novellhall Chapter 30 Gossip Abounds at a Widow's Door
Chapter 30 Gossip Abounds at a Widow's Door
As she expected, Huo Jiyun did receive her letter.
And I've already watched it three times.
"Commander, I know you miss your wife, but does that mean you have to read a letter over and over again?"
Third Battalion Commander Li Zhihua joked.
Huo Jiyun's face remained expressionless. "The Third Battalion's training results were last this month. Starting today, the Third Battalion will have an extra hour of training."
"Hey! Commander! I...I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?" Li Zhihua quickly begged for forgiveness.
Huo Jiyun lifted his eyelids. "If you talk any more, you'll have to practice for two more hours."
The office fell silent instantly.
Huo Jiyun picked up the letter again.
This is the fourth time.
The handwriting on the letter was crooked and messy, clearly indicating that the writer had only recently learned to write, and the handwriting looked like that of a second or third grade elementary school student.
Some complex characters are even written in pinyin.
But this was the most heartwarming letter Huo Jiyun had received in four years.
Joan said she was studying and had already learned quite a few words, and also told him that she had never asked him for money.
He didn't spend a single penny of the money he sent home on Joan and the children.
Not only that, they also frequently beat her and her children.
When Huo Jiyun first saw this, he felt a pang in his heart and a very unpleasant feeling.
But looking back, you realize that Joan is a strong woman.
She has now officially separated from the Huo family, and Party Secretary Tian has arranged for her to be allocated a house.
Moreover, he found a decent job that didn't require him to work in the fields to earn work points.
Finally, she talked about herself and her child.
Huo Chen and Huo Ning have grown a little taller and gained several pounds.
We have two chickens at home, so we have eggs to eat every day.
The two children can now heat up food on the stove, and Huo Chen, the older brother, takes good care of his younger sister, and so on.
After reading it for the fourth time, Huo Jiyun carefully folded the letter and put it into his pocket.
His leave to visit his family is three months, and he can leave the army and go home after a week.
Even if I were to reply to Qiao An now, I'd probably be home before the letter even arrives, so I might as well not write.
Today, everyone in the compound sensed that Huo Jiyun was different from usual.
But I can't quite put my finger on what's different.
It seems that his brows aren't furrowed as deeply as before, and his expression is no longer as cold as an iceberg.
Lin Wan's feelings were probably deeper than anyone else's.
Today, Huo Jiyun came to deliver her living expenses as usual.
This time it's actually 40 yuan.
"Commander Huo, why is there so much money? This is too much money. You need to keep some for your own meals too." Lin Wan quickly pushed the money away.
"My family visit leave has been approved. It's three months long. I'm going back to my hometown next week. You can save these years to spend the Spring Festival with Xiao Tao."
"Huh?" Lin Wan didn't react.
"You...you're not spending the Lunar New Year here this year?"
A slight smile seemed to appear on Huo Jiyun's lips.
"Yeah, I'll go home."
Lin Wan felt a tightness in her chest.
For four years now, she has gotten used to Huo Jiyun coming to her house to help out during the Spring Festival and having New Year's Eve dinner with her and her son.
They even thought how wonderful it would be if things could always be like this.
Fan Tao had just gotten out of school and ran over to Huo Jiyun as soon as he saw her.
"Dad Huo! You're here?"
Fan Tao is in first grade this year. He has never seen his biological father since he can remember.
Huo Jiyun had always taken care of him and attended parent-teacher conferences for him, so Fan Tao started calling him "Dad Huo".
"Dad Huo, let's have dinner at our house today. My mom bought a piece of pork and has been saving it for several days, just waiting for you to come."
Lin Wan looked up and gazed at him expectantly.
"No need, I've already eaten in the cafeteria. You and your daughter can keep it for yourselves."
"I'll be going now if there's nothing else."
Huo Jiyun turned to leave, but Lin Wan called out to him, "Commander Huo."
"Is there anything else?"
"Um... um, what size shoes do you wear? I'll embroider two pairs of insoles for you." Lin Wan tugged at her sleeve, her voice gentle, a shy expression on her face.
"The insoles issued by the army are pretty good. Xiao Tao was complaining to me the other day that the insoles he bought at the market kept slipping when he wore them."
"If you have the time, you should use it to embroider for Xiao Tao."
After saying that, Huo Jiyun left without looking back.
Lin Wan felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
This man is so clueless! She's gone to such lengths, why is he still acting like a block of wood?
He and that village girl were just on a blind date; they had no feelings for each other at all. They hadn't seen each other for four years. Did he even remember what that woman looked like?
She was once the most beautiful woman in the textile factory, and even though she's now a widow, she's still the prettiest woman in the compound.
Why doesn't Huo Jiyun know how to cherish things?
"Mom, why does Dad Huo never eat at our house?"
Fan Tao watched Huo Jiyun's retreating figure, feeling somewhat sad.
In these four years, Huo Jiyun only stayed home for lunch on New Year's Eve.
Normally, they would just come to deliver money once a month and never actually step into their house.
"Is it true, as the older women in the courtyard say, that widows attract a lot of gossip?" Fan Tao frowned.
"What did you say?!"
Lin Wan couldn't bear to hear the word "widow".
Her husband, Fan Lin, died in the line of duty, and she became a widow. If she were an ordinary widow, she could have remarried.
But Fan Lin was a martyr, a hero, and she was the hero's wife.
All they can do is live off this living memorial archway.
If she marries someone else, she will have to move out of the military compound, and not only will she not receive the monthly allowance for widows of martyrs, but she will also have to rely on others for support while raising her son.
She looked down on the other officers; they were unattractive, uncouth, and didn't know how to be considerate of women.
After searching around, Lin Wan set her sights on Huo Jiyun.
He had no feelings for his first wife, and if he were willing to divorce her, the two of them could naturally be together.
This way, she could continue to stay in the military compound, Huo Jiyun's salary could be entrusted to her for safekeeping, and the child would have a father.
A perfect combination of all three.
But this piece of wood just won't work!
After all these years, he still looks the same.
Moreover, Lin Wan felt an unprecedented sense of crisis today.
Huo Jiyun is going back to his hometown, and she can tell he's very happy and looking forward to it.
Three months is neither a long nor a short time. If Huo Jiyun develops feelings for the woman from his hometown again, she will have even less of a chance.
Lin Wan took a deep breath. "Son, would you like to go back to our hometown to see your grandparents this year?"
"Huh?" Fan Tao was completely confused.
Didn't Mom hate Grandpa and Grandma the most? Why would she suddenly want to take him back to her hometown?
Before Fan Tao could speak, Lin Wan began talking to herself.
"After all these years, it's time to take you back home."
When Joanne wrote the letter, she was careful. To conceal her handwriting, she deliberately wrote the letter with her left hand and even used pinyin.
That way, Huo Jiyun wouldn't suspect her.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Qiao An was preparing to leave work.
Recently, she has become a hot vendor on the black market. She sells off-season fruits and vegetables, and sometimes even rare white sugar and Daqianmen cigarettes.
Many people wait for her to come to the black market every day.
Qiao An packed her things, said goodbye to Qin Feng, and went to the bicycle shed.
Just as I was about to ride away, I suddenly realized that I had left my bike keys at the cafeteria.
Joan turned back to the cafeteria.
As soon as I entered, I saw Qin Feng sneaking around in the kitchen, doing something I couldn't tell what.