The kiss ended, leaving both slightly breathless.
After exchanging a few more words, Huo Tingzhou glanced at the time.
"Darling, I should get going. Take care at home, and don’t worry about me."
Though the mission had come abruptly, both understood the situation.
At this stage, things might escalate, but they wouldn’t reach an irreparable point.
Jiang Si nodded. "You too. Stay safe out there."
As she spoke, she stepped forward to smooth out the wrinkles on his military uniform.
She didn’t look up, but she could still feel the weight of his reluctant gaze on her.
After a pause, Jiang Si said softly, "I’ll wait for you to come back."
"Alright," Huo Tingzhou replied solemnly.
Just then, the assembly whistle sounded outside.
"Darling, I’m off."
With those words, Huo Tingzhou grabbed his duffel bag and strode out of the courtyard.
This was his second mission, and perhaps because she had mentally prepared herself, Jiang Si adjusted her mood in less than half a day.
With the house to herself, she couldn’t be bothered to cook lunch. Instead, she used the [One-Click Cooking] function from her space, ate her fill, and took a satisfying nap.
When she woke in the afternoon, Jiang Si packed up the facial feature templates she had drawn and headed to the military mailroom.
"Comrade Jiang, perfect timing!"
Aunt Chen, who handled mail, quickly pulled out a money order from her drawer when she saw Jiang Si.
"Here, this is for you."
"For me?" Jiang Si was taken aback.
"Yes, it’s yours."
Aunt Chen smiled. "Your name is quite unique—no one else in the residential compound shares it."
"Oh, and there’s also a package for you."
She retrieved the parcel from the back room and added, "We sent someone to deliver it earlier, but you weren’t home, so they came back."
"My apologies. I was napping and must have slept too deeply to hear the knocking," Jiang Si explained.
The temperatures on Qiongzhou Island had been rising daily, and to escape the heat without fanning herself, she had retreated to her space to sleep.
"Ah, no worries," Aunt Chen waved it off.
Noticing the large bundle in Jiang Si’s hands, she asked, "Need to mail something?"
Jiang Si nodded.
"Here, fill out the address and hand it over." Aunt Chen briskly passed her a form.
The address Huo's fourth uncle had provided was just a mailbox number, so it didn’t take long to write.
During their small talk, Jiang Si had learned the woman’s surname was Chen.
Once the form was filled, she asked with a smile, "Aunt Chen, could you calculate the total cost?"
To her surprise, Aunt Chen glanced at it and said, "No charge."
Jiang Si paused mid-reach for her money. "No charge?"
"Right." Aunt Chen stamped it with an official seal before explaining cheerfully, "This is a confidential mailbox—the recipient covers the postage."
So that was why.
With Aunt Chen’s assurance, Jiang Si didn’t press further.
Now, she was far more curious about the package and the money order.
The money order was for 200 yuan.
The sender’s address and name simply read: "Details Inside."
At first, Jiang Si assumed it was from Mother Huo, but the postmark didn’t match.
The money had been sent from Jiangcheng.
The problem was, 200 yuan wasn’t a small sum.
She had never even been to Jiangcheng—who would send her such a large amount?
Puzzled, she opened the package.
Inside were two fashionable fabrics and a bundle of local Jiangcheng specialties.
There was also an envelope.
Jiang Si opened it to find a stack of national food coupons and a handful of local Qiongzhou Island vouchers, most of which were military-issued.
Now she was even more confused.
After racking her brain without answers, Jiang Si visited the communications unit later that evening.
The only person who might know was Mother Huo.
At this hour, Mother Huo was still at work. Hearing her daughter-in-law mention an anonymous package and a mysterious money order from Jiangcheng, she was equally baffled.
After a long moment of thought, she admitted, "Si, don’t worry—I’ll look into it."
As soon as she hung up, Mother Huo went straight to Father Huo’s office.
"Oh? What brings you here at this hour?"
Mother Huo summarized the situation concisely.
"No idea who sent it. Do you think this is aimed at you?"
It wasn’t unreasonable for her to suspect foul play.
With the election just two weeks away, who knew what underhanded tactics might emerge?
Father Huo pondered briefly. "Probably not."
After a pause, he added, "Isn’t the Yu Family’s youngest daughter stationed in Jiangcheng now?"
The mention jogged Mother Huo’s memory.
"That’s right—I think their second son is also serving on Qiongzhou Island, isn’t he?"
"Yes," Father Huo confirmed.
Mother Huo was so irritated she nearly lost her temper. "He already withdrew from the race—why stir up trouble now? Is he trying to frame us for bribery?"
"Don’t jump to conclusions."
Father Huo doubted it was that complicated. "If Old Yu wanted to play dirty, he wouldn’t have waited this long."
"You never know. Until the final moment, anything could happen," Mother Huo retorted.
Father Huo had planned to surprise her, but seeing her agitation, he decided to share the news early.
"The appointment documents have been issued. Old Yu already knows."
"What documents?" Mother Huo blinked, uncomprehending.
Then her eyes widened abruptly.
"You—you mean the promotion papers?"
"Yes," Father Huo nodded.
"So soon?"
Mother Huo was stunned. "The election assembly isn’t for another fortnight. How are the papers out already?"
Father Huo chuckled and nudged her to take a sip of water to steady herself.
But Mother Huo was too worked up. "Explain, quickly!"
With a smile, Father Huo obliged. "Did you really think the voting results on the day decide the promotions?"
"Well, what else would?" Mother Huo had never participated in high-level elections—how would she know?
Had Jiang Si been there, she would’ve whispered to her mother-in-law that these assemblies were no different from modern award ceremonies.
The winners were already decided long before the event.
Father Huo lowered his voice. "The assembly is just a formality. The appointment papers have been finalized."
"They just can’t be announced publicly until the assembly."
Mother Huo was speechless with excitement.
"Keep this to yourself," Father Huo reminded her.
"The closer we are to the finish line, the more low-key we must be."
"I know, I'm not stupid," Mother Huo shot him a glance.
It was such wonderful news, yet she couldn’t share it with the children right away, which left her feeling quite unsettled.
Fortunately, the election assembly was only half a month away.
After calming her emotions, Mother Huo said, "Since the Yu Family already knows about the document being issued, they really have no reason to keep scheming."
"But you’ve just taken office, and your footing isn’t steady yet. It’s best to return these gifts."
Father Huo nodded—he felt the same way.
With his agreement, Mother Huo said directly, "Then I’ll leave you to your work. I’m heading back now."
Father Huo paused while dialing the phone. "Aren’t you going to call them back?"
She would, of course, but Mother Huo still had a few private words she wanted to share with her daughter-in-law.
"I’ll call from home. It’s not convenient to talk here."
Father Huo immediately understood. His office phone was monitored, so casual conversation wasn’t appropriate.
