“You…”  

Zhou Qiqi lightly bit her lower lip, her mind a tangled mess. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.  

Just then, a clear, resonant bugle call sounded in the distance.  

Her heart tightened—she knew it was the lights-out signal. In ten minutes, the entire residential area would lose power.  

She hadn’t even washed up yet. Hurriedly, she dashed to the kitchen, grabbed a thermos, and poured a basin of warm water to give herself a quick wipe-down.  

Earlier, when she’d come out of the outhouse, she’d taken a detour to peek at the nearby bathhouse.  

What she saw had shocked her—the shower stalls were even worse than the latrine.  

Lone showerheads dangled overhead, with no partitions whatsoever.  

At a glance, the figures of the wives were visible, pale and exposed.  

Even worse, there were little boys running around naked, wild and carefree.  

The scene was downright eye-searing. Zhou Qiqi felt like she was about to “get a stye” from the sight.  

She couldn’t handle it and quickly left.  

Now, she scrubbed herself efficiently. By the time she finished, the lights had been out for a while, and the surroundings were silent.  

Zhouzhou had already fallen asleep in the small room. When Zhou Qiqi peeked inside, she noticed Shen Huaichuan’s bedding was gone.  

Her heart skipped a beat.  

Did that mean he would be… tonight?  

At the thought, her face flushed crimson.  

With a touch of nervousness, she stepped into the room and looked around—only to find a neatly made bedroll on the floor.  

For some reason, seeing it gave her a faint twinge of disappointment. Yet, at the same time, it was as if a weight had been lifted, and she let out a long exhale.  

Though she and Shen Huaichuan had already submitted their marriage application, they had only known each other for a few days and were still practically strangers.  

She didn’t want to keep sleeping separately from him, but if they were to share a bed and engage in any kind of intimacy… she wasn’t mentally prepared for that yet.  

Zhou Qiqi climbed into bed. At first, her heart raced with anxiety.  

She had always struggled with insomnia—back home, she’d often stay awake until three or four in the morning. She had expected another sleepless night.  

But as she listened to the chirping of insects outside and gazed at Shen Huaichuan’s broad, solid back turned toward her, her mind gradually settled.  

Her eyelids grew heavier, and soon, she drifted into a deep sleep.  

That night, Zhou Qiqi slept exceptionally well. At 6:30 a.m., her internal clock woke her, and she opened her eyes naturally.  

Glancing to the side, she saw that the bedroll on the floor was empty—Shen Huaichuan was nowhere to be seen.  

Zhouzhou, however, was still sound asleep, likely having had another restless night.  

Zhou Qiqi tiptoed into the kitchen.  

First, she rinsed some rice and cooked a small pot of congee. Then she kneaded dough to make Xianghe meat pies.  

Xianghe meat pies, also known as thousand-layer meat pies, required a bit of skill.  

She rolled the dough into a thin sheet, then made two cuts on the top and bottom without severing the middle, dividing it into six neat sections.  

Leaving the bottom-left section empty, she spread meat filling evenly over the rest. Then, starting from the bottom-left corner, she began folding.  

Dough wrapped around meat, meat wrapped around dough—layer upon layer—until it was folded into a small square. She gently rolled it out again, forming a perfect thousand-layer pie crust.  

The process of kneading and proofing the dough was time-consuming.  

By the time Zhou Qiqi finished shaping the pies, Zhouzhou was already awake.  

She urged the child to go wash up and use the bathroom, then moved the small table outside into the yard. She brought out the congee, lifting the lid to let it cool.  

The air in the residential compound was fresh early in the morning, filled with birdsong and the scent of flowers. Eating outside was much more pleasant.  

Just as she set everything down, she felt an intense gaze on her.  

Instinctively, she looked up—and sure enough, it was coming from the neighboring yard.  

Qiu Chunfang, for some inexplicable reason, had climbed onto the roof to hang laundry this early in the morning.  

Noticing Zhou Qiqi’s stare, Qiu Chunfang’s face flickered with discomfort. She casually tugged at a piece of clothing, pretending nothing was amiss, then climbed down the ladder, looking quite pleased with herself.  

Her family was gradually waking up too.  

Zhao Yi, still groggy, sniffed the air vigorously, mumbling under his breath.  

Hearing this, Qiu Chunfang was visibly displeased. She lightly swatted him with a piece of clothing, then lifted the lid of the food cover, declaring proudly,  

“What are you sniffing at? That smell is from our place! I made scallion and egg pancakes this morning—they’re delicious!”

Last night, she had a big fight with Zhao Yi. The aroma of braised meat wafting from next door only fueled her anger.  

She felt that this Zhou Qiqi was deliberately opposing her at every turn—even cooking had to become a competition. It was just too much.  

So what if she made braised meat? As if no one else knows how to cook!

So, early this morning, driven by sheer stubbornness, she kneaded dough and prepared fillings, determined to outdo Zhou Qiqi in cooking.  

“Not bad, wife! Didn’t know you had this skill!”  

Zhao Yi, drooling at the sight of the scallion pancakes, reached out to grab one.  

Qiu Chunfang wore a smug expression as she lightly tapped his hand with her chopsticks. She tilted her chin toward the neighboring yard and said,  

“Don’t eat yet. Go wash your hands first, then take two pancakes over to Commander Shen and Zhouzhou.”  

“Uh…”  

Zhao Yi hesitated.  

Qiu Chunfang immediately put on a neighborly, caring face and said righteously,  

“We’re all neighbors—we see each other every day. I noticed they only made plain congee this morning. That’s not enough for kids going to school or adults heading to work. They’ll be starving by mid-morning. We ought to help them.”  

“Fine.”  

Zhao Yi was a simple man and didn’t think too much of it. He washed up, changed into clean clothes, and carried two scallion pancakes to the neighboring yard.  

Just as he reached the gate, he ran into Shen Huaichuan returning home, who had just opened the courtyard door.  

The two men had a good relationship in the military, and Zhao Yi was about to greet him when he heard a voice from inside—  

“You’re back? Perfect timing! We’re having thousand-layer meat pies for breakfast—just fried. Let me cut them up!”  

Zhou Qiqi poked her head out from the kitchen door and called out.  

Zhao Yi’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse through the door crack—holy smokes. A golden, crispy meat pie was sliced with a knife, letting out a crisp crack sound.  

The layers of filling were so plump they nearly spilled out, and rich meat juices slowly dripped down the blade. An intense, savory aroma instantly hit Zhao Yi’s nose.  

His eyes widened, mouth watering so much he nearly drooled.  

He wanted to steal another glance, but suddenly, Shen Huaichuan’s icy face blocked his view.  

His tone was frosty. “Battalion Commander Zhao, do you need something?”  

“N-No, just passing by… passing by…”  

Zhao Yi quickly shook his head, crestfallen, and slunk back home with the scallion pancakes.  

Seeing his defeated expression, Qiu Chunfang planted her hands on her hips and sneered, “What? Did that woman throw a tantrum and refuse our pancakes?”  

Zhao Yi’s face flushed red with anger. He slammed the bowl onto the table and roared,  

“Shut up! What kind of stupid idea was that?! You made me lose face! They were eating thousand-layer meat pies—so fragrant, so tempting! How could they possibly want your measly scallion pancakes?”  

“What?!”  

At first, Qiu Chunfang didn’t believe him, but soon, the rich aroma of meat drifted over from next door.  

Looking at her plain, barely greasy scallion pancakes, she suddenly lost her appetite.  

Meanwhile, in the neighboring yard, Shen Huaichuan’s eyes lit up at the sight of the layered meat pies on the table.  

“Who was at the door just now? I saw a military uniform—was it a comrade of yours? Why not invite them in to chat and get acquainted?”  

Zhou Qiqi handed Shen Huaichuan his chopsticks and asked casually.  

She thought it might be someone looking for him and figured it’d be a good chance to meet his friends.  

Shen Huaichuan’s gaze turned cold. “The neighbor. Just a battalion commander.”  

“Never mind then. Next time.”  

Zhou Qiqi stuck out her tongue playfully. “You two eat first. I’ll go make Zhouzhou a cup of malted milk.”  

Before she joined the household, Shen Huaichuan had been bringing meals back from the military canteen.  

The food probably didn’t suit the child’s taste.  

Yesterday, when she held Zhouzhou’s hand, she noticed the little girl only had a bit of baby fat on her face—her body was quite thin. She needed proper nutrition.  

Since Zhou Qiqi couldn’t drink the malted milk herself, letting Zhouzhou have it was better than wasting it.  

“I’ll do it. You eat first.”  

Just as she stood up, Shen Huaichuan gently pressed her back down.  

Huh, this guy’s pretty considerate! Zhou Qiqi smiled inwardly and didn’t refuse, her eyes unconsciously curving with amusement.  

She picked up her chopsticks, placed a meat pie on Zhouzhou’s plate, and blew on the congee to cool it for her.  

Zhouzhou remained silent, her face expressionless, but her gaze lingered on Zhou Qiqi for a couple of seconds before she blinked.  

Zhou Qiqi handed her the spoon with a smile. “You’re saying thank you, aren’t you? You’re welcome!”  

Zhouzhou lowered her head, sipping the congee in small bites, her long eyelashes fluttering. Who knew what was going on in that little mind of hers?  

Just then, Shen Huaichuan returned with two glass cups.  

One held cold, milky-white malted milk, which he placed gently in front of Zhouzhou.  

The other cup held warm milk, steaming slightly, which he carefully set before Zhou Qiqi.  

“What’s this?”  

Zhou Qiqi’s eyes widened.