Chapter 26.1

Today, there were many people, including three soldiers, all of whom had hearty appetites. Worried that there might not be enough food, Gu Sui prepared five dishes and a soup, especially focusing on the meat dishes, making a particularly large portion. 

Both Gu Ci and Guan Yue loved eating meat. Since there wasn’t any fresh meat available, Gu Sui made a half pot of stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts. 

As soon as the dishes were served, Gu Ci fixed his eyes on that particular dish, completely ignoring the other vegetarian dishes and soup. 

Wang Tiejun, initially feeling a bit embarrassed, hesitated to dig in. Seeing this, Gu Ci picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it on Wang Tiejun’s plate, saying, “Why are you being polite? This is my younger brother and sister-in-law’s home, which makes it my home too. Coming to my home and eating a piece of meat, and you’re still acting reserved?” 

Without even lifting her eyelids, Gu Sui seemed accustomed to her brother’s shamelessness. 

Guan Yue, for her part, was not truly shy. Aside from when she first started dating Gu Sui and felt a bit awkward, by now her skin had thickened. Gu Ci’s little joke didn’t bother her at all. 

She smiled at Wang Tiejun and said, “Don’t be shy, eat more.” 

Gu Ci chimed in, “Looking at it this way, in the future, the one running your household will be you. My younger brother here, well, he’s introverted, doesn’t like talking, and isn’t good at dealing with people. Sigh, luckily, you’re willing to take him.” 

Guan Yue chuckled to herself and glanced at Gu Sui. Him? Introverted? Doesn’t like talking? Not good at dealing with people?

Gu Sui shot his brother a sidelong glance and said, “Are there so many dishes that even your mouth can’t be stuffed?” 

Gu Ci grinned sheepishly. “He’s embarrassed now. Fine, I’ll stop talking. Here, Wang Tiejun, eat more. Let me get you another helping.” 

Wang Tiejun held his bowl and accepted the food, saying, “Thank you, Colonel Xie.” 

Gu Sui raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been promoted?” 

Gu Ci nodded. “Just recently.” 

After recovering from his injuries, Gu Ci had accomplished another major achievement not long ago. Conveniently, a colonel position had opened up, and he was promoted. 

“Not bad.” 

Their parents, while not officially exiled, had voluntarily gone to Northeast China to assist with work there, but their family background couldn’t be denied. Gu Sui had originally thought that with their family’s history, it would be difficult for his brother to get promoted. He hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. 

“Speaking of which, I still need to thank Guan Yue for the medicine she gave me. It was a big help during one of my missions.” 

In the jungle, dangers lurked everywhere. Sometimes, what could kill you wasn’t the enemy but the environment itself. 

After returning home, Gu Sui had sent Gu Ci a batch of various medicines made by Guan Yue, especially antidotes, which had proven incredibly helpful. 

Over time, Colonel Yan and the others began to recognize Guan Yue’s value, which turned out to be even greater than they had imagined. 

Not only was she skilled in creating miraculous powders, but the other medicines she made—like antidotes—were also highly effective. In critical moments, they could genuinely save lives. 

Gu Ci said, “Guan Yue, have you considered working with us on a long-term, stable basis?” 

Guan Yue didn’t speak, and Gu Sui rejected the idea first: “Do you think good medicinal herbs are like the big radishes in the field, something you can just pull out whenever you want?” 

Gu Ci quickly finished his bowl of rice and helped himself to half a bowl of soup. “As for the medicinal herbs, we can help with that. What we need from Guan Yue is to help us produce the powders, or if she can oversee things and bring some Disciples along, that would work too.” 

Guan Yue frowned. She didn’t want to take on so much extra work. 

Gu Ci sighed helplessly. “If I could find someone else, I wouldn’t bother you. Right now, the idiots on the other side are making too much noise. If we don’t make them hurt a little, who knows how many problems they’ll cause in the future. In the jungle, you know…” 

Before they arrived, they had already had a meeting to analyze the situation. They knew that Guan Yue was somewhat laid-back—she had the ability but didn’t want to put in the effort. 

However, their current situation was dire. Regardless of whether it worked or not, they had to give it a try with Guan Yue. 

After a long round of talking and begging, Gu Ci finally tentatively revealed his true purpose: “We want to build a medicine factory near the Qingsong Brigade. You wouldn’t need to worry about the factory, raw materials, or the staff. All you would need to do is help us with the preparations when you’re free.” 

Wang Tiejun chimed in, “Now that the people from Qingxi Village have all moved out, the place is vacant. We can build the factory in the valley; it would be much more convenient.” 

Guan Yue glanced at Gu Sui, who picked up some food with his chopsticks and put it on her plate. “Don’t look at me. If you don’t want to do it, just send them away.” 

Gu Ci, irritated, kicked Gu Sui under the table. He elbowed outward, thinking, Not only is he not helping, but he’s also dragging his feet.

Guan Yue immediately noticed Gu Ci’s little action and said, “Are you bullying Gu Sui?” 

Gu Ci forced a smile. “No, I was just joking with him. Now that he has you protecting him, how could I dare to bully him?” 

Gu Sui smirked. 

Guan Yue remained firm, not wanting to get involved regardless of the tempting conditions Gu Ci offered. 

Moreover, she understood that the medicines she made could only be supplied in small quantities; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to explain where the herbs came from. 

The entire afternoon passed with Gu Ci tirelessly pestering her, throwing tantrums and begging, but Guan Yue ignored him. 

When Guan Yue said she was going back to the mountains to rest, Gu Ci tried to follow, but Gu Sui stopped him. 

As soon as Guan Yue left, Gu Ci turned his frustration toward Gu Sui, cursing and grumbling, throwing insult after insult at him. 

Gu Sui glanced at him. “Keep talking, and I’ll tell Guan Yue you’re bullying me.” 

Gu Ci jumped up. “You’re a grown man, and now you’ve learned to tattletale?” 

Gu Sui ignored him. “Scram, don’t block my way.” 

Gu Ci followed him. “Where are you going? Is it that hard to talk to me? I’m your brother!” 

When Gu Sui took down a ham from the wall, Gu Ci chuckled. “We’re eating this well tonight? You’re too extravagant.” 

“You can choose not to eat,” Gu Sui responded nonchalantly. 

Gu Ci retorted loudly, “How could I not help? A ham this big, if I don’t pitch in, how will you finish it?” 

From the kitchen, Wang Tiejun heard the sound of the Colonel speaking, and his eyes landed on a wild bee.

At that moment, Wild Bee suddenly opened his eyes.

His body tensed up, and without making a sound, he began surveying his surroundings. Wang Tiejun exchanged a glance with him, immediately realizing that his memory had returned.

Wang Tiejun quickly stood up. “Your memory’s back, right? I’ll go call the Colonel.”

“What? He’s awake?” 

Gu Ci, still chatting aimlessly with Gu Sui, immediately dashed over when he heard that Wild Bee had woken up.

Wild Bee had already come out of the room.

The two locked eyes, and Wild Bee spoke first. “Major Gu, where are we now?” 

Gu Ci laughed heartily. “It’s good you’re awake. And by the way, I’m no longer a captain; I’m a Colonel now!” 

Wild Bee nodded. “Now’s not the time for this. I have important intelligence to report, and we can’t waste any more time.” 

“Alright, since you’re awake, we’ll leave after a bit.” 

“Why not leave now?” 

“No hurry. You haven’t eaten all day, so let’s have a meal first. Also, even though you’re awake, we still don’t know if your body’s fine. We need to have the Doctor check on you.” 

“Where’s the Doctor?” 

Doctor? Gu Ci ran to the kitchen to find Gu Sui. “Where did Guan Yue go? Get her back to check on Wild Bee.” 

The ham had just been put into the pot, and Gu Sui was standing at the stove, watching the fire. 

Gu Sui replied, “Guan Yue went into the mountains. She won’t be back until dinner time.” 

“I’ll go find her.” 

Gu Sui stopped him. “You shouldn’t. You won’t be able to find her place in the mountains. It’s better to wait here. If you get lost, we’ll have to go into the mountains to find you.” 

Gu Ci scoffed, “I won’t get lost in the southwestern jungle, let alone on Daqing Mountain.” 

“Humility is always good for people,” Gu Sui remarked. 

It was still a few hours before dinner. After finishing his meal, Gu Sui had the ham simmering in the pot. Once it was nearly done, he made a bowl of noodles in the ham broth, adding a sprinkle of scallions, which smelled delicious. 

Wild Bee thanked him and took the bowl outside to eat. 

The ham broth with noodles was incredibly fragrant, and Gu Ci’s stomach grumbled. He purposely moved away from Wild Bee, thinking: Out of sight, out of mind.

The wooden house was small, so Gu Ci wandered around aimlessly until he discovered the room at the back where Guan Yue kept her medicinal herbs.

Since the Master wasn’t there, he didn’t go in. He just stood at the door, glanced inside, and then closed it. 

Gu Ci found Gu Sui. “The cabinet against the wall in that room, is it full of herbs?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Why don’t you know anything?” 

Gu Sui replied, “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” 

Gu Ci was frustrated.