Sister Lu led Yang Haiyan to the back door, familiar with the route, and said to the guard soldiers, “Excuse me, could you help us call for Captain Lu Zhide and Captain Qin Fang? We are their wives, and they serve under Chief Ao.”

The guards were all soldiers at the basic level, so they naturally wouldn’t refuse.

One of them said, “Please wait a moment.”

The military camp’s tents were organized according to the captains, so it was convenient for the guards to call for Lu Zhide and Qin Fang.

The guards noticed a few soldiers chatting in Captain Ao’s area and approached them, asking, “Are Captain Lu and Captain Qin here? Their wives are looking for them.”

One of the chatting soldiers replied, “Yes, they’re here. Wait a moment, I’ll call them.”

Qin Fang was currently asleep.

This month he was on duty for the night shift, meaning he had to stay alert all night and couldn’t sleep.

He would hand over his duties at the end of the second watch (around 7 AM), then have breakfast before sleeping until noon, after which he would eat lunch, train in the afternoon, and be on duty again at night, only getting five to six hours of sleep a day.

It wasn’t yet time for him to wake up, but he was called.

“Captain Qin, your wife is here! Wake up, Captain Qin…”

Qin Fang opened his eyes.

As a soldier, he woke up alert and aware, despite just waking from sleep. “My wife?”

His voice was a bit heavy and hoarse from sleep.

The thought of his troublesome wife made him feel irritated.

At twenty, he was supposed to want a warm family with a wife and children, but he had no such desire.

He was tall and could eat a lot, but his monthly allowance of one tael of silver and thirty pounds of grain was hardly enough, forcing him to spend part of his allowance to buy extra food.

Qin Fang had a plan: he divided his allowance into three parts—one for himself, one to save for a year to send back to his elderly parents, and one to supplement his meals.

Now that he had a delicate wife, he had to cut back on his own food. Who would want that?

Moreover, this marriage, decreed by the court, was akin to a royal edict, so it couldn’t be annulled, leaving him feeling bitter.

To make matters worse, his wife had attempted suicide on their wedding night.

How distressing was that?

He spent over a tael of silver on doctors and medicine and gave another tael to Sister Lu for emergencies.

Now, the camp was buzzing with gossip about how his wife had tried to take her own life on their wedding night, tarnishing his reputation.

Qin Fang felt miserable.

“Captain Qin?”

“Understood,” he replied reluctantly, getting out of bed with a frown.

What was that troublesome woman here for?

He had a bad feeling it wasn’t anything good.

When he stepped out of the tent, he saw Lu Zhide also coming out of his tent.

As fellow captains, they had separate quarters. Lu Zhide smiled, “Hey, don’t wake up in such a bad mood, young man.”

Qin Fang forced a stiff smile but couldn’t genuinely return it.

As they walked out, some gossiping soldiers remarked, “What do you think Captain Qin’s wife is here for?”

“After attempting suicide on their wedding night, she must be here for a reason.”

“Could she be asking for a divorce?”

“Are you foolish? It’s a court-sanctioned marriage; how could she get a divorce?”

“I think she’s here to argue with him.”

“Captain Qin is so strong; would his wife dare argue with him?”

“Let’s follow them and find out!”

So, a few soldiers secretly trailed behind, eager to see the drama unfold.

As they got closer to the camp’s back door, Qin Fang felt increasingly irritated.

He wondered what that troublesome woman wanted from him.

Sister Lu spotted her husband and waved, “Hey, dear!”

Lu Zhide, who had been walking with Qin Fang, suddenly jogged over, “What brings you here?”

Qin Fang also noticed Yang Haiyan beside Sister Lu.

Her slender figure was unlike anything he had seen before, and her beautiful face looked even more radiant than on their wedding night (when she had been wearing makeup).

She wore a somewhat thin, light blue dress, resembling a young lady from a wealthy family.

Coming from a well-off family certainly made a difference.

Qin Fang naturally recognized Yang Haiyan.

After all, he had taken care of her for a whole day, calling the doctor, brewing medicine, feeding her, and even washing her face.

However, Yang Haiyan had no recollection of him.

In her mind, the memory of the original owner was just a vague impression of someone tall and strong.

But as Qin Fang walked toward her now, she pieced together that vague impression and realized it was indeed Qin Fang.

He was quite tall—195 cm to be exact, towering over other soldiers.

His body was large but not bulky; instead, he was very sturdy, with muscles likely lining his arms and abdomen.

His long legs strode toward her, and his tall, lean figure was striking.

The current fashion among women favored refined and elegant men, the type that were charming and handsome.

But for Yang Haiyan, modern male celebrities were like soft, boyish men, which she had grown tired of.

She preferred tall, manly men.

So, when she saw Qin Fang, her heart raced.

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but she definitely felt the excitement of seeing her ideal type.

Qin Fang frowned, his face serious, as he asked, “Why are you here? Are you feeling better?”

Yang Haiyan composed herself and apologized, “I’m feeling much better, thanks to Sister-in-law Lu for taking care of me. Husband, on our wedding day, I was so exhausted from rushing from the capital for days that I took some medicine to recover. Little did I know there was an issue with the medicine, and I’ve caused you trouble these past few days. It’s my fault.”

Hearing this, Qin Fang’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

So, she had taken the wrong medicine.

He felt a bit relieved.

He had been worried this troublesome woman had attempted suicide by poison.

But seeing how frail she still looked, he remained a bit annoyed.

In her current state, she wouldn’t be able to do anything and would just eat up his food supply.

Qin Fang said, “It’s fine. The doctor said you’ve been through a lot and need time to recover. Take care of your health first.” Preferably recover well so as not to waste food, he thought.

Yang Haiyan smiled faintly. “Thank you for your concern, husband. I was just worried that you’d be distracted with me on your mind while working in the camp. I didn’t want you to lose focus on your duties, so I came to tell you that I’ve recovered.”

Qin Fang grunted, “Hm.” Her soft-spoken words only made him feel more exasperated.

Yang Haiyan put down the basket she had brought and took out a lunch box. “I heard from Sister-in-law Lu that you can’t sleep at all while on duty, so I brought you something to eat to keep your strength up. Have you eaten lunch yet?”

Qin Fang replied, “No. You didn’t need to go through the trouble; I can eat in the camp’s cafeteria.”

What if she got sick again walking over here from the family quarters?

I’d have to spend more money to get a doctor.

Just the thought of it annoyed him even more.

Yang Haiyan insisted, “It’s no trouble at all to cook for my husband. I don’t know your taste preferences yet, so I just made something simple. Try it, and if you don’t like it, let me know, and I’ll adjust tomorrow when I bring more.”

Qin Fang said, “There’s no need to bring food; I can eat at the cafeteria.”

Yang Haiyan responded, “It’s alright, I enjoy bringing you meals.”

Qin Fang remained silent.

Yang Haiyan handed him the basket. “Sister-in-law Lu and I will head back now. I’ll bring you more food tomorrow.”

Without waiting for his response, she left with Sister-in-law Lu.

Qin Fang watched Yang Haiyan’s back as she walked away, feeling a bit unsettled.

“Boss Qin, what did your wife bring for you? Looks like a lot!” one of the soldiers teased.

“Boss Qin, it’s almost lunchtime anyway. Why don’t you share with us?” another suggested.

These soldiers were under Qin Fang’s command, so he wasn’t stingy with them. “Sure.”

Although he didn’t know exactly what that troublesome woman had packed, food was precious, and any food was good food.

He wouldn’t waste it, and neither would the others.

Compared to the full basket Qin Fang had, Lu Zhide’s was much smaller.

But no one complained—after all, he was already married for years, while Qin Fang was newly married.

The group found a spot in the cafeteria.

Qin Fang opened the basket to reveal two large lunch boxes, a small clay jar, and a cloth bag.

He opened the cloth bag first and was slightly surprised to find white steamed buns inside.

One soldier exclaimed, “Boss Qin, your wife is amazing! She brought you white buns!”

“Yeah, white flour is so precious. She really cares for you.”

“Now those rumors about your wife poisoning herself on your wedding night can be put to rest. She just took the wrong medicine.”

Took the wrong medicine…

Qin Fang took out five buns and gave the rest to his men. “You guys share these.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have been so generous, but this was the first time Yang Haiyan had brought food, so he didn’t want to be stingy. “If it’s not enough, go get more food.”

Whether or not they received a bun, everyone went to get extra food, knowing five buns wouldn’t be enough for everyone.

“Boss Qin, what dishes did your wife make for you?” someone asked.

Qin Fang nodded and opened the containers.

One had stir-fried cabbage, another had braised pork intestines, and the last had pig’s trotter soup.

All three dishes looked and smelled delicious.

Especially the braised intestines—the strong aroma made everyone’s mouth water.

Even Qin Fang couldn’t help but feel his appetite growing. “Everyone get some rice. I’ll divide the food.”

“Got it!”

Once everyone returned with their rice, Qin Fang gave each person a serving of the pork intestines, cabbage, and some of the soup.

“Wow, what kind of meat is this? It’s so good!”

“This is amazing! Your wife’s cooking skills are top-notch!”

“I’ve never tasted anything this good before.”

“Like you’ve had lots of gourmet food before!”

“Boss Qin, you’re so lucky to have married such a talented cook!”