Night fell, and the military district’s grand auditorium was brightly lit, buzzing with voices.
The annual military-family gala was one of the liveliest events at the Forward Base.
Officers and their families, having worked hard all year, gathered together to relax and bond.
The auditorium was already packed. The front rows were reserved for high-ranking officials and leaders, while behind them sat officers and their families.
Children ran and played in the aisles, and the air was filled with a festive, joyful atmosphere.
Su Hongxia and Lu Huaizhou sat in a quiet, unremarkable corner.
Today, Lu Huaizhou had donned a brand-new uniform; his shoulder insignia gleamed under the lights.
Even seated, with his mobility limited, he exuded an undeniable commanding presence.
Su Hongxia wore a blue dress she had altered herself. Its design was simple but perfectly fitted, making her fair skin and delicate features stand out.
She sat quietly beside Lu Huaizhou, curiously observing her surroundings, looking like a shy country girl visiting the city for the first time.
“Look! That’s Commander Lu’s silly wife!”
“She’s not bad-looking, but she seems so clueless. I wonder what she’ll perform today.”
“What else could she perform? Wang Sao already said it—she’ll probably get on stage and bark like a dog for our entertainment!”
The families around them whispered and pointed, their voices low but carrying clearly to Su Hongxia and Lu Huaizhou.
Lu Huaizhou’s expression darkened, and an invisible pressure radiated from him, causing the surrounding air to tense. He was about to react when Su Hongxia lightly pressed his hand, shaking her head, then handed him a Sachima wrapped in a handkerchief.
“Don’t be angry. Eat a piece—sweet,” she whispered.
Her eyes sparkled in the light, like stars had fallen into them.
Lu Huaizhou looked at her, and inexplicably, his anger melted away. He took the Sachima but didn’t eat it, simply holding it in his palm.
The gala began promptly.
One act followed another: singing, dancing, recitations. Though the quality varied, the audience’s excitement never waned.
Soon, the host announced in a dramatic tone, “Next, please welcome Comrade Lin Wan’er from the Cultural Troupe, performing a solo dance: Bamboo under the Moonlight! Let’s give her a big round of applause!”
Thunderous applause erupted as Lin Wan’er appeared, dressed in a beautiful Dai costume, illuminated by a spotlight.
Her movements were graceful, her features exquisite, immediately capturing every eye in the room.
The music played, and she danced with light, flowing motions, each movement filled with charm, perfectly expressing the bashfulness and vitality of a young maiden in love.
“No wonder she’s the troupe’s star! She dances beautifully!”
“Indeed, she’s gorgeous and her dance is enchanting—like a fairy descended to Earth!”
The compliments from the audience were continuous.
But Lin Wan’er, performing on stage, kept glancing toward the corner where Lu Huaizhou sat.
She had deliberately chosen a dance that showcased her feminine grace, wanting to show Lu Huaizhou the difference between her and his so-called “village bumpkin” wife who could only kill chickens.
When her dance ended, she elegantly bowed amid roaring applause, giving Lu Huaizhou a sly glance before stepping off the stage.
The host returned to the microphone, beaming with excitement. “Thank you, Comrade Lin Wan’er, for your wonderful performance! Next, we have the honor of inviting the spouse of Logistics Division Commander Lu Huaizhou—Comrade Su Hongxia—for her talent showcase!”
As the host announced Su Hongxia’s name, he deliberately elongated it, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
The audience fell silent, then a low murmur of laughter spread.
All eyes turned to that quiet corner.
The main event was about to begin.
Wang Sao, sitting among the crowd, wore a smug, self-satisfied expression. Today, she wanted to see how this “fool” would embarrass herself.
Under everyone’s gaze, Su Hongxia stood.
Instead of walking directly onto the stage like others, she whispered something to Lu Huaizhou.
He nodded, then gestured to nearby staff.
Moments later, two soldiers carried a simple coal stove and a long table onto the stage.
On the table were a cutting board, a chef’s knife, a water basin, and a bowl containing a block of tofu.
The audience froze.
What was she going to do? Cook on stage?
Even the host was momentarily speechless, unsure how to react.
Su Hongxia ignored them. She walked to the center of the stage, bowed to the audience, then picked up a black cloth from the table. In full view of everyone, she blindfolded herself, tying it tightly.
“She… she’s blindfolding herself?”
Lin Wan’er, in the audience, curled her lips in a sneer.
A country girl, always resorting to cheap tricks for attention.
Lu Huaizhou sat tensely in the corner, hands clenching into fists, palms sweaty.
Though he trusted Su Hongxia, his heart still leapt to his throat at this moment.
On stage, Su Hongxia drew a deep breath.
The world fell into darkness, yet her hearing and touch sharpened to extraordinary levels.
She could hear every faint breath and whisper from the audience, feel the subtle movement of air.
Her hand reached out, accurately grasping the tofu.
Cold and delicate, it would crumble with the slightest pressure.
She placed it steadily in the center of the cutting board, then took up the knife.
The moment her fingers gripped the cold handle, her aura changed entirely.
She was no longer the timid country girl, but a commanding force controlling the stage.
Her left hand steadied the tofu, her right held the knife. A flick of her wrist—
“Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!”
A rapid flurry of chopping filled the grand hall like a sudden downpour.
Everyone froze, their breaths caught in their throats.
The knife in her hand seemed alive, slicing through the tofu with breathtaking speed, creating a continuous blur of steel.
The rhythm, dense and precise, felt like a stirring battle hymn, echoing in everyone’s hearts.
The whispers and laughter from the audience vanished.
Eyes widened, mouths agape—they couldn’t believe the sight of a slender, blindfolded girl unleashing such power.
Knife flashes flew, silver fragments scattering.
No one could see how she managed it—only a blur of motion.
In less than half a minute, the rapid chopping stopped.
Su Hongxia set down the knife, standing steadily at the cutting board.
The block of tofu, originally a perfect square, seemed… unchanged.
“Is it… done?”
“What the heck? All that noise for nothing? I thought it’d be amazing.”
Murmurs rippled through the audience. Wang Sao smirked, “I knew it.”
Su Hongxia didn’t remove the blindfold. She extended her hand, gently sliding the seemingly intact tofu into the basin of water beside her.
At that instant, a miracle happened.
The tofu burst in the water with a “boom,” exploding like fireworks!
Thousands of silvery strands spread out, floating distinctly in the clear water, delicate as hair, soft as cotton, illuminated under the lights like a blooming white chrysanthemum or a drifting cloudscape.
The entire auditorium fell into dead silence.
Not a sound could be heard.
Everyone was stunned, speechless, witnessing this dreamlike, miraculous spectacle.
Was that… really tofu?
Was it really cut by that “fool,” blindfolded?
Knife and blade transformed, and tofu dissolved into silken threads.
The hall was silent.