Chapter 58

“Lijian is doing well in the Lu family. When Shi Tingyu came home for lunch, she would sometimes sneakily add Spiritual spring water to its meals while Lu Weiguo wasn’t home. Of course, she wasn’t sneaking meat into its food, just enhancing its lunch with spiritual spring water.

She didn’t expect the spiritual spring water to cure its disability, knowing it was congenital. Shi Tingyu simply hoped the water would make it stronger and smarter.

These days, the spiritual spring water wasn’t given in vain. Lijian grew rapidly, and by the time it finished summer break at the elementary school, it had grown to the size of a six-month-old.

Shi Tingyu also noticed that Lijian occasionally displayed strong aggression and obedience, always eager to help her in some way.

If Shi Tingyu didn’t give it tasks, the entire dog would seem a bit sluggish.

Shi Tingyu consciously began training it.

Lijian was unbelievably smart, seeming to understand her words, and very brave, seeming unafraid of anything.

Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but marvel that this Kunming dog was truly a purebred workaholic.

Now that Shi Tingyu was on summer vacation, with nothing much to do, she wondered if she should take it out for exercise every day.

Lu Weiguo strongly supported this idea.

“At noon, when you’re at the camp, I’ll take you both to the military dog training base, where Lijian can roam freely.”

Shi Tingyu thought about it and decided against it.

“It’s too hot now. Let’s wait until the weather cools down before I take it.”

Lu Weiguo agreed, “Okay, let’s wait for cooler weather then.”

As Lijian grew bigger, Shi Tingyu put a leash on it, one purchased by Lu Weiguo from the military dog team. It was a standard issue.

Now, Shi Tingyu found it a bit strenuous to walk Lijian, but thankfully, Lijian was obedient. After learning commands like ‘follow,’ ‘sit,’ and ‘lie down,’ it could generally follow orders.

But sometimes, when Shi Tingyu looked at the spiritual spring water given to Lijian, she felt uneasy.

Even Lijian could drink the spiritual spring water, but she didn’t dare give any to Lu Weiguo.

She thought about when she could start using spiritual spring water for him.

Although he looked healthy now, one time when she slept, she accidentally nestled against him and felt his clothes, later realizing that the feeling was uneven. It seemed that he had been injured on the battlefield.

After spending so many years on the battlefield, how could his body be unaffected?

However, before she made a decision on when to use spiritual spring water, Lu Weiguo would have to go on a mission.

When Shi Tingyu learned this news, she was dumbfounded.

The peaceful days had subconsciously made her forget that Lu Weiguo still had missions to attend to.

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave tomorrow morning. This mission shouldn’t take long,” Lu Weiguo quickly reassured her when he saw Shi Tingyu’s face change.

“Is it dangerous?” Shi Tingyu asked.

After asking, she felt like she had asked a redundant question. How could a mission not be dangerous?

It wasn’t just for soldiers like them; even police officers in local police stations could face danger when handling district tasks, let alone missions requiring a military official of Lu Weiguo’s rank.

She didn’t know what she could do to help him, but she stood up and said, “I’ll pack your clothes for you.”

Lu Weiguo grabbed her hand. “You don’t have to rush. I’ll take care of it myself when we leave for the task. There are rules for what we need to bring.”

Shi Tingyu was caught by him and was not sure what to do at the moment.

It was only when she was making dinner that she added some spiritual spring water.

She only hoped that this spiritual spring water would help his body and enable him to complete his best mission.

Lu Weiguo ate dinner and felt that the meal was particularly delicious.

“Wife, why do I feel that your cooking skills have improved again?”

“Shi Tingyu’s eyes flickered slightly as she said, ‘Maybe it’s because you’ll be away on a mission for several days and won’t get to eat like this. That’s why today’s meal tastes especially good.’

Lu Weiguo smiled and agreed, ‘You’re right. Then tonight, I’ll have to eat a bit more.’

When he said ‘eat a bit more,’ it wasn’t just a casual remark. Almost none of today’s dishes were left. Shi Tingyu even saved some soup for Lijian’s rice, otherwise Lijian would have nothing to eat.

After Lijian finished eating, Shi Tingyu took it out with Lu Weiguo to aid digestion.

When they returned, they washed up and went to sleep.

The bedside lamp was on, casting a dim yellow light inside. With the mosquito net shielding them, the light on the bed was even dimmer.

Shi Tingyu looked at Lu Weiguo lying with his eyes closed on the bed, a worry rising in her heart. She feared he might get injured on the mission, and just thinking about that possibility made her feel anxious.

Inside the quiet mosquito net, Shi Tingyu turned on her side and looked at Lu Weiguo’s distinct profile, asking softly, ‘Weiguo, are you asleep?’

Lu Weiguo slowly opened his eyes, reached out, and held her hand. His voice was deep, ‘Not yet. Can’t sleep?’

Shi Tingyu didn’t answer. She moved closer to him, almost touching his skin.

It was summer now, and both of them wore little clothing. Getting closer, their warmth enveloped each other.

Lu Weiguo’s body stiffened slightly.

He turned to look at her. In the dim light of the lamp, Shi Tingyu’s eyes seemed to hold a thousand words.

Her consciously initiated closeness was unprecedented.

At this moment, he seemed to understand what she wanted to do, yet he was uncertain.

Lu Weiguo’s chest surged, his heart racing, a faint sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He calmed himself down. Maybe her concern about his mission made her dependent, not what he had imagined. He tried to convince himself, then patted her hand and said, ‘Go to sleep. It’s late.’

Even if he had wanted what she imagined tonight, he couldn’t consummate their marriage with her.

He wanted her very much. Since confirming she was his wife, she didn’t know how much effort it took for him to restrain himself from thinking about that.

Before soldiers like him went on missions, many would be intimate with their wives just in case they didn’t return, leaving something behind for their families.

But he didn’t want that.

If he died, with her looks and talent, she could find someone else. With children, it would be a burden for her whole life.

When Lu Weiguo said ‘go to sleep,’ Shi Tingyu’s courage to bring it up faded.

She had planned to give herself to him tonight because he was going on a mission.

Whether out of concern or some affection for him, she felt she needed to do something to repay his usual care and protection.

But now it was not possible.

Looking at Lu Weiguo’s somewhat stern face, Shi Tingyu felt a warm feeling in her heart.

From his subconscious rejection, she understood his protection towards her.

He didn’t want to do anything with her when his life’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed. It was precisely because of this that she had a slight preference for this man.

Smiling, Shi Tingyu leaned her head against his chest and whispered softly, ‘Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow.’

This time, both of them were consciously aware, embracing each other, no longer an unconscious act in their sleep.

That night, they remained two separate individuals, yet their hearts were tightly intertwined.