Although He Teng hoped Zhilan could distance herself from Lin Chan’s life, he realized it wasn’t that simple. Lin Chan was not the type to easily forget Zhilan; he often visited her at school. Therefore, He Teng did not have the right to demand Zhilan to avoid seeing Lin Chan.
He Teng was embarrassed. As Zhilan’s husband, he had never bought her anything, not even the coat she wore. That was a gift from Lin Chan.
He Teng had to admit that the coat looked good on Zhilan. The day she wore it to school to see him, he was taken aback by her beauty. It was then that he made a resolution to work harder. Even if he could not provide Zhilan with a lot of money, as Lin Chan had suggested, at least he could bring her honor.
"Has Gu En been bothering you lately?" He Teng diverted his thoughts from Lin Chan, looking down at Zhilan who seemed to shiver in the cold. She was wearing a high-neck sweater and was still shivering. He undid his thick military coat and draped it over her, "Dress warmer when you go out."
"Mmm~" Zhilan nodded. Reaching out, she clung to He Teng’s arm and leaned her entire body against his shoulder. She smiled and said, "Now that you’ve given me your coat, aren’t you cold?"
"If it wasn’t for this leg injury, I might be outside training with the bare-chested soldiers right now!" He Teng said with slight arrogance, then together with Zhilan, they began walking towards the outside. "You’re not going home for winter break. We should call dad and inform him. Dongxue would also be home today since it’s the holiday. Let’s go."
Zhilan nodded vigorously. She hadn’t brought it up, but now that He Teng had, she realized how much she missed her father and Dongxue. Dongxue was very busy studying recently, so their communication was not as frequent as when school had just started.
Feng Zheng went on a trip with his friends as soon as the holiday started. Thus, He Teng was the only one left in the dorm. After arriving at the dormitory with Zhilan, He Teng squeezed her hand, relieved to find it wasn’t as cold as he’d imagined.
"I’m not always there to look after you at school, so you must be more careful. Avoid contact with cold water now that the temperature has dropped. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when washing things. If you expose your hands to cold water too much, you could develop frostbite. Drink hot water, and don’t try thirst-quenching cold drinks. I’ll be returning to the military base once the winter break starts. If you fall ill by then, I won’t be around to take care of you."
Zhilan responded with an "Mmhmm" and a nod. Then, with a smile on her face, she pointed to the telephone, urging He Teng to make the call.
Seeing how eager Zhilan was, He Teng didn’t waste any more time. He walked over, dialed a familiar number, and got through to the owner of the small grocery shop. Upon hearing it was He Teng, she immediately called for his father and Dongxue.
On New Year’s Day, Dongxue, who was in the final year of high school, finally had time to take a breather. She was the first one to answer the phone, and she excitedly yelled "Brother!" Her very next question was, "Where’s my sister-in-law? Is she visiting you at the base now that she’s on holiday?"
"She’s right here beside me." He Teng glanced at Zhilan, who was nestled up against him, trying to get closer to the phone. He continued, "I’m currently doing advanced studies at the military academy in the capital, which is close to her school. We spend every weekend together. Tell dad that I’ve been promoted to platoon leader."