Chapter 150: Arrival at Bing City
For the rest of the journey, the young girl on the top bunk could only lie there and watch the formidable soldier take care of his wife’s every need. The more she watched, the more bitter and jealous she became.
If only I could have a husband who doted on me like that… she thought wistfully.
Still, while she clearly harbored feelings for Gu Tingxiao, she never took any practical action to pursue him. Because of this, Sheng Wanyan didn’t see any reason to actively make trouble for her. Wanyan could easily sense the resentful glances directed at her from the opposite bunk from time to time, but she simply pretended to be completely oblivious.
Seeing that her silent glares weren’t bothering Wanyan at all, the young girl felt a wave of frustration lodge tightly in her throat.
Wanyan found the girl’s sour expressions rather entertaining. Every now and then, she would intentionally flaunt a bit of affection with Tingxiao just to ruffle her feathers. It became a small way to pass the time.
Since the girl was still actively pining after her husband, Wanyan figured she was being quite generous by not starting a proper fight. After all, the girl hadn’t done anything out of line; she had only thrown a few bitter looks their way. As long as the enemy didn’t move, Wanyan wouldn’t move either.
While Sheng Wanyan found a bit of amusement in this dynamic, Gu Tingxiao noticed that his wife seemed to have discovered something interesting. Every time the daughter opposite them looked particularly miserable, Wanyan would smile brightly and whisper something sweet to him in her soft, pleasant voice.
Though he didn’t quite understand the silent warfare playing out between the two women, he didn’t mind. As long as his wife was happy, he was happy.
The young girl across from them felt utterly defeated. I’m just a tool for her amusement at this point…
With these small distractions keeping things lively, a week flew by quickly. The train finally pulled into their destination: Bing City.
Located in the northernmost region, Bing City was famous for its brutal winters, where the snow could fall so heavily that it literally blocked people’s front doors. Even now, arriving in the warmer months, the air carried a crisp coolness. From the Bing City station, it would take another few hours by car to finally reach the military base.
Gu Tingxiao guided Sheng Wanyan off the train. Before they left the compartment, Wanyan turned to bid farewell to the older woman. Despite being a bit of a chatterbox, the aunt was a decent person who never tried to take unfair advantage of others.
“Goodbye, young lady,” the aunt said warmly. “Congratulations on your marriage. May you be blessed with a baby soon!”
“Thank you, Auntie. I’ll definitely hold on to your good wishes,” Wanyan replied with a smile. As she spoke, she intentionally let her gaze drift over to the daughter.
Meeting Wanyan’s eyes, the young girl’s heart skipped a beat, and the color drained completely from her face.
Wanyan simply raised her eyebrows, turned, and stepped off the train with Gu Tingxiao, leaving the pale girl frozen in her seat.
She… she knew what I was thinking… the girl realized, horror dawning on her. She knew the whole time, and she was just playing with me…
The sheer weight of that parting look filled the girl with intense shame. It felt exactly like being caught red-handed doing something terrible. The words “the other woman” flashed violently in her mind, leaving her utterly humiliated.
She wasn’t a mistress. She wasn’t one of those homewreckers whom everyone despised and wanted to beat in the streets. She hadn’t actually done anything; she had only harbored a few private, selfish thoughts. Yet, no matter how much she tried to comfort herself, the embarrassment burned deeply. From that day forward, she developed a visceral aversion to the idea of ever interfering in anyone else’s relationship.
Sheng Wanyan had no idea how deeply her parting glance had impacted the girl, nor did she care. It was best for the girl to figure those things out on her own; if a young woman chose the wrong path in this era, it was incredibly difficult to turn back.
Gu Tingxiao was heavily loaded with their belongings. He carried a massive military backpack on his back, a heavy suitcase in one hand, and a large duffel bag balanced precariously on top of it. Sheng Wanyan carried the various parcels and snacks Mother Gu had packed for the road, leaving her hands completely full as well.
“Wife, stay close to me,” Gu Tingxiao said, looking back to ensure she wasn’t swallowed up by the bustling crowd.
“I’m right behind you,” Wanyan replied, keeping pace.
The moment they exited the station, they spotted a soldier standing beside a military vehicle, scanning the emerging passengers. When his eyes landed on Gu Tingxiao, he immediately trotted over and snapped into a sharp salute.
“Captain Gu!”
His voice boomed so loudly that several passersby turned to look. The young soldier’s gaze then shifted to the woman standing next to his captain.
The moment he saw Sheng Wanyan, he instantly understood why Captain Gu—a man famously cold and unyielding for years—had been in such a desperate rush to head back home and get married. His new sister-in-law was breathtakingly beautiful. She was dozens of times prettier than any of the performers in the military art troupe. Even Liang Qian, the celebrated star of the troupe, couldn’t hold a candle to her.
“This is my wife,” Gu Tingxiao introduced proudly.
The soldier snapped to attention again, hurriedly greeting her. “Hello, sister-in-law!”
Wanyan was nearly deafened by his enthusiasm. The volume on these military men is really something else, she thought, amused.
“Hello,” she replied politely.
“Sister-in-law, let me help you with those things,” the young soldier offered eagerly, stepping forward.
Wanyan didn’t hesitate, handing over the bundles she was carrying. “Thank you, I appreciate the help.”
The soldier let out a silly, delighted laugh. My new sister-in-law is so polite!
After securing her bundles, he reached out to take the heavy duffel bag from Gu Tingxiao’s hand.
“No need, the car is just a few steps away,” Tingxiao declined smoothly. He then turned to his wife. “Go ahead and get in the car first, honey.”
Wanyan nodded. Since they were right next to the vehicle, she walked over to help open the trunk. Once Gu Tingxiao and the young soldier finished stowing the luggage, they all climbed in, and the car began rolling away from the station.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Sheng Wanyan gently tugged at the edge of Gu Tingxiao’s sleeve and gave him a subtle look. Sensing his wife’s intention, Gu Tingxiao looked up at the driver.
“Drive us to the state-owned restaurant first.”
“Understood, Captain Gu!” the soldier replied without hesitation.
Wanyan had calculated the time. It would take at least four hours to drive from the station to the base, meaning the young soldier who came to fetch them had likely driven four hours down and would have to drive four hours back. He probably hadn’t even had a proper meal.
Since he was willing to go through so much trouble for them, he clearly shared a good relationship with Gu Tingxiao. Wanyan wasn’t ungrateful; she had no intention of treating his comrade like a mere hired chauffeur. Maintaining good relationships with Tingxiao’s brothers-in-arms was a crucial part of building their life here. How a wife treated her husband’s friends mattered immensely.
When they arrived at the state-owned restaurant in Bing City, Sheng Wanyan went ahead and ordered three hearty meat dishes, a plate of fresh greens, and five large bowls of rice.
When the young soldier saw the lavish spread hit the table, he was so intimidated that he didn’t even dare to sit down.
“Captain… I think I’ll just go wait for you both in the car,” he stammered.
“Sit down and eat with us,” Wanyan urged warmly. “You drove all this way to pick us up, so you need to fuel up.”
The soldier shook his head rapidly. He had only been doing his duty; how could he justify eating such an expensive meal? Food was incredibly precious nowadays. He figured he could just wait and chew on his dry rations later.
“Sister-in-law, really, I shouldn’t…”
“Sit down!” Gu Tingxiao interrupted, his face stern and his tone brooking no argument. “That’s an order!”
Faced with his captain’s commanding aura, the young soldier instantly lost the nerve to refuse.
“Yes, Captain!” he barked, sitting down properly. Deep down, he was still entirely terrified of Gu Tingxiao.
Wanyan found the display highly amusing. She hadn’t expected Gu Tingxiao to be quite so fierce and intimidating in front of his subordinates. With his expressionless, serious face, the way he handed down commands gave off an incredibly reliable, authoritative impression.
“Eat,” Gu Tingxiao commanded briefly.
With the official permission granted, the young soldier finally dropped his restraint and began digging in, devouring huge mouthfuls of food. Sheng Wanyan finished her single bowl of rice along with a polite portion of meat and vegetables, leaving the rest of the substantial feast for the two grown men to clear out.
By the time they finished, the young soldier happily patted his stomach, still savoring the rich flavor of the meat. It was absolutely delicious—he hadn’t enjoyed such a magnificent meal in a very long time.
