Chapter 22: Gu Shiqing’s Tactic

“Alright.” Gu Shiqing nodded and handed the vegetables to Lin Banxia.

When he was a child, his parents used to be like this—one would cook while the other helped wash the vegetables.

Looking at Lin Banxia rolling up her sleeves, revealing her fair arms, a warmth rose in Gu Shiqing’s heart.

Once the vegetables were washed, Gu Shiqing told Lin Banxia to sit outside and rest while he went into the kitchen to start the fire and cook.

Lin Banxia peeked into the kitchen through the window. Judging from Gu Shiqing’s calm and practiced movements as he stir-fried, he really did know how to cook. No wonder before she came to join the military base, Xu Minzhi had told her that once she arrived, Gu Shiqing would be able to cook delicious food for her.

Lin Banxia mentally gave Gu Shiqing extra points. A man who could cook was definitely attractive.

Before long, Gu Shiqing brought out two dishes from the kitchen and asked Lin Banxia if she wanted to eat in the courtyard or indoors. Lin Banxia suggested eating inside the house.

She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the fish. The taste was surprisingly good!

“So? How is it? Does it suit your taste?” Gu Shiqing asked.

Lin Banxia’s eyes narrowed like a cat that had eaten something delicious. She nodded and said: “It’s delicious. Gu Shiqing, you’re really a homemaker.”

A homemaker?

Wasn’t that usually used to describe women? Well, as long as his wife was happy, he didn’t mind being described that way.

“If it’s good, then eat more.” Gu Shiqing picked out the meat from the fish belly and placed it in Lin Banxia’s bowl.

The meat from the fish belly had no bones, so he didn’t have to worry about her choking on one.

Lin Banxia paused at his action, stunned. She thought of her grandfather.

When she was a child and they ate fish at home, her grandfather always picked out the meat from the fish belly for her and told her that little kittens should eat more fish so they could grow up quickly and inherit his legacy.

Yes, her grandfather used to say she had a personality like a cat, so he gave her the nickname “Little Cat” when she was young.

Seeing Lin Banxia staring at his hand, Gu Shiqing got a little nervous and asked: “What’s wrong? Did you get a fish bone?”

Lin Banxia shook her head. “No, I just… thought of my grandfather.”

“When New Year comes, I’ll go back with you to visit your grandfather.” Gu Shiqing said with a smile.

In the book: “Lin Banxia’s” grandfather hadn’t passed away, but Lin Banxia understood clearly—he was only her grandfather in the story, not truly hers.

Still, she nodded and replied: “Okay.”

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After dinner, they cleaned up the dishes. Gu Shiqing poured the heated water into the wooden bath barrel, then added cold water until the temperature was just right, and called Lin Banxia over to bathe.

Knowing Lin Banxia liked cleanliness, he had specially asked Xiao Wenlei to have a wooden soaking tub custom-made for her comfort.

The bathroom hadn’t been built yet, so she had to bathe inside the house. But the curtains had already been hung properly. With the curtains drawn and the door closed, Lin Banxia enjoyed a nice, comfortable bath.

After Lin Banxia finished bathing, Gu Shiqing used the leftover water and took a quick rinse in the courtyard.

As night fell, the clock pointed to eight.

Lin Banxia realized a problem—there seemed to be only one bed in the house. And there didn’t appear to be any folding cot or military bed for Gu Shiqing to sleep on. So, how were they supposed to sleep tonight?

Just then, Gu Shiqing walked in from outside. He cleared his throat and said: “Banxia, I want to discuss something with you.

In the military, the rules around married couples are very strict. If we sleep in separate beds and get found out, the leadership will definitely give me a lecture, and they might even investigate again to confirm whether we’re truly husband and wife. So now that we’re here, we’ll have to share the same bed.”

“Don’t worry, I sleep very still. I won’t toss and turn at night.” Gu Shiqing added after thinking for a moment, trying to reassure her.

Lin Banxia didn’t know much about military regulations, let alone that things were so strict—even whether a married couple shared a bed was subject to control?

“It’s that serious?” Lin Banxia frowned.

Gu Shiqing nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

Only he knew whether that was true or not. While the military did keep an eye on soldiers’ personal lives, it wasn’t strict to the point of monitoring whether a husband and wife shared a bed behind closed doors.

He said this deliberately.

Of course, in the past, he never imagined he would one day apply military strategy to something like this.

“Then let’s sleep in one bed.” Lin Banxia said without hesitation.

They were in the middle of a politically sensitive period. If something really happened, it would be no small matter.

Besides… after observing Gu Shiqing over the past few days, he had behaved very well in every aspect. The thought of divorce had completely vanished from her mind.

Since they were husband and wife, what was the problem with sharing a bed?

Gu Shiqing was a righteous man. She definitely trusted him.

And he had such good qualities that even if something did happen between them, she wouldn’t be on the losing end.

Around nine o’clock, the bugle suddenly sounded, and the lights inside the house flickered.

Gu Shiqing explained to Lin Banxia: “That’s the lights-out signal. Two minutes after the bugle blows, the lights will go out.”

Sure enough, two minutes later, the lights turned off all at once.

Fortunately, Lin Banxia had already gotten under the blanket when Gu Shiqing warned her about the lights, so even though darkness fell suddenly, she wasn’t flustered.

In the darkness, there were faint rustling sounds—it was the sound of Gu Shiqing undressing. Then, the blanket lifted slightly as Gu Shiqing got into bed.

At first, the two of them lay far apart, deliberately leaving a “Chu River-Han Border” between them.

But by the second half of the night, although Gu Shiqing’s sleeping posture was indeed very proper and hadn’t shifted an inch in hours, Lin Banxia was another story entirely…

When she had first fallen asleep, she was lying on her back. But as the night went on, she shifted onto her side.

At some point, her leg ended up draped over Gu Shiqing’s, and her hand—restless and unaware—landed on his chest, her fingertips grazing his chest and abdomen.

The ticklish, tingling sensation made Gu Shiqing’s whole body tense up. For a moment, it felt like there was a feather brushing his chest—soft and itchy, unbearably so.

He was at an age full of vigor and energy. Before Lin Banxia came to live with him, he had been staying in the dormitory alone, and he didn’t have time to think about these things.

But now Lin Banxia was lying right beside him—her slender leg wrapped around his, her soft arm resting across his chest—he felt like he was about to explode.

At that moment, Lin Banxia was dreaming.

In the dream, she had cured a cancer patient. The patient had thought he didn’t have much time left, but unexpectedly, she saved him.

To express his gratitude, the patient gifted Lin Banxia a male model with an exceptional body. “Doctor Lin, I picked this one very carefully for you. Top-tier looks and physique!”

Lin Banxia declined over and over, insisting that this was inappropriate.

Just then, the model the patient had selected walked in… and had Gu Shiqing’s face!

Lin Banxia: !!!

She quickly grabbed him and asked: “Gu Shiqing, you’re not in the army anymore? Why did you go into that industry? Are you out of your mind?!”

In the dream, Gu Shiqing was dressed very… lightly. His body, perfect for suggestive imagery, moved closer to Lin Banxia and said: “Sister, please love me…”

Lin Banxia: Ahhhhhhh!!! Gu Shiqing, you brought this on yourself!!