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Chapter 578: Chapter 568 Transfer Back Home (Part 1)
After a deep conversation, the two felt their affection for each other grow even stronger.
Li Hongjun, unable to move, lay in the hospital bed, his eyes constantly fixed on his wife. If Shen Yunfang left for more than ten minutes, he would ask where she had gone.
Shen Yunfang was somewhat speechless, feeling that her husband was regressing, behaving like their little girl who should be in daycare by now.
Xiaohai, the third wheel, initially didn’t understand, but he soon picked up on the romantic tension between the couple. Seeing the unguarded, intense gaze from the company commander to his sister-in-law, Xiaohai would blush and eventually made himself scarce, sitting outside on a chair and only coming in when his sister-in-law called for him.
Shen Yunfang also blushed, yet seeing him like that made her feel both happy and helpless. They were an old married couple after all, yet it seemed as though spring had come again.
The two "inseparably entwined" with their glances for nearly half a month, until Li Hongjun finally got out of bed with Dr. Wang’s approval. Afterwards, following a discussion with Dr. Wang, they decided to transfer back to the Capital for continued treatment.
Li Hongjun missed his children, who he hadn’t seen for two years, and feared they wouldn’t recognize him. Furthermore, with both spouses away, there was nobody to care for the kids at home. Even though they had asked Ma Liguo and his wife for help, children can only truly feel at ease under the care of their own parents.
Shen Yunfang missed the children too, but she also looked forward to returning to the Capital to properly nurse Li Hongjun back to health.
Out here in this remote area, she had no idea where to even purchase goods, and Li Hongjun’s meals had only been possible with Xiaohai’s help at the canteen. But this was not a sustainable solution. Back in the Capital, even if cooking in the canteen wasn’t possible, she could simply pay to use the kitchen facilities at a restaurant. So, she was very supportive of the idea of transferring back to the Capital to convalesce.
After submitting their application, they quickly received approval, and were even provided with soft sleeper train tickets. As for the considerable distance to the train station, the military arranged transport for them.
Shen Yunfang quietly breathed a sigh of relief at these arrangements. Li Hongjun could now get out of bed, but the wound on his thigh was deep and he couldn’t make any major movements, let alone jostle with others. She had been worried about how they could travel back by squeezing into a bus and sitting in regular seats. Thankfully, the troops were considerate.
Thus, during the drive to the train station, the military vehicle stopped several times for breaks, as Li Hongjun couldn’t maintain a sitting position for too long.
Finally, after six hours of stopping and going, they arrived at the train station.
"Xiaohai, support the company commander here; I’ll go speak with the staff and see if they can let us enter the station early," Shen Yunfang said as she handed Li Hongjun over to Xiaohai. She took out the introduction letter from the military and the train tickets, planning to find a way into the station and board the train early since Li Hongjun wasn’t fit to be squeezed among the crowd.
"Sister-in-law, you support the company commander. I’ll go speak to them," Xiaohai said, taking the documents from her hands.
Shen Yunfang, considering his military attire might be more effective, said, "Alright, then hurry back. Ask when our train arrives and check if they can let us board early like your company commander needs."
"Got it, mission accepted," Xiaohai said, taking the items and disappearing in a flash.
"Actually, there’s no need for special treatment. I’m fine," Li Hongjun murmured after Xiaohai had left.
Shen Yunfang pretended not to hear him, looking around, "What do you prefer now, to find somewhere to sit for a while, or to walk? Is it okay for you to keep standing like this?" The train station was fairly bustling with a sign-hung restaurant nearby; once Xiaohai returned, they could go there to grab a bite.
"No need to sit, I’ve been sitting all day. Help me walk a few steps," Li Hongjun said, not wanting to sit any longer as standing still was unbearable. It was better to walk slowly.
"Okay, sure," Shen Yunfang replied, slinging the black bag over her shoulder and slowly walking with Li Hongjun toward the direction of the restaurant.
Indeed, it was a slow pace, and the restaurant was not far from where they were. By the time they reached the entrance of the restaurant, Xiaohai had already run back.
"Xiaohai, over here," Shen Yunfang called out loudly, afraid that Xiaohai would not see them.
"Sister-in-law, the staff said the train won’t arrive for another fifty minutes, but they agreed to accommodate us and let you board first," Xiaohai said joyfully as he handed the introduction letter and train tickets back to Shen Yunfang.
Xiaohai was a guard, specifically a chief’s guard, and he had been assigned by the chief to take care of Li Hongjun. Since Li Hongjun was transferring to the Capital for convalescence, Xiaohai could no longer accompany him. After seeing them onto the train, he had to report back to the chief.
Shen Yunfang pocketed the train tickets and introduction letter, "There’s plenty of time, Xiaohai, could you bother to find the driver so we can all go have a meal together at that restaurant in front of us?" Shen Yunfang pointed to the restaurant they had been aiming for just moments before.
"No, no need. We’ll just eat when we get back to the base," Xiaohai hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.
As a guard like him, the monthly allowance wasn’t much, with a large portion being sent back home, leaving hardly enough to afford a meal out.
"What do you mean ’no need’? You haven’t eaten anything the whole way. If you go back like this, won’t you be hungry all day? Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and call the others. I and your battalion commander will go in and order first," Shen Yunfang couldn’t let them send him off on an empty stomach.
Xiaohai was still hesitating when Li Hongjun frowned, "This is an order. Can you execute it?"
Xiaohai instinctively saluted, "Guarantee to complete the mission."
"Heh, that’s more like it. Don’t be so serious; it’s a good thing that Battalion Commander Li is inviting you to eat. Quickly go call the rest," he said as he helped Li Hongjun towards the restaurant.
Helplessly, Xiaohai ran off to call the others.
As for Shen Yunfang, he assisted Li Hongjun into the restaurant. Perhaps because it was located next to a train station, several tables of guests were already dining within.
After the two settled in a corner, Shen Yunfang asked Li Hongjun, "What do you want to eat?"
"Anything," Li Hongjun replied casually, but his eyes habitually scanned the surroundings.
"Well, there’s no dish called ’anything.’ Forget it, no point in asking you. I’ll decide myself," Shen Yunfang said as he stood up to go check what was available.
Since the saying goes ’dumplings for boarding and noodles for disembarking,’ the staple was set to be dumplings. Shen Yunfang inquired with the waiter and ordered two pounds of dumplings with lamb stuffing, two pounds with pork and celery stuffing, and two pounds with beef stuffing.
Concerned that the dishes would take too long to prepare, she decided not to order any meat dishes and instead asked for two stir-fried dishes. There would be four of them in total, and since Li Hongjun couldn’t eat too much, this should be enough. After Shen Yunfang paid with money and food coupons, she sat down with Li Hongjun to wait for the others and the food.
Before long, Xiaohai and the driver arrived, and the dumplings and dishes were served to the table.
As everyone was hungry, there was no pretense; they all dived in eagerly.
