After finishing a bowl of cabbage, she still didn’t feel full at all—her stomach was still growling—but she had no intention of eating anything else.

Exhausted from the day, she locked the door and fell straight asleep.

…

After having dinner at the canteen, Jiang Guo’an went to the dormitory where he usually slept, only to find that Old Liu, who wasn’t supposed to return for a few more days, had come back early. This meant Jiang had to sleep in the office again.

Chen Feng saw Jiang Guo’an standing at the door and chuckled, clearly amused by the situation.

“Lao Jiang, you should just go home. There’s really nowhere else for you to stay tonight.”

Jiang Guo’an’s heart felt heavy. Day after day, he either squeezed into a dorm with his comrades or slept in the office.

Annoyed, Jiang retorted, “Get lost…”

He turned and went back to the office. Pushing three chairs together against the wall, he took off his coat, lay down on the chairs, and draped the coat over himself. Another night spent making do.

As he lay on the chairs, his mind drifted to Su Banxia with her short hair.

Why had this woman been acting so strangely these past few days?

Why was she so different from before?

She had indeed made some changes.

Could it be that she’d suddenly had a change of heart?

Realizing he was thinking about her, Jiang felt inexplicably puzzled.

He shook his head, trying to push thoughts of Su Banxia out of his mind, but they lingered stubbornly.

Later, as he tossed and turned restlessly, he shifted the chairs and ended up tumbling to the floor with a thud.

The fall jolted him even wider awake.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt.

It was all because of that woman—she was the reason he couldn’t even sleep in a proper bed.

His frustration grew until he finally drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

When Jiang Guo’an woke up early the next day and stepped out of the office, he ran straight into Political Commissar Liu.

Commissar Liu noticed Jiang’s stubble and bloodshot eyes—clear signs of a rough night.

Was this guy still squeezing into dorms or sleeping in the office?

In a foul mood from lack of sleep, Jiang straightened up and saluted when he saw Commissar Liu.

“Good morning, Commissar!”

Commissar Liu looked him up and down, from head to toe and back again.

“What’s going on with you, kid?

Sleeping in the office again?”

Jiang lowered his head without a word. Commissar Liu glanced around and said, “Come with me to my office.”

Jiang knew exactly what was coming—another one-on-one ideological lecture. He had no choice but to follow.

Once inside, Commissar Liu sat at his desk and said irritably, “Close the door.”

As soon as the door shut, Commissar Liu launched into his lecture.

“What exactly are you trying to do, kid?

Starting today, go home and sleep at night.

You’re a married man—how can you keep squeezing in with others?

Even if your body can handle it, what about everyone else?”

Jiang felt a pang of guilt. Over the past few months, he really had been inconveniencing others.

Muttering to himself, he said, “I could just sleep in the office…”

“No, sleeping in the office is fine for a day or two, but how long can your body keep it up?

The training during the day is intense—you need proper rest at night to perform well on the training field the next day.

I’ve heard some things about your wife around the compound. Go home and talk things out with her. If you can make it work, then make it work.

What couple doesn’t have conflicts? If it really doesn’t work out, you can send her back to your hometown, and I’ll arrange a dormitory for you later.

Understood?”

Jiang knew there was no avoiding it this time.

He saluted again and acknowledged the order.

Leaving Commissar Liu’s office, he felt weighed down with worries.

The thought of having to go home and sleep tonight left him with mixed emotions.

Exhausted from digging the day before, Su Banxia had slept so soundly that even the morning drill commands from the neighboring compound hadn’t woken her.

When she woke up, it was already noon.

As she got out of bed, she noticed several blisters on both her palms.

She hadn’t felt them last night, but now they were unmistakable.

Su Banxia pressed lightly on the blisters, and a sharp, burning pain shot through her hands.

After last night’s boiled cabbage, she had held out until now, but she was absolutely starving.

Lazily, she got up, dressed in a white tank top and a pair of black shorts.

After washing up, she boiled more cabbage for herself and added a poached egg to the pot.

If she kept eating like this, her nutrition would suffer—she’d lack essential vitamins and could easily become malnourished.

She ate a bowl of boiled cabbage with a steamed corn bun and finished the egg.

After cleaning the kitchen, the pain from the blisters on her palms became unbearable. She found a needle and punctured all four or five blisters.

Yellow, transparent fluid oozed out—this way, the pain would only last a day or two instead of dragging on for several days.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Su Banxia found a pen and a notebook and spent hours brainstorming what kind of business she could start.

If she wanted to sell snacks, she’d need a location—which meant renting a place in the city.

Or maybe she could take a train to Guangzhou to wholesale clothing and sell it here?

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She sat there all afternoon, not even noticing when it grew dark outside.

Su Banxia didn’t plan to eat dinner. After yesterday’s labor, her calves and arms were still sore and aching.

At this point, all she wanted was to go to bed early.

Just as she tidied up and was about to head to sleep, the lock on the front door suddenly clicked from the outside.

Su Banxia paused. Could it be him again?

As the thought crossed her mind, the door swung open with a soft thud. Jiang Guo’an stood there, one hand holding a net bag and the other carrying a basin.

Inside the basin were his toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and other personal items.

Su Banxia’s right eyelid twitched.

What was this…?

Was he planning to move back in?

Or was he trying to pressure her to leave sooner?

Jiang Guo’an froze in the doorway at the sight of Su Banxia’s attire, his expression shifting from shock to embarrassment, his ears turning red instantly.

Wearing so little in broad daylight—how shameless!

Noticing Jiang’s strange expression, Su Banxia glanced down at herself.

Her outfit seemed perfectly normal—what was the issue?

Over the past few days, she had grown accustomed to living alone. His sudden return took her by surprise.

“Why are you back again?”

Jiang Guo’an stared blankly at the tidy room, feeling as though he were dreaming.

“My comrade returned from family leave, so there’s no bed for me in the dorm. Political Commissar Liu told me to come back.”

He didn’t want to explain too much, but he also didn’t want her to misunderstand, so he offered a brief explanation.

For some reason, Su Banxia couldn’t help but chuckle at his words.

“So you got kicked out?”

Jiang Guo’an’s ears flushed redder as he glanced at her. He closed the door and headed toward the other room.

Su Banxia called out, “I washed the bedsheet and duvet cover from your room. They’re folded neatly in your closet.”

Jiang Guo’an paused mid-step. She washed my bedsheet and duvet cover?

It was nothing short of a miracle—and utterly unexpected.

He stopped at his bedroom door and glanced back at Su Banxia, only to see her sturdy figure retreating.

When he entered his room, everything was exactly as he had left it, except the white bedsheet and army-green duvet cover were missing from the bed.