Lu Jiansen strode quickly toward his little wife and placed the still-warm meal box into her hands.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Gu Xiaoxi looked up at him. “Why are you here?”

Lu Jiansen explained in a gentle voice, “Our mission was completed ahead of schedule, but Anshui County still needed support, so we came straight here.”

“Then how did you know I was here?” Gu Xiaoxi asked curiously.

He hadn’t even returned home, yet he knew where she was.

Lu Jiansen raised his hand and ruffled her hair. “The Third Battalion was stationed here for a mission. They saw you.”

He also knew that his little wife had been cleaning wounds, bandaging injuries, and even suturing wounds exceptionally well—so well that many people had praised her!

“Eat first,” Lu Jiansen reminded her.

Gu Xiaoxi stuffed the meal box back into his hands. “You definitely haven’t eaten yet. You eat it yourself! I just had a bun and some malted milk.”

Besides, with so many military wives around, it didn’t feel right for her to be the only one eating.

Lu Jiansen seemed to understand her thoughts. He turned to the other military wives and said, “Many of the disaster-stricken areas lost their food supplies, and dry firewood is hard to find. The mess hall has been affected, but when I came over, they were already preparing to send food to the medical camp.”

Li Guifen laughed heartily. “No worries. We’re not that hungry yet. You guys eat first!”

Anyone could tell that Battalion Commander Lu hadn’t eaten at all—he had just brought food over for his wife.

The others smiled knowingly but said nothing.

Li Ming, on the other hand, looked somewhat frustrated. Why was it that every pretty girl was either taken or already married?

He knew exactly how Battalion Commander Lu—nicknamed “Lu the King of Hell”—had earned his reputation, so he didn’t dare look at Gu Xiaoxi again. Instead, he made himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Meanwhile, Fu Yao, who believed she had suffered an emotional betrayal, was staring at Gu Xiaoxi with resentment as she walked away with Lu Jiansen.

Why?

Why had that man gone on leave for just a few days… and returned married?

But Gu Xiaoxi had stopped caring about Fu Yao the moment Lu Jiansen had treated her so coldly.

When she opened the meal box and saw that it contained half sweet potato rice and half egg fried rice, she was surprised.

Lu Jiansen said softly, “The sweet potato rice was made by the mess hall. The egg fried rice was made by your brother—he found some bird eggs and cooked it. Try it.”

A warmth filled Gu Xiaoxi’s heart. She took a couple of bites of the egg fried rice, then a couple of bites of the sweet potato rice, before stopping.

“Hurry up and eat. Do you have another mission tonight?”

“We have a four-hour rest period.”

Gu Xiaoxi sighed. “Only four hours? Then hurry up, eat, and get some rest.”

“Okay.” A faint smile flickered in Lu Jiansen’s eyes, and he obediently ate his food.

Truthfully, he had just wanted to check on her—to make sure she was adjusting well, that she wasn’t struggling, and that she wasn’t feeling wronged.

After finishing his meal, Lu Jiansen didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he sat with his little wife outside the tent.

Gu Xiaoxi glanced at her New Product Display Hall and found that the only edible item inside was a few White Rabbit milk candies.

She took out the candies, unwrapped one, and popped it into Lu Jiansen’s mouth before slipping the rest into his pocket.

Lu Jiansen looked at her helplessly and put the candies back into her pocket. “Keep them for yourself.”

“You don’t like sweets? If you don’t, I’ll give them to my brother.” Gu Xiaoxi stuffed the candies back into his hands.

She made up her mind—from now on, she would stock up on more food in the New Product Display Hall.

Lu Jiansen gently rubbed her head and said in a deep voice, “It’s not that I don’t like them. Whatever you give me, I like.”

Gu Xiaoxi raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then hurry and get some rest! Only with proper rest will you have enough energy.”

Although Lu Jiansen was reluctant to leave, the temperature at night was low, and he was worried she might catch a cold if she stayed outside the tent too long. So, he nodded.

“I’m leaving now. Take care of yourself. If the other wives return to the family quarters tomorrow, you should go back too.”

“Okay.” Gu Xiaoxi agreed readily.

Not long after Lu Jiansen left, food was finally delivered to the medical camp.

Gu Xiaoxi wasn’t hungry, so she found a corner, lay down, and fell asleep.

She didn’t know how long she had slept when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

Rubbing her eyes drowsily, she turned to look behind her.

Seeing that it was Director Chen along with a female doctor she didn’t recognize, she immediately stood up.

Director Chen smiled. “Don’t be nervous. I came with a temporary assignment for you. You’re capable of handling simple external injuries on your own and are very meticulous. How about serving as a field medic with the First Battalion for a few days?”

Gu Xiaoxi was slightly startled. “Can I?”

The First Battalion—that was Lu Jiansen’s unit!

Director Chen nodded. “Yes. Dr. Xu Jing will be going with you, but she’ll be stationed with the Third Battalion. If you encounter any cases beyond your ability, you can send the patient to her.”

“Yes! I will complete the task!” Now that she knew there would be another doctor nearby, Gu Xiaoxi immediately felt reassured.

Director Chen smiled slightly and turned to Xu Jing. “Take care of this girl, and be sure to stay safe.”

Xu Jing nodded. “Understood. Don’t worry!”

Just like that, Gu Xiaoxi carried a small medical kit and followed Dr. Xu, guided by a soldier, as they left the medical camp.

It was then that she noticed Sister-in-law Guifen and Sister-in-law Fengxia seemed to have also been assigned duties, as they were no longer in the tent.

She checked her watch and saw that it was 2:10 AM.

Xu Jing noticed her action and said softly, “The First and Third Battalions are searching for missing persons nearby. We’ll be stationed at a temporary camp not too far apart. If you need anything, just call me. Once you arrive, you can rest for a while.”

Seeing how gentle her tone was, Gu Xiaoxi started chatting with her.

“Dr. Xu, do you often take part in missions like this?”

Xu Jing smiled faintly. “I’ve done it before, but not often. This is only my second time.”

Then, as if something came to mind, she suddenly asked, “I saw some of your patients. Your suturing is very precise. Does your family have a medical background?”

Gu Xiaoxi chuckled. “Not really. I just used to get sick a lot as a child and spent a lot of time in hospitals. I watched many doctors treating patients. There was an old doctor whose suturing was incredibly neat, just like my grandmother doing embroidery—his hands were so skilled. I used to stare at him all the time.”

Xu Jing couldn’t help but laugh. “Then you have a natural talent for this.”

As they talked and laughed, the journey didn’t feel long. By 3:30 AM, they arrived at a fork in the road.

The soldier leading the way asked them to wait for a moment. Soon, someone came running from the left side of the road.

“Sister-in-law, come with me! Our battalion is over here.”

Gu Xiaoxi looked closely and saw that it was Li Kun. She turned to Xu Jing and said, “Then we’ll part ways for now. See you later.”

“Go on.” Xu Jing waved her hand and headed toward the right direction.

As Li Kun led the way, he spoke. “Sister-in-law, our Battalion commander took some men out. You can rest at the camp first.”

Gu Xiaoxi nodded and casually asked, “What about my brother?”

Li Kun cleared his throat lightly. “Captain Gu also went out for search and rescue.”

Gu Xiaoxi understood and didn’t ask further.

But when she arrived at the location, she found herself facing an open space with a single tent. Other than her and Li Kun, there was no one else around. She didn’t even know what to say.

“Sister-in-law, there’s a cot inside the tent and a military coat. Get some rest first. I’ll stand guard at the entrance.”

Being given such special treatment, Gu Xiaoxi felt a little emotional.

So, was Lu Jiansen worried she wouldn’t have a proper place to rest and had arranged this for her?