“Th-this…”
Even Liu Shutong was stunned.
After all that fuss, it was just for a basket of duck eggs?!
The worry hanging in his chest finally eased, though he still couldn’t help scolding her.
“Little Qin, if your children want something to eat, you can submit a request through logistics. Don’t go wandering into the mountains alone with the kids again. There are wild animals in there—bears, wolves!”
To frighten Qin Yu’e a little, Liu Shutong deliberately exaggerated things.
But Qin Yu’e didn’t seem bothered at all. She merely smiled.
“It won’t happen again, Company Commander Liu! Next time I go out, I’ll report it to the unit and tell Sister Wei too. I just got lucky this time and didn’t run into anything.”
But before she could finish speaking, Huo Guangji’s gloomy voice sounded beside her.
“You didn’t run into anything today. Does that mean you’ll always be lucky in the future? Was it really worth risking yourself for a few lousy duck eggs?!”
Huo Guangji stared at Qin Yu’e’s hand, wrapped up like a rice dumpling, his eyes practically spitting fire.
If food wasn’t enough, she could have told him.
He was standing right there alive and well—how had things reached the point where she had to enter the mountains alone for a few miserable eggs?
“They’re not lousy duck eggs! I picked every single one of them myself from the ravine!”
Qin Yu’e answered expressionlessly, slightly annoyed.
She knew Huo Guangji looked down on these kinds of scraps. A cadre who could casually pull out more than ten yuan from his pocket naturally wouldn’t care about these small survival concerns.
But to her, this was a matter of life and death.
If she could raise ducklings successfully in the military camp, then she would become useful to the unit. In the future, even if things truly fell apart between her and Huo Guangji, she could still rely on her duck-raising contribution to stay here with the children and scrape together a living.
Otherwise, in Qin Yu’e’s current circumstances, she would eventually be sent back to her registered hometown.
And if she returned to that cannibalistic in-law household, her children would once again live a life hanging by a thread.
How could Captain Huo possibly care about any of those problems?
Not wanting to deal with him anymore, Qin Yu’e turned toward Liu Shutong with an apologetic smile.
“Company Commander Liu, I’m sorry. I promise today’s incident won’t happen again. From now on, I’ll report anywhere I go to the unit first.”
Since her attitude was so good, Liu Shutong couldn’t continue lecturing her.
He merely hurriedly reminded her to go to the infirmary and have her injured hand treated.
Qin Yu’e nodded and left with the children.
Huo Guangji stared at her retreating figure and clenched his teeth resentfully.
This woman really was…
“What are you still standing there for?!”
Liu Shutong glared at him.
“Why aren’t you hurrying after her?”
Huo Guangji’s expression became awkward.
Though he clearly didn’t want to chase after her, his long legs still moved on their own.
Inside the guesthouse room.
Qin Yu’e quickly set down the duck eggs hanging from her waist and settled the children down too.
Perhaps it was because she’d been eating better these past two days, but surprisingly, after this whole trip, she didn’t feel especially exhausted.
Looks like this body had long since adapted to hardship and exhaustion.
Little Zhuyue and Qingfeng obediently squatted nearby, watching Qin Yu’e hold each duck egg up under the kerosene lamp one by one to inspect them before separating them into two groups.
“Mom, was Dad angry just now?”
Zhuyue tilted her head curiously.
“Why was Dad angry? Doesn’t he like the duck eggs we brought back?”
The moment her daughter mentioned Huo Guangji, the irritation in Qin Yu’e’s chest surged again, and her tone naturally worsened.
“He’s the kind of person who only worries about filling his own stomach. How could he possibly understand other people’s hardships?”
The complaint slipped out before she could stop herself.
The moment the words fell, the guesthouse door was suddenly shoved open.
Huo Guangji stood there with a dark expression, holding disinfectant and bandages.
“How do I not care about your hardships?”
His cold, hard voice made Qin Yu’e shiver instinctively.
Then she watched as he strode aggressively into the room, tossed the medical supplies onto the table before her, and directly held out his hand.
“Your hand.”
“Huh?…”
Qin Yu’e was suddenly enveloped by his tall shadow and couldn’t react in time.
The next second, Huo Guangji grabbed her hand.
“What are you doing?! Ah—!”
She instinctively tried to pull away, but the crudely wrapped cloth strips around her hand were suddenly yanked off, making her cry out in pain.
“You’re already the mother of two children, yet still this delicate. If you don’t want this hand ruined, endure it.”
Though he spoke harshly, the movements of his hands slowed noticeably.
Carefully, he peeled away the wrappings from Qin Yu’e’s palm.
The sight beneath made Huo Guangji frown sharply.
Her palm had been scraped into a mangled mess.
What a stupid woman.
Without the skills, she still dared to venture into the mountains hunting.
Her hand was practically ruined!
A cotton swab soaked in purple antiseptic gently brushed across Qin Yu’e’s wound, making her hand tremble painfully.
She almost let out a whimper—
But remembering certain unpleasant remarks he’d made earlier, Qin Yu’e bit down hard on her lower lip and forcibly swallowed the sound.
Damn it.
Even if she screamed, she refused to scream in front of this rotten scumbag.
Watching her stubbornly endure the pain while secretly gripping the corner of the table so tightly her knuckles whitened, Huo Guangji couldn’t help slightly curling his lips upward.
Such a foolish woman.
He told her to endure it, and she really endured it.
His movements became even gentler.
Only after painstakingly cleaning out the bits of stone and torn flesh embedded in her palm did he finally apply a thick layer of Yunnan Baiyao medicine to the wound and wrap it carefully with fresh gauze.
By now Qin Yu’e was drenched in sweat, and the table corner was nearly crushed beneath her grip.
Then suddenly, a porcelain enamel mug appeared before her.
The water inside carried a faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers.
Qin Yu’e froze and looked up instinctively.
“Osmanthus honey? Where did this come from?”
“Old Wu from logistics made it himself. It’s a family recipe passed down for generations—pretty good stuff. You just got lucky today. Drink it.”
Huo Guangji spoke flatly as he set the mug down and began cleaning up the medical supplies.
Qin Yu’e eyed him suspiciously.
This scumbag was being so kind today?
He was even giving her honey water?
While she was still wondering about it, the two little children had already crowded beside her, stretching their necks toward the mug with eager eyes.
Their tiny faces were full of longing.
Qin Yu’e couldn’t help laughing softly.
She quickly lowered the enamel mug toward them and said gently,
“Don’t rush. There’s enough for everyone.”
“Wow! So sweet!”
“Aba aba—”
The two little ones took tiny sips and immediately squinted happily.
But after one sip, they refused to drink more.
Zhuyue pushed the mug back toward Qin Yu’e.
“Mom is hurt. Mom should drink it!”
Qin Yu’e’s heart softened instantly. She stroked Zhuyue’s head.
“Good girl. Zhuyue is so obedient.”
One mouthful of osmanthus honey slid down her throat, and Qin Yu’e felt even the pain in her palm ease slightly beneath the Yunnan Baiyao medicine.
In an era of famine and scarcity, sweetness was the most luxurious feast the taste buds could experience.
Unfortunately, before she could fully savor it, Huo Guangji’s cold voice sounded again.
“If you’re too busy to watch the children in the future, you can leave them with me. No matter what, I’m still their biological father. I can take care of them too.”
Ha!
She knew it.
How could this scumbag suddenly become so kind for no reason?
Turns out he was trying to steal the children!