Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Regiment Commander Qian had just finished his day's work and returned home when his wife came over and asked, "Has that little girl from next door come home?"

Qian Jun had indeed received the letter requesting Feng Xia's home leave. In a place like the Field Army base, everyone had to report their comings and goings. Since his wife was asking like this, it likely meant Feng Xia had already arrived.

Before he could answer, the regiment commander's wife continued, "Oh, you don't know, that girl is really thoughtful. She bought the old lady a lot of things, several sets of new clothes alone, and they're those thick cotton clothes, warm and fancy-looking, very nice. She also bought leather shoes lined with fleece, said to cost dozens of yuan a pair, not cheap. I saw the old lady this afternoon, all dressed up in new clothes from head to toe, went to the cafeteria and brought back a big box of braised pork. Everyone she met asked about it, and the old lady said Feng Xia bought it for her, her face was all smiles. Ah, that girl is truly capable. If only she had been raised in our house."

Regiment Commander Qian raised an eyebrow, his voice teasing: "Who was it that complained she ate too much back then, saying Old Lady Wu was old and confused, that this little girl would be her downfall?"

The regiment commander's wife said sheepishly, "Oh, how was I supposed to know she'd be this capable back then?"

As soon as Feng Xia entered, she dug out the gifts she had brought back for Old Lady Wu: three sets of new clothes, two pairs of leather shoes, and various hand creams and face creams—basically covering almost every aspect of daily use. The old lady touched the silky dark patterns on the clothes, afraid her rough hands might snag them, reluctant to wear them at all. Feng Xia insisted the old lady change into a new set, her eyes twinkling as she blinked: "Grandma, how about going to the cafeteria to buy us some braised pork? I've been craving that taste in the capital. Go out for a spin, show them the clothes your eldest granddaughter bought you, let them know how much I care about you."

Old Lady Wu thought that made sense, sighed, and poked the little girl's head: "You little rascal." Zhang Ying and Jiang Long watched nervously on the sidelines, knowing that Feng Xia's head was a national treasure! What if it got damaged!

Fortunately, the old lady doted on the girl, so she grabbed her lunchbox and went out to get food. Word of Feng Xia's return spread like wildfire through the family quarters, accompanied by various rumors.

Such as:

"I heard Feng Xia made a lot of money in the capital and bought Old Lady Wu lots of clothes."

"Feng Xia became a big official in the capital, got rich, and came back to take Old Lady Wu to enjoy life."

"Huh? But the old lady isn't Feng Xia's real grandmother, that can't be right."

There were various versions of rumors, but they all conveyed the same core idea: Feng Xia was doing very well in the capital, had become successful, and was extremely capable.

Someone immediately retorted, "That girl has always been amazing, hasn't she? She was top-notch here at the base too. It's only normal she'd be amazing in the capital." That's right, this girl had always been this capable!

Before, her young age had made people overlook her impressive achievements, but now that she was older, some began to scheme. Who didn't have a few cousins? There were plenty of eligible boys at home. Feng Xia would turn fifteen after the New Year, and fifteen was old enough to talk about marriage in the countryside.

Not every military family member was highly educated; many were illiterate farm women from rural areas. When it came to cultural level, they weren't much better. So some went to Old Lady Wu to ask about it. Since Feng Xia hardly went out with Zhang Ying and Jiang Long, they asked the old lady instead. Old Lady Wu was so angry she glared fiercely and almost drove them away, saying Feng Xia was too young for such talk. She had been on the battlefield when she was young, and when she let out her imposing aura, those women got scared and left grudgingly.

They didn't say anything openly, but behind her back, they cursed viciously, saying Feng Xia was aiming high, planning to marry into the capital, how could she possibly be interested in their backwater place.

It wasn't until Commander Qian and other leaders heard the increasingly outrageous rumors and called in the soldier husbands and sons of the worst offenders for criticism and education that the gossip stopped. Feng Xia didn't care about any of it. She saw the old lady going out angrily every day, getting into arguments before coming back, and thought the old lady looked more spirited than before—so much more lively than her previous cold demeanor. So she just smiled and ignored it.

After returning, Feng Xia completely relaxed. She slept in every morning, getting up lazily at nine or ten, ate breakfast, then played with Little Black, occasionally strolled in the woods, had lunch at noon, then took another nap—it was very comfortable.

Old Gentleman Wan Fulin had been eagerly waiting for his student to return. He knew a little about her remarkable achievements in the capital, and he had to admit, this student was truly outstanding. She had even caught the top leader's eye.

As for the Blue-and-white Porcelain Watch that had been stirring up such a commotion lately, it seemed to be related to Feng Xia too. Although Wan Fulin knew a bit, it wasn't clear, and the matter required confidentiality. Feng Xia couldn't talk about it either. Back at the base, she just obediently followed behind the old gentleman, lazily flipping through a book, looking just like the orange tabby cat curled up by the stove. It gave the old gentleman a headache.

The older generation couldn't stand to see young people acting so idle. It pained him to see.

Wan Fulin frowned and asked, "Tell me, after one trip to the capital, you've become lazier. Was the research there very hard?"

Feng Xia replied lazily, "Not really, teacher. I just lack energy. It was indeed not easy over there, but now that I'm back home, I don't want to move. Home is too comfortable."

The old gentleman was as pleased as a cat being stroked. Hearing his disciple's words, he was immediately pleased. He was glad she liked the Field Army base. No matter how much the capital wanted her, she was only on loan. Loan, you understand? People had to be returned. His beard twitched with joy as he caught sight of the Bear Country book Feng Xia was holding. Seeming to remember something, he got up, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out two letters, handing them to Feng Xia.

"Here, that Bear Country kid sent you these letters. Since you were in the capital, it wasn't convenient to forward them, so I kept them."

The old gentleman handed the two letters to Feng Xia. She didn't mind and read them right in front of him. In the letters, Daniel expressed his longing for Feng Xia, asked two academic questions, and mentioned that he and his teacher were in a difficult situation due to the civil war, expressing some teenage melancholy.

The two letters were similar. Feng Xia took up a pen, answered the academic questions, proposed a small mathematical conjecture related to the problem, expressed deep sympathy for Daniel's situation, and hoped that the supplies she had sent could temporarily ease his difficult circumstances.

Wan Fulin noticed that his prized student had no romantic interest for that Bear Country kid and was obviously pleased. Noting the internal strife Daniel mentioned, he also sighed. Neither side was having an easy time!

Feng Xia thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, tomorrow I'll go out and mail the letters. I also want to buy some supplies for Daniel and send them together. We should help if we can—after all, we cooperated before."

Wan Fulin nodded and only asked, "Do you have enough money?"

Feng Xia raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Teacher, don't worry. I have plenty of money. Your student is a real money-maker."