The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

Upon hearing this, Lu Baizhou immediately patted his chest and chimed in, "Then I'll take you!"

Qiao Xinxin looked up at him, somewhat puzzled: "You're taking me there? Don't you have to lead troops in training this afternoon? Please don't let my matter interfere with your regular work in the army."

Lu Baizhou looked at her confidently, a wide grin spreading across his face: "This afternoon is free physical training time, I can just ask the political commissar for leave. Besides, it's only natural for me to take my girlfriend to take care of important business, isn't it? Who dares to say no?"

Qiao Xinxin's heart skipped a beat when he called her "partner," and she felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

She knew she couldn't linger here with this person any longer; if she stayed any longer, her face would really burn.

She quickly turned around, tossing out, "Okay, okay, then wait here for me for a bit. I'll go home and get the medicinal herbs, and I'll be right down!"

After saying that, without waiting for Lu Baizhou's reply, she turned around and ran quickly into the gate of the family compound like a frightened little rabbit.

He climbed upstairs in one breath, took out his keys, and pushed open his own apartment door.

No one was home at the moment. Without wasting a second, Qiao Xinxin quickly went into her bedroom, locked the door, and with a thought, entered the space.

In the medicinal herb field, the blood coagulation grass and green spirit vine were growing vigorously.

She bent down and deftly packed handfuls of the pre-dried and processed medicinal herbs into two sturdy coarse cloth bags.

After packing, she carefully checked the growth of the other medicinal herbs to make sure there were no problems before leaving the space.

Carrying two heavy cloth bags, she locked the door again and hurried downstairs.

Lu Baizhou was still standing obediently under that old locust tree, waiting for her.

As soon as he saw her come out carrying two large cloth bags, he immediately strode over to her, and very naturally extended his large hand to take the things from her hands: "Give them to me, I'll carry them. These things look heavy. In the future, if there's heavy work like this, don't be silly and try to carry them yourself. If you're delivering things, come to me. Why not use free labor?"

Qiao Xinxin felt a warmth in her heart and didn't refuse him politely, handing him the cloth bag directly.

The two walked out of the compound gate side by side and strolled along the road toward the bus stop.

Lu Baizhou walked to her left, carrying the two bags full of medicinal herbs in one hand, his steps slow, matching her pace.

He would occasionally turn his head to steal a glance at her, his eyes full of smiles.

"I heard from Lao Bai that the hemostatic powder you prescribed is now being supplied directly to the General Hospital of the Military Region?" Lu Baizhou started a conversation.

Qiao Xinxin nodded, her face full of pride: "Yes! The payment for the first batch of goods has already been settled. The hospital said the effect is particularly good, and doctors from several departments are placing additional orders. The quantity needed for this second batch is much larger than the first batch, so I have to hurry up and deliver the raw materials to the pharmaceutical factory today, in case their machines stop and they have to wait for food to cook."

Lu Baizhou frowned slightly upon hearing this: "So, from now on, will you have to go to the pharmaceutical factory in the west of the city every few days? That must be exhausting."

"You don't need to run around every day," Qiao Xinxin explained with a smile. "Medicinal herbs don't grow every day; they have a growth cycle. I estimate that delivering raw materials once a month will be enough. I'll stay at the military medical department and study under Teacher Lin most of the time."

The two chatted casually for a while and soon arrived at the bus stop. While waiting for the bus, Lu Baizhou glanced at Qiao Xinxin again, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he swallowed his words back.

Actually, he had been harboring a huge question in his heart.

That question had been swirling in his mind ever since Qiao Xinxin kissed him—had this little girl remembered that the man who slept in the same bed with her at the guesthouse that night was him, Lu Baizhou?!

Not long after, the bus swayed and rattled in. The two boarded one after the other. It wasn't rush hour in the afternoon, and the bus was almost empty. Lu Baizhou protected Qiao Xinxin, letting her sit in a window seat, while he sat next to her like a bodyguard, carefully holding the bag of medicinal herbs under his feet.

The car drove all the way to the entrance of the pharmaceutical factory. The two got out of the car and had just entered the factory yard when they saw the factory director, Sun Changming, holding a notebook and counting a batch of packaging boxes that had just been delivered.

Sun Changming looked up and saw Qiao Xinxin arrive. He was about to greet her when his gaze shifted and he noticed a tall, unfamiliar young man beside her. The man looked imposing and had the air of a soldier. Sun Changming looked at him curiously for a few more moments, then smiled and asked, "Little Qiao, who is this comrade?"

Qiao Xinxin smiled gracefully and pointed to Lu Baizhou, introducing him: "Director Sun, this is Lu Baizhou, my boyfriend."

The moment she uttered the word "partner," Qiao Xinxin felt a warm glow inside; she hadn't expected it to come out so naturally.

When Lu Baizhou heard her so openly admit to being her boyfriend in front of outsiders, his joy was practically overflowing; his smile almost stretched to his ears. He quickly straightened up and politely nodded to Sun Changming, "Hello, Director Sun, I'm sorry to have troubled you today."

Upon hearing this, Sun Changming waved his hands happily, "Oh, no trouble at all! Comrade Xiao Lu, you are truly blessed to have found such a capable girl as Xin Xin! The medicine she concocted is miraculous! Come, come, give me the herbs, I'll take them to weigh them right away and put them into storage immediately."

Lu Baizhou handed over the bag of medicinal herbs on the ground. Sun Changming took the bag, weighed it in his hand, untied the rope, and peeked inside. His eyes immediately lit up: "Wow, this batch of herbs looks really good! It looks even better than the last batch! Xinxin, don't worry, I'll arrange for the workshop to start production right away. Even if we work overtime, we absolutely won't delay the supply to the hospital!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Director Sun." Qiao Xinxin thanked him with a smile, and then carefully checked the delivery time and approximate quantity of the next batch of medicinal herbs with Sun Changming. The two of them checked the accounts clearly and confirmed that there were no discrepancies. Only then did Qiao Xinxin take her leave with Lu Baizhou.

As the two walked side by side out of the pharmaceutical factory's large iron gate, the sun had already begun to set in the west. The clouds on the horizon were tinged with orange-red, and the warm golden sunlight shone on the road, casting long shadows of the two of them close together.

Lu Baizhou turned his head to look at Qiao Xinxin's profile, which was glowing in the setting sun, and asked softly, "Xinxin, are you no longer required to work that grueling night shift at the public bathhouse?"