Lu Huaizheng hung up the phone and returned to his unit. After reporting Professor Jiang’s situation to Li Hongwen, Li pointed at a chair, telling him to sit down. “Did old Jiang say that?”

Lu Huaizheng pulled out the chair and grunted in affirmation.

Li Hongwen, who had been looking down at some documents, nodded thoughtfully and sighed, “Old Jiang’s spirit is admirable.”

Lu Huaizheng slightly nodded. “There’s one more thing.”

“What?” Li Hongwen looked up at him.

“About the ‘Black Hawk’ test flight…”

Li Hongwen reacted quickly, cutting him off, “You want to go?”

“Mm.”

Li Hongwen waved his hand, unwilling to discuss further. “We’ll talk about it later. Now is not the time to discuss this. Do you think Professor Jiang and his team can develop it just because they say so? This thing is still far off. The stealth fighter isn’t perfected yet, and you’ve never flown one before. I don’t think there’s any need to take this risk.”

His expression made it clear the matter wasn’t up for discussion. Lu Huaizheng bit his lip and nodded, giving up.

“There’s another matter,” he said.

Li Hongwen became impatient. “You have so many things to discuss today?”

“If you don’t want to hear it, forget it.”

Li Hongwen grew more annoyed and grabbed the ashtray next to him, pretending he was going to hit Lu Huaizheng with it. Lu didn’t dodge or move, just sat there properly. Seeing how calm and collected he was, Li Hongwen suspected that what Lu was about to say must be important. He slowly put down the ashtray. “Speak!”

Without beating around the bush, Lu Huaizheng said concisely, “Yu Hao and I registered our marriage. She’s now considered a military family member.”

“What?!”

Li Hongwen lowered his head so quickly that his glasses nearly fell off his nose.

“So she should be entitled to all the rights of military family members?”

In reality, there weren’t many special privileges, just some medical benefits tied to his own, nothing particularly special. Military spouses were permitted monthly visits—for example, when he couldn’t return home from the base, Yu Hao could come to visit him.

Back in his old unit, his squad leader’s wife would visit once a month.

He was young then, and everything was discussed in the unit. Plus, the old squad leader loved talking about such things, so the men in the dormitory would bet on how many times the squad leader would do it in one night. Lu Huaizheng didn’t like the idea of Yu Hao being gossiped about like that, so he didn’t care much about the visitation privilege.

“Yu Hao has encountered some trouble recently.”

“What trouble?”

Lu Huaizheng turned to look out the window and explained the situation concisely. Li Hongwen frowned. “Your former psychologist? Di Yanni?”

Lu Huaizheng nodded.

Li Hongwen was confused. “They have conflicts?”

Lu Huaizheng lowered his head and smiled. “Where there are people, there are different viewpoints, and where there are different viewpoints, there will be conflicts. There’s nothing strange about that.”

Li Hongwen explained, “No, I just find it surprising that Yu Hao, with her mild temperament, could get into an argument with someone.”

Lu Huaizheng smiled, turning his face sideways. “She’s not mild at all. She has quite a fiery temperament.”

“So whose side are you on? One is your former mental guide, the other is your beloved woman.” Li Hongwen couldn’t help asking.

Lu Huaizheng thought for a moment and chuckled. “Why do I need to take sides? We’re not elementary school students.”

Li Hongwen thought he was just too embarrassed to choose, but then he heard Lu Huaizheng say, “Anyway, my wife is always right.”

“How proper of you.” Li Hongwen teased him. After pondering for a moment, he showed concern for Yu Hao. “If you encounter any trouble, you can tell me. After all, she’s an Air Force family member now, and you’re not at an ordinary rank anymore. Or I can apply to the higher-ups to assign your housing earlier.”

“No need. I just wanted to inform you in advance.”

Li Hongwen knew him too well—when had this kid ever been so obedient and proper? He eyed Lu Huaizheng suspiciously, who smiled innocently and with perfect composure. Li Hongwen could only give in, sighing, “Alright, take more rest these few days before they return. Chen Rui said you’ve been quite tired lately, having to attend meetings and handle security arrangements in Tuslan. You haven’t been sleeping much at night, have you?”

“It’s fine. Thank you, sir!”

“Get out of here.” Li Hongwen kicked at him.

When Lu Huaizheng left the military area, he drove with the window half-open. Seeing a familiar sentry, he didn’t rush to leave. He turned off the engine and chatted with the guard for a while. The sentry couldn’t talk much, standing as straight as a pole with his hands pressed tightly against his trouser seams, not moving like an iron man. His eyeballs rolled around as he silently complained: Brother, please leave quickly, okay? If the leaders see this, I’ll get scolded.

But our Lu, who had just gotten his marriage certificate and was about to move into a big house with his wife, was in a great mood. Coming back to the military area felt like returning to his mother’s home, and his heart was surging with emotion.

“A man needs to start a family. Only then will he have a sense of belonging. For instance, now you’re tired of standing guard all day, just fighting with mosquitoes—they bite you, but you can’t swat them. When you return to the dormitory at night, all you have are bug bites, nothing else.” As Lu Huaizheng spoke, he reached out to adjust the sentry’s shoulder, brushing off the dust, and sighed, continuing, “I’m different. I don’t have to stand guard, and I have vacation time. And when I go home, I have a wife.”

The sentry couldn’t help but snort, pushing him away. “We know you have a wife now. Please, just go. I was just punished the other day.”

Lu Huaizheng laughed as he got into his car.

The sentry resumed his serious demeanor, looking straight at Lu Huaizheng in the car, and saluted.

Lu Huaizheng sat in the car, leaning against the driver’s seat for a moment, gazing languidly at the sentry. He slowly raised his hand and returned the salute, serious and respectful.

This is the so-called hero’s tender dream, a heart that never forgets the homeland.

…

At six o’clock, Lu Huaizheng picked up Yu Hao to go home and pack.

Yu Hao pulled out a large suitcase from the corner and, with a whirlwind-like fury, swept through from the living room to the bedroom with the force of a storm. In no time, the suitcase was full. Lu Huaizheng leaned against the bedroom doorframe with his arms crossed, watching her pack extravagantly. “When will your parents return?”

Yu Hao took two more pieces of clothing from the wardrobe, threw them in, and replied without looking up, “My dad will be on research for about a month, and I don’t know about my mom. She won’t be back anytime soon, depending on my grandmother’s health.”

“So there won’t be anyone at your house for a while?”

“Mm.”

Yu Hao closed the suitcase, but it was packed too full, bulging like an alligator’s mouth. She sat on it, pressing down, struggling to pull the zipper. With a “pop” sound, the lock suddenly broke.

Then she looked up at Lu Huaizheng, looking aggrieved.

He didn’t react, still leaning against the wall with crossed arms, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “Amazing, my wife is amazing.”

With the lock broken, the suitcase couldn’t be zipped up. Yu Hao didn’t understand how he could be so relaxed and still have the mood to laugh. She gave him a white-eyed look. Only then did Lu Huaizheng walk over, laughing, and pull her up from the suitcase. “Let me do it.”

Yu Hao obediently stood up.

Then she saw him press down on the suitcase with one hand. Instantly, the suitcase sank like cotton, the zipper edges coming together tightly. With his other hand, he gently pushed the broken lock with his index finger. In just a few moves, he effortlessly closed it tight.

“Are you that strong?” Yu Hao murmured.

Lu Huaizheng picked up the suitcase and pushed it aside. “Check if everything is in there.”

Half a minute later, Yu Hao sat on the suitcase, looking up at Lu Huaizheng who was leaning against the wall. She smiled sweetly: “Everything’s there!”

Lu Huaizheng smiled, looking down at her for a moment. In the next second, he raised his hand and ruffled her hair, asking softly, “Then shall we go home?”

“Yes.”

The bedroom light was dimly lit as Yu Hao looked up and spoke softly.

The man leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, tall and strong. The woman sat on the suitcase, thin and small.

The wall opposite them reflected their shadows. The faint yellow light prolonged this ambiguity endlessly, extending into the thick night, yet also like the morning light, the dawn before daybreak.

The leaves outside rustled, and the moon slowly climbed higher, like a goose egg yolk stamped in mid-air, particularly bright—an endless tale of love between a man and a woman.

Lu Huaizheng reached out to touch Yu Hao’s face, his thumb caressing her cheek as he said softly, “I’ve been with my aunt since I was little. To me, it wouldn’t be too much to call her Mom. Being her burden made her suffer a lot. She’s a very gentle person, the same to everyone. She’ll be good to you, and Huo Ting will be good to you too, but I’ll be even better to you. I won’t let you feel that being with me is a compromise.”

Yu Hao’s eyes grew warm; these words moved her deeply.

Before she could say anything, Lu Huaizheng lowered his head slightly and gently kissed her forehead.

He said, “If there’s anything I don’t do well, please advise me.”

Yu Hao couldn’t hold back, and tears fell in large drops, rolling onto his fingers, warm and sticky.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly closed her eyes and said, “Me too. I love you, Lu Huaizheng.”

Lu Huaizheng’s gaze fell tenderly on her lips.

His thumb gently caressed them.

Suddenly, he lowered his head and bit her lips, pecking at them, sucking little by little.

In the darkness, the sounds of their kisses made one’s heart race—extremely intimate, making one’s heartbeat quicken involuntarily.

When Lu Huaizheng drove into the Huo residence, Manager Ding was waiting at the door with an umbrella. It was raining a little outside.

Lu Huaizheng dragged the suitcase with one hand and held Yu Hao’s hand with the other.

Manager Ding had been with the Huo family for quite some time. He was already there when Lu Huaizheng came with his aunt. There wasn’t much of a master-servant relationship; to Lu Huaizheng, Manager Ding was more like a family elder, as close as a grandfather.

Huo Ting also respected Manager Ding very much. Sometimes when his aunt wouldn’t listen, if Manager Ding said a few words, Huo Ting would take heed.

But even such a well-acquainted old man had never seen Lu Huaizheng holding a girl’s hand, strolling so confidently in his garden. Manager Ding found it novel too. He reached out to take Lu’s suitcase, but Lu Huaizheng refused, “Please don’t.”

Manager Ding didn’t insist and followed behind the two with his umbrella.

Although Lu Huaizheng had the temperament of a young master, he fortunately didn’t have the bad habits of one. He wasn’t used to being waited on. Even as a child, he never had this habit. No matter how many maids or bodyguards there were at home, it had nothing to do with him—he would do his things.

Huo Ting didn’t indulge this habit either, thinking it was good for boys to be raised a bit rougher.

Manager Ding smiled and said, “The room has been prepared for you. It’s still your previous one. Since you left for the military, the madam has hardly touched it, keeping all your things safe. Now that you’re back, the house will be lively.”

Lu Huaizheng smiled and asked, “How have you been lately?”

This kid had been considerate since he was young, Manager Ding thought sentimentally. “I’m doing well. I heard from Mr. Huo that you’re a Major now. Impressive. Ah Biao said he wants to spar with you.”

Ah Biao was Huo Ting’s bodyguard, who had retired from the special forces years ago.

After Lu Huaizheng joined the army, the two would practice fighting when they had nothing to do, from Lu Huaizheng’s initial consistent defeats to later draws. He didn’t pick up on this thread. “Where’s Huo Ting?”

“In the study. Madam has prepared dinner, waiting for you to join.”

“My aunt cooked?” Lu Huaizheng was surprised.

“The two of them are fighting.”

“About what?”

“I couldn’t hear clearly, but they’ve been arguing since they came back this afternoon. It’s quite serious. I’ve never seen Mr. Huo so angry. Madam is crying while cooking now, it’s too pitiful.”

“It’s fine. They never carry their arguments overnight. Before bedtime, Huo Ting will comfort her.”

His aunt had mild neurasthenia and couldn’t sleep well after arguing with Huo Ting. So no matter how serious the fight was, Huo Ting would always comfort her before bedtime.

However, what Lu Huaizheng miscalculated was that this time, Huo Ting seemed to be truly angry.