Three hours later, the plane landed smoothly at Yangcheng Airport—though “smoothly” might be a bit of an overstatement.
Not long after takeoff, they encountered severe clear-air turbulence.
Jiang Si was fine; after all, she was used to flying in her later life.
Huo Tingzhou, being a pilot himself, found it all quite routine.
The ones who suffered the most were Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong—both were flying for the first time.
One moment, they were happily marveling at the tiny, matchbox-like houses below, full of wonder.
The next moment, the plane suddenly plunged in a steep drop.
They barely managed to hold on until they got off the plane, and before they could even catch their breath, it was already time to check in for their flight to Qiongzhou Island.
Fortunately, this leg of the journey was short.
The flight was also much smoother.
Around five in the afternoon, the group arrived at Qiongzhou Island.
As soon as they stepped out of the airport, they spotted He Ping grinning broadly.
“Commander, Sister-in-law, Old Master, Uncle, thank you all for your hard work on the trip—”
Huo Tingzhou introduced him, “This is my orderly, He Ping.”
“Little He, thanks for your hard work today,” Third Uncle said.
“No trouble at all,” He Ping replied cheerfully, waving his hand.
The airport was crowded, making conversation difficult, so after a brief greeting, they got into the car.
After a whole day of flying, everyone was exhausted. A few more hours on the road back to the military base would have been too much.
So before setting off, Huo Tingzhou had already arranged for them to stay overnight in the city, planning to return to the base first thing the next morning.
On the way to the guesthouse, Jiang Si smiled and said,
“He Ping’s got a new haircut—I almost didn’t recognize him just now. But it really suits you.”
He Ping’s grin grew even wider. “Thanks, Sister-in-law.”
He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
“This haircut was done by my girlfriend. I haven’t even dared to go out these past couple of days.”
“Now that you mention it, I feel much better!” Jiang Si exclaimed in surprise. “He Ping, you have a girlfriend?”
Huo Tingzhou also looked over at him with curiosity.
Feeling a bit nervous under his commander’s gaze, He Ping hurriedly explained, “We just made it official recently. I owe it all to Hu Meili—if she hadn’t helped set us up, we wouldn’t have gotten together.”
The moment Jiang Si heard it was Hu Meili who introduced them, she immediately understood.
“Congratulations, He Ping.”
“Hehe, thanks, Sister-in-law.”
They say people in love are fools—and He Ping was living proof.
From the airport to the guesthouse, his laughter never stopped.
More than once, Huo Tingzhou wanted to remind him to keep quiet while driving.
But Jiang Si’s knowing smile stopped him every time.
Half an hour later, the car pulled over.
This time, they were staying at the military guesthouse again.
At check-in, the front desk staff recognized Jiang Si immediately. Coincidentally, the room assigned to her was the same one she had stayed in last time.
The only difference was that last time she stayed alone; this time, it was the two of them.
“Honey, here’s your room key. You go ahead and freshen up with a shower first.”
Huo Tingzhou handed the keys to Jiang Si, then picked up the luggage and helped Third Uncle up to the fifth floor.
After settling Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong in, he finally returned to his room.
By now, Jiang Si had finished showering and was drying her hair.
Her hair was jet black and glossy. Because she often braided it into a plait, when it was let down, it looked exactly like what you’d find in a comic’s description—long hair like strands of seaweed.
“Why aren’t you using a hairdryer?”
As he asked, Huo Tingzhou stepped forward and took the towel from her hands.
Jiang Si answered honestly, “I’m lazy.”
She had a lot of luggage, and she wasn’t even sure which suitcase the hairdryer was packed in.
Huo Tingzhou didn’t say anything more. He took the towel and gently began drying her hair.
When her hair was almost dry, he cleared his throat twice.
“Wifey, do you think my hair is a bit too long?”
Jiang Si looked up at him and said, “It’s fine.”
Then she added, “I don’t know how your military unit regulates haircuts. If you think it’s too long, you can stop by the barbershop downstairs on the way down for dinner.”
The military issues haircut coupons every month, so getting a trim only takes about ten minutes.
Huo Tingzhou pursed his lips, summoning his courage again. “I’ve never had my hair cut here before, so I don’t know how good the barber is.”
Jiang Si didn’t catch his hint. “Isn’t the army’s rule to have a buzz cut? The barbershop has been cutting hair for years; it’s nothing difficult.”
“If it’s really not good, you can just wait and get it cut when you’re back at the base tomorrow.”
Huo Tingzhou: “…”
He didn’t know how to respond to that.
Finally, he awkwardly muttered, “Oh.”
His tone sounded a bit pitiful.
Jiang Si immediately caught on. “How about I cut it for you?”
As soon as she said it, she already wanted to take it back.
But Huo Tingzhou was quick to respond. At the same time he agreed, he was already getting up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to borrow a clipper and scissors from the barbershop. I’ll be right back.”
“Are you really going to let me cut it?”
Seeing his hopeful face, Jiang Si felt a bit embarrassed.
You’re going to regret this later.
But she couldn’t not say anything, so she braced herself and said, “I’ve never cut anyone’s hair before. I’ve never even cut my own.”
“What if I mess it up? How will you face people when you go out?”
“Wifey, will you be disappointed in me?” Huo Tingzhou suddenly looked at her seriously.
Jiang Si was confused, “Why would I be disappointed in you?”
“As long as you’re not,” he said.
Feeling reassured, Huo Tingzhou leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“Cut it however you want, I trust you.”
With that, he turned and went downstairs.
Huo Tingzhou was quick; in less than ten minutes, he returned with the haircut tools.
When Jiang Si held the clippers in her hand, her hands were trembling.
She had never been so conflicted in her life.
Where on earth should she start?
And what if her hands shook and she accidentally buzzed Huo Tingzhou into a bald patch?
After all, he was going back to the unit in just a few days. He’d be laughed at to death!
Thinking that, Jiang Si was even more afraid to start.
She quickly put down the clippers and picked up a pair of scissors instead.
Scissors were definitely the better choice—one quick snip wouldn’t cause too much damage. At worst, she could just trim slowly and carefully.
And so, Jiang Si stood there, hesitating for more than ten minutes.
Meanwhile, Huo Tingzhou, the person involved, looked completely at ease.
From Jiang Si’s perspective, she could even see the slight upward curl of his lips.
“I... am I really going to cut it?” Jiang Si finally asked.
With a cheerful tone, Huo Tingzhou replied with a single word: “Yeah.”
Seeing that, Jiang Si gave up on overthinking and began snipping away with the scissors.
For someone who had never cut hair before, don’t expect any technique or finesse.
Basically, wherever the hair was long, she just cut there.
Thankfully, having admired handsome guys in the future, even though she’d never cut anyone’s hair before, she at least had a rough idea of what kind of hairstyle to aim for.
Half an hour later, Jiang Si used a sponge to brush off the stray hair that had fallen onto Huo Tingzhou’s neck.
Whether it turned out well or not, that was all she could do—she had tried her best.
“Wait a moment, I’ll get a mirror so you can see.”
Just as Jiang Si was about to get up, there was a sudden knock on the door—three quick taps.
“Captain—”
Hearing He Ping’s voice, Jiang Si opened the door.
Huo Tingzhou also came out at the sound of movement, and the first thing he said completely stunned Jiang Si.
“He Ping, your wife just cut my hair. What do you think?”
