While they were talking, Huo Guangji had already gotten dressed and arrived at the mess hall.
The young soldiers gathered around the big cooking pot immediately surrounded him, each holding up their bowls eagerly.
“Captain Huo, eat from mine! Eat from mine!”
“If it weren’t for your sharp eyes this time, we wouldn’t get to eat such good badger meat!”
“Hey, Captain Huo, what suddenly made you decide to go hunting in the mountains?”
At that moment, one of the younger soldiers suddenly asked.
Huo Guangji didn’t answer.
But Liu Fushui, standing nearby, burst out laughing.
“You guys don’t know, huh? Our Captain Huo saw sister-in-law and the kids going hungry and even entering the mountains looking for food. He felt bad about it! That’s why he brought our whole squad hunting. You brats should secretly celebrate—this feast is all thanks to sister-in-law!”
“So it was for sister-in-law!”
The young soldiers immediately understood.
“I was wondering why he brought back such a huge bear. Turns out he was worried sister-in-law wouldn’t have enough to eat!”
Worried she wouldn’t have enough to eat…
Wouldn’t have enough…
Qin Yu’e’s face darkened instantly.
No matter how much she could eat, there was no way she could finish an entire bear!
Still…
Her heart softened slightly.
Maybe Huo Guangji really did care about the children after all, even if he never said it aloud…
Over there, Huo Guangji had already filled two bowls with coarse rice, mixed them with soy sauce and badger fat, then waved toward the two children.
“Qingfeng, Zhuyue, come over to Dad! Dad’s making lard rice for you! This was my favorite thing when I was little. Your grandma never wanted to let me eat it, so I’d sneak into the kitchen to steal some myself…”
He rambled on while mixing the rice.
The rich aroma of hot lard rice instantly filled the air. The two little children couldn’t resist the temptation and slowly edged toward him.
After spending several days together, they weren’t nearly as afraid of him anymore.
Huo Guangji casually scooped one child onto his lap, then carefully blew on spoonfuls of freshly steamed rice to cool them before feeding the children bite by bite.
Nearby, Wei Wenjie quietly moved closer to Qin Yu’e and smiled softly.
“Sister-in-law… I don’t think Little Huo is really such a cold-hearted man. Maybe… maybe you could give him another chance?”
Qin Yu’e lowered her head slightly.
She knew Wei Wenjie was referring to the divorce.
Qin Yu’e neither agreed nor disagreed.
Seeing her expression, Wei Wenjie immediately understood this matter would need time. After all, the mother and children truly had suffered.
Later, she’d have Old Liu talk properly with Huo Guangji again and make him spend more effort coaxing the family.
Over the next few days, the food in the mess hall remained excellent.
The two children visibly gained weight.
Qin Yu’e herself also became far more energetic. When there was oil and meat in one’s stomach, the entire body felt stronger.
The little ducklings in the fenced backyard grew rapidly. Qin Yu’e treasured them like her own eyes.
The bear Huo Guangji had brought back was almost finished now, though part of it had been reserved to improve meals for the incoming performance troupe.
Which meant the coming days would probably return to sweet potato vines again.
Watching the ducklings grow bigger each day, Qin Yu’e felt hopeful.
Once they started laying eggs, even if they only produced three or five a day, frying them into a dish would still be much better than eating nothing but sweet potato leaves.
Meanwhile, the logistics department had sent many people over these past two days to thoroughly clean the guesthouse inside and out.
Apparently, the art troupe would be arriving soon.
Naturally, Qin Yu’e couldn’t remain idle. She helped wherever she could and even specially cut floral fabric into curtains for the troupe’s rooms.
Meanwhile, Huo Guangji repaired broken doors and windows and went into the mountains to cut bamboo, crafting several beds by hand.
Some guesthouse rooms had leaking roofs, so he led several soldiers onto the rooftops to repair them too.
After all that work, Qin Yu’e suddenly saw him that evening standing outside her room holding his bedding.
She froze.
Hadn’t he been sleeping next door these past few days? Why suddenly now…
“Didn’t logistics say the next room needs to be emptied for the art troupe? We can’t keep occupying it anymore. There are only a few decent rooms here, and the troupe members already won’t have enough space. I’d feel embarrassed taking up another room.”
His meaning couldn’t have been more obvious.
He wanted her to let him move back in.
Seeing Qin Yu’e’s expression, Huo Guangji quickly added,
“Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t do anything to you. You still sleep on the bed—I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Qin Yu’e’s face immediately reddened.
What nonsense was this man saying?!
The soldiers responsible for repairs next door still hadn’t left yet. What if they overheard?!
When had she ever worried he would do something to her?!
“Fine, come in already!”
Qin Yu’e rolled her eyes at him irritably and stepped aside.
The two little children inside immediately cheered and threw themselves toward him.
Sure enough, blood ties really were impossible to sever.
These two little traitors had defected faster than anyone.
In just a few short days, they had practically switched sides entirely to Huo Guangji.
To be fair, although Huo Guangji usually looked stern and serious, he was unbelievably patient when caring for children.
Two-year-olds approaching three were incredibly exhausting—especially little Zhuyue, who was stubborn beyond belief and refused to compromise on anything.
Sometimes Qin Yu’e got so frustrated she wanted to smack the child twice.
Yet Huo Guangji would still carry Zhuyue calmly on his shoulders with a straight face, patiently coaxing her into happiness.
Bit by bit, both Zhuyue and Qingfeng had become almost more attached to Huo Guangji than to Qin Yu’e herself.
“Dad! Are we climbing onto the roof again tomorrow?”
Zhuyue hugged Huo Guangji’s arm, her face full of excitement.
Beside them, Qingfeng babbled enthusiastically as well, clearly looking forward to the activity too.
Huo Guangji rubbed the children’s fluffy little heads before smiling.
“We’re not climbing roofs tomorrow. Tomorrow some pretty aunties are coming. There’s an Auntie He who knows Dad. Dad will take you to watch them sing, okay?”
“Okay!”
The two children instantly erupted in cheers.
But Qin Yu’e suddenly frowned deeply.
Who?
He Jiaojiao?
Her heart began pounding violently.
Only then did she suddenly remember—
In the original novel, wasn’t He Jiaojiao part of the art troupe?!
How had she forgotten something so important?
Damn it!
She must’ve been so starved earlier that her brain stopped functioning properly.
No wonder Huo Guangji had looked so cheerful these past few days. Even that perpetually expressionless face of his had become more pleasant-looking.
So it turned out his old sweetheart was arriving!
How could he not be happy?
Qin Yu’e ground her teeth angrily.
Then why was this scumbag still acting like some loving father in front of her?!
Seeing how happy he looked, Qin Yu’e suddenly marched over with a dark expression and tossed his bedding directly onto the floor.
“Didn’t you say you were sleeping on the ground?!”