Chapter 272: Going Out

Chapter 272 Going Out

Lu Hanchuan managed to find time to see Ye Xiaoxiao before dinner.

"Let’s grab dinner at the cafeteria."

The base had two cafeterias—one east, one west. The eastern one was mostly used by the military, while the western one was frequented by civilians/staff.

Lu Hanchuan rarely appeared in the western cafeteria, so his arrival turned heads.

"You’re still missing a desk in your dorm, right? I’ll bring you one tomorrow."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "It's fine, I don’t eat in the dorm anyway."

It’s just a hassle when I’m writing reports.

Lu Hanchuan: "You’ll need it sooner or later."

Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan grabbed a table to eat.

Li Zhen stepped back discreetly and whispered to Yang Juan, "Wanna guess why Ye’s here? It’s for love."

Yang Juan: "You mean..."

Li Zhen nodded: "Exactly, they’re together."

Yang Juan glanced sideways, "They do make a good pair."

Li Zhen: "Just ‘good’? They’re perfect for each other! You think they found something big here? Why else would folks from the capital flock here?"

Yang Juan had thought about leaving to study but wasn’t confident.

At his age, going for a master’s was already tough.

Li Zhen had a point, but Yang Juan firmly disagreed, "What’s so great about this place? Just wind and sand."

After finishing her meal, Ye Xiaoxiao walked back to her dorm.

The sun set late here, and the base was safe enough.

Even so, Lu Hanchuan walked her back.

"I’ll still be at the base tomorrow. I’ll come find you after training."

Mostly to get her place set up.

Originally, Ye Xiaoxiao had planned to ask Zhao Chunhua for a desk, but the clearer it became how empty the place was—so she held back.

Hell, they didn’t even have firewood here.

The next day, Lu Hanchuan brought over the furniture—not just a desk but also a wardrobe.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You didn’t raid your own dorm for this, did you?"

Lu Hanchuan: "Not at all. But if I’d filed the marriage paperwork sooner, you could’ve just lived with me."

"Too late for regrets now. We’ll talk about it when we return to the capital."

This was the first time Ye Xiaoxiao openly addressed the matter of marriage.

Lu Hanchuan was slow on the uptake, but once he caught on, he eagerly pressed, "Xiao Xiao, did you agree?"

"I never said a word," Ye Xiaoxiao replied coyly.

Lu Hanchuan walked over and hugged her. "I heard it loud and clear. No take-backs now."

For several days in a row, Lu Hanchuan was seen with Ye Xiaoxiao everywhere.

News about Regiment Commander Lu having a fiancée spread like wildfire across the base.

Even while recovering from his injury, Zhou Shengyang was still itching to gossip. "How come we never heard Regiment Commander Lu mention having a fiancée before?"

"Of course he’s taken—he’s young and handsome. I just didn’t expect his fiancée to be this beautiful."

"If Regiment Commander Lu wasn’t taken, wouldn’t every woman here be lining up for him? I’ve seen people try to make a pass at him before, but they were all rejected."

---

Little did they know, Jiang Leyin had also been one of those rejected.

Jiang Leyin had been outstanding since childhood. Though her no-frills workplace might seem modest, making it as an army medic in the military was a pipe dream for most.

The first time she saw Lu Hanchuan, she was convinced—only a man like him was good enough for her.

Yet, after two years, aside from official matters, he gave her the bare minimum.

Had she not seen how he acted around Ye Xiaoxiao, she would have thought Lu Hanchuan was just naturally cold.

But the way he had been these past two days was a real eye-opener.

Tch.

---

Ye Xiaoxiao was on duty at the infirmary. There weren’t many patients here—occasionally, someone would come in for minor ailments like diarrhea or a cold, and she’d just hand out meds.

So, during her free time, she read books.

She also took the opportunity to make a list of the medicines the infirmary was short on.

Zhao Chunhua had said it was difficult to request supplies from higher-ups, and some scarce medications couldn’t be obtained.

Ye Xiaoxiao had to resort to writing a letter back to the capital to see if her mentor could mail her some traditional Chinese medicine.

Now that she had reconnected without a hitch with Lu Hanchuan, sending letters out was much easier.

During her break, Li Zhen scrounged up a bicycle. "Do you want to go to town with me?"

Ye Xiaoxiao had just finished writing her letters—she’d initially figured she’d ask Lu Hanchuan to send them for her.

There were several letters—to her mentor, brothers, and folks back home.

But with Li Zhen’s offer, she could post them personally.

"Isn’t it a two-hour trip?"

Li Zhen: "If we walk, it would take that long, but now we have a bicycle. It probably won’t take that long."

But Ye Xiaoxiao was still thinking about how even Jin Yu had taken a long time driving out before.

You couldn't always trust Li Zhen's word.

"Hurry up, there’s a market in town today. If we miss it, who knows when the next one will be." That settled it for Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Hold on then, I’ll go with you."

She left a note for Lu Hanchuan and went outside with Li Zhen.

Here, rain wasn't a concern, but they needed sun protection.

Ye Xiaoxiao threw on her homemade sun shield over her head and sat on the back of Li Zhen’s bicycle as they made their way to town.

"I should've known better than to trust you."

They set off at nine in the morning and arrived at eleven.

Ye Xiaoxiao jumped off the back seat, her butt completely numb.

Li Zhen pushed the bike, "I did all the work, and I didn’t even charge you. Quit complaining."

"What's your plan? I need to stop by the post office first."

"Post office first then. After that, I’ll go home, then to the market, and then head back."

There was a small co-op in town, but the prices were high. The market didn’t have everything, but you could score some good finds.

Ye Xiaoxiao mailed four or five letters at the post office.

Li Zhen's eyes widened, "Do you have that many people to write to?"

"Just checking in with the family."

Besides, only by knowing her address could her family send her things.

Ye Xiaoxiao had never been one to lean on her family before, but now she was practically begging for care packages.

Work'll change you.

The real world's brutal.

A flicker of envy passed through Li Zhen's eyes.

At that moment, Ye Xiaoxiao missed the odd look.

Not until she followed Li Zhen to her home.

It was a ramshackle dirt house with a weedy yard—not even worth breaking into.

"So... it's just you?"

Ye Xiaoxiao watched as Li Zhen unlocked the door and started rummaging through the wardrobe.