Chapter 49, My Husband
Just after 12:30, Lin Qingqing did a final check of her belongings and then went with Xie Wei to the commune to catch a bus.
Because they had a lot of luggage, Xie Baoshan had someone drive an oxcart to take them to the commune. Li Xingfang wanted to go with them, but the oxcart was only so big, and there wasn't enough room for three people to sit inside with all the luggage, so she only took them to the village entrance.
Lin Qingqing sat on the oxcart, watching Li Xingfang's figure grow smaller and smaller behind her, while the view expanded to include endless houses, fields laden with grain, layered mountains, and high, expansive clouds... all of which came into view and were left behind.
The oxcart swayed and rattled, arriving at the commune before 1:30.
The green bus stopped in front of the supply and marketing cooperative. The trunk for luggage was wide open. Xie Wei put two large woven bags inside, and then got on the bus with Lin Qingqing, carrying a small bag.
The buses running to the towns and villages are all retired from the city, having been running for many years. They rattle and clang everywhere when they run, and the windows are covered in years of grime, obscuring the view when closed. The seat covers are instantly blackened and even have an oily sheen. The floor is swept clean, but its original color is no longer visible.
The smell inside the car was even worse than when Lin Qingqing took a bus to the city during the Spring Festival. Perhaps it was because this time there was not only the smell of gasoline, but also the smell of sweat due to the hot weather, which was very pungent.
Even if the shuttle bus is bad, you still have to take it. Xie Wei's unit is stationed in Jinshi, the northernmost city in the province. Starting from Yutian Commune, you have to take a shuttle bus to Shicheng, then a train to the provincial capital, then another train, and finally a shuttle bus to your unit in Jinshi. The journey takes 24 hours and is bumpy all the way, leaving no room for complaining.
So after getting on the bus, Lin Qingqing frowned when she smelled the odor, but still walked inside without changing her expression.
The smell of gasoline was stronger at the back of the bus. It would actually be better to sit at the front, but they arrived late, and although Yutian Commune was the starting station, most of the seats on the bus were already occupied.
They walked all the way to the last row, where Lin Qingqing sat in the seat closest to the window. Xie Wei then stuffed the bags he was carrying onto the luggage racks on either side and sat down next to Lin Qingqing.
Lin Qingqing opened the window after sitting down, but the bus wasn't running and there was hardly any wind. Unable to stand the smell, she simply took a handkerchief from her pocket and covered her nose.
"Feeling unwell?" Xie Wei asked in a low voice.
"It smells a bit off," Lin Qingqing said softly.
Xie Wei also smelled the odor and felt his pocket. He took out a paper fan, opened it, and started fanning himself at Lin Qingqing.
Lin Qingqing had her eyes closed and felt a breeze blowing in her face.
She opened her eyes and saw Xie Wei. Looking at the paper fan in his hand, she asked in surprise, "Where did this come from?"
"Yuanjiang folded it at noon, and I don't know when he put it in my pocket," Xie Wei explained. Actually, he knew when Xie Yuanjiang had put it in, and he knew he was just having fun and didn't stop him. Later, he forgot about it and didn't take the paper fan out. He only remembered it now when he saw Lin Qingqing was uncomfortable, and it came in handy.
By the end of July, the weather had become hot, and the air was filled with a dry, humid atmosphere; even the breeze from a paper fan carried heat.
However, a breeze is better than no breeze. Lin Qingqing curled her lips, took the paper fan and fanned herself with her left hand, leaning closer to Xie Wei so that both of them could feel the breeze.
The paper fan was waved until two o'clock, and the driver set off on time.
Yutian Commune is not far from Shicheng. Buses run intermittently, and it only takes about an hour to reach Shicheng Bus Station. The train station is right next to the bus station, so they don't need to take another bus; they can simply carry their luggage to the ticket office to buy tickets.
Upon reaching the ticket hall entrance, Xie Wei noticed the long queue and placed his luggage at the door. He then told Lin Qingqing, "You stay here and watch the things. I'll go buy the tickets."
Lin Qingqing responded and watched Xie Wei go to join the queue.
Half an hour passed before Xie Wei, holding the tickets he had bought, walked over to Lin Qingqing and said, "The train leaves at 4:50. You still have an hour and a half to go. Are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry. Are you hungry?" Lin Qingqing had eaten a whole bowl of rice at noon, so she was quite full.
Xie Wei shook his head and said, "There are boxed meals on the train. If you're not hungry, then we won't eat outside." With that, he picked up his luggage and led Lin Qingqing through the ticket check and into the station.
Shicheng Railway Station is not large, and the waiting hall inside looks small as well. There are ten rows of seats, and most of the seats are already occupied. Xie Wei led Lin Qingqing to find two adjacent seats to sit down.
After sitting down, Lin Qingqing was still asking, "Is the boxed lunch on the train tasty?"
Xie Wei thought for a moment and said, "It's not bad."
That definitely won't taste good, Lin Qingqing thought, and then asked, "When are we going to the provincial capital?"
"It'll probably be around nine o'clock tonight," Xie Wei replied. "If you're tired, lean on me and take a nap."
Lin Qingqing hummed in agreement, leaned against Xie Wei, and closed her eyes.
...
It takes four hours to travel from Shicheng to the provincial capital by train, and another ten hours from the provincial capital to Jinshi. The transfer in between took some time, so by the time Lin Qingqing heard the announcement that the next stop was Jinshi Station, it was already nine o'clock the next morning.
Although the train from the provincial capital to Jinshi was a sleeper berth, the journey still took more than ten hours.
She was about to throw up. Hearing that they had arrived at their stop, her eyes lit up, and she nudged Xie Wei's arm, saying, "We've arrived."
Seeing how happy she was, Xie Wei smiled, nodded, got up, walked to the corridor, and reached for his luggage.
Sitting on the berth opposite them was an elderly man with gray hair. He had boarded the train early yesterday morning and slept soundly until now. Hearing their conversation, he asked, "Are you from Jinshi?"
"No, we're from Shicheng," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
Seeing Xie Wei dressed in a green military uniform, complete with collar insignia and cap badges, the old man said, "Oh, you're going to join the army, right?"
Lin Qingqing smiled and nodded, and the old man then asked them how many years they had been married.
As they spoke, Xie Wei had already taken the luggage down and piled it in the aisle between the beds, then sat down beside it. He heard the old man say, "We got married at the beginning of the month."
The old man looked surprised, but quickly recovered and laughed, "Oh my, this is wonderful news!"
Not many couples can immediately go to a military unit after getting married. This is mainly because either one needs to be at least a deputy battalion commander or have served for fifteen years. Fifteen years of service is a given, but even if someone joins at fifteen or sixteen, they'll be thirty by then, and there aren't many unmarried people that old.
As for the deputy battalion commander rank, it may not seem high, but in reality, only one in a thousand, if not one in a hundred, can be promoted to that position. And such capable people not only have their military leaders watching over them and arranging marriages for them, but their families are also constantly sending matchmakers to propose. Very few of them would delay getting married.
Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have been so surprised.
As they were talking, they arrived at Jinshi Station, and the train conductor reminded everyone to line up at the door to get off. Lin Qingqing could only quickly thank the old man and, carrying her things, walked out with Xie Wei.
The train slowed down as it approached the station, and many people were getting off in Jinshi, causing congestion at the entrance. Those who did pass through had to stand in the middle of the aisle. After about ten minutes, the train finally stopped, the doors were opened by the train conductor, and the people in the aisle slowly moved forward.
As Lin Qingqing walked forward, she turned her head to talk to Xie Wei, but before she could say anything, she lunged forward and let out a hurried "Ah!"
Fortunately, Xie Wei reacted quickly, immediately throwing away the woven bag in his hand, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms, helping her to stand up, and asking in a low voice, "How are you?"
"It's nothing." Lin Qingqing was startled, her heart pounding, and she turned around to look down.
It turned out that part of a passenger's luggage bag had been placed in the aisle, which was so crowded with people getting off the bus that it was practically touching one foot to the other. Lin Qingqing was turning her head to follow at that moment.
Xie Wei was talking and didn't notice the luggage bag, so he tripped over it.
In that case, it's hard to say whose responsibility it was, so Lin Qingqing didn't pursue the matter. She picked up the bag she had dropped and prepared to move on. But while she remained silent, Xie Wei didn't stay quiet. He asked the people sitting or lying on the beds inside, "Whose luggage is this?"
"What's wrong with mine?" The young man with a middle parting, lying on the left middle bunk, looked down and said casually.
"It almost tripped my wife."
Normally, Xie Wei would have let the young man get down and put his luggage under the bed himself. However, the train only stopped for a few minutes at the station. Because Lin Qingqing's fall had already caused a delay, the people behind them started urging them on. So, Xie Wei put the young man's luggage in, picked up his own woven bag, and said, "If your luggage is left in the middle of the road, it's bound to trip someone. I just pulled my wife back, but if someone else had tripped, they might have fallen to the ground, bumped into the bed frame, or even hit the dining table."
Following Xie Wei's words, the others looked at the ground, the bed frame, and the dining table in turn.
The floor was alright, but if you slip and fall, the bed frame is metal, so hitting it would probably hurt. When they saw the dining table, many people gasped.
The dining table was a wooden board extending from the side of the car, with rough, uneven edges. If you bumped into it, you'd either get a head injury or a headache.
The young man was initially impatient, thinking, "I didn't do it on purpose, and your wife is fine, isn't she? Why are you saying so much?"
Before he could even speak, the middle-aged woman in the lower bunk opposite him started nagging: "Young man, I'm not trying to be mean, but you need to be careful when you're traveling. Don't treat the train like your own home, throwing your things around like that. This time it was the People's Liberation Army comrades who were good at it, but what if someone tripped and didn't bump into a soldier, or was an elderly person or a child? Could you take responsibility if they hit their head?"
Others chimed in, criticizing the young man for his wrongdoing. The young man's face turned pale and then red, until finally he admitted his mistake with a flushed face: "I was wrong, I will definitely pay attention in the future!"
But Xie Wei didn't see the young man's apology. After saying what he wanted to say, he picked up his things and got off the bus.
After getting off the train, there was a platform, which was much more spacious than inside the train. Lin Qingqing didn't rush forward and turned to look at Xie Wei, who was carrying things out of the train.
Seeing her expression, Xie Wei asked in confusion, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What you just said was really good," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
Xie Wei coughed twice upon hearing this, his face stiff, and said, "If I don't say anything, he won't take it to heart, and next time he takes the train..."
Others will be injured.
Lin Qingqing walked side by side with Xie Wei, carrying her things. Listening to his words, she nodded seriously, then changed the subject and said, "This is the first time I've heard you call me 'wife.' So what should I call you? My husband, or my husband?"
Xie Wei paused, his throat bobbing, "All is well."
Lin Qingqing stopped and turned to look at him with a smile: "Isn't one of them better?"
Under the bright sunlight, Xie Wei looked at her with deep eyes: "It's better to call at night."
Lin Qingqing was stunned at first, and by the time she realized what was happening, a blush had already spread to the tips of her ears.
...
Xie Wei's military district is located in the suburbs of Jinshi. Although there is no direct public transportation, there are multiple shuttle buses running back and forth every day. Whether it was good luck or because the final stop was the military district, the shuttle bus looked brand new on the outside and was very clean inside. Although there was a slight smell of gasoline, it was not as pungent as the shuttle buses back home.
Because the previous bus had just left, there was no one else on the bus except for the driver and the ticket seller in a blue uniform.
Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei discussed it and decided to sit in the first row of a two-seater, with a window on one side and a door on the other, which would be better for ventilation.
The ticket seller, who was sitting in a single seat near the entrance, was talking to the driver when she saw them boarding the bus with their bags and asked, "Are you here to visit relatives or to accompany a military personnel?"
Lin Qingqing, unsure of who she was talking to, pointed to herself and asked, "Are you talking to me?"
"Who else could it be but you?" The saleswoman was short and plump, but had a cheerful personality. Pointing to herself, she said, "My husband is also a soldier. After I joined the army, I was assigned to work as a ticket seller in the bus system."
Lin Qingqing suddenly realized and said, "I'm here to accompany the army. This is my..." She pointed to Xie Wei and introduced him, "My husband."
As she introduced the product, Xie Wei's lips curled up slightly. He put the last bag on the luggage rack, sat down next to Lin Qingqing in the aisle seat, and nodded to the sales clerk as a greeting.
When they boarded the bus, the saleswoman was talking to the driver and didn't pay much attention to Xie Wei's appearance. She had thought Lin Qingqing was pretty during their earlier conversation, but now, looking at Xie Wei, she thought the couple looked quite a perfect match. She was also a little surprised that Lin Qingqing had mentioned she was accompanying a military unit; both of them looked remarkably young… So, although she noticed four pockets on Xie Wei's uniform, she hadn't realized he was already of such a high rank.
Although she was straightforward, she knew it wasn't good to ask someone's rank so abruptly, so she asked, "Have you gotten your rooms yet? Which building are you staying in? I'm staying..."
It's in building number twenty-seven on the west side.
"Not yet," Lin Qingqing explained when she saw the other person's surprised expression. "We just got married at the beginning of the month. He said the application would be approved in a few days, so he asked me to come with him."
"Oh my, you just got married!" The ticket seller was even more surprised. "So you came to join the army right after your wedding?"
Lin Qingqing nodded.
The ticket seller looked on with envy: "When I married my husband, he was just a platoon leader. He went back to his unit less than half a month after the wedding. For two years, I only received letters but never saw him. He wasn't even there when I gave birth to my son. I almost couldn't take it anymore and even considered divorcing him."
Lin Qingqing wasn't particularly outgoing, but she wasn't aloof either. She could strike up a conversation if someone initiated it, like she was chatting with the ticket seller right now. Since they were already talking, it wouldn't be appropriate for Xie Wei, a grown man, to stand in the middle, so she switched places with him and echoed the ticket seller's words: "But you still can't bear to get a divorce?"
“Yes, I couldn’t bear to,” the older sister said, waving her hand to explain. “But it’s not that I can’t bear to part with him, it’s mainly that I feel sorry for my son. If I divorce him and he remarries, won’t my son have to live under a stepmother’s thumb? To be honest, I was deceived by him back then. He knew I wanted a divorce, and when he came back, he told me that I could join him in the military once he was promoted. I asked him, ‘When will you be promoted?’ He said soon. But I’ve been waiting for seven years.”
The older sister's words were amusing, and Lin Qingqing laughed as she listened. She then asked, "When did you come to join the army?"
“The year before last, I was used to living at home, and I didn’t want to come when he asked me to.” The older sister looked reluctant. “But he said he missed his son and wanted us to be reunited as a family, so I softened and agreed.”
Just then, someone got on the bus. It was a young soldier in a green military uniform. When he saw Xie Wei, he immediately straightened his back and saluted. Xie Wei returned the salute, and the soldier then sat down in the back of the bus.
When Lin Qingqing first saw him salute, she thought he was Xie Wei's soldier, but after looking at him again, she didn't seem to recognize him, so she whispered to Xie Wei, "Why did he salute you?"
Before Xie Wei could speak, his older sister interrupted, "Little sister, you're new here and don't understand. You'll get it in time. That's how it is in the army. You have to salute people. By the way, do you know which regiment your husband is in? My husband is in the 21st Regiment."
Hearing his older sister call him "brother-in-law," Xie Wei's lips twitched, and he replied, "I'm from the 24th Regiment."
"I know the 24th Regiment very well," the older woman said, slapping her thigh. "I heard that your regiment's Commander Xie is not only young but also exceptionally handsome. But I've been with the army for two..."
"I haven't seen him in years. Brother-in-law, tell me, is Commander Xie really as handsome as they say?" He then looked Xie Wei up and down, changing his question to, "Between you and Commander Xie, who's more handsome?"
Xie Wei coughed twice, wanting to say that he was the Commander Xie she was talking about, but before he could speak, Lin Qingqing suppressed a laugh and asked, "I also want to know who is more handsome, you or Commander Xie?"
Xie Wei held her hand and said, "Don't you know who's more handsome, him or me?"
"I don't know Commander Xie, how would I know who's more handsome?" Lin Qingqing lowered her voice and leaned close to Xie Wei.
No sooner had she finished speaking than the ticket seller behind her exclaimed, "Something's not right!"
Lin Qingqing turned her head and asked, "What's wrong?"
“I heard that Commander Xie took leave to go home and get married, and you just got married too.” The older sister pointed at Xie Wei, her eyes shining.
Xie Wei nodded, about to continue his previous statement that he was Xie Wei, when the older sister looked puzzled and asked, "Does everyone in your 24th Regiment get married in groups?"
Xie Wei: "..."
Lin Qingqing couldn't help but laugh this time. She covered her lips with her fist, but still couldn't stop laughing so hard that her shoulders shook.
The older woman was completely bewildered by her laughter: "What are you laughing at, little sister?"
“As far as I know, our 24th Regiment does not hold group weddings,” Xie Wei said with a stiff face. “My name is Xie Wei, and I am the current commander of the 24th Regiment.”
The eldest sister was stunned, looking a little embarrassed: "Ah? Is that so? I thought..." She looked at Xie Wei as she spoke, thinking that the rumors were indeed true. The commander of the 24th Regiment was indeed handsome and young. She scolded, "Why didn't you tell me? You just watched me guess."
Xie Wei thought to himself that he wanted to say it, but he didn't say it out loud.
"Sorry, it's not that we don't want to say, it's just..." Lin Qingqing didn't finish her sentence, but the ticket seller understood through gestures. Recalling her earlier self-talk, she realized that she hadn't given them a chance to explain, so she let the matter drop.
As they were talking, several more groups of people boarded the train, including those in green military uniforms and those carrying large and small bags, heading to visit relatives in the military region. By the time they were ready to depart, the carriage was already full, and the ticket seller had gotten up and sat in a corner of the square seat next to the driver's seat.
The bus station is not far from where I am staying; it takes about half an hour to get there.
The shuttle bus stopped, and the passengers got off one by one. Lin Qingqing was about to get off as well, but Xie Wei stopped her and said, "The guesthouse is in the family compound. We can take the bus directly there."
Not only the guesthouse, but also the state-run hotel where the troops are stationed is located in the family compound, which is a kilometer further away than the military region. It's also on this same route.
The train's final stop.
Hearing Xie Wei's words, the ticket seller agreed, saying, "That's right, just take the bus directly, and it'll save you the trouble of carrying your things."
After all the passengers got off the bus, several more groups of people boarded. Among them was a middle-aged woman who seemed to be a military dependent. She was quite familiar with the ticket seller, and they sat down together to chat. As they were talking, the ticket seller mentioned Lin Qingqing and pointed to Xie Wei, saying, "This is Commander Xie of the 24th Regiment. This is his family member; they're here to accompany him."
The middle-aged woman had heard of Xie Wei's name but didn't know what he looked like. Upon hearing this, she glanced at Xie Wei a few more times, then looked at Lin Qingqing with a slightly surprised expression, because Lin Qingqing looked too young.
But then she thought about it again. Girls in the countryside usually get married young. Although Xie Wei is a bit older, it's his first marriage after all. No one would introduce him to a divorced woman. So, wouldn't they have to look for someone younger? Thinking about it this way, it's normal for the couple to have an age difference of several years.
While the middle-aged woman was thinking, the ticket seller introduced her: "This is Comrade Li Chunying, the family member of Battalion Commander Zhao of the 21st Regiment."
Since they were all military dependents, it wouldn't hurt to get to know each other, so Lin Qingqing greeted him, saying, "Hello, Comrade Li, my name is Lin Qingqing."
After Lin Qingqing introduced herself, the ticket seller also said her name was He Lianhua.
After a brief introduction, the shuttle bus arrived at its stop. Li Chunying got off first, while Sister He stayed on the bus to help them with their luggage. She then asked, "So you'll be staying at the guesthouse for the next few days? Is that convenient?"
“That’s what we discussed. We had nowhere else to stay until the house was ready,” Lin Qingqing said with a smile. “Besides, the military guesthouse is very safe.”
Sister He thought about it and agreed: "Okay, if you have any inconvenience, just come find me in Building 27. I live in the leftmost room. You have so much stuff with you, how about I take you to the guesthouse?"
"No need, no need, we can carry it ourselves." Lin Qingqing knew that Sister He hadn't finished get off work yet, so she didn't dare to trouble her and quickly waved for her to go back to the car.
Seeing Xie Wei carrying two large woven bags and Lin Qingqing holding the smaller bags, Sister He nodded and said, "Okay, contact me if you need anything."
Lin Qingqing thanked Sister He repeatedly for her kindness before turning around and following Xie Wei towards the family compound.
Soldiers were on guard at the main gate of the family compound. They saluted when they saw them coming, then gave them a notebook and pen to register them. They checked Xie Wei's documents and only let them pass after confirming that there were no problems.
Inside was a large square. Xie Wei, carrying his luggage, pointed in different directions and told Lin Qingqing where the residential area was, where the school was, where the supply and marketing cooperative was, and where the health center was.
Lin Qingqing noticed that he seemed very familiar with the residential compound, so she asked, "Do you come here often?"
"I don't come here often, but I made a special trip here after returning to the army after the New Year." As for why he made a special trip, Xie Wei didn't say.
But even without him saying it, Lin Qingqing knew it in her heart, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
Author's Note: First update.
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