Chapter 58: Giving a Thank-You Gift

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Giving a Thank-You Gift

"Regret?" Lu Zhengchuan gave a bitter smile. "All I know is that if something happened to me now, I would only regret leaving Su Wan and the child behind."

He Rong raised an eyebrow at his words. "Oh, so this is about the child?"

Before Lu Zhengchuan could finish, He Rong cut him off.

"Didn’t you already give her all your allowance? Just give her a bit more, and I guarantee there won’t be a problem," He Rong said confidently.

Lu Zhengchuan hesitated. "Really?"

"Of course. From what I’ve seen over the years, these women love to save money. Especially when their husbands hand over their allowances. When word of that gets out, it makes them incredibly proud. She’ll definitely be thrilled with you."

"...Alright, I’ll give it a try. But next month’s allowance is still a long way off, and this month’s is already gone..."

He Rong confidently cut him off again. "What’s the big deal? Just give it to her next month. If you give it to her too often, she might start wondering where you’re getting so much money."

"Trust me. I know so many women, and I get along with them pretty well. You think I don’t know how they think?"

Lu Zhengchuan’s hesitation faded.

"Alright."

「In the family compound.」

After just three days, once he was sure that Zhang Yun and the others at the base could take good care of Su Wan, Su Jue announced he was leaving.

"Wanwan, I won’t stay any longer. I’ll contact you and give you my address once I get to the Capital." Su Jue was always thorough.

Su Wan didn’t have time to see him off.

But Political Commissioner Lin knew she was worried about Su Jue.

He even called over a soldier to arrange for Su Jue to catch a ride with a military vehicle heading into the city to catch his transport.

"Wanwan? Is that Mr. Su?"

Su Wan and Zhang Yun were at the gate of the family compound, seeing Su Jue off.

Su Jue had quite a bit of luggage, much of it filled with homemade snacks and candies like peanut brittle.

It all looked very cumbersome.

Even so, it didn’t stop Xu Yan from spotting him at a glance.

"Yanyan, what brings you here? I’m just seeing my third brother off. If you need something, can we talk in a bit?" Su Wan called her over and explained.

Xu Yan was stunned. "What? Third brother?"

Her voice rose uncontrollably.

Su Jue dug a finger in his ear. The familiar voice was one he could recognize without even turning around.

"You two know each other?" Su Wan asked, puzzled, seeing the shocked look on Xu Yan’s face as she stared at her third brother.

Xu Yan’s heart pounded like a drum. Her face flushed red as she said with a beaming smile, "You know how I was coming back from visiting my family a few days ago? Well, I ran into a pickpocket on the train! If it weren’t for Mr. Su, my wallet would have definitely been stolen."

"So, I just finished training and was coming to ask you, Wanwan, if you could help me find out which family Mr. Su belongs to. And then I saw you all here."

"It turns out Mr. Su is actually your third brother, Wanwan. What a coincidence!"

Su Wan’s gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment before she smiled and said, "What a coincidence indeed. Nice work, Third Brother."

"She’s a friend of yours?" Su Jue asked, leaning against the vehicle in a relaxed posture.

Su Wan nodded with a smile. "Mhm, we’re good friends. Yanyan has helped me a lot since I came to the base."

Hearing Su Wan’s praise, Xu Yan blushed. After all, she had once pursued Lu Zhengchuan herself, which led her to initially doubt Su Wan’s character and even participate in the gossip.

But now, not only did Wanwan not hold it against her, she treated her with genuine kindness.

Filled with gratitude, Xu Yan stepped forward and hugged Su Wan.

Without another word, she shoved a pile of things into her hands.

"Wanwan, these are all tasty things I brought for you. I asked my mom, and she said they’re safe for pregnant women to eat."

Zhang Yun peered over curiously and spotted high-end fruit drops and several types of pastries she didn’t recognize.

"Xu Yan, what are these pastries?"

She had not only never eaten them, but she had never even seen them before.

"This is Ludagun, this is Butterfly Crisps, five-spice beans, and pear paste candy..."

"They’re all specialties from Sea City. Try them, Wanwan. If you like them, I’ll buy you more next time," Xu Yan said generously.

Su Wan had heard of all these pastries, but only from reading about them in newspapers and books. She had never actually had the chance to taste them, but she knew they were very expensive.

"Yanyan, I can’t accept these. They’re too expensive." Su Wan tried to push the items back to her.

"Are they very expensive?" Zhang Yun asked curiously from the side.

Su Wan nodded. "Mhm, very. These few types of pastries would cost at least twenty yuan."

"Whoa, that expensive!" Zhang Yun’s eyes went wide. Her gaze toward Xu Yan turned into a mix of awe and timidity, as if looking at someone from a wealthy family.

"It’s nothing. I’m from Sea City, and my mom got them from an acquaintance, so they weren’t that expensive at all. We could trade for them with things from home." Xu Yan waved her hand dismissively, thinking it was no big deal. Besides, she had bought them as an apology gift for Su Wan, and what’s more...

She couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Su Jue, who was leaning nearby. He hadn’t said a word but was waiting very patiently.

She felt her heart beat even faster.

"Wanwan, it’s getting late. I should get going," Su Jue said, glancing at the sky.

He didn’t have a watch. Su Wan had wanted to buy him one, but Su Jue said it wouldn’t be right to only buy one for him and not his other brothers. And Su Wan certainly didn’t have enough ration coupons for three watches.

"Mr. Su, you’re leaving?" Xu Yan asked, belatedly remembering what Su Wan had said about seeing him off.

When she saw Su Jue nod, confirming it, her heart sank.

"Mhm," Su Jue replied casually, not engaging much with Xu Yan beyond maintaining a polite smile in her direction.

A wave of disappointment washed over Xu Yan.

Seeing Su Jue walk toward the military vehicle as it started to move, she was suddenly struck by a bold idea.

Xu Yan flicked her wrist, tossing an envelope through the open window of the back seat.

It hit Su Jue in the head. He caught it, a speechless expression on his face.

"Mr. Su, that’s a thank-you gift I prepared for you! Thanks again for helping me last time. You can write to me if you ever need anything in the future."

Xu Yan cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "The car’s already leaving, and you’re not coming back, so you have to take it!"

Hearing this, Su Jue let out an exasperated chuckle and called out an order.

Xu Yan could only watch, wide-eyed, as the vehicle stopped. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, especially when she saw Su Jue get out and stride toward her.

"Take this back. There’s no need for a thank-you gift."

Su Jue casually tossed the envelope back into her arms without even looking to see what was inside.

He returned the item and turned to get back in the vehicle.

Xu Yan’s cheeks flushed red. Seeing the gift returned, she forgot her shyness and instinctively ran after him.

"Mr. Su, don’t go! Please, take the gift!"

The military vehicle, which had just started moving, stopped again. Just as Xu Yan caught up, she heard Su Jue ask, "Why did you stop the car?"

"Mr. Su, I think you should make things clear with Ms. Xu. Tossing things back and forth like this is against the rules," the young soldier said with a completely straight face.

Xu Yan immediately blushed crimson.