Lin Ruo didn't think much of Huang Linlin calling out "Brother Han" just now. Linlin had been sobbing so hard that her voice was unclear.
It was possible her brother's surname was Han too, but there was no way it was her cheap husband Han Yao.
Han Yao, on the other hand, noticed the pitiful girl in front of him looked vaguely familiar. He was sure her surname was Han, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
If it had been anyone else, Han Yao would have simply nodded indifferently, but this girl before him was someone he admired.
For the first time, Han Yao took the initiative to speak.
"Are you both alright? Human traffickers are rampant these days. It's best for young women to have a companion when they go out in the future."
Huang Linlin lowered her head shyly and muttered, "I'm fine."
Seeing that Lin Ruo didn't reply, Han Yao asked again, "Where are you two going? Do you need someone to escort you there?"
Lin Ruo quickly shook her head. "No need. There's a bus to the military camp here. I can take it myself, thank you for your kindness." She didn't want to cause any trouble.
But Huang Linlin looked up in surprise, her tone faintly excited.
"Brother Han, don't you recognize me? I'm Huang Linlin, the youngest daughter of Commander Huang!"
"Oh! No wonder you looked familiar," Han Yao said with a slight nod.
Huang Linlin: "..."
---
Zhou Shi sat at the outermost seat of the jeep, Han Yao in the passenger seat, while Lin Ruo and Huang Linlin were squeezed into the back. Luckily, the vehicle was spacious enough.
"Um… Sister, I don't know your name yet. Which regiment is your husband from?" Zhou Shi asked curiously. Even Han Yao pricked up his ears at this question.
Lin Ruo smiled faintly. "My surname is Lin. My husband is a battalion commander, but I don't know if he's alive or dead yet."
Someone who had ignored his wife for three years was practically no different from being dead.
"Lulu, was your husband injured on a mission?" Huang Linlin gently patted Lin Ruo's hand. "Don't be too sad. As a soldier's wife, you must be prepared for this."
"Don't resent it either," Zhou Shi added. "We soldiers don't have a choice. Once we're sent on a mission, we don't know when we'll come back. Captain Han here hasn't returned home or contacted his family in years either, because of duty."
Lin Ruo lowered her eyes without answering.
---
After more than an hour, the jeep approached the military base. The setting sun painted the sky in a veil of orange-red. Sentries stood at attention on either side of the gate, guarding their posts solemnly.
The jeep stopped at the checkpoint. When the soldier on duty saw Han Yao in the passenger seat, his eyes lit up. After a crisp salute, he called out loudly:
"Captain Han!"
Then his gaze swept inside the vehicle, landing on Lin Ruo. She was an unfamiliar face.
"Comrade, please step out of the car and present your documents for inspection."
Lin Ruo obediently got down, handed over her papers, and said, "Hello, comrade, I'm here to find your unit's Battalion Commander Han Yao."
---
Han Yao raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes settling on Lin Ruo. It turned out this woman's husband served in the same unit as him.
"Hahaha, what a coincidence!" Zhou Shi exclaimed enthusiastically. "You two ladies came just in time to ride back to camp with us."
Huang Linlin bit back the words that she had already asked her father to send a guard to fetch her.
"That's wonderful, Lulu. We'll return to camp together with Brother Han and the others."
Seeing the three of them looking at her, Lin Ruo dropped her shy smile and simply nodded in agreement.
Soon, the jeep drove straight into the base. Han Yao sat in the passenger seat, Lin Ruo by the window in the back, and Huang Linlin in the middle beside Zhou Shi.
The thin, dark-skinned girl standing outside had sharp, piercing eyes. She was brave, cautious, and skilled in martial arts—capable of subduing villains with ease.
The difference between the timid girl in his memory and the woman before him now was so stark, it felt as though they were two entirely different people.
The sentry, still in shock, carefully examined the documents Lin Ruo presented, worried that someone might be impersonating Captain Han's wife.
The marriage certificate clearly stated the names of Han Yao and Lin Ruo, registered on March 22, 1971. The letter of introduction was also valid. The documents were genuine. Relieved, the sentry returned them to Han Yao.
At that moment, a thunderclap boomed across the clear sky. Everyone inside and outside the jeep froze, as if struck by lightning, their eyes snapping toward Lin Ruo.
The sentry's gaze darted nervously back and forth between Lin Ruo and Han Yao. What on earth was going on?
They had been traveling in the same vehicle all the way here, yet this woman didn't even know that the man beside her was Captain Han?
"Damn it!" Zhou Shi swore, suddenly snapping back to his senses. "Boss, you're the husband Captain Han's wife is looking for? That girl… she's really your wife? Brother Han, are you actually married?"
Excited, Zhou Shi slapped the passenger seat and grinned. "Boss, I get it now! That's your wife! Why don't you get out of the car already?"
The sentry, still doubtful, turned to Han Yao. "Captain Han, please confirm the documents and this woman's identity."
Han Yao stepped out of the vehicle, took the documents from the sentry, and said firmly, "Everything is fine. She's my wife."
So it was true—Captain Han was married, and had been for three years.
The sentry tried to hide his excitement but couldn't help staring at Lin Ruo. This woman, barely 1.6 meters tall, wearing patched clothes, her hair in two withered braids, thin as a reed—was really Captain Han's wife? It was unbelievable.
"Captain Han," Zhou Shi exclaimed eagerly, "you need to apply for family housing right away! Where else will your wife live? Three years ago, none of us believed you when you said you were married, because we never saw her. But now that she's here, you'd better make it up to us and host that wedding banquet you owe us!"
"Exactly, Captain Han," another soldier chimed in. "Gangzi's right, all the brothers are waiting. Congratulations—finally, you and your wife can be reunited!"
Xu Wen, who was driving, added cheerfully, "That's right! Captain Han, the couple is finally together again."
Lin Ruo turned at the sound of Zhou Shi's excited voice, her eyes meeting Han Yao's through the car window. Her gaze was cold and distant. She had never expected that the pretty boy she was searching for would turn out to be this man.
Han Yao froze, his expression flickering between shock, confusion, disbelief, and a faint joy.
So this was the girl he had married three years ago—yet he hadn't even recognized her.
His thoughts raced back to that time. Back then, she had been delicate, pale, and timid, always avoiding eye contact and too afraid to raise her voice. After the incident, she had only cried and let her family scold her.
But the woman before him now was different. Stronger. Sharper. Completely changed.
Xu Wen, noticing the tension, started the jeep and drove forward. Huang Linlin, smiling again after the earlier shock, leaned out the window and waved at Lin Ruo.
"Lulu, once you're settled, I'll invite you to my house."
She had once admired Han Yao herself, but he had never paid her any attention. Now that she knew he was truly married, and that Lin Ruo was his wife, Huang Linlin could only accept it.
Her only wish now was for her good sister to live happily with Captain Han and start a family soon. Good men could still be found, but true sisterhood was rare. She would never sacrifice a good sister just for the sake of a man.
At the gates of the military camp, Lin Ruo finally spoke her first words since learning Han Yao's true identity...