The winds in Yacheng were still strong in March, and the mornings and evenings remained chilly. If the sun stayed hidden behind the clouds, it was even colder.
Fortunately, today was a mildly sunny day. The bashful sun kept ducking behind the clouds, making a long-sleeved shirt just right.
Shen Niao and Wu Qingchuan walked into the state-owned restaurant.
It was still a little early for lunch, so there were no customers yet. Several waitresses were gathered together chatting.
The moment they saw someone enter, Wu Qingchuan’s navy uniform seemed to have its usual effect. One of the waitresses immediately came over enthusiastically.
“Comrades, what would you like to eat?”
Her Mandarin was just as awkward as everyone else’s, and Shen Niao only understood about half of it.
Wu Qingchuan ordered without hesitation.
“White-cut Wenchang chicken, braised Dongshan goat, Hele crab, coconut stew, sour melon and bamboo shoot fish soup, and Hainan chicken rice.”
After listing the dishes, he set their things down and looked up, only to find Shen Niao resting her chin on her hands, staring at him without blinking.
His lips pressed together slightly as he sat down with his usual serious expression.
Unable to resist, Shen Niao spoke first.
“Commander Wu, I think this is the first time I’ve heard you say so many words all at once.”
“Were you always this sparing with words ever since you were little?”
The original Shen Niao had devoted all her attention to Wu Chengzu, so she knew very little about Wu Qingchuan. She only knew the Wu family had an eldest son she’d never met.
Even in the novel, he was barely mentioned—a complete cannon fodder character.
She wasn’t asking because she wanted to know him better. They were just waiting for the food, and sitting there in complete silence felt awkward.
“Yes.”
Wu Qingchuan answered calmly.
He had never been talkative as a child. He’d joined the army at a young age with only one goal—to earn military merit. Combined with the military’s emphasis on efficiency and brevity, he had gradually become even quieter.
“No wonder you’re like an iceberg. So you’ve been a little ice cube since childhood.”
She teased him mercilessly.
“They say that if you don’t talk enough, your language skills start to deteriorate.”
“One day you’ll just open your mouth and go ‘Ah… oh… uh…’ and won’t even be able to speak properly.”
She deliberately imitated someone whose speech was slurred, her expression lively and adorable.
As Wu Qingchuan watched her, a trace of amusement flashed through his eyes before he even realized it.
After a short wait, the dishes arrived one after another.
When Shen Niao had claimed she’d never tasted the local specialties, she’d been lying.
In her previous life, Yacheng had been a famous tourist destination, and she’d visited several times.
Following travel guides she’d found online, she’d sampled plenty of the local cuisine.
She had eaten nearly every dish now sitting on the table.
But when she picked up a piece of Wenchang chicken and took a bite, she was genuinely amazed.
It tasted far better than what she’d eaten in her previous life.
Thinking about it, that made perfect sense.
The chickens raised in this era were superior in both breed and feed compared to the mass-produced broiler chickens of the future.
Besides, state-owned restaurants weren’t like the countless restaurants of later generations. A town usually had only one or two. Any head chef who could stay employed there was naturally highly skilled.
The rest of the dishes were equally delicious.
Shen Niao became so absorbed in eating that she barely looked up.
As they ate, more customers gradually entered.
By the time Shen Niao was nearly finished, she had slowed down, leisurely taking small bites.
Wu Qingchuan ate quickly and wasn’t nearly as refined as she was. He had finished long ago and was patiently waiting for her.
Seeing her nibbling absentmindedly, he made no move to hurry her.
Just then, a young man and woman entered the restaurant.
The woman looked about eighteen or nineteen, her face puffed up with dissatisfaction.
The man behind her was also dressed in a navy uniform like Wu Qingchuan.
The moment he spotted Wu Qingchuan, he immediately walked over and gave him a military salute.
“Commander Wu! You’re here for lunch too!”
As he spoke, his gaze landed on Shen Niao, and he momentarily froze.
“This is…?”
Wu Qingchuan returned the salute.
“My fiancée.”
Shen Niao smiled brightly.
“Hello.”
Liu Xiaojun was briefly captivated by her smile before quickly forcing himself to look away.
He had intended to chat with Wu Qingchuan a little longer when he heard Wu Qingchuan ask,
“Xiao Shen, are you finished eating?”
Shen Niao put down her chopsticks and stood.
“I’m done.”
She turned to Liu Xiaojun with a smile.
“If you don’t mind, you can take this table. The waitress will clear it up soon.”
The restaurant was already full, and their departure would free up a table.
“Thank you very much.”
Shen Niao laughed.
“It wasn’t my seat to begin with. No need to thank me. Just good timing.”
“Then we’ll be going.”
With that, she left alongside Wu Qingchuan.
As they passed Liu Xiaoling, she even nodded politely to her.
After the two of them exited the restaurant, Liu Xiaoling turned to her brother.
“Brother, who were they? You called him Commander Wu. Was that Wu Qingchuan?”
She hadn’t been on the island long, but she’d already heard of Wu Qingchuan.
Rumor had it that among all the regimental commanders, he possessed the greatest military achievements. If not for his age, he would have already been promoted another rank. As soon as he met the age requirement, promotion was practically guaranteed.
“But… is he getting married? I’ve never seen him in the family compound. And why did he choose a fiancée like that? She looked just like some fox spirit.”
Thinking of the woman’s flirtatious smile, Liu Xiaoling immediately disliked her.
In her opinion, such an outstanding regimental commander shouldn’t marry a woman like that.
Liu Xiaojun immediately scolded her.
“Watch your mouth. Is that something you should be saying?”
He had heard bits and pieces of the situation before.
Recalling the woman’s dazzling beauty, he couldn’t help but think that even the aloof Commander Wu was still just an ordinary man after all.
Normally, he acted cold and untouchable.
Yet when it came to choosing a wife, he was no different from anyone else—he’d chosen a beautiful one.
Then again…
If it were him, he’d gladly marry such a gorgeous wife too.
Still unhappy after being reprimanded, Liu Xiaoling muttered,
“I’m not wrong. Besides, she doesn’t know how to manage a household. There were only two people eating, yet they ordered so many dishes.”
The table had been completely covered with expensive dishes.
Liu Xiaojun sighed helplessly.
“What’s that got to do with you? Besides, they finished everything.”
Soldiers had large appetites.
Most of those dishes had undoubtedly gone into Wu Qingchuan’s stomach.
Thinking about food made Liu Xiaojun regret requesting special permission to bring his mother and younger sister to live with him.
The two of them were simply too stingy.
Before they arrived, he ate at the mess hall every day and was always full.
After they came, he could never eat enough.
No matter how much he tried to explain, his mother refused to listen.
Whenever he said anything, she’d burst into tears.
She’d cry about how his father had died early, how she’d struggled to raise the two siblings by herself, how she only dared drink rice soup so they could have enough to eat.
Then she’d accuse him of not respecting his own mother and insist she was only trying to save money so he could afford to get married.
The problem was…
His salary was more than enough.
Not only could he eat his fill, he could easily support three more people.
Unable to win against his mother, Liu Xiaojun had no choice but to secretly eat at the military mess first before returning home for another meal.
His comrades often teased him about it.
Since the dishes really had all been finished, Liu Xiaoling sat down sulkily.
Then she remembered what had happened at the supply and marketing cooperative.
“Brother, you have to find the person who stole my job and make her give it up. And Chen Yumei deserves a good scolding too. She handled this terribly. Brother, you absolutely can’t marry her into our family.”
She spoke viciously.
After arriving at the cooperative and learning that someone else had been hired before her, and that Director Zhao had already sent the paperwork to the county, she’d thrown a complete tantrum.
If she ever found out which shameless person had stolen her job, she’d beat that woman to death.
Liu Xiaojun’s expression also darkened.
A position that had practically been guaranteed had suddenly been snatched away, and he wasn’t pleased either.
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely find out who it was.”
“As for Chen Yumei…”
“Since your job still isn’t settled, we still need her for the time being.”