Chapter 196: Her Plan
The firewood in the woodshed was currently piled up to about thigh-high, and there were roughly fifty coal briquettes left. While the supply of coal wasn’t quite enough to last through a harsh season, both the military base and the city’s coal factories were state-owned enterprises. The factories always prioritized the resource needs of the military. When the time came, he could simply head down to the purchasing department and request assistance to apply for an extra allotment.
It was a highly convenient system. Even if the higher-ups knew that soldiers occasionally pulled strings for personal household use, no one would make an issue of it. After all, it was a perfectly formal application process; as long as you paid the required fee and turned in the appropriate supply coupons, everything was above board.
Gu Tingxiao grabbed a heavy machete and headed out to the nearby hills to harvest some timber. Even though he only had one functional arm to work with, it didn’t stop him from chopping wood. He successfully felled a whole tree, carried it back to the courtyard, and set to work slowly splitting the logs and clearing away the debris.
Inside the house, Sheng Wanyan stirred from her nap. Sitting up as the rhythmic, heavy thuds of the machete echoed from the backyard, she rubbed her tight shoulders, slipped out of bed, and walked out to investigate.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she was greeted by the sight of Gu Tingxiao’s broad, broad back. He was swinging the blade vigorously with his dominant right arm, throwing his whole upper body into the labor.
“You went out to chop wood?” she chided, stepping closer. “Your arm is still fractured.”
Seeing that she was awake, Gu Tingxiao immediately set his tool aside, walked into the kitchen, and poured her a glass of warm water. “I’m fine. I can manage perfectly well if I just take my time with one hand. You shouldn’t be handling any of these heavy chores.”
Sheng Wanyan watched him for a moment. He was working at a steady, efficient pace, and his immobilized left arm didn’t seem to be hindering his balance at all, so she decided not to nag him further. “Just don’t overdo it. Chop enough for now and take a break. I’m going to start dinner.”
Gu Tingxiao’s gaze softened into a warm, affectionate look as he nodded obediently.
Wanyan walked into the kitchen to prepare their evening meal. She decided on a simple pot of egg noodles—light, comforting, and highly nutritious. After all, serving heavy meat dishes at every single meal simply wasn’t practical. Even though Gu Tingxiao required high-quality sustenance to aid his recovery, if she constantly filled the table with rare fish and pork day after day, a sharp soldier like him would eventually be the first to grow suspicious of her endless pantry.
Throughout the meal, Gu Tingxiao was exceptionally attentive. He spent the entire dinner either pouring her water or leaning over to gently wipe the corner of her mouth.
Sheng Wanyan was so thoroughly distracted by his constant hovering that she completely lost her appetite. Setting her bowl and chopsticks down firmly on the table, she leveled a sharp look at him.
“Alright, spit it out. What’s on your mind?” Her tone was entirely certain, leaving zero room for evasion. Her expression plainly read: I’m listening, so don’t try to hide it.
Gu Tingxiao met her gaze, looking uncharacteristically hesitant, as if he couldn’t quite find the right words to begin.
For a long moment, they simply stared across the table at one another, wrapped in a tense silence. Wanyan waited patiently, giving him the space to collect his thoughts. Finally, Gu Tingxiao set his own chopsticks down and bared his thoughts.
“Wanyan… regarding that medicine you gave me. The military higher-ups want to purchase the formula from you.”
Wanyan arched an eyebrow. She had noticed his lingering anxiety ever since they had returned from the dinner at Sheng Wanze’s house the previous night. “And what about you? What do you think about it?”
Sheng Wanyan didn’t particularly care what the base commanders wanted; she already had her own parameters in mind. However, Gu Tingxiao’s personal stance on the matter was deeply important to her.
Seeing the flicker of skepticism in her eyes, Gu Tingxiao felt a sudden pang of distress. He reached across the table, wrapping his hand tightly around hers, and looked at her with absolute sincerity to make his position crystal clear.
“Wanyan, I will support whatever choice you make. If you are willing to give it to them, I will personally negotiate the absolute best possible terms on your behalf. If you refuse, I will bury this matter so deeply that no one will ever know the medicine originated from you.”
Hearing his pledge, Sheng Wanyan lowered her eyes in deep thought. When she had initially handed the hemostatic powder to him, her singular, desperate motivation had been ensuring his safe return from a dangerous deployment. But she wasn’t naive; she had anticipated that once the miraculous effects of the powder were witnessed on the battlefield, the military would inevitably investigate the source and take action.
She already possessed an abundance of secret resources within her spatial dimension, but in the real world, what she truly required to secure her family’s future was wealth and structural influence.
“You’re letting me name my own conditions?” she asked softly.
Gu Tingxiao recognized the shifting tone in her voice, realizing she was open to the transaction. “Whatever you want, Wanyan. I will go to the negotiating table and secure it for you.”
Sheng Wanyan lifted her head, her gaze locking onto his. Gu Tingxiao could clearly discern a spark of sharp, calculated ambition flaring within her eyes. How could someone who had successfully navigated a highly competitive, cutthroat modern world ever be content with a life of quiet mediocrity? He had always known his wife was an extraordinarily courageous and capable woman, but in this moment, fueled by a clear purpose, she looked more breathtakingly dazzling than ever.
Wanyan had carefully weighed her options. She had no intention of undermining the interests of the nation; rather, her goal was to leverage this breakthrough to transform the state into her ultimate shield and benefactor. No matter how exceptionally talented or resourceful an individual might be, attempting to stand against the sheer power of a nation was a fool’s errand. Furthermore, she had to think of Gu Tingxiao, her brother Sheng Wanze, her parents, and her grandparents. None of her loved ones could afford to be implicated in a dangerous political fallout because of her.
She refused to let her secrets hinder Gu Tingxiao’s military trajectory; instead, she wanted to become his greatest asset. Beyond that, the knowledge that her formula could preserve the lives of thousands of brave soldiers on the front lines was enough to make her blood run warm with pride.
“I want eighty thousand yuan,” she stated clearly. “And I want a guaranteed position as the deputy director of a production workshop at the steel plant.”
Gu Tingxiao instantly saw right through her strategy. She was looking to secure a new, less physically demanding career path for her father. Her father was aging, and his current position inside the grueling, high-intensity steel fabrication workshop was taking a massive toll on his health. The constant exposure to hazardous fumes and particulate dust was wearing his body down daily. In contrast, her mother held a comfortable, highly coveted administrative role within the logistics department of a textile factory, where she could easily and safely coast until her retirement in a few years. Wanyan’s thoughts were entirely consumed by safeguarding her parents back in Chengdu, a devotion he found deeply moving.
However, he had initially assumed his wife would try to establish a long-term production contract with the state. He hadn’t expected her to opt for a clean, definitive, one-time transaction. But as he turned the terms over in his mind, the genius of her decision became stunningly clear.
She was sacrificing long-term financial windfalls entirely to shield his military career. If she had chosen a protracted manufacturing agreement, his superiors would likely keep an incredibly close, suspicious eye on their household. Any future promotion he earned would be heavily scrutinized, and envious rivals would undoubtedly attempt to weaponize her massive corporate influence to stall his advancement.
By taking a clean, final payout and stepping back into the shadows, his path to the upper echelons of command would remain entirely unburdened. No one would have a single piece of leverage to block his rise.
“Thank you, Wanyan,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
Sheng Wanyan rubbed her arms, a playful grimace on her face. “Stop looking at me like that, you’re giving me goosebumps.”
“I simply have no desire to live under a microscope for the rest of my life,” she added, picking up her chopsticks and returning to her noodles, entirely unbothered by how deeply touched her husband was. She was well aware that she carried an extraordinary, potentially dangerous treasure within herself, but her priority was living a peaceful, unburdened life out in the open. She was far too smart to trade her security for endless greed.
Armed with Wanyan’s explicit terms, Gu Tingxiao returned to the command headquarters the following morning to deliver his official report.
The moment the words left his mouth, Political Commissar Xie and Commander Pan choked on their tea simultaneously, spraying water across the desk.
“Pfft—!” “Cough, pfft—!”
Gu Tingxiao swiftly stepped back, smoothly dodging the flying droplets. Political Commissar Xie and Commander Pan sat directly across from one another, entirely oblivious to the fact that they had just drenched each other’s faces. Their minds were reeling from the sheer shock of the revelation: the miraculous battlefield medicine had actually been manufactured by Gu Tingxiao’s own wife.
“Are you absolutely certain?!” Commander Pan gasped, his eyes wide.
No wonder Gu Tingxiao had protected the source with such fierce, unyielding aggression—the brilliant creator was the woman sharing his bed!
Gu Tingxiao gave a firm, resolute nod. He knew this truth could never remain a secret for long. The moment her father’s new employment paperwork went through the state channels, it would take the authorities mere minutes to connect the dots and uncover the source anyway. “Yes.”
“Unbelievable! No wonder you were pulling so hard for the other side during our talk!” Commander Pan grumbled, though a proud grin tugged at his mouth. “The asset was locked away in your own house the entire time!”
The commander finally understood why the younger man had refused to yield an inch of ground. It turned out Sheng Wanyan had developed the formula with her own hands. It made perfect sense now.
“And your wife truly only requests eighty thousand yuan and a single workshop directorship?” Political Commissar Xie verified.
“Yes, sir.”
A wave of profound relief washed over Political Commissar Xie, though he couldn’t help but marvel silently at Sheng Wanyan’s incredible foresight. Gu Tingxiao had truly struck gold when he married her; she was the ultimate partner. The commissar immediately understood the brilliant strategy behind her modest employment request—she was intentionally lowering her profile to protect her husband’s career. He looked at Gu Tingxiao with an undisguised wave of envy. What a fortunate bastard.
The man was naturally detached and unreadable, yet his wife was not only breathtakingly beautiful and an exceptional cook, but she also happened to be an absolute, self-taught pharmaceutical prodigy.
Both Political Commissar Xie and Commander Pan were burning with curiosity regarding how a young woman had managed to master such an advanced medical craft. Anticipating their questions, Gu Tingxiao delivered the carefully constructed cover story he and Wanyan had agreed upon. He explained that she had simply developed a passionate, obsessive fascination with traditional pharmacology during her school years, eventually spending two years secretly apprenticing under an old, highly accomplished master of Chinese medicine.
“Comrade Sheng Wanyan has rendered an immeasurable service to the security of our nation,” Political Commissar Xie declared solemnly, setting his teacup down. “We must ensure that the military treats her with the utmost respect and generosity, so she never feels her devotion was taken for granted.”
