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

That evening, Mu Qinghan sat in the main room.

There was a small wooden box on the table, but the contents weren't in the box; they were still on Shen Tang's wrist. She had left it there, claiming that the swelling in her wrist wouldn't go down.

Mu Qinghan stared at the empty box and remained silent for a long time.

He's been thinking about something these past few days.

That vegetable garden was very important to her. She fell ill from the stress of its destruction, and the first thing she did after getting up was to rebuild it.

But he couldn't discuss agronomy with her; he didn't understand it.

What can I do for her? What can I do to make her happy?

He recalled their daily life together, how she was kind and ambitious, and how there was nothing he could do for her.

She never asked anything of herself...

Except for one thing... the jade bracelet she pretended to have a swollen wrist and refused to return when they first met.

She really liked that bracelet.

They liked him so much that they were willing to say things like "My hands are swollen and I can't take them off" just to avoid paying him back.

She liked it so much that she was willing to stay with a disabled soldier she didn't know in order to keep the bracelet.

He didn't know why she liked such a thing, but he wanted to give it to her.

It has nothing to do with the engagement. It has nothing to do with the Shen family. It has nothing to do with repaying a debt of gratitude.

He just wanted to make her happy, even if it couldn't compare to the light in Lu Yanzhi's eyes after comforting her.

Even if it's just a little bit, it's something he gave himself. He originally wanted to find a suitable opportunity.

For example, she recovered completely.

For example, on a beautiful sunset evening. Or, when she was tutoring him, she would lean over and call him "Brother Qinghan" again—

But now that I think about it, there's no time like the present. Tomorrow morning wouldn't be bad either, when she gets up for breakfast. He made the porridge, brought it over, and then—

"For you"? No, that's too abrupt.

"This bracelet is yours from now on"? That's too formal. It sounds like someone is reading a document.

"I want to give this to you"? ...That's too cheesy.

Mu Qinghan sat there for a long time, clutching the empty box.

Never mind, I'll think about it tomorrow.

...

the next day.

It was just dawn.

Mu Qinghan got up very early, which was unusual for her.

He went to the kitchen to cook porridge, leaning on his cane. He made millet and red dates, and since she liked it sweet, he added an extra spoonful of rock sugar.

The porridge is ready. I filled two bowls.

He carried the bowl toward the east wing, still clutching the small wooden box in his hand—stuffed in his uniform pocket, hard and digging into his ribs.

Reaching the door of the east wing—

"Commander! Commander!"

Xiao Li's voice came from the front yard, hurried and panting.

Mu Qinghan stopped in her tracks.

Xiao Li came running over, his expression somewhat strange.

"Commander—there's trouble at the main gate. They claim to be Shen Tang's parents and insist on coming in to see her. The guards won't let them in, and there's a young woman crying at the gate. A crowd has gathered around—"

Mu Qinghan's face darkened.

He placed the bowl of porridge on the stone table under the eaves.

The wooden box in his uniform pocket was digging into his ribs.

……

Military compound. Main gate.

It's 7:30 in the morning. This is the peak time for morning exercises and grocery shopping.

There were twenty or thirty people gathered at the entrance of the compound—military wives carrying vegetable baskets, soldiers who had just returned from morning exercises, and logistics staff pushing bicycles to work.

In the center of the crowd, Shen Yao squatted on the ground, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking violently.

The crying wasn't loud, but it was just the right amount of pitiful—a suppressed, restrained sob that was more heartbreaking than a loud wail.

Standing to the side, Shen's mother's eyes were red from crying. She had one arm around Shen Yao and was constantly wiping away her tears with a handkerchief in the other.

Shen Guoping stood at the very back, his back hunched, his face ashen, and his lips tightly pressed together. He carried two simple bags in his hands.

The gatekeeper was a young soldier in his early twenties, and he was at a loss for what to do in this situation.

"Comrade—it's not that I'm not letting you in." He explained, his face flushed, "The compound has a rule that outsiders must be greeted by someone from inside before they can enter. You said you were looking for Shen Tang, but I need to notify him first—"

"My daughter is inside!" Shen's mother cried out. "She's my own daughter! I'm her mother! Please let me see her—I beg you—"

"Don't cry, sister, I'll call in and ask right away—"

"Comrade, we've come from the city." Shen Yao looked up, her face streaked with tears, her voice hoarse and pitiful. "My sister is inside... we've been bullied... we have nowhere else to go..."

The military wives who were watching began to discuss:

"Are these Shen Tang's family members?"

"Didn't she say she was cutting ties with her family?"

"Oh dear, it's so pitiful, that girl is crying like that..."

"No matter what, they're still my parents. Even if they're broken, the bones are still connected..."

Shen Yao listened intently, taking in every single word.

The corners of his mouth were hidden behind his palms, curving slightly.

That's the effect.

The more people, the better.

The more discussion, the better.

When Shen Tang comes out—

She either accepts her biological parents in public, then she will never be able to get rid of them, and she can live in their house, gain access to them, and take the opportunity to get close to Mu Qinghan; or she rejects them in public, then everyone will call her cold-blooded and heartless.

You won't lose out no matter which you choose.

"Make way, make way—"

A voice rang out from behind the crowd.

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

Mu Qinghan walked out from inside, leaning on her cane.

Military uniform, shoulder insignia, iron crutch.

And that face so cold it could freeze.

The onlookers fell silent instantly.

"Commander Mu—" The gatekeeper stood at attention and saluted.

Mu Qinghan didn't look at him, her gaze sweeping over Shen Yao squatting on the ground, Shen's mother crying, and Shen Guoping looking embarrassed.

Shen Yao felt that gaze fall on her. She looked up and, through her teary eyes, saw Mu Qinghan standing there against the light.

His military uniform was impeccably straight. His back was as straight as a pine tree.

Even with crutches, he's like an immovable mountain.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head, letting the tears flow even more fiercely.

"Come in and say what you need to say."

Mu Qinghan's voice was cold, as if she were giving an order.

After saying that, he turned and walked inside without looking back at them.

The gatekeeper quickly made way.

Shen Yao stood up from the ground, grasped her mother's hand, and followed Mu Qinghan into the courtyard.

The Shen family of three followed Mu Qinghan's retreating figure into the courtyard.

The military wives who were watching did not disperse.

Who could bear to leave such a lively place?

"Sigh, no matter what, their biological parents have come knocking on their door..."

"Tangtang has a hard life. She was kidnapped for fifteen years and finally found, only to have her biological parents sign a disownment agreement and throw her out to marry someone else..."

"So what do we do now? We can't just deny it, can we? After all, it's our own flesh and blood..."

"You make it sound so easy. When they signed that severance agreement, didn't they think about their children?"

The sisters-in-law chattered amongst themselves.

Just then—

"That's not how you say it."

A gentle voice came from the edge of the crowd.

Liu Fang stood there, carrying a vegetable basket, as if she had just returned from the water room. Her face wore an expression of "reluctance but having to say it."

"They are Tangtang's biological parents and sister after all... blood is thicker than water," her voice was gentle, tinged with just the right amount of concern, "isn't it too heartless to turn them away like this?"