So every day she bustled about, busy with preparations.
An Hao didn’t need to worry about anything; she just had to shop for her own clothes.
Qin Jian had been wearing military uniform for over a decade, and although An Hao wanted to buy him a suit, he was used to military attire and didn’t like other clothes.
Besides, they couldn’t omit a circuit at the military base during the wedding, so he would stick to his uniform.
Thus, An Hao only bought two outfits for herself—weddings naturally called for festive attire, so she chose two red coats.
During the wedding, her father An Shuchao and her brother An Ping couldn’t be without decent clothes either, so An Hao bought each of them a new outfit.
After buying bag after bag of items and walking until her ankles ached, An Hao finally had everything she needed.
Seeing it was getting late, Qin Jian suggested An Hao stay with him at his place, but she declined.
The wedding was only days away; she wanted to spend a few more days at home.
Once she was married, she feared there would be little time to stay with her parents.
That morning when she left, she saw her father hesitate to speak and somewhat understood his feelings.
Even though he didn’t express it verbally, he was surely reluctant to let go of his daughter.
In her previous life, after marrying Qin Jian and moving into his family’s home, she harbored resentment and didn’t visit her parents’ house for a long time.
Later, she inadvertently heard from An Ping that her father had secretly cried at her mother’s grave after she left home.
Yet she felt her stepmother and father had conspired to drive her out, marrying her off to a cold man as unfeeling as a block of ice.
Now reflecting on it, although her father had been foolish and weak-willed, he probably found it hard to let go and was unhappy seeing his daughter wed a man she didn’t love or understand, right?
An Hao expressed her wish to stay home longer to accompany her father and brother, and Qin Jian, understanding her, offered to take her to the bus station.
They had just arrived at the station, bought the tickets, but not yet boarded when An Hao suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
"Look... isn’t that Shuangshuang?"
Qin Jian followed the direction of her pointing finger and indeed saw someone dragging luggage, just having gotten off a train from another direction.
"Shuangshuang!" An Hao called out loudly.
Gu Shuangshuang turned around and was surprised to find Qin Jian and An Hao standing by another bus.
"Staff Officer! An Hao! I didn’t expect to bump into you here!" Seeing An Hao was a pleasant surprise for Gu Shuangshuang, instantly brightening her mood, which had been somewhat gloomy.
"Shuangshuang, why are you back here instead of spending the New Year at home on your winter break?" An Hao was puzzled.
"I... have nowhere to go," Gu Shuangshuang shrugged, speaking of her sad circumstances in a seemingly light-hearted tone, "My mom and dad are getting a divorce! Neither of them wants me! Where else could I go during the New Year holidays but back to school?"
"Divorce?" An Hao was taken aback, "Isn’t your dad a soldier? Soldiers usually can’t get divorced under normal circumstances, can they?"
"You’re right," Gu Shuangshuang clenched her fists, speaking through gritted teeth, "but my mom and dad are the exception! My mom will do anything to get a divorce! Even military marriages can end if they really can’t be maintained."
"Even if they divorce, your parents wouldn’t just abandon you, would they?"
"All my mom sees is money! She despises my dad’s low salary! And my dad is only focused on being promoted to the regimental commander! This holiday when I went home, I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him," Gu Shuangshuang said angrily, "I told them I’ve grown up, and I don’t care what they do or where I go!"