He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

"Thank you, Tiger, thank you, Niu Niu." She ruffled the two children's hair. "Big sister will definitely use it well."

"Tangtang is back!"

Wang Xiulian's voice came from the other end of the alley. She was showing a slightly protruding belly—although it was still early and not very noticeable—but her complexion was much better than it had been three months ago. Her cheeks had regained their color, and she no longer hunched her shoulders as much as before when she walked, as if she were afraid of the cold.

She strode over, grabbed Shen Tang's hand, and asked, her eyes bright, "How did the exam go?"

"The principal said that enrollment will officially begin next Monday," Shen Tang said with a smile.

"I knew it!" Wang Xiulian slapped her thigh excitedly, then turned and shouted into the alley, "Sisters! Tangtang got in! First in the whole school!"

His shout was full of energy and could be heard throughout the entire alley.

Before long, several military wives peeked out from the gates of their respective courtyards. Some were holding shoe soles they were sewing, while others were wearing aprons and were obviously cooking. They all gathered around.

Really? First place?

"Wow, Tangtang's got a sharp mind! She's so good at studying!"

"I told you, anyone who can grow vegetables in that saline-alkali soil must be quite well-educated!"

Wang Xiulian held onto Shen Tang's hand tightly, leaned closer, and whispered, "Sister, look how much better I feel now. My periods are regular, and my hands and feet aren't as cold as before. Everyone says I look radiant and asks if I've secretly taken some tonics."

She touched her lower abdomen as she spoke, a blush of happiness spreading across her face: "Dr. Chen took my pulse last week and said the treatment was going very well, and told me to continue to consolidate the results. It's all thanks to you."

Looking at her rosy complexion, Shen Tang silently assessed her condition in his mind—her pulse was indeed much better than at the initial consultation, and the symptoms of uterine coldness had been basically relieved. If she continued to receive treatment for another three to six months, there should be good news.

"Sister-in-law, take good care of yourself and don't overwork yourself. If you feel unwell, just let me know," Shen Tang instructed.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Wang Xiulian nodded repeatedly, then raised her voice to the women around her, "Everyone supports Tangtang's schooling! We can't let her get too tired from her studies!"

"Absolutely!" a round-faced military wife immediately chimed in, "I have a scrap of floral fabric; I'll sew a new schoolbag for Tangtang!"

"I've collected a few notebooks; I'll bring them to you later."

My husband brought back two bottles of fountain pen ink from his last trip to the city; you can have one!

Amidst the cacophony of voices, Shen Tang was surrounded, her hands stuffed with a pencil, an eraser, and two fruit candies that someone had just pulled out of their pocket.

She stood there, her canvas bag strap still slung over her shoulder, her arms stuffed full of children and her sisters-in-law, and for a moment she was speechless.

In her past life, she spent over a decade in the lab, accustomed to facing data and papers alone, maintaining polite but distant relationships with colleagues. She never knew that being genuinely cared for and entertained by a group of people felt like this.

"Alright, alright," a gentle female voice interrupted from outside the crowd, "Tangtang has been taking exams all day, and you're all blocking her way so she can't go home and rest?"

The crowd parted to let Liu Fang in.

Today she wore a light pink polyester shirt, her long hair loosely tied back with a hairband, making her look gentle and elegant. With a perfectly timed smile, she spoke with considerate words: "Tangtang, congratulations! I heard you got first place? That's amazing! Remember to take care of yourself while you're busy with school, don't overwork yourself."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Liu Fang." Shen Tang nodded politely.

Liu Fang smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries with the other military wives beside her before making an excuse to leave.

As she turned and walked to the other end of the alley, the smile on her face didn't disappear, but the warmth in her eyes cooled.

Going to school is good.

Staying at school all day is better than constantly clinging to Mu Qinghan. Once school starts, there won't be as much time for massages, bringing meals, or showing concern.

Mu Qinghan's leg—she was calculating in her mind—Dr. Chen said the recovery period would be at least another six months. If Shen Tang reduced the frequency of her massages, the progress would inevitably slow down…

Although it's not entirely reassuring, it's still a good thing.

……

After the crowd dispersed, Shen Tang returned to the east wing with a handful of treasures in her arms and laid them out on the table.

Tiger's pencil, Niu Niu's eraser, two fruit candies, a fountain pen, and three sheets of white paper that someone forced on her—saying they were for "drafting."

She sat on the edge of the bed looking at these things, the smile on her lips never fading.

In this era of scarcity, these things weren't worth much money, but each one was saved up by the people involved—the pencil was bought by Tiger with a month's worth of pocket money, and the blank paper was scraped from her husband's official stationery by his wife.

Shen Tang packed her things, changed into a pair of cloth shoes, and headed towards the cafeteria.

Today is the weekend.

She did the math—after officially starting school next Monday, she'd be at school all day, then go to the hospital for massages and consultations after school, and still have homework to do in the evenings. The job of helping out in the cafeteria was definitely out of the question.

I need to go and have a proper talk with Squad Leader Wang.

The logistics canteen of the regiment.

It was 5:30 p.m., right at dinnertime. The canteen was steaming hot, and long lines formed at the food windows as soldiers waited with large enamel bowls in their hands.

Shen Tang entered the kitchen through the back door. Squad Leader Wang was stirring the wok by the stove, turning a pot of braised eggplant until it was charred and fragrant. When he saw Shen Tang, he first grinned, then sighed.

"I knew you'd come to tell me this." Squad Leader Wang put down the iron pot, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "The whole compound is buzzing with the news—Shen Tang is going to high school, and she's ranked first in the entire school."

His tone held both pride and reluctance.

"Squad Leader Wang..."

"Stop talking, stop talking, I know." Squad Leader Wang waved his hand, unusually serious for once. "You should go back to school. Anyone can learn to cook, but not everyone has a brain like that. If you spend your whole life cooking in the cafeteria, that would be a waste of your potential."

As he spoke, he pointed to a piece of greasy paper stuck above the stove—Shen Tang's recipe for hot pot base, which he had carefully taped to the wall with transparent tape, the edges of which were yellowed from the oil fumes.

"I've kept all your prescriptions. Don't worry, just come back and check on me when you have time this weekend."

Shen Tang took out a few folded sheets of paper from her pocket and handed them to him: "This is the ratio of curry sauce, the recipe for vegetable pancakes, and the key points for controlling the heat of the bone broth base—I've written it all down clearly, you can use it as you see fit."

Squad Leader Wang took the paper, flipped through it, and muttered, "Is it really necessary?" but carefully stuffed it into his shirt pocket.

"Alright, this is your last meal today—cook whatever you want, just to give everyone a little something to remember us by."

Shen Tang rolled up her sleeves and tied on an apron.

For her last meal helping in the kitchen, she made a pot of sauerkraut fish.