The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 10

Was she after her money?

Jun Jue pondered silently as she watched Ruan Wei lick her lips before lowering her head, using both hands to try and break the large sweet potato in half.

Clearly, she was craving it.

Ruan Wei attempted to split the sweet potato into two but failed, not because she lacked strength, but because it was too hot.

Jun Jue watched as the sweet potato bounced between Ruan Wei’s hands, her palms already red from the heat. Unable to bear it any longer, she reached over, took the sweet potato, effortlessly broke it in two, and handed it back to Ruan Wei.

“Thank you, pretty sister,” Ruan Wei said with a smile as she accepted half.

Jun Jue insisted on passing her the other half as well.

“Pretty sister, you should have some too,” Ruan Wei urged.

Jun Jue didn’t like sweet foods, so she simply held onto it without eating. Ruan Wei didn’t take a bite either, as if waiting for something.

“You should eat it while it’s hot, miss. It won’t taste as good once it cools,” the elderly vendor kindly reminded her.

“I’ll wait for it to cool a little,” Ruan Wei replied.

“Let’s go,” Jun Jue said, glancing at Ruan Wei.

Ruan Wei obediently stepped away from the sweet potato stall but then immediately headed deeper into the alley. Jun Jue checked the time again before following.

After being imprisoned for ten years, everything seemed new and fascinating to Ruan Wei. She looked around eagerly, while Jun Jue silently accompanied her.

Many soldiers from the military had also come to unwind. Running into their superior officer scared them half to death, but Jun Jue pretended not to notice them. Only after realizing her attitude did the soldiers dare to continue strolling though half their enthusiasm had already evaporated, replaced by burning curiosity.

Was the general currently accompanying her girlfriend on a shopping trip?

Perhaps it was even more serious than that, maybe this was the future general’s wife!

…

Unaware of the wild speculations among her subordinates, Jun Jue continued to walk expressionlessly alongside the enthusiastic Ruan Wei.

The entire street was filled with a sweet, sugary aroma, which made Jun Jue slightly uncomfortable. She frowned faintly.

Candied chestnuts, osmanthus cakes, water chestnut cakes, sugar figurines, glutinous rice cakes… The street was lined with all kinds of sweets, and Ruan Wei seemed to love them all.

Jun Jue mentally prepared herself to pay for more purchases, but for a long while, Ruan Wei didn’t ask to buy anything else. She simply nibbled slowly on her half of the sweet potato.

Truthfully, Ruan Wei really wanted to keep shopping, but she had no money and didn’t want to trouble the pretty sister to pay for her again.

She had already tallied up several debts in her mind, the 10 star coins for the sweet potato, the fact that the pretty sister had taken her in, given her a place to stay, and provided meals. Once they returned to the pretty sister’s home, she would work hard to find a job and earn money to repay her.

Halfway down the street, Ruan Wei finished her sweet potato and stopped. “Pretty sister, let’s go back.”

Jun Jue nodded. Even if Ruan Wei hadn’t suggested it, she would have reminded her that it was time to return.

As they turned around, Ruan Wei’s sharp eyes noticed that the other half of the sweet potato in Jun Jue’s hand remained untouched. She swallowed hard.

Jun Jue saw that she still wanted to eat and handed it over without hesitation. This time, Ruan Wei didn’t refuse, after all, the pretty sister must not like sweet foods if she hadn’t eaten it by now.

Nearby soldiers witnessed this scene. They had been secretly observing the pair the entire time, noting which stalls the beautiful girl beside the general had lingered at and which foods she had glanced at more than once. Quietly, they bought everything she had shown interest in.

Jun Jue and Ruan Wei returned to the starship. After a few more minutes, when everyone had gathered, Jun Jue gave the order to depart immediately.

Ruan Wei still had a quarter of her roasted sweet potato left. As she chewed the sweet, soft flesh, she marveled inwardly at how amazing the pretty sister was, those soldiers actually obeyed her commands.

Once she confirmed this, she wasn’t as afraid of the soldiers anymore.

Jun Jue told Ruan Wei to return to the rest cabin, but Ruan Wei shook her head. She didn’t want to go back just yet; the rest cabin was too stuffy.

“Can I stay here with everyone?” Ruan Wei asked, blinking her eyes.

Jun Jue still had matters to attend to and hesitated for a while before nodding in agreement.

She warned, “Don’t wander off.”

“Okay, don’t worry, pretty sister.”

Before leaving, Jun Jue swept a glance over the surrounding soldiers. They all straightened up immediately, including the fawning lieutenant among them.

The lieutenant grinned obsequiously. “Don’t worry, General. We’ll take good care of… uh… this lady.” Unsure of their relationship, the lieutenant stumbled over the address before settling on a safe term.

Jun Jue’s gaze lingered on Ruan Wei’s face for a moment before giving a slight nod.

“Though they called it ‘taking care,’ it was practically surveillance. With someone watching Ruan Wei, she didn’t have to worry too much. And if anything went wrong, there were always the surveillance feeds to track Ruan Wei’s movements.”

With that reassurance, Jun Jue left to attend to her own tasks.

She headed to the starship’s main control room, where she could oversee the entire interior of the vessel. Before starting work, she fixed her eyes on the screens and quickly located Ruan Wei among the many feeds.

…

After Jun Jue left, Ruan Wei was immediately surrounded by the soldiers.

The leading lieutenant didn’t even dare to ask her name. With the general gone, he boldly addressed Ruan Wei as “the general’s wife.”

Ruan Wei’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “That’s not the kind of relationship we have.”

She knew exactly what “wife” meant. When she was little, she had heard people refer to her mother as “Madam Zhou.”

The lieutenant burst into laughter, his oily face creasing with mirth. “Whatever you say, ma’am. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Ruan Wei didn’t like this greasy middle-aged man and turned her gaze away. The other soldiers also crowded around her, and when she looked their way, they eagerly offered snacks and trinkets they had bought while the starship was docked.

Ruan Wei was dazzled, among the items were things she had wanted but couldn’t afford.

“We’re all General Jun Jue’s subordinates. Just a little token of goodwill. If you like them, please take them.”

A young soldier extended a stick of candied hawthorns toward her. He had been in the military for three years but had never risen in rank, remaining a lowly private. General Jun Jue was untouchable, but her sweetheart was another matter, a young girl who seemed easy to win over.

Ruan Wei was momentarily stunned. “General Jun Jue? So… pretty sister’s name is Jun Jue?”

“Yes. You’re not familiar with military ranks, are you? General is the highest rank, and Jun Jue is her name,” the soldier explained with a smile, pushing the candied hawthorns closer.

Ruan Wei was a little dazed. She truly knew nothing about military ranks.

The highest rank? So pretty sister was that incredible? No wonder these soldiers were all afraid of her.

In the main control room, Jun Jue observed Ruan Wei’s astonished expression and came to a conclusion.

It seemed Ruan Wei really didn’t know her, didn’t even understand military ranks. There was no way she could be some spy trying to get close to her for classified information.

The young soldier wanted to say more, but the lieutenant beside him suddenly lashed out with a kick, sending the soldier sprawling to the ground. The candied hawthorn in the soldier’s hand fell, its sugary shell shattering upon impact.

“Who gave you the right to speak here?” The lieutenant pressed his boot onto the soldier’s arm, his face twisted with malice.

Ruan Wei was startled.

The lieutenant, who had been vicious just a moment ago, turned to her with a beaming smile. “If you have any questions, you can ask me directly.”

Ruan Wei swallowed nervously, well aware that his sudden deference was due to the presence of the pretty sister.

“You… move your foot first.”

The lieutenant was confused but complied with a smile, watching as Ruan Wei stepped forward to help the young soldier up.

“What are you doing?”

Ruan Wei wanted to say that hitting people was wrong, but before she could speak, a clear and familiar set of footsteps echoed behind her.

Jun Jue walked up to the group, her gaze briefly settling on Ruan Wei.

The lieutenant stammered, “General, why-”

Before he could finish, a military boot sent him crashing to the ground.

Jun Jue’s authoritative voice rang through the starship.

“Bullying subordinates violates military discipline. One week of virtual wasteland simulation training, demoted two ranks.”

Soon, the lieutenant was dragged away, but the tension in the air remained.

Under the general’s stern presence, the other soldiers hid the gifts they had prepared to curry favor with Ruan Wei behind their backs.

While silently acknowledging that the wicked had met their just deserts, Ruan Wei crouched down to pick up the fallen candied hawthorn, sighing at the waste.

Jun Jue swept a glance over the soldiers. One of them cautiously spoke up, “I… I have another candied hawthorn here.”

Jun Jue said nothing and walked away.

Taking the general’s silence as tacit permission, the soldier mustered the courage to hand the treat to Ruan Wei.

Hesitantly accepting it, Ruan Wei hurried after Jun Jue’s retreating figure.

…

Author’s Note:

Weiwei: Can I eat the candied hawthorn? (._.)

General: Is food all you ever think about?