Fortunately, she quickly adjusted to the slight disappointment; after all, even in the village, men rarely stayed home during the day, let alone since He Cheng was a soldier.
Just as she was about to fold a somewhat wrinkled piece of clothing seriously, she felt a sudden embrace around her waist, followed by the faint scent of soap from her husband.
In her ear, his magnetic voice carried a hint of satisfaction, “But from now on, I’ll come back to see you whenever I have time.”
“Xue Zhu, with you by my side, I feel at ease.”
He Xue Zhu’s cheeks flushed as the flicker of disappointment in her heart vanished into the skies.
She slightly turned around, carefully helping her husband adjust his collar. “Being able to accompany you makes me feel secure too.”
****
“Here they come!”
“Should we go greet them?”
“That’s Commander Lin; our men are cautious when speaking to him. Are you brave enough to approach him?”
“What cautiousness? Commander Lin isn’t like Vice-Commander Zhang. The last time my husband trained and got injured, it was Commander Lin who took care of him, running around to help. He even brought over some supplements to visit him.”
A few women sitting under the tree, making soles for shoes, chattered for a moment. Eventually, they said hello when Lin Shiheng passed by with He Xiaobao.
“Right, I just returned from my hometown.”
“By the way, sisters, I need a favor.” The handsome man in military uniform smiled, “My wife came to the army with me this time. She is gentle and shy, so she might be too embarrassed to approach you and talk. I’d appreciate it if you could take the initiative to find her.”
Upon hearing this, the women immediately agreed.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry, we are all just sitting around with nothing to do. Commander Lin, you can count on us.”
“Thanks, sisters. I’ll take my brother to the recruit camp first, and I’ll come back to thank you properly.”
After watching the tall figure leave with He Xiaobao, the military wives immediately gathered together.
“Who would have thought? Commander Lin cares for his wife so much. When I first came here and didn’t know anyone, I didn’t even dare to step outside. My husband never asked anyone else to speak to me.”
“Same here. When I first arrived, I felt too shy to chat with anyone by myself. I was so bored that I asked my husband, Lao Zhang, to help me talk to his comrades, but he thought it was too embarrassing and refused.”
“Exactly! These rough men wouldn’t think about such things. Commander Lin is nice; he’s polite and attentive, and he treats his wife so well. Commander Lin’s wife is really lucky.”
After about two hours, they finished most of their work and laughed while packing up, planning to go chat with the new commander’s wife when a small wife came in carrying a bag. The smiling military wives suddenly faltered, their expressions becoming a bit awkward.
“Where are you all going?”
The small wife didn’t notice anything unusual and innocently asked as she saw them looking like they were heading somewhere together.
The military wives exchanged glances, and it was finally a woman often called Sister Li who spoke up: “Commander Lin’s wife has arrived, and he asked us to keep her company.”
Upon hearing this, the small wife’s expression immediately soured: “He asked you to? Why isn’t he with her?”
“Commander Lin had business at the recruit camp, so…”
“Ha!”
Zhou Qianqian scoffed, “Come on, I think he just doesn’t want to see his wife.”
“Don’t say that; Commander Lin cares for his wife. He just mentioned that his wife is gentle and shy…”
“How could she not have a problem? Left at home for three years while he became a commander, he hasn’t even thought about bringing her over. If I were her, I would make a scene about it!”
“No, Qianqian, Commander Lin is really good; he genuinely cares for his wife, look at him! You shouldn’t believe those rumors.”
Now, Zhou Qianqian had previously met Miao Xing when she went to the hospital and they had become good sisters. She had done a lot to help Miao Xing pursue Lin Shiheng thinking she would soon succeed. But then the world changed too quickly when Lin Shiheng confirmed he had a wife, and Miao Xing transformed from boldly chasing love to someone who looked at what was in front of her while missing out on other opportunities.
Zhou Qianqian refused to believe this; in her mind, Miao Xing was the kindest person, how could she pursue him knowing Lin Shiheng had a family!
So it was all Lin Shiheng’s fault; he never informed Miao Xing he was married. When rumors were rampant, Zhou Qianqian spent considerable time defending Miao Xing.
“What rumors! Sister Miao Xing was too trusting of Commander Lin, leading to such speculation. How could someone like him care for a wife!”
As she said this, Zhou Qianqian added another layer of cold ridicule: “Just wait, he can go three years without mentioning his wife, and even if he brings her here now, Commander Lin’s wife will probably still have a rough time.”
Sister Li was overwhelmed: “Don’t be so judgmental; what if Commander Lin treats his wife well?”
“Well? How could that be? If Commander Lin can buy his wife a new dress within a month, without you reminding him, I’ll eat this plastic bag!”
Her words were crisp, firm, and resolute!
With that, she turned to leave. Behind her, Lin Shiheng’s magnetic and gentle voice called out, “Sister Li, I just went to the city to buy a few dresses for my wife. There’s one that looks nice, but the sleeves are a bit large. You’re skilled; could I trouble you to help alter it?”
Everyone turned to look, and Lin Shiheng indeed held a beautiful dress in his hand while carrying several bags. By the look of it, they contained clothes.