Chapter 384| Chapter 385| Chapter 386
Chapter 384: Promotion
The sudden spike in energy from the neighboring regiment left their own soldiers utterly bewildered. Why were they pushing themselves so hard? It wasn’t like the cold-faced King of Hell was their commanding officer.
But as Gu Tingxiao slowly walked their way, the truth clicked, and the neighboring soldiers instantly doubled their training volume and shouted even louder. They hadn’t said a word, but they had nearly been caught slacking off.
Even though Gu Tingxiao wasn’t their direct boss, he still held a high enough rank to discipline them. In the military, being caught taking it easy by a senior officer was a complete embarrassment. Worse yet, this was the cold-faced devil himself. Gu Tingxiao didn’t care about excuses; if he caught you slipping, he would tack on a casual ten-kilometer run without blinking.
As he neared the training grounds, the deafening roar of the soldiers’ voices carried all the way back to the family quarters.
“Why are they training so fiercely today?” the military wives gossiped among themselves. The base had never been this loud in the past. What was going on? Had the men been given a shot of chicken blood? Or was a high-level inspection team arriving from the capital?
The news of Gu Tingxiao’s return to active duty had come so suddenly that the dependents were caught entirely off guard. They didn’t uncover the truth until their exhausted husbands trudged through the front doors later that day and collapsed straight onto their beds.
“Honey, now that Captain Gu is back, does that mean the formal promotion orders will finally be issued?” Niu Chunhua asked as she bustled around the apartment.
Deputy Company Commander Wu knew that Gu Tingxiao’s promotion was already a done deal. If Gu Tingxiao hadn’t spent the last few months recovering from his severe injuries, Regiment Commander Fang would have been transferred to the city long ago. But now that Gu Tingxiao was back with his unit, the top spot in the regiment would belong to him in no time.
“Don’t ask so many questions about military administrative affairs,” Deputy Company Commander Wu grumbled, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. His new bride was dutiful in many aspects, but she possessed one glaring flaw: just like Zhang Zhaodi, she loved meddling in the base’s political business.
What was the point of poking her nose into his work? It wasn’t going to magically grant him a promotion. Why couldn’t she just focus on managing the household peacefully like the other military wives?
Hearing his impatient, biting tone, Niu Chunhua’s chest tightened with resentment. She had been an unmarried young woman when she agreed to tie herself to a divorced man with children, yet here they were, only a short time into their marriage, and he was already treating her with this kind of attitude.
When the Wu family had initially come to her home to propose the match, they had promised up and down to treat her like royalty. Since crossing his threshold, she had willingly taken on the heavy mantle of a stepmother, never complaining and never treating his two biological sons with a shred of harshness. As for his daughter, the girl hadn’t even respected her own biological mother when she was around, let alone a stepmother. Even so, Niu Chunhua had maintained a rare level of generosity as a stepmother. She had actively gone out of her way to try and curry favor with the powerful Sheng Wanyan for his sake, yet he was already growing tired of her.
A bitter thought took root in her mind: Deep down, Zhang Zhaodi must have been his true love. Otherwise, why would he have patiently tolerated all the public humiliation and chaos his first wife had brought upon his household?
She had only asked about the promotions to gather intelligence so she could navigate her social circles and maintain good relations with the other wives. Yet his dismissive behavior made it feel as though she were nothing more than a convenient housekeeper he lived with.
As Niu Chunhua’s expression soured, Deputy Company Commander Wu realized his words had been far too harsh. He quickly checked his temper, remembering that she had been a virgin when she married him, stepping straight into the grueling role of a stepmother and managing his messy household with flawless order.
“Wanyan—cough, Honey, I’m just incredibly exhausted from the physical drills today, so I let my temper get the better of me,” he muttered, reaching out to clasp her hand. “Don’t take it to heart.”
Niu Chunhua forced a small smile, letting the tension melt from her shoulders. She knew that by choosing to marry him, she had signed up to tolerate his baggage. Friction was inevitable in any marriage; as the old saying went, couples quarreled at the head of the bed and made up at the foot of it. Besides, she had harbored a crush on Deputy Company Commander Wu since her childhood. Now that she had finally secured her dream man, she had no intention of prolonging the argument.
“It’s fine. If you prefer I stay out of base politics, I won’t ask again,” she murmured softly. “You’re exhausted. Take a proper rest.”
She gently tucked a thick blanket over his shoulders, ensuring he could get a peaceful afternoon nap before his heavy physical training rotation resumed that evening.
Meanwhile, the residents of the family compound were practically green with envy. Everyone was whispering about Sheng Wanyan’s incredible fortune. She had only been married to Captain Gu for a short period, yet he was already leaping up the military ladder. From this moment on, aside from the high-ranking commanders’ wives, absolutely no one on this base would ever dare to cross her.
Although Sheng Wanyan spent the winter months cooped up inside her warm apartment, the compound rumors still managed to filter through her front door. She didn’t pay the gossip any mind; her family intended to live a quiet, low-profile existence regardless of the chatter.
To her surprise, the official announcement of Gu Tingxiao’s promotion cleared the high command much faster than anticipated. He had only been back with his unit for a single week when the formal orders were stamped: Gu Tingxiao was officially appointed as the new Regiment Commander, while Commander Fang was laterally transferred to the city bureau to serve as a high-level director.
The administrative authority of a city bureau commander was vastly different from that of a field garrison commander; the new post effectively placed Commander Fang right into the elite executive circle of Bing City. Backed by the immense political weight of Xu Guihua’s maternal family, his future career trajectory was practically limitless. Furthermore, Commander Fang was an inherently honorable man who lived to serve his country and its people, always ready to assist his comrades, which granted him a flawless reputation across the ranks. An individual of his caliber was destined to thrive wherever he was stationed.
To the outside world, Commander Fang was simply a remarkably good-natured man. But in the shark tank of political ambition, an unblemished reputation was the ultimate armor. To put it bluntly, if anyone tried to target a widely beloved public figure, the community would instantly push the instigator into the line of fire. He was far from a defenseless lamb.
With their relocation date rapidly approaching, Xu Guihua naturally didn’t forget to pay Sheng Wanyan a final visit. She was still counting on Wanyan to lead her toward a highly successful future once the era shifted. She arrived at the courtyard, eager to solidify their connection before moving into their new urban residence.
“Regiment Commander Gu’s wife!” she chirped enthusiastically. “You must promise to travel into the city and visit my new home the absolute second you have a free window.”
Xu Guihua eagerly pressed a slip of paper containing her new municipal address into Wanyan’s palm, reminding her to maintain a steady stream of correspondence via mail.
Sheng Wanyan accepted the address with a warm smile, reaching onto the counter to present her with a fresh, one-pound package of premium pastries as a parting congratulation. “Wishing you a smooth transition. The moment my schedule clears, I will definitely make the trip down.”
Xu Guihua’s anxieties vanished at the warm reassurance, and she happily accepted the baked goods. “Wonderful! I’ll be counting the days!”
“I didn’t bring anything grand to match your kindness, but please take this jar of premium vanishing cream,” she added, sliding the container across the table. “If there’s ever a luxury item you need sourced from the urban markets, just drop me a line. Being stationed right in the heart of the city makes shopping incredibly convenient.”
With that, Xu Guihua delivered the cream, offered a bright farewell, and hurried back to her apartment to supervise the moving truck, a brilliant smile lighting up her face. Watching her ecstatic departure, Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a soft laugh, satisfied that she had successfully secured a highly valuable future ally.
Sitting on the rug nearby, little Yi Yi caught her mother’s sharp, calculating smile and gave a sudden, involuntary shudder. What on earth is wrong with Mommy? the baby thought blankly. Why does she look at Auntie Xu with such a terrifying glint in her eyes?
With Gu Tingxiao’s swift elevation to Regiment Commander, the position of Deputy Regiment Commander was left vacant, and the rank naturally fell straight to Sheng Wanze.
Battalion Commander Sheng had officially transformed into Deputy Regiment Commander Sheng, meaning the extended family was blessed with two monumental celebrations at once. In the military, when the top executives move upward, a glorious domino effect triggers promotions down the line.
Deputy Battalion Commander Wang advanced to full Battalion Commander, Company Commander Feng stepped up to Deputy Battalion Commander, and the coveted Company Commander seat was left open.
Deputy Company Commander Wu and his mother had been waiting in the wings, entirely confident that this shift would allow him to reclaim his lost rank. To their absolute horror, the position remained completely out of their reach. The high command bypassed him entirely, selecting a highly decorated officer from the lower ranks who possessed a flawless merit sheet and had simply been waiting for a vacancy to open up.
Chapter 385: Military Wives Come to Congratulate
That person was none other than Squad Leader Liang.
Squad Leader Liang’s promotion directly bypassed the standard threshold of platoon leader. However, his merit record on the battlefield was vastly superior to anyone else at that rank. In truth, if the current platoon leader hadn’t avoided major administrative blunders—thus preventing the military from legally demoting him—Squad Leader Liang would have claimed that officer title ages ago. As it stood, the platoon leader didn’t dare breathe a word of complaint, quietly counting his blessings that he had managed to keep his position at all.
Sheng Wanyan had crossed paths with Squad Leader Liang several times. He was the young, polite soldier who had been assigned to pick her and Gu Tingxiao up from the train station when she first relocated to Bing City. Now, in a span of just two years, he had risen from a simple squad leader to a full company commander, a trajectory that left the rest of the barracks thoroughly envious.
But what truly set the base abuzz was a much more thrilling piece of gossip: Company Commander Liang was still completely single!
Suddenly, every aunt and military wife in the family quarters was aggressively brainstorming ways to marry off their nieces or younger sisters to him. The moment Company Commander Liang caught wind of the incoming matchmaker brigade, he panicked. Terrified of being cornered, he bolted from the barracks and sprinted straight to Sheng Wanyan’s house to seek asylum.
“Sister-in-law, please forgive the intrusion,” he panted.
Gu Tingxiao had been the one to escort him through the front gate. At that very moment, the single officers’ dormitory was practically under siege; not only were the neighborhood matchmakers hunting for him, but even his fellow soldiers were covertly evaluating his character, sizing him up to see if he was worthy of marrying into their own families.
Sheng Wanyan understood his profoundly embarrassing predicament perfectly. Choosing to stay out of the crossfire, she merely turned her back, covering her mouth with her hands to stifle her laughter.
“Don’t worry about it at all. Please, have a seat,” she said, composing herself.
She poured two cups of hot tea and set out a small spread of melon seeds and walnuts. Stepping back, she watched the two men sit face-to-face in the living room, staring silently at one another. Neither of them uttered a single syllable.
Curious about the newcomer, little Yi Yi kept her wide eyes locked firmly onto Company Commander Liang. Since he was a bachelor who lived in the single quarters rather than the staff housing compound, he hadn’t crossed paths with the baby very often. Staring at her exquisite face, he finally comprehended why Regiment Commander Gu doted on his daughter to the point of absolute distraction. That soft, tiny body, the porcelain-fair cheeks, and the brilliant clarity in her gaze were traits that absolutely no one could resist.
Sheng Wanyan recognized that Gu Tingxiao had brought the young officer home to discuss sensitive military logistics, and it would be highly inconvenient for her and the baby to linger in the room. She resolved to carry Yi Yi back to the washroom for an early bath, freeing up the space for the men.
“You two go ahead and chat. I’m going to give Yi Yi a proper scrub,” she announced. “She’s been rolling across the floorboards all afternoon and is completely covered in dust.”
Hearing her cue, Gu Tingxiao immediately rose to fetch the water, manually hauling the heavy steaming basins into the washroom for his wife and daughter.
“Wanyan, just leave the heavy tubs exactly where they are once you’re finished,” he instructed softly over the threshold. “I’ll come back in and empty the water myself.”
He had explicitly reminded her earlier that afternoon to leave the strenuous household labor to him, wanting to protect her from any exhausting tasks. Sheng Wanyan smiled warmly, offering a gentle nod as she urged him to hurry back to the living room so he wouldn’t neglect their guest.
“I know. Don’t worry,” he murmured, giving her hand a tender squeeze before returning to his seat.
Gu Tingxiao maintained a perfectly calm, stoic demeanor throughout the exchange, but his domestic doting left Company Commander Liang staring in absolute, jaw-dropping shock. The Regiment Commander behaves like this at home?
Every soldier in the military region was well aware that Regiment Commander Gu treasured his wife and frequently assisted with the laundry and cooking. But Liang had never imagined the man’s devotion ran so deep that he refused to let her carry a single bucket of bathwater. Was he raising a wife, or was he cherishing a daughter? This realization comprehensively shattered his mental image of the cold-faced King of Hell.
“What is it?” Gu Tingxiao’s freezing baritone cut through the silence. “Are you waiting to take a bath as well?”
Company Commander Liang snapped out of his daze, his head shaking frantically. “No, no! Absolutely not, Regiment Commander! You’re joking.” He rubbed the back of his neck, offering a broad, innocent grin.
Though he occasionally displayed a boyish simplicity, he cut a deeply imposing figure. Hailing from the rugged northern provinces, one look at his broad frame confirmed he was a powerful, resilient soldier.
Gu Tingxiao had invited him over partly to shield him from the relentless matchmaking army, but more importantly, because he held strategic plans of his own. As for the precise nature of their closed-door discussion, it remained entirely confidential; Sheng Wanyan never prodded her husband for details. Still, her business instincts allowed her to deduce the core agenda: before Gu Tingxiao executed his eventual transfer back to the capital, he absolutely required a fiercely loyal, trustworthy ally anchored within the Bing City garrison.
Sheng Wanyan had no concept of how long their council endured. By the time Gu Tingxiao quietly slipped into the bedroom, she and their daughter had long since drifted into a deep sleep.
With the military administrative appointments officially stamped and finalized, Mother Wu was forced to accept that her youngest son had zero prospects for an immediate promotion. Realizing her lingering presence was entirely useless, she began methodically packing her bags to return to her hometown. After all, she had other children awaiting her care; she had originally traveled to the base solely because Zhang Zhaodi had been instigating structural chaos across the compound.
Now, her youngest son was safely anchored to a capable new bride who managed the household beautifully, and the command hierarchy was locked in. Continuing to stir up a fuss would alter absolutely nothing; if anything, it would merely provoke the high command into harboring a deep disdain for the Wu lineage. Choosing the path of common sense, she packed her belongings and boarded a train home, leaving the newlyweds to navigate their own lives in peace.
Meanwhile, domestic life for Sheng Wanyan grew increasingly complicated. Despite the brutal northern winter locking down the base, a relentless stream of military wives and neighborhood dependents continually swarmed her courtyard. Everyone was desperate to deliver formal decorations and flatter the new Regiment Commander’s household, and etiquette dictated she couldn’t simply bar them from the threshold.
Tragically, little Yi Yi paid the ultimate price for the social invasion. Because the heavy front door was constantly being swung open by arriving guests, a freezing winter draft relentlessly swept through the living room. Within days, the toddler’s fragile system succumbed, and she caught a severe cold.
Sheng Wanyan noticed the shift the moment the baby began sneezing non-stop, a clear watery discharge running from her little nose. Anxious to protect her, she scooped the toddler up and prepared to carry her back to the heated master bedroom. To her immense irritation, the visiting military wives ignored the baby’s condition, continuing to chatter and force hollow pleasantries down her throat, triggering a deep, simmering fury in her chest.
“Oh, Regiment Commander Gu’s wife, a tiny cold is perfectly normal for a child,” a neighbor dismissively waved her hand. “Just layer a few more coats over her frame. Girls are naturally resilient against the winter wind.”
The crowd gathered in her living room comprised not just the younger dependents, but also several traditional, middle-aged matriarchs who had tag-teamed along simply to brag about their own sons’ achievements in front of the commander’s wife. Every military wife on this base understood that Gu Tingxiao and Sheng Wanyan protected their daughter with a fierce devotion, so none of them dared to openly insult the baby to her face. Yet, in their private estimations, they privately considered it incredibly foolish for an elite commander and his intellectual wife to place such an absurd level of value on a mere female child.
“Take my own granddaughter, for instance,” an old matriarch chimed in self-righteously. “She wears nothing but two thin layers in the dead of winter and never catches a sniffle. She’s already helping with the heavy housework at home. Your daughter is bundled in so many premium textiles; there’s absolutely no way she’s actually cold.”
The words had barely left the old woman’s mouth when Yi Yi let out a sharp sneeze, her tiny chest heaving as she burst into a painful, congested wail.
“My word, why is she weeping over a tiny sniffle? A young girl cannot afford to be raised with such delicate fragility,” the old woman lectured, shaking her head. “If you spoil her to this degree, no respectable family will want to claim her as a daughter-in-law when she’s grown.”
Sheng Wanyan’s baseline patience completely shattered. Fixing the room with a freezing, unyielding expression, she flatly moved to evict every single person from her home.
“That is quite enough!”
Her tone vibrated with an icy, dangerous edge. Catching the raw menace in her eyes, the visitors instantly recognized that the commander’s wife was on the absolute warpath. Several of the younger military wives swiftly manufactured polite excuses, shuffling toward the entryway, but a few of the older matriarchs tried to leverage their status as elders to continue preaching.
“My daughter is severely unwell, meaning I lack the capacity to entertain guests today,” Sheng Wanyan stated, forcing a slow, deep breath through her lungs as she rigorously suppressed her temper.
At the end of the day, these individuals had marched into her courtyard under the guise of delivering congratulations rather than instigating an overt conflict; she couldn’t completely dismantle diplomatic relations. Now that the calendar was rolling into 1977, her primary objective was preparing for Gu Tingxiao’s systematic return to the capital; she refused to grant any rival faction a single shred of administrative leverage to sabotage their relocation.
“We comprehend perfectly, we’ll take our leave immediately,” the dependents mumbled, frantically guiding their stubborn mothers-in-law out the door. “Yes, yes, the baby’s health must always come first.”
A few of the older aunts still attempted to linger on the porch, shouting unsolicited advice through the crack of the door regarding traditional child-rearing methods and how a household should properly discipline a “girl,” before their daughters-in-law forcefully dragged them down the lane.
Chapter 386: Cold
Sheng Wanyan sneered, grabbed the parcels the lingering elders had left behind, and unceremoniously hurled them out into the yard.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
The old ladies gasped and scurried out to retrieve their things. They hadn’t brought anything rare or expensive—just some melon seeds and small snacks. While it wasn’t much, it was meant to be a gesture of congratulations, and they were deeply offended that Sheng Wanyan would treat it like garbage.
Standing on the threshold, Sheng Wanyan stared them down. “Auntie, my daughter doesn’t need your unsolicited advice on how she should be raised. And besides… you are women yourselves.”
With that final, sharp rebuke, she slammed the door shut, cutting off the high-pitched cursing that instantly erupted outside.
Brushing off the encounter, she hurried back into the bedroom to check on Yi Yi. The little girl’s nose was running constantly, and it was clear she had caught a full-blown cold. Sheng Wanyan quickly retrieved a digital thermometer from her spatial dimension and checked her temperature. Once she confirmed the baby didn’t have a fever, a massive wave of relief washed over her.
Seeing how miserable and listless the toddler was, she reached into her space again, pulled out a bottle of pediatric cold syrup, and carefully coaxed her to drink it.
It wasn’t long before Grandpa and Grandma Sheng heard about the illness and rushed over to check on their great-granddaughter. The sight of the usually vibrant, bubbly little girl looking so weak and drained made Grandma Sheng flare up with an intense anger.
“It’s an absolute sin,” Grandma Sheng muttered, her voice trembling with distress. “Parading into people’s homes in the dead of winter just to flatter the officers. They’re making my poor great-granddaughter suffer all for the sake of their own sons’ promotions!”
She stroked Yi Yi’s hair, her heart aching. The little girl was usually a burst of pure, chaotic energy; she had never seen her look this pathetic.
“It’s the exact same story across the street at your brother’s place,” Grandma Sheng added, shaking her head. “People are beating down their door every single hour. Huzi caught a cold yesterday, and even Xiaoyue is under the weather now. She had to take some medicine herself last night.”
With a constant stream of visitors swinging the front doors open, a freezing wind was perpetually blowing through the apartments. How could the infants’ fragile systems possibly withstand it?
“Grandma, don’t worry too much. Yi Yi already took her medicine,” Sheng Wanyan soothed gently. “Let’s just leave her to get some proper rest.”
Grandma Sheng nodded understandingly and quietly stepped out of the bedroom, careful not to disturb the sleeping baby.
When Gu Tingxiao returned home from his shift later that afternoon, he immediately sensed a heavy, unusual tension in the air. More specifically, his beautiful wife was pinning him with a deeply resentful glaze.
Taking off his heavy military coat, he carefully walked over and slid onto the edge of the mattress beside her. “Wife, what happened? Where’s Yi Yi?”
Ordinarily, the absolute second his boots cleared the entryway, his daughter’s bright babbles would echo through the entire apartment. Why was the house shrouded in such an eerie silence today?
Gu Tingxiao shouldn’t have brought her up. The moment the name passed his lips, Sheng Wanyan’s suppressed irritation boiled over.
“This is entirely the fault of your new promotion,” she snapped, her voice tight. “Those people have been swarming our home day in and day out. They literally made my daughter sick, and it makes me sick to my stomach just looking at them.”
Gu Tingxiao’s brow furrowed tightly, his expression darkening until he looked fierce enough to pinch a fly to death. He hadn’t envisioned that his professional advancement would inflict physical suffering on his daughter.
He stood up, moved over to the small kang, and quietly observed his weakened little girl. Seeing that she was breathing evenly and sleeping soundly under the quilts, the worst of his panic subsided. He walked back to Sheng Wanyan’s side, gently taking her hand to offer comfort.
Sheng Wanyan knew down to her bones that it was irrational to project the blame onto him, but as a mother, she was simply consumed by a profound, protective heartache. This was the first time Yi Yi had ever fallen ill since her birth, and Wanyan couldn’t help but harbor a lingering resentment. Seeing her flesh and blood in pain made her own chest ache with a very real physical sorrow.
“Wanyan, the next time any of them knock, simply refuse to unlatch the lock,” Gu Tingxiao promised, his voice deep and resolute. “Leave the social fallout to me.”
If those gossiping aunts and military wives chose to brave the brutal winter freeze just to loiter outside, that was their prerogative. He distinctly recalled that during previous winters, the residential lanes were completely deserted without a single soul in sight.
“But will turning them away compromise your upcoming administrative transfer back to the Capital?” she asked, her anger instantly giving way to concern.
The sole reason she had patiently tolerated the invasive guests in the first place was to ensure Gu Tingxiao’s repatriation track remained perfectly smooth. She wanted their family relocated back to the capital cleanly, without granting any rival faction a reason to whisper malicious rumors behind his back or accuse him of arrogance.
“It won’t alter a thing. I can handle the politics,” he murmured, leaning down to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He spent the next several minutes patiently coaxing her, murmuring sweet reassurances until her protective temper finally began to cool.
It was a rare sight for Gu Tingxiao to witness his refined, collected wife acting so fiercely petty, and in truth, he found it incredibly endearing.
Sheng Wanyan flatly refused to touch the stove that evening, confidently commanding her husband to handle the domestic chores instead. Gu Tingxiao hid a quiet laugh in his chest, thoroughly pleased by the shift. He loved that his wife was willing to vocalize her grievances and demand things from him. Forget managing a single evening meal—he would gladly cook three sessions a day for the rest of his life if it meant serving her beautifully.
Over their quiet dinner, a critical administrative detail crossed Sheng Wanyan’s mind: the mandatory promotion banquet. “Now that your rank is officially finalized, aren’t you required to host a celebratory dinner for the unit?”
“Yes. I was planning to organize it in a couple of days.”
In reality, a collective celebration was long overdue. Not only was their household expected to host, but several other newly promoted leaders within the regiment were slated to throw banquets as well—with the obvious exception of Deputy Company Commander Wu, who had been completely bypassed. Still, as the new Regiment Commander, if Gu Tingxiao hadn’t issued his formal invitation yet, no subordinate officer dared to hold their own event ahead of him.
“Let’s lock it in for the day after tomorrow, then,” Sheng Wanyan decided. “Yi Yi still needs tomorrow to fully recover her strength.”
Since his wife had mapped out the timeline, Gu Tingxiao naturally raised zero objections. He resolved to notify the battalion commanders first thing the following morning.
Fortunately, the pediatric cold medicine worked beautifully. By the next day, though she still had a slight case of the sniffles, the baby girl’s fever had completely cleared, and her vibrant energy was steadily returning. Sheng Wanyan administered a follow-up dose of the syrup to keep her stable.
By the afternoon, Yi Yi felt significantly better. She lounged comfortably across the blankets, happily turning a polished brass necklace over in her hands—a special token her grandfather Gu had crafted for her out of premium materials. Maodou lay stretched out directly beside the mattress, acting as a faithful guardian, while Sheng Wanyan stepped into the kitchen to begin the grueling prep work for the banquet.
With a massive horde of hungry officers arriving the day after tomorrow, she needed to get a head start on the logistics. She began systematically portioning the large cuts of pork and chicken, carrying the trays out to the courtyard to freeze safely inside a massive snowdrift. This traditional northern method would preserve the meat perfectly overnight, allowing her to simply bring the portions inside to thaw tomorrow morning, saving her a massive amount of time on the day of the feast.
Since this was an official promotion banquet, she was determined to present a magnificent, auspicious spread. Given the sheer headcount, she structured a classic, robust menu: ten distinct savory dishes, one rich soup, and a hearty staple grain.
She carefully drafted the menu on a slip of paper to ensure her execution would be completely seamless:
- Braised Pork Belly
- Savory Braised River Fish
- Classic Pork and Nappa Cabbage Stew
- Traditional White-Cut Chicken
- Stir-Fried Pork with Hot Peppers
- Silky Steamed Egg Custard
- Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Chives
- Stir-Fried Seasonal Greens
- Garlic Cold Cucumber Salad
- Wood-Ear Mushroom Cold Salad
For the staple grain, she bypassed the standard white flour steamed buns. With such a massive, meat-heavy spread already anchoring the table, she opted instead to craft a large batch of hearty, vegetable-infused buns.
As for the soup, she planned to simmer a whole, plump chicken in a massive cauldron to extract a rich, golden broth. Once the essence was fully incorporated into the soup, she would retrieve the cooked bird, carve it cleanly, and present it as the traditional white-cut chicken dish. Utilizing one premium ingredient to fulfill two critical menu slots was a piece of flawless culinary efficiency.
Satisfied with her blueprints, Sheng Wanyan gave the living room a thorough sweep before returning to the bedroom to play with her daughter. The lingering effects of the cold medicine eventually caught up with the toddler, and her little eyelids began to droop, though her tiny fingers remained stubbornly locked around her grandfather’s brass necklace. Sheng Wanyan leaned down, gently patting her back in a rhythmic cadence until the baby drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
True to his word, the courtyard remained blissfully quiet for the rest of the day. A few determined dependents had attempted to knock on the front gate during the morning hours, but Sheng Wanyan had simply ignored the noise, refusing to step into the yard. When one or two stragglers tried their luck again in the afternoon, she simply pretended the apartment was entirely vacant. If she continued to let those boisterous crowds cross her threshold, her daughter would never get the quiet environment she required to mend. More than that, if she didn’t establish a firm boundary now, her household would never experience a single day of peace.
Realizing the commander’s front door was completely locked down, the persistent visitors didn’t give up; instead, they simply pivoted across the lane to beat down the door of the opposite apartment.
Sitting inside her own living room, Grandma Sheng stared at her rattling front gate, feeling her blood pressure spike to dangerous new heights. It was one thing for neighbors to deliver a brief, polite greeting, but these women were now treating her home like a public parlor, arriving every single afternoon to force small talk. She was truly about to lose her mind.
