"That’s good." Commissar Chen nodded, urging He Teng to eat, and then asked again, "You should know about the recent happenings in the capital, right? I originally thought you wouldn’t co back."
"I didn’t plan to co back, but my wife persuaded to." He Teng replied honestly.
"You, you rascal!" Commissar Chen was both amused and annoyed by He Teng’s answer, but when he spoke again, it was to praise He Zhilan.
After this incident, Commissar Chen truly felt sorry for the young woman He Zhilan. Despite such a big matter unfolding, she didn’t cling to He Teng to stay by her side. Instead, she rationally urged him to return to the unit. It was clear that He Zhilan was not only extraordinarily sensible but also deeply considerate of her husband, He Teng.
The commissar’s wife sighed. "This Gu Family, they have such a wonderful girl like Zhilan, yet they disregard her. How can they dote on Gu En, a murderer, instead? I hear that the Gu Family and the Lan Family visit Gu En in prison every few days. Each ti, they bring loads of things to curry favor. How could Gu En ever compare to our Zhilan?"
"Well, whether they compare or not is just our opinion. He Teng’s wife disappeared when she was six. Ultimately, she only spent six years living with the Gu Family, whereas Gu En lived with them for more than ten years. It’s no surprise that the Gu Family loves Gu En more, the adopted daughter they raised. Besides, there’s also the unresolvable grudge between the Gu Family and Zhilan." Commissar Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s focus on happier things! No matter what, the fact that He Teng is back is a good thing!"
The commissar’s wife nodded and said no more, but in her heart, she also felt that it was for the best that He Zhilan hadn’t returned to the unit. If she had, who knows how many unpleasant things she would have had to hear?
The more families moved into the military units, the more won there were around. And where there were won, there was always gossip.
So words were pleasant, while others were harsh.
So said He Teng’s wife was pitiful—disappearing at the age of six, only to be rejected by her biological parents once she grew up. They said He Teng’s wife had wasted her luck being born into the Gu Family but couldn’t hold onto their affection.
Yet, many others felt outraged on Zhilan’s behalf. Her biological parents didn’t even treat her as well as her adoptive father had. On top of that, she had suffered so much at the hands of her biological family and the Gu Family’s adopted daughter.
Just as the commander worried, news of He Teng’s return to the unit shocked everyone in the capital. Almost the entire afternoon, the phone kept ringing off the hook. Those with so dignity made up formal-sounding excuses to inquire about He Teng’s whereabouts, while the shaless ones didn’t even bother coming up with plausible reasons. They asked the most ridiculous and laughable questions. Regardless of how earnest or cunning these people were, they got no useful information from the commander. He simply held firm, insisting that He Teng had been sent on a secret mission and just returned to the unit earlier that day.
After all, when it concerned the military’s secret missions, who would be foolish enough to spill the details?
The commander had shielded He Teng from a great number of prying individuals. Back in He Teng’s hotown, it was no different. For several days straight, unfamiliar faces showed up—clearly targeting the He Family—solely to ask about He Teng’s whereabouts.
But what did the villagers know? All they could share was that He Teng had brought his wife back for a visit once and then returned to the unit. Beyond that, they knew nothing.
After reuniting with the team, He Teng’s life seed to return to how it was a few months ago—training during the day and returning to an empty ho at night. The only difference was that now, there was no gentle wife, no warm als, and no one to share his bed to keep it warm. The house felt cold and lifeless, no matter how he looked at it—completely unfamiliar.
At night, when He Teng was alone at ho, he couldn’t help but miss He Zhilan, who was far away in the mountain village. He worried that without him there, she might cry quietly because she missed him too much. He also fretted about the ever-changing mountain weather and whether she could take good care of herself.
In summary, he couldn’t stop worrying about her. He was acting like a father fretting over a daughter who had grown up and left ho for the first ti to live on her own.
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