Chapter 301: Strolling in the City
“When do you officially report back to the unit?” Sheng Wanyan asked, setting down her pen.
“The day after tomorrow,” Gu Tingxiao replied.
Sheng Wanyan nodded, then casually mentioned that she wanted to take a trip into the city the following morning.
Gu Tingxiao’s brow furrowed. “Sweetheart, the ride into the city takes several hours by bicycle.”
“I know, but the weather is crisp and clear right now. I really want to go out and look around the shops.”
Hearing the slight longing in her voice, Gu Tingxiao immediately understood. She had been cooped up inside the courtyard for over a year and was desperately bored. He also recalled that before her pregnancy had advanced too far, she used to frequently visit the city, meaning she was perfectly familiar with the local layout and wasn’t likely to get lost.
“Alright,” he agreed softly. “I’ll take over once you finish feeding Yi Yi at noon.”
“I’ve already pumped a bottle of my afternoon milk supply,” Sheng Wanyan noted smoothly. “If she starts fussing while I’m gone, just warm it up and feed her.”
Since Sheng Wanyan had already meticulously planned out the logistics, Gu Tingxiao had absolutely no grounds to refuse.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he urged. “The roads can be rough. Ride safely.”
Sheng Wanyan beamed, thrilled that he had agreed so easily. She had spent the entire past year confined to the house and hadn’t stepped a single foot outside the military base in months.
The following day, directly after the noon feeding and a quick lunch, Sheng Wanyan slung her canvas backpack over her shoulders, hopped onto her bicycle, and pedaled out of the base toward the city. Because it was a Wednesday, the regiment wasn’t operating any shuttle transports into town, meaning she had to make the entire trek manually.
Upon arriving in the city, she headed straight for the central supply and marketing cooperative. She had a thick stack of ration coupons burning a hole in her pocket, and she needed to spend them quickly. Since the tickets carried strict expiration dates, it would be a total waste to let them sit unused; she might as well exhaust the entire reserve.
Sheng Wanyan flipped through her stash, mentally cataloging her meat, cotton, grain, pastry, and fabric tickets. Some were the standard monthly allowances issued for local households, while others were highly coveted national-grade coupons. By the end of her shopping spree, she had completely wiped out the stack, not leaving a single ticket behind.
As she browsed the cooperative, she noticed a rare, limited selection of fresh seafood available at the counters.
The prices were clearly posted: hairy crabs were listed at 0.8 yuan per catty, while whole lobsters commanded a steep premium of 2 to 3 yuan each, with most weighing around 0.7 catties. Fresh shrimp was priced at a modest 0.4 yuan per catty, hairtail fish at 0.3 yuan, and premium yellow croaker and pond fish both sat just above the 0.3 yuan mark.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t hesitate. She purchased a generous portion of everything, zeroing in specifically on the lobsters. In the modern era of her past life, a single lobster of this quality would cost a small fortune, but here in this era, it could be secured for a mere two or three dollars. Why wouldn’t she stock up immediately?
She ordered ten lobsters, twenty hairy crabs, three catties of fresh shrimp, and one large fish of each variety.
The clerk behind the counter stared at her in absolute, wide-eyed disbelief. A single lobster cost over 2 yuan; buying ten meant spending upward of 20 yuan in a single sweep! That was equivalent to an entire month’s salary for an average urban worker. What kind of elite dynasty did this woman belong to?
It was an unimaginably luxurious haul. Combining the lobsters with the rest of the seafood order, the total bill was enough to sustain an ordinary working-class family for two solid months!
Entirely unbothered by the clerk’s stunned scrutiny, Sheng Wanyan paid her bill, secured her massive haul, and pedaled over to the local post office to purchase a fresh sheet of stamps. To finish the afternoon, she stopped by a state-run restaurant, ordered two hot meat dishes to-go, and finally began the long ride home.
Along the quiet, empty stretch of road, Sheng Wanyan discreetly transferred the bulk of her purchases directly into her spatial domain. It was only when she was exactly one kilometer away from the military base that she pulled her groceries back out, packing her canvas bag. Taking advantage of the privacy, she also retrieved twenty crisp apples and twenty pears from her domain; she intended to freeze them in the yard to create traditional frozen pear snacks for the winter.
The moment she arrived at their front gate, Gu Tingxiao heard the familiar squeak of the bicycle tires and hurried out to meet her. He immediately lifted the heavy canvas backpack off her shoulders, his brow furrowing as the immense weight settled into his hands.
“Why on earth did you haul something this heavy all the way back yourself?” he scolded gently. “Your body is just starting to heal.”
Even though her official confinement period had ended, Gu Tingxiao knew childbirth was a catastrophic physical trauma; how could a woman fully recover in just thirty days? In his military experience, surviving a severe physical injury required a minimum of three months of strict rehabilitation, let alone the near-death ordeal of labor. Without half a year of proper, sustained rest, a body couldn’t genuinely rebuild its strength.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she smiled. “It’s a rare treat to visit the city, and when I saw they had a fresh shipment of seafood, I couldn’t resist stocking up.”
Gu Tingxiao easily hoisted the heavy backpack with one hand, gripping the bicycle frame with the other as he escorted her into the courtyard.
“Go inside and rest,” he ordered softly. “The next time you crave something specific, just give me a list and I’ll make the run myself.”
Setting the gear down, he reached out to take her hand, instantly frowning when he felt how icy her skin was. “Your hands are freezing. What if you catch a chill?”
Watching the formidable, hardened soldier anxiously blow hot air over her chilled fingers, Sheng Wanyan felt a profound, melting warmth spread through her chest.
“I’m alright, Tingxiao,” she murmured. “I just really didn’t want to be locked inside the house anymore.”
Gu Tingxiao paused, the truth of her words striking him. His wife was only twenty-two years old—an age defined by vibrant youth, energy, and freedom. It was inherently unfair to expect her to remain entirely locked away inside a quiet courtyard.
A sudden, sharp wave of insecurity washed over him as he remembered that he was twenty-eight—six full years older than her. When they had first married, the age gap hadn’t bothered him, but standing beside his radiant wife now, a deep, possessive jealousy twisted in his gut.
In just two years, he would officially cross the threshold into his thirties, while his wife would only be twenty-four. She would remain as young, beautiful, and vibrant as a blooming flower, while he would formally enter middle age.
His wife was exceptionally beautiful and incredibly capable; countless men would naturally be drawn to her. He wasn’t deaf; he knew exactly what the base gossips whispered behind his back. People constantly muttered that a woman of her caliber was settling by marrying a man like him. Young, brilliant, and beautiful, she could have easily secured a wealthy, promising young scholar or a rising political star.
Yet, against all odds, she had tied her life to a cold, hardened soldier—a man who spent half the year deployed in dangerous territories, leaving her alone to shoulder the household and worry for his safety.
A heavy knot of guilt tightened in his chest. He silently, fiercely commanded himself to treat her with absolute, unwavering devotion. He swore to build a life so beautiful that when they eventually grew old and she looked back on her youth, she would never harbor a single regret about choosing an “old man” like him.
“Alright,” he promised, his voice thick with emotion. “Whenever you want to go out and explore in the future, the exact moment I have free time, I will personally escort you anywhere you want to go.”
Sheng Wanyan smiled warmly at his vow, though she was entirely realistic about the punishing demands of his military career. Fulfilling that promise wouldn’t be easy. But it didn’t matter; she wasn’t a petty or unreasonable woman who lacked perspective.
He had his sworn duty to the state, and she possessed her own quiet ambitions. She had never been the kind of fragile girl who required constant chaperoning. Even in the modern future, when the country fully opened up and modernized, she would be perfectly content traveling alone or taking their children to see the world if he was tied down by duty. Whenever Gu Tingxiao finally secured leave, or eventually retired, they would simply travel the world together at a slower pace.
“I’m holding you to that promise,” she teased lightly.
“I gave you my word,” he replied with absolute solemnity. He would move mountains to fulfill every single vow he made to her, even if his duty meant it took a little longer to achieve.
Sheng Wanyan’s eyes curved into a beautiful, satisfied smile. This man was truly exceptional; he didn’t just offer empty words, he backed them up with unbreakable action.
“I’m starving,” she announced cheerfully.
Hearing the cue, Gu Tingxiao immediately stepped into the kitchen to plate their dinner while Sheng Wanyan headed to the washroom to scrub her hands. The freezing autumn air had left her skin feeling tight and dry.
She retrieved her jar of premium cold cream, carefully massaging the rich lotion into her skin until the uncomfortable dryness completely vanished, before finally stepping out to the dining table.
For dinner, Gu Tingxiao had prepared a simple but deeply comforting tomato and egg drop soup. He had long since memorized the fact that Sheng Wanyan loved a hot bowl of soup with her meals, especially when eating dry rice.
Once Sheng Wanyan finished her dinner, Gu Tingxiao seamlessly cleared the table, washed the dishes, and prepared a steaming basin of hot water so she could soak her feet before bed.
Having spent the entire afternoon pedaling across rough roads, Sheng Wanyan was genuinely exhausted, and the muscles in her feet were throbbing with a dull, heavy ache.
“Sore?” Gu Tingxiao asked. The moment his thumbs pressed lightly against her arches, he heard her sharp intake of breath, instantly confirming that she had overexerted herself during the trip.
“A little bit,” she admitted.
Without another word, Gu Tingxiao pulled a small stool close to the basin and began methodically massaging her feet and calves. Sheng Wanyan watched him work, looking down at his bowed head and serious, focused expression.
After several minutes of deep, expert pressure, the tight, burning ache in her legs finally dissolved, leaving her feeling incredibly relaxed.
“Is that feeling any better?” he asked softly, continuing his work.
“Much better.”
Gu Tingxiao nodded, fully understanding the issue. The long, continuous hours of pedaling the heavy bicycle had simply overworked her calf muscles.
