CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 355: TELEGRAM

When Xia Xiao returned to her room, Zheng Xianghong had come over. "Xia Xiao, are you feeling uneasy? You should tell me if something’s on your mind. For pregnant women, it’s really important to maintain a good mood. It’s better to voice your concerns than to keep them bottled up."

Xia Xiao looked at Zheng Xianghong and said, "Mom, you don’t know. Wang Yuncai, Wang Xueyong’s sister, has a crush on Brother Gao. She works at the post office. Do you think she could be sending telegrams to Brother Gao at the Lixian post office? I’m not even sure if he’s still stationed in Lixian, or if he’s moved to the small island."

This was what Xia Xiao was concerned about; it wasn’t that she feared anything untoward happening between Wang Yuncai and Gao Jiaxing, but the fact that Wang Yuncai worked in the post office made the situation tricky.

"Is that so?" Zheng Xianghong said, then added, "Don’t worry. I know my son Jiaxing well; he has you in his heart and wouldn’t mess around with another woman."

"But since she’s working there, if Brother Gao ever sends a telegram, she might intercept it. Or she could disturb Brother Gao. Mom, you know the military requires discipline and decorum. Given that Yuncai is still unmarried, it could negatively impact Brother Gao’s position in the military. I think I should warn Brother Gao," Xia Xiao said.

Zheng Xianghong responded, "Then I’ll have Jiazhi send a telegram from the provincial city. No need for you to go."

Zheng Xianghong talked to Gao Jiazhi about sending the telegram, and he agreed. When Sun Yuhua heard that Gao Jiazhi was going to the provincial city, she wanted to go with him.

So, the next morning, Gao Jiazhi and Sun Yuhua, along with little Weilin, headed to the provincial city.

After sending the telegram, Gao Jiazhi took Sun Yuhua and the child out for a walk in the city. However, there wasn’t much to see at that time, and they didn’t carry much money—just enough for travel and food.

The school term had just started, and Gao Jiazhi had just returned to teaching. Where would he have extra money? Previously, earning their keep in the production team and having enough food was already a good fortune, let alone having savings.

Thus, Sun Yuhua could only wistfully pass by the shops and then leave with a heavy heart.

On Wang Yuncai’s side, things were exactly as Xia Xiao had surmised. When she saw a telegram from Gao Jiaxing, she was thrilled, thinking she could start communicating with Gao Jiaxing via telegram.

But she didn’t know that Xia Xiao was already wary of her and that Gao Jiaxing wasn’t in Lixian anymore.

At the Gao family, military personnel delivered a letter from Gao Jiaxing, saying that he was temporarily unable to maintain contact, asking his family not to worry about him, and for Xia Xiao to take good care of herself.

Being an official military letter, it was very formalized. Xia Xiao sighed softly, experiencing for the first time the challenges of being a military wife—unable to communicate with her husband, with no sure timeframe of his return, not even being able to inform him immediately about her pregnancy.

However, this was her own choice, and the thought of having a child gave her some comfort.

Yet, after the letter arrived, Xia Xiao still sent a brief reply back just to inform Gao Jiaxing that she was pregnant, not mentioning anything else.

Meanwhile, Gao Jiaxing had just arrived at the small island, where conditions were very tough, and everything had to be managed on their own.

That day, after training, Gao Jiaxing spoke with Liu Yuanchao, asking, "Did they mention how long we’ll have to stay here? One year, two years, or even thirty to fifty years? We’re not going to stay here for a lifetime, unable to return, are we?"

Liu Yuanchao laughed, "We can’t possibly stay here forever. Not to mention me and a couple of others who are married; the others can’t end up as lifelong bachelors. But I’m not sure how long we’ll stay. The superiors do want to use this place as a secret training base. We’re the pioneers here. Anyway, there are assessments every year and a major review every three years. We’ll get to go home eventually."

Gao Jiaxing’s face fell. "Seeing my wife only every three years; that’s cruel."

Liu Yuanchao was speechless, "Who said about meeting every three years? You can go home once a year, but the travel means you only spend about three to five days at home."

Gao Jiaxing looked at Liu Yuanchao and said, "It’s not just us two who are married in our troop. This time when we go back, everyone who’s married will get married, those engaged will hold their engagements. Although we don’t rank high enough, you could still propose it to the higher-ups to allow military spouses to come here since our situation is different from other places."

Liu Yuanchao nodded, and Gao Jiaxing continued, "Based on rank, you’re the only one qualified here. But even if my sister-in-law comes over, could she really stay here?"

"She could stay. She wouldn’t even have problems joining our training," Liu Yuanchao said.

Gao Jiaxing rolled his eyes at Liu Yuanchao, "Are you serious?"

"Not really," Liu Yuanchao said, adding, "Don’t worry, I’ve already brought up your concern. It’s not just us on the island. Having a few women over could help, even just to cook and maintain the place."

"Can your sister-in-law cook?" asked Gao Jiaxing.

Liu Yuanchao replied, "She might burn down the kitchen. Having her lead training sessions is one thing, but cooking would be a waste of food."

As Liu Yuanchao shook his head, he added, "I was actually thinking of having Xia Xiao come over to cook, that’s why I brought it up with the higher-ups."

"You have ulterior motives," Gao Jiaxing said unhappily.

Liu Yuanchao snorted, "You’re not high-ranking enough to have Xia Xiao come over as a military spouse without some skills. My sister-in-law could come anytime."

Gao Jiaxing gritted his teeth, having to admit that Liu Yuanchao was absolutely right, though the feeling of not being high-ranked enough for his spouse to accompany him on deployment felt awful, but it was his own short service length that was to blame.

"So, work hard, otherwise, if you leave this place and go somewhere else without the necessary rank, it’s impossible for Xia Xiao to come over," Liu Yuanchao patted Gao Jiaxing’s shoulder then started to speak when Shao Bing called out, "Platoon Leader Gao, there’s a letter for you."

Gao Jiaxing immediately took it, opened it, and then showed his teeth to Liu Yuanchao with a grin, "Xiaoxiao’s pregnant."

"Wow, congratulations, you really moved fast," Liu Yuanchao now couldn’t help but feel envious.

Hehe, Gao Jiaxing’s smile was smug; he certainly was capable.

Liu Yuanchao commented, "Xiaoxiao is pregnant now. She can’t come over this year, and next year the baby will still be too young. Plus, the conditions here are tough; it wouldn’t be good to bring a child over."

At that moment, Gao Jiaxing felt a mix of joy and worry, tightening his grip on the telegram. He hoped the superiors would approve the military wives joining their husbands here on the island, allowing Xia Xiao to join him. Yet, he was also concerned about Xia Xiao and the child adapting to the tough conditions here, as the military medical facilities naturally couldn’t compare to those back home.

But if Xia Xiao came over and left the child back home, that wasn’t a solution either; they would be constantly worried.

Gao Jiaxing thought a lot, his brow furrowed deeply.

Liu Yuanchao said, "Let’s go, back to work. Cutting trees and building houses is physically demanding. The more we build, the better accommodation we’ll have when the military wives come."