Chapter 50

Shi Tingyu couldn’t take Feng Wei’s efforts for granted, thinking she should do something in return.

Suddenly, she remembered the beef she had bought today.

She decided to make some spicy beef jerky later, for Lu Weiguo to take and share with Feng Wei as a token of gratitude. It was only fair, considering how Feng Wei had come to their aid wholeheartedly amidst the rumors surrounding them.

What Feng Wei said about the responsibilities of an instructor was spot on. Generally, unless things escalated, few instructors would voluntarily involve themselves in such matters.

However, without an oven now, making beef jerky would have to wait. She needed to build a bread oven first.

She had seen designs for bread ovens online and decided to sketch out her own. Drawing was her forte, and her perspective and structure were precise enough for Lu Weiguo to understand at a glance.

Looking at the list of materials needed on paper, Lu Weiguo said he could get them tonight.

Shi Tingyu wasn’t in a rush; even after the bread oven was built, it would need some time to dry before use. A day or two more wouldn’t matter.

When Lu Weiguo returned, he pushed a small cart loaded with red bricks.

Shi Tingyu was extremely surprised. “Where did you get these from?”

“I got them from our platoon leader. He’s due for a promotion and planning to move, so he’s preparing to renovate his courtyard.”

Their platoon leader Captain Zhao, who lived in a former family housing unit, found it too small after moving in. With his promotion, he planned to relocate to a bigger yard.

“You got these bricks, but won’t they be missed there?” Shi Tingyu didn’t want their leader to struggle because of a few bricks.

“It’s fine. We didn’t take much, and Captain Zhao’s place has plenty.”

In fact, when Captain Zhao found out Lu Weiguo needed some bricks, he almost sent him a whole cartload.

Thus, Shi Tingyu prepared dinner while Lu Weiguo, guided by her descriptions and drawings, began laying the foundation for the bread oven.

Whenever he had doubts, he’d ask his wife in the kitchen.

The two of them worked swiftly.

They built the bread oven on the west side of the corridor, sheltered by the eaves, so they weren’t worried about rain.

Today, they laid two layers of red brick as the base, covered them with slate, and let it set overnight. The next day, they’d bring back yellow clay to continue.

Dinner was lavish; having just returned from town with a variety of ingredients, Shi Tingyu put extra effort into preparing a sumptuous meal. After all, in this heat, ingredients didn’t last long.

Luckily, there were some vegetables in the yard that could be picked.

This was largely thanks to the spiritual spring water in the space, which made the vegetables grow faster than normal.

Now was the season when these vegetables were on the market, so no one paid much attention to their rapid growth.

Shi Tingyu also noticed that some of the vegetables stood out, much larger and stronger than the others.

From her observations, these exceptionally thriving vegetables grew in spots where they had originally been exposed to the space’s soil.

Back when she first planted them in the space, some soil had inadvertently stuck to the farm tools she used.

This demonstrated how the combination of the space’s spiritual spring water and soil was an extraordinary phenomenon.

She compared these vegetables to those grown outside the space and found the ones from the space were of better quality and grew faster.

She had already had a hunch about all this, thanks to her readings in novels.

Two days later, Shi Tingyu heard from Lu Weiguo that the person spreading rumors had been identified.

It was Lu Wenbin’s mother.

Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, wondering what grudge or resentment could lead Lu Wenbin’s family to involve her, especially since she had refused to make funeral clothes for them.

She asked, “So how was it handled?”

Lu Weiguo glanced at her, somewhat worried that she might get angry. “I’ll tell you, just don’t get mad.”

“I’m not that easy to anger, you can relax,” she assured him.

Seeing that she was calm, Lu Weiguo continued, “Lu’s mother was criticized and educated because she’s not a military person. She was sent back after a stern talking-to. However, since the information originated from Lu Wenbin, he received a warning and had to retake a security course.”

Shi Tingyu was surprised; this punishment wasn’t light.

Leaving aside Lu’s mother, just the fact that Lu Wenbin received a warning was quite serious, not to mention having to retake a security course. At his level, such a warning was embarrassing and could affect his future military career. At the very least, he would carry a disciplinary mark and likely face delays in promotion unless he made significant contributions.

But opportunities for instructors to make major contributions were scarce.

If the punishment escalated to more severe disciplinary actions, it could even affect his future career path.

Shi Tingyu felt the punishment was already quite severe, but Lu Weiguo seemed to think otherwise. His concern wasn’t directed at Lu Wenbin but rather at Lu’s mother, who played a crucial role in the incident.

Remembering what his superior had told him, Lu Weiguo added, “Tomorrow after you finish work, I’ll pick you up.”

“Is there something going on?” Shi Tingyu asked. Her work hours ended earlier than Lu Weiguo’s training.

Lu Weiguo finally smiled a bit. “Tomorrow, we’re going to the camp. Both Lu Wenbin and his mother will publicly apologize to us in front of the leadership.”

Shi Tingyu had thought the punishment phase was over, but she hadn’t anticipated there would be an apology too.

“Alright, I’m fine with that,” she replied.

Lu Weiguo looked at her with a softened gaze. “I wasn’t happy about them apologizing publicly, but I want to leave some dignity for Instructor Lu.”

Shi Tingyu didn’t mind either way, as long as the other party faced consequences.

Because of this incident, Lu Wenbin was publicly criticized in the camp, and the next day, almost everyone in the family compound heard the news from their own men.

When they looked at Shi Tingyu again, some people’s eyes shifted away. After all, among the residents of the family compound, some had spread the rumors. Though they had been excited at the time, thinking they had discovered a great gossip, they now realized the harm their words could cause.

Just a few days ago, they had thought Shi Tingyu might have talent and beauty, but now they wouldn’t dare to say anything openly.

On the same day Lu Weiguo went to pick up Shi Tingyu from work, the results of the “Most Beautiful Elementary School in Jinling City” contest were announced.

Their military district’s administrative school won by a wide margin.

Principal Ren walked with an air of pride.

Originally, Lu Weiguo had planned to take Shi Tingyu with him to the award ceremony, but he heard from the leaders that the city’s radio station and newspaper wanted to interview them, so he gave up on the idea.

“What’s the point of interviewing us? If they want an interview, they should come to our school in person,” he thought.

When the time came for Teacher Shi to appear on camera, her looks and talents would surely impress.

This way, their school would also gain fame. Seeing those murals, there might even be photos of their school in the newspapers.

The more he thought about it, the more excited Principal Ren became, immediately calling the leaders to share his thoughts.

In the end, the leaders accepted his suggestion.