Just as Huo Qingshan was about to refuse, Xu Suining spoke again. “My stomach hurt a bit in the middle of the night, and it still hurt this morning. If something really happens, there’d be no one around.”

Her words were half true, half exaggerated, but Huo Qingshan believed her. After a moment of silence, he nodded. “I’ll go get my bedding later. I’ll stay in the outer room once it’s cleaned up.”

Xu Suining thought that was good enough. Him moving back in was already a huge step forward. Everything else could come slowly.

She went over to look at the newly built stove. The mud coating was smooth and even, but it looked a little dirty. If she put plates down in the future, they’d get dirty easily. She turned to Huo Qingshan. “Do you have a bluestone slab this big? If we put one on top, it’ll stay cleaner.”

Huo Qingshan saw how serious she looked and nodded again. “I’ll go look by the river later. The stove needs two days to dry before it can be used.”

Xu Suining was happy. “No rush, I’ll go cook. You can rest in the courtyard.”

There wasn’t time to stew the pork trotters, so she had already salted them and planned to cook them for lunch tomorrow.

Tonight, she would just make flatbread, a pot of porridge, and a cold wild vegetable salad. Healthy and tasty.

Yesterday, Huo Qingshan had eaten scallion oil flatbread at Yan Jianzhang’s place and thought it was quite good.

But Xu Suining’s was even better. Her flatbread was more fragrant, with pork lard cracklings inside, crispy and rich. Even the wild shepherd’s purse salad was flavorful.

He hadn’t expected Xu Suining to cook so well.

He hadn’t eaten her cooking before, so he had no idea.

Xu Suining made only three flatbreads, with oil paste and pork cracklings inside. They were chewy and delicious but didn’t keep well once cold.

She ate one. Huo Qingshan ate two. The wild vegetable salad was just a small plate—enough for one meal.

After two good meals, Xu Suining felt her body regaining strength, even though her mind seemed sharper.

While Huo Qingshan did the dishes, she went to tidy the small bed by the wall, clearing away the clutter on it.

Neither of them said a word, but the atmosphere was peaceful for once.

At the Yan household, Yan Jianzhang was on duty at the regiment tonight and didn’t come home.

Feng Chunhua made some corn flatcakes and cooked a pot of plain noodle soup with no oil.

During dinner, she looked at the silent Feng Shunhua and couldn’t help lecturing her again. “Shunhua, I know exactly what you’re thinking. If I can see it, the people in the courtyard can too. If others start talking behind your back, how will you ever get married?”

Feng Shunhua mumbled, “I never said I wanted to marry someone else.”

Feng Chunhua glared. “What did you say? Are you out of your mind? You dare say anything now? If not someone else, who do you want to marry? Huo Qingshan?”

Feng Shunhua couldn’t hold it in anymore. In a moment of impulse, she said, “Sister, believe it or not, before I came here I had a dream. In the dream, I married Huo Qingshan.”

Feng Chunhua looked at her like she was sick. What kind of ridiculous story was that? “You must be crazy. Even if Xu Suining and Huo Qingshan got divorced, you’re only eighteen. You’d be willing to marry a man ten years older who’s already been married?”

Feng Shunhua frowned. “Sister, you don’t have to believe me. But Huo Qingshan will be a high-ranking officer in the future. If I marry him, I’ll be an officer’s wife.”

Feng Chunhua still didn’t believe it. She thought Feng Shunhua was just fantasizing. “You think it’s easy to become a high-ranking officer? Huo Qingshan is just like us. He came from the mountains. Making it to regiment commander is already impressive. Without connections or background, how can he keep rising?”

“Look at your brother-in-law. He’s been a political commissar for years. He’s getting older and still hasn’t been promoted. If it doesn’t happen soon, he’ll have to retire and go back home.”

After living in the military compound for so many years, she understood a few things. Either you’re highly educated and have excellent military skills, or your family has power. Those types get assigned to tough areas to ‘earn credentials’ for a couple of years before transferring out.

Although Huo Qingshan was skilled and had a strong reputation in the Northwest Military Region, he didn’t have a strong academic background. That was a big disadvantage.

Without that, it was hard to climb the ladder. How could he become a top-ranking officer?

Feng Shunhua didn’t know how he had pulled it off in his last life, but she was certain her memory wasn’t mistaken.

She had seen it on TV.

The people in the military compound were exactly the same as they were in the last life. Nothing had changed.

Seeing that Feng Shunhua couldn’t explain herself, Feng Chunhua said again, “I’ll say this one more time. If you start having thoughts you shouldn’t have, I’ll send you home. I think Xu Suining had a good idea—find a young man around your age here in the regiment.”

Feng Shunhua stared at her sister in disbelief. “Xu Suining gave you that idea?”

Feng Chunhua nodded. “Yes. She probably noticed something too. Let me tell you, Xu Suining has been educated. Educated people are sharp. Don’t try to act clever in front of her.”

Feng Shunhua felt another wave of frustration. Fine. She’d stay quiet for now. She didn’t believe Xu Suining could truly change her fate from what it had been. That she wouldn’t die this time.

‘’…’’

Xu Suining wanted to take a bath. She had eaten more today, the house was hot, and she had sweated a lot now that her health was improving.

She thought about it. The only place with a bathhouse was over at the command office. In the winter, people went there. In summer, they just washed at home.

The original Xu had never been to the bathhouse. She always heated water at home to bathe.

Xu Suining pulled a big metal basin from under the bed, took it to the courtyard to rinse it out, and got ready to bathe quickly while Huo Qingshan was at the dorm getting his bedding.

She dragged the basin back into the inner room, mixed the water, and started by washing her hair. After rinsing it out, she poured the water away, then brought in more water to wash the rest of her body.

After all that, she was sweating again.

She quickly washed up and felt completely drained. She heard movement outside—it was Huo Qingshan returning.

She dried herself, put on clean clothes, and wrapped her wet hair in a towel. She thought about asking Huo Qingshan to help dump the water, but remembered his shoulder was injured. Better to carry it out herself, one basin at a time.

Just as she opened the door with the basin in her hands, Huo Qingshan was stepping in. They nearly bumped into each other.

Huo Qingshan stepped back. He saw her with a towel wrapped around her head, her small, pale face exposed, eyes still damp and looking fresh.

She wore a floral sleepwear set. The collar was a bit damp, sticking to her fair skin, revealing a smooth curve of her collarbone.

Huo Qingshan froze, then quickly looked away. “Want me to pour that out?”

Xu Suining smiled. “No need, your shoulder’s injured. You should rest. I can take care of it in a few trips. It won’t take long.”

She walked past him with the basin.

As she passed by, Huo Qingshan caught a faint scent of soap and flowers. He quickly turned toward the cot by the wall and started tidying it.

His hands were working, but his mind was restless. He was surprised that he was starting to be affected by her.

Xu Suining finished pouring the water, cleaned the basin, and pushed it back under the bed.

As she came out towel-drying her hair, she asked, “Do you have time tomorrow morning?”

Huo Qingshan turned to look at her, just about to ask what she needed.

Then he saw her raising her arms to towel her hair. The movement pressed her chest forward.

She wasn’t wearing anything under her clothes.