking up and scaring her a little?" Ling Ruoke suggested enthusiastically. Each building has an iron gate at the bottom; to get up quietly, you either have to follow someone in or climb up. But climbing up is easy, since it's only the second floor.
Huo Qingfeng raised an eyebrow; he didn't care. In fact, he had no intention of going up at all.
Just as the two were about to climb up, an old man came back from outside. They followed him inside, and the old man, worried that they were bad people, kept staring at them.
Ling Ruoke covered her mouth and chuckled, whispering in the colonel's ear, "It must be because you look too much like a bad guy!"
Huo Qingfeng put his arm around her and pinched her waist. She cried out and jumped up.
Ling Ruoke knocked on the door, but after a while, there was no response. She knocked again, but still no one came to open the door. However, she clearly heard sounds coming from inside. Just as she was wondering whether to knock harder, the door opened.
"Sister Ruo?" Mei Yanting was somewhat surprised, her face flushed as if she had just done some warm-up exercises. Upon closer inspection, she also seemed a little flustered and shy.
Ling Ruoke smiled. "We came out to digest after we finished eating, and we thought we'd drop by to see you. What's wrong, is it inconvenient?"
"Huh? No, no!" Mei Yanting was taken aback and hurriedly denied it. Seeing Huo Qingfeng walking up behind her, she subconsciously glanced inside.
Ling Ruoke wasn't stupid; she naturally noticed the obvious gesture. "Are there guests?" she asked, and the person inside came out just as she finished speaking.
"Sister-in-law." Chen Shan called out, scratching his head. Seeing Huo Qingfeng, he snapped to attention and saluted. "Captain!"
Ling Ruoke was genuinely stunned; she hadn't expected these two to actually get involved. Lost in thought, she heard the colonel say, "Alright, this isn't the military, relax."
Even after the colonel led her inside and sat her down, Ling Ruoke was still somewhat dazed by the unexpected turn of events. She couldn't understand how the two of them could have gotten along so quickly after only meeting once.
She wasn't a naive girl inexperienced in matters of the heart anymore; the way they both seemed to have just finished sex clearly indicated they'd just had sex. How long had it been, and they were already in bed? She glanced instinctively into the room; the door was already closed.
"Sister Ximeng, brother-in-law, please have some tea." She turned around and washed some fruit, then brought it out on a plate. There were several bags of fruit on the coffee table, clearly brought by Chen Shan.
Ling Ruoke composed herself, looking at them with a half-smile. "You two are a couple now, why didn't you tell me? Especially Chen Shan, that's not right of you. Your captain and I were talking on the way here, we promised to introduce you to someone, but we haven't had time lately. We were planning to gather all the girls and boys together for a matchmaking event. And you, without saying a word, made me anxious and guilty."
Mei Yanting blushed and stammered, unsure of what to say.
Chen Shan scratched his head awkwardly, his dark face seemingly turning red. "I...I...I'm embarrassed!" he said bluntly, directly admitting his embarrassment.
Ling Ruoke waved her hand and said teasingly, "Alright, you and your captain go downstairs and be shy. I want to have a private chat with Yanting."
The two men trotted downstairs, leaving only the two women facing each other.
Mei Yanting became increasingly hesitant to look at Ling Ruoke, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. She worried that Ling Ruoke would think she was too casual and lacked self-control. Actually, she just wanted to find someone to marry, someone to rely on. Perhaps because of her brother-in-law, and the consistently positive image of soldiers, she felt that soldiers were quite reliable, so…
Ling Ruoke looked at Mei Yanting's flustered state with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Yanting, you didn't steal my man, so why are you acting like you're ashamed to show your face?"
Mei Yanting finally raised her head, but still couldn't look her in the eye. "Sister Ximeng, I..." She didn't know what to say.
"Alright, no need to explain to me. I just don't know when you two got together? Did you already know each other before I ran into you at my house last time?" Otherwise, it's too fast to have slept together in just over ten days, isn't it?
Mei Yanting shook her head, her voice very soft. "That was the first time we met."
"You two got together later? But you didn't have each other's contact information, so how did you get together?" She remembered very clearly that she hadn't given each other her contact information at the time.
Mei Yanting became even more embarrassed by Ling Ruoke's words. "It's just that, it's just that on the way back that day, I was bullied by some bad guys, and he, he saved me, and then..."
"I see." Could this be considered fate? Ling Ruoke wasn't sure. "Then why didn't you tell me? I was thinking of introducing you to someone after a while."
"I... I just feel things aren't settled yet, so..." She was afraid she wouldn't get married in the end, so she didn't want people to know so soon. Otherwise, if it didn't work out in the end, what would people think? They'd definitely gloat and laugh secretly, and maybe even make sarcastic remarks!
Ling Ruoke understood her feelings and nodded. Then, she remembered what the colonel had said last time. "Yanting, are you sure you want to be a military wife? You need to understand that being a soldier's wife is completely different from being an ordinary person's wife!"
"I...I didn't think that much," Mei Yanting answered honestly. She just saw that Ling Ruoke was doing quite well, with a house and a car, and a stable life. Besides, she was afraid of being alone and wanted to find someone to rely on. Chen Shan appeared at this time, a warm-hearted, big guy who seemed like he would treat his wife well. On the day they confirmed their relationship, he handed her his savings book. Although it wasn't a lot, tens of thousands was still a large sum for her. Having something tangible in her hands naturally gave her a sense of security. She felt that marrying someone like him would bring her happiness.
Ling Ruoke sighed inwardly. Mei Yanting was indeed too hasty. She had already suffered so much; if she wasn't more careful, she would likely suffer even more. But now, it seemed too late to be cautious; the deed was done. However, as long as they weren't married, wasn't it still not too late?
"Yanting, you may not yet understand what marrying a soldier means. I hope you will remember what I'm about to say and think it over carefully, as it concerns your entire life." Ling Ruoke's expression was very serious.
Mei Yanting looked at her and nodded. "Mm."
Ling Ruoke thought for a moment before slowly speaking. "Choosing to be a soldier means giving up a life of luxury. Of course, having food and lodging is definitely not a problem."
“But…” Mei Yanting wanted to say, “But aren’t you doing just fine?”
Ling Ruoke actually understood what she meant and sighed helplessly in her heart. "Yanting, my Qingfeng joined the army when he was a teenager and is now 34 years old. The money he has is all accumulated over more than ten years, and he invested it all in buying our house, and he didn't even pay for it all at once. Many soldiers are like Chen Shan, who were not born into military families and rely on their own jobs. Fortunately, soldiers don't have many expenses, so they have basically saved it all. But this money can only allow the family to live a stable life, not a life of luxury."
"I...I'm not afraid!" Mei Yanting tried her best to appear firm. "I've been an orphan since I was little. As long as I have a stable home, food, and shelter, I'm not afraid of anything."
Ling Ruoke looked at her quietly for a long time before saying, "That's just the first point; there's something even more important. Choosing to be a soldier means choosing a life of separation. They're in the military all year round, rarely home. Women have to take care of everything at home; they don't have the time. If their rank is high enough, they can live with their husbands in the military's family quarters, seeing each other more often. If they can't, it's a two-way separation, maybe not even seeing each other once a month. Before having children, you're alone with your home; after having children, you're raising them alone while also caring for the family. Can you handle it? Other women have husbands to comfort them when they're sad; husbands to carry groceries when they go to the supermarket; husbands to be with them during holidays, perhaps even with romance… But military wives don't have that. Ordinary men belong to their parents, wives, and children, but soldiers belong to the country. Whenever the country needs them, they have to go, even if their wives or children are sick. So military wives have to be stronger and more able to endure loneliness than ordinary women. Have you ever thought about these things?"
"I..." Mei Yanting was completely speechless; she hadn't thought that far ahead. Ling Ruoke's gaze made her anxious. She felt a pang of discomfort in that look. "I... I can do it, I..."
“Yanting, you don’t need to prove anything to me, because this is your life, and you have the right to choose. I just hope you can live well and not regret your decision later. A military marriage is a lifelong commitment; it’s not something you can just divorce on a whim. If the military spouse hasn’t wronged the marriage and doesn’t agree to a divorce, then the marriage must continue. Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned divorce. I would say that soldiers dedicate themselves to the country and the people, they brave gunfire, and they need a home and a gentle wife more than anyone else. A military wife must be a strong, gentle woman who can endure loneliness. A military marriage carries more weight than any other marriage! Are you ready?”
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