A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

Ye Wenxi and Lu Weidong couldn't sleep.

To be precise, it was Ye Wenxi who couldn't sleep.

She asked many questions about the mountain, going over it repeatedly:

Are there wolves? Are there deep ravines? What's the lowest temperature at night? If I get lost, which direction should I go to find someone?

Lu Weidong answered them one by one, and then fell silent.

Ye Wenxi glanced at his watch; it was past two o'clock.

I could hear even breathing around me.

Lu Weidong was fast asleep.

Ye Wenxi rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth in hatred.

She stared at the dark ceiling, her brows furrowed tightly.

Later, I couldn't hold on any longer and drifted off to sleep.

When Ye Wenxi opened her eyes again, she sat up with a start, grabbed the watch beside her pillow, and saw it was 5:40.

The seat next to me was empty, and the blanket was neatly folded and placed aside.

Ye Wenxi couldn't stay in bed any longer.

She threw off the covers and got out of bed, quickly washed up, put on her cotton-padded coat, and then took out Lu Weidong's military overcoat, folded it, and hugged it to her chest.

In the kitchen, she filled a hot water bottle and stuffed it inside her coat, then picked up the largest thermos.

The room was filled with warm water, and I went straight to the east door from the front door.

When Ye Wenxi arrived, he already saw a familiar figure.

"Wei Hua!"

Lu Weihua turned his head and found that he was holding several items that were exactly the same as Ye Wenxi's.

Military overcoat, hot water bottle, thermos.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Oh dear... I couldn't fall asleep." Lu Weihua, unusually, put away his usual cheerful demeanor.

"Me too." Ye Wenxi moved closer to her.

"Was your second brother ever scolded like this by our dad before?"

Lu Weihua thought for a moment.

"You know what, it's no wonder Xiaojun is closer to my second brother; he's more like my second brother when he was a child."

Ye Wenxi didn't understand: "Oh?"

"My second brother used to beat up almost every kid in the compound."

Ye Wenxi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?"

"It's true, he's never had a full set of teeth since he was a child. He got them all from fighting with other people."

"What???"

Ye Wenxi couldn't believe her ears.

"Your second brother has a time when he's this reckless?"

Ye Wenxi grinned, finding the image of Lu Weidong's upright face and his former carefree demeanor both novel and amusing.

I realized that he wasn't born so reliable after all.

"Once, he beat up the kid that his dad worked for."

"They came to our door that very day."

"Dad apologized to them."

"Later, Dad called my second brother out that night, and the two of them didn't return until almost dawn."

"My second brother changed after that night. He stopped fighting and studied like crazy. Later, he was admitted to a military academy."

As Lu Weihua gazed at the gradually whitening horizon in the distance, he felt as if he, along with the night, had returned to many years ago.

As she spoke, Ye Wenxi pictured Lu Weidong's carefree and reckless youth in her mind.

With a wound on his lip and a defiant look in his eyes, he glared back even when being held down.

It's hard to reconcile this with the man who now has a stern face, doesn't talk much, and walks with a confident stride.

"Later, I asked my second brother," Lu Weihua's voice softened, "What did Dad go out to do with him that night?"

She paused for a moment.

Ye Wenxi didn't interrupt, and just listened quietly.

Lu Weihua chuckled, as if he was thinking of some interesting scene.

He said he asked his dad if he felt ashamed of him.

"Dad only said one sentence: 'Can you keep losing them? Dad doesn't believe it! Dad believes you'll succeed sooner or later.'"

The wind blew in from the other side of the mountain, ruffling the stray hairs on Lu Weihua's forehead. She raised her hand and tucked them behind her ear.

Ye Wenxi didn't speak, but her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.

Ye Wenxi suddenly understood why Lu Weidong was acting this way today.

He doesn't talk much, he's steady, not impatient, and has a solid foundation.

It turns out that he also had times when he felt ashamed.

There was someone behind him who did nothing but wait.

The wind must have been very cold that night.

The boy must have been feeling uneasy that night.

But the light behind him remained on, neither too far nor too near, just enough for him to see when he turned around.

Later he learned to walk.

Later, he became the one waiting behind him.

Some lights, once turned on, will never go out.

Some things wait unsaid, yet they are always there.

The sound of a jeep engine came from behind them.

Lu Weihua and Ye Wenxi pulled themselves out of their memories and turned to look.

Lu Weidong got out of the driver's seat after finishing morning exercises.

He was carrying a military overcoat, a hot water bottle, and a thermos.

Exactly the same as the two of them.

The three of them looked at what they were holding and burst out laughing at the same time.

The laughter was soft, lingered briefly under the gate, and then dissipated.

Then, their gazes turned in unison to the mountain path that Lu Xiaojun had walked into.

The morning light had already spread from the ridge, turning the withered grass at the crossroads a pale gold.

The road was still empty.

There was no one in sight.

The three of them just stood there, and no one said a word.

He held the things in his hands tightly.

It's exactly 7 o'clock.

In the distance, a black dot appeared.

Ye Wenxi narrowed his eyes. The black dot would take a few steps, stop, take a few more steps, and stop again.

His steps were unsteady, as if he were walking on cotton.

"It's Xiaojun." Lu Weihua's voice was strained.

Lu Weidong threw what he was holding on the ground and ran over, his military overcoat billowing behind him like a green flag.

Lu Weihua and Ye Wenxi also rushed over, carrying their things.

Nearly.

closer.

Lu Xiaojun was covered in a layer of white frost, his eyebrows and eyelashes were white, and there was a ring of ice crystals hanging from the brim of his hat.

His lips were frozen purple, but he still had a smile on his face.

That kind of "I'm back" smile.

After taking a few steps, my legs gave way and I fell forward.

Lu Weidong caught him.

"Asu..."

Lu Xiaojun's face and lips were stiff from the cold, making his speech slurred.

"Am I...am I awesome?"

He forced a smile and gave the three of them a silly grin.

"You little rascal, well done!"

Lu Weidong hugged him tightly and patted his back twice.

Then he bent down.

"Come up."

Ye Wenxi and Lu Weihua ran over from behind.

"Quick!! Put it on!"

Ye Wenxi hurriedly put a military overcoat on Lu Xiaojun.

The two quickly wrapped their coats around him, then helped him up on either side of Lu Weidong's back.

Two people supported him on either side, while Lu Weidong carried him on his back in the middle.

The three of them, along with Lu Xiaojun, ran towards the car as a unit, like assembling a mecha.

When they reached the car, Lu Weidong put Lu Xiaojun down and opened the back door.

"Quick, go inside."

Ye Wenxi and Lu Weihua shoved him into the back seat. Lu Xiaojun was stiff all over and couldn't even sit up straight, leaning to one side.

Ye Wenxi followed him in, helped him straighten up, stuffed the hot water bottle in his arms into his arms, took out another one, lifted the hem of his shirt at the back of his waist, and pressed it against him.

Lu Weihua went around to the other side, squatted down, and yanked off his shoe.

Lu Xiaojun's feet were white from the cold, and his toes were curled up and couldn't be pried open.

Without hesitation, Lu Weihua opened his cotton-padded coat, stuffed the boy's two feet into his arms, and covered them with his stomach.

"Auntie," Lu Xiaojun cried out.

"Shut up."

Lu Weihua's eyes were a little red. She lowered her head and pressed his feet closer to her chest.

Ye Wenxi unfolded the other two military overcoats and covered him with them, from his shoulders to his knees.

She unscrewed the thermos, poured in half a cup of hot water, and held it to his lips.

"Drink slowly, swallow little by little."

Lu Xiaojun's lips touched the rim of the cup, trembling violently, and a few drops of hot water spilled out, trickling down his chin.