146: Chapter 146 Moving House

Su Wan and little Qin Jian stared at the girl who exuded an air of nobility and was unbelievably beautiful, momentarily at a loss for words.

For a moment, they almost thought they had waited for the wrong vehicle.

The next moment.

"Mom, Xiao Jian," Qin Ce jumped down from the vehicle and walked over to them, "this is Jiang Ruowei, my classmate. She gave me a ride back."

Only then did Su Wan snap out of it, quickly nodding, "Hello, hello, thank you for the trouble."

Jiang Ruowei's attitude was far more courteous than Qin Ce had expected.

She gave a slight bow, her voice gentle, "Hello, Auntie. Hello, little sister. It's no trouble at all."

Qin Jian, clutching her little bear, looked up at Jiang Ruowei, her small face full of curiosity and shyness.

Involuntarily, she glanced at her brother again. Not knowing what she was thinking, she giggled and hid a secret laugh.

Inside the base, the deputy division commander led a group of people forward to greet them.

He patted Qin Ce on the shoulder, then glanced at Jiang Ruowei, his eyes holding a subtle meaning, but he said nothing.

Soldiers and officers from all around gathered, offering congratulations in a lively chorus.

"Qin Ce, congratulations!"

"Don't forget about us when you make it big!"

"Come back and visit often!"

Qin Ce responded to each one, smiling and saying goodbye to everyone.

Amidst the cheerful send-off from the crowd, the military truck drove out of the base, heading towards Yuntai Town.

...

Yuntai Town.

The place where Qin Ce grew up.

As the military truck entered the town, Qin Ce looked through the window and saw many people lining both sides of the street.

They were all neighbors from the town—some were uncles and aunties who had watched him grow up, others were peers he had played with since childhood.

But no one came close.

They stood by the roadside, watching the military truck pass slowly. In their gazes were curiosity, envy, complex emotions, but none of the familiar closeness Qin Ce remembered.

An auntie who had lived next door to his family for ten years saw Qin Ce's face in the window, instinctively smiled, but quickly suppressed it, lowered her head, her face filled with respect.

An indescribable feeling welled up in Qin Ce's heart.

He remembered when he was little, this auntie would bring over a bowl of hot soup every mealtime, saying, "We made too much, try some." He remembered during New Year's, the children of the town would gather to set off firecrackers, the adults sitting at their doorsteps chatting, the whole town filled with laughter and joy.

Now, all that liveliness felt distant.

Su Wan, sitting in the vehicle, also saw this scene.

She remained silent, saying nothing, only reaching out to hold Qin Ce's hand and giving it a gentle pat.

Qin Ce gripped his mother's hand in return and smiled at her.

The military truck stopped in front of the Qin family's small courtyard.

Qin Ce jumped down and was about to open the gate when a familiar voice came from behind, "Brother Ce!"

Qin Ce turned and saw Lin Hai squeezing out from the crowd, a smile on his face, though it held a trace of awkwardness.

"Lin Hai," Qin Ce walked over and patted his shoulder.

Lin Hai glanced at the military truck, then at Jiang Ruowei standing beside it, swallowing hard, "Brother Ce, are you... moving away?"

"Mm," Qin Ce nodded, "Moving into the city."

Lin Hai was silent for a moment, then grinned, "That's great! The city is safe. Your mom and Xiao Jian will be more at ease there."

He paused, then added, "It's just... Brother Ce, I... I'm going to miss you. I haven't seen you much since you came back lately..."

Qin Ce looked at him, his gaze falling on the Battle Tiger following at Lin Hai's side.

The Battle Tiger had grown quite a bit, its aura more stable, clearly well cared for.

"Your Pet Beast is growing well," Qin Ce said.

Lin Hai scratched his head, "It's alright. Thanks to you for picking it out back then."

Qin Ce nodded, saying seriously, "Train hard. After graduation, if you have nowhere to go, come find me. I'll look out for you."

Lin Hai's eyes lit up.

"Really?" Qin Ce smiled and gave a firm nod.

Lin Hai cheered and eagerly rushed into the courtyard to help.

Actually, Lin Hai had already been packing and tidying for a long time before Qin Ce returned.

...

Moving went much faster than Qin Ce had anticipated.

His mother, Su Wan, had already packed everything up long ago.

Clothes, bedding, pots, pans, dishes, along with some old photos and keepsakes.

There wasn't much, filling less than ten boxes.

The rest, his mother decided, would be left for the neighbors.

Jiang Ruowei stood in the courtyard, looking at the simple, humble house without a word.

Her gaze lingered on the mottled walls for a while, then fell on the crooked jujube tree in the corner, as if imagining what Qin Ce's childhood life here had been like.

Qin Ce carried the boxes one by one onto the truck.

He moved carefully, placing each box steadily, afraid of any bumps or scratches.

Finally, he stood in the courtyard, taking one last look at the house he had lived in for eighteen years.

Three brick-and-tile rooms, a small courtyard, a few hardy thorn trees planted in the corner.

The clothesline was empty, flapping alone in the wind.

"Brother, hurry up, we're going to the city!" Qin Jian called to him from the truck.

Qin Ce withdrew his gaze, pulled open the truck door, and climbed in.

The military truck started up and slowly drove out of Yuntai Town.

In the rearview mirror, the town mayor appeared by the roadside, waving to him.

The town's guard commander had also come, standing beside the mayor, saluting.

Those neighbors who had earlier not dared to approach now emerged from their doors one after another, watching the departing truck with complex expressions.

This departure was for good.

...

Fengling City, Inner City.

The military truck passed through three checkpoints. At each, the guards carefully verified the pass, then stood at attention and saluted.

After entering the Inner City, the environment changed noticeably.

The streets were wider, cleaner. Neatly trimmed trees lined both sides, and streetlights stood every few dozen meters, their posts embedded with crystal cores emitting a soft glow.

The air lacked the Outer City's mix of dust and the scent of ferocious beasts. Instead, there was a faint, indescribable fragrance.

The military truck stopped before an iron gate.

The iron gate slowly opened, revealing the scene inside.

Qin Ce's breath caught for an instant.

Vast stretches of lawn, trimmed like green velvet carpets, extended all the way to the distant artificial lake.

The lake surface shimmered with ripples; a few white waterfowl paced along the shore.

Behind the lawn stood rows of independent villas, each with its own garden and wall, each with a distinct style, yet all exuding an understated luxury.

The military truck drove along a cobblestone path and stopped in front of one of the villas.

The villa itself had five floors above ground.

It covered an area of at least eight hundred square meters.

The exterior walls were made of light gray stone, complemented by dark wood accents. Large floor-to-ceiling windows reflected warm sunlight.

In front of the door was a small garden, planted with unknown flowers—red, white, purple—in full bloom.

Beside the garden stood a tall ginkgo tree, its leaves already beginning to turn yellow, rustling softly in the breeze.

Qin Ce stood before the truck, looking up at the house, speechless for a long moment.

Su Wan was also stunned.

She still held an old cloth bundle, standing beside the truck, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes reddening.

Qin Jian had already dashed out with a scream, running a circle on the lawn before rushing to the front door, standing on tiptoe to peer inside, "Brother! It's so big in here! There are stairs! And so many rooms!"

Her little bear swung wildly from side to side in her excitement, mirroring little Qin Jian's mood.

Jiang Ruowei leaned against the truck door, watching Qin Ce's expression, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Well?" she asked, "Are you satisfied?"

Qin Ce took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Satisfied," he said.

...