Before being reborn and getting married, the pampered young lady emptied her family's assets to

Chapter 12 doesn't seem so bad after all.
An Min's words were like a feather, lightly brushing against Liang Yi's ear, yet making him feel uneasy all over.

Especially her clear, bright eyes, which held a hint of understanding, and a touch of... mockery?
It was as if they saw through his guilty conscience, which was clearly trying to cover something up.

Liang Yi's face darkened, and that feeling of being led by the nose surged up again.

He's used to being in control, not like this, being cornered at the door by a little girl and rendered speechless.

He forced himself to meet her gaze, his voice as deep as iron.

“This is the area under my jurisdiction. Director Yang entrusted me with its care. If you are leaving, I naturally need to know where you are going so that I can give you an explanation.”

The reasons are plausible and sound impeccable.

Anmin gave a soft "oh," the last syllable of which was drawn out, like a small hook.

She didn't respond to him. Instead, she stepped aside and gracefully moved aside in the doorway, even gesturing for him to enter. Her movements were fluid and natural.

"Would you like to come in and check, Commander Liang? See if I've packed up my belongings and run away?"

An Min's smile deepened, tinged with a mischievousness.

Liang Yi: "..."

He choked.

Going in is not an option, and not going in is also not an option.

Go in? A man and a woman alone together, what kind of business is it for a regimental commander to go into a young woman's room?

Not going in? It would make his earlier concern seem particularly fake.

This girl! Why does she talk so...sharply! And she's so stubborn!

Do all city people talk like this?
They were relentless and ruthless, using both sharp words and barbs.

Liang Yi's face darkened, and he stood still.

But his gaze involuntarily drifted back to the open rattan box on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The clothes inside were folded neatly, and there was a bundle next to them.

An Min followed his gaze and exclaimed "Ah!" as if suddenly realizing something.

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for him to hear clearly.

"Commander Liang, are you looking at this box of mine?"

She walked over, casually picked up the faded old work jacket on top of the wicker trunk, and spoke in a relaxed tone as if she were having a chat.

"It's not that we're leaving, it's just that it's too damp. The dampness under the cave dwelling makes the clothes smell musty even when they're in the trunk. We're taking advantage of the good weather these days to air them out."

As Anmin spoke, she unfolded the garment and examined it in the faint light filtering through the window paper.

"Look, there are still some mold spots on the cuffs that haven't been cleaned off."

Liang Yi: "..."

He felt a slight heat on his face, as if he had been gently slapped by an invisible hand.

After all that, it turns out they were just drying their clothes to prevent dampness; they weren't actually leaving.

His previous jumbled worries and so-called sense of responsibility instantly turned into the embarrassment of being presumptuous.

The man's tall figure appeared somewhat stiff in the doorway.

The air was so quiet that you could hear the faint crackling of the oil lamp wick burning.

Anmin folded the clothes again and put them back in the rattan trunk, her movements slow and deliberate.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he secretly glanced at the cold-faced leader at the door, whose expression was constantly changing.

Seeing his frustrated yet composed demeanor, the frustration I felt suddenly dissipated, and I even felt a little... like laughing.

Let you be a chauvinist!
Let's see you keep your mouth shut!

Live it!

An Min suppressed a laugh, turned around, and her face remained calm and composed: "Commander Liang, is there anything else? If not, I need to continue tidying up; it's getting dark."

This dismissal was both tactful and direct.

Liang Yi's Adam's apple bobbed.

The words of apology rolled on his tongue a few times, but were ultimately swallowed back by his damned pride.

What could he say?
Are you saying sorry, that you misunderstood and thought I was going to run away?
Or was it that I was being arbitrary about the blind date that day?
I can't bring myself to say either of them.

Having lived for over twenty years, this is the first time I've felt so stifled.

He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "...Be careful."

Having said that, without waiting for An Min's reaction, he turned around almost awkwardly and strode away, his back view giving the impression of a hasty retreat. An Min watched his tall figure quickly disappear into the darkness and finally couldn't help but laugh.

The crisp laughter was particularly clear in the quiet cave dwelling.

She clapped her hands in high spirits, humming a tuneless little tune, and continued to take the clothes out of the box one by one, preparing to bask in the sun tomorrow.

The dim light from the oil lamp outside the window illuminated her smiling eyes, making them appear vivid and bright.

As Liang Yi strode away, he could still hear An Min's soft laughter echoing in his ears.

The evening breeze on his face did not dispel the heat; instead, it made him even more irritable.

For the first time, he realized that besides leading troops into battle, there were other things in the world that were so... tricky for him.

Besides being tricky, it's also something indescribable...special.

Anmin was completely different from the crying or sullen person he had imagined.

He scratched his buzz cut in frustration, and even his steps became heavy.

An Min's bright almond-shaped eyes, which held a hint of mockery, flashed uncontrollably into my mind.

Tsk, this feeling is really not right.

Liang Yi felt that An Min was poisonous.

Ever since he fled in panic at the entrance of the cave dwelling that day, this thought had taken root in his mind.

On the training field, he remained the same Commander Liang, who commanded with composure and whose orders were strictly enforced.

But as soon as he calmed down, those bright almond-shaped eyes with a hint of mockery and a cryptic chuckle would buzz around his mind like a mosquito in the mountains.

They couldn't get rid of him no matter what they tried, which made him very upset.

What's even more strange is that he's been passing by more often.

When patrolling the outer sentry posts, that shortcut path practically became his private passage.

He himself didn't realize that his gaze would always linger on a certain slender, busy figure for a few more seconds.

Anmin obtained farm tools from somewhere and even hired someone to help her build fences and reclaim wasteland.

But in fact, Anmin did this to cover up her purpose in obtaining the seeds.

Life in the space was so comfortable that Anmin sometimes thought she should just live like this forever.

But she's a living, breathing person, and she can't hide in a space forever and never come out.

Most importantly, the contents of the space are being consumed little by little.

She has to become self-reliant, otherwise she will be left with nothing but empty savings.

With the help of her aunt Qin Shulan, Anmin received some crop seeds.

She also studied the streams in the space and found that irrigating the black soil with the stream water would increase the growth rate of crops.

It will shorten the growth time by half.

In addition, Anmin also found that washing her face with stream water was more effective than using ordinary water.

This also allowed her skin to remain the same in the dry Northwest as it was in Haicheng.

This has infuriated countless people who wanted to see An Min make a fool of herself.

However, every time Liang Yi saw An Min, he felt that the feeling was too unfamiliar.

It was like having a disobedient rabbit in his heart, jumping around every now and then, disturbing his peace.

Just as Liang Yi was getting frustrated, Director Yang took action.

That evening, Liang Yi had just returned from the training field.

Covered in sweat and dust, I was about to take a cold shower when I heard Wang Xiaozhu next door talking loudly to someone.

"Did you know? Director Yang introduced Comrade An to someone! He said she's a new education officer from the division headquarters, very polite and wears glasses!"

"Really? Comrade An agreed?"

"Of course! I heard they've arranged to meet in the grove by the river after dinner the day after tomorrow!"

With a snap, the enamel mug in Liang Yi's hand was deformed from his grip, and the cold mug wall hurt his palm.

An unnamed anger suddenly surged to his head, making his temples throb.

Liang Yi: Oh no, it seems we've fallen into a trap.

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(End of this chapter)