Chapter 181: Are You Really Going to the South to Be a Soldier?

When Su Guilan saw her son carrying his suitcase, she guessed he had come to say goodbye. A sharp pain lanced through her heart and tears welled up in her eyes. She choked out, "Chenchen, are you really going to be a soldier in the South? Is there no room for discussion?"

"Mm." Jiang Chen took a deep breath, feeling just as terrible. "The transfer orders from the Beijing Military Region are already here. I’m taking the train to Hangzhou tonight."

"Where in Hangzhou will you be stationed? I’ll come visit you when I’m there on a business trip."

"The West Lake Sanatorium," Jiang Chen answered truthfully.

"’That sounds a bit familiar.’ She racked her brain but couldn’t place it. Wiping away her tears, she asked, "Shouldn’t a transfer to the South be to the Hangzhou Military Region? Why a sanatorium?"

"I don’t know. But according to the commanders, it’s supposed to be a plum assignment. They were all envious that I was being transferred to this sanatorium to be the unit commander."

"Then I’ll ask around for you tonight."

"Okay."

Suddenly, Su Guilan’s thoughts turned to Jiang Ye. ’What will happen to Jiang Ye now that he’s leaving?’ "When you go," she asked, "will they take back the apartment they assigned you from the family housing unit?"

She had always known that Jiang Ye was living in the apartment assigned to him.

"They won’t take it back," Jiang Chen replied.

He had served in the Beijing Military Region for over a decade before being assigned an apartment in the family housing unit. Even with his transfer to the Southern Military District, he could just live in the collective dormitories for the time being.

If he decided to stay in the South permanently and not return to Beijing, his housing assignment would be swapped. They would reclaim the apartment in Beijing’s family housing and reassign him a new one at the local base.

"So you’re just going to let her keep living in the apartment in Beijing?"

"Mm." Jiang Chen nodded. It then occurred to him that once he left for his post in the South, the only one left to keep his mother company would be Ye Zi.

No matter how you look at it, the kindness of raising a child is greater than that of giving birth.

He hoped that before he left, he could persuade his mother to accept Jiang Ye again.

Jiang Chen looked at his mother seriously and began to speak, his tone measured. "Mom, I think you should continue treating Ye Zi as your daughter. After raising her for more than twenty years, can you truly bear to ignore her completely?"

"But I still have you."

Su Guilan had always been sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. Though she had openly ignored Jiang Ye these past days, she had secretly asked someone to check up on her.

She knew the girl was living in Jiang Chen’s apartment.

She also knew Gu Che was tutoring her.

Jiang Chen sighed. "But I’m leaving for my post in the South. After I’m gone, Gu Che will still be coming to the family housing to tutor Ye Zi. A young man and a young woman alone together... It’s inevitable that..."

Suddenly, Jiang Chen remembered the news about Gu Che’s early admission to Qingbei. The school hadn’t announced it widely yet, but the entire city would find out after the college entrance exams.

"Gu Che has already been granted early admission to Qingbei."

"Really?"

"It’s true. I asked a friend of mine at the Bureau of Education."

He had been shocked when he first heard it himself. Qingbei was the country’s most elite university, and those granted early admission were incredibly rare—prodigies in a league of their own. That was why he’d made a special call to his friend at the Bureau of Education to check.

His friend said they were keeping the news of Gu Che’s early admission quiet because they were worried it would affect the morale of other high school students preparing for the college entrance exams.

A relieved smile spread across Su Guilan’s face. The whole reason she’d had Wen Ci marry in Jiang Ye’s place back then was because she knew the boyfriend Jiang Ye had chosen was a promising candidate for Qingbei.

And now, Gu Che had received early admission to Qingbei.

When the official announcement was made to the whole city, she would share in the glory.

"In that case, we should bring Jiang Ye and Gu Che home to live with us."