The beloved but ungrateful girl is reborn: This time she has truly changed.

Tang Aijun frowned slightly, as if he had noticed something, but he quickly understood—it was normal for a woman who had suddenly contracted tuberculosis to be delirious and talk nonsense.

"Do you want... me to give you a ride?" he asked, but didn't move.

Qi Weiwei waved her hand: "No need. What if you get infected? Besides, I rode my bike here."

She walked to the old Forever bicycle by the wall, took out her key from her pocket, and unlocked it.

The movements were slow, and the fingers seemed to be trembling.

Tang Aijun looked at her and suddenly asked, "Do you have any money on you?"

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket—the lower left pocket of his Zhongshan suit.

He usually kept some loose change and tickets in that pocket.

"She's going back to her parents' house, where she doesn't need to pay for food or lodging. Why are you giving her money?"

Sun Xidi immediately spoke, her voice shrill.

"Our family's money didn't come from thin air!"

"With that money, we should buy some good food for our ancestors to nourish them and boost their immunity!"

Tang Aijun hesitated in his pocket for a moment, then finally pulled his hand out, leaving his hand empty.

He looked at Qi Weiwei, his tone apologetic but mostly relieved: "Weiwei, then... take good care of yourself. I'll come pick you up when you're better."

Qi Weiwei did not respond.

She pushed the bicycle and wobbled as she straddled the seat.

The bike was a bit high, so she had to stand on tiptoe to reach the pedals.

Just as she was about to pedal away, Tang Yaozong suddenly jumped down from the crossbeam, pointed at the bicycle, and shouted, "Dad! You haven't avenged me yet! I want that bicycle! I want it! Give it to me!"

He rushed over and tried to grab the handlebars.

His response was a low, harsh rebuke from Tang Aijun: "Get away from me! Are you out of your mind?!"

Tang Aijun grabbed Tang Yaozong's arm and dragged him backward.

The little boy persisted, still struggling: "I want it! I want it!"

"If you keep making a fuss, I'll lock you in the room!" Tang Aijun's voice turned stern.

Tang Yaozong finally behaved, but his eyes were still fixed on the bicycle, his greed and resentment undisguised.

Qi Weiwei got on her bike, deliberately swayed a couple of times, coughed a few times, and then slowly pedaled away.

She didn't turn around.

From the courtyard, Sun Xidi's cursing could be faintly heard: "The plague god is finally gone! Quick, sweep the house inside and out, and scald the dishes with boiling water! Don't let anyone catch it..."

The sound faded into the distance and was eventually carried away by the wind.

Qi Weiwei rode her bicycle, not back to her parents' home in the railway family quarters, but instead turned in another direction—the outskirts of Beijing.

After riding for more than three hours, I bought two cabbage buns at the last state-run restaurant, ate them, asked for a bowl of water, and continued on my way.

The trees on both sides of the road were bare, their branches sprawling and menacing.

Occasionally, workers would hurry by on their bicycles after get off work, their bells ringing as they rushed home for dinner.

The wind grew colder, feeling like knives cutting into my face.

Qi Weiwei pulled her scarf up a little, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Her hands were a little stiff from the cold, but she still held the handlebars steadily.

I rode for almost another hour.

The scenery along the roadside became increasingly desolate, gradually changing from high-rise buildings in the city to low-rise houses, and then to large tracts of farmland—although there were not many crops in winter, the outlines of the field ridges were still there.

Finally, she saw the barracks.

Gray walls and red tiles, neat and uniform.

The gate was tightly closed, and there was a guard post next to it. The soldiers on guard were wearing military overcoats, and their bayonets gleamed coldly under the light.

Qi Weiwei stopped some distance from the gate and locked her bicycle to a tree by the roadside.

She straightened her clothes and hair, took a deep breath, and walked towards the door.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?" The soldier on guard stopped her, his voice young but serious.

"I'm looking for Wang Dong, Company Commander Wang," Qi Weiwei said. "I'm his sister-in-law, and it's urgent."

The soldier glanced at her—a young woman, simply dressed, carrying a bundle on her back, her face somewhat pale, but her eyes clear. He nodded: "Please wait a moment, I'll register you."

He turned and went into the guard post, taking out a registration book: "Name?"

"Qi Weiwei".

"What's your relationship with Company Commander Wang?"

"I am Tang Tiantian's sister-in-law," Qi Weiwei said. "There are very important family matters that I must discuss with him in person."

After the soldier finished writing, he glanced at her again: "Did you bring your identification?"

Qi Weiwei pulled out her household registration booklet from her bundle—she had brought it with her on purpose.

He flipped it open, pointing to his own name and the homepage.

The soldier looked at it carefully and nodded: "Please wait here for a moment, I will call Company Commander Wang."

He entered the guard post and picked up the phone to dial.

Qi Weiwei stood outside the door. The autumn night wind was cold. She wrapped her cotton-padded coat tightly, but she still couldn't help but shiver.

About ten minutes later, a person rushed out of the barracks.

Wang Dong.

He was wearing a military uniform, but no hat, and his hair was still a little wet, as if he had just taken a shower.

Upon seeing Qi Weiwei, he was first taken aback, then his face showed surprise and nervousness as he quickly ran over.

"Sister-in-law?" His voice was a little breathless. "Why are you here? Is it Tian Tian...? Did something happen?"

His eyes showed genuine worry.

This honest and kind soldier, even though he knew his wife was cold towards him, still thought about her.

Qi Weiwei nodded, but didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at the soldier beside her and said, "Comrade, we have some family matters to discuss, could we..."

The soldier immediately understood, got up and walked out of the guard post: "I'll go patrol over there, you two can talk here. Don't take too long."

"Thank you, comrade," Qi Weiwei said.

As the soldiers walked away, Wang Dong grew even more anxious, his voice trembling slightly: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Tian Tian... is she sick? Or...?"

"Company Commander Wang."

Qi Weiwei interrupted him, her voice calm but carrying an undeniable seriousness.

"I need to show you a letter. This letter is very important to me. After you read it, please don't tear it up, okay?"

Wang Dong was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Qi Weiwei, then at the envelope in her hand, and nodded hesitantly: "I...I promise I won't tear it."

Qi Weiwei took out the letter from her bosom—a "guarantee" written by Tang Aijun to Tang Tiantian.

The letter paper was quite old, with deep creases and frayed edges.

She handed it to Wang Dong.

Wang Dong took the letter and looked down at it in the light coming from the guard post.

The moment the words "Sweetie, my love" caught his eye, his eyes widened in shock.

"This is fucking..."

He blurted it out, then quickly suppressed his voice, but the shock and anger on his face were already impossible to hide.

"Isn't this... my older brother's handwriting?!"

He was very familiar with Tang Aijun's handwriting.

Tang Aijun was a propaganda officer. He had beautiful handwriting and often helped people write materials and slogans. Although Wang Dong didn't know many characters, he still remembered Tang Aijun's handwriting—it was neat, with a touch of cursive, and quite distinctive.

His hands trembled as he skimmed through the text!