Outside the window, the stars twinkled. Insects chirped endlessly, and fireflies drifted through the air, rising and falling as they searched for mates.
Tang Qiyue hardly dared to breathe too quickly. She lay limp like a puddle of water. If Zhan Zeyi hadn't been holding her, she might have already slid to the side, ignoring the cold hardness of the bed.
She had seen and heard about kissing many times before. She had always thought it was exaggerated behavior driven by hormones.
But after experiencing it herself, she realized it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Her breath had been taken away as their breathing mingled. Her mind felt repeatedly stimulated, leaving her strangely addicted to the sensation.
"Sleep."
A husky, magnetic voice whispered in her ear, pulling Tang Qiyue back from that unreal feeling.
Left hanging between desire and restraint, Tang Qiyue felt her normally steady emotions begin to spiral out of control.
This is too much!
Unbeknownst to her, while she clenched her fists with a strange expression on her face, Zhan Zeyi was also suffering.
It wasn't that he didn't want to take things further. But considering that he had to take his men out to sea the next day, he still held a certain reverence for the ocean. He worried that if he lost control tonight, he might embarrass himself during tomorrow's mission.
A man still had his pride—
whether in front of his soldiers or his wife.
Besides, Zhan Zeyi's night vision was excellent, so he naturally noticed Tang Qiyue's awkward expression.
The two of them, nearly naked, were carefully repositioned by him again.
"Tomorrow."
That was all he said.
After giving that single promise, Zhan Zeyi said nothing more.
However, his body was far less calm than he appeared.
Tang Qiyue had initially felt frustrated, but after realizing that Zhan Zeyi was suffering as well, her mood strangely improved.
After all, a woman who hasn't had sex doesn't suffer that much.
The one who truly suffers is the man holding her.
Only after Tang Qiyue's breathing became slow and steady did Zhan Zeyi sigh. He loosened his grip slightly and moved away from his little wife.
Silently reciting military regulations several times, he finally forced himself to fall asleep.
The next morning, Tang Qiyue was once again awakened by the reveille.
She felt that in the future, the sound she would hate most might be the reveille—because she truly didn't want to wake up before dawn.
Zhan Zeyi was already up. Seeing his wife clutching the blanket and trying to cover her ears, he reminded her,
"You'll have to get used to it."
Tang Qiyue abruptly pulled the blanket down.
"I'm not your soldier. I don't need to get used to it—I just want to sleep!"
Her messy hair flew everywhere as she sat up. Combined with her small, delicate face, she looked undeniably adorable.
Zhan Zeyi was already fully dressed, yet he still bent down and pinched her cheek.
"As a military wife, you should be prepared for it."
It was one of the unavoidable side effects of her status.
Tang Qiyue slapped away his large hand.
Only then did she come to her senses and realize how childish she had sounded. She, who was usually emotionally stable, had just acted like a sulking child.
She slowly lay back down, pulling the blanket up to cover her mouth, leaving only her eyes exposed.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Zhan Zeyi was still leaning over the bed. Hearing her question, he rubbed his fingers together and straightened up.
"I have to lead the team in training after morning exercises. You can go to the cafeteria for breakfast yourself. I'll repair the fence when I have time this afternoon. Don't worry about it."
Tang Qiyue gave a soft response, and Zhan Zeyi opened the door and left.
After he left, Tang Qiyue didn't get up immediately like she had yesterday.
Instead, she lay on the bed thinking for a long time before finally getting up reluctantly.
From next door, she could hear Xu Qiuju scolding her children, who had woken up early.
Without Zhan Zeyi in the house, Tang Qiyue felt much more relaxed.
She got dressed and went to the bamboo shed beside the house. The newly built washroom didn't contain much yet, but fortunately there was a water tank filled with water.
Tang Qiyue didn't use that water.
Instead, she closed the bamboo door and took out a portable toilet, unfolding it.
She had already exchanged it earlier. She refused to endure days without bathing, nor would she allow herself to relieve herself out in the open again.
The portable toilet had spatial properties. Once unfolded, it was the size of a normal bathroom—about four square meters—containing a shower, washbasin, and toilet.
Most importantly, the toilet had a self-cleaning system. Waste could be incinerated at high temperatures, and pollutants would automatically disappear when the unit was folded.
When folded, it was no bigger than a palm-sized box.
With the limited knowledge of people in this era, no one would ever imagine that such a tiny box contained a fully functional bathroom.
Tang Qiyue took a refreshing shower, changed into clean clothes, dried her hair, and then stored the device again.
When she opened the bamboo door, the sun had already risen.
A flock of seabirds flew overhead.
Another beautiful day had begun.
Yesterday, the one-eyed uncle had sent someone to remind her to check what food was available at the canteen, and Tang Qiyue hadn't forgotten.
She casually braided her long hair into a single plait, secured it with a hairband, picked up a basket, and headed toward the canteen.
Just as she arrived, she saw the one-eyed uncle scolding his young apprentice at the entrance.
"Girl, you're here! The dried shrimp porridge I saved for you is just right. Go have a bowl!"
The cooks who had been standing by the wall while being scolded suddenly heard the one-eyed uncle's loud, high-pitched voice and immediately looked frightened.
The sight of such a burly man—built like an iron tower—speaking in such a high voice was oddly intimidating.
Tang Qiyue, however, remained calm. She walked over with a polite smile and greeted him.
When she heard that he had saved dried shrimp porridge for her, her smile widened even more.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Uncle."
Tang Qiyue followed him into the canteen.
There were no soldiers inside yet—only a few military wives eating breakfast with their children—so the one-eyed uncle and the cooks were chatting outside.
Soon, a huge bowl of dried shrimp porridge was placed in front of Tang Qiyue.
Her calm expression nearly cracked.
The bowl, which looked small in the one-eyed uncle's fan-sized hands, was large enough to hold her entire head.
Although she didn't have a small appetite, this bowl was definitely more than enough to fill her up.
Fortunately, after her rebirth, Tang Qiyue had noticed that her body was gradually changing. It was becoming more like her physique from the apocalypse, and her appetite had naturally grown larger.
Unlike the other military wives, who ate slowly and delicately, Tang Qiyue picked up the large bowl and drank the porridge in big mouthfuls.
Aside from the one-eyed uncle—who was delighted—everyone else watching couldn't help twitching.
How could such a delicate beauty eat so boldly?
The contrast was astonishing.
After Tang Qiyue finished the porridge, the one-eyed uncle tossed the bowl into a basin and pulled her toward the kitchen.
"Girl, come take a look at all this seafood! What do you want to eat? Uncle will cook it for you!"