Qin Feng, upon hearing An Hao speak, also hesitated in her heart.
However, she was afraid of Qin Jian, looking at her brother’s face as cold as an iceberg, she felt fearful.
"Sister-in-law, could you speak to my brother first for me?" Qin Feng finally softened.
At this time, that was all she could do.
"Okay, I’ll talk to your brother in a bit," An Hao promised.
"Then I’ll head back first, I snuck out this morning, you have
no idea how long I waited for you guys at the entrance of your military compound. I’ve been squatting here until now. Considering how hard it was for me, please help suppress my brother’s temper a bit, so he doesn’t beat me up. You’ll be returning to your parental home in three days, right? Remember to come find me then," Qin Feng, anxious, repeatedly reminded An Hao.
"Okay, then you better head back. Be careful on your way."
After Qin Feng left, An Hao returned to the dining table.
By this time, everyone had nearly finished drinking and started leaving one after another after the meal.
An Hao made a point to say goodbye to Gu Shuangshuang, and then she and Qin Jian walked back together.
Seeing that Qin Jian seemed to have drunk a bit too much, An Hao decided not to bring up the matter just yet.
After getting home, both of them were very tired. They greeted Mother-in-law Zhang Yun, and then An Hao and Qin Jian went back to bed to catch up on sleep.
When An Hao woke up, it was already getting dark, and time to prepare dinner, so she got dressed and went downstairs.
The house was pitch-dark, with no lights on, and when An Hao turned on the light, she found no one inside; there was a note left on the coffee table in the living room. The note said that her in-laws had gone to a dinner gathering at an old comrade’s house and might come back late, telling them to arrange their own dinner.
An Hao went upstairs to ask Qin Jian what he would like to eat.
Qin Jian opened his eyes then closed them again: "Not hungry right now, just very tired. If you’re hungry, go ahead and make something, no need to wait for me."
An Hao wasn’t hungry either, and her stomach was somewhat uncomfortable from drinking too much alcohol.
She went downstairs to cook some stomach-soothing millet porridge. After the porridge was ready and the heat turned off, she had a small bowl of it and then went upstairs.
Having come from the restaurant, her clothes had picked up unpleasant odors of smoke, alcohol, and food.
An Hao, who liked to be clean, sniffed the smell and took down all the clothes hanging on the rack to wash. Before washing clothes, she habitually checked the pockets to ensure nothing was in them that would be damaged by water.
While going through Qin Jian’s uniform pocket, she discovered that envelope again—just like the one before, with no signature or sender’s address.
An Hao just felt puzzled but didn’t take it to heart, casually tore the envelope into pieces, and threw them in the trash can.
She continued searching the pocket, and just as she reached in, she felt a sharp pain in her fingertip, and quickly retracted her hand.
Upon examination, she saw a small wound on her fingertip, from which fresh blood was emerging.
An Hao took a piece of paper to press against the wound to stop the bleeding, then turned Qin Jian’s pocket inside out. Under the light, she saw a shiny little blade inside Qin Jian’s pocket.
"Why is there a blade in your pocket, huh?" An Hao murmured to herself, carefully took the blade out, and casually placed it on the table, then took the clothes to wash.
Qin Jian slept for a long time, and only after having enough sleep did he open his eyes, feeling a headache and a very dry throat. He got up to pour himself some water from the table, and upon seeing the blade thrown on the corner of the table, Qin Jian’s expression darkened.