Chapter 133

A round moon was reflected in the lake.

The young people of Tanas, dressed in their finest attire, held hands and whispered sweet nothings to their loved ones, but the sentries and guides, who were soldiers, had no time to stop and appreciate the beautiful scenery.

The two quietly left the lakeside under the moonlight.

Ilya held Jiang Wenxing's hand tightly. He wasn't afraid of the heat or being burned; he just wanted to stick close to him.

The shy and cautious guide stopped, hesitated for a moment, and released him, saying, "Ilya, we'll see Aguz and the others soon."

Jiang Wenxing was considering whether to start a relationship at the outpost or talk to the captain in charge of the entire Kush outpost. Should he report it to Director Liu first? He should try to keep a low profile until then.

Ilya frowned, his face showing both seriousness and confusion. He said uncertainly, "Jiang Wenxing, do you... regret it?"

This was quite a blow to him. Ilya had heard of some Ziks who confirmed their relationships in Jinlanna, only to regret it immediately after leaving Jinlanna, realizing that they preferred women.

Fortunately, his moon didn't do that.

Jiang Wenxing blinked and shook her head. The flower wreath on her head swayed gently, the cool flowers brushing against her cheeks, ears, and neck.

He looked so beautiful that he softened Ilya's heart more than any flower.

Jiang Wenxing had no idea what Ilya was thinking. His expression was dark, but his eyes were bright. He seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief. Then...

Jiang Wenxing was startled when Ilya picked him up and hugged him face to face. He instinctively wrapped his legs around Ilya's waist.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Wenxing stammered, feeling a sense of helplessness, as if he had been suddenly pounced on by a lion. Ilya had a very large wolf, but the wolf was as docile as a puppy in front of him, never baring its teeth, to the point that Jiang Wenxing almost forgot that Ilya was a top-notch sentinel.

His first reaction was that this was a bad man, and he was ready to teach his newly-confirmed lover a lesson. But he immediately realized that he shouldn't judge Ilya based on his own observations.

Ilya was different from the others.

He would never say, "Come on, what future can someone like you have?" Nor would he say, "Your personality is really annoying, go to hell, trash." He never liked him yet left him in despair; he praised him yet turned around and belittled him to nothing. Jiang Wenxing's evil was perhaps as great as the good he could create.

Ilya, on the other hand, seemed to be a discerning expert and a pragmatic and fair worker. He was always able to pick out the useful parts from Jiang Wenxing's messy collection of valuable assets, while turning a blind eye to the bad parts, allowing Jiang Wenxing to make the most of his remaining value.

He had always thought those fairly good evaluations were based on Ilya's impartiality, but now he wondered if those impartialities were mixed with personal feelings.

So after his initial surprise, he immediately relaxed, wrapping his legs around Ilya's waist with a hint of provocation.

"what you up to?"

He knew Ilya wouldn't hurt him, so even with the wolf holding him by the throat, he was fearless.

Ilya hugged him and lifted him up. Jiang Wenxing smiled, put his arm around Ilya's shoulder, and looked down at him: "Ilya, put me down. Where do you sentries get such superhuman strength!"

Ilya did not move; his face, sculpted by the moonlight, was cold and handsome.

He tilted his head back to kiss Jiang Wenxing's lips. Jiang Wenxing, who had been supporting Ilya's shoulders, slowly cupped his face and stroked his hair and ears.

Both of them were slightly out of breath when they parted.

Jiang Wenxing lay on Ilya's shoulder. Ilya put him down, touched his cheek, and confirmed his presence.

"You promised me, and you can't go back on your word."

...

...

...

10 PM.

Aguz, who was sitting on the roof of the vehicle, was the first to spot a familiar figure. He looked closely and saw his good brother leading the guide, who was wearing a flower wreath on his head. His face lit up with joy, and he jumped off the roof of the vehicle with a smile.

Alena noticed too, and slapped her thigh: "Oh my god, they're finally back!"

These Zikes are so wicked!

Surprisingly, in Jinlana, she was forced to do hard labor as a skilled Uzbek, and she didn't even have time to look at those handsome young men. She remembered that there would be several handsome Uzbeks at this Jinlana event!

When Ilya saw Aguz, he greeted him first, and then asked if he had bought all the seeds.

Aguz said, "I bought everything, several large bags of it, and I also got the sugar and raisins that Director Liu asked me to exchange."

Jiang Wenxing was a little awkward at first, but seeing Ilya's nonchalant expression, he unconsciously relaxed and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Alena was about to say something to Jiang Wenxing when the honest man, Aguz, kicked her and pushed her into the car: "Let's go, it's too late, we'll miss our chance to get back to Kush."

Alena's attention was immediately diverted: "Late? How could that be? Do you want me to drive? I guarantee it'll be like flying."

Her intentions were good, but the driver, Agus, flatly refused. Alena was furious and ordered the Congolese lioness to bite the old wolf. The lioness pounced on the wolf, which was smaller than her, and ignored the wolf's struggles, biting the wolf's neck and howling.

To everyone's surprise, Agus didn't shut down his synesthesia this time. He was bitten by a wet, warm mouth, and his legs went weak, causing him to slam hard to the ground. His nose was practically crooked with anger: "Alena!"

Alena: "!!!"

The lioness was grabbed by her owner and thrown back into the mental picture.

The one-eyed wolf stopped struggling, its neck dripping with wet saliva, and together with its master, it stared menacingly at Alena, frightening the forthright woman so much that she could barely speak.

That wasn't the worst of it. On the way back, Ilya openly sat in the back and covered Jiang Wenxing with his coat, saying, "Jiang Wenxing and I will come to relieve you and Alena in the middle of the night."

Jiang Wenxing leaned against Ilya, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Alena, trembling and looking guilty, peeked furtively from the passenger seat, her bottom barely touching the seat. Oh, Agus was starting the engine with a blank expression.

Alena scratched her head: "Agus, don't be angry. I don't know why it suddenly stopped listening to me."

She sounded a little aggrieved as she spoke.

"I'm not angry," Agus replied sullenly.

Alena: "...Really? You almost broke the car key."

Aguz didn't call Ilya in the middle of the night. He could have rested and taken a nap after returning home, but Ilya couldn't let go of his patrol duties and would definitely go up the mountain with the patrolmen.

He didn't speak, and Alena didn't dare to open her mouth either, suppressing her lively emotions.

Aguz: It seems I've learned the skill to shut up this domineering Uzik.

When Ilya woke up, the car had already returned to Kush, and it was almost dawn. He felt a warmth in his heart, and without saying much, he jumped out of the car and punched Aguz on the shoulder.

Agus threw a punch back without saying a word.

Ilya escorted Jiang Wenxing back to his dormitory, then changed into his training uniform and went up the mountain. By the time Jiang Wenxing woke up, it was almost noon.

He went to help out in the mess hall for a while. When Sergeant Xiong saw him, his expression kept changing. After everyone who had helped him left, he whispered, "I heard you went to Jinlanna?"

Jiang Wenxing put on an apron and sleeves, and poured water into the iron pot: "He's gone. What happened, squad leader?"

Squad Leader Xiong touched his neck: "Are you wearing a flower wreath?"

Jiang Wenxing slowed down a bit, looked around, and whispered, "I've put it on, but class monitor, don't tell anyone yet. I haven't reported it to Director Liu."

"Tch," Squad Leader Xiong tapped the edge of the pot with an iron spoon, his eyes widening: "You little brat, your squad leader is the kind of soldier who, you know, doesn't keep his mouth shut. Do you think I'd go around saying things like that?"

Who put it on you?

Jiang Wenxing felt that dating in the army would always encounter some obstacles, but after all, Squad Leader Xiong was his squad leader, and squad leaders could protect their soldiers. Jiang Wenxing wiped the water droplets from his face and said with a smile, "Ilya."

Squad Leader Xiong's large iron ladle clattered into the pot, then he quickly scooped it out. He was shocked, then understood, and thoughtfully remarked, "No wonder."

Jiang Wenxing said seriously, "Squad leader, don't tell anyone yet. I want to report these personal matters to Director Liu first."

Sergeant Xiong said, "Don't worry, it's definitely true."

Jiang Wenxing breathed a sigh of relief. He planned to check on the seeds when he had time, mainly because he was worried that they wouldn't germinate as the weather got colder.

Fortunately, the seeds from Dapeng had already been delivered. Jiang Wenxing went to the warehouse and found a few buckets. He used water to rinse away the shriveled and bad seeds, and then, just like when growing soybeans, he selected the plump seeds for breeding.

Since the temperature inside the greenhouse was not high enough, Jiang Wenxing moved the seed pots to the boiler room and soaked the seeds in warm water.

The selected vegetables include a cold-resistant, low-temperature-tolerant thick-leaved bitter lettuce and a purple, tomato-sized gourd, which are plants that don't taste good but are very easy to grow.

There are delicious and nutritious vegetables available, but they are either limited by their place of origin or require harsh cultivation conditions and are not capable of growing in cold, harsh environments.

Even when greenhouses were being promoted in the past, the most commonly grown vegetables in the military were still these vegetables that tasted average but were rich in nutrients.

Jiang Wenxing had great confidence in these seeds and took very meticulous care of them.

After dealing with the seeds, he went to the shed and turned over the soil again, adding leaves to the cellar to increase the fertility.

These tasks were time-consuming, so Alena and Arno, who were not on duty at the time, came to help. While Arno was working, he kept staring at Jiang Wenxing. When Alena went to carry fertilizer, he came over with a strange expression: "Jiang Wenxing...did you go to Jinlanna with the captain?"

Jiang Wenxing looked up, wondering if it was Alena, that big mouth, who said it. He patted the dirt off his hands: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Arno asked in disbelief, "Are you really planning to stay here for the rest of your life?"

Jiang Wenxing did not answer. Arno looked at him silently, then suddenly wiped his eyes and said, "Ilya will not leave Kush. His home is here. Like the old guide, he has settled down here. He will not be promoted, he does not want to work in the city, and he will not go to the capital."

Jiang Wenxing: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Arno's eyes were red, he was sad but didn't forget to work, he raised his hand and dug down with a strong hoe: "It's such a pity that someone as outstanding as you is buried here."

Jiang Wenxing was taken aback, not understanding Yano's sadness. Following his train of thought, he said, "Then you can go to the White Tower in six months. Zhu Ning won't get that spot. I don't want it. The old guide will save it for you."

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but Arno was even more upset. He wiped his eyes and said, "But... if you stay, I don't want to leave either."

Jiang Wenxing: "..."

Author's Note: