The base commander was woken from his warm bed before three in the morning and was still a bit grumpy about it.
When he opened the door and saw the eight people from Long Teng standing there, his grumpiness vanished without a trace.
He asked rather eagerly, "Is there any special situation?"
The captain did not beat around the bush and stated directly, "Xin Ci wants to make us a good meal and told us to pick it up at three in the morning."
"Three in the morning? Isn't that almost here?" the base commander said, then went back inside to get a set of four lunchboxes and led the way in a hurry to the trading hall.
Fatty Pudge stared at the two long legs in front of him and secretly grumbled, the base commander, who used to be elusive, was now so approachable, hanging out with them every day, always readily available.
The more he thought about it, the less he fit the description of the aloof legend, how could he be considered aloof?
The captain also looked at the dark courtyard beside him and secretly reminded himself, perhaps he should tell the base commander after they brought the food back to the dorm next time.
And what he was most worried about now was that his Erguotou would not be saved.
He suddenly wished very much that Xin Ci had forgotten his favorite.
The trading hall was on the street in front of the Long City official headquarters, so they soon arrived after leaving the headquarters.
When their group entered the trading hall, it startled several people who were hanging around in the trading hall.
They all exclaimed in unison, "Base Commander."
The base commander nodded in response. Then he quickly walked to the vending machine, and glanced at his watch again, "Two fifty-eight."
Captain: "We're quite punctual."
"As long as we didn't make Xin Ci wait for us," Yang Xin Jie understood Fu Xin Ci's temper the best, "She hates tardiness the most."
Xiao Ai and Xu Ru Yi secretly glanced at the base commander, nodding in agreement.
Base Commander: Was he implying he brought too many lunchboxes? He didn't care even if they disliked it, thinking of the smiling faces of his wife and children last night, he was indifferent.
The captain did not know that the base commander did not care about their hints at all.
"Ding dong." As the prompt sounded, the lights on the vending machine lit up on time. Those who were just idling in the trading hall also craned their necks to peek over.
When everyone saw a large pot of rice displayed on the vending machine's screen, with steam rising from it.
Fatty Pudge's eyes were fixed on the crispy rice crust placed on top, and he couldn't look away.
"With these grains of crystal-clear rice, we could eat two bowls even without any side dishes," Uncle Xu's words made everyone nod involuntarily.
Xu Jia Can glanced at his father and agreed with a smile.
Fatty Pudge's eyes, however, never left the vending machine's screen. When the braised pork appeared in the stainless steel pot, Fatty Pudge's face almost pressed against the vending machine's screen.
He mumbled incessantly, "Sister Xin Ci understands me best. Xiao Ai, hurry up and trade."
Xiao Ai was also anxious. They all felt the same way. How long had it been since they had eaten such a delicious-looking and fragrant braised pork?
But Xin Ci, on the other hand, had asked her to write about a mission they went on together. She was so excited that her hands trembled, and Fatty Pudge kept babbling next to her, which finally annoyed Xiao Ai.
"Can you shut up for a bit? If you dawdle any longer, I'll have the captain freeze you for two hours. After we're done eating, you can pick up the leftovers."
Thinking about being frozen for two hours by the captain and watching his companions eat these things was worse than killing him, so Fatty Pudge immediately shut up and dared not make a sound anymore.
Xiao Ai: It's truly wonderful when the world is quiet. She loved peace.
Finally, a large pot of rice, four stainless steel pots of delicious dishes, and five bottles of Erguotou were successfully traded.
Smelling the enticing aroma, the captain did not forget his favorite. He immediately reached out and snatched two bottles of Erguotou and put them in his pocket. The base commander was a step slower and also managed to grab two bottles of Erguotou. The last bottle was snatched by Xu Jia Can.
He turned and gave the Erguotou to his father, then picked up the pot of braised chicken wings, took a deep sniff, "Mmm, it smells so good."
With Xu Jia Can leading the way, Fatty Pudge finally dared to move. He picked up the pot of braised pork and walked back.
Although the stainless steel pots all had lids, the aroma of the meat kept wafting into their noses.
The five men of Long Teng, regardless of age, each carried a pot and walked back quickly. The base commander also stuffed two bottles of Erguotou into his pocket, carrying four lunchboxes and leading three girls behind them.
Watching the base commander and the people of Long Teng hurry away, the rich, oily, and savory aroma of braised pork lingered in the trading hall.
Alas, they didn't know how many people would regret leaving Long Teng tomorrow.
The people of Long Teng, however, paid no attention to this. Under the captain's lead, they entered the official headquarters gate in a whirlwind.
The guards at the gate had watched them leave, accompanied by the base commander, so they did not stop them.
Back in their courtyard, they brought the food into the dining room, and everyone enjoyed a delicious meal while it was still hot.
The only downside was that the base commander not only ate a meal there but also filled his four lunchboxes in advance.
The companions all grumbled inwardly, if it weren't for the base commander eating and taking, they might have been able to eat two meals.
Recalling the delicious food, the captain thought the same.
However, after a trip to the base commander's office in the morning, the captain's expression completely changed.
Seeing the captain beaming with joy, smiling so radiantly, his companions all suspected if the captain had been possessed by someone else? Or perhaps, something they didn't know had happened.
For example, did their captain have a romantic encounter? But it seemed unlikely, as no new people had joined Long City recently, and as for the old members, their captain had always stated unequivocally that he had not taken a liking to any of them.
Remembering that the "vixen" initially targeted the captain, and only changed her target when she realized the captain was a tough bone she couldn't gnaw.
Seeing the flickering eyes of his companions, fearing they were misinterpreting things, the captain held out his small, fan-like hand, with a hint of showing off, and showed them a simple yet grand men's ring on his finger.
The ring was engraved with a lifelike black dragon, which suited the captain's temperament perfectly.
Xiao Ai: "Captain, you're too unfair. You got engaged without saying a word? Let me tell you, I'm not giving you any engagement gift."
Captain: "You're usually a clever girl, but you lose your mind at crucial moments."
"Captain, what did you say?"
"Nothing, just wondering if I can get it back."
Xu Jia Can and Yang Xin Jie, however, had sparkling eyes. They both pounced forward, grabbed the captain's big hand, and asked, "Captain, where did you get this space ring?"