CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: FIRST MEETING AFTER MARRIAGE

Although the train departs at 8 PM, the last bus from the town to the county is at 5 PM.

Gu Yi and her father left home at four o’clock, and Ye Fu took them to the town. They waited at the bus station for more than an hour.

Gu Yi bought two hard-seat tickets together.

Nowadays, it’s difficult to get a sleeper, let alone a soft sleeper.

After boarding, they found their seats, which were two spots together.

Gu Yi let Ye Qian sit inside by the window while she took the aisle seat. Possibly because it was a small station, there weren’t too many people boarding, yet the train was almost full inside.

After getting on, Ye Qian was quite excited, looking around everywhere.

By around 10 PM, Ye Qian could hardly hold on. Gu Yi told her to lie down and sleep for a while, while she stayed awake. Gu Yi didn’t dare sleep the whole night.

There were quite a few thieves on the train at that time. Gu Yi was afraid that they’d be robbed while asleep.

There weren’t bank cards now, and all the money they had was cash.

Gu Yi thought she should buy more things, so she had about 300 yuan on her and two more train tickets. If they were stolen, the two of them wouldn’t know what to do.

At one point, Ye Qian offered to keep watch, letting Gu Yi rest. She only closed her eyes for a moment, but didn’t dare sleep deeply. Later, when they changed trains, the crowd and noise kept Gu Yi from sleeping at all.

Ye Hao finished training in the morning, showered at the dorm, and then went to the station.

At twelve fifty, Li Yifan also arrived, and the two stood outside waiting.

When the train announced its arrival, Gu Yi felt like her whole body was stepping on cotton. She didn’t want to think about anything except finding a place to sleep.

As soon as they got off, Ye Qian spotted her brother sharply. She waved her hand calling out for him, and Gu Yi followed her gaze to see Ye Hao and the others.

Even considering the previous life, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, but Gu Yi still recognized him immediately.

Compared to the future, he hadn’t changed much — he was just younger now, but he still had that reassuring presence.

Whether in the previous life or now, Ye Hao possessed the qualities Gu Yi liked.

But fate is strange; if something isn’t meant for you, holding onto it won’t make it yours. Looking at the people in front of her, Gu Yi quickly shook off irrelevant thoughts.

Ye Hao couldn’t believe his eyes, seeing how different Gu Yi seemed.

Gu Yi glanced at him and smiled, returning Ye Hao’s focus, who then took the bags from their hands.

"This is our battalion commander, surnamed Li. This is Gu Yi, and this is my sister, Ye Qian," Ye Hao introduced the three of them.

"Let’s go back quickly and have the cafeteria make some food. You must be hungry," Li Yifan suggested, noticing the two girls looked very tired.

Ye Hao also noticed Gu Yi’s face looked pale and went beside her.

"Are you feeling unwell? Your complexion doesn’t look good, is it motion sickness?"

"Yes, a bit. But it’s okay, I’ll be fine after resting for a while."

Gu Yi hadn’t expected Ye Hao to show concern for her.

"We’ll be at the barracks soon. Have a good meal and sleep well afterwards."

"Okay."

Gu Yi and Ye Qian sat in the back while Li Yifan drove and Ye Hao sat in the front passenger seat.

Once Gu Yi got in the car, she could hardly hold on, turning her face to the window with her eyes closed. Ye Hao kept glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

Though they married hastily, he hadn’t paid much attention. Now, looking at her, he realized his wife was indeed beautiful. Even tired and looking pale, it didn’t diminish his view of her beauty.

Li Yifan noticed Ye Hao stealing glances at Gu Yi, finding it amusing. She’s already his wife, so why the sneaky looks?

"Brother, is the barracks far from here?" Ye Qian was excited from the moment she disembarked, especially once she got in the car, her mood improved.

"Yes, it’s a 40-minute drive, an hour by bus. Are mom and dad healthy?"

"Yes, they’re fine. They miss you a lot. When can you come back?"

"It’ll be a while before I can return. You should behave at home and help mom and dad more." Ye Hao sometimes felt he wasn’t being filial, with his parents older and him not around. He could only remind his sister Ye Qian.

He kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb Gu Yi.

"Don’t worry, brother. Now you have sis-in-law’s help, you can focus on serving the nation at the barracks," Ye Qian said, glancing at Gu Yi still with her eyes closed.

Ye Hao gestured to her not to disturb Gu Yi.

The rest of the journey was peaceful. When they reached the guesthouse, Ye Qian woke Gu Yi, who was dazed, not even knowing where she was.

"Sis-in-law, are you awake? We’ve arrived, let’s get off," Ye Qian said, getting out of the car ready to open the door for Gu Yi, but found Ye Hao had already opened it, helping Gu Yi off. Gu Yi murmured a thank you.

Li Yifan saw that Ye Hao could handle the luggage alone and said goodbye, telling them to visit the barracks once they’ve rested, then drove off.

Ye Hao booked two rooms. One had two single beds; the other had a large bed.

"I can stay with Qianqian, let’s cancel the other room."

"It’s okay, having one room each is quieter and more comfortable. When I booked, there was only a large bed left here. You can sleep in the large bed, Qianqian. If a bigger bed is available tomorrow, I’ll change it for you, but let sis-in-law have it tonight."

"Brother, let’s take one room. Anyway, there are two beds, sis-in-law and I can sleep together."

Ye Qian wasn’t thinking anything else. She knew on the way Gu Yi let her sleep inside for peace of mind, shielding her from others outside.

But now they were here, her brother couldn’t come out of the barracks, so she thought they should share a room.

She even planned to find a reason to get Gu Yi to her brother’s dormitory later, thinking it would help develop their relationship, which seemed slow given her brother’s obliviousness.

Ye Hao saw them both insist and didn’t argue further, deciding they’d be better looking after each other. He settled them in.

"Hungry? I’ll take you for some food," Ye Hao said. It was already after two, and he reckoned Gu Yi and Ye Qian hadn’t had much to eat, as they’d travelled for a long time and came straight to the barracks. He himself hadn’t had food since training and picking them up, and was feeling hungry too.

"I’m not hungry. Take Qianqian to eat. I want to sleep for a while," Gu Yi replied, feeling too tired to have an appetite. If she wasn’t concerned about sweating from the ride, she would have already gone to bed.