Lu Jiang hit the road in the wee hours. Feng Qingxue had Xibao left in the care of Father Lu, while she escorted Lu Jiang herself to the railway station.
The two of them were pushing a bike laden with luggage, walking side by side.
Upon reaching the train station, with his referral letter and documents, they bought a ticket. It was almost time for boarding.
Surrounded by passengers coming and going, they looked at each other. Thousands of words were not enough to express the sorrow of parting.
Under the public gaze, the two lovers could not exhibit any affection, only expressing their love through their eyes. The feelings were deep and tender.
The cold wind could not disperse the warmth in their hearts.
"Ask when you get back. Can families visit? If so, when Xibao is a bit older, I’ll take him to see you. If you do not have leave next year, we’ll go to you. When you are not at home, I’ll show him your pictures and teach him to call you ’daddy’. When he sees you again, he’ll call you ’daddy’. We don’t need you to do it, otherwise it could confuse your roles as father and son," said Feng Qingxue.
"Alright, I’ll ask when I get back," Lu Jiang wiped his face, understanding that the chances could be slim.
The military base where he was stationed was not the same as before. The harsh climate was unbearable for many soldiers, let alone their families. So, they would not allow family visits, fearing the onset of altitude sickness leading to irreversible damage.
A long whistle sounded, and the loudspeaker reminded passengers that the train was pulling into the station.
"I should go now," Lu Jiang was forced to say.
Feng Qingxue watched him, holding back her tears, "You go. I’ll watch you. I’ll watch you leave. Don’t look back. I’m afraid, if you look back, I won’t bear to see you go. Ajiang, I’ll wait for you to come back."
Determined, Lu Jiang, turned around and with his luggage bag, he followed the crowd into the platform.
He listened to Feng Qingxue, and didn’t look back, but passengers further up could spot two traces of tears streaking down his face. His eyes were brimming with reluctance, yet filled with resolution.
Until Lu Jiang’s figure disappeared from sight, Feng Qingxue squatted down, pulling her scarf to cover her face, sobbing quietly.
"Comrade, why are you crying?" a middle-aged woman, waiting to pick someone up, asked with concern.
Feng Qingxue lifted her tear-streaked face. "My husband has gone on a long journey."
The middle-aged woman chuckled, "It’s hard to be apart, right? It’s normal. You two are still young, inevitably yearning for each other. Wait until you’re older, tending to your child every day, you won’t have these thoughts anymore."
"You’re right." Yet she’d still miss her husband, she won’t forget her duties as a wife because she was raising a child.
She pushed her bike and slowly made her way home.
When daylight came, there were more pedestrians. She wrapped her face in a scarf and wore a Lei Feng hat.
Once Lu Jiang left, Feng Qingxue had no mood to roam the streets. Without any preparation, she couldn’t even mail some items to her grandparents from her past life. She hence decided to return home, and as she neared Wanglou Brigade’s boundary, she overheard a girl’s clear complaint up ahead, "It stinks! Mom, is this the Wanglou Brigade? Such a smelly and dirty place, why did you bring me here?"
The older woman replied, "I brought you to visit relatives, isn’t that what you wanted?"
As Feng Qingxue passed them on her bike, the girl stopped her.
"Hey, stop for a moment. Stop!" The girl was quite impolite, "I have a question for you. Stop!"
Feng Qingxue didn’t pay her any heed and continued to bike home.
... Eight more Chapters to go, haha, I’ll update later in the evening.