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

Lu Baizhou lied without batting an eye. Actually, he had been standing under that old locust tree for almost half an hour. But he felt there was nothing to say; waiting for his wife to get off work was only natural.

He naturally reached out and took the slightly heavy cloth bag full of medical documents from her hand, carrying it himself.

"Let's go upstairs." The two went upstairs side by side.

Back home, Qiao Xinxin changed into slippers in the entryway.

She hung her white coat on the coat rack, went to the bathroom to wash her face, washing away the day's fatigue and the smell of chemicals in the laboratory.

When she dried her face and came out, Lu Baizhou had already poured a glass of warm water and placed it on the coffee table in the living room.

Qiao Xinxin walked over and sat down on the sofa. She picked up her water glass and took a sip. The water was lukewarm, not too hot, not too cold—just the right temperature. It was as if it had been prepared in advance, anticipating her return.

Lu Baizhou sat down next to her. He held a folded piece of mimeograph paper in his hand, unfolded it and glanced at it. It was a maintenance notice for the family compound facilities that the logistics department had just issued that afternoon.

He glanced at a few lines of text casually, found them meaningless, folded the paper, and tossed it onto a corner of the coffee table.

He turned to look at her and asked about her work: "How's it going with Teacher Lin today? How were the test results for that anti-inflammatory drug?"

"The first batch of data is quite good." Qiao Xinxin's eyes lit up when she mentioned work. "The stability is 10% higher than we expected. Professor Lin was very satisfied with the data and said that we can start the second batch of control experiments next week. If everything goes smoothly, we can have the final product formula next month."

Qiao Xinxin leaned back against the soft sofa, relaxing her body, and turned her head to look at him: "How about you? Were you busy with training today? Judging from your hair, you're covered in sweat again, aren't you?"

"It's alright." Lu Baizhou leaned back on the sofa, his tone flat. "This morning, I led several companies of new recruits in a field tactical infiltration and coordination training exercise. This afternoon, I held a meeting at the regimental headquarters to discuss adjustments to the training plan for the upcoming major competition next quarter."

He spoke very briefly. The hardships of training, like rolling in mud and crawling under barbed wire, were always glossed over in just a few words.

But Qiao Xinxin knew that he was a very demanding person when it came to work, and he was never careless when training new recruits. Every time they returned from field training exercises, his voice would be hoarse from shouting.

She didn't press for details about the training; she simply reached out and pushed the glass of lukewarm water he had just poured for himself, which had cooled down considerably, toward his hand.

Lu Baizhou watched her movements, picked up his cup, and took a big gulp. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly; he didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of laughter.

The two sat quietly on the sofa for a while.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and lights began to appear in the distant camp.

Qiao Xinxin leaned back on the sofa and looked at the night view outside the window for a while. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she sat up abruptly.

"By the way, Bai Zhou."

"Um?"

"Yesterday, in the medical department's archives, I saw a spring medicine reserve list issued by the logistics department. It included a batch of special hemostatic gauze for external injuries, which was to be distributed to various grassroots companies."

Lu Baizhou nodded, confirming her statement: "Yes, I heard it from Officer Zhang in logistics. The intensity of this year's spring field training is much greater than in previous years, especially the mountain training. The logistics department has made ample preparations in advance to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. Your improved formula for hemostatic powder has also been included in the combat readiness reserve list this time."

"Really?" Qiao Xinxin was pleasantly surprised.

"Um."

"Teacher Lin mentioned this to me a few days ago, but at the time she said it was still going through the approval process at the military region's health department. I didn't expect it to be approved so quickly, and it's going to be distributed to the company," Qiao Xinxin said.

"If the medicine you make works and has good practical effects, the higher-ups will naturally approve it, and the approval process will be faster."

Lu Baizhou turned to look at her, his eyes filled with an undisguised, barely perceptible pride.

"When I went to the military region for a meeting yesterday, Director Qian from the Health Department also mentioned it once," Lu Baizhou continued. "Director Qian said that the feedback from the frontline field medical teams about this batch of gauze was excellent. They said that the hemostatic effect was more than twice as fast as the old prescriptions that the medics used before, and the wounds healed faster and were less prone to infection. Now, several medics from the main force companies are vying to specifically request this batch of medicine from your military medical department."

Qiao Xinxin felt a little embarrassed by his straightforward praise.

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously touching her earlobes. The gold earrings she used to wear there were gone, replaced by a pair of small silver studs for everyday wear.

"Actually... it's mainly because of Professor Lin's excellent guidance," Qiao Xinxin said modestly. "The formula was also improved based on his ancient books and materials. I only did some experimental proportioning and data comparison work, so I didn't make that much of a contribution."

"You did a great job. You don't need to be so humble in front of me."

Lu Baizhou stretched out his broad palm and gently rubbed the top of her soft hair.

"You don't know," Lu Baizhou said with a smile, "Mom was showing off to the regular customers at the restaurant the other day. She said, 'The medicine my daughter made is now being used in our military region!' She sounded even happier than if she had won some national model worker award herself."

Qiao Xinxin imagined Bai's mother wearing an apron, standing at the restaurant counter, enthusiastically talking to customers. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's just how my mom is. She exaggerates even the smallest good thing. My meager skills aren't worth her praising so much."

"It's worth it." Lu Baizhou looked into her eyes and repeated himself with utmost seriousness, "I think everything you've done deserves praise."

Qiao Xinxin felt a warm glow in her heart from his unexpected words of love, as if she were soaking in warm water.

She lowered her head and didn't reply, but the fingers on her lap unconsciously moved a little closer to him.

Then, that hand was gently but firmly grasped by his large palm.

The thin calluses on his palms, worn from years of holding a gun, brushed against the back of her hand. The warmth of his palm flowed through her fingertips, not hot, but incredibly comforting.

The days passed by at a leisurely pace, like flowing water.

During the day, the two were busy with their respective jobs. In the evening, they returned to their small two-bedroom apartment.

Sometimes, when Lu Baizhou came home early, the two of them would cook together in the kitchen, simply stir-frying a couple of dishes.