I emptied my family's possessions to join the army, and my abstinent superior doted on me.

Chapter 9 Heading to the Army

After seeing the Qin family off, Qian Jiangang fell seriously ill and never recovered.

He was furious and frustrated, but had nowhere to vent his anger. He couldn't even talk to anyone about it.

Meanwhile, Qian Lai led Teacher Yang and Liu Heqing on a fun-filled trip to the south of the city and its surrounding areas for several days.

The gifts I bought for them were so numerous that the two of them could hardly carry them all.

When they returned home with their bags and packages, Qian Dong had already moved out of the family compound with Qian Xiaozhen.

The Qian family also moved to a new courtyard. Although the location was relatively remote, it was quiet.

The kitchen has also been moved indoors, so there's no longer a need to walk between the kitchen and the main house with an umbrella on rainy days.

Liu Huiru was very satisfied.

However, Qian Jiangang was still depressed and found fault with everyone. Every day after get off work, he would collapse onto the bed and wait for Liu Huiru to serve him.

After being taken out by the Qin family, Qin Hongxiang went straight back to the countryside to avoid the rumors.

Qian Xiaozhen had already quietly left Nancheng. Apart from Qian Dong, no one cared where she went.

Qian Lai began packing her luggage for the military base.

She handed three hundred yuan to Liu Heqing, instructing her to keep a close eye on Liu Huiru. She had been too lenient with Qian Jiangang.

Then, she secretly slipped 500 yuan into Ms. Yang's luggage. The night before departure, the two, who looked like mother and daughter, snuggled together and chatted almost all night.

Even before they parted ways, she already started missing Teacher Yang.

She was middle-aged, without a husband or children, and always alone.

Qian Lai vaguely remembered that she had someone she had kept hidden in her heart for many years. However, as time went by, she mentioned him less and less.

If only Teacher Yang could rekindle their romance after returning to Beijing. Unfortunately, I heard that person is already married.

She, pure as she is in a turbid world, would never interfere with the lives of others.

However, Qian Lai had a strange feeling that their connection was not yet severed.

I just hope that she can meet someone who understands her, loves her, and protects her.

They chatted all night and only managed to doze off for a short while close to midnight.

On the same day, Teacher Yang was about to head to Beijing, a city she hadn't visited in many years, while Qian Lai was also going to the military base alone.

Liu Heqing accompanied Qian Lai and Teacher Yang to the station early in the morning. After bidding a reluctant farewell to Teacher Yang, the two returned to the waiting room only after watching the train disappear completely from sight.

Looking at my watch, I realized there was still more than an hour before departure.

"Sis, shall we go to the wonton stall in the square in front of the station, have a bowl of wontons, and sit for a while?"

"Didn't we just finish breakfast?"

"I'm probably too young; I get hungry as soon as I move around. Come on, let's go get something to eat."

After storing their luggage, Qian Lai was dragged and pulled by Liu Heqing to the square.

This was her first time experiencing a train station from the 1970s.

Unexpectedly, this small wonton stall became surprisingly popular.

Liu Heqing went to queue up, and Qian Lai finally managed to get two seats to share a table.

There were two children at the table. The older sister, about seven or eight years old, was feeding her younger brother wontons, one bite at a time.

The little boy looked to be two or three years old, and he was extremely cute!
Qian Lai couldn't help but take a closer look.

Her round, chubby face was fair with a rosy glow. Her big, bright eyes blinked rapidly, and her long, thick eyelashes looked like two little brushes. Her dark pupils shone with light.

They look just like the dolls in New Year's paintings!
Seeing that she kept smiling at him, the boy also grinned, revealing two rows of tiny grains of rice.

"You're so cute!" Qian Lai couldn't help but praise.

The young woman looked up and met her brother's warm eyes, but his face was tense. He scolded her, "Wenquan, eat quickly. Stop looking around."

He took a big bite of wonton, blew on it, and fed it directly into the little boy's mouth.

"Give him a smaller bite, or he might choke," Qian Lai advised the little girl with a smile.

Just then, a woman suddenly shouted, "Hey! Don't you have eyes?"

Qian Lai looked over upon hearing the sound.

Liu Heqing was being questioned by a fashionable young woman who grabbed his arm, and the steaming wonton soup in his hand spilled all over the ground.

She quickly reached for the bowl in her hand, and when she looked up, she bumped into a familiar face.

He had short, parted hair (3/7 split), and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses that framed his refined, fair face. He wore a white shirt, dark trousers, and carried a book in his hand.

She never wanted to see this person again in her life.

Qian Lai instinctively lowered her head, trying to avoid it.

The other person spoke first, their voice gentle and calm: "Xiao Nian, they didn't do it on purpose."

His eyes, however, were fixed on Qian Lai.

She avoided his gaze and asked He Qing in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"I was carrying the soup, and she kept pushing her way forward. I turned around and bumped into her."

"You bumped into me and dirtied my new dress. You have to pay for it! I bought it at a department store in Beijing." The girl's condescending attitude made her seem like someone not to be trifled with.

"I didn't bump into her at all; she forced her way in and bumped into me..."

"Alright, Xiao Nian." The man's eyes held a hint of authority.

The girl awkwardly shut her mouth.

Qian Lai just wanted to get out of the man's sight as soon as possible, so she said to appease him, "There are a lot of people here, so whether it was intentional or not, we're sorry your skirt is dirty. If you don't mind, I'll treat you to wontons."

As he spoke, he took out the money for two bowls of wontons from his pocket and stuffed it into the girl's hand.

"Who cares if you treat me? This dress is worth more than that."

Although the woman's emotions had calmed down somewhat, she was still resentful.

"No, no. My friend was just being greedy and got impatient. Little girl, are you alright?"

The man took the money and handed it to Qian Lai.

Qian Lai didn't go to take it, but whispered to He Qing, "Let's finish eating quickly and leave."

The man was holding the money and forgot he was supposed to return it to the other person.

She could only look at Qian Lai with tenderness and smile.

Liu Heqing seemed to have sensed something was amiss and deliberately stepped between the two: "Sister, let's go. You have to catch your train after we finish eating!"

"Miss, which train are you on? Where are you going?"... Before the man could ask any more questions, the two sisters had already returned to their seats with their wontons.

Qian Lai wished Liu Heqing would devour him in one gulp so he could escape as soon as possible.

She didn't know why Lu Ximing, whom she was supposed to meet in college in the original book, appeared earlier than expected.

This time, she's going to stay far, far away from this person.

In the book, the original owner met Lu Ximing in college and, unable to resist his intense pursuit, married him.

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a complete hypocrite.

On the surface, he cultivated a gentle and loving wife persona, but behind the scenes, he forced her to attend various gatherings, making her mingle like a socialite among those good-for-nothings, indulging in debauchery every night.

He gained opportunities by selling himself out and making things difficult for others.

Even during her period, she wasn't allowed to rest for a moment.

Many businesses and resources were obtained through women.

The original owner was pitifully weak-willed, daring to be angry but not daring to speak out.

In the eyes of the world, she was a respectable university professor's wife, but in private, she was nothing more than a lowly bargaining chip.

What's even more infuriating is that he registered a company in the original owner's name. This made her appear to be a wealthy woman, but in reality, she took on a huge debt for him.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: he had transmigrated into the book, which had already changed a lot of the original story's plot.

In this life, Qian Xiaozhen absolutely refused to marry into the Gu family and desperately fought for her own university spot!

Is it possible that she was reborn?
"Little brother, little brother, what's wrong?"

The sudden, tense cry of the little girl sitting next to Qian Lai broke her thoughts, and large tears instantly streamed down her face.

The little boy was so anxious that he kept grabbing his throat and kicking his little feet frantically, trying to cry out, but he couldn't cry.

Her face turned purplish-red.

Oh no! I'm really choking!
Qian Lai quickly walked behind the little boy, hugged him, and gently comforted him, "Don't worry, Auntie will help you."

She made a fist with one hand, aimed it at the area above the boy's navel, and covered the fist with her other hand, thrusting upwards rapidly and forcefully.

This was the first time she had used the Heimlich maneuver in later generations.

However, she still lacked strength, and after a few rounds, she gradually lost her power.

The boy's kicking legs made it increasingly difficult for her to hold him.

If the location is wrong, the effect will be greatly reduced.

The boy was even more anxious, and as more and more people gathered around, fine beads of sweat appeared on Qian Lai's forehead.

"I'll go." A tall figure descended from the crowd like a god.

A pair of white-gloved hands swiftly took the boy from her arms.

With standard movements, accurate positioning, and sufficient force, the boy spat out a large, unchewed wonton in just three or four strokes.

"Little brother, little brother. It's alright, it's alright."

The little girl hugged the boy tightly, trying to comfort her younger brother who was crying loudly in fright.

Qian Lai breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked up at the man beside him with a broad smile, saying, "It really has to be a man. Thanks..."

Her smile vanished the instant she saw the man's face.

"What a coincidence! We meet again!"

The man tilted his head, raised an eyebrow at her, and smiled, giving her a "you can't escape" look.

(End of this chapter)