Howard finally cleaned up the mess. Although the room was still simple and old, at least the air was much fresher and the dust had settled.

He straightened his slightly aching back and looked at Mingzhao, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, seemingly having finished changing the dressing, and staring out the window in a daze. The awkward sense of defeat in his heart had not completely dissipated.

He turned and went to the small kitchen.

The kitchen contained only a simple earthen stove, an iron pot, and a brand-new thermos. He picked up the thermos and shook it; it was still more than half full of hot water.

He found a new enamel basin with a bright red "Award" printed on it; it was a prize he had won in a previous competition.

He poured half a basin of warm water and then took out a brand new white towel from his luggage.

Carrying warm water and a towel back into the room, Howard cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly: "Ahem, um... Comrade Mingzhao, why don't you wash up first?"

He placed the basin on the desk he had just polished to a shine, with a towel draped over the rim.

"There's not much hot water, you can use it first."

Mingzhao turned her head at the sound, her gaze falling on the steaming basin and the brand-new towel.

Washing up? At the Alliance, personal hygiene features highly efficient waterless cleaning chambers, a primitive form of "water washing"...

Recalling the process of Gongzhu washing her before, she quickly accepted the situation here, stood up and walked over.

Howard immediately stepped back a few paces to make room for her, his eyes darting around, not daring to look directly at her.

He pointed to the wooden bed covered with brand-new military green sheets: "You...you'll sleep on the bed tonight. I...I just reinforced it, it shouldn't make any noise anymore."

When he mentioned "reinforcing", his tone was a little hesitant.

Mingzhao ignored his tone, picked up a towel, soaked it in warm water, wrung it out, and began to wipe her cheeks and hands.

The warm, damp sensation dispelled the discomfort from the dust; the movements were simple yet effective. She washed carefully, meticulously avoiding the edges of the gauze on her forehead.

Howard stood to the side, watching her quiet profile.

It reminded him of the vulnerable yet clever way she stuffed the blueprints into his pocket when they first met, and the expressionless way she later threw the lamp at Huang Weiguo.

In the misty steam, her pale cheeks seemed to regain some color. Her long eyelashes drooped, and her focused expression made her look younger than her actual age, and even more...heartbreaking.

He quickly looked away, silently repeating to himself: a temporary measure, protection, responsibility...

After Mingzhao finished washing up, Huo Hua immediately stepped forward and picked up the basin: "I'll take the water out and empty it."

The movements were so fast, it was as if they were dodging something.

A moment later, the sound of water being poured could be heard from the courtyard.

When Howard came back in, he was carrying a thin military green blanket.

He walked to the only old chair next to the desk, spread a blanket on it, and then folded his military jacket and placed it on the back of the chair as a pillow.

“I’ll sleep here tonight.” He gestured to the chair, trying to sound natural.

"You can sleep peacefully in bed. Tomorrow I'll go to the regiment's dormitory to move my luggage over, and then I'll think of a way to get a cot."

That old chair was hard and narrow; for someone of his height and build, curling up on it to sleep for a night would be absolute torture.

Mingzhao's gaze shifted from the chair to Howard's face. She saw the determination in his eyes, and also how disproportionate the chair was to his size.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, such as "You sleep in the bed, I can sit in the chair" or "I can sleep on the floor," but only a faint breath came out of her throat, and in the end she just nodded slightly.

Under the contractual relationship, she accepted his arrangements as if they were a mission.

She walked to the bedside, lifted the covers, and lay down. The new bedding smelled fluffy from being sun-dried and had a faint scent of mothballs; it was very comfortable.

She turned to face the wall and curled up like a small animal that had found a safe burrow.

Howard watched her lie down, her small figure sinking into the large military green blanket, with only a sliver of her dark hair showing.

He walked to the table, blew out the kerosene lamp. The old courtyard still didn't have electricity, and he thought he'd have to have someone bring an electric wire over tomorrow.

Darkness instantly enveloped the small house, with only the cold moonlight from outside the window filtering through the dusty glass and casting blurry patches of light on the ground.

Howard groped his way to sit down in the chair, carefully adjusting his posture to try not to make a sound.

The hardwood chair made his back ache, and he had nowhere to put his legs, so he could only curl up.

He listened to the almost inaudible, even breathing coming from inside the room, and his nerves, which had been tense all day, slowly relaxed, followed by a feeling of fatigue throughout his body.

In the silence, the senses are amplified.

He could clearly hear the chirping of unknown insects in the grass outside the courtyard, the occasional barking of dogs in the distance, and... the faint but present breathing sound from the bed.

The sound strangely brought him a sense of peace, and only now did he truly understand what it meant to live a life of tranquility.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep, but the girl's pale face, the gauze on her forehead, her clear yet always calm eyes, and that earth-shattering "thank you" kept flashing through his mind...

This night was exceptionally long for Howard.

...

As dawn broke, the dusty windows cast a hazy, grayish-white light into the room.

Mingzhao's biological clock is extremely precise, and he automatically wakes up after the set "rest time" ends.

The pain in my body seemed to have eased a bit, and although my stomach was still a little empty, the burning, cramping pain was gone.

She lifted the covers and sat up slowly. The bed creaked slightly, but it was much more stable than yesterday.

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