After listening to their conversation for a while, Gu Xiaoxi realized that Xiao Ye’s eldest brother was also a soldier, and like Lu Jiansen, he was a battalion commander.

Xiao Ye, her brother, and Ding Lanyi were all headed to the military district because Ding Lanyi’s older sister had just given birth. Both Xiao Ye and Ding Lanyi had been sent by their mother to help take care of Ding Lanjing and the newborn.

As for Xiao Lin? Naturally, he was just tagging along.

To prevent Gu Xiaoxi from forming a friendship with Ding Lanyi, Xiao Ye kept chattering away, clinging to Ding Lanyi with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Gu Xiaoxi didn’t mind. She ate dinner with Lu Jiansen, occasionally chatted with Grandpa Qi, and watched the scenery outside the window.

Late at night, Gu Xiaoxi took advantage of a bathroom trip to collect two more trash bins, earning two new rolls of toilet paper and two additional merit points.

When she returned to her berth, she noticed a new skill had appeared in the Skill Store.

Beginner Skill Store:

• Skill 1: Garbage Decomposition (Cost: 2 merit points)
• Skill 2: Garbage Incineration (Cost: 2 merit points)

After just two seconds of consideration, Gu Xiaoxi chose Garbage Decomposition.

Just as she was absorbing the new skill, the train suddenly came to a halt.

At first, no one paid much attention. But when the train remained stationary for over an hour, passengers began pacing the aisles.

Soon, the train attendant announced that heavy rain had caused a landslide ahead, forcing a temporary stop.

Instantly, the previously drowsy passengers were wide awake, buzzing with discussion.

Lu Jiansen grew concerned and sat beside Gu Xiaoxi, speaking softly, “I’ll go check the front. Stay here—if you’re tired, you can sleep.”

Gu Xiaoxi nodded. “Alright.”

After Lu Jiansen left, she didn’t sleep. Instead, she sat on the bed chewing on sweet potato strips.

The homemade dried sweet potatoes were delicious—chewy but not too hard, with just the right softness to suit her taste.

About twenty minutes later, Lu Jiansen returned.

“The landslide ahead is pretty severe, and there’s more than one. The train probably won’t move for a while.”

Old Qi sighed. “At least no one’s hurt.”

In situations like this, the real fear was injuries with no timely medical care.

Natural disasters were beyond control, so Gu Xiaoxi didn’t comment. Instead, she silently pressed a handful of sweet potato strips into Lu Jiansen’s hand.

Glancing at the girl beside him, Lu Jiansen’s lips curved slightly as he ate with her.

After finishing the snack, Gu Xiaoxi yawned, wiped her hands, and went to sleep.

She figured that by the time she woke up, the tracks would surely be cleared.

That night, she slept as soundly as ever.

Outside, however, the rain poured relentlessly.

The next morning, when Gu Xiaoxi woke, the train was still in the same spot. The sky was gloomy, and the temperature had dropped sharply. The once-stuffy carriage now felt damp and chilly.

Noticing she was awake, Lu Jiansen said quietly, “It’s cold today. You should add another layer.”

“Mm.” Gu Xiaoxi rummaged through her bag, pulled out a pale yellow thin sweater, and layered it under her coat.

Xiao Ye, who had been wearing a dress, also felt the cold. Seeing Gu Xiaoxi add clothing, she climbed down to put on a jacket.

Since she was already down, she decided not to return to the upper berth—plopping herself unceremoniously onto Gu Xiaoxi’s bed.

No particular reason. It just looked the cleanest.

Gu Xiaoxi shot her a glance, then neatly folded her blanket and moved to sit beside Lu Jiansen.

“Would you like buns or porridge for breakfast?” Lu Jiansen asked softly.

After a brief pause, Gu Xiaoxi replied, “Porridge, maybe?”

“Got it. I’ll go get some.” He stood, took their lunchbox, and headed to the dining car.

While he was gone, Gu Xiaoxi went to freshen up. On her way back, she overheard passengers talking about a second landslide and injuries.

When she returned to her berth, she found Old Qi gone and Xiao Lin peering out the window.

Rain continued to patter outside, and wind blew droplets into the compartment. Xiao Ye sneezed and snapped at her brother.

“Second Brother, close the window! Are you trying to freeze me to death?”

Xiao Lin sheepishly shut the window. “I just wanted to see what’s happening outside. Who knows how long we’ll be stuck here?”

Ding Lanyi sighed. “If there’s a second landslide, it’ll take even longer to clear.”

“This trip has been nothing but bad luck!” Xiao Ye grumbled irritably.

Spotting Gu Xiaoxi, she even threw her a glare.

Gu Xiaoxi found it utterly baffling. If anyone was unlucky here, it was her, having to share a compartment with this woman.

Just then, a male train attendant approached and handed Gu Xiaoxi a breakfast box.

“Comrade Gu, Comrade Lu asked me to bring this to you. There are injured people up ahead needing assistance, so he went to help. He’ll return later and asked me to inform you.”

Gu Xiaoxi blinked. “Are there many injured?”

The attendant nodded. “At least a dozen.”

Gu Xiaoxi was startled. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

The attendant smiled kindly. “Not at the moment. With the rain still falling, it’s safer for passengers to stay inside.”

Glancing outside, Gu Xiaoxi quietly ate her breakfast.

By the time she finished, the heavy rain had lightened to a drizzle. An hour later, it stopped completely.

Yet Lu Jiansen still hadn’t returned.

Growing worried, Gu Xiaoxi ventured toward the front carriages.

The aisles were crowded, some passengers even sitting on the floor, making progress slow.

Whenever she passed a trash bin, she couldn’t help but glance at it.

If people were around, she moved on. But if no one was looking, she took the chance to swap out the dirtiest bins.

By the time she circled back—without spotting Lu Jiansen—she’d earned three more merit points and three more rolls of toilet paper.

She spent two merit points to unlock Garbage Incineration, then sat on her bed idly munching sweet potato strips.

Ding Lanyi, also bored, pulled out a small bag of sunflower seeds and even shared some with Xiao Ye and Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi didn’t refuse and casually offered some sweet potato strips in return.

Just as the two began chatting, Xiao Ye couldn’t resist cutting in.

“Comrade Gu, being a military wife isn’t easy. You rely on others for everything—you don’t even fetch your own meals. When Comrade Lu goes on missions, you won’t become a burden, will you?”

Frankly, she couldn’t stand how Gu Xiaoxi was doted on by such an outstanding soldier, never lifting a finger.

And she definitely didn’t want to admit she was jealous—jealous that Gu Xiaoxi was prettier, that she’d married a handsome, promising, and young officer.

Some people just had all the luck!