The aloof military doctor arrives at the unit, and the tough guy can't sit still.

Xia Qiuran blinked her big eyes twice, as if she was giving Lu Zhenghan a meaningful look, begging him to accept it quickly.

Looking at the girl in front of him with a faint blush on her cheeks and her eyelashes trembling slightly, even though he knew she did it on purpose, Lu Zhenghan's heart still skipped a beat. He unconsciously clenched his fist, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to take the red notebook in front of him.

"Let's go, too much pesticide in the vegetable garden isn't good."

As Xia Qiuran and Lu Zhenghan turned to leave, they paused and turned back. "Comrade Zhao, do you know what giving shoes as a gift means?"

Zhao Feng was taken aback by the question and shook his head as if lost in thought.

"Sending shoes means sending them away." He finished speaking and gave a slight smile to the person in the room.

Fan Chunfen immediately stood up in anger, "Who are you cursing? Who are you sending away?"

Xia Qiuran ignored him and strode out of the supply and marketing cooperative. When she reached the door, she paused for a moment and heard Fan Chunfen's sharp voice coming from inside again.

"Hurry up and take it off, throw it away right now, it's too unlucky."

Hmph, it's best to throw them away. She would rather give the shoes to a dog than put them on Zhao Feng's feet.

"I'll have Secretary Fang come and buy it later," Lu Zhenghan said after they came out.

"No need, just wait a moment, they'll sell it to me." Xia Qiuran smiled mischievously at this moment.

Lu Zhenghan was a little puzzled, but he still waited with Xia Qiuran near the supply and marketing cooperative for a while.

Standing still, he subtly moved his eyebrows and took out the red booklet from his pocket. "Here, take this back."

"Commander Lu, it's yours now that it's given to you." Xia Qiuran replied, then realized something seemed off and quickly explained.

"Commander Lu, please don't misunderstand. I've noticed you're always writing at your desk, so you must need a notebook. We've already bought this notebook, so let's not waste it."

Lu Zhenghan held the notebook as if he was about to refuse, but Xia Qiuran quickly pulled his arm and walked to the side.

"They're out."

"Commander Lu, wait here for me, I'll be right back."

After Xia Qiuran finished speaking, she went straight to Yang Yuqin, who had just come out of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Lu Zhenghan could only temporarily put the notebook into his pocket.

However, when Xia Qiuran returned a little while later, she actually managed to buy the bottle of pesticide 666 powder.

"They sold it to you?" Lu Zhenghan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Why would they be so kind? I told Yang Yuqin that if they didn't sell it to me, I would come back tomorrow. She was afraid that Zhao Feng would meet with me, so she naturally took it out for me." Xia Qiuran finished speaking and slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

Seeing Xia Qiuran's slightly smug expression, Lu Zhenghan unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth.

After obtaining the 666 powder, the two quickly went to the back mountain to collect herbs, made ointment, and sent it to Sun Xiaocao.

Sun Xiaocao lifted her clothes and applied the ointment to her arms and legs. Sure enough, a red rash appeared on her skin within half an hour.

They come in all shapes and sizes and are very uneven in shape. If you scratch them even slightly, you'll get a red mark. It looks quite scary.

Xia Qiuran was drawn to the countless bruises, burns, and scalds on Sun Xiaocao's body.

"Xiaocao, did your stepmother beat you like this?" Xia Qiuran asked with some heartache.

"Some of them were hit by her, and some were burned by my younger brothers who were playing around with fire pokers," Sun Xiaocao answered calmly, as if she wasn't the one who was injured.

"You must hate them a lot, right?"

"I don't hate."

Sun Xiaocao's expression remained unchanged, only a single tear, the size of a bean, rolled down her cheek, but her gaze held unwavering resolve. "If possible, I just want to have absolutely no connection with them anymore."

After a brief pause, Sun Xiaocao continued.

"Xiao Ran, I heard that city people can work in factories and earn wages. As long as they work, they can get their own pay every month. Even girls won't be treated differently."

"Yes, that's how it is in the city." Xia Qiuran nodded.

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope seemed to appear in Sun Xiaocao's eyes. She forcefully pulled out a strand of her hair, showing no sign of pain on her face, as if she were already used to it. Then she wrapped the hair in her hand and handed it to Xia Qiuran.

"Xiao Ran, if I don't make it through, could you please leave my hair at a factory in the city? Any factory will do. I want to live that kind of life in my next life too."

In truth, Sun Xiaocao knew very well that even if she escaped this time, she couldn't escape the next. Now, all her hopes could only be placed in the next life.

Hearing these words, Xia Qiuran's heart clenched, but she was just a probationary soldier who hadn't been officially promoted yet, so what could she do?

Oh, right, reserve soldiers!

Xia Qiuran seemed to suddenly remember something, wondering if the army was still recruiting reserve soldiers like her.

If they stop recruiting reserve soldiers, could Lu Zhenghan help Sun Xiaocao find a job in the city, even something as simple as sweeping the streets or cleaning toilets?

In order to get Lu Zhenghan to agree, Xia Qiuran also started to flatter him. After returning home, she found Lu Zhenghan's white vest with a hole hanging on the clothesline, carefully mended it, and presented it to him with a fawning expression.

"Commander Lu, I've mended your clothes. Please see if it's okay. If not, I can take it back to be mended again."

Looking at the neatly folded vest, Lu Zhenghan unconsciously furrowed his brow.

First she said she met a nice person of similar age in the city, and now she's being so attentive to him. Is she trying to have her cake and eat it too, looking for a way out for herself?

Lu Zhenghan didn't want to make malicious assumptions about anyone, but Xia Qiuran's various behaviors made him unable to help but overthink.

"Thank you, I'll fix it myself. Don't do this again next time." Lu Zhenghan took the vest without much expression.

"Dinner's ready."

As soon as Lu Zhenghan finished speaking, Qian Guifang called out.

Originally, the production team had a communal pot for meals, but Qian Guifang and her husband thought that Xia Qiuran had finally come back, so they risked their lives to catch a fish in the river and borrowed a bowl of wheat flour from next door. After returning, they mixed in some corn flour and made several large pancakes.

"Commander Lu, quickly try this fish soup and see how it is!" Qian Guifang ladled a large bowl full of soup and meat and placed it in front of Lu Zhenghan.

"Auntie, this is too much. I can't finish it all. Let's share some with my older brother."

Lu Zhenghan looked at the table and saw that apart from his own bowl of fish soup, which was full, everyone else had only filled their bowls to a little less than half full. In particular, Xia Pingsheng's bowl only contained clear soup, without even a trace of fish meat.

"No, no, Commander Lu, you eat. I don't like fish," Xia Pingsheng said, taking his bowl aside.

"Yes, Commander Lu, you are our guest, so of course we should let you eat first. Here, take this piece of fish." Xia Qiuran then put a piece of fish from her bowl into Lu Zhenghan's bowl.

Qian Guifang and Xia Dazhi exchanged a glance and smiled. Their silly girl had finally come to her senses.

Xia Pingsheng silently drank a large mouthful of fish soup. "Girls grow up and leave home," as the saying goes. "It's all worth it for my sister's happiness."

After dinner, Lu Zhenghan returned to his room to pack his luggage, and Xia Qiuran came in with a cup of tea.

"Commander Lu, this is some honeysuckle I dried earlier. It's good for clearing heat and relieving summer heat. Please try it."

Lu Zhenghan glanced at it, his cold face revealing no emotion. "Is there something you want to say?"

Xia Qiuran smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said, "Commander Lu, nothing can escape your eyes."

"Xia Qiuran, you are skilled in medicine, intelligent and quick-witted, and I acknowledge your abilities. However, you are not focused enough in some areas. Being indecisive is not a shortcut but a detour that will only delay your progress," Lu Zhenghan continued.

Xia Qiuran was completely confused, but since she needed his help, she didn't dare to argue and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, you're right."

Seeing Xia Qiuran's good attitude, Lu Zhenghan's expression softened considerably, and a rare glint of light flashed in his eyes. "Alright, just say what you want to say."

"Qiuran, Qiuran, something terrible has happened!"

"Come out quickly!"

Just as Xia Qiuran was about to speak, a shout came from outside the door.