Chapter 93: To the Hero

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: To the Hero

Hua Buwan listened to Ling Qianjun’s story, her heart feeling heavy. She couldn’t calm down for a long time.

Though his words were simple, what happened on the battlefield was surely far more complex. The stories of the soldiers and generals probably couldn’t be finished even if told for days and nights. The peace of the Northern Land was built upon the bones of its soldiers. Without them, there would be no peace in Dongxuan Country, nor would its people be able to live and work in contentment.

They would forever be the heroes of this nation.

Hua Buwan took out the bottled mineral water Ling Qianjun had brought over earlier from the nearby bag and handed them out one by one. "Come, let’s use water instead of wine today. A toast to the heroes of the Northern Land!"

"Alright!" Everyone took the mineral water, twisted off the caps, and clinked their bottles together.

At that moment, they were drinking water with the intensity of downing strong liquor! To the heroes! To be born in Dongxuan Country in this life—they had no regrets!

Hua Buwan sat with them for a little while longer before deciding to head back. If she didn’t leave soon, they wouldn’t have much time to rest. They still had to travel tomorrow and needed to gather their strength.

Ling Qianjun stood up to walk her back. Without him, Hua Buwan couldn’t open the Any Door.

The two strolled slowly into the woods. Hua Buwan stopped and asked in a low voice, "You guys get a break at noon, right?"

Ling Qianjun didn’t understand why she brought this up so suddenly, but he quickly answered, "Yes, we’ll rest for about two hours."

"Can I come over then?" Hua Buwan wanted to see more of Dongxuan Country and get to know the Ling family better.

Spending time with the Ling family was truly relaxing. She could feel their kindness and knew they were entirely sincere and genuine people. Watching them interact so harmoniously made her deeply envious and full of longing. Because... she didn’t have a family like that... she...

Shaking the figures of those people from her mind, she heard Ling Qianjun say, "Sure. I’ll go to the grocery store to pick you up then."

Ling Qianjun was thrilled. Hua Buwan had accepted his family! Now that the first step was complete, could the second be far behind? "Wait, what second step? What am I thinking?" he wondered.

"Mm. Okay," Hua Buwan gladly agreed.

Back at the supermarket, Hua Buwan glanced at the time. To her surprise, it was already midnight. She quickly grabbed her clothes and went to wash up.

During her shower, the moment she closed her eyes, the image of the young General riding into battle flooded her mind, as if her brain had been poisoned. ℴℴ𝘮

She quickly finished washing up, blow-dried her hair, and went up to the second floor. She rolled onto her bed in one smooth motion, wrapped herself in the blanket, and stared blankly at the ceiling. She didn’t know how long she stared, but eventually, her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.

Hua Buwan completely forgot to check her phone or even look for it.

At that moment, her beloved phone was sitting on the first-floor supermarket counter, its screen lighting up incessantly with a barrage of messages from Chen Jingjing:

"Wanwanzi, my banquet is over! Eating at a hotel is such a hassle. They didn’t serve the food until eight, we finished past ten, and I didn’t get back to my place until after eleven. I’m exhausted!

"Did you get back to the supermarket and eat? Are you in the shower? Reply when you see this!

"Still not done showering? When did you become such a dawdler? Hurry up and tell me our itinerary for tomorrow. What time should I come find you? When are we getting up and leaving?

"Is your phone dead and you forgot to charge it?

"If you don’t say something soon, I’m going to suspect you’re doing something bad behind my back. Confess now and you’ll be treated leniently; resist and face the music!

"You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say will be used against you in a court of law!"