Lu Yanchen looked at Peng Xiaoyue, who was persistently pursuing him, and spoke with a hint of indifference, "My significant other doesn't allow me to casually talk to other women. Otherwise, she will teach me a lesson. She can pinch quite hard. Peng Xiaoyue, I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you anymore. If you have something to say, let's go to a crowded place over there. It's better to avoid suspicion, alright?"
Seeing Lu Yanchen earnestly mention the strict management by his significant other, Peng Xiaoyue instantly felt a surge of jealousy. If she had agreed to tolerate his shortcomings earlier, wouldn't she be his significant other now?
Peng Xiaoyue bit her lip. "Lu Yanchen! Why don't you just separate from that tigress of a woman? If you're with me, I'll treat you well!"
However, Lu Yanchen wore an expression as if he hadn't heard clearly. "What did you say? I didn't hear it clearly."
Peng Xiaoyue could only repeat herself, "Separate from that tigress of a woman and be with me."
Lu Yanchen looked at her thoughtfully. "What? You say you're a tigress?"
Peng Xiaoyue was stunned, realizing that Lu Yanchen was intentionally playing with her. Unable to contain her frustration, she stamped her foot, "Lu Yanchen, you bastard!"
Turning around, she ran away. Lu Yanchen glanced at Gu Ling from a distance. Gu Ling hastily made eye contact with him, immediately lowering her head and couldn't help but smile.
Peng Xiaoyue was definitely not going to get a good outcome with Lu Yanchen.
Feeling upset, Peng Xiaoyue retreated into the house and refused to work. Fortunately, there wasn't much work at the moment. Lu Yanchen walked up to Gu Ling and casually said, "Educated youth Gu, could you help me bandage the wound?"
Gu Ling was taken aback, almost spilling the bucket in her hands. Finally, Li Haixia noticed her. With a thoughtful look, she glanced at Gu Ling and said, "Gu Ling, go and help Lieutenant Lu with his wound. We can handle these tasks."
Gu Ling nodded and led Lu Yanchen into a room on the first floor where they kept commonly used supplies, including some spare medicines.
She entered the room, her back to Lu Yanchen, searching for things. Although she clearly remembered where she had placed the gauze last time, she felt a bit flustered.
After searching for a while, she finally found it, and Lu Yanchen had already sat down.
As Gu Ling approached, her heart, which had barely calmed down, couldn't help but feel uneasy when she saw his wound.
Lu Yanchen rolled up his sleeve, revealing a scraped area on his arm. Although it hadn't split open, the reddish abrasion looked alarming.
Gently cleaning the wound with a cotton ball, Gu Ling worked in silence, and Lu Yanchen remained quiet as if he didn't feel any pain.
Once she finished tending to the wound on his arm, Gu Ling couldn't help but recall his previous injuries on his calf, the one near his wrist on his right hand from last time, and now this new injury...
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she tried hard to restrain herself, attempting not to care. But how could she not care?
Her affection for him was growing stronger; how could she possibly remain unmoved watching him get hurt?
Taking a gentle breath, she asked, "Are there any other injuries?"
Lu Yanchen pointed to his head, "There might be a little scratch inside my hair."
Gu Ling then parted his hair to take a look. Lu Yanchen's hair wasn't long, and with a gentle sweep, she saw it. Initially, she thought his hair was sticking together due to some mud, but now, up close, she realized that there was a cut on his scalp, and the blood had already coagulated.
Her hand paused for a moment before she began trembling slightly as she delicately cleaned the dried blood from the wound, making the injury more apparent.
Finally, Gu Ling couldn't hold back her tears.
A tear accidentally fell onto his head, causing Lu Yanchen to pause. He immediately turned to look and saw the girl standing behind him, dealing with his wounds. Her eyes were filled with teardrops, displaying a heartbroken expression.
He quickly cupped her face, gently wiping away her tears. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Gu Ling, fearing someone might come in and worried about others hearing, hastily wiped her eyes forcefully. But the more she wiped, the more her heart ached, and the more tears flowed.
"You, why did you get hurt again?"
Lu Yanchen remained silent for a moment, then embraced her, patting her back gently. "It doesn't hurt, really. Something more serious happened than all of this."
Gu Ling was taken aback and immediately asked, "What happened? What could be more serious than this?"
Lu Yanchen looked serious, "All my savings were packed into a small bag, and I lost it during the mission. It's a substantial amount of money."
Gu Ling instantly felt regret and, at the same time, considered losing money a lesser evil compared to getting injured.
"Lost it? A substantial amount of money? Oh, how did that happen? Well, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Losing money might ward off disasters, better than getting injured!"
Lu Yanchen frowned, "It was money I saved up for a long time, bit by bit."
Gu Ling was momentarily stunned and also felt regretful. She comforted him, "In that case, try to find a safer place to keep it in the future. Avoid carrying it with you. Losing money saved up for a long time is indeed a pity."
Seeing that she finally took the bait and stopped crying about his injury, Lu Yanchen was satisfied. He chuckled and asked, "If not carried around, where should I put it? We soldiers are always on the move, and we didn't have a fixed place to stay before."
Even if he stored it in a bank, there would still be documentation required to withdraw it.
For a moment, Gu Ling was also at a loss. Lu Yanchen, however, seemed to have thought of a good solution. He looked at her with a pleading expression, "How about this? I'll leave the money with you, okay? You can help me keep it! After all, you're my superior, more reliable than any other place!"
As Gu Ling looked at the man's heroic features with a tinge of cunning in his eyes, she finally realized.
He had been setting her up, all along!
She snorted lightly, pressed him down to continue sitting, and proceeded to tend to the wound on his head. At the same time, she said, "Well, let me think about it. After all, we are not a proper couple. What does it mean for you to leave the money with me? In case we separate someday, it might get complicated!"
Lu Yanchen smiled, "Don't worry, if we ever part ways, it will definitely be because I'm no longer around. No one will come looking for this money from you."
Gu Ling's hand paused, anger surged from the depths of her heart, and she pinched his cheek, "What did you say?!"
He dared to say anything! He even dared to curse himself!
Lu Yanchen immediately hissed, "I said it wrong, I said it wrong!"
Gu Ling snorted, kicked his shin, and said, "If you die, I'll immediately marry someone else. Even the ghosts will envy you!"
Seemingly indifferent, the man laughed and said, "Then I'll live a long and healthy life, and you can only marry me. So, when do you plan to get married?"
Now Gu Ling realized she had twisted herself into a corner. Her face turned warm, she put away the bandages and such, and lifted her foot to leave, saying, "Someone outside is calling me. I'll go check!"
Lu Yanchen touched the gauze on his head and the bandage on his arm, a smile playing on his lips, choosing not to expose Gu Ling's false words. However, he firmly grabbed her arm and whispered, "Meet me in the small grove tonight."
Gu Ling's face grew even warmer, "I won't go!"
"If you don't go, my wound will hurt," he teased, shaking her arm playfully, and then let her go.
In the afternoon, the training unit arrived, dozens of people in total, with more expected to follow. Since the existing accommodations on the island were not sufficient, they had to make do for the time being, squeezing together until new houses were built.
Among the arriving soldiers, some brought their families, including a few with children. Gu Ling and her group, as educated youths, were responsible for receiving and hosting them. Watching the children happily playing in the water and sand, Gu Ling couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
She thought about her two children from her previous life. They were adorable when they were young, but as they grew older, they drifted away from her. Eventually, when she was alone in the hospital, they didn't come to visit her.
Reflecting on how she had micromanaged and controlled every aspect of their lives in her previous life, she felt a sense of regret.
In this world, one should never use moral constraints to bind anyone, even between a mother and her children. The most important thing is to live happily.
She thought that if she were to have another child, she would not insist on forcing them to succeed. Perhaps in a lifetime, happiness is the most crucial.
As the newly arrived training unit had to settle down, eat, and rest, Gu Ling also became busy. The garrison troop organized the canteen, and she had to help with cooking.
While busy, a few educated youths chatted privately about the newly arrived military personnel. "I heard the leader is a regimental commander, and more people will be coming later. This regimental commander looks around forty, right? Why didn't he bring family? He only brought two children."
Li Haixia spoke, and a family member helping in the canteen approached with a smile, saying, "I know, I know. Regimental Commander Yu's wife passed away, leaving behind two children. He's currently busy looking for a partner. Regimental Commander Yu can't take care of the kids alone! Do you guys in the youth team know anyone suitable? I can help you make a connection!"
Gu Ling glanced at Li Haixia, and Li Haixia lowered her eyes. In truth, Li Haixia also had her own worries.
She had gone through a divorce, which was quite uncommon. At that time, coincidentally, her younger sister was about to go to the countryside as a youth, so after the divorce, she returned to her parents' home. She was then pressured by her family to become a youth representative on behalf of her sister.
Actually, Li Haixia often dreamed of bringing her own children here.
When Regimental Commander Yu came ashore, Li Haixia spotted him immediately—a tall and sturdy man, not one to smile easily, carrying an imposing and stern aura.
Without waiting for Li Haixia to say anything, Peng Xiaoyue suddenly thought of something and used an excuse to leave.
The family member helping in the canteen was named Wang Yumei. She roughly inquired about Li Haixia's situation, intending to introduce her to Regimental Commander Yu.
However, to everyone's surprise, when dinner started, Peng Xiaoyue was already playing with Regimental Commander Yu's two children!
Everyone all had astonished looks. Li Haixia took a deep breath but remained silent.
Peng Xiaoyue was very proactive, not only playing with Regimental Commander Yu's children but also feeding them and bathing them. She remained busy until it was dark before returning.
Entering with a smile on her face, Peng Xiaoyue couldn't help but show off, "Ah, people are really different. Don't be fooled by the current cramped living conditions. As soon as Regimental Commander Yu arrived, he got a separate small Western-style building prepared with everything inside."
Sun Pingfang whispered, "It seems that Lieutenant Lu also got a separate small Western-style building."
When Lu Yanchang was mentioned, Peng Xiaoyue sneered, "What does his living situation have to do with me?"
Sun Pingfang lowered her gaze, but Wang Haohan on the side couldn't stand it and spoke up for his wife, "Peng Xiaoyue, be more polite in your words!"
Unexpectedly, Peng Xiaoyue was not afraid at all, "Why should I be polite? The impolite ones are still behind!"
Once she sacrificed herself and became Regimental Commander Yu's wife, these people would have to listen to whatever she said, no matter how unpleasant.
Thinking about Regimental Commander Yu, Peng Xiaoyue felt a glimmer of hope and anticipation for the future. She couldn't help but feel fortunate for her cleverness.
Regimental Commander Yu might be a bit older, but he looked good, held a high position, and it wasn't easy for a man with two children to find a partner. As for her, despite the troubles at home, she still had knowledge and culture, making her more than suitable for Regimental Commander Yu!
Once she marries Regimental Commander Yu and spends two years on this island, she can easily make up some stories and return to the mainland!
Today, those two children really liked her, and when she left, Regimental Commander Yu even praised her for being virtuous.
Wang Haohan immediately stood up, "No need to be polite, come at me now!"
Peng Xiaoyue was intimidated by his momentum and dared not speak anymore. She quickly went back to her room.
Everyone soon took showers and returned to their rooms. Gu Ling, after finishing her bath and changing into clean pajamas, sat at the table to record her daily work log. Later, she lay down on her bed, and the first thought that crossed her mind was Lu Yanchang.
When he left today, he... invited her to the small grove?
Gu Ling bit her lip; there was no way she would go! Just because he suggested going to the small grove didn't mean she had to follow his lead!