Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

The night was as dark as ink, and the wind made the window paper rattle loudly.

When Gu Changfeng pushed open the door, he brought in a chilly autumn air.

He stamped his foot at the door, took off his military overcoat, which was damp with night dew, and hung it on a nail behind the door before daring to go into the inner room.

The trap has been set, and there are hidden soldiers guarding the area. If that spy dares to go to the coal shed tonight, he'll definitely experience the methods of the special forces.

Gu Changfeng had just breathed a sigh of relief when he walked to the earthen bed, and his brows instantly furrowed into a knot.

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, the usually energetic and mischievous little tyrant who could kick stone weights away was now curled up in bed, his face flushed, humming softly.

"Wanrou, what's wrong with Yaya?" Gu Changfeng's voice was low and urgent.

Lin Wanrou was wiping the child's sweat with a damp towel, her hands trembling. "I don't know. He was fine just now, but suddenly he started saying he was cold, and then he said he was hot. Could it be because he was in a draft during the day?"

Actually, Meng Yaya is perfectly fine.

She secretly pinched her thigh in bed and used her tiny bit of supernatural power to make blood rush to her face, thus creating the illusion of a "high fever".

She has truly worried herself sick over this family.

Gu Changfeng reached out and felt the child's forehead; it was burning hot. Without a word, he reached for the military jacket hanging on the wall: "To the medical team, he has a high fever."

"No..." Even with her eyes closed, Meng Yaya's hearing was at radar level. She immediately stretched out her burning little hand and precisely grabbed one of Gu Changfeng's fingers. "I don't want to get a shot...it hurts..."

The voice was soft and gentle, like that of a newborn kitten, and it felt as if Gu Changfeng had been punched hard in the chest.

"Sweetie, you have to go. What if you get burned?" Gu Changfeng tried to pull his finger out, but couldn't.

This girl is still as energetic as ever.

"I'm not going!" Meng Yaya started rolling around in bed like a fish thrown ashore. "I'm just cold... I want Mom and Dad to hold me while I sleep... like a meat sandwich!"

Gu Changfeng was stunned: "What roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)?"

"It's just..." Meng Yaya opened her big, watery eyes, sniffed, and gestured pitifully, "Daddy is the pancake, Mommy is the pancake, and I'm the piece of meat in the middle. We all have to squeeze together so we won't get cold."

Lin Wanrou's face flushed red instantly, and she coaxed softly, "Yaya, don't be silly. Your dad is tired after a long day. Let him sleep outside, and Mom will hold you."

"No, no!" Meng Yaya shook her head like a rattle drum. "I want a roujiamo! If a piece of bread is missing, the meat will fall out! I'm going to freeze to death, waaaaah..."

As she spoke, she even gave a coordinated shudder, her teeth chattering.

Seeing his daughter like this, Gu Changfeng no longer hesitated. Military discipline and the strict separation of men and women were all meaningless in the face of his daughter's tears.

"Okay, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)."

Gu Changfeng deftly took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed). Instead of sleeping on the outermost side as usual, he stretched out his long arm and pushed Lin Wanrou, along with the blanket, towards the inside.

"You'll sleep inside, you'll get cold. I'll sleep outside to keep out the wind."

Lin Wanrou's body stiffened like a wooden board.

The earthen bed wasn't very big to begin with, and the three of them could manage sleeping in their own rooms normally. But now that it's going to be sized like a "roujiamo" (Chinese hamburger), it means they have to be right next to each other.

Meng Yaya crawled into the middle with satisfaction.

She grabbed Gu Changfeng's shirt hem with her left hand and Lin Wanrou's arm with her right, pulling them forcefully together: "Merge!"

The bodies of two adults were forced to move closer together.

Gu Changfeng was like a giant furnace, constantly radiating heat. Lin Wanrou was thin and frail, suffering from chronic anemia, and always felt chilly. The alternation of hot and cold upon getting close was an unbearable experience for anyone who tried it.

"Daddy, hug Mommy too!" Meng Yaya shouted, giving vague instructions with her eyes closed. "You can't make a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) with the bread pieces separated; it lets the air in!"

Gu Changfeng's Adam's apple bobbed twice.

He turned to look at Lin Wanrou, who was standing close to him. Her eyes were lowered, her eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow beneath them, and her breathing was erratic.

"Ya Ya is right."

Gu Changfeng's voice was a little hoarse, as if he had a mouthful of grit. He reached out and awkwardly placed his hand over Lin Wanrou's shoulder, past the small dumpling in the middle.

In that instant, Lin Wanrou felt as if she had been electrocuted, and flinched, but did not dodge.

The man's arm felt heavy, carrying a sense of security she had never felt before. It pressed down on her like a mountain, yet it also shielded her from all the cold wind seeping in through the cracks in the window.

The temperature inside the blankets rose rapidly.

Feeling the heat sources on both sides, Meng Yaya gave a smug thumbs-up.

This generation of parents is so difficult to manage; she had to resort to extreme measures.

To make the "roujiamo" (Chinese hamburger) more compact, Meng Yaya pretended to be asleep, snuggled closer to Lin Wanrou, and whimpered like a spoiled kitten.

Gu Changfeng instinctively moved closer, embracing the mother and daughter from behind. He gently rested his chin on Lin Wanrou's shoulder, his cheek against her hair, their breath audible.

The faint scent of soap emanating from Lin Wanrou, mixed with an indescribable milky fragrance, wafted into Gu Changfeng's nose. It smelled a million times better than the smell of gunpowder he had encountered on the battlefield, and it was also a million times more dangerous.

As the embrace drew closer, he could clearly feel the protruding spine on Lin Wanrou's back, which was digging painfully into his chest.

Too thin.

Gu Changfeng's romantic thoughts vanished instantly, replaced by a subtle, persistent pain.

He ate meat at every meal in the army, building up his body to be as strong as an iron tower. But his wife, unbeknownst to him, became as thin as a stick.

"Go to sleep." Gu Changfeng gently patted Lin Wanrou's shoulder with his large hand, the movement as light as if he were patting a fragile piece of tofu. "I'll keep watch tonight."

Lin Wanrou's tense body finally softened.

Those days of constant vigilance and fear seemed to have vanished from her life at this moment. In this warm, crowded place, she felt a long-lost sense of peace.

Before long, Lin Wanrou's breathing became long and even.

Meng Yaya was really sleepy. Pretending to be sick was also hard work. She smacked her lips and fell into a deep sleep.

Only Gu Changfeng was awake.

In the darkness, his eyes shone with an eerie light. He didn't dare to move, but slowly slid his hand down from Lin Wanrou's shoulder, wanting to hold her hand and warm it for her.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed together, and his fingertips touched a bulge on Lin Wanrou's arm.

Those aren't calluses, they're scars.

A long, old scar that runs across half of his arm, it's a bit rough to the touch.

Lin Wanrou reacted as if she had been burned, and tried to pull her hand back abruptly.

Gu Changfeng suddenly exerted force, tightening his grip on her wrist and preventing her from escaping.

"Where did this injury come from?"

He spoke in the darkness, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable firmness and a deep-seated heartache.