Pei Jing carried most of the luggage, with both arms full. Zhi Xia only took on a small portion.
Wu Lei got off at the same stop as them. He only had a small bag and briefcase in hand. Seeing they had a lot of luggage, he took the initiative to help carry some.
At the train station, An Zhiqing had already waited over two hours. He finally heard the incoming train and hurried to find them in the disembarking crowd.
"Pei Jing, over here..." An Zhiqing jumped up, waving his hands. Both were in military uniforms, so they were still easy to identify.
Pei Jing also saw An Zhiqing and called to Zhi Xia and Wu Lei, "Let's go this way. My big brother is here to pick us up."
"The car is parked outside," An Zhiqing said, then looked at Zhi Xia and enthusiastically asked, "You must be Zhi Xia right? I'm your big brother An Zhiqing."
Zhi Xia was freezing, with her chin tucked into her collar. Hearing him, she poked out a little and shyly said, "Hello big brother, I'm Zhi Xia."
"Give your luggage to big brother," An Zhiqing hurried to take Zhi Xia's bags from her. He asked her, "The weather here is dry and cold, not as mild as Jin City. Suddenly getting off the train must make you really uncomfortable right?"
"It's alright, but it is quite cold," An Zhiqing was very warm, which also put Zhi Xia at ease.
"Let's go quickly. You'll feel better once we get home," An Zhiqing said as he led the way.
Pei Jing introduced Wu Lei to him, and An Zhiqing greeted Wu Lei enthusiastically too.
An Zhiqing had driven an army procurement vehicle. He also towed a truck full of cabbages. Luckily the front was a two-seater, so Zhi Xia sat in the passenger seat while Pei Jing could only lie on the cabbages in the back.
"Comrade Wu, where are you headed? Should we give you a ride?" Lingjiang City wasn't well-off either. Going out was difficult these days, so Pei Jing only asked because Wu Lei seemed decent.
Wu Lei smiled. "Lingjiang Food Factory. Is it on the way? If not I'll see if there's an oxcart going that direction later."
"Just a small detour," An Zhiqing said when he overheard their conversation.
So Wu Lei didn't decline further. He and Pei Jing both lay on top of the cabbages in the back.
After dropping Wu Lei off at the food factory, they continued on their way.
Once out of the city, the road ahead was even harder to traverse, very bumpy with gravel and clumps of earth.
Zhi Xia was already feeling sick on the train, and now she felt even worse.
From the corner of his eye, An Zhiqing saw her pale complexion. He consciously slowed down and said, "Little sister, are you carsick?"
"A little, but I'm fine," Zhi Xia replied.
An Zhiqing said, "Then I'll drive slowly. Open your window a bit, close your eyes and lie down to feel better."
"Okay, thank you big brother," Zhi Xia tilted her head to one side and dabbed some menthol ointment at her temples, instantly feeling much improved.
The car slowly rumbled along. She didn't pay attention to how long they drove before finally entering the military district.
An Zhiqing stopped the car and waited for Pei Jing to get out. He threw down the keys from the window, "I have to deliver the cabbages to the mess hall first. Go ahead and take Zhi Xia over, leave the luggage still in the car. I'll bring it over later."
"Sounds good, thanks," Pei Jing wouldn't stand on ceremony with him. Supporting Zhi Xia, and seeing she was still alright, he carried the luggage and had her follow behind.
The family housing area was all old red brick buildings, already having seen the weather here, looking at the housing conditions now, Zhi Xia finally understood what Pei Jing meant by harsh conditions.
The houses were uniform, each with two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, no yard walls, but space at the doorways not taken up by the central path could be used for growing vegetables, which most families did.
Along the way, Pei Jing greeted people he knew, introducing Zhi Xia's identity too.
Ever since Zhi Xia decided to follow the military, Pei Jing had notified An Zhiqing to help apply for housing, so news of Pei Jing getting married had already spread before they even arrived.
Pei Jing found his house and unlocked the door with his key.
The inside had already been cleaned, just completely empty without anything.
Entering the master bedroom, there was just a bed pushed against the wall.
Pei Jing had already put down their things. He said, "Let me make the bed for you to rest a while. We have nothing now, after I report back to my unit, I'll take time tomorrow to get some furniture from town and tidy up."
After getting off the car just now, Zhi Xia was feeling much better already. She said, "You go take care of things first. I can make the bed, it's no problem."
"Alright, take care of yourself. If you don't feel well then don't push yourself. Wait until I get back," Pei Jing said as he took out the bedding from the sack, then left.
Zhi Xia had just finished making the bed when she heard voices outside, "Deputy Commander Pei, are you home?"
Zhi Xia hurried out, "He's not home, he just stepped out. May I ask who's calling?"
"I'm from Commander Wu's family next door. Just call me Sister Feng Xia. We're neighbors from now on right? I just came over to get acquainted, it's good for us all to know each other." Sister Feng Xia was a middle-aged woman with a round, kindly face. She laughed amiably, very down-to-earth. "I heard a few days ago that Deputy Commander Pei went home to marry. Didn't expect he found such a pretty wife. You're as lovely as a fairy."
Faced with Sister Feng Xia's compliments, Zhi Xia smiled generously, "Sister Feng Xia, nice to meet you. Just call me Zhi Xia. I just arrived so I'm not familiar with anyone yet. I'll have to depend on you to take care of me."
"Of course, once you're settled, I'll bring some others over to visit. We can all chat and get acquainted," Sister Feng Xia said.
Just then, another woman came in, exclaiming in surprise, "I only dared come because I saw Sister Feng Xia here. Don't mind me imposing on you, Deputy Commander Pei's family."
"Sister you joke too much. I should have made time to visit you all first. I'm delighted you could come over, I couldn't be happier," Zhi Xia said politely.
"Oh heavens, Deputy Commander Pei has struck real fortune, marrying such a sweet and pretty young wife. So beautiful, and such a honeyed tongue," the woman exaggerated comically, then introduced herself, "I'm your neighbor on the right, just call me Sister Hong Xing. I'm stationed with Sister Feng Xia, watching your flanks. We're the closest of neighbors now!"
After chatting a while, they knew Zhi Xia must be busy having just arrived, so the women took their leave.
Only then could Zhi Xia breathe easy again. She returned to the room to rest a while.
In the 100 years as a ghost, she could only watch others live, drifting about alone.
After rebirth, she only interacted with her own family, people she knew from her past life.
Being thrust all of a sudden among strangers, especially facing such warm enthusiasm, she really was at a loss how to handle it.
