CHAPTER 283: CHAPTER 241

After a while, Commander Qian asked, "Does Zhang Tian, Ding Lei and the others know that you’re going to the military academy?"

"They should know." Su Qing must have told them.

"Beijing is not like Shanghai; it’s a place with deep waters. Walk down the street and throw a punch, you’re likely to hit some noble’s offspring – they’re all untouchable. Avoid them if you can, and don’t meddle in unnecessary affairs. You, lad, better stay put in the military academy for two years and not wander around. I still have a few comrades-in-arms in Beijing, if there’s any trouble, feel free to seek their help. Always think about your wife; if something happened to you, wouldn’t it just benefit others?" That was all the help he could offer.

Mo Junhua went to the regimental headquarters, while Lan Tian was waiting for him in the battalion commander’s office.

No one knew what Commander Qian was thinking, as the third battalion still hadn’t had a battalion commander assigned; they kept Mo Junhua’s former office intact. When Lan Tian arrived, Ding Lei led her to the battalion commander’s office.

On the training field, a line of soldiers in army green vests were training. Outside the field, many military wives with children watched them train. From a distance, the spouse next to Tian Xianghua nudged her, "Sister-in-law, isn’t that Camp Commander Mo’s wife? Didn’t Camp Commander Mo go to manage a pig farm? What’s she doing here, not going with him to raise pigs?"

Tian Xianghua rolled her eyes at the other military wife, retorted sharply, "What are you saying? Looking down on pig farming? Weren’t you from the countryside yourself? Haven’t you raised pigs?"

"Lan Tian, you’re back!" Tian Xianghua came over with her son, her face full of surprise.

"Ding Lei, why don’t you go ahead, I’ll catch up with Sister-in-law Xianghua for a bit, I’ll come over in a while." Lan Tian saw Tian Xianghua approaching and spoke to Ding Lei, who glanced at Tian Xianghua, nodded, and left. Once Ding Lei left, Lan Tian flipped her hand, revealing a basket of peaches.

"Sister-in-law Xianghua, looking after the child, huh." She handed a peach from the basket to the child. Lan Tian glanced around, "There are quite a lot of people."

"These past few months, a few came following the military, all from the countryside, they’re pretty good people." Tian Xianghua couldn’t really get along with these new wives. She had been in the military for so many years, her favorite had always been Lan Tian. On the way to see Lan Tian, her eyes were filled with hope, "Is Camp Commander Mo back? You’re not leaving thereafter, right?"

"I still have to leave. Junhua will no longer be the battalion commander of the third battalion, so naturally, I can’t stay here either. I came to visit this time and to say goodbye. Once I leave, it might not be possible to visit again. I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again. Thank you for all your care over the years." Lan Tian was genuinely grateful to Tian Xianghua, she handed her the basket, "These peaches are grown in our field, very sweet. I brought them for you to taste."

Tian Xianghua didn’t want to accept at first, but the peaches Lan Tian offered were big and red, clearly superior to the average peaches. She had seen similar ones sold outside – those peaches were more expensive than rice, usually consumed by city capitalists. Hearing what Lan Tian said, it wouldn’t be right not to accept, so after declining several times, she finally took them.

"Are you still studying? University classes have already started." It was said that Lan Tian had great academic performance, and it would be a pity if she stopped studying because of Camp Commander Mo’s situation.

"I am still registered, I’ve taken a leave of absence from school." Lan Tian glossed over the matter in one sentence.

"Hey, have you heard? They say Nurse Zhou is in a terrible state, that she’s been driven insane in there."

Lan Tian shook her head, her eyes showing just the right amount of surprise, "What happened to her?"

Good news rarely spreads beyond the gate, while bad news travels a thousand miles.

It hasn’t been long, yet the affair of Zhou Yuwei has reached the ears of the military wives, and the several men involved with her are probably unable to clear themselves. The higher-ups said to deal with it privately, but now the whole battalion knows about it, haha, how ruthlessly cruel, as if they’re afraid that Mo Junhua will come back and use even these underhanded tactics.

Now, Mo Junhua’s name has been spread throughout the battalion headquarters, infamous not for a good reason, but rather for notoriety. When the rank-and-file soldiers talk about him, it’s no longer about his bravery in battle but about his romantic escapades.

Tian Xianghua looked around, leaned close to Lan Tian, and whispered, "I heard from others that Nurse Zhou’s lover, Dr. Chu, wasn’t just implicated and fired from the Military District Hospital, but Dr. Chu’s fiancée arranged for people to beat her every day and even arranged several men to spend the night with her. Saying since she loves men so much and can’t live without them, one night with several men should satisfy Nurse Zhou, if that’s not enough, ten men in one night."

Lan Tian looked at Tian Xianghua with a strange expression; she even knew such news.

"Sister-in-law, you’re really something." Lan Tian praised her genuinely. Looking at Tian Xianghua, who even knew such private secrets, she didn’t know anything in her previous life, always guarding that room, completely unaware of what was happening outside. No wonder she lost to Zhou Yuwei, and her loss was not unjust.

"Now that Nurse Zhou is gone, the military wives don’t have to be on tenterhooks anymore, the atmosphere has cleared up overnight. Alright, let’s not talk about these distressing matters. What are your plans for the future? Is Camp Commander Mo really going to farm on that farm?"

"I know the military affairs too well, and as you know, I rarely come to the battalion. I don’t need to worry about his matters. As for me, I’ll go to college, find a job after graduation, just like that. Don’t worry, sister, no need to be concerned about me, I’m fine. If all else fails, we still have land at home, and actually, farming is quite good."

Lan Tian really thinks so. She saw Zhang Tian come out and look in this direction. "I can’t talk more, sister-in-law, they have something for me, I’ll go over first. I won’t be able to come to the battalion in the future, but you can come out. Feel free to visit my home when you have time, the address is the same, take care, sister-in-law."

When Lan Tian arrived at the office, Zhang Tian, Ding Lei, Zhao Li, and even the simple-minded Su Qing were all there.

"You have something for me?" Lan Tian found it strange. Mo Junhua’s rank-and-file soldiers, who never came looking for her before, had shown up in such numbers today. Could it be about Mo Junhua attending military academy?

"Sister-in-law, we’ve got something to ask you." Speaking on behalf of the rank-and-file soldiers, Ding Lei said, "Did the battalion commander ever mention his plans to you?"

Lan Tian glanced over the people in the office. No wonder Ding Lei and the others were anxious; they had followed Mo Junhua through two battles, experienced life and death together, were his most trusted and capable left and right arms, his personal soldiers. Mo Junhua’s future was linked to every one of their own.

Without Mo Junhua, their days in the military won’t be easy; whoever comes in will see them as a thorn in their side. They’ve been branded with Mo Junhua’s label, one that can’t be torn off, unless they stay put in the third company for life.

Lan Tian paused, asked curiously, "Why don’t you ask Mo Junhua?" She thought they were inquiring about his attending the military academy.

"Su Qing must have told you, I never meddle in his affairs. You and he are brothers who have gone through life and death, people who can entrust your backs to each other. It’s better to ask him directly. Whatever his plans are for the future, how he intends to place you, he probably already has arrangements in place."

Silence filled the office; no one spoke.

"Sister-in-law, you don’t know how hard it is for us rank-and-file soldiers from the countryside. If the battalion commander leaves, it will be difficult for us to return." After an indefinable amount of time, Zhang Tian suddenly said.

Out of sight, out of mind; no amount of camaraderie can withstand the eroding passage of time.

Lan Tian remained silent. They were justified in their concern that Mo Junhua may not return—civilian positions couldn’t compare to military ones.