I emptied my family's possessions to join the army, and my abstinent superior doted on me.

Chapter 11 The child's mother passed away

"My savior, you're going to Xinshi too?! That's wonderful! I thought I'd never see you again!..."

Qian Lai recognized the girl in front of her; she was the girl she had accidentally rescued from Lao Si's weapon that night.

The girl was cheerful and outgoing, but she talked a lot. I excitedly chatted with her nonstop.

"Excuse me, excuse me! Can you please go talk over there?!"

An old man, looking displeased, struggled to put the large sack of marijuana on the luggage rack, and began to complain bitterly.

"Exactly! You keep going on and on, and you've taken up all our seats!" The woman opposite her put on a deadpan expression, looking utterly disdainful.

"Sorry! We're leaving now!"

The girl grabbed Qian Lai: "My benefactor, let's talk in my sleeper compartment."

Qian Lai instinctively refused; she didn't want to know anyone who knew about the case that night.

The train slowly started moving, but the noisy commotion in the carriage did not subside; instead, it intensified.

"Why suffer here when you have a sleeper berth to go to?!" The woman with the deadpan face said sourly.

Seeing her hesitation, the girl smiled generously: "My name is Hua Rui. I'm a reporter for the *New City Daily*. Let's go, I'm not a bad person." The girl had a truly wonderful personality, and her charm was incredibly infectious.

Qian Lai found it hard to refuse and was pulled by Hua Rui towards the sleeper car.

"I brought roast chicken, tea eggs, sunflower seeds, and fried peanuts. I also filled a few bottles of orange soda. Let's gobble it all up in a bit! Hahaha."

His generous and outgoing personality makes it hard to refuse his invitation.

Qian Lai: "Um... could you please not bring up that night again? I ran away from my family that day, I..."

The flower stamen immediately understood from the woman's hesitant expression.

With a quick glance and an "I understand you" expression, she readily replied, "I understand, I understand. Don't worry, I won't mention it again. I'll just silently worship you in my heart, okay? Hahaha."

Qian Lai: Uh!

worship!

That's unnecessary!
Girls who smile often have the best lives!

Hua Rui was very lucky! In the private room, there were no unruly children or burly men picking their toes; it was all young people, two women and two men, and they were all very easy to get along with.

Except for the woman in the middle bunk opposite her, who always slept facing the wall and never said a word.

She remained almost completely still, making it easy to overlook her presence.

The young people gathered together and chatted enthusiastically about all sorts of things, which made Qian Lai excited as well.

Although Qian Lai lived a wealthy life in later generations, he had almost no true friends from childhood to adulthood.

Those who surround me all day long are either servants arranged by my family or people who pretend to flatter me.

Hypocrisy accompanied her as she grew up. Eventually, she simply stopped making friends altogether.

You don't need to cater to others, pretend you can't see their ambitions, or scheme in roundabout ways. Living authentically is the most comfortable way to live.

"Qian Lai, what are you doing in Xinshi?"

Go and call off the engagement?!

To take care of a paralyzed patient?!

"I'm going to visit a distant relative."

"Where do your relatives live? My family will pick me up after I get off the bus and drive you there."

Hua Rui is such a kind-hearted person.

"No need. I can find my way there myself."

When you get along well, time flies by.

Lunchtime arrived quickly.

Qian Lai was filled with curiosity when she read about the dining cars on green trains in novels.

She was curious to know what kind of tricks could be done on trains in this day and age.

She shared her idea, and to her surprise, it resonated perfectly with Hua Rui.

Hua Rui led her by the hand to the dining car.

The dining car was located in the middle carriage of the train. When they arrived, only a small table near the door remained.

After the two people sat down, the train attendant immediately handed them the meal menu.

When I looked at it, there were five dishes in total: braised chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried ants with minced pork, Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour eggplant, and tomato and egg drop soup.

After exchanging glances, the two foodies agreed in unison: "We want all the dishes, plus two bowls of rice."

Then he burst out laughing.

In just half a day, Qian Lai was completely infected by Hua Rui's cheerfulness, laughing out loud with every sentence he spoke.

The dishes were served quickly, and just as the two picked up their chopsticks, the food cart door opened behind Qian Lai.

Hua Rui subconsciously looked up, her eyes lighting up.

"Comrade Qiao, it's you? What a wonderful coincidence!"

Qian Lai turned around and saw the hot springs and warmth.

Looking up along those long legs, the giant Qiao Muting was smiling broadly at him.

"Auntie." Little Wenquan recognized Qian Lai and looked up at her with a grin.

"Honey, are you here for dinner? But there are no seats available."

Qian Lai searched everywhere for them, but unfortunately there wasn't a single empty seat.

"Forget it, let's come back when there are fewer people."

Qiao Muting turned around and pulled the child away, but his eyes remained fixed on Qian Lai.

"Hey, why are you leaving? If we come back later, there won't be any food left. We ordered so much, it's enough for both of us."

Come on, squeeze in, the little one can sit on my lap. There's plenty of room."

Qiao Muting secretly thanked Comrade Hua Rui for her divine assistance! The two children looked up at Qiao Muting at the same time, waiting for his decision.

Seeing that he was looking at Qian Lai, waiting for her to speak, both children turned to look at Qian Lai again.

"I'll hold the baby." Qian Lai picked up Wen Quan and placed him on her lap.

"Then, I'll pay for this meal."

Qiao Muting placed Wen Nuan next to Hua Rui and then sat down next to Qian Lai.

Qian Lai quickly moved further inside.

Unfortunately, the space was only so big, and the person had long arms and legs, so their arms would touch every now and then.

To avoid embarrassment, Qian Lai focused all her attention on the baby in her arms.

"Baby, what's your name?"

“Hot spring,” he pointed to himself, then to his older sister across from him, “warmth.” The little boy expressed himself clearly.

Qiao Hot Spring!
Qiao Nuannuan!
“Your names are so lovely!” Qian Lai said.

“Dad named it for us,” Wen Nuan replied. A hint of sadness flashed in her eyes, but she quickly looked at Qiao Muting.

How could she forget! Uncle Joe is their "father" now!

If I keep mentioning my biological parents in front of him, will he be unhappy?
Qian Lai saw all of this and assumed that the child meant that it was Qiao Muting who had chosen the name.

"After you told me to call the police that day, Comrade Qiao arrived the fastest. He asked me about you."

Unfortunately, I don't know when you left.

Unexpectedly, the three of us met on the same train. Hahaha!

What a wonderful coincidence!

Hua Rui's laughter broke the awkwardness among the strangers at the table.

Qian Lai: I've already said I hope everyone loses their memory, but why are the people involved lining up one by one to confront us!
"You two knew each other before, right?" Hua Rui asked.

"know."

"do not know."

The two people said in unison.

Qiao Muting: How can you say we don't know each other?!

Qian Lai: We only exchanged a couple of words, how can that be considered knowing each other?!
Hua Rui: Something's off between these two!
Qiao Muting glanced nervously at Qian Lai.

As she fed Wenquan bite by bite, the sunlight streaming through the window slanted down on her and Wenquan, giving off an aura of great maternal love.

She spoke softly and gently, patiently and meticulously, and would occasionally chat with Wenquan.

The child in her arms was like a docile kitten.

This scene is so beautiful!

He was so captivated by the sight that he suddenly had the illusion of dining with his wife and children.

At the same time, the immense physical and mental pleasure he experienced from being close to the girl once again placed him under her fatal attraction.

Especially in that fleeting moment when their forearms touched, only he knew how excited he was.

"Comrade Qiao, don't just watch the child, you should eat too."

Is he looking after the child?

He was clearly looking at the person holding the child!
"Comrade Qiao, why are you wearing gloves in this hot weather?"

Hua Rui is such a simple girl; she asks whatever comes to mind.

"I"

For a moment, Qiao Muting didn't know how to answer.

You can't exactly say that I have a disease that will kill me if I touch a woman!
That way, anyone who hears that will think they're actually mentally ill!
"It's because..."

"Are you a germaphobe?" Qian Lai turned her gaze to Qiao Muting, helping him out of the awkward situation.

"Yes. I'm a doctor, and I have severe mysophobia."

His surname is Qiao! He's a doctor.

Qian Lai tried hard to recall any traces of this person from the original book, and upon careful consideration, it seemed to be that poor person who ultimately committed suicide due to depression.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't describe it in much detail.

Hua Rui looked at Qian Lai, then at Qiao Muting.

"So it's Dr. Qiao." She then asked, "You're traveling alone with two such young children on the train. Why isn't their mother with you?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the two people at the table, one big and one small, suddenly dimmed, and the atmosphere turned cold.

"He passed away." A look of sadness instantly crossed Qiao Muting's face.

Hua Rui gasped, and Qian Lai's chopsticks, which were about to reach the hot spring, suddenly stopped halfway.

A thousand regrets surged through their hearts!

"I'm sorry, I..." Hua Rui blamed herself for speaking too quickly.

"It's okay, it's all in the past. They still have me."

Qiao Muting's expression changed, and he picked up a piece of meat and put it in Wen Nuan's bowl.

The two women exchanged glances and sighed together.

Such a handsome man, not only did he marry and have children at a young age, but he also became a widower at such a young age.

It's truly heartbreaking to see someone raising two kids alone.

After that, Hua Rui also quieted down. Of the five people at the table, except for Wen Quan who grinned at Qian Lai with every bite he took, the others lowered their heads and ate quietly.

Just as the carriage door behind me opened again, a noisy female voice suddenly burst out!

(End of this chapter)