Chapter 2: Raised on Dirt

It was also at this time that the little ginseng learned she had a name: Jiang Tang.

Jiang Tang?

A human name, it sounded so nice.

According to the man named Lu Changzheng, she had come from a very far-off place.

Beyond that, he didn't reveal much else.

The little ginseng—no, she should be called Jiang Tang now—didn't know, nor did she go out of her way to ask.

After waking up and adjusting to her body, she was soon full of energy and bouncing around.

Unable to stay in the hospital, she wanted to go outside and see the world, especially to eat.

She had a particular craving for human food.

Lu Changzheng had asked the doctor and learned that she had simply fainted from malnutrition, so he didn't force her to stay in the hospital.

He took her away from the hospital, but as they walked, Lu Changzheng found himself with a rare headache, watching the young woman look around in every direction, unable to stop sighing in wonder at everything she saw.

Through their brief conversation, he had learned of her experience eating dirt, and he didn't have the heart to just send her back to her hometown like that.

"Lu Changzheng, when are we going to eat?" Jiang Tang tugged on the sleeve of Lu Changzheng’s military uniform and shook it.

Her tone was delicate and soft, and her voice was exceptionally sweet.

Lu Changzheng glanced at the sky and, thinking that the cafeteria would be serving food, took Jiang Tang there.

Along the way, they received quite a few stares.

Some young soldiers came forward to playfully call her "sister-in-law," only to be driven away by Lu Changzheng’s dark-faced scolding.

They chuckled and waved at Jiang Tang, telling her not to be shy.

"Shy? What is that, Lu Changzheng?"

Jiang Tang murmured the young soldier’s words, not quite understanding why she should be shy.

Lu Changzheng twitched the corner of his mouth. "It’s nothing, don't pay them any mind."

"Oh!"

……

The news that the military district’s most sought-after bachelor, Battalion Commander Lu, had a young wife sent from his hometown had spread throughout the family compound yesterday.

Everyone was very curious about what Jiang Tang was like.

However, because she had fainted and been hospitalized the moment she arrived, the people in the family compound couldn't go to the hospital to pry, no matter how curious they were.

They could only discuss Battalion Commander Lu’s partner in private.

Just as they were wondering when they would finally see her, they unexpectedly ran into them while walking.

The original owner was petite and dainty, standing at 1.62 meters tall. Because she had long suffered from hunger and cold, her frame appeared exceptionally thin and frail.

It was as if a gust of wind could knock her over.

Beside her, Lu Changzheng was tall and long-legged, standing over 1.8 meters. Beneath his wheat-colored skin were handsome, deep-set features, with star-like eyes and sword-like brows—rugged and extraordinary.

The two walking together looked somewhat mismatched, yet they appeared strangely harmonious!

Looking closer, one could see that Jiang Tang’s hand was tightly gripping Lu Changzheng’s sleeve.

This man, known in the camp for his coldness, actually hadn't shaken her off!

Was this how he treated his wife?

Those who saw them were all surprised.

They hadn't expected "King of Hell Lu" to have a side like this.

Jiang Tang was completely oblivious.

Along the way, she admired the buildings she had never seen before and spoke to Lu Changzheng from time to time.

She curiously asked him what all those things she had never seen before were.

Strangely enough, Jiang Tang never stopped talking, yet Lu Changzheng didn't find it noisy at all.

Instead, he answered her with surprising patience.

Was it because he knew her past life had been too bitter, and thus felt a sense of compassion?

Lu Changzheng couldn't quite figure it out.

"Changzheng, is this little Jiang?" Xu Wanmin, the political commissar of Lu Changzheng’s regiment, walked toward them and asked with a smile.

Lu Changzheng nodded.

"Commissar, this is Comrade Jiang Tang."

"Jiang Tang? That’s a good name."

After speaking, he looked at Jiang Tang, who was tugging on Lu Changzheng and showed no fear of him at all, and nodded again.

"She’s a good girl, too."

"Changzheng, now that your wife is here, you need to hurry up and file your marriage report!"

Xu Wanmin patted Lu Changzheng on the shoulder, speaking with earnest concern.

Lu Changzheng wanted to say that he had no intention of marrying Jiang Tang, but it wasn't the right time, so he could only mumble a vague response to brush it off.

He decided to wait until he had discussed it with Jiang Tang before speaking to the regiment commander and the political commissar.

Jiang Tang was unaware of Lu Changzheng’s plans.

She tried to mobilize the spiritual energy around her, only to discover that there wasn't a trace of it flowing in the air.

Even though she had become a human, had she arrived in a world without spiritual energy? If she couldn't cultivate, what would she do in the future?

Having just been promoted to a human, Jiang Tang began to ponder her future after the initial curiosity wore off.

However, before she could think of anything, her attention was completely captured by the aroma of food.

They were lucky today; the cafeteria was serving braised pork, steamed buns made of mixed flour, and brown rice.

Lu Changzheng paid with his money and coupons, bought a portion of braised pork, ordered five buns, a bowl of brown rice, and a side of stir-fried tofu with pork cracklings.

"Are all of these edible?"

Jiang Tang’s eyes were still bright, looking at Lu Changzheng with anticipation.

Lu Changzheng nodded slightly, and Jiang Tang immediately reached out to grab the chopsticks.

She had seen pictures in books before, knowing that one used chopsticks to eat, but she had never used them herself, so she was a bit clumsy when she first held them.

Fortunately, her body had muscle memory and knew how to use them.

She picked up a plump piece of braised pork and opened her mouth to feed herself.

But the next second, she closed her mouth and gave the piece of pork to Lu Changzheng across from her.

"What is it?"

Lu Changzheng looked up at her, clearly surprised.

Giving someone food from your own chopsticks was an action usually reserved for elders or those with very close relationships.

What did Jiang Tang mean by this?

Jiang Tang’s thoughts were not nearly as complex as Lu Changzheng’s.

She picked up five pieces of braised pork in a row and gave them to Lu Changzheng.

"Thank you for taking me to eat. Lu Changzheng, you are the best person to me since I arrived in this world."

So far, he was the only person she knew.

Oh, right, there was also that political commissar named Xu Wanmin? Jiang Tang didn't really take him to heart.

Lu Changzheng had given her an apple and brought her to eat meat, so she was willing to share the good food with him first.

After popping a piece of braised pork into her mouth, Jiang Tang’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

"So delicious."

"Is this what the taste of sweetness is?"

Watching her happy expression, Lu Changzheng felt the corners of his lips lift into a faint arc without even realizing it.

Both of them were very satisfied with the meal.

Once they were full, the next problem arose.

Now that Jiang Tang didn't need to be hospitalized, where would she live?

Although he had a private room in his dormitory, it was inside the barracks, and it wasn't appropriate for Jiang Tang to live there alone with all the soldiers.

He could only temporarily place her in the military district guesthouse.

"Can’t I go back with you?"

Downstairs at the guesthouse, Jiang Tang grabbed Lu Changzheng as he was about to leave.

"Will you come tomorrow? Are you planning to send me back to where I came from?"

Along the way, although Lu Changzheng hadn't mentioned it, the little ginseng had several hundred years of cultivation, after all.

She could sense that Lu Changzheng didn't want to keep her.

Lu Changzheng hadn't expected her to ask so directly.

He looked at her and gave a soft "Mn." "Our marriage was just my mother joking around. I have no interest in romance..."