Huo Qingshan shouted for the car to stop and, as he reached for his gun, fired at the wild dog charging toward Xu Suining.

The gunshot rang out and the dog fell to the ground. Xu Suining, who had been squatting by the field ridge, had already rolled into the small ditch beside her when the dog charged. She still held a small sickle in her hand.

She had seen the wild dog coming. Knowing she couldn’t outrun it, she had planned to fight it off with the sickle.

A single shot rang out. The dog collapsed three or four meters away, but the sound of the gunshot had startled her so much that she tumbled into the ditch.

Xu Suining let out a breath and stood up from the ditch with the sickle in hand just as Huo Qingshan and Li Zhiguo arrived.

Huo Qingshan looked at her, grass and dirt covering her hair and clothes. “Are you alright?”

Xu Suining touched her stomach, then smiled at him with her eyes crinkled. “I’m fine. Just got scared by the gunshot.”

As she moved, his eyes fell on her belly. His expression shifted slightly before he turned to Li Zhiguo, who had gone to check the wild dog. “What happened?”

Li Zhiguo gave the dead dog a kick, frowning. “Commander, I think it’s a dhole. It’s got a big tail.”

Huo Qingshan crouched beside it and examined it carefully, frowning. “Once we’re back, bring two military dogs to the family compound.”

Hearing the word “dhole,” Xu Suining walked over curiously. It did look like a dog, but its ears were smaller and its tail fluffy, with a jet-black tip.

She asked, “Are there dholes in the mountains?”

Huo Qingshan didn’t answer, but Li Zhiguo spoke up quickly. “There are wolves and wild boars here too. Deeper in the mountains, there are bears. But animals usually don’t come down.”

Xu Suining shivered. It made sense. The environment was likely better now and there were fewer people, so wild animals were more active.

Huo Qingshan stood and ordered, “Get the entrenching tool from the car. Bury the dhole in the woods.”

Li Zhiguo responded and ran to get the shovel.

As Huo Qingshan turned, Xu Suining noticed a patch of red soaking through the shoulder of his military uniform. She gasped, “Huo Qingshan, your shoulder is bleeding.”

He had felt it too. His wound had reopened during the urgency of firing the gun. The recoil had aggravated it.

Xu Suining stepped in front of him, with concern on her face. “Did the wound tear open? It’s still bleeding. You need to get it treated now.”

She hadn’t noticed earlier that his injury was on his shoulder. Didn’t it hurt?

He really could endure pain.

Huo Qingshan replied coolly, “It’s nothing. Just a minor wound.”

He watched as Li Zhiguo returned with the shovel and began digging a pit to bury the dhole. Afterward, he reminded him, “Once we’re back, spread some lime over it. We don’t want bacteria spreading.”

Li Zhiguo nodded, tamped down the dirt, then looked up and noticed the blood on Huo Qingshan’s shoulder. “Commander, let me take you to the medical unit.”

This time, Huo Qingshan didn’t refuse and got into the car with him.

Xu Suining quickly grabbed her basket and jumped into the back seat. “I’m coming too.”

She wanted to see how serious the wound was, then figure out how to prepare some nutritious meals to help him recover.

At the medical unit, while the doctor changed the dressing, Huo Qingshan told Li Zhiguo to go back and carry out his earlier orders. Noticing Xu Suining hovering at the doorway, he pressed his lips together and didn’t bother telling her to leave.

He realized she had developed a habit of filtering his words. She only heard what she wanted to hear and did what she wanted to do.

Huo Qingshan turned his back to the door so the doctor could tend to the wound.

Xu Suining was startled by the jagged wound on his shoulder blade. From the shape, it looked like a through-and-through injury from a bullet. These kinds of wounds were the hardest to heal.

As the doctor finished cleaning and began wrapping the gauze, Xu Suining found herself distracted by Huo Qingshan’s physique.

Bronze skin, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and clearly defined back muscles—his entire body exuded strength.

She had lived alone until she died at twenty-six, and had never seen such an attractive body at such close range.

She even had the urge to reach out and touch it to see if his abs were really as hard as chocolate bars.

Once the doctor finished wrapping the gauze and helped Huo Qingshan with his uniform, he said, “Commander Huo, you can’t strain this wound again. Luckily, it only tore a little this time.”

He turned to Xu Suining at the door. “Sister-in-law, make sure he eats something nutritious to help it heal.”

Xu Suining’s eyes sparkled as she lifted the basket. “Don’t worry. I’ve already bought everything. I’ll start cooking as soon as we get home.”

The doctor was momentarily stunned. He’d seen Xu Suining before, but she had never seemed this warm or cheerful. He nodded. “Good. A healthy diet will help him heal faster.”

As Huo Qingshan buttoned up his uniform and turned around, he frowned slightly at Xu Suining. Her unrestrained gaze just now had felt like it might burn a hole in his back.

Now her eyes were bright again, but this time with a hint of mischief.

Xu Suining lifted the basket again. “Shall we go home?”

This time, Huo Qingshan didn’t refuse and walked out with her.

Just as they left the clinic, Xu Suining remembered something. “Wait a second. I’ll go ask the doctor if there’s anything you shouldn’t eat.”

Huo Qingshan was about to say no, but she had already trotted off with the basket. She came back a little while later, smiling brightly.

Her basket was now filled with more gauze, cotton, and Yunnan Baiyao.

Smiling at him with her eyes curved, she said, “Now we won’t have to bother Dr. Chen every time. I can change your bandage at home.”

Huo Qingshan ignored her sunny expression and slightly furrowed his brow. “Let’s go.”

On the way back, Huo Qingshan slowed his pace to make sure Xu Suining could keep up without getting tired.

She noticed that he wasn’t just quiet around her, he was naturally serious and spoke very little.

But that was alright. She liked to talk.

As they walked, she asked, “Can I pick the wild herbs from the orchard across from the medical unit?”

Huo Qingshan didn’t understand why she was suddenly interested in foraging. People usually only ate wild herbs during food shortages, and they weren’t very tasty—often bitter or dry.

Still, he answered, “Yes. Just don’t damage the fruit trees.”

She had already spotted a shepherd’s purse, dandelion, and purslane growing in the orchard.

People weren’t interested in wild herbs anymore because they’d eaten too much of them in hard times. To most, wild vegetables were a symbol of poverty.

But she loved them.

When they reached the family compound, there was already a military dog tied at the gate, and a soldier stood guard.

Huo Qingshan told Xu Suining to go ahead while he stayed back to speak with the guard.

After she left, he instructed the soldier to be vigilant for wild animals. If necessary, he had permission to shoot.

Just as he saluted the guard and turned to enter the compound, he heard a crisp voice behind him.

“Brother Huo, wait! I need to talk to you…”

It was Feng Shunhua.