Sister Wang’s parting shot, however, served as a sharp reminder: life in the military compound was definitely not going to be as sweet as rock candy, no matter what Gu Changfeng’s inner voice insisted. I needed to get on solid ground fast so I wouldn’t become his Achilles’ heel. And my secret weapon… was the man himself.

By the next morning, my fever had completely broken.

Gu Changfeng had gotten up at the break of dawn for training. Before heading out, he’d left behind breakfast alongside a ten-yuan note and a stack of rationing coupons that looked like a colorful rainbow.

I was sitting at the table counting through them—cloth coupons, rice coupons, cooking oil coupons—when he walked back in, dripping with sweat. His olive-drab tank top clung tightly to his packed muscles, radiating pure, raw testosterone.

Catching sight of the stack of coupons on the table, he froze. His brows knitted together instantly, his face turning as cold as the King of Hell.

“Not enough?” his voice rasped out, laced with a barely perceptible tremor.

I laughed inwardly, but on the outside, I put on a troubled expression and pushed the stack back toward him. “It’s not that… it’s just too much. I’m only one person, I won’t spend nearly this much. You train much harder, you should keep it to nourish yourself.”

His brows pinched even tighter.

At that moment, his inner thoughts sounded just like a giant abandoned dog left outside the door—pouting, terrified, and not even daring to bark.

I quickly clarified, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean we should use the money where it counts. We’re newly married, and there are plenty of things to take care of. Back home, I learned a bit of sewing and vegetable gardening—I can save us a ton.”

Saying that, I casually picked up a torn training shirt of his and pulled out a needle and thread. With swift, delicate stitches, I embroidered a small willow leaf over the tear. Within seconds, it looked like a custom design that belonged there all along.

He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes glued to my hands, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.

The moment that thought settled, he snatched the shirt out of my hands and shoved the stack of coupons back into my grip.

“If I tell you to take it, just take it! From now on, you manage all the money in this house!”

With that, he bolted over to open a cupboard, pulling out a small iron box with a loud clack of the lock, and slammed it down in front of me. Inside was a pile of cash alongside a savings passbook.

“This is everything I own. Five hundred thirty-two yuan and six jiao, plus eight hundred yuan in the passbook. The code is the date I enlisted—October first. Everything… is yours.”

The way he looked at me, it was as if he were handing over his very life.

I was completely stunned. In this era, over thirteen hundred yuan was an absolute fortune—enough to build several brick houses back home! And yet, he was handing it all over to me without a second thought.

Watching him stand there so tense that he didn’t even know where to put his hands, my nose stung with a sudden wave of emotion. This man had a tongue as cold as ice, but his heart was as soft as fresh tofu.

I accepted the box and gave a gentle nod. “Alright. I’ll keep it safe for us.”

He let out a massive sigh of relief. The corners of his lips twitched upward, but he instantly forced them back down. Feigning indifference, he poured himself a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. I caught a glimpse of his hand trembling slightly against the glass, his fingers tapping an erratic rhythm against the tabletop.

I filed that away in my mind immediately. That was definitely his “secret tell”—the subtle code he gave off whenever he was completely overwhelmed by nerves and excitement.