Chapter 100

Shi Tingyu glanced at Lu Weiguo and said, “I can handle things here. You go chat with your comrades.”

Lu Weiguo didn’t go over. He saw those comrades every day and there wasn’t much to talk about.

He walked over to the regimental commander’s wife, who was tending the fire, and said, “Sister-in-law, why don’t you take care of the other things? I’ll handle the fire.”

Seeing Lu Weiguo’s straightforwardness, the regimental commander’s wife gave up her place for him.

The other wives smiled without saying a word when they saw this.

Feng Wei noticed Lu Weiguo was missing and asked, “Where did Old Lu go?”

The regimental commander’s wife happened to bring some fruit over and said, “You mean Xiaolu? He’s in the kitchen, tending to his wife.”

Feng Wei was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

Captain Zhao joined in the laughter, “I never knew Xiaolu could be so clingy.”

Feng Wei added, “You haven’t seen him with his wife. Old Lu really knows how to care for people.”

The regimental commander’s wife admired Lu Weiguo, “You all should learn from Xiaolu here. Treating your wife well keeps the family harmonious.”

The others nodded in agreement.

In Captain Zhao’s domain, they dared not contradict the regimental commander’s wife.

Lu Weiguo often tended to the fire for Shi Tingyu before, and they cooperated well. Sometimes he knew whether the fire should be stronger or weaker without Shi Tingyu needing to say anything.

The other wives watched in admiration.

In their hearts, they couldn’t help but compare Lu Weiguo with their own husbands.

Their husbands, who seemed fine before, now seemed somewhat lacking.

As dish after dish was served, the aroma filled the air, distracting everyone’s thoughts.

The wives helped wash pots and serve dishes. With just a glance from Shi Tingyu, they handed the dishes to her.

Shi Tingyu was truly cooking herself.

When all the dishes were ready, the regimental commander’s wife felt a bit embarrassed and said to Lu Weiguo and his wife, “Xiaolu, originally we were supposed to treat you to dinner. I didn’t expect you both to end up working hard instead.”

Lu Weiguo said, “It’s alright, not tiring.”

Of course, when he said “not tiring,” he meant for himself, not his wife.

It’s not that he insisted on helping; he just couldn’t bear to see his wife working alone.

He wasn’t used to his wife just watching while he worked.

Whether the task was heavy or light, whenever she worked, he wanted to be there with her, even if he couldn’t help much.

Now it was getting late, and everyone’s appetites were whetted by the delicious smells. When the dishes were served, Captain Zhao promptly invited everyone to eat.

He also specifically thanked Shi Tingyu.

Shi Tingyu’s dishes were really delicious, and everyone praised them endlessly.

The regimental commander’s wife kept complimenting her.

Lu Weiguo piled a lot of food into Shi Tingyu’s bowl, and Captain Zhao looked on with a satisfied smile.

He had been worried that Xiaolu and his wife might have some issues due to his promotion, but now it seemed he could rest assured.

After the meal, they chatted, and Captain Zhao briefed them on the new regimental commander, Han Anbang, who was coming to take over.

“This time, Han Anbang from the northwest is taking my place. He’s strict in military matters and fair in personal dealings, though he’s a bit sharp-tongued. He doesn’t mince words, but he’s a good person at heart.”

When Lu Weiguo heard Han Anbang’s name, his eyes lit up. He knew Captain Han, having cooperated with him in a battle on the Yue Sate battlefield. Their personalities clicked.

Captain Zhao also mentioned the promotion of Chen Qiang to deputy regimental commander.

The original deputy regimental commander was being transferred with Captain Zhao, and as for Chen Qiang’s position as battalion commander, they were bringing someone over from another military district since none of the current battalion commanders had enough experience.

It would take about a month for the person to arrive.

Details were still unclear.

With all the matters settled, Captain Zhao dismissed them.

But before leaving, he asked Lu Weiguo and his wife to stay.

Shi Tingyu was a bit puzzled. She understood why Lu Weiguo was asked to stay, but why her?

Captain Zhao asked them to sit down and first addressed Lu Weiguo.

“Weiguo, you’ve been indispensable in catching spies these few times, and you’ve helped a lot when you were young. Before I leave, I’ve arranged for you to be recognized. Work well in the camp. With my position now, you’ll be sitting in it sooner or later.”

Lu Weiguo nodded, “Rest assured, Commander, I’ll do my best.”

Captain Zhao patted his shoulder reassuringly and then turned to Shi Tingyu, “Xiaoshi, about the matter I mentioned to Weiguo last time regarding giving lectures to our camp’s soldiers, what do you think?”

Shi Tingyu thought about what Lu Weiguo had mentioned to her last time and replied, “I’m okay with it.”

At the time, Captain Zhao had just mentioned it briefly, and after Lu Weiguo asked Shi Tingyu about it, the matter got forgotten due to the interrogation of Wei Jian.

Back then, Captain Zhao was busy with his own affairs and hadn’t brought it up again.

Smiling at Shi Tingyu’s response, Captain Zhao was a patriot; anything beneficial to the country was worth trying out. He turned to Lu Weiguo, “Let’s leave the selection of lecturers to you, with the assistance of the Second Battalion Commander.”

Lu Weiguo had no objections to this. He would personally vet the candidates and could trust himself in this task.

The lectures were scheduled for December, allowing time for the selection process.

Shi Tingyu had no objections to this plan.

After they returned, Shi Tingyu began preparing materials for the soldiers’ lectures. During work breaks, she organized her knowledge relevant to military life, compiled and bound it into teaching materials.

During the sorting process, if there were uncertainties, Shi Tingyu discussed them with Lu Weiguo. The final materials they prepared satisfied them both.

One day, Shi Tingyu heard a broadcast calling for someone to pick up a package.

Calculating the timing, she realized it was likely her royalty payment. She took her ID and went to the gate of the family housing area.

Sure enough, the deliveryman handed her a remittance slip.

“Teacher Shi, this is a remittance slip from Beijing Art Publishing House, along with a letter.”

Shi Tingyu took the letter and quickly glanced at the amount on the remittance slip—12,000 yuan exactly.

This time, she acted quickly to sign for it, shielding the amount from curious onlookers.

Even without seeing the amount, those around her knew it wouldn’t be a small sum.

In terms of earning money, Shi Tingyu was undoubtedly the most skilled in the family housing area.

Initially, some had mocked Lu Weiguo for marrying a woman who seemed to be a burden due to her family background. Now, everyone envied Lu Weiguo for his good fortune.

The deliveryman looked at the military wives with an inscrutable expression, speculating on how much Shi Tingyu’s royalty payment might be—some guessed eight or nine hundred, others said one or two thousand.

The highest estimate was five thousand.

He thought to himself, “Five thousand? You all underestimate Teacher Shi.”

After returning home, Shi Tingyu opened the letter.

It detailed the publication arrangements for the second story of “Loyal Dog.”

Following the evaluation by the publishing house, the initial print run would be two hundred thousand copies, with a royalty rate of 12% based on the reprint of the first story.

The price for the picture book would remain the same as the first, fifty cents.

Once Shi Tingyu agreed, they could proceed with the printing process.

In other words, Shi Tingyu would earn another twelve thousand yuan for the second story of “Loyal Dog.”

So far, the two stories of “Loyal Dog” had brought her a total income of twenty-nine thousand yuan, almost catching up to their annual savings from the Shi family.