The wonton at the train station did not compare to the ones made at home, but on this night in early spring, a bowl of steaming hot wonton was enough to warm one from head to toe.
After eating, He Teng drove He Zhilan back to the base. It was dark at night, perhaps due to the rain in the day, there were puddles on the road, making the drive slightly bumpy. However, He Teng effortlessly controlled the steering wheel without a hint of complaint, causing He Zhilan to smile to herself.
"Brother, you’re really good at driving!" He Zhilan exclaimed, "Do they race cars at your military base? Like the ones Gu En and Ding Long participate in, where they race on particularly scary tracks with reckless abandon."
"Hmph, we in the military don’t indulge in such child’s play." He Teng replied with disdain, "You’ll witness what real skill is when you have the chance."
Even though he hadn’t explained why the military’s driving skills weren’t child’s play, it was clear from the way he raised his eyebrows that he truly looked down on the racing that Gu En and Ding Long participated in. To him, it was mere amusement for rich people with too much time - if they were to compete, it would have to involve skill.
They arrived at the base around midnight. The gatekeeper saluted upon seeing He Teng and He Zhilan, greeting them with, "Captain He! Sister-in-Law!"
He Teng originally intended to nod and leave it at that. But upon hearing the title "sister-in-law", he glanced at He Zhilan, worried that their divorced status made the moniker inappropriate. Seeing that she didn’t seem upset, but rather had a faint smile in her eyes, he said back, "Just call her by her name in future."
"Thank you for your hard work." He Zhilan lightly smiled and followed He Teng into the base, then asked, "Everyone in the base knows about our divorce, right?"
"Yes." He Teng answered mildly, clearly focused on the path ahead. After a pause, he added, "If anyone mistakenly calls you ’sister-in-law’, just remind them."
"It’s okay, I’m used to it!" He Zhilan laughed and followed He Teng towards the guesthouse.
The guesthouse felt rather desolate with no festivals or holidays in sight.
He Teng led He Zhilan up to the second floor and opened the door to a room at the end of the hallway. Hesitating at the entrance, he finally walked in after He Zhilan, saying, "The room was cleaned by the commissar’s wife. We must thank her properly tomorrow."
Only then he placed He Zhilan’s pitifully sparse luggage on a chair, lifted the kettle and said, "The commissar’s wife filled this with hot water for you."
"The sister-in-law is really kind," Zhilan replied with a nod, feeling genuinely grateful for the commissar’s wife, who had even prepared hot water for her just like a big sister would.
"It’s quite late, you should rest. Shall I bring breakfast to your room tomorrow morning, or will you be going to the cafeteria yourself?" Now that they were divorced, there was no reason for He Teng to stay in the same room as He Zhilan, especially at this late hour. As such, he knew to keep his distance.
After contemplating a little, He Zhilan responded, "Come to pick me up, and we’ll go to the cafeteria together."