Having just arrived here, Xia Xiao still found everything very fresh, and so did Feiyang and Feiyue, who couldn’t wait to climb onto the bed and roll around. "Oops, we haven’t taken a bath yet," called out Xia Xiao as she hastily scooped the two children off the bed. "I’ll go get some hot water for your baths," said Gao Jiaxing before he left. Once Gao Jiaxing brought back the hot water, Xia Xiao took Feiyang and Feiyue to the public bathhouse to bathe them. After cleaning the kids, Xia Xiao finally took her own bath. The bathhouse was communal but divided by gender. By the time Xia Xiao had finished bathing, others had started to arrive. Seeing that Xia Xiao was done, Mu Xingzhi chuckled and said, "You sure are quick." "The kids are sleepy, and I need to put them to bed. I’ll leave you guys to bathe. I’m heading back to the room," Xia Xiao replied with a smile before she greeted the others and returned. Back in the room, Gao Jiaxing was playing with the children on the bed. The father and sons had grown accustomed to each other; now Feiyang and Feiyue loved their dad the most, especially riding on his neck and being lifted high into the air, flying. "Brother Gao, you go take a bath," Xia Xiao said, dabbing her hair with a dry towel. Gao Jiaxing frowned. "You washed your hair?" "No, but I accidentally got it wet while bathing." As soon as Xia Xiao finished speaking, Gao Jiaxing took the towel and started drying her hair for her. Xia Xiao said, "I can dry it myself. You should go take your bath." "There’s no need. I have to assemble soon and won’t be back until late at night. You don’t have to wait up for me," Gao Jiaxing said as he continued to dry her hair. "Oh." Immediately after she spoke, a whistle sounded. Xia Xiao quickly said, "The whistle has sounded. You better hurry." Gao Jiaxing instructed, "Lock the door from the inside and go to bed with the kids. Don’t leave the door unlocked for me." Xia Xiao nodded, "Hurry now." Google seaʀᴄh 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 As soon as Gao Jiaxing left, Xia Xiao lulled the two children to sleep. Before long, Mu Xingzhi came over after her bath. "Sister-in-law," Xia Xiao called out. Mu Xingzhi walked in and asked, "Feiyang and Feiyue haven’t gone to sleep yet?" "I’m trying to get them to bed, but they won’t sleep," replied Xia Xiao. Mu Xingzhi watched the playful Feiyang and Feiyue on the bed and laughed, "Kids have such energy, but it’s still early." "Yes, it’s just past seven. Sister-in-law, please have a seat," invited Xia Xiao. Mu Xingzhi said, "I just came to check in. We’ve just moved here and not everything is ready. If you’re missing anything, let me know. I’ll see if we can request it from the corps. Best if we can get it, but if not, we’ll have to figure out something ourselves." Xia Xiao nodded and chatted for a bit with Mu Xingzhi, who stayed for a while. Giving meticulous instructions about the coolness of the night and the importance of covering the children properly to prevent them from kicking off their blankets, Mu Xingzhi was very thoughtful. She then told Xia Xiao and the kids to rest early before she went to check on the other military wives. Not long after, Feiyang and Feiyue fell asleep while playing. Xia Xiao’s hair had dried, so she locked the door from the inside and went to bed. At around ten at night, Xia Xiao, deep asleep, heard a knock at the door and hurriedly asked, "Who is it?" Upon hearing Gao Jiaxing’s voice, Xia Xiao went to open the door. As the door swung open, a gust of cold wind rushed in, causing Xia Xiao to shrink back, and Gao Jiaxing quickly scooped her into his arms. "Did you come back by yourself? Didn’t Cousin come back with you?" Xia Xiao asked. "Go on," Xia Xiao playfully punched Gao Jiaxing. "Xiaoxiao, do you miss it?" Gao Jiaxing questioned as he softly kissed her neck, leaving a trail of hot, delicate marks. Xia Xiao murmured in agreement. The couple had been apart for over two years, and Gao Jiaxing had hurriedly returned to take her and their child. They had been traveling by car and boat and hadn’t had any intimate moments yet. Now that the children were asleep, Xia Xiao followed Gao Jiaxing’s lead, but asked quietly, "Does this cabin have soundproofing?" "If you scream too loud, definitely it will be heard, but not if you’re quiet," Gao Jiaxing said, which made Xia Xiao hesitate to make any noise. She simply went along with Gao Jiaxing’s movements in silence, giving him another light punch, "Be gentle." "Do you think a starving tiger would eat slowly?" Gao Jiaxing retorted, indicating his long-awaited desire of more than seven hundred days. Xia Xiao was speechless. After frolicking around for most of the night, the couple finally settled down to sleep. At four o’clock the next morning, Gao Jiaxing was up and spirited, ready for training. Xia Xiao thought to herself, thankfully, they had two children, and marriage and motherhood had thickened her skin a bit. Otherwise, she figured she might be blushing right now. After breakfast, the military wives started preparing lunch on their own. Xia Xiao stayed behind with the two children and Yu Guang to play, but also went to help. Among the six military wives, Mu Xingzhi was a military doctor, and since she couldn’t cook, she could only assist. Xia Xiao and the other four took turns being the main cook. Besides cooking, they raised chickens and grew vegetables. The coming of the military wives made Gao Jiaxing and his comrades’ lives much easier. Xia Xiao also suggested to Mu Xingzhi, "Cousin’s wife, next time we should bring back a couple of piglets from the mainland to raise." "That’s a great idea. We are self-sufficient now, and it would be perfect if we could raise pigs," Mu Xingzhi nodded in agreement. The other military wives also thought it was a good plan. Although they were on Sky Island, it wasn’t barren; raising pigs with foraged grass was possible. Everyone adapted well, so there were no cases of acclimatization issues, except for the strong sea winds that made drying clothes a challenge; no other problems had been discovered for the time being. Over at the Dragon Breeding Corps, He Xuegang received a letter from Dong Meihua and was stunned after reading it. Knowing that one could apply to be stationed on the same Sky Island as Gao Jiaxing, He Xuegang had considered it but wasn’t keen on being in the same place as Gao Jiaxing. It felt like Gao Jiaxing’s presence could outshine others, making it hard to stand out. However, Dong Meihua’s letter made He Xuegang think about the frequent separations from his wife and their difficulty in having children. Furthermore, with the family pushing for a child and He Xuebing and Yu Zhen also without news on that front, He Xuegang, as the eldest son, naturally didn’t want to end up without children when his nephews and nieces were already around. So, after discussing with He Xuebing, He Xuegang also brought it up with Yu Zhen. On Yu Family’s side, knowing He Xuegang wanted to apply for the same Sky Island as Gao Jiaxing, Xue Baozhu was very supportive. With the realization that Gao Jiaxing was her brother, Yu Zhen also supported He Xuegang’s decision, and considering her promise to Dong Meihua, Yu Zhen became even more proactive in persuading Mr. Yu to agree. Dong Meihua finally received a letter from He Xuegang on her end. Seeing that she was finally able to join her husband in the service, she was so moved that tears fell. She had waited for this day for years. She could finally leave He Family’s home, and although she would have to return, even a temporary departure was a joyous occasion for Dong Meihua. She would rather face Xia Xiao than stay under the same roof with Li Shengmei.