As expected, He Zhilan experienced a sleepless night.
The school during the National Day holiday became desolate, lacking the usual hustle and bustle. Early in the morning, Lin Chan drove his vehicle to the dormitory where Zhilan stayed and called her to come downstairs.
"You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? I’ve got some soymilk and buns for you in the backseat, as well as a bag of snacks. You can have them during the train journey to kill time. Xiulin helped me pick them. I really don’t know what you like. Have a look. If there’s nothing you fancy, I can buy you something else at the train station." Lin Chan pointed at the backseat, hinting for Zhilan to get in the car.
As soon as the car door was closed, Lin Chan turned the steering wheel around and drove away from the dormitory. Zhilan reached out and opened the bag, releasing the fragrance of fresh buns into the car.
"Thank you!" The buns were a bit hot. As Zhilan held one, it scalded her hand. "Have you eaten yet?"
"I ate before I left home." Seeing Zhilan scalded, Lin Chan gave a guilty chuckle. "Just bought them. I raced over here, so they are still hot."
Zhilan glanced at Lin Chan. She had to admit that when Lin Chan acted reliably, he was genuinely sincere. Xing Ye’s description of him was spot on.
Summer clothes are light and thin, and Zhilan didn’t have many possessions to carry. Even after adding the snacks prepared by Lin Chan, she still could easily manage everything during the train journey.
"Once you purchase a return train ticket, give me a call to let me know the time. Then I’ll come pick you up! Me and my buddies plan to go to D Province for a few days. When I come back, I’ll bring you a gift!" Lin Chan waved at Zhilan and gestured for her to get on the train.
"Sure!" Zhilan responded with a tight-lipped smile. She had taken note of how good Lin Chan had been to her, even though she wasn’t able to repay him for the moment. Still, she remembered it all in her heart.
Having met someone as kind as Lin Chan when she first arrived in the capital made her realize that even though she had left home at a young age, she was still watched over by the heavens.
The train journey took several hours, but perhaps because Zhilan was looking forward to seeing He Teng, the hours didn’t seem unbearably long.
By noon, the train stopped at a small county town. As she came out of the train station, Zhilan saw a military jeep parked right outside. A young soldier, about twenty years old, dressed in green military uniform, was anxiously looking around.
When the young soldier spotted Zhilan, his gaze stopped for a moment before quickly scanning the station entrance again.
Zhilan walked over, carrying her bags, and stood in front of the soldier, "Hello, I’m He Teng’s wife."
The soldier was taken aback at first. Then, once he realized the situation, he looked at Zhilan and awkwardly scratched his head. He promptly saluted, "Hello, sister-in-law!" Staring at the young girl standing before him, who was obviously much younger than him, the soldier couldn’t believe she was He Teng’s wife.
"It must have been hard for you to travel by train. Get in the car quickly! As soon as he was informed that you’re visiting the barracks today, Sergeant He made all the arrangements. Is your luggage heavy? Let me carry it for you!" Although the soldier’s speech was a bit disjointed, he enthusiastically took Zhilan’s bags and opened the car door for her.
"Thank you! You must have been waiting quite a while, right?" Zhilan gave the soldier a friendly smile, thanked him, and got in the car.