Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback

CHAPTER 75: The First Wife of a 1980s Big Shot Who Died Young (8)

　　Huo Meilan received her newly issued bedding from the school, then went out to buy matching sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases according to the sizes. After that, she took everything back to the military compound with Qin Huaijing.

　　She returned home to pack her belongings and washed everything that needed cleaning before bringing it along.

　　Qin Huaijing didn’t think it was a big deal, but to avoid any unnecessary scolding, he still gave his old man a heads-up in advance.

　　After hearing about it, Commander Qin was very supportive. Studying more was a good thing. If she could get into university and go to the capital, it would be even better since it would be closer to home.

　　And just like that, Huo Meilan started school.

　　People in the housing compound found out about it later. Some gossiped behind her back, saying she was already married and still studying, not even focusing on having a child for Captain Qin.

　　Others thought she was living quite freely, no in-laws to care for, no husband or kids to manage, just doing her own thing and enjoying life.

　　Whatever they said, Huo Meilan at school never heard any of it.

　　She lived quite well on her own. The Grade 12 students were all very hardworking, and she quickly blended into the atmosphere.

　　When Huo Meilan first left, Qin Huaijing came back home to find it completely empty. It actually felt a bit too quiet. He couldn’t help but think habits really were a scary thing.

　　Later on, he got called away on a mission, and threw himself completely into his work.

　　Capital city.

　　The Qin family was in the middle of a heated argument.

　　“Qin Guozhong! What did you just say? On what grounds did you marry our son off to some country girl?”

　　At the dinner table, after learning her husband had already arranged a marriage for their son, Lai Suyun slammed her hand down and shot up in shock. Her well-kept face was full of anger.

　　How could a son get married without even informing his mother?

　　Qin Guozhong calmly set down his chopsticks and explained in a soft voice, “Meilan is a good girl. You’ll like her once you meet her.”

　　He knew his wife’s temperament too well, which was exactly why he hadn’t dared to mention it earlier. If he had, this marriage would never have happened.

　　Lai Suyun knocked the bowl and chopsticks off the table in one sweep. Furious to the point of tears, all her usual grace was gone as she cried and shouted.

　　“You damn man! Our son is so outstanding, there are so many families in the compound waiting to marry into ours! The girl from next door Old Fang’s family is educated, pretty, and we know her background inside out. How perfect would that be! But you just had to pull something like this! If you want to repay a favor, fine, give her money, give her a job, why did you have to drag HuaiJing’s entire life into this!”

　　“Meilan’s grandfather once saved my life. If it weren’t for that couple, I have no idea where I’d be right now.”

　　Qin Guozhong had always been indulgent toward his much younger wife, but at this moment his expression turned unusually stern as he warned, “The marriage certificate is already done. Nothing you say will change that. Stop bringing up the Old Fang’s daughter or anyone else.”

　　Huo Meilan was an orphan with no one to rely on. On top of that, she was burdened with a group of parasitic relatives. Even just for Old Master Huo’s final request before he passed, he had to make sure the girl was properly settled.

　　He was almost sixty already. After thinking it through, the only person he could truly trust was his youngest son.

　　Besides, how was Huo Meilan unworthy of his son?

　　She was good-looking, a high school graduate, educated, gentle and kind. To him, she was more than satisfactory.

　　Lai Suyun was furious that he refused to listen. With a sharp flick of her sleeve, she turned to leave.

　　“Fine! If you’re so right, then go live on your own!”

　　Lai Suyun was forty-five years old this year. She had married Qin Guozhong, a man more than a decade older than her, and had been pampered all these years. She had never been this angry before.

　　She packed her things and went straight back to her parents’ home.

　　Qin Guozhong hurried after her, but couldn’t stop her. In the rush, he called his in-laws to explain the situation and personally apologized.

　　Unexpectedly, Old Master Lai on the other end immediately scolded him, “Now you come running after the fact? This is clearly your fault! HuaiJing is our own grandson too, and you didn’t even inform us? And you call yourself a commander? This is complete nonsense!”

　　A man in his fifties, Qin Guozhong was lectured head-on by both elders. He didn’t dare argue a single word, and could only lower his head and admit his mistake in silence.

　　……

　　A few days later, Qin Huaijing received a call from his father.

　　He thought it was about checking how things were going with Huo Meilan again, so the moment he picked up, he started casually, “Meilan is doing fine. I’m out on a mission right now. When I get back, I’ll have her write you a letter.”

　　“It’s not that,” his father cut in quickly. “Your mother found out about Meilan and has been gone from home for several days. Today she even called to say she wants a divorce.”

　　Qin Huaijing picked at his ear, thinking he had misheard. “A divorce? Mom is the one asking for it?”

　　“Yes! So hurry up and call your mother, smooth things over. Say a few good words about Meilan, tell her you’re satisfied yourself and that I didn’t force anything on you…”

　　Listening to his father rambling anxiously on the other end, Qin Huaijing curved his lips slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

　　“Dad, you’re asking me to lie here. So what’s in it for me?”

　　“You little brat! You’re just eyeing my Desert Eagle, aren’t you? Fine, I’ll give it to you!”

　　“Deal. Mission accepted.”

　　Qin Huaijing hung up, clearly amused, then cheerfully dialed his grandfather’s landline.    

　　The one who picked up the phone was Lái Sùyún. The moment she heard her son’s voice, she immediately started crying and scolding her husband at the same time.

　　“Huaijing, Mom failed you. It's all my fault for being blind to marry such a jerk. Arranged marriages are a rotten old habit, your dad has really ruined you!”

　　Qin Huaijing quickly soothed her a few words, then explained, “Mom, I was pretty angry at first too. But when Comrade Huo Meilan arrived, it was basically love at first sight. She’s a good girl. I really like her.”

　　The crying on the other end of the line stopped instantly. A long silence followed.

　　“…Did your father already talk to you?” she finally said. “Don’t try to brush me off with excuses. This concerns your whole life. Once I divorce your father, you go and divorce that Meilan too.”

　　Qin Huaijing replied lazily, “Mom, I’m not taking Dad’s side here. It’s just that my wife is really good. We’re already sleeping on the same bed. Divorce would be a bit inappropriate, wouldn’t it?”

　　That shut Lái Sùyún up completely. She was so angry she snapped, “You useless thing!”

　　They were already sleeping together. At this rate, there might even be a child soon. And the son himself was satisfied, so what else could she even do?

　　In the end, the matter was dropped. Lái Sùyún stopped bringing up divorce.

　　The next day, she bought a whole pile of things for her daughter-in-law and mailed them straight to the military compound.

　　——

　　She had been at school for about half a month when a three-day break came around.

　　Most of the boarding students went home, and she also packed up a few simple things, planning to head back to the family compound.

　　Just as she stepped out of the school gate, she spotted a military green vehicle parked nearby.

　　She only glanced at it once before looking away.

　　On her third day of boarding school, she had received a letter from Qin Huaijing. It said he had been sent out on a mission, with no fixed return date, and told her to take care of herself. If she needed money, she could take it from the drawer back at the family compound.

　　Half a month had passed and he still hadn’t shown up. He was probably still out on duty.

　　Huo Meilan tucked her loose hair behind her ear, slung her handmade cloth shoulder bag over her shoulder, and was about to go look around for a bus nearby.

　　Beep.    

　　Behind her, a car horn suddenly sounded.

　　Huo Meilan turned back in confusion.

　　The same military green vehicle she had just seen was rolling toward her. Qin Huaijing leaned out of the window and waved.

　　“Comrade Meilan!”

　　The car stopped beside her.

　　Qin Huaijing looked like he had just come off a long trip. There was stubble on his chin, but his eyes still carried that slightly roguish edge. Even exhausted, he gave off a strong, unmistakably masculine presence.

　　“You just got back?” Huo Meilan asked.

　　He nodded, casually running a hand through his hair.

　　“Yeah, not long ago. The post office at the base called and said there was a package, seems like my mom sent it for you. I went to pick it up and figured I’d come find you while I was at it. You’re on break, right?”

　　“Yeah, three days off.”

　　“Good. Get in, let’s head home.”

　　Huo Meilan got into the car and immediately noticed the back seat was packed with bundles. All tightly wrapped, no clue what was inside, but there was clearly a lot.

　　When they got back home, Qin Huaijing grabbed a change of clothes and headed straight to the military bathhouse.

　　Huo Meilan stayed behind and tidied up the house. After being away for half a month, dust had definitely settled in.

　　The new bed he had made was sturdy, and he had even picked up a fresh set of sheets and bedding for it.

　　She sat down and gave it a try. It was soft and comfortable enough.

　　With fresh bedding, it would be perfect for sleeping tonight.

　　By the time she finished cleaning, Qin Huaijing still hadn’t returned.

　　Her gaze landed on the bundles in the courtyard. She picked up a few of the smaller ones and brought them inside to start unpacking.

　　Qin Huaijing had said these were gifts from his mother. There were six or seven bundles in total, all different sizes. Even carrying them back had been a hassle.

　　The first one she opened was packed with clothes. If it weren’t for the quality fabric and tailoring, she would have thought it was just a bulk shipment from somewhere.

　　There were about five or six outfits in total, some thin, some thick, and even a coat among them.

　　Another bundle contained skincare products and lipsticks. Huo Meilan had seen similar items at the county department store. In this era, they were considered high-end brands, and quite expensive too. Even the lipsticks looked delicately packaged and very premium.

　　One more package held two boxes. When she opened them, they were full of dazzling jewelry. Pearls were the most common, and they were large and of excellent quality. They actually looked more elegant and modern than gold pieces.

　　The other box underneath contained a set of jade jewelry, including earrings, a bracelet, a jade pendant, and a jade hairpin.

　　By the time she reached this point, Huo Meilan was already a little stunned. His mother really came in strong right from the start.

　　Then, when she opened another bundle, she paused.

　　Because inside was a neatly packed small box of condoms.

　　“Uh…”

　　“Yo, you’ve already unpacked so much? I’ll help you with the big ones.”

　　Qin Huaijing had just come back from his bath.

　　He walked into the courtyard and casually placed his washing kit on the stone table outside. Rolling up his sleeves as he went, he headed straight toward her.

　　Huo Meilan calmly closed the box and slid it to the side like nothing had happened.

　　But Qin Huaijing had already seen it. He bent down, picked it up easily, and said, “Here, I’ll move it. Why is this box so light? Where do you want it?”

　　Huo Meilan pressed a hand to her forehead. “Anywhere.”

　　“Huh? Didn’t my mom send this to you?”

　　Still holding it in one hand, he opened the box with the other to take a look.

　　Then came a very awkward silence.

　　Qin Huaijing cleared his throat and said, trying to stay composed, “Ah, it’s just… contraceptives.”

　　And just like that, he walked into the house with the box like nothing had happened.

　　In reality, in a spot Huo Meilan could not see inside the room—

　　Qin Huaijing came in, dropped to his knees, and shoved the box straight under the bed. Then he slumped down by the bed and pressed both hands to his forehead.

　　So this was the consequence of running his mouth that day.

　　His mother too. The military literally issued this stuff for free. Did she really need to send an entire box? What did she think he was?

　　Huo Meilan came back inside to get some water.

　　At the sound, Qin Huaijing immediately straightened up and walked out with a very serious expression. “I’ll go open the rest. You rest.”

　　He went outside and started unpacking the remaining larger bundles.

　　Inside were quilts, blankets, and full bedding sets, all in bright red. They looked festive and a bit over the top.

　　There was also a bag of books, mostly classic literature and well-known works. 

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