Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhai Hua felt warm inside. “Wei De, I know you care about me and my family. But our family is like this, and everyone is used to it. We will not drift apart just because we don’t spend time together.” More importantly, she was brought up by her grandpa. She spent very little time with her parents.
In the past, she felt comfortable when she was alone with Zhai Sheng at home.
But right now, if Zhai Sheng was not at home, Zhai Hua felt particularly awkward with Zhai Yaohui and Miao Jing around.
If Miao Jing decided to have a chat with her, Zhai Hua would wish that she had a pair of wings so that she could fly back to the camp. She felt very uncomfortable around Miao Jing.
What happened with Qiao Nan was also a chance for Zhai Hua, who felt awkward at home, to find a reason to cancel her leave and return to the camp. In that way, she did not need to force herself to stay at home and she could return to the camp to spend more time with Wei De.
There was a flicker in Wei De’s eyes. He smiled and touched Zhai Hua’s head. “Little fool, have you heard of a saying that sometimes, the parents pass away before the child has a chance to repay their kindness? I know you are not used to it, but when you finally get used to it, you may not have the chance anymore. By then, you will have regrets.”
“Wei De, you think too much.” Zhai Hua smiled. “My parents are in good health. What you said will not happen.” She was only twenty-seven years old this year. Her parents would live to old age.
However, what Wei De said was true. Even if she was not used to it, she should gradually get used to it. It would not do to avoid it.
“Alright, it’s fine as long as you know what you are doing. I don’t want you to regret it in the future. The thought of that pains me.” Wei De let Zhai Hua lean on his shoulder. “By the way, I heard from you that Regiment Commander Zhai has a girlfriend. How is that lady? Regiment Commander Zhai does not have much experience in dating. You are his elder sister. You must keep a lookout for him. People used to say that women are good at judging other women. Even if the lady is all pretenses, and Regiment Commander is being carried away by love and loses his judgment, I believe that you will stay clear-minded.”
Zhai Hua, who was used to putting up a strong front since a young age, seldom leaned on someone else’s shoulder. However, after trying it out, Zhai Hua had grown to like this feeling of leaning on others.
Zhai Hua stretched out her legs to get into a comfortable position. “You can rest assured that the young lady has a good personality. Not only does Zhai Sheng like her, but our family likes her very much as well. Even though Zhai Sheng and I are still young and are not a good judge of character, my parents can tell if she is a good lady or not.”
Zhai Hua dared not tell Wei De that after his reminder last time, she had been observing and sounding out Qiao Nan.
In the end, it did not prove that Qiao Nan was pretending to be nice. Instead, she had angered Zhai Sheng such that he told her off and reminded her of the foolish deeds that she did in the past.
“Being able to be with the young lady, Zhai Sheng is in high spirits. We don’t have to worry about him. I have already told you that it all depends on the young lady whether we can be together in the future.” She was hoping that Zhai Sheng’s relationship with Qiao Nan would turn out well. When everything was settled, she would bring Wei De to meet her parents.
Wei De knew of Zhai Hua’s plan.
Wei De was thrilled at the thought that he could become a family with Chief Zhai and Madam Zhai. “You shouldn’t be thinking that way. I believe Chief Zhai and Madam Zhai are open-minded. Besides, we are in the modern age. What is important is that both parties have feelings for each other. Their family background and social status do no matter. I believe that as long as I am good to you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, they will agree to our relationship. It has nothing to do with the relationship between Regiment Commander Zhai and the young lady. Even without them, I am confident that Chief Zhai and Madam Zhai will be moved by my sincerity.”
Wei De had more or less understood the situation at the Zhai family.
Once again, Wei De was glad that he could find a girl who had such good background and was as simple-minded as Zhai Hua. Being with her, his future would be bright and carved out for him.
Other girls who came from a good background like Zhai Hua would not possibly accept an unknown soldier with no achievements like him.
“Hua Hua, when it comes to the position in the army, I am just a soldier under you. Thank you for seeing my efforts and accepting my sincere feelings, as well as your willingness to be with me. Knowing you is the greatest happiness in my life.” Wei De held Zhai Hua’s hands tightly, deeply touched.
Zhai Hua blushed slightly and retracted her hands. “Didn’t you say that you want to keep it under wraps for the time being? What if someone sees us? I’ve been with you for so long. I know the person you are. Wei De, don’t be in a hurry. Take in slowly. I will wait for you.”
She was already twenty-seven years old. She was willing to wait for a few more years.
“Hua Hua, rest assured. I won’t let you wait for too long.” Wei De’s mouth stiffened slightly. “But Hua Hua, I still decide to be under Regiment Commander Zhai. Song Yin is so lucky this time. If I were the one who carried out the mission with Regiment Commander Zhai, with the third-class merit, I would be all ready to tell Chief Zhai and Madam Zhai about our relationship.”
Zhai Hua was amused. “Are you sure you want to work under Zhai Sheng? Fine. If you are sure, you must train with me to hone your fighting prowess. Otherwise, you must work on your cultural knowledge. In the past, this may not work in the army. But after what happened with Song Yin, you have seen for yourself that the more you know, it will mean more opportunities for you.”
It would not be easy to become another Song Yin.
Song Yin was lucky to be able to achieve third-class merit this time. Luckily, he had been learning English from Qiao Nan previously. Hence, with the few English words that he knew, he was able to memorize a sentence and Zhai Sheng could guess the meaning of what was being said.
If not for all these coincidences, it would have been difficult for Song Yin to achieve third-class merit.
Actually, Zhai Hua thought highly of soldiers like Song Yin, who had perseverance, had ideas of their own, and was willing to work hard.
The opportunity was in one’s hands. Back when everyone learned English together at the camp, it seemed that Qiao Nan taught English very well. Even her mother loved to go to Qiao Nan’s class.
Zhai Hua was all praise for Qiao Nan’s teaching method. She was able to introduce English to Song Yin, who had never been exposed to English, and helped him make big improvements in less than a month.
All the soldiers that went to Qiao Nan’s class were taught based on the same syllabus by Qiao Nan. But Song Yin was able to make huge improvements in a short period of time. Aside from Qiao Nan, who taught well, Song Yin also had put in a lot of hard work.
Ever since Song Yin earned third-class merit in his mission because of his understanding of English, everyone in the army had become enthusiastic about learning.
Zhai Hua, who had just come back from her mission, was surprised. She had thought that she was at the wrong place. This did not look like a camp that made the soldiers go through tough training. Instead, it looked more like a school with a good learning environment..