Seeing the old man in such a hurry, Grandma Huo couldn’t help but grow curious.
"Who was on the phone?"
The old man replied with a smile, "It was Little Zhou."
"Really?"
Upon learning that it was Old Third calling, Grandma Huo’s face lit up with joy.
But before she could react, the old man plopped himself onto the sofa, which annoyed Grandma Huo so much that she immediately dragged him upstairs.
"What’s the matter?" the old man asked, baffled.
Grandma Huo was exasperated. "Those two are newlyweds—they must have a lot to say to each other. Do you really think it’s appropriate for an old man like you to just sit there and eavesdrop?"
"..."
The old man had no retort. Though he was a formidable general outside, his status at home was decidedly less impressive.
"Don’t be mad. I was just so happy that I forgot," he said, then turned toward the bathroom. "You’ve had a long day. Let me fetch you some hot water to soak your feet and relax."
"That’s more like it."
Grandma Huo wasn’t actually angry. She just knew how hard-won Old Third’s marriage had been, and as elders, the least they could do was not add to the couple’s troubles.
Jiang Si was unaware of Grandma Huo’s thoughts. If she had known, she would’ve said:
"Grandma, there’s really no need to avoid them."
Because Huo Tingzhou wasn’t the type to whisper sweet nothings.
And neither was she.
Otherwise, Jiang Si wouldn’t have asked him the moment she realized the call was coming from Heilongjiang:
"Do you have enough money on you for this call?"
Long-distance calls were charged by the kilometer, and calls over a thousand kilometers cost one yuan per minute.
Before leaving, Huo Tingzhou had handed her his savings and that month’s salary, and he’d packed his own luggage.
Jiang Si genuinely didn’t know if he had any money with him.
Huo Tingzhou was momentarily stunned by her question until she added, "If you do, I’ll talk a bit longer."
"I have enough," he said.
If he didn’t, Old Xiao was there—he’d brought plenty and could lend him some in a pinch.
Afraid Jiang Si might rush to hang up, Huo Tingzhou quickly added, "And I have time too."
They’d been away for half a month, and the first phase of their mission was successfully completed. The higher-ups had given them two days off.
They were currently resting at the Heilongjiang airbase and would return to the border field airport the day after tomorrow.
"Did Grandpa tell you everything that’s happened at home?"
"Yes, he did."
Huo Tingzhou hadn’t expected so much to happen in just two weeks.
Having spent years stationed on Qiongzhou Island, he’d had little contact with his eldest brother’s family, and their bond had naturally faded.
So when he learned that his eldest brother might not be his real brother, Huo Tingzhou felt almost nothing.
He was just a little heartbroken for Father Huo and Mother Huo.
As if reading his mind, Jiang Si said, "Don’t worry about the family. Mom and Dad aren’t as fragile as we think."
"Yesterday, I saw Dad looking through a lot of documents about relief homes. I think they might’ve found something."
And she had a feeling things were moving quickly—Father Huo had mentioned early that morning that they’d discuss dividing the family estate this Sunday at the old house.
When the topic turned to dividing the estate, Huo Tingzhou decided to share everything the old man had told him.
To his surprise, Jiang Si replied, "I already know all that."
"You do?"
Jiang Si hummed in agreement. In fact, she’d sensed it from the very first day she arrived at the Western Hills compound.
If it had just been about delivering wedding candies, Mother Huo wouldn’t have needed to point out which neighbors belonged to which factions and which were worth befriending.
And over the past two days, Grandma and Grandpa had kept asking about her future plans.
Hearing it so often, Jiang Si had naturally pieced it together.
As for the Huo family’s wealth, Huo Tingzhou had never cared about it.
As a man, he had a duty to provide for his wife and future children.
If he couldn’t even do that, he didn’t deserve to have a family.
He’d already said as much to the old man over the phone that afternoon.
But the old man had simply asked him, "Do you even have a say at home?"
"..."
That one question had left Huo Tingzhou speechless.
The old man knew how to twist the knife. "If you don’t, you’d better discuss it properly with your wife. Maybe she has other ideas."
Perhaps feeling he’d been too harsh, the old man softened the blow before hanging up.
He shared his lifelong wisdom with Huo Tingzhou:
"Be a tiger outside, a mouse at home, and keep your wallet full—then you’ll never suffer!"
A man should be strong when he needs to be outside, but at home, he should listen to his wife. That’s how a marriage thrives.
Huo Tingzhou took the advice to heart, which was why he asked over the phone:
"Wife, what do you think?"
Jiang Si chuckled and countered, "What about you? Do you plan to stay on Qiongzhou Island forever?"
Huo Tingzhou answered honestly, "No."
This wasn’t just a matter of personal choice.
According to the military’s promotion system, his next rank-up would inevitably transfer him to another military district.
And if nothing unexpected happened, it would likely be back to the Capital City headquarters.
In fact, the Capital City headquarters had wanted to recall him years ago.
"Really?" Jiang Si hadn’t known that.
Huo Tingzhou explained.
Currently, China had only seven flight academies, with the first, second, third, and seventh located in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, the fourth and sixth in Hebei, and the fifth in Shandong.
Geographically, most of these academies were concentrated in the north.
Since there were no direct flights to Qiongzhou Island, every time Huo Tingzhou had to travel to teach at another academy, the journey alone took at least five to seven days.
"So why didn’t you transfer back then?" Jiang Si asked.
Huo Tingzhou paused for a few seconds. "I refused."
Though there was no explicit rule preventing father and son from serving in the same military district, it was generally avoided to prevent conflicts of interest.
At the time, if he’d agreed to the transfer, it would’ve made things easier for him—but every move Father Huo made would’ve been scrutinized.
Aside from avoiding unnecessary trouble, there was another reason: if he’d returned to Capital City, their families would’ve likely pushed for their marriage much sooner.
Sometimes, Huo Tingzhou felt he was too greedy.
At first, all he’d wanted was the right to stand by her side.
Later, he’d wanted her to come to him willingly.
