Laughter and cheerful voices floated through Osmanthus Alley.
The next day, Chiang Xiao took her grandparents, bid farewell to Ge Dejun’s family, and headed for the provincial city.
This time, they left without telling anyone else besides Ge Dejun’s family.
Hu Xibing had been informed before, but this time Chiang Xiao didn’t specifically go to tell him again.
Two weeks of intensive training completely wore down Zhao Xin and the others.
As soon as the vehicle entered the camp’s main gate, before it even came to a stop, they were already jumping out, eagerly rushing toward the barracks.
"I’m going to take a shower and then sleep for three days and nights straight!"
"I want to eat meat, meat, and more meat!"
"It’s inhumane! Who on earth came up with this training! Who!"
"In half a month I didn’t catch anything and was reduced to eating grass roots!"
"I ate a few locusts!"
"Hahaha, then I’m still a bit better off? I caught a snake and ate grilled snake meat! I even swallowed a snake gall! I’ve heard that snake gall is good stuff!"
"Envious you had something to eat! I’ve been drinking water for several days, staving off hunger with just water! Who the hell chose that godforsaken place? I’ve never seen such a barren mountain!"
A group of people were chattering and shouting as they rushed towards the barracks.
Only one tall figure was striding rapidly towards the communications room.
Meng Xinian was also famished, but what he thought of first was the letter from Chiang Xiao.
Being away for half a month, there should at least be four letters waiting for him.
During this time, her letters were something he couldn’t do without. For this trip, he had even brought along the last two letters she wrote, pulling them out to read whenever he felt tired or hungry.
He could recite them from memory.
But now, he urgently needed new ones, with new content.
"Captain Meng, you’re back?" Xiao Qian, the communications clerk, was startled upon seeing him.
"Mm, give me my letters."
Meng Xinian’s voice was so hoarse it was barely recognizable.
The place he had been in was short on water, he had only managed to supplement with a bit from tree leaves and roots, which was utterly insufficient to quench his thirst.
Now, his lips were all cracked.
Normally, he would drink water first thing, but, for him, letters were more important than water.
Xiao Qian stepped back, "Captain Meng, there are no letters."
Meng Xinian thought he had misheard.
Before leaving, he had written to someone, specifically instructing that although he couldn’t reply, she should send letters on time, and he would make up for it upon returning from training.
And now they were telling him there were no letters?
"Really, there are no letters." Xiao Qian felt Captain Meng’s expression was somewhat terrifying and couldn’t help stepping back again. Before departing, Captain Meng had specifically instructed him to carefully keep any letters for him to collect upon his return.
So for half a month, he had been very diligent in checking the mail, but indeed, there were none for Captain Meng.
"Not even one?" Meng Xinian’s face darkened as if it would drip ink, and his heart also tightened.
Could there be trouble in Peace Town?
Had something big happened, so Chiang Xiaoxiao didn’t even have the time to write a letter?
"Really, not one." Xiao Qian thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead, "That’s not right, there is one." He immediately turned around, fetched it, and handed it to Meng Xinian.
One letter was better than none.
Meng Xinian’s tension eased as he took the letter. "How old are you, kid? Going senile already?"
He had almost said there were no letters when there was one.