Precious Darling

After Yang Wudong left, Han Qingyu stayed and chatted with Regimental Commander Li for a while longer. Commander Li seemed eager to hide his emotions, deliberately maintaining a deadpan demeanor as he discussed the selection of recruits and veterans for the squad with him. "What about that Dice, Wen Jifei?" Commander Li suddenly asked. "Do you plan to take him along too?" "Yeah. The squad needs an equipment maintenance tech anyway, and he picked up some training back at the equipment grounds." "True enough. Besides, I'm hoping he might teach you a thing or two in other areas." Commander Li pondered for a moment, then added abruptly, "Don't worry about your personal life. When you write home, tell your parents your regimental commander said the regiment will arrange blind dates for you down the road." Han Qingyu: "..." When Han Qingyu returned, Wen Jifei caught his gaze lingering on him. "Don't look at me like that, man... don't make things hard on yourself for my sake." For once, Plague-Chicken Fei felt self-conscious about his own situation. Squad 1777 was just being formed. He desperately wanted to go, but he knew his own limits all too well, so he dreaded becoming a topic of serious debate. "Commander Li brought it up himself. He wants you to serve as our equipment maintenance tech, and keep practicing shooting with Milla on the side." "Ah, well then..." Wen Jifei looked up at Han Qingyu, nodded, and grinned. "In that case, I'd better go say a proper goodbye to the girls back at the equipment grounds." "Yeah, you definitely should." Han Qingyu laughed too. In all honesty, thanks to how popular Wen Jifei was there, someone had even washed Han Qingyu's uniform along with his twice. Wen Jifei thought for a moment. "Should I go spit once at Da Wa's feet, too?! Tangtang already spat at him." "Go for it, haha." As they joked around, Shao Xuan came over with Qin Guowen in tow. Stopping in front of Han Qingyu, he gave him a stony look, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He waited for about two or three seconds. "Hey, hey, hey—light the Golden Eraser captain's cigarette, will you, brat? Where are your manners?! You're just setting up your squad, and you don't even know enough to stay on good terms with the number one squad, the Golden Eraser?!" Han Qingyu grinned. "I don't have a light." "What a coincidence. I'm full of fire already." Shao Xuan lit the cigarette himself. He didn't bring up the matter of Han Qingyu hiding his strength. Looking up, he merely said, "I just asked around. Your assigned station is quite a distance from ours." What he meant was: the area you're heading to is outside the Golden Eraser's support perimeter. We won't be able to look out for you. "Thank you, Captain Shao." Han Qingyu understood. He asked Liu Shiheng for a lighter and gave Shao Xuan's already-lit cigarette another quick flame. Shao Xuan coughed twice and chuckled. "I'm giving this guy to you. Return him in a year." He dragged Qin Guowen out from behind him and pushed him forward. "If he doesn't want to come back after a year, forget about returning him. He's not much use anyway." In reality, how could he be useless? In the Golden Eraser, he might not be vital, but in 1777, Qin Guowen—a Grade B veteran captain—would be one of their core combat pillars. On the spot, Han Qingyu and his friends froze. Even Lao Jian and Milla, who had overheard and turned around, wore identical looks of surprise. They wanted to say thank you, yet hesitated. Qin Guowen looked up himself, offering an awkward smile. "I am... a gesture of goodwill from the Golden Eraser." "Oh. Can we refuse?" Han Qingyu asked bluntly to his face, then looked at Shao Xuan. "Could we swap for someone else, Captain Shao?" "There isn't anyone worse than him," Shao Xuan replied. "I can't bear to part with the others." Qin Guowen's face collapsed instantly. "Then we definitely can't take him. Captain Qin would end up bickering with me every single day." As one of the two people in 1777 most familiar with Qin Guowen, Wen Jifei chimed in from the side. "Well then... go find another squad yourself." Shao Xuan patted Qin Guowen on the back, turned around, and walked off with a grin. "Stay in touch, let's talk often! If you need any help..." "Can we borrow some source energy blocks?" "What's that? Can't hear you!" Shao Xuan walked off into the distance. Qin Guowen was left standing there alone, looking utterly pathetic. "I have... six source energy blocks on me." *Swish.* Han Qingyu, Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, Liu Shiheng, and Shen Yixiu—the confirmed members of Squad 1777 scattered around the area—instantly snapped into unison, saluting as one: "Welcome to Squad 1777, Captain Qin!" Han Qingyu: "A warm welcome." He Tangtang: "Heartfelt." Liu Shiheng: "Deeply moved." Wen Jifei: "Love you, man." Shen Yixiu couldn't stop giggling. As a newly formed unit, Squad 1777 wouldn't deploy to their assigned post right away. Between personnel arrangements and supply preparations, they would need a relatively long prep period. With nothing else to do for the rest of the afternoon, Han Qingyu headed back to his quarters early, where he began fretting over how to send the money home. He had a hundred thousand yuan now. Aside from source energy blocks, the Gold Azure Guard medal came with a cash reward of a hundred thousand yuan. It was issued in the form of a special Azure check, which he could cash and spend directly at the base, or submit to the military to be converted into Huaxia currency and wired home. The problem was: how could he possibly send that home? It was a whole hundred thousand yuan. Splitting it up wouldn't make sense either. He had already sent ten thousand yuan home before under the pretext of a merit reward from the army, and even that had been a stretch. He had only gotten away with it because his parents lived in a rural village, didn't know any better, and didn't dare discuss it with anyone. Now it was a hundred thousand. Sending more felt like taking advantage of his parents' credulity. What kind of kid joins the army and earns a hundred and ten thousand yuan in merit bonuses in barely four months?! They'd think he was peddling arms on the black market! And if he asked the people from Squad 752 to deliver it under some pretext, the moment his parents laid eyes on the cash, they'd probably faint on the spot, assuming it was a death benefit... All in all, it was a massive headache. *** Research Institute 2 of the Azure Huaxia Front, dusk. "This morning, he cleaved a Grade A+ straight into the dirt with a single strike." In the Xin household, Xin Yaoqiao sat on the sofa chatting with her mother. "Mm," Mother Xin answered coolly. "He joined a newly formed squad. I..." "Don't even dream about it. Even if I let you go and your father let you go... your grandfather, your maternal grandfather, Institute 2, and the entire Council would never let you go." "Oh." "Qiaoqiao." "Yes?" "You must not act like this," Mother Xin said helplessly. "A girl shouldn't throw herself at someone, you know. Especially when it's entirely one-sided right now." "That's not true! Last time on the phone, he even joked with me, asking if I wanted to pledge myself to him... Sure, he took it back right away, but wasn't that a hint?" "Really?" Mother Xin paused, then shook her head. "Impossible. A man who crushes a beetle right over a girl's collarbone wouldn't understand hints if they hit him in the face." "..." "Based on your earlier descriptions, my assessment is that this young man is practically destined to remain single for life. Good looks won't help, and neither will great strength. Not unless he goes on a blind date and marries on the spot. You'd be better off becoming sworn brothers with him." Around the same time, at the Ninth Army War Training Base, outside the special cottage beside the training grounds. Wen Jifei knocked on the door. "Coming!" Shen Yixiu's voice called from inside. She set down a photo album, hastily shoved the pictures she didn't want anyone to see into a drawer, and shut it. She rose to answer the door. Her grandfather, Shen Fengting, walked out wearing an apron. Normally, someone from the logistical living base came to help around the house, but Shen Fengting hadn't let them come today. "Grandpa will get it." Guiding his granddaughter back toward the room, Shen Fengting went ahead and opened the door. "Greetings, Commander Shen!" Following the briefing Han Qingyu had given them, the group stood together at the doorway and saluted in unison. "Good, good to see you all." Shen Fengting wore a warm, grandfatherly smile. Hosting his granddaughter's friends for the first time—the first friends Shen Yixiu had made since she was twelve—the old man showed not the slightest trace of an old commander's imposing air. In fact, he was visibly nervous. "Come, come in and sit." Standing by the door, Shen Fengting stepped aside to let He Tangtang, Wen Jifei, and Liu Shiheng in. Finally, he grabbed Han Qingyu, hauling him outside. "About that matter from the last time we met—remember, not a word to Xiuxiu, or else..." Shen Fengting lowered his voice, making a mock threatening gesture. "I can keep quiet," Han Qingyu said, giving him a slightly aggrieved look. "But Commander, isn't that a bit dirty?" "What do you mean?" "You... you promised you'd introduce her back then... You weren't planning to run off after swindling my source energy blocks, were you?" "Nonsense, of course I was going to run! You think I'd actually hand her over to you? Xiuxiu is my precious darling," Shen Fengting said shamelessly. "Precious iron darling." A stiff voice came from behind them. Shen Yixiu stood at the doorway, smiling. To think a hunk of iron like her could move so silently right up behind them... So the clanking sounds she usually made during broad movements were only because she didn't bother muffling them... That was terrifying. Han Qingyu stared at the iron figure in surprise. Realizing they'd been overheard, Shen Fengting's old face flushed red. He turned back to look at his granddaughter. Had she just called herself an iron darling with a laugh? Sensing her tone carefully, Shen Fengting could tell the laughter was genuine—neither forced nor put on to hide anything. "Iron Chick, what's happening out there?" "You two aren't about to brawl, are you? Rusty Sister, help hold them back!" The guys inside shouted and laughed. Shen Fengting: "..." What?! Rusty Sister?! Iron Chick?! Just wait until this old man grabs a kitchen knife! Shen Yixiu looked back, giggling softly. "Looks like they might... Grandpa's face has already changed color." Shen Fengting watched her, his eyes suddenly burning with a prickle of tears—a mixture of exasperation and overwhelming joy. All at once, his heart found immense relief. To conceal his emotions, he hurried back toward the kitchen. "Grandpa is actually very happy," Shen Yixiu murmured softly by the door.