Seeing her son carrying a suitcase, Su Guilan guessed that he had come back to say goodbye. Her heart ached, tears welled up in her eyes, and she spoke with a choked voice: “Chenchen, are you really going to be a soldier in the south? Is there no room for further discussion?”
“Mm,” Jiang Chen took a deep breath, feeling equally upset. “The transfer order from the Beijing Military Region has already been issued. I’ll be taking the train to Hangzhou tonight.”
“Where in Hangzhou will you be stationed? I’ll come to see you when I’m there on a business trip.”
“West Lake Sanatorium,” Jiang Chen replied truthfully.
“That sounds somewhat familiar.” She thought for a moment but still couldn’t recall where she had heard it. Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she asked, “Shouldn’t a transfer to the south place you in the Hangzhou Military Region? Why a sanatorium?”
“I don’t know, but according to the regiment commanders, this place is supposed to be a cushy job. They’re all envious that I’ve been transferred there to serve as the chief officer.”
“Then I’ll help you look into it tonight.”
“Okay.”
Suddenly, Su Guilan remembered Jiang Ye. With her son leaving, what would happen to Jiang Ye? “If you leave, will the allocated apartment in the family compound be taken back?”
She had always known that Jiang Ye was living in the apartment assigned to him.
“It won’t be taken back,” Jiang Chen replied.
He had worked in the Beijing Military Region for over ten years before being allocated that apartment in the family compound. Even if he were transferred to the Southern Military Region, he could temporarily live in the collective dormitory.
If he decided to stay in the south permanently and not return to Beijing, the allocated apartment would be exchanged—the one in Beijing would be taken back, and he would be reassigned a local apartment in the family compound.
“So, she’ll continue living in the apartment in the Beijing family compound?”
“Mm,” Jiang Chen nodded. Then it occurred to him that after he left for the south, the only one who could keep his mother company would be Xiao Yezi.
No matter what, the bond of upbringing outweighs the bond of birth.
He hoped that before he left, he could persuade his mother to accept Jiang Ye back into the family.
Jiang Chen looked at his mother solemnly and spoke unhurriedly, “Mom, I think you should continue treating Xiao Yezi as your daughter. After more than twenty years of raising her, how can you bear to abandon her like this?”
“But I still have you.”
Su Guilan had always been tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Although she had outwardly ignored Jiang Ye during this time, she had secretly asked people to check on her.
She knew that Jiang Ye was living in Jiang Chen’s apartment.
She also knew that Gu Che was tutoring her.
Jiang Chen sighed. “But I’m going to be a soldier in the south. After I leave, Gu Che will still go to the family compound to tutor Xiao Yezi. With a young man and a young woman alone together, it’s inevitable that…”
Suddenly, Jiang Chen remembered the news that Gu Che had been admitted early to Tsinghua University. The school hadn’t widely publicized it yet, but after the college entrance exams, the entire city would find out.
“Gu Che has already been admitted early to Tsinghua University.”
“Really?”
“Really, I asked my friend at the Education Bureau.”
When he first heard the news, he was also shocked. Tsinghua University is one of the top universities in China, and those admitted early are exceptionally rare talents—the kind worth starting a new family lineage for.
So, he specifically called a friend at the Education Bureau to confirm.
His friend said that, to avoid affecting other students’ morale during the college entrance exams, they planned to keep Gu Che’s early admission under wraps for now.
A relieved smile spread across Su Guilan’s face. The reason she had agreed to let Wen Ci take Jiang Ye’s place in the marriage was that she knew Jiang Ye’s boyfriend was a top student destined for Tsinghua.
Now that Gu Che had been admitted early to Tsinghua University,
when the news was announced to the entire city, she would also share in the glory.
“In that case, we should bring Jiang Ye and Gu Che home.”
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