Chapter 202: A Large Amount of Manuscript Fees
Before Sheng Wanyan could answer, Maodou chimed in with an eager bark, as if replying on her behalf.
Gu Tingxiao shot the puppy a dark look. Maodou immediately shrank back, nudging against Wanyan’s leg for protection. Its big eyes pleaded silently; it clearly wanted a taste of the crispy French fries, too.
But fried food was entirely unsuited for a puppy its age, so it was forced to just sit and watch.
“Be a good boy, I’ll whip up something else for you later,” Wanyan promised, stroking its back. At the mention of food, Maodou’s sadness vanished, and it began circling her feet in pure excitement.
“Wanyan, once he grows a bit bigger, I think I’ll take him down to the base for some proper training,” Gu Tingxiao remarked.
Wanyan nodded in agreement. Given his breed, Maodou was going to grow into a massive dog that could easily intimidate people. Proper training would definitely be for the best. “Sounds like a plan.”
The two of them enjoyed a quiet, peaceful afternoon. Soon after, Gu Tingxiao headed out to gather more firewood, telling her to stay comfortable at home and play with the pup.
Being pampered like a child put a smile on Wanyan’s face, and she waved goodbye as his figure receded down the path. Since she had no desire to wander out, she returned to the pavilion and sank onto the lounge chair. She had added a thick cushion to the seat, making it incredibly comfortable, and a gentle breeze swept through the yard from time to time.
Before long, her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.
Seeing her drop off, Maodou curled up quietly at her feet, keeping her company without making a sound.
When Gu Tingxiao returned with a fresh load of wood, he found his wife sleeping peacefully, looking sweet and content. He quietly draped a thin coat over her shoulders to keep her warm, careful not to break her slumber. Sitting down close by, he watched over her, occasionally reaching out to smooth away a stray lock of hair stirred by the wind.
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden rap at the gate broke the silence. Fearing the noise would wake his wife, Gu Tingxiao hurried over to open it.
On the threshold stood a young soldier holding a sturdy parcel. The moment the orderly caught sight of Gu Tingxiao’s stern, displeased expression, he froze in intimidation.
“C-Captain… there’s a package for Sister-in-law,” the soldier stuttered, looking as if he expected a swift kick and was fully prepared to bolt.
“Right. Thanks for the trouble,” Gu Tingxiao muttered, taking the bundle and shutting the gate without another word.
The young soldier patted his chest in relief as he walked away, thoroughly baffled. Why was the captain in such a merciful mood today? Usually, interrupting him meant getting reeled in for a scolding. The lack of a penalty actually left the orderly feeling incredibly uneasy, but unable to pinpoint why, he simply trudged back to the barracks.
Of course, once Gu Tingxiao returned to active duty and doubled the young man’s training drills, the soldier would finally understand. Captain Gu was simply a man who preferred to dish out his retribution at a time of his own choosing.
By the time Sheng Wanyan blinked her eyes open, it was already past five in the evening. She rubbed her face and checked her watch in surprise. She had actually slept for two whole hours, which was highly unusual for her. It seemed the sheer exhaustion of the past couple of weeks had finally caught up with her, demanding a toll from her body.
Stretching her limbs, she stood up and walked toward the kitchen, where Gu Tingxiao was already busy preparing dinner.
He was simmering a rich crucian carp and tofu soup. A while back, they had caught a large haul of fish and kept them alive in a massive washbasin. Wanyan had prepared a few to help rebuild Gu Tingxiao’s strength, and there were still over a dozen swimming in the water.
“Wanyan, a package arrived for you from the Capital,” he called out, looking up from the stove. “I left it in our bedroom.”
“Oh, great,” she replied, heading inside to open the parcel.
As expected, it contained her latest translation fees along with a batch of newly printed volumes from the Capital Newspaper. Digging deeper into the box, she discovered they had also sent five thick, highly complex texts detailing foreign firearms engineering. The underlying message was crystal clear: the state’s firearms research division was in dire need of this data, and they were hoping she could expedite the translations.
Unwrapping the payment slip, Wanyan found that the three volumes she had submitted prior had yielded a staggering twenty-five hundred yuan. Because it was such a massive sum for a standard mail order, the publishing house had issued a formal bank withdrawal slip instead of sending cash.
She could easily cash it at the central bank branch in the city. Since the military transport vehicle was scheduled to make a run the next morning, she decided she would tag along to withdraw the funds.
Sheng Wanyan slipped the slip safely into a drawer just as Gu Tingxiao finished setting the table. “Dinner’s ready, honey. Come and eat.”
She walked back out, and as they dined, she mentioned her plan to head into the city the following day, adding that she would bring Grandma Sheng along so the older woman could finally dispatch her telegram to Chengdu.
“I’ll go with you,” Gu Tingxiao stated firmly.
“Alright.” Wanyan was glad for the company. Carrying that much cash out of a city bank would be a lot less nerve-wracking with a trained soldier by her side.
“By the way,” she added, “we need to reinforce the chicken coop soon. If we don’t build a proper insulated shed over it, the hens won’t survive the freezing winter snow.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll build a solid structure,” he promised.
The next morning, the couple escorted Grandma Sheng into the city. Once the elderly woman had successfully dispatched her telegram, they made a quick stop at the supply and marketing cooperative to gather a few items.
Wanyan also picked up ten kilograms of fine grains before heading to the bank to deposit her fresh earnings into her personal savings account. Between Gu Tingxiao’s generous officer salary and her own growing wealth, their finances were incredibly secure.
Before leaving the post office counter, she also arranged to mail out next month’s parental allowance to the Capital—sending twenty yuan along with ten kilograms of fine grains. When they had officially split from the main household, it had been agreed in writing that each sibling would contribute this exact monthly amount to support their parents. Wanyan had no intention of ever defaulting or giving anyone a reason to gossip, so she always made sure to send the funds well in advance, occasionally clearing two months’ worth at a time.
With their errands completed, they met up with Grandma Sheng at the designated vehicle drop-off point. By the time the transport truck rattled back into the military compound, it was already past four in the afternoon—just enough time to start preparing dinner.
Gradually, Wanyan’s daily life settled into a comfortable, serene rhythm. She rarely felt the need to step outside the compound gates, spending the majority of her days focused on her manuscript translations or tending to her flourishing backyard garden.
Only her immediate household truly knew just how incredibly luxurious her quiet life was. Every single afternoon, she would lounge in the pavilion, leisurely reading a book with a steaming mug of malted milk and a bowl of fresh, sweet fruit resting at her elbow.
Within two weeks, Gu Tingxiao’s fractured arm had fully mended, requiring only that he avoid overly strenuous training exercises for the time being. He put his spare time to good use, constructing a sturdy bamboo-reinforced shed around the chicken coop to shield the flock from the biting winter frost and heavy snow.
With the heavy household chores fully taken care of, Gu Tingxiao finally reported back to active duty with his regiment. He had been cooped up at home for an entire month and was practically going stir-crazy.
The moment he marched back to work, Sheng Wanyan let out a quiet sigh of relief. She hadn’t dared to step into her spatial dimension for a solid month out of fear that her perceptive husband would notice her sudden disappearances. Now that she had the house to herself during the day, she could finally slip inside to breathe the crisp, energized air and give Maodou a change of scenery.
Locking the front door securely, she pulled the puppy into the space with her. The moment Maodou’s paws hit the grass, it bolted straight for the spiritual spring. But the clever pup had learned its lesson; it knew that overindulging in the potent water would make its stomach ache, and it was terrified Wanyan might ban it from the dimension if it misbehaved.
After taking a single, polite lap of water, it trotted right back to her side, shadowing her every step.
Wanyan grabbed a woven basket and wandered into the orchard, harvesting a sweet bounty of ripe cherries and grapes to snack on. On a whim, she also gathered a large basket of fragrant peach and plum blossoms, intending to use them to brew a batch of floral rice wine to ferment slowly in the cellar.
Now that Gu Tingxiao was occupied at the base during the day, she had plenty of opportunities to stealthily transition goods from her space into their real-world pantry.
A few days later, however, Gu Tingxiao stepped down into the household storage cellar and paused, sniffing the air. A rich, beautifully sweet aroma of alcohol was wafting through the cool space.
Stepping deeper inside, he discovered over twenty earthenware jars neatly lined against the wall. Though the floral wine had only been fermenting for a matter of days, the scent alone was already incredibly refined and intoxicating.
