Refusing to marry a widower, I went on a crazy spree of sending my children to the army.

Chapter 216 What if I can't get pregnant anytime soon?

He hurriedly walked downstairs, afraid of wasting time, and even used his strength to jump directly down the stairs.

"Hello?" Lu Yuan's voice was calm and steady. After hearing the contents of the phone call, his brows furrowed deeply.

Upstairs, Aunt Zhou advised Qiao Manman, "These soldiers have no choice in their actions; they might be sent on missions at any time. We women shouldn't argue with men and distract them."

Qiao Manman nodded, indicating that she understood.

A moment later, Lu Yuan came upstairs: "Honey, we have to go back to the Northeast ahead of schedule!"

Qiao Manman was mentally prepared and not flustered at all. She asked Lu Yuan, "When are we leaving?"

"I called the station and asked them to reserve two tickets for the 4 PM train."

In other words, they had to leave around 1 p.m., giving them time to say goodbye to their families.

Aunt Zhou hurriedly came downstairs: "You pack your luggage, I'll come downstairs and make you some food to take with you."

Qiao Manman reminded, "Aunt Zhou, make only a small amount, just enough for one meal. It's cold and the road is long, so we'll eat at the dining car later."

"Okay!" In the blink of an eye, Aunt Zhou had already come downstairs to the second floor. The distant sound made Qiao Manman feel a sense of urgency.

"Truly, life is unpredictable." I was originally planning to visit the Old Summer Palace, the Summer Palace, and Jingshan Park, but...

Qiao Manman packed the unimportant and lightweight luggage into a wicker trunk. She put all the valuable and heavy items into her storage space.

Lu Yuan also helped, and the two quickly packed their luggage.

Hearing a noise downstairs, the two carried their luggage down and saw Xie Susu looking at them with teary eyes: "You're leaving already?"

Lu Yuan grunted in response: "There's an urgent mission!"

Qiao Manman reached out and hugged Xie Susu: "Mom has a vacation now, she can go to the Northeast for a short stay. We will come back to visit often."

Xie Susu raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Your grandfather and father are busy with work and can't come back to see you off, so please don't mind."

"How could that be!" Qiao Manman said with a smile, "It's already very kind of Mom to be able to send us off!"

Qiao Manman took out three red ropes from her pocket and said in a low voice, "These are the safety ropes that Lu Yuan and I went out to get a couple of days ago. They are very useful. Mom, Dad, and Grandpa must carry them with them at all times."

Xie Susu accepted it with a smile, assuming that her daughter-in-law had been deceived by some kind of master.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yuan emphasized with a serious expression: "Mom, this is very important. You must keep it safe and never let it out of your sight."

Xie Susu was startled by his expression and nodded: "Okay, I remember. When your dad and the old man come back, I will tie it on their wrists myself."

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, just as he heard Aunt Zhou peek out and call them to eat.

I had dumplings for lunch, with chive and egg filling.

Qiao Manman praised Aunt Zhou's cooking skills, and felt a little reluctant to give up her current life of being waited on hand and foot.

Aunt Zhou was also reluctant to see them leave. She felt that during this time, Qiao Manman was just like her daughter-in-law, both obedient and considerate. More importantly, she asked Lu Yuan to take care of her in her old age.

Aunt Zhou has old friends in the compound, but she has never seen any other family make such a promise to their nanny.

They all acted superior, as if we owed them something. In reality, they didn't pay us much more, but they assigned us just as much work.

Many people envied her, saying that the Lu family was kind and paid her a high salary.

Now that they are leaving, they feel empty inside.

Not long after lunch, Qiao Manman sat on the sofa and talked with Xie Susu.

Lu Yuan went upstairs, put the confidential documents back in the hidden compartment, and removed the hidden cameras.

Xie Susu held her hand: "We have an engineer in our factory named Hai Feiyang. We were planning to visit him this afternoon, but we have to cancel now."

Qiao Manman's eyebrows twitched: "I remember him. He commented on my article. He's a very imaginative engineer."

"Yes, he wants to discuss the development direction of mechanical equipment with you!"

Qiao Manman laughed and said, "Actually, I only know the basics. I'm just talking nonsense because I'm young and inexperienced."

With solid technical skills and extraordinary imagination, we believe that with your and other engineers' concerted efforts, we will surely be able to develop more efficient and convenient machinery.

Let's take China's industry to a new level.

Xie Susu raised her hand and pinched her little face: "You're a good child in every way, except you're too cautious. There's no need for all those big principles when we're family. I'll just go back to Xiaohai. It's not a big deal."

Qiao Manman smiled and said, "Thank you, Mom!"

Xie Susu instructed her: "When you get to the family compound, build good relationships with everyone, but don't be obsequious. Given our family's status, they should be the ones flattering you!"

However, not many people in the team probably know Xiao Yuan's background. We've been keeping him low-key because we're afraid his promotion will be criticized.

Being low-key doesn't mean you have to suffer. If someone bullies you, or you encounter a problem you can't solve, go find the commander.

Those were soldiers the old man used to lead; we'd already spoken to them.

"I know, Mom!"

"Alright, go and rest for a bit, we're leaving soon!"

Qiao Manman did not go upstairs, but sat quietly in the living room.

When the time came, he went to the kitchen to fill the kettle with water and casually slipped a Marrow Cleansing Pill into the thermos.

The Marrow Cleansing Pill dissolves instantly in water, has a faint taste, and doesn't change much in color.

Qiao Manman said to Xie Susu, "Mom, remember to make tea for Dad and Grandpa tonight, just use the water from the thermos!"

Xie Susu didn't understand why she said that, but out of trust, she still carried the thermos into the room.

Qiao Manman and Lu Yuan carried their luggage out the door. As soon as they arrived at the gate of the compound, they saw the old man's orderly, Comrade Qiu Zhihong, standing next to the jeep.

"Battalion Commander Lu, Comrade Qiao, the commander has sent me to take you to the station!"

"Comrade Qiu, thank you for your trouble!" Lu Yuan said with a smile, putting the luggage in the trunk. He opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.

Qiao Manman and Xie Susu sat in the back seat, watching the familiar scenery recede little by little, feeling somewhat dazed.

It felt like it didn't take long before we arrived at our destination.

Qiao Manman got off the car, while Lu Yuan and Qiu Zhihong carried the luggage. The four of them went into the station together, got their tickets, and waited in the waiting hall.

The station was bustling with people, some with four pockets, some in tattered clothes, some reluctant to leave, and some happy to depart—a true reflection of all human nature.

Xie Susu held Qiao Manman's hand and told them to be careful on their journey. Qiao Manman told her to take care of herself.

"If you get pregnant, call Mom and I'll come to Northeast China to take care of you!"

Qiao Manman awkwardly touched her nose: "What if I can't get pregnant anytime soon?"

"That's alright, you're still young, just enjoy yourself for a couple of years. Let things take their course."

Qiao Manman smiled, heard the ticket inspector call for everyone to line up, said "Take care", and squeezed into the crowd with Lu Yuan.

Manual ticket checks aren't very fast. Plus, there are always people trying to sneak in without a ticket, so the entrance is always chaotic.

Qiao Manman and Lu Yuan checked the tickets and turned around, but Xie Susu and Qiu Zhihong were nowhere to be seen.

The two walked silently to the train and sat in the sleeper car of this era.