The days back in Jinzhou felt like a lifetime away.
Mo Hai was settled in the quietest and most elegant courtyard of the magistrate’s official residence.
It was far from the noise, filled with abundant sunshine, and planted with several camphor trees in full bloom.
The public word was that the mysterious “Phantom,” who had appeared out of nowhere to turn the tide in the Battle of the Crescent Blade, was resting here due to overexertion.
Those who didn’t know the truth took it as a fine tale of a returning hero.
However, only Mo Hai himself knew that his body was far beyond what “overexertion” could describe.
Exhausted to the core was an understatement.
To put it in perspective, Mo Hai was currently a crumbling sandcastle, kept alive on the verge of collapse only by the system running in low-power mode to maintain his vital signs.
A gentle wave could knock it over completely.
But right now, the owner of the sandcastle was leaning against the bedhead with a look of complete resignation, watching Jinhsi, who was personally holding a soup bowl, blowing each spoonful cool before offering it to his lips.
“Come on, open wide.” Jinhsi’s tone was gentle enough to melt ice, and her jade-like eyes were brimming with heartache and concern.
“This is Nine-Turn Restoration Soup that I had the kitchen simmer over low heat for twelve hours.
Master Changli said it would help your body recover.” Mo Hai glanced at the dark, thick bowl of soup radiating a heavy herbal scent, then looked at Jinhsi’s uncompromising gaze, sighing silently in his heart.
*Would you like this blessing if I offered it to you?* He desperately missed the rich, spicy, sizzling luxury barbecue from before he transmigrated.
But he still cooperated obediently, opening his mouth and swallowing the spoon of soup loaded with the girl’s affection.
An indescribably complex bitterness exploded instantly from the tip of his tongue straight to the top of his skull.
“How is it?” Jinhsi looked at him with eyes full of anticipation.
“Cough…
Delicious!” Mo Hai forced himself not to twist his face, giving a serious nod and putting on an expression that said, *I am currently being healed.* “I feel a warm current repairing every inch of my body!
Filled with power!” “Really?” Jinhsi’s eyes lit up.
“That’s wonderful!
Hurry and drink more while it’s hot.” Looking at her genuine, joyful smile, Mo Hai felt that the soup didn’t taste quite as bitter after all.
Over the past half month, this had almost become their daily routine.
As the Magistrate, no matter how busy she was with government affairs, Jinhsi would consistently make time every day to “feed” Mo Hai.
From morning soothing porridge to noon tonic soup, and evening medicinal meals.
Three meals a day, handled personally, never left to anyone else.
The attendants in the magistrate’s residence were nearly dropping their jaws.
When had they ever seen their decisive, rock-solid Magistrate exhibit such a girlish side?
“The defense report for the frontier came in today.” After feeding him the medicine, Jinhsi picked up the documents beside her and read them aloud to Mo Hai in a soft voice.
Ever since Mo Hai fell ill, Jinhsi had gotten into the habit of reading non-confidential administrative matters to him.
In her words, it was to “help keep you entertained.” But Mo Hai knew that this girl, who was unused to relying on others, was using this clumsy method to share her world with him.
“…Material consumption at the Fubo Front increased by thirty percent compared to last month.
Changli suspects someone in the logistics department is lining their pockets, but we haven’t caught any solid evidence.” After reading, Jinhsi habitually knitted her brows.
This was one of the headaches troubling her recently.
“Isn’t that simple?” Mo Hai leaned lazily against his pillow and spoke casually.
“Set KPIs for the logistics department.” “…K…P…I?” A slow question mark appeared over Jinhsi’s head.
What kind of unintelligible word was this now?
“Key Performance Indicators,” Mo Hai cleared his throat and began his nonsensical explanation.
“Set a few key metrics for them, like ‘material loss rate’ can’t exceed a certain threshold, and ‘transportation efficiency’ must reach a certain standard.
Monthly evaluations—those who meet the standards get bonuses, those who don’t get pay cuts.
If an official fails three months in a row, pack their bags and fire them.” “Then set up an ‘Employee of the Month’ award.
Hold a commendation meeting at the end of the month, hand them the award yourself, give them a big red envelope, and have them present a PPT…
er, no, give a speech to share how they achieved such thriftiness.” Jinhsi listened in utter bewilderment.
Although she didn’t understand many of the terms, she instantly grasped the underlying logic.
Clear rewards and punishments, driven by interest, supplemented by honor and incentives…
This method actually seemed far superior to simply trying to catch corrupt officials!
Looking at Mo Hai, admiration flickered in her eyes once more.
Mo Hai always seemed able to propose solutions from baffling angles that made her eyes light up.
“By the way, how are you feeling today?
Can you get out of bed and walk around?” Jinhsi set down the document and asked with concern.
“Almost.” As Mo Hai spoke, he made a motion to prop himself up on the edge of the bed.
However, the moment his arms exerted force, a sudden tearing sensation from deep within his soul made his vision go black.
[Warning!
Host’s severely depleted soul structure cannot support this action!] A cold system alert flashed through his mind.
Mo Hai’s arms went limp, and he pitched forward out of bed, losing control!
“Be careful!” Jinhsi gasped, rushing forward with lightning speed to catch him.
Warmth and softness filled his arms as they collided.
The youth’s lean body leaned against her shoulder, and his faint, herb-scented breath brushed entirely against the side of her neck, causing a fine flush to instantly spread across her fair skin.
“What’s wrong?
Are you dizzy?” Jinhsi’s heart tightened instantly.
Casting bashfulness aside, she quickly helped him lie back down and reached out to touch his forehead.
Fortunately, he didn’t have a fever.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Mo Hai waved his hand hastily, forcing a somewhat pale smile.
“Just laid in bed too long.
Getting up suddenly caused a bit of low blood sugar.
An old habit, I’ll be fine in a moment.” He had to disguise all of this seamlessly.
He couldn’t let Jinhsi know that the youth she viewed as a hero and reliance was actually already an empty shell.
He was afraid of seeing that look of despair and heartbreak in her eyes again.
“You’re not allowed to move around recklessly anymore!” Jinhsi’s tone held a hint of undeniable authority.
She carefully pulled up his blanket and tucked in the corners, looking as nervous as if she were handling a priceless treasure.
“From today on, you are not allowed out of bed without my permission.” “Huh?” Mo Hai let out a wail.
“Then what about when I need to use the bathroom?” Jinhsi’s face flushed bright red to the roots of her ears.
She glared at him, flustered and embarrassed: “…I’ll call maidservants to help!” She went silent for a moment.
“No, I’ll arrange all these things.
At worst, I’ll do it myself!” Having said that, she gathered the pile of documents and quickly walked out of the room as if fleeing.
Watching her somewhat flustered back, Mo Hai shook his head with a chuckle.
But the smile quickly faded from his face.
He slowly raised his hand, looking at skin that appeared bloodlessly pale in the sunlight, his gaze growing complex and deep.
How many days like this—peaceful and warm—did he have left?