Chenxi teased her, "Oh? Sleeping on the water? Aren't you afraid of falling in and drowning?"
Shen Qing was behaving very childishly at this moment, even though she was still a child.
Ten-year-old Shen Qing only showed such clinginess and dependence to her eldest sister.
She could tell from her older sister's teasing tone, but she still boasted, "I'm a great swimmer. I can hold my breath underwater for half an hour. Nobody can compare to me."
Shen Xi was surprised. Half an hour is seven and a half minutes. A normal person can hold their breath for one minute, and even those who have undergone rigorous training can only hold their breath for three to five minutes.
Being able to hold one's breath for more than seven minutes is extremely rare.
"Did you experience any shortness of breath or other unusual symptoms while holding your breath underwater?" Shenxi was mainly concerned about her younger sister's health.
"No, I'm fine. It was only half an hour. My master insisted on calling me up. Otherwise, I feel like I could have held it in a little longer."
That requires special physical attributes.
Chenxi stroked his younger sister's hair, which was a bit stiff and rough.
"Qing'er, if you feel unwell, don't push yourself." Shenxi still reminded her with concern.
"I know, I know," Shen Qing muttered. "Big sister's become so nagging!"
Chen Xi smiled and gently pinched the inside of her arm: "You still dare to complain about your older sister's nagging? You little ungrateful thing."
Shen Qing chuckled a few times. She didn't feel her older sister pinching her; she only felt an itch on the inside of her arm.
"I don't mind at all, how could I possibly mind my elder sister?"
The two sisters chatted happily, while the maidservant guarding the outer room yawned. The chief was still awake, so she couldn't go to sleep.
She volunteered to become a maid; the chief's mansion was recruiting service staff, so she applied.
Fortunately, she got the job. Seeing that the leader only had Di Yingxue to take care of him, she volunteered to be his maid.
Maids are different from waiters. Waiters are free agents, only bound by employment contracts, not by indentured servitude.
Maids, on the other hand, had to sell themselves to become servants.
Shenxi never forces anyone to be a servant, but her personal staff and subordinates all disagree with her using waiters.
When she first hired waitresses to do tasks like serving tea and water and cleaning, she already faced opposition from her subordinates.
However, she did not agree to reduce the people to slavery. In the end, her subordinates compromised, but the servants could only move around in the outer living room and were not allowed to enter.
Shen Xi didn't want her subordinates to worry, so she agreed. Besides, her original intention in hiring waiters wasn't to serve her personally.
This maid's name is Xing Xiuyan.
It was because of this name that Chenxi started paying attention to her.
In "Dream of the Red Chamber," there is a girl named Xing Xiuyan who possesses a very Buddhist nature: elegant, composed, and well-educated. Despite the trauma of her wandering and unsettled life, she retains a carefree and easygoing demeanor.
The woman with the same name who was to be her maid, Xing Xiuyan, was also an elegant and well-mannered woman.
At the age of fifteen, she was very knowledgeable in poetry and literature, and stood out among all the waiters.
After observing her for several days, Shenxi's subordinates thoroughly investigated Xing Xiuyan's identity and background.
It turns out that she was the youngest daughter of Xing Zhao, the head of the Xing family, a prominent family in Bian'ai County. Previously, Wang Datong occupied the county town, the Xing family was wiped out, and the young woman was kidnapped.
Wang Datong was captivated by her beauty and kept her for a while.
Xing Xiuyan secretly vowed: whoever could avenge her family, she would repay with her life and follow them for life.
Fortunately, Shenxi later led his men into the county town, killed Wang Datong, and she was rescued.
At the rescue point, she learned that a leader named Shen Xi had killed Wang Datong, and only then did she inquire about how to get close to the leader.
She applied for the waitress position with great enthusiasm and was unexpectedly hired immediately.
But when she saw that the chief didn't even have a maid, she figured it out and volunteered to become Chenxi's maid.
Chenxi was very satisfied with her abilities and said to her, "You don't have to be my maid. If you're willing, you can be my subordinate."
Xing Xiuyan was overjoyed and knelt down to pay her respects: "Your subordinate will swear to serve you to the death, Commander. However, until I have made any contributions, I will first serve as your personal maid!"
Shenxi agreed, saying that everyone has their own choices, and if she was willing to be a maid first, then she would be one for now.
At this moment, Xing Xiuyan was warming water for the leader so that he could drink warm water promptly if he got thirsty later.
It was very late at night, and there were many patrolling soldiers around.
With the leader here, we naturally cannot let our guard down.
Shen Qing kept talking about interesting things in the military camp, even as his eyelids started to droop, he was still muttering to himself.
"Big sister, do you think men and women need to take off their clothes to fight? Male soldiers take off their shirts when they fight, but Bian Fei and Qi Daniu took off their trousers when they fought. It's so strange, and their posture is so strange too."
Shenxi's drowsy mind was suddenly jolted awake.
There were only a dozen or so female soldiers, all of whom were unmarried teenage girls.
Women face many limitations. Many families disagree with a woman's desire to become a female soldier, and many women themselves cannot overcome this hurdle.
Therefore, Shenxi knew all of these dozen or so female soldiers.
Qi Daniu wasn't particularly skilled in martial arts among the female soldiers, but she was the most beautiful.
Bian Fei, whom Chen Xi also knew, was a squad leader who managed a hundred people and had won third place in this competition.
If it were really as she thought, even Shenxi herself wouldn't dare to be sure that such a shady thing could happen in a properly trained army.
Such a thing would be extremely significant even in ordinary times, let alone in an elite military unit.
Even in modern times, many people cohabit before marriage, but this behavior is not allowed in the military.
If illicit affairs between men and women were to be exposed within an elite unit, not only would her unit be criticized in the future, but it would also become extremely difficult to recruit female soldiers in the future.
As Shen Xi's drowsiness vanished, she suddenly sat up, causing Shen Qing, who was resting on her arm, to roll over.
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze, rubbing her eyes, and asked, "What's wrong, eldest sister?"
By the dim light, she saw that her older sister looked unwell, so she stopped rubbing her eyes and asked anxiously, "Are you feeling unwell, older sister?"
Shen Qing's voice was not quiet. Xing Xiuyan rushed in from the outside, without bowing, and asked anxiously, "What's wrong, Chief?"
Zheng Ankang, who was patrolling outside, had very sharp ears and heard Shen Qing's last greeting. Although he didn't dare to come in directly, he anxiously asked from outside, "How is the commander?"
Shen Xi paused for a moment, then gestured to Xing Xiuyan, "It's alright, let's rest first!"
Although Xing Xiuyan saw that Shen Xi's complexion was no longer abnormal, she was still worried: "Let Doctor Fang take a look at you."
Shenxi waved her hand: "I'm fine, I just suddenly thought of something important."
Xing Xiuyan was relieved. She checked on Chenxi again and, seeing that he was really alright, went out to inform Zheng Ankang.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
