1734 Dangerous Mission

"That's right! There are many more serious incidents!" Liu Yun told Qiao Mei all the things which happened before she came. Everyone chipped in and Qiao Mei felt like a kid in a candy store. All the revelations were like candies in the store and there was so much that she could not "eat" them all.

The group only dispersed in the evening when everyone had to go home to cook. By then, Xia Zhe had also finished planting the fruit trees in the backyard in the way that Qiao Mei had instructed. Even the distance between the trees was done according to what Qiao Mei wanted.

"Not bad, Comrade Xia Zhe. Keep it up!" Qiao Mei praised him happily.

"Yes, Comrade Qiao Mei. If there's any other mission, just let me know!" Xia Zhe said.

"Indeed there is. The swing you made previously is too small. Make a bigger swing for the courtyard. Also, the ground outside is uneven and may cause a sprained ankle. Go and get some bricks tomorrow," Qiao Mei said as she pointed at the empty space in front of the small flower tree.

"Alright, I'll go and buy the materials tomorrow. I'll definitely complete the mission!" Xia Zhe said seriously.

The next morning, Xia Zhe asked his subordinates to come over to smooth down the ground in the courtyard and lay down anti-slip stone bricks. He even built a roof over the swing to shield it from the sun.

In return, Qiao Mei made a table full of food for the soldiers who came to help. All of them were very curious about the woman who made Xia Zhe rush home so wholeheartedly.

Actually, Xia Zhe's behavior was a little too much. In the past, he was always the last person in the troops to leave work. Nowadays, once work ended, he would immediately rush home. Sometimes, he even asked to hitch a ride home! There was also one time when they actually saw Xia Zhe asking the cookhouse squad leader how to make sweet and sour pork ribs. This was something that Xia Zhe would never do in the past.

"Commander, we can finally understand your behavior now. If my wife is as beautiful and capable as Sister-in-law, I will want to stay at home every day!" one of the soldiers said.

"Shoo, shoo, shoo! Just eat. You still have to go back to the army base after the meal!" Although Xia Zhe spoke very sternly, he had a wide smile on his face. He was more than happy to tell the world that he had such a good wife.

After everyone left, Xia Zhe washed the dishes outside while Qiao Mei sat quietly in the house. Today was the last day of his break and she had to find out why he had been acting so strangely over the past few days. If he still did not want to tell her, she would have to use some tricks to make him tell her.

When it was late at night, Qiao Mei sat opposite Xia Zhe and asked, "What exactly are you hiding from me?"

"I… I'm not," Xia Zhe said hesitantly.

"Are you trying to make me worried? If you don't tell me, I'll…" Before Qiao Mei could finish speaking, she held her chest as if she was in unbearable pain. Xia Zhe quickly held on to her and said anxiously, "What's wrong? Don't be anxious! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

Hearing that Xia Zhe was willing to tell the truth, Qiao Mei instantly recovered. There was nothing wrong with her at all. Only then did Xia Zhe know that Qiao Mei had tricked him just now. However, he was not angry and just looked at her dotingly. He was just glad that she was fine.

"What exactly have you been doing recently? What happened?" Qiao Mei asked with a slight frown.

"The higher-ups have arranged a mission for me. I'm leaving tomorrow…" Xia Zhe said softly.

"Is it very dangerous?" Qiao Mei asked worriedly.

Xia Zhe nodded and did not say anything. Qiao Mei could tell that Xia Zhe was holding back. This mission must be extremely dangerous, otherwise Xia Wen would not have been alerted.

"How long will you be away?" Qiao Mei asked again.

"At least a year or two," Xia Zhe said.

One to two years… and this was the minimum. If it took longer, would he still be able to come back in this lifetime? Qiao Mei looked at Xia Zhe in disbelief, but she also knew that he had no right to decide anything. Everything depended on the arrangements made by the higher-ups.

"Where exactly?" Qiao Mei asked.

"This… I can't tell you," Xia Zhe said.

"Not even roughly where?" Qiao Mei questioned.

"It's not within the country. It's in Country Y," Xia Zhe said.

In this era, the soldiers were not allowed to go to battlefields overseas. Xia Zhe's mission must be very dangerous and highly risky.

Qiao Mei said in despair, "How great of you. When you come back, you just have to return to your role of being a father."

"I'm sorry," Xia Zhe lowered his head and said sadly.