"Chief of Staff... you know, I’m just a rough guy; how could I write those block characters?" Tian Niu was reluctant, and as soon as he finished speaking, he sneezed several times in quick succession.
"What? Caught a cold?" Qin Jian stood up, washed his face, and asked.
"No." Tian Niu shook his head, "I don’t know who the little bastard is talking behind my back."
"Watch your behavior." Qin Jian said coldly, as he stared at Tian Niu, "You are now a battalion commander, and you must lead by example in everything you do."
"Yes!" Tian Niu stood at attention and saluted, "I’ll remember the Chief of Staff’s instruction."
Qin Jian nodded and glanced at Tian Niu, "Why are you running to the regimental headquarters instead of staying at the camp late at night?"
When this matter was brought up, Tian Niu was full of frustration, "Chief of Staff, I just couldn’t stand the boredom. In the past, life was so good in the military camp with you, Political Commissar Jiang, and the brothers. Now that I’ve come to the Northwest, a place so unfamiliar, I just can’t seem to fit in with the others."
"So..." Qin Jian asked as he poured tea.
"So, I came to find you, Chief of Staff, to catch up on old times and also, I brought some small dishes, how about we have a couple of drinks while chatting?"
"You’ve been waiting here for half a day just for this?"
Qin Jian waved him off, "Then go back, I don’t have time right now."
"Don’t have time?" Tian Niu’s eyes widened in surprise, "But work is already over, what else is there to do?"
"I’m making a phone call to my wife," Qin Jian said, picking up the telephone from the desk.
"Making a call to sister-in-law? That’s great!" Tian Niu got excited.
Seeing how excited Tian Niu was, Qin Jian gave him an icy look, "Why are you so happy about me calling my wife?"
"I want to say a few words to sister-in-law," Tian Niu thought gleefully, but then, looking up and seeing the Chief of Staff’s icy stare, he quickly added the rest of his sentence, "to ask about Gu Shuangshuang."
Qin Jian gave a slight nod, and Tian Niu clearly saw the ice in the Chief of Staff’s eyes slowly melting away.
Oh my... it seems sister-in-law is his life...
From now on, I’ll have to be careful with my words, or else, I might not know when I’ll fall into his hands.
His methods of punishing people keep getting more and more creative; ordinary people can’t stand it!
Gu Shuangshuang was venting her grievances about Tian Niu to An Hao when the phone suddenly rang, startling her.
An Hao only then realized that, contrary to the phone which used to be only downstairs, there was now an additional one installed in her bedroom.
It must have been her in-laws, worried that she would be embarrassed to say certain things in the living room, so they installed a phone especially for her.
Once the call was connected, Qin Jian’s voice came through, deep and melodious as ever, "An Hao..."
"Mm." An Hao responded softly, smiling as she greeted Qin Jian, "It’s been a long time since I’ve heard your voice. How have you been recently? Are you getting used to life there? Is the food I sent enough?"
"Very well," Qin Jian summarized his life in two extremely brief words before pausing and speaking in a deep voice, "I just miss you a lot... really miss you..."
Tian Niu was standing on tiptoe behind Qin Jian, ears straining towards the receiver, trying to listen to the sweet nothings the newlyweds were going to exchange.
But to his surprise, the Chief of Staff, usually with a face so cold it could freeze frost, was actually uttering such mushy words, and his voice was softer than ever before.