I emptied my family's possessions to join the army, and my abstinent superior doted on me.

Chapter 34 Becoming a Stepmother Upon Entering the Family
On this summer night, the deeper the night and the heavier the dew, the heavier his mood was even more so.

A constant chorus of "waaaah!"s could be heard coming from the pond outside the courtyard.

Qiao Muting sat alone by the window, trying to clear his mind, but the wailing noises made it impossible for him to calm down.

Thinking about today, the girl brushed past him twice, but they couldn't rekindle their relationship. All he felt was regret.

Feeling a tightness in his chest, he couldn't breathe. He stood up, intending to change his clothes and take a cold shower to calm himself down completely.

However, when she opened the wardrobe, her hand involuntarily reached for the two shirts that she had once intimately encountered in the South City warehouse and on the train.

He took off his shirt, held it in his hands, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Ever since he settled down, he has treasured these two shirts and hidden them deep in the closet, just as he keeps all the memories of that person deep in his heart.

The thought of her was his best "placebo." Unfortunately, he needed this "placebo" almost every day.

When a person misses someone intensely, the image of that person in their mind often becomes increasingly blurry over time due to the intensity of the longing.

After he realized this, he didn't even dare to think about her anymore, for fear that one day she would be completely buried in his memory.

Even the two shirts he believed still carried her scent, he dared not easily take out again. He feared that once his memory faded, even that last trace of fragrance would vanish.

Is this an illness?

He asked himself this question more than once.

Unexpectedly, she appeared again today, which finally emboldened him to take off his shirt and cover his face with it once more, greedily inhaling the "nourishment".

Scenes featuring her flashed before my eyes like a shadow puppet show: their first meeting, their embrace in the rain, their passionate kiss on the train, and more.
He got up and walked to the table, opened the drawer, and tentatively took out a small cloth bag. When he opened it, the two rabbit ears on the small hair clip seemed to reflect her face.

He stared at it for as long as he could, grinning like an idiot, without even noticing.

What a cunning little rabbit!
Another croaking of frogs startled Qiao Muting from his reverie.

He quickly put away the small hair clip in his hand and made a bold decision.

Early the next morning, in the canteen of the military region's general hospital.

The hospital's most handsome deputy director, Qiao, actually brought a little boy to breakfast, and the boy kept calling him "Dad."

Many girls who had long harbored feelings for Qiao Muting immediately backed down upon seeing this scene.

Qiao Muting didn't care. Even though he could sometimes clearly hear other people's comments and feel puzzled looks from all directions, he calmly continued to wrap eggs for Wenquan.

"When drinking porridge at a hot spring, be sure to blow on it to cool it down, so you don't burn yourself."

"It's okay, if you can't finish the eggs, give them to me."

"Slow down, there's hot soup in the bun, be careful. Look at your greasy mouth, here, let me wipe it for you."

Qiao Muting takes such good care of the child.

Women who watch the men in their homes raising their children in a zombie-like manner are drooling with envy.

His tone was gentle; it was nothing like the stern-faced Deputy Director Qiao of today.

A gentle and handsome dad who takes good care of his child is often more charming than a well-dressed young man.

Soon, the murmurs in the cafeteria turned into sounds of approval.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and Fang Wenxue and two female comrades walked in from outside with smiles on their faces. As soon as they entered, they saw Qiao Muting, who was taking good care of his child.

"Brother Mu Ting, are you having breakfast in the cafeteria today too?"

Normally, Qiao Muting would take the two children to the compound's canteen for breakfast. Afterwards, Wen Nuan would take the hot spring to Grandma Ma's house.

Ever since hearing the truth yesterday, Qiao Muting decided to bring Wenquan to the office every day. Two months is enough time; he can manage that. "Go get your food," Qiao Muting said, his hands still busy, his tone as cold and stern as ever.

However, to Fang Wenxue, it sounded like concern, as if she was worried that the girl wouldn't have any food later.

Fang Wenxue skipped and hopped to join the queue, and her two sisters immediately came over and asked, "Deputy Director Qiao, weren't you single? How come you're a father now?"

"What? That child is the child of a martyr he adopted."

"He usually seems so aloof from women, but when it comes to being a father, he's quite the model!" The two covered their mouths and chuckled.

"Wenxue, are you really not worried about becoming a stepmother as soon as you enter the family?" Xu Xiaoling, who had two thick braids, asked.

She and Fang Wenxue were trainee officers in the publicity department who were reported at the same time, and the other one of the three was their group leader, Ge Meilian.

"What are you saying?" Fang Wenxue's cheeks flushed slightly. "I didn't plan to get married so early. In two years, the two children can go to the military boarding school. At that time, I can come home every six months, just like visiting relatives."

Stepmother? Haha, I'm still a child myself. How could I be a stepmother to such a big child?

"That's right. Wenxue is outstanding in every way, from her family background and education to her character and appearance. How could she possibly become someone's stepmother!"

Ge Meilian had long heard that Fang Wenxue was someone of great importance, and seeing that her brother was Dr. Fang, a neurosurgeon, she was prepared to curry favor with her even before Fang Wenxue arrived.

She's just a country girl who got this job in the propaganda department only by pulling strings through three or four layers of connections. If she can marry a man like Fang Wenjie in the future, she'll have her life in her own hands. Even walking around the family compound, she'll be looked up to.

They will never again be ridiculed behind their backs because of their background or connections.

Therefore, from the moment she met Fang Wenxue, the scales in her heart never returned to balance.

Fang Wenxue got her food and strode confidently to sit down opposite Qiao Muting in full view of everyone.

Qiao Muting leaned back slightly and said gently to Wen Quan, "Eat slowly, but hurry up. I have to go to work."

Fang Wenxue peeled the egg, held it up to Qiao Muting, and said, "Brother Muting, you gave all your eggs to the child, and you didn't eat any. Here, eat mine."

Qiao Muting quickly stepped aside, saying, "You eat it."

Actually, he didn't like the taste of boiled eggs. Although they tasted delicious, the strange, pungent smell of boiled eggs made it hard for him to swallow.

He definitely wouldn't have bought it if it weren't for the need to replenish the nutrients in the hot spring.

Fang Wenxue was unaware of this taboo. She pouted, her face flushed with embarrassment, and as if venting her anger, she scooped out all the meat filling from each of the steamed buns, then threw the bun wrappers on the table and began to eat the filling in large bites.

"Don't you think this is a waste?" Qiao Muting looked at her, puzzled.

"I've already paid for it. What difference does it make whether I throw it away or eat it?"

"Of course it's different. If you're not going to eat it, then don't buy it. Leave it for those who need it. Do you know how many rural children are still starving?!" Qiao Muting was genuinely angry, but he still maintained a measured tone.

“Brother Muting, have you forgotten? I’ve never eaten the dumpling skin since I was little. It has no flavor. I only like the filling. But there’s no place to buy the filling separately, so I have to throw away the skin. Usually, you eat it for me.”

Qiao Muting: We should remind Lao Fang; he's spoiling his sister a bit too much.

Fang Wenxue felt a little wronged, but then, as if she had just thought of something, she said, "If Brother Muting doesn't mind, why don't you eat it?"

She suddenly remembered her classmate and her boyfriend in the school cafeteria. Her boyfriend would always happily help her finish all the leftovers.

This is an expression of affection between a man and a woman. If they love each other, eating each other's leftovers is considered an intimate act, a manifestation of love.

Besides, this wasn't her leftovers; it was freshly peeled bun skin that she had just taken off. If Qiao Muting could...
Unexpectedly, a little voice suddenly said, "Daddy, we're full, let's go."

　I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but when you miss someone terribly, the more you think about it, the less you can remember what they look like.

　　This might be a side effect of extreme longing!
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　　(End of this chapter)