Chapter 246: An Innocent Flower in Public, Incredibly Vicious in Private
Gu Jiaojiao had been at the border for over a month and had personally cooked a few times, so when she went to the mess hall, she was greeted with a warm welcome.
"Little Divine Doctor, you’re here! We hunted a wild boar today. You can work your magic for us."
"Little Divine Doctor, just tell us what you need. Don’t hesitate to give us orders."
"Alright," Gu Jiaojiao called out without hesitation. "Whoever’s on vegetable duty, come here. First, debone the boar completely. We’re making bone broth."
"Coming, Little Divine Doctor! We’ll get right on deboning it," the head of the vegetable prep team said, stepping forward quickly.
Following Gu Jiaojiao’s instructions, they simmered several large pots of corn and bone broth. Gu Jiaojiao also took everyone’s different tastes into account.
She made several meat dishes, some spicy and some not: crispy fried pork, sliced pork in chili oil, braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried green peppers with pork cracklings...
Xiao Yue was considered a guest in this military sector. Since he still couldn’t get out of bed, Mr. Han and the others set up a table in the infirmary ward.
Looking at the table laden with food, Han Jingshen let out a cry. "Just smelling this makes me hungry! Where’s my little grand-auntie? Why isn’t she here yet?"
"Let’s eat. Your little grand-auntie isn’t eating here today. She’s eating with her good friend’s adoptive older brother."
Elder Xu explained before inviting everyone to dig in. He had also followed Gu Jiaojiao around to learn some cooking today.
"Everyone, try some. This whole table was personally cooked by my little sister, you know. Everyone else is eating from the large pots, but this was stir-fried by my little sister in a small wok."
Mr. Han picked up a piece of crispy fried pork with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, his eyes narrowing in enjoyment. "Mmm, truly delicious."
It was also Xiao Yue’s first time eating such delicious food. The dishes on their table were all non-spicy, but the flavors were truly excellent.
He found himself envying the Little Divine Doctor’s friend’s adoptive brother for being able to eat with her.
The object of Xiao Yue’s envy, Sheng Shijing, was already able to get out of bed and walk. So, the two of them—brother and sister—sat down to eat under a large tree.
Although the summer breeze was hot and dry, it was still a bit cooler under the large tree than indoors.
Gu Jiaojiao simply gave Sheng Shijing a passing glance and said softly,
"Big Brother, you ate something bad yesterday and gave yourself diarrhea. You should be more careful in the future and take good care of your body."
"Mm... Jiaojiao, I’m sorry." Sheng Shijing apologized, his face flushing red.
He hadn’t seen his adoptive sister for several days, so he had deliberately made himself sick to his stomach just to see her.
Who would have known that Jiaojiao would see right through his little scheme and call him out on it, leaving him so ashamed he wished the earth would swallow him whole.
’Heavens! Please, just open up a crack in the ground and let me crawl in to escape this.’
Seeing Sheng Shijing’s face completely red, Gu Jiaojiao didn’t have the heart to scold him. "Big Brother, you don’t have to apologize. I’m right here in the military sector."
"It’s just that we’ve had a huge number of injured patients these past few days, so I’ve been busy. I’ll come see you as soon as I have time. Was your injury this time too severe?"
"I’ve never seen you be so clingy before. If I hadn’t run into a difficult case, I would have returned to Qing City yesterday."
"I know you’re busy, Jiaojiao, but I still wanted to see you," Sheng Shijing said in a low voice.
"If you want to see me, just say so. I’m your sister. If I know my big brother wants to see me, I’ll come over no matter how busy I am."
"Jiaojiao, here’s the sweet and sour pork ribs you love so much. Eat more." Sheng Shijing was so moved by Gu Jiaojiao’s words that his eyes welled up with tears.
"I made this crispy fried pork especially for you, Big Brother. You should eat more too. Did you call home today?"
"I did. Dad said that Yueyue’s mother-in-law originally wanted Song Zijin to divorce her, and Dad slapped Yueyue a few times on the spot."
In the end, after being persuaded by the two grandfathers, Song Zijin and Yueyue went to the Civil Affairs Bureau and got their marriage certificate today.
"But, Yueyue has hated Dad ever since. I didn’t tell Dad that you are Divine Doctor Su Gu."
As Sheng Shijing spoke, he watched Gu Jiaojiao’s expression. He was truly curious as to when Jiaojiao’s medical skills had become so incredible.
The little sister he had personally raised had always been smart and clever, but he had never dreamed that after just one year of neglecting her, she would have achieved so much.
Gu Jiaojiao didn’t know what Sheng Shijing was thinking. She assumed he was worried that she would be unhappy hearing about Sheng Yueyue.
"Big Brother, don’t you worry too much either. Yueyue usually seems so gentle and sweet. I can’t figure out how she could do something like that!"
What Gu Jiaojiao didn’t say was that anyone familiar with Sheng Yueyue knew she was an innocent little flower in public and viciously malicious in private.
But she wouldn’t gossip about Sheng Yueyue in front of her biological brother. After all, blood is thicker than water.
The original owner of this body had been personally raised by Sheng Shijing, but in the end, he had cast aside that bond for the sake of his biological sister.
She saved him and comforted him only because he was a hero who had shed blood for his country and its people.
She knew Sheng Shijing carried a burden of guilt and wanted the original Gu Jiaojiao’s forgiveness.
But he had never said it outright, so she wouldn’t be the one to bring up being his sister again.
When Sheng Shijing chose to abandon Gu Jiaojiao, he had hurt her—a young girl not even eighteen years old.
Back then, Sheng Shijing must have weighed the pros and cons. Not all wounds deserve to be easily forgiven; it’s just that the one who was wounded is no longer here.
The original owner of this body had told her in a dream that she had already forgiven her adoptive parents and brothers, and so she had acted accordingly.
The first time she met Mr. Sheng, Gu Jiaojiao had also treated him like a stranger.
She eventually called him Mr. Sheng, because his moral compass was straight, so she chose to accept him again.
She accepted the Third Sheng brother because Sheng Shiwu had tirelessly sought her out, which led to her becoming Third Sheng’s adoptive sister again.
Second Sheng wasn’t worthy of her acceptance, not to mention he hadn’t even recognized his own prejudice.
As for the eldest Sheng brother, she had already accepted him as her adoptive brother again in her heart; he just hadn’t brought it up himself.
The pair chatted about more pleasant topics, and Sheng Shijing, in a much better mood, ate an extra bowl of rice.
After the meal, a young soldier came to clear the dishes, and Gu Jiaojiao sat with Sheng Shijing for a while longer.
Sheng Shijing finally mustered the courage to ask, "Jiaojiao, did you ever hate me?"
Gu Jiaojiao recalled the original owner’s thoughts and phrased her answer carefully. "No. I will always remember how you raised me, Big Brother. No matter what decision you make, I would never blame you."
"You may not blame me, Jiaojiao, but I’ve always blamed myself. To protect my biological sister’s feelings, I cruelly abandoned you."
"I thought that if I gave you up, Yueyue would be happy and would finally start behaving properly."
"Unfortunately, we were all wrong. Yueyue’s moral compass is skewed, and by the time I realized it, it was already too late."
"I stand in the light, watching her walk in darkness. As her big brother, I’ve truly failed. I didn’t become the lamp that could guide her. I feel so guilty."
"Don’t feel guilty, Big Brother. Just discipline her well from now on and help her build a proper moral compass."
Sheng Shijing looked at Gu Jiaojiao sadly. "It’s not that I don’t want to manage her; it’s that I can’t anymore."
"She’s had a high-quality education, but she still does whatever she wants and shows no regard for other people’s lives. The mistakes she’s made are her own to bear; they’re no one else’s concern."
Gu Jiaojiao: "..."