When Qin Mu came back, he carried a trace of dampness from the bath. Jiang Yao quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Feeling the other side of the bed sink, she instinctively shifted her body a little.
Qin Mu glanced at her back and, after a moment, said, “I’m going to Niuwei Mountain tomorrow.”
Jiang Yao’s eyes snapped open. She turned over and asked, “What did you say?”
Qin Mu didn’t answer, only looked at her meaningfully.
Jiang Yao didn’t care about the awkwardness anymore. She asked eagerly, “You’re really going to Niuwei Mountain?”
“Mm. I’ll be gone for a few days. The housewarming meal will have to be postponed. The regiment commander’s wife next door is coming back from visiting family tomorrow. Sister Chen has a good personality—if there’s anything you don’t understand, go ask her.”
“Oh…” Jiang Yao licked her lips, as if wanting to say something.
Qin Mu added, “Don’t cause trouble in the compound. If someone comes looking for trouble, don’t indulge them—but don’t let them push you around either. I’ll back you up.”
Hearing that, Jiang Yao pulled the blanket over herself and turned her back to him.
“In your eyes, am I someone who causes trouble?”
Qin Mu paused, looking at the back that only showed him the edge of the blanket.
“I’m just worried you’re young and might be misled into being used by others.”
He had never patiently explained himself to anyone like this before. Saying it out loud now made him feel oddly uneasy.
Jiang Yao turned back to face him. “Qin Mu, being young doesn’t mean I’m ignorant. I’ve experienced more in the production team than you think.”
She wasn’t the type to be overly competitive or ambitious. What she cared about was eating, drinking, having fun, making money, and living her own life well.
Other people’s affairs had nothing to do with her. She wouldn’t play the saint, nor would she meddle unnecessarily.
Her dark eyes were bright in the night, serious and clear. Qin Mu was momentarily stunned.
“Alright.”
Satisfied with his answer, Jiang Yao lay flat again. Noticing she had more blanket under her, she pulled a portion and handed it to him.
“I pulled it over earlier—use it yourself.” Then she muttered, “This blanket is too small. Tomorrow I’ll sew on an extra section.”
A three-meter blanket should be enough for two people, right?
She had a habit of hogging the blanket. She didn’t know if she had done it these past few nights—she didn’t want him catching a cold because of her. That would make her feel guilty.
After all, she was living off him now.
When you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to lower your head.
Qin Mu spread out the bundled blanket and covered himself.
The next day, Jiang Yao woke up early to wash up and take a walk around the yard.
After feeding the chicks, she rinsed the soybeans again.
The old lady had been tired yesterday and was still asleep.
Qin Mu and Jiang Yao ate breakfast first.
“You’re leaving right after breakfast?”
Qin Mu responded with a soft “mm.” This mission was something he arranged under the pretense of mine-clearing, so he could only bring a small team.
If they really found something, it would count as merit. If not, no one could be blamed.
Jiang Yao stirred her porridge and quietly asked Xiao Hei if the exchange was done.
Xiao Hei: 【There is a bulletproof vest, but you can’t give it to him. It’s the latest model—the fabric alone is far more advanced than what exists now. Besides, you wouldn’t have time to sew it. If it gets exposed, what then?】
【…Alright, I was being naive.】
【Then I’ll give him a terrain map. You already told me the location, right? That shouldn’t count as cheating.】
Qin Mu wondered inwardly: She can even draw a terrain map?
After breakfast, he finally saw the map. It marked not only the mountain heights and rivers, but also some unknown little triangles. The style was… rather unusual.
He pointed at them. “What are these?”
Jiang Yao casually made something up. “Just small mounds—easier to remember. The exact location is here, don’t go the wrong way.”
Seeing Qin Mu studying the map seriously, she let out a sigh of relief.
【Good thing I reacted quickly.】
Xiao Hei: 【Hmph. If he notices there are no mounds in some places, what will you do? Those spots you marked are all tombs.】
Jiang Yao: 【Then I’ll just say I marked them wrong.】
Her mind worked quickly, and she immediately came up with a rebuttal: 【I’m already his wife. Would he really punish me for that? I wouldn’t agree to it, and neither would Grandma. I still have to give him children.】
【We’re tied together. If I go to jail, he goes too. If it comes to it, I’ll give birth to his child behind bars.】
Xiao Hei: 【Pfft—Sister Yao, calm down. I was just saying. If he finds out, we can just give him a memory-erasing potion.】
It didn’t dare imagine Jiang Yao being pregnant while making Qin Mu work for her during her “transformation.”
Jiang Yao: 【Oh right, I forgot about that. Fine! If he doesn’t behave, I’ll make him drink a bottle.】
Qin Mu: ……
“Keep the map. I’m leaving.”
Jiang Yao: ???
“You’re not taking it? What if you get lost?”
“I’ve memorized the route. Hide your map well—don’t let anyone with ill intentions find it.”
“Oh… then… have a safe trip.”
“Mm.” Qin Mu glanced at her. Meeting her clear, crystal-like eyes, he couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle her hair.
“Behave at home.”
After Qin Mu left—
Jiang Yao: 【I think he meant to say ‘be good,’ but his vocabulary is limited, so he didn’t know the word.】
Xiao Hei: 【Can you stop flattering yourself?】
Jiang Yao: 【Is it so hard to admit he’s starting to care about me? I’m such an excellent and virtuous wife.】
Xiao Hei: 【……】
Jiang Yao was the type to bloom with a little sunshine—and flood with a little rain.
Seeing Xiao Hei ignore her, she quietly went to the wardrobe, took out her underwear, and carried a basin into the bathing room.
Thinking about the money she’d soon be earning, she felt extremely pleased, even humming while washing clothes.
When Song Yulan woke up and didn’t see Qin Mu, she asked if he had gone to work.
Jiang Yao told her that Qin Mu had gone on a mission and that the housewarming meal would be delayed.
“Did he eat before leaving?”
“Mm.”
After taking a sip of porridge, Song Yulan worried that Jiang Yao might feel upset since they had just started to grow closer, so she comforted her:
“Yaoyao, as a military wife, Xiao Mu doesn’t just belong to this small family—he belongs to the country. They say without a country, there is no home. Don’t be upset that he can’t stay with you.
Grandma knows you’re a sensible girl. When it comes to national duty, personal feelings have to come second.
But don’t worry—right now, I’m here with you. In a few years, when Xiao Mu gets promoted, he’ll have fewer missions and more time for the family.”
Jiang Yao nodded obediently. “Grandma, I understand.”
After eating with her, Jiang Yao took a blanket and discussed sewing an extra section onto it.
“You two can’t even share a two-meter blanket?” Song Yulan looked at her skeptically.
Jiang Yao answered honestly, “Grandma, I hog the blanket when I sleep. I’m afraid Ah Mu will get cold.”
“Then let Xiao Mu hold you while you sleep. If you can’t move, you won’t steal the blanket.”
“I know you two are still getting used to each other, but one of you has to take the initiative. Just tell him you’re cold—he’ll definitely hug you to sleep.”
“This kind of thing gets easier after the first time.”
Jiang Yao: ……