For some reason, at this moment, Jiang Si's heart felt as if being tugged by something, an indescribable impulse surging in her chest.
This longing to see him came so suddenly and so fiercely, it almost made her restless.
"Go on." Grandma Huo, wise with age, could easily see the urgency in her granddaughter-in-law's eyes.
She handed the water bottle to Jiang Si with a beaming smile.
During the military competition, there were no rules forbidding selected contestants and their family members from meeting, especially since there was still an hour until the next individual event.
It was perfectly fine for the young couple to have a chat.
Seeing the hesitation on her face, Grandma Huo added, "Go on. Right now, you're definitely the person he most wants to see."
"That's right." No one knows a son like his mother. Having finished her work with the cultural troupe, Mother Huo hurried over to watch her son's competition with the old master and the others. "We'll keep an eye on things here, don't worry."
With these words from her grandmother-in-law and mother-in-law, Jiang Si hesitated no longer. She took the water bottle and ran in the direction where Huo Tingzhou was.
However—
Jiang Si had truly underestimated the saying 'the mountain looks close, but the horse dies from the running.'
From the spectator stands, the runway had seemed right before her eyes.
But when she actually started walking towards it, she realized the stands were quite far from the runway.
There were many branching paths in between, and many soldiers and military family members coming and going.
Coupled with the obstruction of the hangars, by the time Jiang Si, panting and out of breath, reached the vicinity of the tarmac, there was no trace of Huo Tingzhou to be found.
Jiang Si stood there looking around for a good while.
Just then, a group of people in uniform walked over from the direction of the runway entrance/exit.
Jiang Si quickly stepped forward and spoke politely, "Excuse me, have any of you seen Commander Huo from the Fourth Division?"
The group seemed momentarily taken aback. "You are...?"
"I'm his wife."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the eyes of the young man at the front lit up. "Hello, Master's Wife!"
Jiang Si was taken aback, not yet processing where this title 'Master's Wife' came from.
The young man pointed to the school badge on his chest and explained, "Master's Wife! We are cadets from the Heilongjiang Aviation School. Commander Huo is our flight instructor."
They had all arrived in Capital City just three days ago. As soon as they entered the training base, they heard from their senior brothers about the Master's Wife.
They heard she was both beautiful and capable.
Seeing her now, it seemed the rumors were understated!
But you couldn't blame the senior brothers.
After all, they had only seen her from a distance, unlike the few of them who were lucky.
Having just participated in the competition today, they got to see the Master's Wife up close!
Respect for teachers is practically engraved in the bones of Chinese people. Upon learning this beautiful young woman was the Master's Wife,
the others, seeing this, also enthusiastically chorused, "Hello, Master's Wife!"
As they spoke, they even bowed slightly at the waist.
Jiang Si had never encountered such a scene. Looking at their somewhat mature faces, she steadied herself with some effort. "Hello."
Then she returned to her original question. "What about your instructor? Have you seen him?"
Hearing this, the group also glanced around, finding it strange as he had been there just a moment ago.
Just as they were speaking, a familiar voice came from behind.
"What's everyone gathered here for?"
Huo Tingzhou had just gone to give a brief post-competition report. Returning, he saw from afar the group of cadets he was instructing surrounding someone.
His view blocked, he didn't see Jiang Si within the crowd.
Frowning slightly, he swept a glance over them, his hands instinctively moving behind his back. "The next event is in thirty-seven minutes. Have you all digested the theoretical knowledge? Memorized the key points for practical operation? And you still have time to chat here?"
No matter one's age, the sight of a teacher can be intimidating.
Especially Huo Tingzhou, known for his strict teaching methods.
It was no exaggeration to say that the moment Huo Tingzhou's voice sounded, the previously smiling group fell silent instantly, like mice seeing a cat.
Before he could speak again,
this bunch had already swiftly moved their feet, lining up in formation.
Chests out, stomachs in, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Not daring to let their eyes wander an inch, a far cry from the relaxed, casual manner they had when they saw Jiang Si earlier.
And Huo Tingzhou's reprimanding words came to an abrupt halt the moment his gaze passed over these cadets and landed on Jiang Si.
The atmosphere instantly became subtle.
The cadets held their breath, quietly exchanging glances.
But none dared to speak.
"Report!"
Finally, the cadet who had first called out 'Master's Wife' stepped forward.
Military speech is concise. He said, "Instructor Huo, the Master's Wife seems to have something to discuss with you."
The implication being, it wasn't appropriate for them to stand here anymore, could they be dismissed?
Huo Tingzhou's gaze fell on Jiang Si's face, glistening with a light sweat, then glanced at the water bottle clutched in her hand, understanding dawning on him.
He brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat lightly, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
"Take a ten-minute break. Assemble at Runway Entrance One in ten minutes for the pre-event rehearsal for the next competition."
The aircraft used in this competition were all new models, and these cadets had only had a week of actual hands-on practice.
So even though it wasn't official teaching time, if students encountered something they didn't understand, the necessary instruction still had to be given.
"Yes, sir!" the cadets responded loudly.
After saluting, they nodded towards Jiang Si, then marched off with a "one-two, one-two" step towards the rest area.
"I never imagined Instructor Huo's usual teaching style was like this." Once the cadets were far enough away, Jiang Si couldn't help but walk up and tease him with a smile.
A trace of helpless amusement flashed in Huo Tingzhou's eyes.
He naturally took the water bottle from Jiang Si's hand and led her to a quieter spot.
They walked side by side, clearly maintaining a fist's distance between them, yet there was an indescribable intimacy.
"How did you get here?" Huo Tingzhou unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and immediately handed it to Jiang Si, signaling for her to drink first.
Jiang Si took the bottle but didn't drink.
Instead, she turned to look at him, her eyes shining brilliantly.
"I wanted to see you as soon as possible, so I came." Jiang Si wore an expression that said 'my man is so amazing' as she walked and spoke. "Those maneuvers you performed in the sky earlier, they made my heart almost stop."
"Really, it was incredible!"
The tone of admiration in her words was very evident.
Those maneuvers...
Just thinking about them now still made her heart feel warm and her pulse quicken!
Indeed, everyone shines in their field of expertise.
And Huo Tingzhou was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence in the sky!
