A true marriage required the joint support and assistance of two people, and she didn't wish to marry Cao Yuan only to live in a marriage where she was the only one giving and never seeing her husband. Rather than that, she preferred to be without it, even if he was a soldier whom she admired. That wouldn't do.
She was already thirty years old, well past the age of impulse, with a long life still ahead. She would not choose to settle because of blind admiration.
Aunt Wang wasn't an unreasonable person either. In fact, it was better for the two to have things out in the open, which would make their future interactions more convenient.
Soon, Gong Mingxia arrived in H city, and a month had passed. This month had been both tough and joyful. The tough part was the daily commute back and forth, but the joy came from seeing returns on her efforts. Her daughter had also started kindergarten, and the two of them were living the good life of normal people, which to her was serendipitous.