Chapter 1284: Chapter 857: The Grand Finale: Is It Xinhong or… Ming Xu? (Part 2)
“Every time before he leaves home, he even tells me to be prepared for him not coming back. Even though he always says it jokingly, this time it’s different. Maybe you can’t feel it, but I know it in my heart.”
Su Xiaomeng fell silent. She could no longer bring herself to say words of comfort. Yin Meng was right… only those closest to him could notice this kind of subtle change.
She held Yin Meng’s icy hand, not daring to imagine what kind of torment she had been going through inside these four weeks.
“Maybe he’d be a bit better off if he were more like Ming Xu—once he’s with the troops, he shouldn’t keep thinking about home all the time; once he’s on a mission, he shouldn’t be trying to find ways to communicate with his family… Then I’d feel a bit better, I wouldn’t be this on edge all the time.”
Yin Meng murmured.
She was still holding herself together, still analyzing rationally, but sitting beside Yin Meng, Su Xiaomeng could still feel how lost and shattered she was.
“How long has Dad been gone?” Xiao Meng asked Zhou Mengqin.
Zhou Mengqin glanced at the time. This was probably also a very important factor making both Yin Meng and Zhou Mengqin extremely uneasy.
“An hour.”
Little Mengxin’s heart also gave a jolt.
For a moment, the three of them in the hall were all silent. An ominous, suffocating premonition lingered in their minds.
Suddenly, the phone in the hall rang, startling the three already heavy-hearted women.
Xiao Meng got up to answer. It was Ah Su calling from Jun Garden,
“Young Madam, when are you coming back to Jun Garden? The Young Master and Young Miss keep asking me when you’re coming home.”
“Are they nearby? Put them on.”
“Oh, okay. Young Master, it’s Mom on the phone.”
Prince Huang took the phone. “Mom, you’re home already?”
“Mm, I’m home. You take care of your little sister and go to sleep first, okay? Sister Mengmeng is here. Mom’s going to chat with Sister Mengmeng for a bit and then I’ll come back to Jun Garden.”
“Sister Mengmeng is there? Then you two can come back first and talk after.”
Prince Huang said.
Su Xiaomeng let out a small laugh. “Well, Grandpa and Grandma are both over at Zheng Garden, aren’t they? You two go to sleep first, okay? You still have to go to the orphanage tomorrow, right?”
“Mm… all right then. Mom, you come back early and get some sleep.”
“Mm, Huang Huang, be good.”
Su Xiaomeng hung up the phone and sat back down. Yin Meng said to Xiao Meng, “Why don’t you go back to Jun Garden first? Isn’t Little Uncle on a business trip? It’s just the brother and sister and two servants at Jun Garden—won’t they be scared?”
“It’s fine. Ah Su will take good care of them.”
Xiao Meng patted Yin Meng’s hand. “Besides, the old man hasn’t come downstairs yet. Even if I go back to sleep now, I won’t be able to sleep.”
Yin Meng took a deep breath and squeezed Su Xiaomeng’s hand back. She squeezed so hard that Su Xiaomeng actually felt a bit of pain, but Yin Meng seemed not to notice.
They sat in the living room for another half hour…
Yin Shaohui finally came down from the study upstairs. The moment Yin Meng heard the movement, she stood up at once, looking toward Yin Shaohui coming down the stairs.
“Grandpa… did you find out? Where exactly did Xinhong go?”
“Meng Meng, don’t worry. Xinhong is fine. He went to Myanmar to command the troops in battle. The conditions over there are bad, and there’s no time or opportunity for him to communicate with his family. He’s perfectly fine, so set your mind at ease.”
Yin Shaohui came down and patted Yin Meng’s shoulder as he spoke.
Yin Meng’s brows knit slightly. Her gaze was fixed tightly on Yin Shaohui… as if she were somewhat suspicious.
“If he’s really fine, why were you on the phone for so long?”
“You little girl… you don’t trust your grandpa?” Yin Shaohui shot her a look. “Your grandpa is just a retiree now, no longer a commander holding powerful troops in his hands. I’ve been retired all these years, and all those comrades your grandpa used to be close with have all retired one by one. You think it’s that easy for your grandpa to inquire about classified operations in the troops?”
“…”
Yin Meng pressed her lips together, as if weighing how credible her grandpa’s words were.
“If your grandpa could find things out that easily, then the National Army’s security would be way too lax, wouldn’t it? How would we protect our country? As a citizen, wouldn’t that make you feel creeped out?”
“He’s really okay?” Yin Meng asked again. She understood everything her grandpa was saying, but the heavy unease in her heart simply wouldn’t let her relax.
“He’s fine. But you also know the environment at the border is truly harsh. I believe that if Xinhong gets the chance, he’ll definitely contact you right away to reassure you.”
“…”
“You just focus on taking care of the pregnancy. When he’s out on a mission, what weighs most on his mind is you and the child in your belly.”
“Meng Meng, your grandpa’s already said all that, and you’re still not at ease?”
“Then what about Ming Xu? Is he with Xinhong?” Yin Meng immediately asked again. Hearing the urgency in her voice, Xiao Meng knew she was still only half convinced by Yin Shaohui’s words.