Mingzhao simply nodded, as if it were nothing that required serious consideration.

She even added, with her characteristic seriousness in pondering problems:

"This is the basic version. It can be improved."

It's like stating a technical fact.

Looking at the blueprints in her hand, which were enough to cause a huge uproar in the scientific research community, and then at Mingzhao's overly calm and composed face, Liu Wenjun was overwhelmed with emotion. The immense joy and anticipation for the future overwhelmed her unease.

She nodded vigorously: "Okay! Okay! Mingzhao, don't worry! I'll take it to the dean right away! With this, he definitely won't have anything to say! You wait, I'll process the paperwork for you right away!"

She clutched the blueprints tightly, as if holding a priceless treasure, nodded hastily to Howard, and then rushed out of the ward, her footsteps fading quickly into the distance down the corridor.

Once again, only Howard and Mingzhao remained in the ward.

Howard looked at Mingzhao, but his brows furrowed more and more.

The blueprint was handed over too easily, so easily that it set off alarm bells in his mind!

“Mingzhao,” Howard’s voice was more serious than ever before.

"Do you know what that blueprint means? It's very important! Extremely important!"

Mingzhao turned around, her clear eyes looking at Huo Hua with a hint of doubt, as if asking: So what?

She walked to the crib, picked up the book again, turned to the page she had been reading before, and replied in a flat tone, as if answering the simplest of questions:

Knowledge should be shared.

Howard: "..."

He watched Mingzhao, who was once again immersed in the world of the book, and looked at her pure and unblemished profile. A tremendous sense of powerlessness and a deeper worry, like a cold tide, instantly overwhelmed him.

Knowledge should be shared? In the 1970s, a time of undercurrents, espionage, and formidable technological barriers?

Howard's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the direction where Liu Wenjun had disappeared at the door of the ward, before slowly returning to Mingzhao.

Was what she handed over really just a basic version of the blueprints? How will Zhang Mingyuan react when he receives these blueprints?

This key, containing the technology of the future, is being handed over at this time and place. Will it open the door to hope, or... open Pandora's box?

——

The afternoon sun in the military compound carried a lazy warmth, making the bluestone pavement slightly hot.

Mingzhao pushed Howard's wheelchair slowly along the familiar alley.

Howard still had bandages wrapped around his shoulder, but he was in much better spirits, and his face was no longer sickly pale.

He leaned back in his wheelchair, watching Mingzhao's slender yet steady figure pushing the wheelchair, and felt a strange sense of peace.

They're finally back.

After helping Howard into the house, Mingzhao suggested going next door to visit Li Xiaocao. Li Xiaocao had helped her a great deal during Howard's mission.

“It would be good to say hello,” Howard said, his voice low but gentle. “She helped you a lot while I was away, so you should go and thank her.”

Mingzhao hummed in agreement, then turned and headed towards Li Xiaocao's courtyard.

The gate to Li Xiaocao's house was open, and a faint scent of soapberry and the sound of voices drifted out from the courtyard.

As Mingzhao pushed Huo Hua to the door, they heard a young woman's voice inside, tinged with a hint of deliberate intimacy and boastfulness:

"...Sister Xiaocao, you have no idea, the manager of that state-run restaurant really thinks highly of me! He says I'm quick and efficient, and have a good eye! If it weren't for the current strict policies, he would have wanted to make me a permanent employee right away! But being a temporary worker in the canteen is pretty good too. I'm protected from the wind and rain, and although the pay isn't much, the canteen's perks... cough cough, I mean, the benefits are pretty good! At least I can support myself and not rely on a man!"

The voice was somewhat affected, yet it also hinted at an eagerness to prove something.

Howard frowned almost imperceptibly; the tone sounded somewhat familiar.

Mingzhao had already pushed him into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, Li Xiaocao was sitting on a small stool washing a basin of clothes, while a young girl wearing a brand-new floral polyester shirt and with two shiny braids stood next to her.

The girl had fairly pretty features, but her eyes were too lively, carrying a shrewd calculation. She was He Yuchun.

He Yuchun was speaking with great enthusiasm, his spittle almost splattering onto Li Xiaocao's face.

She caught a glimpse of Mingzhao entering through the door and Howard in his wheelchair. A fleeting, almost imperceptible hint of disdain crossed her eyes, especially when she saw the bandage on Howard's shoulder. This was quickly replaced by a broad, enthusiastic smile, and her voice rose several decibels:

"Oh my! Isn't this Commander Huo and Sister Mingzhao? You're back? Commander Huo's injury looks terrifying, he needs to take good care of himself! Sister Mingzhao, it must have been hard for you to take care of Commander Huo all by yourself!"

She spoke to Mingzhao, but her eyes glanced at Huo Hua with a deliberate attempt to ingratiate herself.

In the later part of her previous life, Howard eventually rose to a high position, becoming the third-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense.

This is a big shot! We need to curry favor with him!

Having been reborn, He Yuchun felt like the chosen one, and now she had even met a big shot she had only ever seen on television before. What an incredible opportunity!

When Li Xiaocao saw Mingzhao and Huo Hua enter, a genuine smile immediately appeared on her face. She quickly wiped the soap off her hands on her apron and stood up to greet them.

"Commander Huo, Mingzhao! You're finally back! How are your injuries? Come in and sit down!"

As she spoke, she glanced at He Yuchun somewhat embarrassedly. He Yuchun's earlier remarks about "independent women not relying on men" made her feel inexplicably guilty in front of Mingzhao, as if she were whispering to outsiders behind her best friend's back.

"Sister Xiaocao." Mingzhao nodded to Li Xiaocao as a greeting. Her gaze swept calmly over He Yuchun without lingering, as if the other party was merely an insignificant background figure.

Howard also politely nodded to Li Xiaocao, saying, "I'm much better now, thank you for your concern. You've taken good care of Mingzhao during this time."

"Oh, don't mention the hardship. We're neighbors, it's what we should do! Mingzhao is so well-behaved, she's no trouble at all!"

Li Xiaocao quickly waved her hand, took Mingzhao's hand, and said sincerely.

He Yuchun was taken aback by Mingzhao's completely dismissive attitude. He cursed Mingzhao inwardly as a "blockhead," but his smile remained unchanged. He stepped forward and spoke up.

"That's right! Mingzhao looks like an honest and hardworking girl. Commander Huo, you're so lucky! Unlike me, I'm destined to be a hard worker. I was just telling Sister Xiaocao that I found a temporary job at our military region's canteen and I'll start tomorrow! It's a bit tiring, but at least I can earn my own money and spend it myself, which makes me feel at ease!"

Her words were both an overt and covert way of praising herself for being "self-reliant" and taking a jab at Mingzhao, who was "supported by a man" at home.

After saying that, she deliberately looked at Mingzhao with a gaze that was both pitying and superior, and added a hypocritical sentence.

"Mingzhao, don't worry, just stay home and take good care of Commander Huo! Later, once I have a stable job, I'll see if there are any easy jobs in the canteen, like picking vegetables or washing dishes. I'll talk to the manager and maybe I can give you a hand!"