Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Matching couples also requires skill, especially when the man is rather clumsy.

Two more days passed, and just as Xu Qiao was about to forget about Jiang Rui, Aunt Liu came knocking at the door.

Xu Qiao had just gotten off work and was standing in the kitchen, pondering what to have for dinner.

Opening the door, Aunt Liu held her two-year-old granddaughter in one hand and a small basket in the other, smiling warmly as she asked, "Xiao Qiao, do you have any fresh vegetables again? Shall we follow the usual rules?"

The Xu family sold vegetables to their neighbors in the same building every year, earning some extra income by offering them at a 20% discount compared to supermarket prices.

Xu Qiao was very familiar with Aunt Liu and immediately invited her in, leading her to the planting pots. "Scallions, leeks, and spinach are all ready. Which ones would you like, Aunt?"

Aunt Liu: "I'll take a bit of each, just enough for tonight's meal. We have a big family, so it's fine for a treat now and then, but we can't afford to eat this way every day."

Xu Qiao clipped some vegetables accordingly. There was a small scale nearby for weighing; the total came to a little over a pound, which, rounded up, cost 160 points at the discounted price.

Aunt Liu pointed to the two ripest strawberries in the planting pot and said, "I want these two too, to satisfy Lingling's craving."

Supermarkets sold strawberries individually, with each costing fifty points.

In neighborhood transactions, giving things away for free could lead to expectations, so it was best to be clear from the start.

Fortunately, Grandpa Xu had set the tone for vegetable and fruit exchanges, so Xu Qiao didn't pretend to be polite, and Aunt Liu didn't try to take advantage of her youth. She promptly transferred 240 points to Xu Qiao.

The strawberries, not treated with pesticides, were safe to eat without washing. Aunt Liu gave one to her granddaughter and, walking to the entrance, seemed to suddenly remember something. She winked at Xu Qiao. "Do you still remember Jiang Rui, who came to deliver things to my place last time?"

Xu Qiao: "The one from the Guard Corps?"

Aunt Liu: "Yes, I think he's fallen for you. He's been asking me about you these past few days. Usually, he doesn't say much, but now he's calling me Auntie all the time."

Xu Qiao: "..."

Aunt Liu: "Let me tell you about his family first. If you're interested, I can introduce you. If not, I'll make it clear to him so he doesn't get his hopes up."

Xu Qiao stated, "Aunt, regardless of his family situation, I don't plan on dating or getting married right now..."

Aunt Liu: "I understand. You're still young, so there's no rush. I just think he's a good match. Why don't you listen, just to make more friends? Oh, and he's in the Guard Corps, sometimes on patrol duty. You might run into him someday."

Xu Qiao glanced at the vegetables in Aunt Liu's basket and sighed. "Alright, I'll listen."

She realized that Aunt Liu's real purpose was matchmaking, not buying vegetables.

Aunt Liu's enthusiastic introduction could be summarized in two parts:

**Jiang Rui's Family:** His father and elder brother are both in the military. His father is a captain, and his thirty-something elder brother is a lieutenant. His mother and sister-in-law work in official departments, respectable and stable jobs.

**Jiang Rui Himself:** He is twenty-five years old, with a spirit form of a battle bull, a dual C-rank wind and earth ability, and currently a lieutenant.

According to Aunt Liu, the three men in the family, like their spirit forms, are all steadfast and reliable.

Xu Qiao complimented, "They sound impressive, but I really have no plans in this regard. Please make it clear to him so he doesn't waste his time."

Aunt Liu left regretfully.

Xu Qiao breathed a sigh of relief after closing the door.

A lotus petal floated out and gently brushed against her face.

Xu Qiao smiled bitterly.

In the new era, with a sharp population decline, major bases encourage early marriage and childbirth. Even the age for university graduation has been reduced to eighteen.

Many young people marry early for various reasons. Xu Qiao used to not care much about this issue. If she met someone she liked and they were compatible, early marriage wouldn't matter. If not, she'd take her time, even remaining single for life. It was better than marrying someone she didn't love.

But now, Xu Qiao had a secret—a secret about her spirit form upgrading on its own.

Official records show her spirit form as an eleven-petaled lotus, clearly displayed alongside her photo on her electronic mercenary ID. In a relationship, she couldn't hide her spirit form from her partner. If exposed, and if her partner turned out to be unreliable...

Xu Qiao didn't want to take that risk and preferred to keep the secret to herself.

As for dinner...

She decided on pan-seared steak.

Speaking of which, the official classification of spirit forms is too broad. For example, cows in the old era were classified based on origin, appearance, and use—yaks, water buffalo, yellow cattle, wild cattle. But in the new era, regardless of the specific appearance of the spirit form, all are named based on their abilities: those suitable for combat are called battle bulls, while those for farming are ordinary bulls.

It's not entirely the officials' fault for being vague. Even among spirit forms that look the same, some ability users are suited for combat, while others are better for farming. To simplify, the officials had to abandon traditional naming conventions.

This applies to plant spirit forms as well. No matter how many varieties of peonies there are, they are all called "peonies." Similarly, regardless of the number of petals, all lotuses are "lotuses."

While the officials use these terms, ability users often have emotional attachments to their spirit forms and prefer to classify them according to old varieties.

Xu Qiao's great-grandfather was passionate about lotuses, and the study at home contained many books and pictures about them. Xu Qiao knew that her spirit form's specific name was likely "double-petaled lotus."

102, Qinchi suppressed the urge to eavesdrop on Xu Qiao and Aunt Liu's conversation by the door, but soon, while washing vegetables in the kitchen, he heard Aunt Liu talking on the phone upstairs in 202.

This time, Qinchi could only hear Aunt Liu's side of the conversation.

"I just went to buy vegetables from her and mentioned Jiang Rui's interest in her. As expected, she showed no interest. I barely started talking, and she said she wasn't interested."

"I did mention everything, including Jiang Rui's sister-in-law's job. I think she's just not ready. It's not about Jiang Rui specifically; otherwise, with his height and looks, and your family's conditions, any girl would be interested."

"Right, it's up to Jiang Rui himself. If I interfere further, it might backfire. Young people nowadays don't like being pressured by elders."

Aunt Liu fell silent, and the fire dragon jumped out, spitting fire at Qinchi: "She doesn't like him."

Qinchi continued washing vegetables and whispered, "She doesn't like being set up, but that doesn't mean Jiang Rui has no chance."

Fire Dragon: "Go and fight him for it!"

Qinchi smiled and shook his head.

Human emotions are far more complex than those of spiritual beings, and he currently had no plans to start a relationship with anyone.

May 14, Tuesday.

Xu Qiao was on duty as usual in Room 206 of the clinic.

Patients registered downstairs, and most allowed the system to randomly assign them a doctor. A small number of patients who had heard of specific doctors would request their appointments directly.

Xu Qiao was too young to have gained much fame. When the screen showed that someone had specifically requested her, she looked at the patient's information in surprise.

Patient: Jiang Rui.

Xu Qiao: "…"

Since the person had come, Doctor Xu, who was free at the moment, had to call the number according to protocol.

After about a minute, steady footsteps echoed in the corridor, slowing down noticeably as they approached Room 206. Finally, as if making up his mind, the person took two steps forward and knocked on the door.

Xu Qiao had already turned to look at the slightly ajar door: "Come in."

A large, wheat-colored hand pushed open the door, revealing a familiar, resolute face. However, the visitor seemed surprised that Xu Qiao was waiting for him and had looked over immediately. His dark eyes quickly glanced downward, and a noticeable flush appeared on his face.

Xu Qiao: "…"

Just as she was about to look away, she saw a large drop of sweat roll down the side of his face.

She was truly stunned—was he nervous, or was his injury hurting too much?

Her gaze moved downward, focusing on his calf, which was hidden by black uniform pants. The registration information indicated he had an injury there.

Noticing her gaze, Jiang Rui forced himself to calm down and said, "Hello, I'm here for my appointment."

Xu Qiao nodded and pointed to a chair on one side: "Sit down. Roll up your pant leg so I can examine your injury."

Jiang Rui walked over, sat down, rolled up his left pant leg, then sat upright, straightening his back and placing his fists on his knees. Only when Xu Qiao lowered her head to inspect his wound did Jiang Rui quickly glance at her, even though he could only see her profile and the back of her neck.

After examining the wound, Xu Qiao frowned: "Bitten by a beast?"

Jiang Rui: "Yes, it happened yesterday during a mission. We were in a hurry to leave, so the military doctor just treated the bone and I returned to the team. I thought a night's rest at home would help, but it didn't..."

Xu Qiao: "This is a work-related injury, right? Can't you get free treatment from a military doctor?"

Jiang Rui: "Today is my day off, and I don't want to go all the way to the Fifth Ring."

The four major bases all had similar layouts. The political and military elite, wealthy families, and high-level ability users lived in the central area. Low-level ability users resided in the Second Ring, while ordinary people lived in the Third Ring. The Fourth Ring was for agriculture, livestock, and military manufacturing, and the Fifth Ring housed the million-strong guard army.

Apart from the troops, the Fifth Ring also served as a buffer zone between the base walls and residential areas, making it the largest area and quite time-consuming to reach by car.

Since Jiang Rui had said this, Xu Qiao didn't push further and asked, "Do you want medication to treat it, or..."

Jiang Rui: "If it's convenient, I'd like to be cured now."

Such a skin injury didn't require a trip to the operating room. After issuing a payment slip, Jiang Rui paid the points, and Xu Qiao helped clean the wound. With her fingers pressing against one side of the wound, she healed him within three minutes. Apart from the new skin being slightly paler, there was no sign of the injury.

Jiang Rui pulled down his pant leg, stood up straight, and looked at the therapist sitting in the chair, his expression serious: "Thank you."

He then turned and headed for the door, taking four steps to exit completely.

Xu Qiao: "Wait a moment."

Jiang Rui paused and turned around.

Xu Qiao: "Did you specifically request me because Aunt Liu wanted to support my business, or was there another reason?"

Jiang Rui was silent for a second before looking at her: "I wanted to see you, and this was the only way."

Xu Qiao: "…I'm honored, but I'm not interested in dating. If you keep paying unnecessary points to see me, it will make me feel pressured."

Jiang Rui: "I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

Xu Qiao smiled: "Thank you."

Jiang Rui: "Can I escort you home once a week? I won't speak to you; I'll just keep a distance and watch you. I hope that when you're ready to date, you might consider me first."

Xu Qiao: "…"