Chapter 33 Is This an Acquaintance?

“Let go.” Ming Leyao’s voice was cold. Fu Wencheng’s originally dim black eyes looked as if they had fallen into an abyss, staring at her intently, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

“You…” Fu Wencheng barely got out the first word before seeing the needle threaded with catgut in Ming Leyao’s hand. After a long silence, he said, “Don’t stitch it. I have a mission.”

“If you don’t stitch it, will your wound heal?”

“I trust your medical skills.”

Well, thanks for that. Though she wanted to roll her eyes, Ming Leyao knew this must be important. She naturally had goodwill towards soldiers and sighed, putting down the catgut thread, thinking of another way to treat the wound. After all, Fu Wencheng mentioned a mission… judging by his serious expression, it must be no ordinary task. Alright, for the prosperity of the motherland, she’d make an exception this time.

“I have a medicine here, very precious. It might be impossible to find a second batch in this world. It can help your wound heal faster. The ingredients are extremely rare; my teacher spent half his life gathering them… If it weren’t for the age of these herbs, it would just be ordinary hemostatic medicine.”

“Thank you.”

“Remember to pay.”

“Of course.”

Everything was understood without saying more. Ming Leyao pressed her lips, then took out a porcelain bottle from her pocket (actually from her space). Inside was a hemostatic concoction, but she had added Jinlian’s pond water, undiluted. She made this as a precaution—she hadn’t expected to use it herself, but now this man would benefit.

She wiped the blood around the wound clean, disinfected with alcohol, opened the bottle, and carefully dripped the medicine on the wound. Fu Wencheng felt the pain, then an itch—a sign that the wound was healing. Thinking this, his pupils dilated and contracted violently a few times before calming down. Of course, this calm was only on the surface; inside, his emotions were like raging waves crashing against his heart.

He became even more determined to protect this tough but soft-hearted little girl in front of him.

Fu Wencheng had multiple wounds; it took half the bottle to finish treating all of them. The bleeding stopped quickly and the wounds showed signs of healing. Ming Leyao was unfazed and wrapped the wound with bandages.

“All done.”

“Thanks…”

“You said the special training lasts three months, how come you’re on a mission after just one?”

“This is a type of special training…” Fu Wencheng was originally a top soldier—agile and explosive. He passed assessments easily, but he wanted more… he wanted to take one more step up the ladder, so that ‘that person’ would notice him. Only then could he provide a better life for the girl he liked.

Yes… after a month apart, Fu Wencheng was sure—he had fallen for Ming Leyao at first sight, love at first sight…

He wouldn’t say this to Ming Leyao, though. He could tell she treated him no differently than a stranger, which made him feel especially frustrated.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“A little.”

“Wait here.”

She reheated the porridge she cooked the night before, brought a big bowl to Fu Wencheng, helped him lean against the wall, handed him the bowl and chopsticks, then sat by the kang, watching him eat.

Ming Leyao’s gaze was clear and cool, neither warm nor cold, but it made Fu Wencheng burn all over. All his impulses sank down. He quietly changed his posture, trying to hide his embarrassment.

After finishing, Fu Wencheng complimented, “Really good.”

Ming Leyao… held back another urge to comment.

“Rest well. I’ll check your wound again early tomorrow.”

“Okay, um…”

“What?”

“Can you not tell anyone I’m healing here?”

“Sure.”

She agreed readily. After saying to call her if needed, Ming Leyao took the dog and left the west room, locking the door behind her and returning to her own room.

After a whole night, it was almost dawn. She was so sleepy her eyelids kept drooping. She lay down and soon fell asleep.

Fu Wencheng, on the other hand, was tossing and turning with countless thoughts. Thinking of the bright, beautiful face she had when he left, he was wide awake. Even his exhaustion and dizziness from blood loss couldn’t put him to sleep.

Indeed… beauty is distracting.

Ming Leyao, having only slept three hours, woke early, feeling energetic thanks to her good health. She followed her usual routine making breakfast and feeding the dog. Now with a man in the house, it was just an extra set of bowls—no disruption to her plans.

After breakfast, Fu Wencheng finally succumbed to fatigue and fell asleep. Ming Leyao left the dog at home, instructing it to guard the place well, then took her books to school.

At the new school gate, she saw the educated youth Liu Qiushuang and Fang Xian arriving for work. She greeted them with a smile.

“You’re here so early? No classes this morning, right?”

“Sigh, don’t mention it.” Liu Qiushuang shook her two braided pigtails, her face full of irritation. “This year there are only two spots for returning to the city. Out of a dozen educated youths in the commune, everyone’s fighting tooth and nail for those two. Seeing their faces makes me sick, so I just hid here.”

Ming Leyao understood. The educated youths from the city, after hard labor in the production team, had long lost their initial enthusiasm and determination. They only wanted to return to the city, thinking they’d have a better life. Little did they know, life in the city was even harder.

After being away so long, and with most families of seven or eight packed into small houses, returning youths found no place for themselves at home. City jobs were limited, and the chance of getting one was as small as a needle’s eye.

No place at home, no job to go to—finally they realized life on the production team wasn’t so bad after all. At least through hard work, they could eat. Life was tough, but everyone suffered in this environment.

“It’s always like this. Haven’t you gotten used to it?” Fang Xian’s dark face, thick eyebrows, and gentle look made him appear kind and uncompetitive. He never fought for a spot, so he never got a chance to return.

“This year it’s worse than ever,” Liu Qiushuang opened up, talking nonstop. She said the educated youths in the commune resorted to every trick. Just looking at their faces made her nauseous.