Pushing through the crowd, An Hao fluttered into Qin Jian’s embrace like a dancing butterfly.
He opened his arms and held her tightly, lowering his head to breathe in her sweet, fragrant scent, "You finally arrived!"
An Hao looked up at Qin Jian with a slight smile, but her eyes suddenly reddened, and tears streamed down her cheeks, "Qin Jian, I’ve missed you! I’ve missed you every day and night!"
"So have I," Qin Jian bowed his head to cradle her face, raising his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, "Why the tears? This time I can stay with you for over a month."
An Hao wiped away her tears and nodded, "Mhm."
"There, there!" Qin Jian comforted, hugging her tightly once again.
Gu Shuangshuang, with a backpack on and dragging two large suitcases, frowned as she watched An Hao and Qin Jian’s inseparable embrace, "Hey, can you consider my feelings? How much longer are you two going to hug?"
Only then did An Hao remember that, in her excitement at seeing Qin Jian, she had left her suitcase halfway, and Gu Shuangshuang had brought it over for her from behind.
"You’ve been a great help. Let me take the luggage," said Qin Jian as he went to take the things from Gu Shuangshuang’s hands, but his guard, Xiaozhang, promptly came forward to help with the luggage.
"Let’s go, get in the car," Qin Jian said, taking An Hao’s hand.
"Hey, why didn’t Tian Niu come?" Gu Shuangshuang looked around but didn’t see Tian Niu anywhere.
"He injured his foot during maneuvers and is resting at the barracks," responded Qin Jian.
"Oh." That explained his absence.
"I’ll take you there in a bit."
"That would be great, Chief of Staff!"
Just as everyone was about to get into the car, they suddenly heard a gruff voice from behind, "Big brother! Don’t go! Are you with the infantry?"
The voice sounded familiar; An Hao turned around and saw Feng Chunhua, the one who had caused trouble with them on the train.
Seeing her, Gu Shuangshuang got annoyed, "Let’s go, don’t pay her any attention."
Qin Jian, however, stopped in his tracks, "I am! What do you want to ask?"
Feng Chunhua immediately got excited upon hearing this, "I want to know if you know Yang Dahe."
"I do. He’s the political commissar of our regiment. What’s your relation to him?" asked Qin Jian.
"Wow, you know him; that’s great. I’m his wife, and this is his son. We’re here for a family visit," Feng Chunhua said cheerfully.
"So you’re the sister-in-law. Why didn’t the political commissar come to pick you up?" He hadn’t heard anything about a family visit when he left today.
Feng Chunhua smiled mysteriously, "I didn’t tell him! I wanted to give him a surprise."
"No wonder," Qin Jian said, but he felt a tad suspicious.
In just a second, any doubts were dispelled, and seeing her laden with several bags, Qin Jian smiled, "Sister-in-law, let me take that. Since the political commissar hasn’t come to pick you up, you can ride back with me."
"Really? That’s wonderful." Feng Chunhua, delighted to hear that they had transport, handed over her things to Qin Jian, pushed An Hao and Gu Shuangshuang aside, and took up more than half the space in the vehicle with her son.
"Hey, don’t you have eyes? Couldn’t you ask if there’s still room for others before boarding?" Gu Shuangshuang was nearly apoplectic with rage.
It was her first time encountering someone so unreasonable! And to think it was a military spouse!
She bore no resemblance to the understanding, gentle, kind, and patient image of a military spouse that Gu Shuangshuang had in mind.
"Oh, it’s you again? You little hussy!" Feng Chunhua’s ire arose at the sight of Gu Shuangshuang, and like an agitated rooster, all her feathers stood on end.