Can't Take My Eyes Off You

C 322-323

"Can you clean up some of the things first? I am going to get some food from the cafeteria for both of us and Sergeant Ge. I am going to eat with him later, are you okay eating alone tonight?" Lu Xingzhi knew that Sergeant Ge had gone through a lot and needed someone by his side.

Getting together with a character like Mrs. Ge was a huge mistake, Lu Xingzhi thought, he would rather be a single man for the rest of his life.

"I am not a kid anymore!" Jiang Yao pushed Lu Xingzhi and continued, "Once you are back here at the platoon, you do not belong to me anymore."

After giving Lu Xingzhi a piece of her mind, she muttered under her breath, "Give me a break already. Why is he so popular?"

"What are you saying under your breath? Speak up!" Lu Xingzhi heard only snippets.

"I say, you belong to me only when we are on the bed, understood? Shoo, go and get some food for me, I am starving!" Jiang Yao glared at Lu Xingzhi.

Lu Xingzhi was pleased. "Right. There are twenty-four hours in a day, and usually I spend eight of them in bed. That means I am giving you a third of my time in my life."

"I am your wife! What about the rest of the two-thirds? Are you reserving it for your concubines?" Jiang Yao snorted.

Lu Xingzhi pretended not to hear Jiang Yao's remark, rather, he replied, "Jiang Yao, you are the only woman in my life! Now, get back into the house, I cannot risk starving the queen, can I?"

He gave Jiang Yao's head a good rub. After making sure that she was not mad, he went off.

Sometimes, it was not difficult to charm and pamper his wife.

After getting food from the cafeteria, Lu Xingzhi came back and gave Jiang Yao her share. He then turned and knocked on the opposite door.

He ate at the cafeteria before returning, but he still brought two portions for Sergeant Ge. Although Ge Wenwen was nowhere to be found, she was still his daughter.

Jiang Yao did not know what Lu Xingzhi and Sergeant Ge were talking about on the other side. After she was done eating, had cleaned the house and taken a bath, Lu Xingzhi then returned, smelling of alcohol.

"You drank?" Jiang Yao asked.

"Sergeant Ge was feeling really down, so I had a few drinks with him," Lu Xingzhi explained. He wanted to mention that Ge Wenwen had just returned but he knew that Jiang Yao probably did not want anything to do with the girl so he kept quiet.

The next morning, Lu Xingzhi left after he brought Jiang Yao her breakfast. Apparently, he was working on developing a more demanding training schedule, which explained why he had been really busy for the past few days.

Right after finishing her breakfast, Mrs. Lin came over, wanting to accompany Jiang Yao on her shopping trip.

It was Lu Xingzhi's request for Mrs. Lin to go with Jiang Yao. Having only just arrived at Jin City, Jiang Yao was not familiar with the place. After knowing that she wanted to go into the city to buy some stuff, he mentioned it to Colonel Lin, asking for Mrs. Lin's accompaniment.

Mrs. Lin was quite happy to be shopping with Jiang Yao. They clicked well and were comfortable talking to each other.

On buying furniture, Jiang Yao did not hesitate nor looked at the price tag. If she liked it, she would buy it.

After spending nearly an hour and a half at the furniture plaza, Jiang Yao bought plenty of furniture and household products. After paying for it, the plaza would deliver everything to the platoon. Once the products had reached the platoon, there would be people around the platoon assisting with the tough chore of moving everything into her house.

After the big purchases, Jiang Yao went to the wet market with Mrs. Lin. They bought a lot of fresh produce and meat. Knowing from conversation that their cooking skills were pretty much similar, they looked at each other and laughed.

Even though her children had already grown up, Mrs. Lin's cooking skills were still to be desired. She grew up comfortably in a family with a good financial background. All house chores were done by her mother and the maids. After her marriage, with her husband in the platoon, she brought up her children in Jin City at her parents' house. They only visited the platoon during weekends. Even then, they either ate at the cafeteria or Colonel Lin would cook.

Jiang Yao thought of Sergeant Ge when buying her groceries. Remembering his injuries, she bought a chicken, a fish, and some organic eggs. However much they hated Ge Wenwen and her mother, Lu Xingzhi still cared about Sergeant Ge. If not, he would not drink with him till late at night and come back with a frown on his face.

They left early in the morning, only returning to the platoon at noon.

Lu Xingzhi brought lunch for Jiang Yao from the cafeteria. Upon entering the house, he could see Jiang Yao busy tidying up the house.

"Come and eat first, you have the rest of the afternoon to tidy up." Lu Xingzhi prompted Jiang Yao.

"Coming!" Jiang Yao came out from the bedroom saying, "The curtains are custom made, they will be delivered in a few days. I chose a light purple one, it is beautiful!"

Lu Xingzhi hummed and turned on the radio.

Jiang Yao opened the lunch box and her eyes lit up at once. "I am famished after an entire morning of walking non-stop. It was fun going out shopping with Mrs. Lin. She has really good taste and knows where to buy the best stuff in the city."

She remembered Mrs. Lin telling her something this morning. "Mrs. Lin told me that going out with Mrs. Ge was a nightmare. It is not because she did not have enough money, it is just her attitude. Nobody likes her."

Lu Xingzhi was listening to the news on the radio, so he just nodded in acknowledgement. Gossips like these did not concern him. Anyway, there was breaking news on the radio, a commercial plane was hijacked by an unknown force and was now uncontactable and untraceable.