Chapter 23: Could It Be She Talked in Her Sleep?

“Mmm… Gu Shiqing, you…”

Gu Shiqing heard Lin Banxia murmuring his name in her sleep. He was momentarily stunned, then a smile bloomed across his handsome face.

His wife even dreamed about him—she truly had him in her heart.

Though the morning bugle hadn’t sounded yet, Gu Shiqing, after enduring such a night of torment, could no longer sleep.

He gently moved Lin Banxia’s leg that was resting on top of him, but the next second, her body clung to him again.

This time, it was even more outrageous—she directly latched onto his side like a koala.

Gu Shiqing: “…”

After several careful attempts, Gu Shiqing finally managed to pry her arm off of him.

He got out of bed as quietly as he could and began washing the clothes he had changed out of last night. Lin Banxia’s undergarments had already been washed the previous evening after her shower and were currently drying in the courtyard, so he only had to take care of the outerwear.

Once he finished washing the clothes and saw that it was about time, he went to the dining hall to fetch breakfast.

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When Lin Banxia woke up, she discovered that Gu Shiqing was no longer in bed. It wasn’t until she stepped into the courtyard that she realized the laundry had already been done.

Just then, Gu Shiqing returned with breakfast: “You’re awake? I just went to the dining hall to get breakfast. There’s no wonton soup in the army, so I got some porridge and buns instead.”

Seeing Gu Shiqing instantly reminded Lin Banxia of the dream she had last night—where she had done all kinds of things to him in her sleep. The embarrassment hit her hard.

A flush crept up her cheeks.

Her already fair skin took on a rosy hue, giving her a healthy, radiant look.

Mumbling a vague response, Lin Banxia headed off to wash up.

After she freshened up, she sat down to eat breakfast. The steamed buns in the army were quite large and smelled delicious. Although they weren’t meat-filled, the cabbage and tofu stuffing tasted pretty good too.

Gu Shiqing didn’t eat like Lin Banxia, taking small bites—his style was quite the opposite. He took one huge bite and nearly devoured a third of the bun.

“Did you have a dream last night?” Gu Shiqing suddenly asked.

Lin Banxia paused mid-bite, cheeks turning red again. She instinctively denied it: “Huh? No, I didn’t. Why?”

Could it be… he heard her talking in her sleep? That would be way too embarrassing.

Just thinking about the dream from last night made Lin Banxia’s scalp go numb with awkwardness.

Gu Shiqing saw her denial and the blush on her face. He figured she was just shy and too embarrassed to admit she had dreamed about him.

So he said: “It’s nothing. I was just worried you might not sleep well on the first night in a new place. Some people have strange dreams when they’re not used to the bed.”

Hearing that, Lin Banxia finally breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and said: “No, no, nothing like that. I slept quite well.”

Gu Shiqing chuckled lightly and continued eating his bun.

After breakfast, Gu Shiqing said he had to go to the Division Commander’s office.

He owed it to the Division Commander for tipping him off about the recent events, and now that he was back at the base, he had to formally report in. There were also matters from a previous mission to follow up on, along with a few other things that needed coordination.

He told Lin Banxia: “I’ll be busy today. Tomorrow, I’ll have time to take you around the military base so you can get familiar with the area.

I already told Xiao Zhang about building a bathroom and toilet in the courtyard. He’ll bring the bricks and bring people over to start the construction. There’s soda and canned food at home—just treat them well when they come.”

“If you feel like going out today, I can also ask Sister Hou next door to take you around the west side so you can get to know the area.”

“No need, I’ll just rest at home today.” Lin Banxia replied.

Although Gu Shiqing had already told her last night that Sister Hou, who lived next door, and Battalion Commander Liu were both decent people, Lin Banxia still wasn’t used to going out with someone she didn’t know yet. That would just be too awkward.

“That’s fine too.” Gu Shiqing nodded and continued: “There’s a tradition in the army called ‘warm home’ hospitality.

Since you just came to join me as a military spouse, according to tradition, we need to prepare a meal and invite my comrades over for a gathering. I was thinking, why don’t we just go straight to the dining hall and ask the cooks there to prepare a table for us? That way, you won’t have to go through all the trouble.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” Lin Banxia nodded in agreement.

Who would want to tire themselves out if there’s an easier way? The only hardship she had ever endured in her life was during medical school.

Her grandfather used to say that the Lin family—regardless of whether they were men or women—had hands meant to save lives, not to busy themselves around the kitchen stove.

So Lin Banxia had never learned to cook, and naturally didn’t know how to.

Once Gu Shiqing finished giving all his instructions, he finally headed out.

After he left, Lin Banxia went back to bed for a second round of sleep. She had spent most of last night dreaming, barely getting any rest at all, so she figured she might as well catch up on some sleep.

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Meanwhile, on the road back from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Yu Juan happened to run into Zhou Shiyu.

She recalled that Zhou Shiyu had returned to the army this time with Gu Shiqing and Lin Banxia. Zhou Shiyu also seemed to be from Hu City?

If that was the case, then Zhou Shiyu probably knew a few things about Gu Shiqing and Lin Banxia.

With that thought, Yu Juan walked up and greeted her with a smile. “Nurse Zhou, what a coincidence!”

“Sister-in-law Yu, were you out buying groceries from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative?” Zhou Shiyu responded with a smile as well.

It was quite the coincidence. Yu Juan had been hoping to get closer to Zhou Shiyu in order to gather some information about Lin Banxia and Gu Shiqing.

What she didn’t know was that the very reason Zhou Shiyu had come to the Family Courtyard was to find an opportunity to “accidentally” leak some information about Lin Banxia. She knew perfectly well that since Lin Banxia had just arrived, plenty of people were curious and eager to learn more about her.

But if she were to speak up on her own, it would seem too deliberate.

If something ended up going wrong, she might get blamed. But if someone else came to ask and she then “accidentally” let something slip, what did that have to do with her?

Both women had their own agendas, and the conversation quickly moved to the main topic.

“Nurse Zhou, I saw you returned to the army this time with Battalion Commander Gu and his wife. Since you’re also from Hu City, did you already know each other?” Yu Juan asked.

Zhou Shiyu nodded. “Yes, we know each other. My uncle lives in the same compound as Battalion Commander Gu’s parents.”

“Oh, what a small world.” Yu Juan exclaimed, her face lighting up with delight.

She had actually hit the jackpot with this one!

But she didn’t dare show too much excitement—she was afraid Zhou Shiyu might catch on to her intentions.

So she continued asking: “Since Battalion Commander Gu’s wife just arrived at the base, we Military Wives are all curious about her. We don’t really know what kind of person she is. Since you know her, could you tell me a bit about what she’s like?”

Zhou Shiyu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she showed a hesitant expression.

In a timid tone, she said: “Sister-in-law Yu, please don’t put me in a tough spot. Even though Battalion Commander Gu and I came from Hu City together and I’ve heard some things about his wife, I’m afraid that if I say something wrong and upset Sister-in-law Lin, it’ll just create trouble.”

The implication of those words was clear—Lin Banxia wasn’t easy to get along with. Say the wrong thing, and she’d get offended. Who did she think she was?

Zhou Shiyu’s words immediately piqued Yu Juan’s curiosity.

“What could be so hard to talk about? Did she do something she’s trying to keep under wraps?”

Judging by this reaction—there had to be some juicy news!