Chapter 69: “You and your wife are a perfect match—talented man and beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!”

On this side, Sheng Zexi’s comrades and their families, who had come to the housewarming, all gasped when they saw Sheng Zexi bringing out dish after dish, nearly half of which were meat, and each dish was generous with the portions.

The hospitality of Sheng Zexi and his wife was simply overwhelming.

Thinking of the small gifts they’d brought, everyone suddenly felt their presents were far too modest.

Especially the children—throughout the entire year, they hardly got to eat meat, and in the dead of winter, it was even rarer. Now, seeing so many meat dishes, their eyes practically turned green with envy, glowing as they stared, and some were nearly drooling.

At this moment, Sheng Zexi came out with Gu Jianing.

Among those present, only Zhang Shuwan’s family and Sister Yu had seen Gu Jianing before. The rest—whether Sheng Zexi’s comrades or their families—had only heard rumors about her these past few days.

At first, the gossip was that she was ugly and had schemed to marry Captain Sheng.

Then, just yesterday, the rumors flipped, saying she was a great beauty, but liked to spend money and was a bit of a spendthrift.

With all these rumors swirling around, no one knew what to believe.

Now, at last, they could see for themselves.

Today was Gu Jianing’s first appearance in front of her husband’s comrades and their families. Remembering the recent rumors about her being ugly, she’d taken special care with her appearance today.

She wanted to look beautiful, to show everyone she was no ugly duckling.

And, of course, to make her husband proud.

Just as Gu Jianing had expected, the moment she stepped out with Sheng Zexi, everyone’s eyes lit up.

Beautiful—truly beautiful!

One by one, they stared, unable to look away.

Even the children, who’d been fixated on the meat dishes, temporarily tore their eyes away and stared at Gu Jianing. One of them tugged at his mother and whispered, “This big sister is so pretty—she’s even prettier than the fairy sisters I’ve seen in paintings!”

Their mother laughed, “She’s not your big sister, you should call her Auntie. But yes, Auntie really is beautiful.”

What a stunning woman! Standing next to the handsome Captain Sheng, they truly were a perfect couple—talented man and beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!

Captain Cui, without hesitation, gave Sheng Zexi a big thumbs-up as soon as he sat down. “You and your wife are such a perfect match—talented man and beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!”

Vice-Captain Zhou Xuan chimed in, “I always wondered why Captain Sheng, who never wanted to get married, suddenly tied the knot. Now I get it.”

“This is what they call—no hero can resist a beauty!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Gu Jianing and Sheng Zexi exchanged a glance, affection shining in both their eyes.

Seeing this, no one believed the outside rumors anymore—that Sheng Zexi had been tricked or forced into marriage.

With such a beauty, it was obvious Sheng Zexi had pursued her himself!

Gu Jianing blushed a little, but Sheng Zexi, thick-skinned as ever, declared, “Of course my wife is beautiful.”

“I think we’re a perfect match too!”

Everyone laughed.

With the laughter and chatter, the meal began.

“Everyone, dig in—don’t be shy!”

“Make sure you finish all the dishes today!”

Once the meal started, the atmosphere grew even livelier. With Sheng Zexi’s encouragement, everyone relaxed and ate heartily.

Gu Jianing was very satisfied as well. Throughout the meal, Sheng Zexi kept picking out the best bits for her, drawing good-natured teasing from the others.

In just over half an hour, the three tables and ten heaping dishes were completely wiped clean.

The faces of both adults and children were full of contentment.

After the meal, Gu Jianing gave Sheng Zexi a meaningful look.

He immediately understood—he’d thought his little wife might have forgotten about that matter, but she hadn’t.

Gu Jianing: Of course I haven’t forgotten! This is about my points. I only have a pitiful four points now—way too few.

Sheng Zexi turned to the group, cleared his throat, and said, “Most of today’s dishes were made by Sister Zhang and Sister Yu. My wife felt that since this is our housewarming, she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.”

“Ningning has some medical skills, so she thought she could take this opportunity to check everyone’s pulse, give everyone a quick health check—consider it a free checkup for everyone.”

After Sheng Zexi finished, the others exchanged glances, but no one refused.

After all, Sheng Zexi had mentioned this to them before.

While it might seem a little inauspicious to get a health check when you’re feeling fine, it was a kind gesture.

And after enjoying such a meaty feast, no one felt right refusing.

“Sure, let’s do it!”

“Your wife is not only beautiful but kind-hearted too. This saves us the time and money of going to the hospital.”

They didn’t know how skilled Gu Jianing was in medicine, but that didn’t stop them from cooperating.

“I’ll go first.” Captain Cui stepped up as soon as Sheng Zexi cleared a table for Gu Jianing to sit at.

Though Captain Cui was more than ten years older than Sheng Zexi, they were close friends—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been invited to the housewarming.

Captain Cui already had a good impression of Sheng Zexi and his wife. Just now, his wife had whispered that Gu Jianing had set aside a big bowl of meat for their child, which made him like her even more.

Gu Jianing hadn’t expected everyone to be so cooperative, so she boldly took Captain Cui’s pulse, while activating her scanning ability.

“System, bind Captain Cui as Patient No. 3.”

[Ding! Captain Cui Bin has been bound as Patient No. 3. Scan complete. Results available for viewing.]

[Ding! Successfully treating Patient No. 3 will earn you: 40 points, 100 jin of premium rice, 100 jin of high-quality flour.]

Hearing the voice in her head, Gu Jianing’s eyes lit up. Sure enough, binding patients and curing them would earn her rewards.

Not just points, but food as well—fantastic!

And even if she didn’t treat them, just by entering the space to study and passing exams, she could still earn points. Not many, but every little bit added up.

She didn’t need to look at the system’s scan results—her own eyes could scan and display the issues, even highlighting problem areas with arrows.

As Gu Jianing took Captain Cui’s pulse, the room fell silent.

Everyone was curious—did Gu Jianing really have medical skills, or was it just for show?

They watched as she took Captain Cui’s pulse, then quickly withdrew her hand.

Gu Jianing looked at Captain Cui and said, “Captain Cui, you do have a few health issues—like stomach problems, and occasional migraines…”

Captain Cui and his wife exchanged a glance—she was right.

But then Gu Jianing continued, “But those are minor. The biggest issue is with your lower leg, isn’t it?”

As she spoke, she had Captain Cui stand up and pointed with her pen to a specific spot on his right calf."