Chapter 112: Can You Smell That? It’s the Scent of Gossip
Gu Qingyue immediately set down the cloth and grabbed the gun nearby. Just as he walked over to Lu Weiyi, a pounding sound came from the door. Bang, bang, bang—the kind of knock that said they wouldn’t leave without someone opening up. In the stillness of the night, it sounded especially loud.
“I’ll go check,” Lu Weiyi said.
“I’ll go with you,” Gu Qingyue replied.
“I’ll go instead.” Li Zhuang, yawning, came out of the bedroom and followed Lu Weiyi to the door.
Outside, the wind had stopped at some point. Snow was falling steadily, already past ankle-deep, crunching underfoot.
“Hello, we’re soldiers from Qingyuan Base, out on a mission. One of us is injured. Could you open the door and help us?” Someone shouted the moment they heard sounds from inside.
Li Zhuang stopped not far from the door and looked at Lu Weiyi for a signal on whether to open it. Lu Weiyi hesitated. There were seven people outside, all armed. Two of them were being carried—unclear if they were dead or alive.
“…Which corps are you from?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“The Third Corps, under Commander Li Mu,” the person quickly replied.
That answer didn’t satisfy Lu Weiyi—anyone would know that Qingyuan’s reconstruction was currently being supported by the Third Corps, with Commander Li in charge.
While he spoke, Lu Weiyi was also using the little green sprout to monitor the outside. When he sensed that two men near the door were planning to force their way in, he warned coldly, “If you don’t want to die, I suggest you don’t make any sudden moves.”
The people outside stiffened and didn’t move again. The speaker, pretending not to hear the warning, added, “Our captain is Major Li Qing, son of Commander Li…”
“You said Li Qing?” Lin Yimu and Ning Yuan, not hearing any updates from the door, opened it to ask.
“Oh, outside they said they’re from the Third Corps, and—”
“Li Qing?” Lin Yimu walked over quickly and murmured, “Li Ming?”
“Yes, our captain’s codename is Li Ming. Who’s inside? Can you help us? He’s injured!” The speaker’s tone grew emotional, and he took a step forward.
Lin Yimu stepped past Lu Weiyi and opened the door. His eyes scanned the group and landed on the man being carried. His voice trembled slightly, “Xiao Qing…”
Lu Weiyi had never seen such emotional fluctuation from Lin Yimu before—neither had Li Zhuang, who exchanged a questioning look with Lu Weiyi.
Lu Weiyi shook his head. But suddenly…
He remembered something from long ago. He’d once asked Zhuang Mingxu how Lin Yimu had gotten injured and discharged. Zhuang Mingxu had replied, “He fell for someone he shouldn’t have.”
As Lu Weiyi was lost in thought, Lin Yimu had already lifted Li Qing from the man’s back and rushed him inside. The rest followed quickly, leaving the man who had been talking to say, “Thanks, brother. I’m Lei Jun, but everyone calls me Lei Zi. What’s your name?”
“Lu Weiyi.”
“Li Zhuang,” Li Zhuang added as he shut the door. Looking at the snow that now reached mid-calf and the group’s thin clothing, he said, “Come on in.”
Back in the room, Ning Yuan had already confirmed their military identification. Lei Zi was now asking Lin Yimu if he knew Li Qing.
“I… I used to be his instructor,” Lin Yimu replied, eyes locked on the unconscious Li Qing being examined.
“It’s not too serious—he’s lost blood and is mostly suffering from cold exposure,” Gu Qingyue said after checking both unconscious men. “Clean and dress the wounds, give them some rest and food—they’ll be okay.”
Looking at the blankets wrapped around the two injured men, and then at the others’ thin clothes, it felt like a miracle the rest had survived.
“Do you have extra clothes, sir?” Lin Yimu asked Lu Weiyi.
Lu Weiyi nodded and was about to retrieve some from his space when Zhuang Mingxu, sitting in a wheelchair at the bedroom door, said, “Xiao Yi, come here—I’ll get the clothes for them.”
Lu Weiyi looked at him, puzzled, and followed him into the room. Zhuang Mingxu whispered, “Don’t reveal that you have a storage space.”
Lu Weiyi nodded and handed him a few sets of winter clothes from the space. Then he brought them out and pointed at Gu Qingji and Lu Xi. “Take them to the bedroom. Let them rest on the bed.”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks.”
In the freezing cold, the group had layered thin clothing to the point of looking bulky—but still weren’t warm. Even inside the cozy room, they were trembling, hands shaking as they held the new clothes.
“Brother Xi, can you help make some ginger soup and something to eat?” Zhuang Mingxu, who had come out in a wheelchair, asked Xi Shi.
“Sure,” Xi Shi turned on the induction cooker, glanced at the leftover hot pot broth—which they’d planned to use to cook noodles for breakfast—and said, “I’ll use this leftover broth to cook some noodles for them. It’ll be warm and comforting.”
“Okay.”
While Xi Shi cooked the noodles, Ning Yuan asked about the group’s situation and learned that they had indeed been out on a mission. However, it wasn’t a publicly acknowledged mission from the base—it was a reconnaissance trip.
Military supplies at the base were scarce, and under increasing pressure from the Li and Gu families, survival was getting tougher. Commander Li Mu had learned about a national grain storage site. Hoping to ease the shortage, he sent Li Qing to scout the situation.
Unfortunately, on their way back, they encountered a snowstorm. The area was already desolate, and being summer, there was no winter gear available. Even after scavenging a few houses, all they found were light summer quilts. They had hoped to push through and make it back to the base, but their vehicle broke down on the way, so they sought shelter in the village.
“We’ve already knocked on three houses without anyone opening the door. That’s why we considered forcing our way in,” Lei Zi explained their earlier behavior to Lu Weiyi.
Lu Weiyi was sitting on the edge of the sofa, resting his head on Zhuang Mingxu’s shoulder while watching Gu Qingyue treat the wounds of the two injured men. At Lei Zi’s words, he nodded, indicating he didn’t mind.
After all, given their own strength at the time, the other group couldn’t have overpowered him and Li Zhuang, especially since they had already noticed the group’s suspicious movements. If they had tried anything, it would have been futile.
“Do you know him?” Lu Weiyi asked Zhuang Mingxu in a low voice.
Warm breath brushed against his ear, tickling. For Zhuang Mingxu, who had been well-fed but hadn’t had any intimacy for a long time, this unintentional teasing was hard to ignore. He glanced at Lu Weiyi helplessly, pulled away a little, grabbed his dangling hand, and nodded. “I’ve met him a few times.”
“What about them?” Lu Weiyi glanced over at Lin Yimu and Li Qing, silently asking.
Zhuang Mingxu hesitated, then nodded… and shook his head.
The meaning was unclear, and it didn’t seem like the right time to ask, so Lu Weiyi didn’t press.
Despite still being unconscious, Li Qing remained subconsciously alert. As the group of five finished eating, he suddenly woke up.
The first person he saw was Lin Yimu. The sharpness in his eyes instantly faded, replaced by surprise. After a moment of hesitation, he softly called out, “…Instructor,” and his eyes turned red.
“Mm,” Lin Yimu smiled gently and ruffled his hair. “You’re already a squad leader. Why are you still acting like a kid? Are you planning to cry in front of your teammates?”
The way Lin Yimu spoke—so warm and gentle—was something even Lu Weiyi, who had been looked after by him for more than ten years across two lifetimes, had never heard. The living room fell silent. Everyone stared at the two, clearly expecting to witness some juicy gossip.
Li Qing bit his lip and said nothing, his eyes locked on Lin Yimu as if trying to imprint him into his very soul. Lin Yimu, under such intense scrutiny, began to feel uneasy—especially with the whole room subtly watching.
“Aren’t you all going to sleep?” Lin Yimu asked.
Lu Weiyi: “I need to monitor the ones with fevers.”
Gu Qingyue: “I need to take care of the patients.”
Ning Yuan righteously said, “I’m strengthening the bond with my comrades.”
The five newcomers had no idea what kind of bond needed strengthening, but they all turned to look. Unfortunately, Ning Yuan had thick skin.
Zhuang Mingxu awkwardly said, “…I…” He glanced at Lu Weiyi, who was clearly eager for gossip, rubbed his temples, and gave up finding an excuse.
Xi Shi said, “I’ll go to sleep after the ginger soup’s done.”
A traitor! The remaining four all turned to look at Xi Shi. Xi Shi blinked, confused, “You… all want some too?”
Everyone shook their heads in unison. Fine—let the man defect.
Finally, Lin Yimu broke the tension. He cleared his throat, got up, and brought over a big bowl of mushroom broth noodles, carefully helping Li Qing sit up. “Eat something to warm up.”
One ate in silence, the other watched silently. Thinking they’d catch some drama, Lu Weiyi quickly lost interest. Just then, Lu Xi and Gu Qingji’s fevers subsided, so Lu Weiyi dragged Zhuang Mingxu back to catch up on sleep.
When he woke again, only Zhuang Mingxu was lying beside him. He’d clearly been awake for a while, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. Noticing Lu Weiyi stir, he turned and smiled, “You’re up?”
Lu Weiyi nodded, “Where’s Ai Yi?”
“Lu Xi took him to have breakfast.” It was rare to have time alone, with snow falling outside and no need to scavenge for supplies. Zhuang Mingxu cherished the moment, pulling Lu Weiyi into his arms, unwilling to let him get up.
“Hmm?” Lu Weiyi tried to break free, but didn’t dare use too much force and risk touching his legs.
“Stay a little longer,” Zhuang Mingxu kissed his forehead.
He actually wanted to kiss him directly, but something made it feel inappropriate.
Lu Weiyi shook his head, “I need to head out later.” The snow would only last a few days; he had to collect snow water—he couldn’t afford to wait.
Zhuang Mingxu: “What do you need to collect? The snow’s so thick outside, we can’t drive. How about waiting until the weather clears?”
“I need to gather and store some snow. If I wait, it might be too late.” He wanted to ensure a pure supply of crystal nuclei for future use, and it was worth a full day of work.
“Collect snow?” Zhuang Mingxu handed him a down coat and started dressing too.
“To save for later,” Lu Weiyi finished dressing, then helped Zhuang Mingxu into thick pants and lifted him into the wheelchair.
They’re so cute together