Rebirth: General, Don't Mess Around!

For a long time, the couple had not experienced such leisure, free from disturbance, war, and the pursuit of life and death. Just like that, hand in hand, you looking at me, and I at you, they strolled and talked like any ordinary couple, enjoying the bustle of Capital City, feeling the stability of life, casting aside their identities. Today, they were just an ordinary couple.

In the car, warmth and tender smiles played between their brows. Sometimes, without speaking, a single glance was enough to feel happiness.

After about an hour’s drive, they arrived at the restaurant Xia Jinyuan had booked. The building and decor were quaint and traditional; red lanterns hung outside, radiating festivity, and the place was doing well — completely full in the middle of the day. If Xia Jinyuan hadn’t called ahead to reserve a spot, it would have been tough to have this meal.

Having spent years in the military, neither of them had a particularly strong desire for fine dining. They were neither picky nor accustomed to leaving leftovers, finishing every dish brought to their table.

When the waiter brought them tea, he noticed the completely empty plates and seemed to guess something, smiling as he poured the tea before slowly taking his leave.

Despite its traditional charm, the restaurant was not expensive and catered to civilian budgets. Some customers, like them, practiced finishing their plates to the last bite.

After the waiter left, Ye Jian sipped her tea and said to Xia Jinyuan, ”The waiter gave us a look just now, seemed like he was saying I can eat a lot.”

And it was a little embarrassing for her.

”It’s not that we can eat a lot, but he recognized our identities,” Xia Jinyuan also took a sip of his warm tea and saw Ye Jian’s eyes widen in alert at his words, which made him chuckle, ”Don’t be nervous. There’s a military guesthouse nearby, so it’s not strange for the waiter to know. Only we would clean our plates completely like this.”

Military canteens strictly prohibit leaving food unfinished, and this habit, developed over time, persisted when dining out. This is only the case during leisure time; if on a mission, all habits learned in the military must be set aside to avoid giving away any clues.

It was then that Ye Jian realized, ”This is the first time eating at a restaurant where the waiter figured out our identities just because we cleaned our plates. This has never happened before.”

Patting her stomach, she laughed again, ”I ate a bit too much. I’ll have to eat less for dinner. If I can’t manage that, I’ll run five kilometers when I get home. Otherwise, after resting for ten days and stepping on the scale back at the base, I’ll have gained ten pounds.”

”Once back in the unit, I’ll get you to lose ten pounds in ten days,” Xia Jinyuan said as he refilled her tea, suddenly changing the subject, ”This year, we’ll be at home for the Spring Festival. How about picking a day during the Spring Festival for our families to meet?”

Ye Jian paused, knowing the significance of what he was suggesting—meeting each other’s parents was a step toward engagement.

Holding her tea, she nodded, ”I’ll speak to Grandpa Gen about it once I’m home, as well as to my father and big brother. I have to tell them too.”

After all, they would have to take this step sooner or later; whether it was a little sooner or later didn’t really matter. Either way, she was fine with it. Maybe a bit quickly for others, but she and Captain Xia had been together for a good length of time. It was time to get engaged.

”Good, talk to Old Man Xia about it first, and let’s hear what he has to say,” Xia Jinyuan said, his eyes glittering with satisfaction.

After finishing their tea, Xia Jinyuan checked the time and found it was still early. Continuing to embrace the full itinerary of an ordinary couple’s date, he planned to take Ye Jian shopping at the mall.