Chapter 161

In the evening, Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo came home one after another.

Seeing his wife busy in the kitchen, Lu Weiguo changed clothes and went over to help.

“Wife, are you managing okay with the new school term just starting?”

Shi Tingyu smiled and said, “There’s nothing I can’t handle. I actually feel it’s a bit easier than before. You know, I’ve stopped working on my comic strips.”

Lu Weiguo then remembered the comic strips. He always thought his wife had too much on her plate—being a teacher, drawing comics, following training every day, and occasionally giving lectures to the soldiers. The current situation seemed better.

Shi Tingyu had indeed stopped preparing comic strips.

She had already made a considerable amount of money from the two stories of “Loyal Dog,” and there might be future reprints, which would bring in a significant income again.

Once the major campaign was over, she could pick up her pen and create again, so she decided not to draw comics anymore.

What people fear is not the lack of money but the inability to convert skills into income.

Their family’s economic condition was definitely among the best here.

The several thousand yuan in royalties guessed by the people in the family compound had already left them stunned. If they knew she could get twelve thousand yuan in one go, who knows what would happen.

“In a few days, once you’ve adapted, we should resume your martial arts training.”

“Okay.”

Shi Tingyu readily agreed. Even if Lu Weiguo hadn’t mentioned it, she would have brought it up herself. Learning skills is truly beneficial.

After they had dinner and were about to take Lijian for a walk, Captain Li from the military dog training base arrived at their home.

Shi Tingyu was very surprised that Captain Li would come at this time.

Lijian recognized Captain Li, as Shi Tingyu often took him to the training base.

Seeing them holding Lijian, Captain Li reached out to pet his head. “Commander, ma’am, are you taking Lijian for a walk?”

“Yes, today was the first day of school, so there wasn’t much chance to take him out during the day,” Shi Tingyu replied.

Lu Weiguo invited him into the house and poured him a glass of water. “Captain Li, is there something you need?”

Captain Li indeed had a reason for coming.

He said, “Commander, I heard you made a muzzle for Lijian. Do you still have it?”

“We do,” Lu Weiguo understood Captain Li’s intention at this point—it must be about the muzzle.

He said to Lijian, “Lijian, go get your muzzle.”

Lijian barked once and quickly fetched the muzzle from his nest.

Captain Li was once again amazed by Lijian.

“This Lijian is so smart, it’s almost like he has a mind of his own.”

Captain Li picked up the muzzle and carefully examined it. He tried it on Lijian, and the more he tested it, the brighter his eyes shone.

He excitedly said, “Captain, how did you come up with this? It’s such a great idea!”

Lu Weiguo: …

Why did he feel like this wasn’t exactly a compliment?

Shi Tingyu chuckled to herself.

Lu Weiguo said, “This was actually my wife’s idea.”

Captain Li looked at Shi Tingyu with admiration in his eyes.

“Captain, you know that dogs are often afraid of heights, and there have been cases where military dogs, during missions, have bitten soldiers out of stress. This muzzle can prevent that from happening.”

“So, I want to apply to make some of these for the military dog team based on your design.”

Lu Weiguo had no objections.

Captain Li, relieved by the response, hurried off to report the matter the next day.

Shi Tingyu hadn’t expected that the muzzle she originally made for convenience during car rides would be noticed by the military dog team.

If Captain Li hadn’t mentioned it, she would have forgotten that military dogs in the future also wore muzzles.

However, the current muzzle was quite simple. She asked Lu Weiguo to take Lijian for a walk while she went to their room, picked up her drawing tools, and sketched a new muzzle design based on future models, including the materials to be used.

Lijian’s current muzzle was a quick makeshift solution, not the best.

When Captain Han learned about this the next day, he thought, “This boy Weiguo is going to earn another merit.”

Shi Tingyu truly was a supportive partner for Lu Weiguo.

He called for Lu Weiguo.

“Bring Lijian and that muzzle to us so we can take a look and study it.”

So, Lu Weiguo brought Lijian to the camp.

Along the way, some resting soldiers saw Lijian and got a bit excited.

Lijian was quite famous in the camp.

However, Lijian was a focused dog, dedicated to his work. Knowing he was going to demonstrate his muzzle, he walked with a solemn and serious demeanor, as if about to join the party.

After Lu Weiguo entered Captain Han’s office with Lijian, Captain Han’s gaze immediately focused on the muzzle Lijian was wearing.

The muzzle was made of bent wire, with the wire wrapped in cotton strips.

Lu Weiguo handed Captain Han the revised muzzle design his wife had drawn the previous night. “This is the improved version my wife drew last night.”

Shi Tingyu’s design combined wire and leather materials.

The muzzle wasn’t complicated, and Captain Han quickly understood it.

He felt this could work.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll keep this design and have someone make a prototype to test its effectiveness.”

Lijian, seeing his muzzle back on his mouth, relaxed. It was his thing, after all, and not for others to take.

From testing to production, the muzzle’s process moved quickly.

The craftsmanship wasn’t complex, and the camp collaborated with a steel factory in Jinling. Although the military dog team didn’t have many dogs, the factory still took the order seriously.

After all, it was a military order, and the quality of the muzzles was top-notch.

After some time of use, the muzzles’ benefits became evident. The camp’s leadership reported this matter.

There were more military dog bases nationwide than just Jinling, and this could be promoted across the country.

With the muzzles’ widespread use in the military dog teams, Lu Weiguo’s name was frequently mentioned.

It was an unexpected delight.

As for Shi Tingyu, who originally came up with the idea, the camp respected her wishes and credited all the merit to Lu Weiguo.

She had only suggested it, and it was Lu Weiguo who did all the work. Moreover, her sensitive status made it inappropriate for her to attract too much attention.

With the muzzle matter settled, time moved into March.

Han Wei showed Shi Tingyu a clay sculpture he made, and she helped him correct some imperfections.

Watching her, Han Wei tried to absorb as much knowledge and technique as he could.

The minor adjustments she made to the expressions enlightened him greatly.

Seeing his face light up with understanding, Shi Tingyu smiled and said, “You haven’t fully grasped the bones and muscles of your characters yet. When I have time, I’ll make a skull model and a skinned muscle model for you. Study and copy them, and you’ll gradually improve.”

Han Wei’s face flushed with excitement but felt a bit guilty. “Won’t this be too much trouble for you?”

“It’s no trouble. Reviewing what I’ve learned is beneficial for me too.”

Seeing the final clay sculpture, Han Wei’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Teacher Shi, can we credit you on this piece as well?”