Seeing the bundle, the embarrassment in Jiang Li’s heart eased a little, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of her eyes.
“Thank you.”
She stepped forward, unwrapped the paper, and found freshly baked peach pastries inside.
They were soft yet slightly crisp, with a rich, inviting aroma.
She didn’t stand on ceremony and took a bite.
“By the way, have you eaten? I was planning to make dinner.”
Seeing Si Nanchén shake his head, Jiang Li placed the remaining half of the pastry on the table and clapped her hands.
“Perfect then. Some vegetables just sprouted in the yard today. They should taste fresh stir-fried. Let’s try them together.”
Watching Jiang Li walk straight into the kitchen and start busying herself, Si Nanchén’s gaze lingered on her back for two seconds before he quickly lowered his head, lightly tapping his fingers on the table.
In the kitchen, Jiang Li moved efficiently, cleaning the garlic sprouts she had grown, cracking a few eggs, and making a simple stir-fry.
Paired with a pot of millet porridge, the meal looked simple but smelled delicious.
Si Nanchén helped set the table and serve the food. The two sat across from each other, eating quietly.
The texture of the garlic sprouts combined with the fresh eggs made him unknowingly eat half a bowl more than usual.
Even the fatigue from just finishing his mission seemed to ease a little.
After dinner, night had fully fallen, and the room returned to an awkward atmosphere.
Now that Si Nanchén was back, the issue of sleeping arrangements could no longer be ignored.
There was only one bedroom and one bed in the house.
Although the bed wasn’t small, the thought of sharing it with him made Jiang Li frown.
She was just thinking about discussing a solution when Si Nanchén spoke first.
“I just finished a mission and still have some reports to organize. I need to go to the office for a while, probably quite late.”
“There’s a bed there. I’ll make do for the night. You should rest early and lock the door.”
He had also noticed that the yard had been tidied up and knew Jiang Li must be exhausted after the day.
Their relationship hadn’t reached the point of sharing a bed.
He didn’t want this issue to affect their rest.
Hearing this, Jiang Li immediately understood he was making an excuse to leave the bed for her.
Her earlier hesitation disappeared, though she felt a bit guilty.
But there was no better arrangement for now.
“Alright… you should rest early too. Don’t stay up too late.”
Si Nanchén nodded, picked up his military cap, and after glancing at Jiang Li from the corner of his eye, quickly walked out.
After leaving the compound, he returned to the unit and went straight to his friend Chen Jidong’s dormitory.
At that moment, everyone in the dorm was washing up.
Seeing him arrive, Chen Jidong immediately laughed.
“What’s going on with our Commander Si? Newly married, yet you’ve come to squeeze into the dorm with us?”
“Judging by this, were you driven out by your wife?”
They were long-time comrades and used to teasing each other.
Hearing this, Si Nanchén shot him an annoyed glance, grabbed a towel hanging nearby, and walked to the washroom.
“I’m just staying here for a night. I still have work to do.”
Seeing his stiff expression, Chen Jidong and the others who heard the commotion couldn’t help but laugh and join in.
“Commander Si, that excuse might fool a fool, but not us.”
“Yeah, what kind of work needs to be done in the middle of the night?”
“Too embarrassed to share a bed with your wife?”
“Who would’ve thought? Our decisive Commander Si is actually like this at home…”
“Commander, how’s the new sister-in-law? Getting along well? When are you bringing her to meet us?”
Surrounded by their teasing, Si Nanchén stood at the sink and splashed cold water on his face.
“She just arrived and isn’t used to things yet. We’ll talk about it after she settles in.”
“I say, are you guys looking to get beaten? Go to sleep already!”
As everyone returned to their rooms laughing, Si Nanchén turned to look at himself in the mirror, feeling inexplicably restless.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li lay on the spacious bed.
Exhaustion overtook her, and she soon drifted into a hazy sleep.
The next morning, she woke up and, as usual, washed up before heading to check the vegetable patch.
But as she approached, she heard a string of complaints.
“Oh, this is unbearable! Bad things, stop biting me!”
“Exactly, it’s so itchy!”
Following the voices, she saw small aphids on the leaves of several young radish seedlings.
She immediately understood, crouched down, and gently pinched off the bugs, then checked the other seedlings.
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t take good care of you. There are no more bugs now.”
Almost at the same time, the little voices sounded again, this time with relief.
“Ah, that’s much better. You’re so kind, no need to apologize!”
“Thank you! I feel fresh and healthy again!”
Watching the plants trembling their leaves, a smile unconsciously spread across Jiang Li’s lips.
But then she suddenly froze.
“You… can hear me now?”
Before, it had only been one-way communication. But now, when she spoke, the plants could respond?
The plants happily stretched out their tendrils, wrapping around her fingers.
Jiang Li narrowed her eyes. As her ability grew stronger, her connection with plants seemed to deepen as well.
At that moment, Si Nanchén returned from the unit.
He carried two lunch boxes—clearly breakfast from the canteen.
As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Jiang Li crouching by the vegetable patch.
Soft light fell across her face, making her look gentle and serene.
Her eyes were focused on the seedlings, her fingers lightly brushing over the leaves.
It didn’t look like she was tending plants, but rather caring for something alive and precious…
The scene made Si Nanchén stop unconsciously, unable to look away for a moment.
He couldn’t quite describe the feeling, only that it was comfortable and quietly beautiful.
The sound of neighbors approaching from behind snapped him back to reality.
He quickly stepped forward, opened the small gate, and placed the lunch boxes on the stone table.
“Looking so closely? You like tending to these?”
Jiang Li had been lost in thought. Hearing his voice, she came back to her senses.
Seeing it was him, she patted the dirt off her hands, stood up, and smiled.
“I do like it. When I was little, I used to talk to them. Maybe because they don’t compete or argue, and they can listen to me ramble, I naturally feel drawn to them.”
“Also, I used to work at a seed station back in my hometown. You could say this is my old line of work.”
Si Nanchén walked past her into the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks.
Hearing that, his movements paused slightly, as if deep in thought.
“By the way, I suddenly thought of something.”