Outside the window, the north wind howled. Inside, the heated brick bed was burning, filling the room with a sweltering heat.
"Wife, does it hurt?"
The man's hoarse voice sounded by her ear. He was tall and robust, his muscles rock-hard as his thick arms embraced her.
She could feel a scorching heat radiating from his arms.
In a haze, Qiao Lanshu looked at the man above her, her nose stinging with emotion. "Brother Zheng..."
Qiao Lanshu wrapped her arms around the man's broad shoulders. Feeling the warmth and rapid breathing coming from him, her tears fell once again.
The man picked her up and slowly carried her from the living room to the bedroom. He comforted her in a low voice:
"Don't be afraid... I'll be gentle. Otherwise, your body won't be able to take it..."
The man's voice was deep and laced with tenderness. Qiao Lanshu immersed herself in his gentle offensive.
She thought to herself, if only she could have a child with Brother Zheng, how wonderful that would be.
...
Clackety-clack! Clackety-clack!
The train pulled into the station.
Qiao Lanshu jolted awake, suddenly realizing she was already on the train heading north!
Her face was stained with tears, and the collar of her clothes was soaked damp.
Once again, she had dreamed of Qin Yuanzheng.
She wiped her tears and got off the train. Her head was throbbing, her mind still entirely consumed by the illusory dream of her intimacy with Qin Yuanzheng.
His touch felt so real. It was as if his large, calloused hands were still lingering on her skin, and his scalding breath was still brushing against her ear.
He was a native Northern man, tall and muscular, capable of lifting her up with just one arm.
Every time they were intimate, he always loved to pick her up, holding her as if she were a child.
She loved his gentle and considerate nature, but sometimes, she was also afraid of his sturdy, fierce, and unrestrained body.
She wondered, which military unit was her Brother Zheng stationed at right now?
Qiao Lanshu walked out of the train station. Remembering something, she opened her right palm. Written on it in fountain pen was a line of small text:
"Sun Mingyong, Battalion Commander of the Independent Second Battalion, Longcheng Production and Construction Corps."
Oh, right. This was her former fiance.
The real reason she came to the North this time was to find her fiance.
Her father had financially supported Sun Mingyong for ten years, and the two of them had gotten engaged three years ago.
This year, Sun Mingyong mentioned in his letter that he had been promoted to battalion commander.
The family members of a battalion commander were allowed to accompany the army. It just so happened that Lanshu had graduated and was facing the prospect of being sent down to work in the countryside. Therefore, Qiao Lanshu departed from Yangcheng by train, traveling for three days and three nights to reach Longcheng, over two thousand kilometers away, to find her fiance.
However, having lived through a past life, Qiao Lanshu knew that Sun Mingyong was not in the military at all.
Relying on the money provided by the Qiao family, he had found a job at a food factory in the North, and had even married a wife and had children.
Meanwhile, Qiao Lanshu had waited for him alone at the train station for four whole hours.
In the end, cold and starving, she had walked out of the train station late at night, only to faint by the roadside. She was picked up by a street thug and locked away in a mountain cave dwelling.
By the time she finally managed to escape from the mountains, two years had passed. Her health was ruined, leaving her unable to bear children.
With the help of the Women's Federation, she entered a food factory and worked there for a few years.
Later on, she met Qin Yuanzheng.
At the time, Qin Yuanzheng, a brigade commander nearing forty, happened to suffer from infertility as well. He fell in love with Qiao Lanshu at first sight and actively pursued her.
He was eleven years older than her, mature, steady, gentle, and caring.
He cherished her like a precious treasure, soothing her wounds inch by inch.
Yet, in the fifth year of their marriage, an old injury of his flared up and became infected, ultimately taking his life.
Devastated by the blow, Qiao Lanshu fell severely ill and never recovered. In the final days of her life, she was rarely lucid and would constantly dream of Qin Yuanzheng.
She dreamed of the times they spent together.
At this thought, Qiao Lanshu's face instantly darkened.
Given the chance to start over, she had to go find Qin Yuanzheng sooner!
This time, she would marry him early. Even if he was infertile, she did not mind.
This time, she had a healthy body, and he had not yet gone to execute that mission.
They could share a much longer future together.
