Chapter 634: Chapter 547

They murmured to each other, unable to stop, and a glance at the clock showed it was already three in the morning. Gu Shaojun quickly urged Xiao Man to go to sleep, feeling a pang of guilt. He couldn’t bear to sleep himself and had deliberately kept her up with him. The little girl had been so exhausted from traveling for a day and a night that she had fallen asleep first yesterday. Tonight, however, she was full of energy and had stayed up with him. ’But she’s still young and should keep a regular schedule,’ he thought. ’I shouldn’t let her stay up so late. It’d be bad if it became a habit.’

The two lay down in their separate small beds, said goodnight, and closed their eyes to sleep. Just then, Xiao Man remembered she hadn’t told Gu Shaojun about forging the Magic Artifact. ’But if I bring it up now, we’ll never get to sleep,’ she thought. ’The conversation will just drag on and on. I’ll just tell him tomorrow.’

The next morning, the reveille bugle sounded. Xiao Man stirred, her eyes still closed. Gu Shaojun immediately reached out to pat her back gently and whispered softly in her ear, "Sleep a little longer. Get up when you’ve had enough rest."

Xiao Man groggily thought, ’That’s right. I’m not a soldier who needs to train, and Gu Shaojun is about to leave anyway. What would I get up for? I’ll just keep sleeping!’

By the time she woke up naturally, it was already past ten in the morning. Scorching sunlight pierced through the plain curtains, making the room blindingly bright. Luckily, Gu Shaojun had set up an electric fan, which had been running constantly, so it didn’t feel too hot.

On the table in the outer room were two lunchboxes and two hard-boiled eggs. Inside the lunchboxes were white rice porridge, steamed buns, and flower rolls. Gu Shaojun knew Xiao Man didn’t eat filled buns from outside, so he had only brought her plain steamed buns and flower rolls. He had also left a note, apologizing that he couldn’t come back for lunch and telling her to eat on her own. He promised he would be back to have dinner with her.

This was the life of a soldier. Once you chose this path, what else was there to say? All one could do was offer understanding and support.

After washing up, Xiao Man opened a jar of shredded pickled vegetables to have with her rice porridge and steamed bun. It was a rather late breakfast, but since she would be eating lunch alone, she could just push it back.

After finishing breakfast, she went out for a stroll. This was the officers’ dormitory area, and it was deathly quiet, without a soul in sight. Gu Shaojun had mentioned that besides her, a few other family members were visiting, but they probably weren’t going out because of the heat.

From the distant training grounds, she could hear whistles and the sound of unified chanting. Xiao Man decided not to head that way, turning in the opposite direction instead. Gu Shaojun was too busy to get away at the moment, but he had promised to take her out in a few days. He said that if she got bored, she could wander around the nearby area. Since Xiao Man didn’t like having people follow her, he hadn’t arranged for anyone to accompany her. Besides, she had her dimensional space and had also acquired the Gongsun Clan’s Hidden Breath Technique. If she suddenly vanished on a whim, it would be both frightening and suspicious. However, Gu Shaojun had asked her to preferably stay within the military camp. If she absolutely insisted on going out, she was forbidden from sneaking out via some "unorthodox method." She had to follow the route and directions given by the guards at the gate. The reason was that the deep mountains and dense forests along the border contained many hidden minefields laid by an enemy nation in the past, and they had yet to be fully cleared. It was too risky for someone unfamiliar with the terrain to venture out.

Xiao Man wandered around the camp for a bit and found a canteen. Inside, six or seven soldiers were bustling about, each busy with their own tasks. By the window, three soldiers were chopping vegetables, their cleavers moving so deftly it was like a dance. Intrigued, Xiao Man stopped to watch. The soldiers noticed her, looked up, and greeted her in unison, "Hello, Sister-in-law!" A slightly chubby soldier ran out, smiling, and asked what she needed. Was she hungry? They could whip up a few dishes for her right away. Xiao Man quickly waved her hands. "No, no, I’m not hungry. I don’t need anything right now, I was just passing by." With that, she hurried back. It was almost lunchtime, their busiest period, and she didn’t want to disturb their work.

The sun was blazing down, and the temperature kept climbing. ’This doesn’t seem like a good time to leave the camp,’ she thought. ’I’d better just stay in my room.’

Not long after the midday bugle call, the sound of loud military songs drifted over from the canteen. The officers and soldiers were having lunch. Xiao Man sat at the table reading a medical book. She wasn’t hungry yet and planned to cook herself a bowl of fresh, fragrant, and spicy beef noodles in a little while. ’Just thinking about the taste is making my mouth water,’ she mused.

But who should show up but the chubby squad leader, carrying a large, lidded wicker basket. He set out four dishes, a soup, and a huge bowl of rice on her table and said with a hearty laugh, "Sister-in-law, those sauces, pickles, and cured meats you brought are absolutely incredible! We’ve been using them in our stir-fries, and the comrades’ appetites have shot through the roof. Even in this heat, their Essence, Qi, and Spirit are fantastic. Everyone wanted me to thank you! We also heard that your cooking skills are out of this world. We just throw things together and cook them through; we can’t compare to you. Anyway, we got some game today—wild rabbit and roe deer from the mountains. We brought some for you to try and maybe give us some pointers on our cooking!"

Xiao Man, of course, knew he was just being polite. The real reason the canteen was sending her food was because Gu Shaojun wasn’t there. It was an unspoken understanding, as no one could mention it for fear of revealing his whereabouts. The squad leader was just making small talk. She thanked him, offered a few modest words in return, and he left. Before he went, he told her to leave the dishes; he would come back to collect them later. He also said not to worry if she couldn’t finish all the food, as it wouldn’t go to waste—the unit was raising several pigs.

Around seven in the evening, Gu Shaojun returned with Wei Zhenqing. Xiao Man had already started a fire to steam the rice, and all the vegetables were washed, chopped, and ready to go. All she had to do was put the wok on the stove to start cooking.

The first thing Wei Zhenqing did was eagerly ask Xiao Man if she had made rice for him. Xiao Man laughed and said she had made plenty. Only then did Wei Zhenqing relax. Ignoring Gu Shaojun’s icy glare, he hummed a little tune and casually strolled back to his room to shower.

Gu Shaojun was at his wit’s end. ’What do I have to do to get rid of this guy?’ he fumed inwardly. He had dragged him away by force during the day precisely to stop him from using the excuse of "helping me look after my fiancée" to have lunch with Xiao Man. ’When that guy isn’t talking, you’d think he was the quiet, reserved type, but he’s got a silver tongue that’s second to none. My little girl is so gentle, sweet, and agreeable. And since she’s grateful to Mrs. Wei, she feels a certain fondness for Wei Zhenqing. He’d have her wrapped around his finger in no time! I haven’t even had a chance to spend quality time with her myself. Wei Zhenqing can just dream on.’

’But even now that we’re back, I still can’t get away from this third wheel. This is so frustrating.’

After dinner, Gu Shaojun and Wei Zhenqing went out again, saying they had a short meeting. They returned together at ten o’clock. Wei Zhenqing had just finished a glass of the herbal tea Xiao Man had brewed when Gu Shaojun unceremoniously kicked him out.

Xiao Man laughed. "When he gets a girlfriend, you can go and bother him, too."

"I’m not interested in doing that, which is why I’m not letting him interfere with us."

Gu Shaojun pulled Xiao Man onto his lap and gently touched his forehead to hers. "How was your day? You must have been so bored, huh?"

"Not at all! I had my studies to do. And even if I did nothing but quietly wait for you to come back, I would still be happy!"

"Sweetheart, having you here by my side feels amazing!"

Xiao Man then brought up the matter of forging a Magic Artifact with the Xuan Iron. Gu Shaojun remembered her telling him that she had stumbled upon the Xuan Iron by chance and stored it in her dimensional space. He thought for a moment, then nibbled her ear and whispered something. Xiao Man’s face lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.

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