Chapter 34: The Trouble Caused by Mung Bean Cake!

“Plus, with the unrest at the border lately, the commander’s already in a bad mood. If you tick him off, no one can save you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Long cautiously glanced toward the door, then smacked his mouth twice.

“Hehe, what a stupid mouth I have. Thanks for the heads-up, brother.”

When He Yunshen came out, a few battalion commanders were chatting enthusiastically, and the snacks on the table had long been wiped out.

Ning Wanwan followed behind He Yunshen, carrying two more plates of snacks, which she placed on the table.

Chang Jun’s eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed two pieces and shoved them near his mouth.

“Sis-in-law, where did you buy these? They’re delicious! I’ll tell my wife to get some for the kids to try too.”

Ning Wanwan smiled sweetly. “These weren’t bought—I made them. I’ll pack some for your wife to take home later. There’s still plenty in the kitchen.”

He Yunshen’s gaze darkened slightly when he heard that, his eyes locking on the fragrant mung bean cakes.

Since the yard was full of rough men, Ning Wanwan didn’t stay long. She chatted briefly, then went back inside to help.

As soon as she left, the group of men dropped all pretense, devouring the snacks like wolves. Seeing this, He Yunshen swiftly reached for the last piece of mung bean cake on the plate.

But someone was faster—Zhang Long grinned and snatched it, biting into it quickly.

Everyone stared at He Yunshen’s frozen-outstretched arm and his increasingly dark expression. Their eyes collectively fell on the half-eaten mung bean cake in Zhang Long’s hand.

Finally realizing something was off, Zhang Long saw He Yunshen’s pitch-black face and awkwardly offered the remaining half.

“Commander He… you can have it…”

He Yunshen squinted, his expression visibly dangerous.

“Commander Zhang, spar with me. It’s been a while since we had a good match.”

With that, he stepped aside, took off his uniform jacket, and removed his cap.

Zhang Long clutched the half-eaten cake, on the verge of tears.

“Commander He… I… I’ve got diarrhea today. How about we spar another day…?”

Qian Aiguo patted his shoulder sympathetically. He knew Zhang Long was doomed to suffer tonight.

With He Yunshen’s no-nonsense temper, even if Zhang Long were giving birth, he’d still have to finish the sparring session first.

“Come on. No nonsense.”

Within minutes, Zhang Long’s wails echoed through the courtyard. The military wives poked their heads out of the house, watching as Zhang Long was helped back inside by Chang Jun and Yang Xugang.

Li Ping, while picking chives, leaned toward Ning Wanwan and whispered,

“Commander He’s skills are no joke. No wonder they call him the King of Soldiers. My Lao Chang’s always saying how much he admires Commander He.”

Ning Wanwan looked at the radiant He Yunshen standing confidently in the sunlight. A faint smile curved her lips.

He Yunshen turned and caught her gaze. They stared at each other quietly until Ning Wanwan was the first to look away.

Zhang Yun came over with a touch of regret in her eyes.

“Wanwan, are you really planning to divorce Commander He?”

Ning Wanwan nodded while arranging the vegetables in front of her.
“Yes, the divorce application has already been approved. We’ll finalize the paperwork tomorrow.”

Feeling the conversation was getting heavy, Ning Wanwan didn’t want to continue and excused herself to the front yard with the kettle to fetch hot water.

Li Ping moved closer to Zhang Yun, and the two whispered for a bit before hurrying out of the yard.

“Wanwan, we’re short on tables and bowls. Your Sis Li Ping and I are heading home to get some. Be back soon!”

They each grabbed their husbands and excitedly headed toward the family quarters.

Half an hour later, Zhang Yun and Li Ping returned, not just with extra dishes and tables but also two jars of homemade fruit wine.

Dinner was ready. Everyone pitched in, quickly bringing the dishes to the tables.

Men and women sat separately. Each table had eight dishes and a jar of wine. Once seated, Li Ping smiled as she hugged one of the wine jars.

“These two jars of aged fruit wine are treasures—homemade and won’t give you a hangover. Since these tough guys are off this afternoon, let’s relax and have a little drink today!”

With that, she opened the wine jar with a flourish and filled each woman’s bowl to the brim.

When she got to Ning Wanwan, the latter gently tried to decline.
“Sis, I don’t drink. Don’t pour for me.”

“Aww, come on, girl. It’s fruit wine—won’t get you drunk. It’s a holiday—just humor your sister and have a taste.”

Zhang Yun also joined in to persuade her. Looking at the dark red liquid in the jar, Ning Wanwan figured it was probably like grape wine from the 21st century, so she stopped resisting.

At the other table, Chang Jun filled the drinks, and everyone happily dug in.

The atmosphere was lively. He Yunshen was flanked by Qian Aiguo and Chang Jun, both urging him to drink, and the rest cheered him on. Before long, he’d downed almost half a jar.

Ning Wanwan was coaxed into drinking two bowls by Zhang Yun and Li Ping. The fruit wine had a sweet aftertaste, and with her low alcohol tolerance, she quickly let her guard down.

After the crowd dispersed, only the two slightly drunk individuals remained in the courtyard.

Zhang Yun, Li Ping, Qian Aiguo, and the others crouched sneakily in the shadows outside the yard, giggling.

“We’ve done our best. Now it’s up to fate whether this works out,” Zhang Yun whispered conspiratorially.

Li Ping nodded enthusiastically. “It’ll work—definitely! They clearly have feelings. Getting this drunk? Something’s bound to happen!”

Just as they were peeping excitedly, He Yunshen’s sharp gaze cut through the darkness and landed right on their hiding spot.

“Oh no, Commander He saw us! Run!”

Chang Jun quickly pulled his wife and ran home.

Zhang Yun and her husband also bolted like their pants were on fire.

In the yard…

“Heh heh… Sister Yun, cheers! I toast to you!”
Ning Wanwan slurred, giggling and waving a water cup at the stone table.

She’d clearly had too much fun drinking and had gone from calling her “Sis-in-law” to “Sister Yun.”

He Yunshen withdrew his gaze. His handsome face was flushed, but he was still clear-headed. He placed a bowl of hangover soup in front of her.

“Drink it while it’s hot. You’ll feel better,” he said, nudging the bowl closer to her.

“Nooo! I’m not drunk! I can drink a thousand cups, haha…” Ning Wanwan babbled, slumped over the table.

Then—smack!—the hangover soup was swept off the table, shattering on the ground.

The hot soup splashed onto the back of her hand, turning her fair skin red instantly.

Ning Wanwan’s eyes welled up with tears.

Startled, He Yunshen immediately grabbed her small hand in his palm.

“Ning Wanwan, are you okay? Does it hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital!”