Jiang Heng could now confirm that he had been reborn.
Reborn after his wife’s tragic death in his previous life. Reborn at the moment, a year later, when his younger siblings met miserable ends while trying to avenge her.
He had returned to this life—when he was twenty-four, before he had fulfilled the marriage contract, before he had ever met Ning Qiao.
At this moment, when Ning Qiao was eighteen and Old Master Jiang had again raised the matter of proposing—when she had to marry to avoid being sent to the countryside—some conditions he couldn’t understand were triggered, causing his memories to fully resurface.
Jiang Heng vaguely recalled the helpless terror he felt as he watched her life slip away.
When death came so close to her, he was consumed by regret, heartache, as if his very organs were being torn apart. He, who was always calm and composed, nearly lost his composure—but no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t keep her.
“Battalion Commander Jiang, are you alright?”
Xiao Liang looked at his expression, startled.
Even on the battlefield, at the most critical moments, Battalion Commander Jiang was always unflappable.
He had never lost control like this before.
From Ancheng to Xicheng, the train journey took two full days. Old Master Jiang traveled with them the entire way.
Ning Qiao’s mood had gradually calmed.
Her mind replayed scenes from the tea house meeting with Jiang Heng the day before—how he had smiled and said he had recognized her, how he had gone to buy her sour date cake and other little snacks.
She thought that in the future, they could live a good life together, just like her parents and her older brother and sister-in-law.
That would be wonderful too.
Over the two days, Ning Qiao dozed on and off on the train.
Her body was more exhausted than ever before.
In their carriage were young educated youths on their way to the countryside—young men and women huddled together, sharing their anxieties about the unknown ahead.
Ning Zhiping and Ning Yang listened with empathy.
The train arrived in Xicheng.
When Ning Qiao stepped off, she already felt a faint unease.
She thought they were almost there, but her father and brother said there was still a long, long way to go.
First, they had to go to the military port serving Qing’an Island—about an hour’s drive—then take a boat to the island, and finally transfer to another boat for Qing’an Island itself.
“Can you hold on? If you’re tired, let’s rest a while,” Old Master Jiang said with concern.
Traveling day and night, her father and brother were equally exhausted, and Old Master Jiang even more so—yet at his age, he hadn’t uttered a single complaint.
Ning Qiao tried to hide her fatigue as best she could and nodded. “I can manage.”
Once on the boat, the distant sea stretched blue, merging with the sky at the horizon.
The sun slowly set, gradually dyeing the edge of the sky orange. A gentle twilight glow enveloped them. Ning Qiao tilted her face up, letting the sea breeze wash over her.
The temperature in Xicheng was higher than in Ancheng, but Ning Yang still worried and helped his younger sister put on her outer jacket.
Ning Qiao rubbed her cheeks with both hands. “Much better now.”
“Little sister, are you scared?” Ning Yang asked.
Ning Qiao shook her head, her smile soft. “From now on, I’ll see the sea every day—how beautiful.”
There were other passengers on the boat. Seeing the two of them staring out at the water for so long, someone asked, “Little girl, is this your first time on a boat?”
“You’d better sit down—first-timers don’t usually handle it well.”
At first, Ning Qiao didn’t understand. But after several hours on the boat, her initial excitement at watching the sea gradually gave way to something wrong.
Dizziness hit her, and her stomach felt distinctly uneasy.
Even sitting firmly, she could still feel the world spinning.
Ning Qiao covered her lips, her face turning pale.
“Do you feel like throwing up? You’ll feel better if you do—”
Ning Qiao felt even worse.
At this moment, she couldn’t even bear to hear the word “throw up.”
Ning Zhiping and Ning Yang looked just as miserable. Fortunately, Old Master Jiang had experience and asked the people nearby to step back.
The kindhearted passengers moved farther away, giving Ning Qiao enough space to breathe fresh air.
Their voices came from all around.
“It’s always like this your first time on a boat. Later on, I got smart—I’d eat a sour plum before getting on.”
“Do you have any sour plums? Give one to the little girl.”
“Let me check… I don’t think I have any…”
Ning Qiao leaned back weakly, her brows slightly furrowed, utterly drained.
Voices rose and fell around her, her head buzzing.
She had no energy for any other thought—all she wished for was that if only she could have a sour plum right now.
Ning Qiao and her party arrived at night.
The military leadership had always valued Jiang Heng. With the young man’s happy occasion delayed by organizational duties, they were determined to ensure his fiancée and her family were well settled.
Deputy Commander Wang and Political Commissar Fu had initially planned to send more people to pick them up, but their wives thought there was no need for such a grand display. Since Jiang Heng would be returning to the unit soon, it was better for him to introduce his own fiancée himself.
Otherwise, the young girl would be shy.
Political Commissar Fu thought about the age listed on Jiang Heng’s marriage report—an eighteen-year-old girl, arriving in a strange place, already nervous enough. It really wasn’t appropriate for a large group of them to crowd around her.
“You women are more thoughtful,” Commissar Fu said to his wife, Luo Shulan. “Why don’t you and Beirong make the trip?”
Luo Shulan and Jiang Beirong took a military truck arranged by the unit and headed to the dock to receive the guests.
A few days earlier, they had been wondering what kind of comrade had captured Xiao Jiang’s heart so completely that he’d gone out of his way to make a long detour just to see her.
Now, the moment they saw Ning Qiao, everything became clear.
Who wouldn’t be charmed by her!
By the time Ning Qiao got off the boat, she could barely tell east from west.
Luo Shulan and Jiang Beirong helped her into the vehicle and patted her slender back.
They remembered how they had gone through the same bouts of seasickness when they were first assigned to the island with their husbands.
Luo Shulan said to Old Master Jiang, “Old Chief, my husband has been mentioning you these past few days—we didn’t expect you to come in person. It’s late tonight, so we won’t disturb your rest. He’ll definitely come to see you tomorrow morning.”
Old Master Jiang chuckled heartily and asked Luo Shulan how Commissar Fu had been doing lately.
On the way, Ning Zhiping had recovered and, together with Ning Yang, asked the two leaders’ wives about the island situation.
Old Master Jiang was staying at the family compound with the three children tonight, but first, he accompanied the Ning family to the guesthouse.
Jiang Beirong and Luo Shulan gave introductions along the way, and their task was complete only after seeing everyone settled into the guesthouse.
At the guesthouse entrance, Ning Qiao slowly climbed the steps.
The island air was fresh and pleasant.
In the darkness, the nearby shrubbery rustled with considerable commotion.
“Don’t push—don’t push!”
“Is that really our sister-in-law?”
Ning Qiao heard the faint rustling and turned back curiously.
The noise from the bushes quieted down, and the children hid their faces.
Only three round little backs of heads were visible.
Old Master Jiang walked over and hauled the three of them out.
“Why is Grandpa here?”
“I don’t want a sister-in-law!”
“Send her back home!”
Ning Qiao heard it all, but Old Master Jiang was already shooing them back to the family compound.
“Still causing trouble? Just wait till I deal with you today.”
The three kids, huddled like quails, were dragged away.
Ning Qiao paused, watching their retreating backs.
So much for—three well-behaved kids?
Ning Qiao was temporarily settled in the guesthouse.
Ning Zhiping and Ning Yang stayed in the room next door.
After the long journey, Luo Shulan and Jiang Beirong figured they all needed rest and had meals specially delivered.
“Comrade Ning, if you need anything, just let us know.”
“Go ahead and eat first.”
Luo Shulan and Jiang Beirong looked at her and felt something was off.
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