In the afternoon in the northern frontier, sunlight streamed warmly through the clear window frames, bathing the warm chamber covered with thick velvet carpets. Shen Zhao leaned back in a rocking chair, holding a steaming bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup in her hands, sipping it slowly. Her complexion was rosy, and her eyes were filled with contentment. The wound on her abdomen had almost healed, but Lu Qi remained extremely anxious.
"Drink slowly, be careful it's hot." Lu Qi sat on a small stool beside him, clumsily trying to burp his daughter (named Lu Mingxi, nickname Xi'er). The little one nestled softly against his broad shoulder, her little mouth smacking unconsciously. Lu Qi's movements were stiff, afraid of hurting his daughter's delicate body if he used too much force, and afraid that if he patted too lightly it wouldn't be effective, sweat beading on his forehead from his anxiety.
Shen Zhao chuckled at his tense expression, "General Lu, it's just burping a baby, not sending you into battle. Why are you so nervous?"
Lu Qi didn't even look up, his eyes fixed intently on his daughter's back: "What do you know? My daughter is precious! She's much harder to please than a soldier!" He carefully adjusted his position, and finally, Xi'er let out a loud burp and a comfortable hum. Lu Qi immediately grinned as if he had won a battle, looking triumphantly at Shen Zhao: "Look! Daddy took such a good picture!"
Just then, the wet nurse came in carrying her son (whom she named Lu Mingxuan, nicknamed Xuan-ge'er), who had just been fed. Xuan-ge'er was full of energy, his big, dark eyes looking around. When he saw Lu Qi, he immediately stretched out his chubby little hands and babbled, wanting a hug.
"Oh dear, my eldest son!" Lu Qi's eyes lit up. He carefully handed Xi'er to the nanny beside him and reached out to take Xuan Ge'er. But as soon as Xuan Ge'er was in his arms, he unceremoniously peed all over him! The warm liquid instantly soaked the front of Lu Qi's expensive brocade robe.
"..." Lu Qi stood frozen in place, his expression frozen.
"Pfft... Hahaha!" Shen Zhao laughed so hard he almost spilled his soup. "General Lu, it seems your son's way of welcoming you is... quite unique! I hope you like it!"
Looking at his son, who was giggling and showing no remorse in his arms, and then at his own wet front, Lu Qi was both amused and exasperated. In the end, he could only sigh resignedly, "You brat! Just like your mother, all you do is bully your father!" He held his son and let the wet nurse clean him up, but his face showed undisguised doting affection.
Lu Xiao returned from the military camp with a gloomy face. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw An'an sitting on the porch, holding Han'er, who had just woken up and was still rubbing her eyes, and humming a lullaby softly. Yue'er and Zhou'er were rolling around on a thick blanket spread out next to them, fighting and babbling as they fought over a cloth tiger.
"Mother...Mother...Brother is bad..." Han Jie'er saw Lu Xiao and complained pitifully, pointing her chubby little finger at her two brothers rolling on the ground.
An An looked up, saw Lu Xiao, and a gentle smile bloomed on her face: "You're back?"
Lu Xiao hummed in agreement and walked to her side, but instead of hugging his daughter as usual, he stared intently at An'an with a heavy gaze: "Today at the military camp, Vice General Wang's wife brought him snacks again." His tone was sour.
An An was taken aback, then chuckled: "Just for this?"
"And another thing!" Lu Xiao complained, "Lieutenant Li's wife even went out of her way to bring him a change of clothes at noon! And you? You went to the military camp today, and you only visited two wounded soldiers. You didn't even go into my tent!" He became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, like a child who hadn't received any candy.
Looking at the general in front of her, who was so powerful and authoritative outside, but jealous even when his subordinates' wives sent him snacks or clothes at home, An'an felt both tender and amused.
She handed Han'er to the nanny beside her, stood up, walked to Lu Xiao, and reached out to straighten his impeccably neat collar. Her voice was as gentle as if she were coaxing Han'er to sleep: "Madam Wang and Madam Li went to deliver snacks and clothes, but I am a military doctor, and I went to see the wounded. Can they be the same? Besides," she tiptoed, leaned close to Lu Xiao's ear, her breath sweet and fragrant, with a hint of slyness, "they delivered snacks and clothes, but what I delivered... was General Lu's favorite 'food'... 'medicine'..." The last word was spoken softly and ambiguously.
Lu Xiao's body tensed instantly. Looking at An An's flushed face and her affectionate, smiling eyes so close to his, his Adam's apple bobbed. Snacks and clothes were instantly forgotten. He grabbed An An's waist, scooped her up in his arms, and strode into the inner room, his voice hoarse and low: "This 'medicine'... I want to 'take' it now! My wife will feed it to me personally!"
An'an gasped, wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in his firm chest, and let out a muffled laugh: "...Jealous!"
The gauze curtains fell, shutting out the world of children's babbling outside. Inside, it was a passionate and sweet battlefield belonging only to the general and the military doctor.
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