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Jiang Ning and Sister Li left the house, each carrying a lunchbox.
The weather in September had cooled down, and the autumn breeze was refreshing and crisp.
Along the way, they encountered many people returning home from work to eat.
Sister Li seemed familiar with everyone, exchanging a few words with passersby.
Although she greeted people from time to time, her pace never slowed.
Jiang Ning admired her efficiency.
Occasionally, curious glances were cast their way, and Jiang Ning responded with polite smiles.
With Sister Li leading the way, Jiang Ning only needed to be a smiling presence behind her.
The people of this time were simple and straightforward, without many hidden agendas, their thoughts and feelings clearly visible on their faces.
In any case, those who managed to greet Sister Li along the way would often compliment Jiang Ning on her beauty.
Who doesn’t like to be praised?
Jiang Ning was beautiful and knew it.
At that moment, in the military camp, at the regiment commander’s office,
Commander Li glanced at the man who said he was sleepy and wanted to take a short nap in his office.
Commander Li couldn’t understand, “I don’t get it. Why don’t you go home to sleep? Why sleep here? You’ve been training all morning. Aren’t you tired or hungry?”
Shen Mo sat upright in his chair, eyes closed, resting.
He was indeed tired and hungry, but he didn’t want to eat at the mess hall.
After eating his wife’s cooking for a few days, the food at the mess hall tasted bland and unappetizing. Last night, he didn’t go home for dinner and reluctantly ate at the mess hall again. It wasn’t bad, but he had no appetite.
He lingered at the camp for a while before returning home, only to find himself unable to sleep with a warm, soft beauty in his arms, while the girl in his arms slept soundly.
So, early in the morning, he got up to make breakfast and hurried back to the camp for the bell training, spending the entire morning exhausting himself.
Commander Li knew he wasn’t asleep and started a conversation with him, “I heard there were a lot of complaints on the training ground today. What’s going on with you? You’re acting a bit strange.”
He had to respond to the commander’s question, “Training them is for their own good…”
Before he could finish, Commander Li cut him off, “To give them an extra life on the battlefield.”
Just as he finished speaking, a head poked through the door of the commander’s office.
Commander Li frowned, “I’ve told you many times, knock before entering.”
Yang Zhengtu grinned, “It’s lunchtime, you know. I usually knock properly at other times.”
Then he looked at Shen Mo, who had been training them hard that morning. Yang Zhengtu felt a bit intimidated by Shen Mo but, representing the hopes of his comrades, he said, “Deputy Regiment Commander Shen, the brothers… I mean, the comrades sent me to ask when the training will start this afternoon so they can mentally prepare.”
Yang Zhengtu rubbed his hands together, looking expectantly, “If we could start training an hour later, that would be the best.”
Shen Mo gave him a cold look, “Tell them to start training half an hour earlier.”
“Ah?” Yang Zhengtu looked up in surprise, met Shen Mo’s indifferent gaze, then lowered his head, “Oh.”
Yang Zhengtu then turned and left, his body weary.
He had failed his comrades’ expectations; he was a sinner.
Commander Li found Yang Zhengtu’s departure amusing and raised an eyebrow, “I have a feeling something’s off. Are you trying to exhaust them or yourself?”
Commander Li noticed the occasional hint of fatigue in Shen Mo’s expression. It was clear that even Shen Mo seemed to be struggling, yet he planned to train them rigorously in the afternoon.
Something wasn’t right; this was very unusual.
But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
Commander Li looked up at the clock on the wall and urged, “Go eat at the mess hall. My wife will be bringing me pig trotter soup soon, and I don’t want you drooling over it.”
Shen Mo nodded and stood up. Although he wasn’t hungry, he planned to spend some more time at the training ground.
He wished his wife could bring him food like Sister Li did for Commander Li.
Jiang Ning and Sister Li arrived at the commander’s office, chatting and laughing.
Jiang Ning had intended to ask any soldier where Shen Mo was, but Sister Li took her to the commander’s office, saying that Shen Mo could eat there and have a place to sit.
Commander Li was surprised to see Jiang Ning with his wife and immediately understood that she had brought food for Shen Mo when he saw the lunchbox in her hand.
He regretted sending Shen Mo away earlier.
Commander Li called his orderly and instructed him to fetch Shen Mo to the office.
Knowing that Jiang Ning had brought food because Shen Mo hadn’t gone home to eat, Commander Li carefully asked, “Little Jiang, have you and Shen Mo had any disagreements recently?”
“I don’t think so,” Jiang Ning thought carefully.
Commander Li, with a serious expression, emphasized, “Couples must resolve conflicts quickly, or it will affect their relationship.”
Sister Li defended Jiang Ning, “Don’t scare her with that stern face. Even if there was a disagreement, it’s probably Shen Mo’s fault. He didn’t go home for lunch, and yet Little Jiang cared enough to bring him food.”
Sister Li had wanted to mention how Jiang Ning had saved their daughter earlier, but just then, Commander Li’s orderly returned without Shen Mo.
The orderly reported, “Commander, Deputy Regiment Commander Shen sprained his ligament at the training ground and is currently in the infirmary.”
“A sprain?” Commander Li furrowed his brow.
The orderly was about to say something more when a strikingly beautiful woman appeared before him.
Jiang Ning felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety, “Please take me to the infirmary.”
The orderly was momentarily stunned but quickly looked at Commander Li for confirmation.
Commander Li had intended to go and check on Shen Mo himself, but with Shen Mo’s wife there, it wasn’t his place, “This is Deputy Regiment Commander Shen’s wife. Take her there.”
“Yes, yes, please follow me.”
The orderly led the way out of the office.
Jiang Ning took a couple of steps before remembering something. She turned back to pick up the lunchbox from the table before following the orderly.
Jiang Ning hurried after the orderly towards the infirmary, and he quickened his pace to match hers.
At the infirmary,
Shen Mo frowned as he looked at the female doctor standing before him. The doctor, wearing a mask, tried to undo his clothes to check the sprained area, but Shen Mo moved away.
“Please call a male doctor over,” Shen Mo said.
He remembered that most of the doctors at the camp infirmary were male. When did a female doctor appear?
The female doctor, seeing him avoid her, quickly removed her mask, revealing a fairly pretty face with a smile, “Shen Mo, it’s me.”
Shen Mo looked at the somewhat unfamiliar face, with no deep impression, and remained puzzled.
Seeing that Shen Mo didn’t recognize her, the female doctor’s eyes showed a fleeting disappointment, but she quickly rallied, “Do you remember the medical reserve team you saved at the original military district? I was a member of that team.”
In his ten years of military service, Shen Mo had saved too many people to remember.
He remained expressionless, “Sorry, I don’t have a clear impression.”
The female doctor’s disappointment was evident, “It’s okay, if you don’t remember, it’s fine.”
Then she extended her hand to Shen Mo, “Hello, let’s get to know each other now. My name is Yan Liyue, and I formally thank you for saving me.”
Shen Mo remained calm, “No need to thank me.”
Seeing that Shen Mo had no intention of shaking her hand, Yan Liyue awkwardly withdrew her hand and tried to recover, “I forgot about your shoulder sprain. Please take off your clothes so I can check it.”
Shen Mo frowned slightly. It was just a minor sprain and didn’t affect him much. He could apply some medicated oil himself. If his soldiers hadn’t seen him fall from the obstacle and insisted he go to the infirmary, he wouldn’t have come.