“This…”
Liu Shutong was stunned as well.
So all that commotion had been over a basket of duck eggs!
Now that the worry weighing on his heart had finally lifted, he couldn’t help complaining.
“Xiao Qin, if the children want something to eat, just submit a request to the logistics department. Don’t take the children into the mountains by yourself again. There are plenty of wild animals in those mountains—bears, wolves, and who knows what else!”
Wanting to frighten Qin Yue’e a little, Liu Shutong deliberately made it sound more serious than it was.
Qin Yue’e, however, didn’t seem particularly concerned. She simply smiled.
“I won’t do it again, Commander Liu. Next time I want to go somewhere, I’ll report it to the unit first. I’ll also tell Sister Wei. I was just lucky this time and didn’t run into anything dangerous!”
But the moment she finished speaking, Huo Guangji’s cold, gloomy voice came from beside her.
“Just because you didn’t run into anything today doesn’t mean you won’t next time. Was it really worth it, risking yourself over a few lousy duck eggs?”
His eyes were fixed on Qin Yue’e’s palm, which was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and they seemed almost ready to spit fire.
If she didn’t have enough food, she could have told him.
He was standing right here, alive and well.
How had things gotten to the point where she had to risk going into the mountains alone just to find a few duck eggs?
“They aren’t lousy duck eggs!” Qin Yue’e replied expressionlessly. “I picked them up one by one from the stream.”
She knew Huo Guangji looked down on these things.
A man who could casually pull more than ten yuan out of his pocket naturally wouldn’t consider such everyday necessities important.
But to her, they were extremely important.
If she could raise ducklings for the unit, she’d become useful to them. Then, even if she eventually fell out with Huo Guangji, she could rely on her contribution from raising ducks to stay at the unit with her children and at least have enough to eat.
Otherwise, given her current situation, she would be sent back to her registered hometown.
And if she returned to that terrible husband’s family, her children would once again have to live from one day to the next without any security.
How could someone like Huo Guangji possibly worry about such things?
Not wanting to argue with him anymore, Qin Yue’e turned to Liu Shutong and smiled apologetically.
“Commander Liu, I’m sorry. I promise this won’t happen again. From now on, I’ll report it to the unit before going anywhere!”
Seeing how cooperative she was, Liu Shutong couldn’t bring himself to scold her further.
He simply told her to go to the medical clinic and have her injured hand treated.
Qin Yue’e nodded and left with the two children.
Huo Guangji watched her retreating figure and ground his teeth in frustration.
This woman really is…
“Why are you still standing there?”
Liu Shutong glared at him.
“Go after her!”
Huo Guangji’s expression became slightly unnatural.
Although he really didn’t want to follow her, his long legs had already started moving before he could stop himself.
As soon as Qin Yue’e returned to the room, she quickly put down the duck eggs hanging from her waist and set the two children down as well.
Perhaps because she’d been eating more over the past two days, she surprisingly didn’t feel particularly tired after the trip.
It seemed she had already grown accustomed to the physical limitations of this body.
Xiao Zhuyue and Xiao Qingfeng obediently crouched nearby, watching Qin Yue’e hold each duck egg up to the kerosene lamp one by one.
After checking them, she divided the eggs into two groups.
“Mommy, was Daddy angry just now?” Xiao Zhuyue suddenly tilted her head and asked. “Why was Daddy angry? Does he not like the duck eggs we brought home?”
The moment her daughter mentioned Huo Guangji, Qin Yue’e’s anger returned.
Her tone immediately became unpleasant.
“He eats enough by himself and doesn’t have to worry about anyone else. How would he understand how hard other people have to work?”
She couldn’t help complaining.
The moment she finished speaking—
Bang!
The guesthouse door was suddenly pushed open.
Huo Guangji stood in the doorway with a dark expression, holding disinfectant, gauze, and other supplies for treating wounds.
“How don’t I care about how hard you work?”
His cold, hard voice made Qin Yue’e shiver.
He strode into the room, tossed the medical supplies onto the table in front of her, and held out his hand.
“Hand.”
“Huh…?”
Qin Yue’e was suddenly enveloped by his large shadow and didn’t react in time.
The next moment, Huo Guangji had grabbed her hand.
“What are you doing?! Ah—!”
She instinctively tried to pull away, but he abruptly removed the makeshift cloth wrapped around her hand.
The pain made her cry out.
“You’re already the mother of two children, yet you’re still this delicate. If you don’t want to lose the use of this hand, bear with it!”
Although his words were harsh, Huo Guangji’s movements slowed.
He carefully removed the cloth from Qin Yue’e’s hand.
The sight of her palm, scraped raw and covered in torn flesh, made his brows furrow.
This foolish woman.
She doesn’t have the skills for it, yet she still went into the mountains like some kind of hunter.
Her hand is practically ruined!
He soaked a cotton swab with purple antiseptic and gently wiped it across her wound.
Qin Yue’e’s palm trembled from the pain.
She was just about to groan when she remembered the cruel things he’d said earlier.
She bit her lower lip and stubbornly swallowed the sound.
Damn it. I’m not going to cry out in front of this lousy scumbag!
Seeing how hard she was trying to endure the pain while gripping the edge of the table so tightly that her knuckles had gone white, Huo Guangji couldn’t help the slight upward curve of his lips.
What a foolish woman.
I told her to endure it, and she really is enduring it.
His movements became even gentler.
After carefully cleaning the bits of stone and torn flesh from her palm, he thickly applied the Yunnan Baiyao he’d brought from the medical clinic, then carefully wrapped the wound with gauze.
By then, Qin Yue’e was sweating heavily from the pain.
She had nearly damaged the corner of the table from gripping it so hard.
Suddenly, a porcelain enamel mug appeared in front of her.
There was a faint fragrance of osmanthus floating from the water.
Qin Yue’e froze and looked up.
“Osmanthus honey? Where did you get this?”
“Old Wu from logistics made it himself. It’s a family recipe that’s been passed down in his family, and it’s pretty good. You just happened to be lucky today. Drink it.”
Huo Guangji’s tone remained indifferent.
He placed the mug on the table and began cleaning up the medical supplies.
Qin Yue’e suspiciously glanced at him.
What’s gotten into this scumbag today?
He’s actually giving me honey water?
Before she could figure it out, the two little children had already come over.
They stood beside Qin Yue’e, their big eyes fixed eagerly on the mug.
Their little faces were full of longing.
Qin Yue’e couldn’t help laughing.
She quickly brought the mug to the children’s mouths and gently said,
“Don’t rush. There’s enough for everyone.”
“Wow! It’s so sweet!”
“Ah-ba, ah-ba—”
The two little ones each took a tiny sip and immediately squinted their eyes happily.
But after that one sip, they refused to drink anymore.
Xiao Zhuyue pushed the mug back toward Qin Yue’e.
“Mommy is hurt. Mommy should drink!”
Qin Yue’e’s heart softened.
She reached out and rubbed her daughter’s head.
“Okay! Xiao Yue is such a good girl!”
After taking a sip of the osmanthus honey, Qin Yue’e felt as though even the pain in her injured palm had eased slightly.
During a famine, anything sweet was an extraordinary luxury.
Unfortunately, before she could fully savor the sweetness, Huo Guangji’s cold voice interrupted her.
“If you don’t have time to look after the children in the future, you can bring them to me. No matter what, I’m their father. I can take care of them too.”
Qin Yue’e immediately understood.
Ha! I knew it!
I was wondering why this scumbag suddenly became so kind today.
So he’s actually here to try to take the children away from me!