Early in the morning, before dawn had even broken, Qin Yu’e got out of bed.
Carrying a bundle of wild vegetables she had gathered the day before, she tiptoed quietly out the door.
The two children were still asleep, and she didn’t dare make too much noise.
But the dozen or so ducklings in the back were already hungry.
She finely chopped the wild greens together with shells she had dug up from the stream, crushed the shells into powder, then mixed in tiny fish and shrimp to make duck feed.
Ducklings grew astonishingly fast. In just a few days, the fluffy yellow down on their bodies had already begun fading into pale yellow feathers.
Thinking that in another month or two these little ducks would start laying eggs, Qin Yu’e felt incredibly hopeful about life.
Over the past few days, that scumbag Huo Guangji hadn’t appeared at all, which strangely left Qin Yu’e feeling somewhat unsettled.
Just as she was thinking about it, the distant camp gates suddenly opened.
A squad of soldiers came marching noisily through the entrance carrying something over their shoulders. Even from far away, Qin Yu’e could hear Huo Guangji’s voice.
“The injured go straight to the infirmary! Everyone else help me carry this beast to the mess hall. We’re having extra dishes today!”
Holding the small basin of duck feed, Qin Yu’e stood frozen in place.
In the distance, Huo Guangji’s figure looked especially striking beneath the early morning sunlight.
His neatly worn green military uniform was nowhere to be seen. He was bare-chested, bronze skin coated in golden light from the rising sun. His sharp features shifted between shadow and brightness. On the pole slung across his shoulders hung some kind of animal, fresh blood dripping steadily downward.
Qin Yu’e’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She quickly turned her head away.
Scolding herself for having no self-control.
It wasn’t as though she’d never seen men before. In her previous life, there were countless suggestive videos online featuring handsome men. So why was it that one brief glance at Huo Guangji nearly caused the little deer in her heart to ram itself to death?
She had barely calmed herself down when she suddenly heard the sound of military boots pounding the ground.
Looking up, that tall figure was already running toward her.
Huo Guangji carried three rabbits in one hand and a rifle on his back. As soon as he reached her, he pulled two furry little things from his trouser pocket and tossed them directly into Qin Yu’e’s arms.
Qin Yu’e jumped in shock.
Only after realizing what she was holding did she secretly breathe in relief.
Still, she frowned.
“Why did you bring back two baby rabbits?”
The tiny rabbits in her arms trembled in the morning breeze, seemingly terrified of Huo Guangji as they desperately burrowed deeper into Qin Yu’e’s embrace.
They were incredibly cute though.
Snow-white fur, ruby-red eyes, fluffy ears tipped with long wisps of hair—tiny soft little bundles that anyone would instantly adore.
“Where’s the mother rabbit? Rabbits run so fast. I’m impressed you managed to catch them.”
Qin Yu’e couldn’t help smiling slightly.
Only to watch Huo Guangji raise the three bloody adult rabbits in his hand.
“Here. The big rabbits. Those little beasts run like crazy—I had to corner them from both sides to catch them.”
Qin Yu’e’s expression immediately darkened.
How could this man be so cruel?!
…
Well.
To be fair, during a famine era, she herself had thought about hunting wild ducks to eat too.
But she definitely wouldn’t kill the adult rabbits and then bring the babies home as toys.
Unable to stop herself, she curled her lips in disdain. Her dislike for Huo Guangji deepened a little more.
“What? You don’t like them? Then give them to me. Once we get to the mess hall, we can skin and stir-fry them. It’ll make a decent dish at least.”
Qin Yu’e finally snapped.
Frowning fiercely, she shouted,
“Are you a demon?! They’re such adorable little rabbits! How can you even think about eating them?!”
Huo Guangji looked utterly unconcerned.
“You asked about the adult rabbits. I thought you were worried we wouldn’t have enough meat.”
“Bah!”
Qin Yu’e was so angry she wanted to punch that handsome face of his.
But unexpectedly, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face.
“If you like them, then keep them.”
“Who said I liked—”
Before she could finish, the culprit had already turned and walked away on his long legs.
Qin Yu’e stomped her foot, grinding her teeth at his retreating back as she muttered,
“I’ve never seen anyone so cruel. Even tiny rabbits like these aren’t spared. There’s barely any meat on them anyway!”
“Then should we raise them bigger before eating them?”
Suddenly—
Huo Guangji had somehow returned.
Standing before Qin Yu’e, he looked down at her with amusement.
Qin Yu’e instantly turned her face away awkwardly.
Eat, eat, eat—his entire brain revolved around food!
Watching her face shift between red and white while she puffed out her cheeks in anger, Huo Guangji suddenly felt his heart soften.
“We hunted wolves and badgers in the mountains. Bring the children early for lunch today. We’re rendering badger fat, so there’ll be crispy cracklings to eat.”
Bah. Badger fat? How delicious could that possibly be?
Qin Yu’e curled her lips again as she watched his broad back disappear into the distance.
Then a sentence drifted back on the wind:
“Don’t keep going into the mountains anymore. From now on, you and the children won’t go hungry.”
Qin Yu’e’s heart suddenly tightened.
He… had gone into the mountains because of that?
The mess hall was bustling with excitement.
Almost the entire company had gathered there.
Some were building stoves, some lighting massive cooking fires, some skinning animals, others plucking feathers.
Qin Yu’e changed clothes early and brought the two children to help. By the time they arrived, flames were already roaring in the courtyard outside the cafeteria.
Large chunks of freshly cut white meat sat piled in giant basins nearby—two huge tubs of pale pink meat.
Qin Yu’e stared in surprise and couldn’t help leaning closer for another look.
“Sister Wei, what kind of meat is this?”
Wei Wenjie was smiling so hard her eyes nearly disappeared.
“Sister-in-law, this is badger meat! You’ve never had it before?”
“No.” Qin Yu’e honestly shook her head.
“There’s an old saying—‘One jin of badger yields eight liang of fat!’ This is good stuff! Rich, oily, and nutritious—no worse than pork! Your hometown’s in the plains, so it’s normal you’ve never seen it before. These creatures usually live in mountain burrows and are crafty little things, digging tunnels everywhere in groups. This whole bunch was so fat they looked like puppies. We really have Little Huo to thank this time. Otherwise, where would the unit get this much cooking fat to improve everyone’s meals?”
“In a bit, I’ll have the kitchen serve half a bowl each for Qingfeng and Zhuyue mixed with coarse rice. It’ll smell heavenly!”
Hearing Wei Wenjie praise Huo Guangji, Qin Yu’e’s gaze unconsciously drifted toward him.
He had already put his shirt back on and was now carefully skinning a wolf hide with a steel knife.
The firelight from the cooking pits illuminated his face.
And on his neck, a clearly visible scar disappeared beneath his collar.
He was injured?