The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

His expression now was completely different from when he was casually drinking tea at home with his legs crossed. Now, he was a commander about to head to the battlefield.

"Please take care of things at home. My parents are getting old, and Xin Xin can be careless sometimes." Bai Zhengyuan's tone was full of entrustment.

Lu Baizhou met his gaze and answered just as solemnly.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of things here. You can focus on your mission."

Bai Zhengyuan didn't say anything more. He stretched out his fist and punched Lu Baizhou's shoulder hard.

Then he turned around and strode down the stairs.

The heavy, hard soles of the military boots made a "thump, thump, thump" sound as they stepped on the concrete stairs. The sound echoed in the empty stairwell, rapid and powerful.

From the sound of hurried footsteps going downstairs, to the sound gradually fading, and then disappearing completely, it only took a dozen seconds.

Then, only the empty echoes of the stairwell remained. Immediately afterward, a muffled roar of a Jeep engine starting up came from downstairs.

The car drove away.

Bai's mother stood in the entryway, one hand gripping the doorframe tightly. Her body leaned slightly forward, her gaze fixed on the corner of the stairs, as if she could still see her son's back.

She stood there for a long time without moving, like a statue.

Mr. Bai sighed, walked over, gently put his arm around Mrs. Bai's shoulder, and helped her back to the sofa in the living room to sit down.

He picked up the teapot, poured her a cup of warm water, and placed it in her hand.

"Old woman, don't worry," Mr. Bai patted her hand and comforted her softly. "Zhengyuan is a veteran, and a battalion commander. He knows what he's doing. He's come back safe and sound every time after all these years, hasn't he?"

Mother Bai gripped the warm water glass tightly in both hands. After a long while, she finally picked up the glass, took a small sip of water, and moistened her dry throat.

She took a deep breath and looked up. She saw Qiao Xinxin and Lu Baizhou standing in the living room, both looking somewhat worried.

Bai's mother blinked hard, and put on that reassuring and strong smile again.

"Come on, everyone, don't stand there, sit down and eat your apples!" Mother Bai pointed to the fruit plate on the table and said loudly, "These were just cut; they'll oxidize and turn yellow if left out too long, and that'll be a waste! Zheng Yuan, that kid, being in the army means a life of hard work, he's used to it! Let's eat ours!"

Qiao Xinxin walked back to the living room and sat down next to Bai's mother.

She picked up a toothpick, stuck a small piece of the sweetest apple on it, and held it to White Mother's lips.

"Mom, you should eat too," Qiao Xinxin said softly.

Mother Bai took the apple and took a small bite. She chewed slowly, her gaze fixed on the increasingly bright spring sunlight outside the window, lost in thought, and remained silent.

Qiao Xinxin sat down next to Bai's mother, lowered her head, and took a piece of apple, putting it in her mouth. The flesh was sweet and juicy, with a hint of sourness.

After she finished eating that piece, she turned to look out the window.

The military green jeep had long since driven away from the street below the residential compound, leaving not even a trace of exhaust fumes.

She reached out and gently grasped her mother's slightly rough hand, which was resting on her knee.

Bai's mother didn't turn to look at her, but she squeezed her hand back slightly with a gentle pressure. The pressure was light, and the hand trembled slightly. After a while, the trembling gradually subsided.

After the excitement of the homecoming day and the unexpected emergency assembly, life gradually returned to a peaceful rhythm.

Qiao Xinxin and Lu Baizhou's new house wasn't big, just a standard two-bedroom apartment, but Bai's mother had decorated it perfectly, making it full of life.

On the windowsill sat a potted green ivy that had been propagated from the mother plant at home. The vines cascaded down the windowsill, their glossy green gleaming in the morning sunlight, adding a touch of life to the otherwise somewhat monotonous military family quarters.

The spice jars in the kitchen were specially sourced by Bai's mother from the vegetable market in the east of the city. They were small blue-and-white porcelain jars, decorated with delicate patterns. Four of them, filled with salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar, were neatly stacked in a corner of the stove.

The bedroom wardrobe was filled with new clothes that Bai's mother had bought for Qiao Xinxin. There were thin woolen coats, floral dresses, and pure cotton shirts. Bai's mother said that a new daughter-in-law should have some presentable clothes so that no one would look down on her.

By the time Qiao Xinxin left for work at the military medical department every morning, Lu Baizhou had usually already left.

As the head of the regiment, he had to get up before dawn every day to do morning exercises and lead the team on long marches. By the time he returned, covered in sweat, Qiao Xinxin had usually just finished washing up.

The two met in the kitchen. One held a bowl of white rice porridge, and the other held a white steamed bun. Standing by the narrow stove, they ate and exchanged a few simple words.

"It's getting colder today, wear an extra jacket," Lu Baizhou said, taking a bite of his steamed bun.

"Okay. Are you coming back for lunch?"

"I'm not going back. I have a tactical meeting at noon, and I'll eat in the cafeteria."

Often, it's just a few simple everyday conversations, and then the two of them go their separate ways to their respective "battlefields."

That evening.

When Qiao Xinxin came out of the military medical department after get off work, it wasn't completely dark yet.

The spring equinox has just passed, and the days are getting longer each day. At dusk, a sliver of orange-red sunset glow still hangs on the horizon. That light bathes the outline of the small red-brick building of the military medical department in a warm, golden glow.

She carried a cloth bag in her hand and walked home along the path in the military compound.

As soon as she turned past the old locust tree, which was as thick as several people could hug, at the entrance of the residential compound, she saw Lu Baizhou standing downstairs waiting for her.

He wasn't wearing his imposing military uniform today; instead, he was in civilian clothes—a dark gray woolen jacket with a clean white cotton shirt collar peeking out from the neckline, making him appear much gentler than when he was in uniform.

His hair looked like it had just been washed and wasn't completely dry yet; the strands glistened slightly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Qiao Xinxin quickened her pace unconsciously and walked up to him.

"Why are you back so early today?" she asked him, looking up at him with a smile.

"The special operations tactics training ended early this afternoon, so I came back ahead of schedule."

As Lu Baizhou spoke, his gaze lingered carefully on her face. He frowned slightly: "Are you tired today? You look a little pale."

Qiao Xinxin subconsciously touched her cheek and smiled, "It's okay. Today in the lab, I was overseeing a stability test of a new type of anti-inflammatory drug. I was standing for most of the day without moving much, so my legs are a little sore, but otherwise, nothing's wrong."

She glanced at the moisture in his hair and asked, "How long have you been waiting here? Your hair isn't dry yet."

"Not long, I've only been standing here for a short while."