After hearing this, Xiao Li was about to persuade him further, but before he could speak, his commander called out again.
“Xiao Li…”
A trace of hesitation flashed through Shen Siyuan’s eyes. He rubbed his forehead and finally instructed,
“Go to the cafeteria and get another meal. Deliver it to the family housing compound.”
After a moment’s thought, he added,
“Go to the small cafeteria and ask Master Liu to prepare it.”
The unit’s small cafeteria offered food that was both tastier and more varied than the regular dining hall where the soldiers usually ate.
Of course, it was also more expensive.
Only leaders or soldiers looking to treat themselves once in a while would go there.
The reason Shen Siyuan made this arrangement was simple:
He was worried that He Ruchu, who had been pampered since childhood, wouldn’t be used to the food from the regular cafeteria.
And then she would use it as an excuse to make a fuss and cling to him.
After all, there seemed to be nothing that woman wouldn’t do.
Xiao Li froze.
His eyes were full of confusion.
“Commander, deliver it to the family housing compound? Which house? To whom?”
The news of Shen Siyuan’s marriage had not yet been made public.
And because He Ruchu had slept the entire ride to the base that morning, very few people even knew she existed.
“My house.”
Xiao Li was even more confused.
His commander had always lived alone.
There wasn’t anyone at home.
So who was he supposed to deliver the food to?
Seeing him still standing there blankly, Shen Siyuan glanced at him and said sternly,
“Why are you still standing there? Go!”
“Y-Yes, Commander!”
The questions Xiao Li wanted to ask were immediately swallowed back down.
With a stomach full of curiosity, he hurried away.
At the family housing compound.
After cleaning the bedroom, He Ruchu began unpacking and organizing her luggage.
In her previous life, she had been a doctor so busy that she was rarely home.
Housework had always been handled by a cleaning lady.
Thinking about it, it had been a long time since she had worked this hard.
After finishing everything, she collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion.
That man probably had a cleanliness obsession too perhaps even worse than hers.
The house was so spotless that she didn’t know how to describe it.
And he likely had a strong sense of order as well.
Every item in the house seemed to have a designated place.
She had arranged the room according to those habits.
Her plan was to start with small details like these.
Little by little, she would change his impression of her and repair their relationship.
Most importantly, she needed to gain his trust as soon as possible so she could treat his illness.
After staying up late reading medical books the previous night, she felt she had begun to understand his condition.
Still, she believed it would be wiser to consult a specialist before deciding on a treatment plan.
The problem was that she couldn’t think of the right person to ask.
Lying face-down on the sofa, she pondered the matter for a while.
Then her eyes drifted to the clock sitting on a cabinet nearby.
It was already almost one o’clock.
No wonder she was hungry.
It was practically past lunchtime.
Earlier, while cleaning, she had checked the kitchen.
The large kitchen was completely empty.
It was obvious that the man didn’t have a habit of cooking at home.
He Ruchu actually wanted to cook for herself.
But a clever cook can’t prepare a meal without ingredients.
With no other choice, she decided to go out and find something to eat.
Just as she was about to change clothes and leave, a knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
At first, she thought Shen Siyuan had returned.
But when she opened the gate, she found a young soldier standing outside.
The soldier stared at her and froze.
His mouth fell open.
“My heavens… Am I hallucinating in broad daylight?”
The corners of He Ruchu’s lips twitched.
“Hello, comrade.”
“Hiss!”
Xiao Li sucked in a sharp breath.
So it wasn’t a hallucination.
There really was a woman in the commander’s house.
And not just any woman a beautiful woman who looked like a fairy.
His eyes lit up immediately.
“Hello, comrade. May I ask who you are?”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, he secretly wondered whether this fairy-like young woman was the sister-in-law their commander had found for them.
Probably.
Otherwise, why would the commander have sent him here with food and specifically instructed him to get it from the small cafeteria?
Wow.
Who would’ve thought?
Their commander always looked as cold as a stone, yet he actually knew how to care for someone.
In just a few seconds, countless thoughts ran through Xiao Li’s mind.
Unaware of all this, He Ruchu hesitated.
She wasn’t sure how Shen Siyuan viewed their relationship.
Not wanting to create unnecessary complications, she chose not to reveal their marriage.
Since the soldier referred to Shen Siyuan as “Commander,” he was probably one of his subordinates.
So she said,
“Are you looking for Shen Siyuan? He’s not here. He went to the base.”
“No, no, no…”
Xiao Li waved his hands repeatedly.
“I’m Commander Shen’s aide, Xiao Li. The commander asked me to bring you lunch.”
As he spoke, he handed over the food container.
Although he was dying to know what relationship this beautiful woman had with his commander, he decided not to ask.
If she really was his future sister-in-law and he offended her, the commander would probably skin him alive.
A flash of surprise appeared in He Ruchu’s eyes.
She hadn’t expected Shen Siyuan to arrange lunch for her.
Given how much he seemed to dislike her, she had assumed he would simply ignore her.
This unexpected gesture was a pleasant surprise.
Not bad.
A very good start.
Accepting the food container, she smiled politely.
“Thank you. Sorry for making you go through the trouble.”
“No trouble at all. It’s my job.”
Xiao Li scratched the back of his head shyly.
Not only was the fairy beautiful, she was also gentle and polite.
She was much nicer than the women from the performance troupe who constantly chased after the commander.
Those women were always so proud and arrogant.
They barely even glanced at ordinary soldiers like him.
Unlike this fairy, who spoke to him kindly and even thanked him.
Based on that alone, she deserved to become their sister-in-law.
The word nearly slipped out of Xiao Li’s mouth.
“Sister ”
He quickly corrected himself.
“Comrade, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back and report to the commander.”
He Ruchu shook her head.
“Nothing else.”
After watching the young soldier leave, she hummed a cheerful tune and headed back inside.
Having someone deliver food was wonderful.
No need to go out at all.
After washing her hands, she eagerly opened the lunch container.
The meal was even more lavish than she had expected.
Braised pork ribs.
Stir-fried pork with green beans.
Tomato and scrambled eggs.
Cold cucumber salad.
And steamed white rice.
Each dish was served in moderate portions, carefully separated by the rice.
For this era, it was undoubtedly a luxurious meal.
He Ruchu’s opinion of a certain someone immediately rose several points.
This male lead was definitely husband material.
As she happily enjoyed the delicious food, she became even more determined to cure Shen Siyuan.
A male lead like him absolutely could not spend the rest of his life as one of the girls.
Back at the base.
The moment Xiao Li returned, he rushed straight to his commander’s office.
“Commander, I’ve delivered the meal exactly as instructed.”
Shen Siyuan had just finished his work and was eating lunch.
Hearing this, he simply nodded.
Xiao Li rolled his eyes thoughtfully before continuing.
“The person who opened the door was a beautiful young woman. I handed the food to her.”
“I didn’t deliver it to the wrong person, did I, Commander?”
Shen Siyuan lifted his gaze and glanced at him.
“No.”
That was all Xiao Li needed.
Unable to hold back any longer, he gathered his courage and blurted out,
“Commander… that beautiful comrade is our sister-in-law, isn’t she?”