Chapter 18

At the beginning of May, the Southeast Base officially entered summer.

The strawberries Xu Qiao planted also turned red.

The courtyard was small, making it suitable for growing larger plants like cucumbers, beans, and eggplants, or root vegetables like carrots and potatoes. Smaller vegetables were grown indoors in planting pots.

Indoor space was precious, and aesthetics and living comfort had to be considered. Therefore, Xu Qiao only had four pots of strawberries, with additional lemon, kumquat, and fig plants placed in the bedrooms and study for a bit of variety.
—-
Around six in the morning, Xu Qiao carefully picked a plate of fifteen fully ripened strawberries and took them to the kitchen to wash.

Lu Yang, who also woke up early, was cooking rice and studying in the living room.

In the New Era, middle and high school subjects were merged into a five-year curriculum. The coursework was extensive, and whether one aimed for a top university or a military academy, high grades in humanities were essential.

The awakening of a spirit beast might depend on luck, but knowledge could be accumulated through hard work. Even ordinary people without abilities could earn a decent salary if they achieved excellence in a particular field. Statistics showed that nearly 30% of employees in major companies and official departments in the central district were scholars and technical experts among ordinary people.
—-
After washing the strawberries, Xu Qiao divided them into two porcelain plates, pointing to the plate with six strawberries and instructed Lu Yang, “Take this to Mr. Qin; he should be awake.”

When talking about Qin Chi in private, Xu Qiao still habitually used a respectful title.

Lu Yang, knowing Xu Qiao loved strawberries, muttered, “He changes his flower basket twice a week and buys fruit easily; he doesn’t need you to send any.”

Xu Qiao responded, “What he buys is his business; what we send is a gesture of goodwill. If you don’t want to go, I’ll do it myself.”

Seeing her lips as rosy as the strawberries, Lu Yang took the plate and left.

Standing in front of door 102, Lu Yang knocked twice. After a few seconds, footsteps were heard inside.

Despite the warm weather, the elegant tenant who opened the door was still wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, his short hair slightly damp as if he had just washed his face.

“Good morning,” Qin Chi greeted the middle schooler with a smile.

Feeling awkward, Lu Yang mumbled a greeting and handed over the fruit plate, “Just picked.”

Qin Chi already smelled the sweet and sour aroma of the strawberries. Glancing at the open door of 101, he graciously accepted, “Thank you.”

As Lu Yang turned and closed the door behind him, he saw Xu Qiao already sitting at the dining table, eating.

Lu Yang returned to the sofa, preparing to continue his studies.

Xu Qiao glared at him, “What, do you need me to feed you a strawberry?”

Lu Yang replied, “No, I don’t like them anyway.”

Xu Qiao: “When you were a kid, Grandpa would give you strawberries, and you could stuff two in your mouth at once.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Xu Qiao shook her head, left four strawberries for the middle schooler, and went to the kitchen to make scallion egg pancakes using fresh scallions she had picked herself.

Lu Yang took the plate to the secondary bedroom, hesitantly ate one strawberry, and put the remaining three into the spatial crystal nucleus pawned by Qin Chi, planning to save them for her until winter.

Qin Chi’s work schedule was quite flexible; as long as he completed his teaching tasks and graded assignments, he could leave the military academy anytime.
—-
At 4:30 PM, while Xu Qiao was still working at the clinic, Qin Chi had already returned to the community.

It was still a bit early to prepare dinner. Qin Chi took off his jacket and sat on a single sofa in the living room, wearing only a white shirt, reading a book.

With his S-level ability enhancing his physique, Qin Chi, despite the decent soundproofing of the Peaceful Community houses, heard the sound of a bicycle approaching on the street.

He glanced outside and saw a curly-haired lady who appeared to be in her sixties or seventies, though if she was an ability user, her actual age might be much older.

The unfamiliar curly-haired lady stopped in front of Building 5, looking around the courtyards of Xu and Lu’s homes, even peeking into the living room of Lu’s house through the half-drawn curtains.

Qin Chi used his wind control to pull the outer white curtain more fully, blocking the intrusive gaze.

The fire dragon in his mind lashed its tail in annoyance.

Just then, Aunt Liu’s voice came from the balcony of 202, “You’re here! Just park the bike there and come up. I was just about to change the baby’s diaper, so I can’t come down to greet you.”

The curly-haired lady replied with a smile, “No need, no need, I’ll come up myself.”

After a series of thumping footsteps, the curly-haired lady entered Liu’s home at 202.

Qin Chi had no intention of eavesdropping but couldn’t help overhearing the conversation between the two women, which drifted down through the open windows on the second floor.

Curly-haired lady: “Xu Qiao doesn’t seem to know how to manage things. I saw so much empty space in her yard. With a bit of planning, she could grow a few more rows of vegetables.”

Aunt Liu: “Her household has always been small, and the benefits for healers are good. Her grandfather liked to manage the yard this way, so she followed suit. Besides, it’s just her now, and it’s more than enough for her to eat.”

Mentioning his landlord and teammate, the fire dragon grew restless, and Qin Chi’s gaze shifted from the book.

Curly-haired lady: “Do you have any photos?”

Aunt Liu: “I have some from when she was a child, but since she started middle school, she’s out early and back late. I don’t have any photos of her recently.”

Curly-haired lady: “No problem, we’ll see her soon anyway. By the way, you said she’s pretty, a healer, and owns her place. Given her good conditions, hasn’t anyone tried to set her up?”

Aunt Liu: “Yes, there are several families in our community who wanted to marry her, but she only graduated from the military academy two years ago and doesn’t want to consider marriage too early. Plus, with the Lu family backing her, people gave up when they saw she wasn’t interested. If it weren’t for you asking me to help find a suitable daughter-in-law, I wouldn’t have gotten involved. It would be embarrassing if things didn’t work out.”

Curly-haired lady: “What’s the story with the Lu family?”

Aunt Liu explained everything.

Curly-haired lady: “Ah, turning sixteen soon. Why are they living together? Could it be…?”

Aunt Liu: “No, no. They’ve grown up together like siblings. Xu Qiao even mentioned to me that she’s saving rent money for Lu Yang’s military academy tuition. I really like Xu Qiao, and I’m helping you because I think your family’s Jiang Rui is a good match for her. Just make sure not to offend her and put me in a difficult position.”

The Jiang family men were all in the defense army. Although their ranks weren’t high, they had some connections, and Aunt Liu had to be polite.

But if the Jiang family continued to be picky and suspicious, Aunt Liu would rather not match them.

Curly-haired lady: “Don’t worry, I trust your judgment. Just wait and see. As long as Xu Qiao is as pretty as you say, I’ll leave the rest to Jiang Rui. Young people prefer to fall in love freely. I’m just giving Jiang Rui a head start by knowing her background to avoid misunderstandings in the future.”

Aunt Liu sighed in relief.

The conversation between the two women shifted to other domestic matters.

Qin Chi resumed reading his book.
—-
About half an hour later, Xu Qiao returned. Qin Chi didn’t look outside, but he heard footsteps hurrying to the balcony upstairs.

Once Xu Qiao was back in 101, a new conversation started upstairs.

Aunt Liu: “How was it?”

Curly-haired lady: “…So pretty, would she even fancy our Jiang Rui?”

Leaving aside free love, it’s hard for ordinary low-level ability users to marry high-level ones through matchmaking, but healers are different.

Even the lowest-ranked C-level healer can heal various injuries and illnesses, though their efficiency and endurance might not be as good as higher-ranked healers.

If an ability user marries a healer, he can have his wife take care of him during missions or on the battlefield, healing and saving his life. She could also handle the family’s everyday medical needs, which is more convenient and economical than queuing at hospitals and paying high fees.

Therefore, it’s common for C-level healers to marry B-level ability users. If they’re very attractive, they might even marry A-level ability users.

In the curly-haired lady’s eyes, if Xu Qiao has the intention and the connections, she could completely marry a high-ranking ability user from the central district.

Aunt Liu: “She doesn’t have such big ambitions. During her time at the military academy, even a B-level classmate pursued her, but she didn’t accept. She just wants to live a simple, stable life. Let Jiang Rui try. He’s good-looking and dependable, and Xu Qiao might just like this reliable type. Besides, military spouses are exempt from basic missions. Jiang Rui’s conditions are quite desirable in our second ring.”

Hearing this, the curly-haired lady felt reassured again.

Xu Qiao didn’t meet the curly-haired lady, but the next day, when she returned home from work, she noticed an off-road vehicle parked by Building 5.

As she got off her bicycle outside the courtyard, she saw Aunt Liu accompanying a tall man walking out of the unit door.

The path between the two courtyards wasn’t very wide. Xu Qiao stood to the side with her bicycle, waiting for them to come out before turning in.

“Xiao Qiao, just got off work?” Aunt Liu greeted Xu Qiao with a natural smile.

Xu Qiao nodded with a smile. Noticing the unfamiliar man staring at her intently, she glanced towards the nearby courtyard.

Aunt Liu hadn’t expected that her performance would be natural, but Jiang Rui’s reaction would falter. She lightly patted Jiang Rui’s arm and explained to Xu Qiao, “This is Jiang Rui, the son of a friend of mine. He just finished a hazardous zone cleanup mission with the Guard Corps and came to visit me during his break.”

Jiang Rui snapped out of his momentary amazement, straightened his back even more, and extended a hand towards Xu Qiao. “Hello, I’m Jiang Rui.”

His demeanor was characterized by the serious and upright manner often seen in soldiers.

The Guard Corps is the main force of the major bases, always at the forefront in clearing hazardous zones and defending against beast tides threatening the base.

Xu Qiao didn’t have the courage to enlist in the military, which made her admire those who did even more.

Seeing that Jiang Rui’s gaze wasn’t invasive or rude like some male mercenaries, but rather appreciative, Xu Qiao cooperatively shook his hand. “Hello, I’m Xu Qiao.”

A young healer at twenty, with clear eyes and a bright smile, her exposed face and neck were fair and radiant.

Jiang Rui quickly withdrew his hand, as if burned, fearing that the rough calluses on his palm might hurt her delicate skin.

He had thick, strong eyebrows and deep, bright black eyes that couldn’t help but continue to gaze at the beautiful girl in front of him.

When urged out the door by his mother, Jiang Rui had no expectations for this one-sided meeting. But now, he was already anxious about what excuse he could use to see her again.

He had no experience interacting with young women.

In the living room of 102 diagonally opposite.

Qin Chi stood behind the light golden curtains, watching Xu Qiao push her bicycle past Aunt Liu, and then watched the guard soldier named Jiang Rui stand there as if his soul had been taken.

Qin Chi smiled.

He almost forgot that being in your early twenties is indeed the prime time for normal men and women to meet partners and enjoy relationships.