QTIMP -Chapter 70 Character Persona – Lazy (Part 18)

Although she had spent money buying the medicinal herbs, she still owed 800 yuan. But this was a total of 2,000 yuan—an amount that even Lu Hongjun would need to save for two years.

Picking up what should have been the letter and reading it, she realized that the ginseng had been appraised at 130 years old. At the time, Old Master Lu had immediately given 1,000 yuan along with some receipts.

The remaining 1,000 yuan and the items in the package were prepared by Lu Hongjun’s mother, Ms. Wang Hong, who had also mailed the package to Si Qiu’s mother.

It seemed that Mrs. Wang was quite satisfied with the items she had sent back. That 1,000 yuan was meant for her to purchase more medicinal herbs.

Si Qiu understood that Mrs. Wang’s father, who was Lu Hongjun’s maternal grandfather, had previously been a government official and was now retired and back in L City. This portion was likely intended for him—after all, one could hardly not care for their own father.

This time, she hadn’t sent anything else to her parents, just a letter along with a remittance of 1,000 yuan.

After handling all these matters, she sat down to rest and couldn’t help thinking of Lu Hongjun. If he were at home, she wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble herself.

She decided she needed to make a cup of milk powder to replenish some nutrients. But making milk powder required boiling water, and she remembered there wasn’t any hot water ready—so she would have to boil it herself.

That sounded like quite a hassle! Thinking this way, she realized maybe she didn’t need the milk after all. Si Qiu suddenly snapped back to herself—her laziness had struck again.

She wailed as she lay on the bed, utterly powerless.

A few days later, Lu Hongjun returned, just as Si Qiu was home on holiday. When the door opened, he stood there looking extremely disheveled.

He had lost at least ten jin (about 5 kg), his clothes were not only dirty but also badly torn, and his cheeks and the backs of his hands bore scratches. Whether he had injuries elsewhere, she did not yet know.

Si Qiu’s eyes immediately welled up. “What kind of suffering did you go through? Come inside, let me check your injuries!”

Lu Hongjun smiled as she pulled him inside. Si Qiu had already taken his pulse, and tears began to fall from her eyes.

After he changed his shoes, she hurriedly held him, guiding him to the sofa. She went into the bedroom and took out the medical kit she had prepared.

She reached out to pull at his clothes, but Lu Hongjun pressed her hand down, a teasing smile in his eyes.

“Oh my, I’ve only been gone for a little over ten days, and you’ve turned into a little crybaby. No need to bandage me—these are just minor injuries, a few days’ rest and I’ll be fine.”

Si Qiu smacked his hand that was holding hers. “Don’t lie to me. When you entered, your body was stiff when you turned around.”

Ignoring him, she started stripping off his clothes. Seeing that she was genuinely angry, Lu Hongjun spread his hands and let her work.

The already tattered clothing was ripped open, revealing his waist wrapped in thick gauze, faintly stained with blood.

“This is what you call minor injuries? A few days’ rest and it’ll be fine? Why didn’t you use the hemostatic medicine I brought you?”

As she spoke, her hands quickly and efficiently removed the gauze, disinfecting and applying medicine anew.

“I gave that medicine to my subordinates. These really are the lightest injuries this time. Two of the men even almost had to be discharged. But I do have to thank you, Qiuqiu. Without the medicine you brought me, a few of them might not have made it back.”

He quickly shifted the topic.

“This time, Qiuqiu, I’ve done something great—maybe I’ll get promoted.”

Once Si Qiu finished dressing him, she hurriedly pulled him toward the bathroom. “As long as you come back to me safe and sound, that’s better than anything else. You wash up first—I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t. It’s not anything serious. I can handle it myself in a while.”

Si Qiu ignored him and simply cooked a bowl of noodles.

Seeing the red burn mark on the back of her hand, Lu Hongjun was deeply moved.

He finished the large bowl of noodles completely—there wasn’t even a drop of soup left. After rinsing his mouth, Si Qiu pushed him back onto the bed to rest again.

Once Si Qiu saw that he had indeed fallen asleep soundly, she picked up a basket and headed to Liu Jianjun’s house, knocking on the door.

A woman in her thirties opened the door, holding a baby in her arms.

“Oh, Xiao Qiu! Come in, come in. Everyone who went on the mission has come back today. Didn’t your Battalion Commander Lu return?”

Si Qiu quickly waved her hands, indicating she wouldn’t come in.

“Sister-in-law, Lu Hongjun already came back. I came this time to borrow your bicycle. You wouldn’t believe it—when he came back this time, not only was he injured, he’s also become terribly thin. I want to go to the nearby production brigade to see if I can trade for a hen to nourish him. Oh right, my mother-in-law just mailed me some brown sugar. I brought you half a jin. Sister-in-law, you’ve just finished your postpartum confinement—this will help you recover.”

“You’re being far too polite.”

Si Qiu placed the brown sugar into the woman’s arms along with the baby.

“Sister-in-law, don’t be polite with me. Otherwise, if I need help from you in the future, I’ll feel too embarrassed to ask.”

The woman adjusted her hold on the baby.

“Alright then, wait here while I go get the key for you.”

After getting the bicycle, Si Qiu rode out of the military camp and headed toward the nearest village.

Soon she arrived at the household where she usually exchanged seafood.

When the bicycle bell rang, someone from inside the house came out.

“Village Chief Uncle, perfect timing—you’re home today.”

“Oh, it’s Battalion Commander Lu’s wife. What brings you here today?” The old man’s face wrinkled into a smile as he warmly welcomed her, pouring water and bringing out some fruit the children had picked.

“To be honest, I came to exchange for some chickens or ducks. If there are particularly good seafood items, I can take some of those too. The more chicken, duck, and goose eggs the better. The price will be according to our usual arrangement. I brought a few pieces of cloth and some grain coupons.”

As she spoke, she lifted the basket from the ground and placed it on a stool beside her. She pulled away the cloth covering the basket.

Inside were neatly stacked bolts of fabric, arranged with about two finger-widths between them.

The texture and colors of the cloth were clearly visible. On top of the fabrics sat a large package of brown sugar and several colorful ration coupons.

“Good, good! This old man will go arrange things right away. Don’t worry—if there’s a lot, I’ll have someone deliver it by cart to the entrance of the military district.”

With that, the village chief clasped his hands behind his back and walked off.

The village chief’s wife immediately noticed the red cloth placed at the very top.

Si Qiu took one of the oil-paper packets of brown sugar from the bundle and pushed it toward her.

“Auntie, this is half a jin of brown sugar for you to nourish your health. I’m always troubling you, so I feel a bit embarrassed.”

The brown sugar all came from the system space.

Si Qiu didn’t feel the least bit reluctant to give it away. After all, it was a survival space—no matter which world she arrived in, the space would always provide food and clothing to ensure her survival.

As for other items, those depended on luck.

“You child, why are you being so polite?” she said, though her eyes never left the packet of brown sugar.

After refusing it a couple of times out of courtesy, she finally accepted it and hurried back into the room to lock it away.

When she saw the redwood box in the corner of the cabinet, she hesitated for a moment before picking it up—afraid that in the rush of coming and going, she might end up neglecting her guest.