6. A Soupy Challenge

When Mai turned 18, she was allowed to choose which department she wanted to be in. She didn't want any of them because there were men in all of them. To avoid being chosen, she instead chose to handle all the odd jobs in the military that none of them wanted to do because they were men.

She took on kitchen duty, washed their clothes, polished their equipment, cleaned – even scrubbed the toilets and did all household chores. At first, she didn't like it, but when she noticed that the men were like little boys throwing their things everywhere, she got annoyed and automatically cleaned up after them. She learned to find joy in doing odd jobs because it was peaceful, and no one bothered her because who else would do them? She did her best so General Wu Tianpeng and Imperial Physician Liang Gu couldn't find a reason to send her out into the field. She didn't forget to train every day after midnight, and even though she still had a feminine, slender body, she had gained some muscles and was very proud of herself.

In her 20s, she blossomed as she tried to suppress by smearing dirt on her face, and with the help of herbs, it had helped a bit. She didn't like being pale because almost all women here had dark skin. She had not yet encountered her twin sister Anni, who turned out to be in the Immortal Palace. The consort ladies stayed in a building of their own on the other side of the military base.

Many years later, after midnight, Mai was running a long distance in the forest area while lost in her own thoughts.

"What do I want with my life? Do I want to live like this for the rest of my life?"

"I didn't sign up for this."

Sometimes it was hard to hold back her hormones, and she really wanted to date men. Even though everyone in the military consisted of handsome, well-built men, she wouldn't be able to date them anyway unless she magically transformed into a woman. She hadn't forgotten her oath as a child. She would never emotionally attach herself to anyone again.

Master was the first and last.

On a large hill stood General Li Qiangshou, looking down at Mai as she ran in circles. Beside him stood two young men who also had their focus on her.

General Li Qiangshou furrowed his brow and asked, "So he plays lazy during training but is diligent at night. What is his name?"

"It's Luo Tian, whom General Wu Tianpeng brought along many years ago, General." replied the soldier standing to his left.

General Li Qiangshou nodded and said, "He handles all the odd jobs in the military as if he were born to do it, and he doesn't complain. Is it something he does intentionally to avoid being chosen?"

He scratched his chin, looked at his men, and waited for their opinions.

"Should we move him to Unit 1, General? We can arrange that." one suddenly suggested.

General Li Qiangshou nodded and replied, "Move him there but still assign him household tasks. He's faster than all the women combined now. Give him kitchen duty. The men have been complaining about how bland the food is. If he handles it well, he can be promoted to a higher rank."

The next morning, when Mai showed up at the training ground, General Li Qiangshou stood in front of her.

"Pack your things. You're being transferred to Unit 1."

Huh?

Mai had just woken up and thought she was still dreaming.

Unit 1 was the place she didn't want to go to. Their training was extreme, and she wouldn't be able to handle it.

She rubbed her eyes a few times and yawned.

"General, I belong to Unit 5 and am under General Wu Tianpeng."

General Li Qiangshou furrowed his brow and said, "Haven't you heard that General Wu Tianpeng retired long ago?"

Mai felt a stabbing pain in her heart and suddenly became irritated. She clenched her fists and bit her lip. That bastard.

"Um, where should I be in Unit 1?" She asked nervously.

Years went by, and Mai was now 33 years old and would turn 34 in the summer. Her time in Unit 1 wasn't as bad as she had thought. She now only worked in the kitchen, and it was fun to cook, and fortunately, she was good at it. But that wasn't what she wanted from life. She had saved up for her future, but she didn't know how to break free from the military.

Her beauty had blossomed even more, and it only caused her problems because she was constantly surrounded by men. She disliked the dirt and greasy skin and had secretly made her own face masks from tropical fruits and natural things she could get her hands on. She was a diligent regular in the main kitchen, and all the women were kind to her, treating her like their own.

Mai had used the Finger System, the little finger, to remove impurities from her homemade face masks, discreetly making face masks for the women in the kitchen and the maid servants, all of whom were grateful, so much so that some of the young women tried to flirt with her, which she didn't appreciate. The men treated her with respect because she belonged to Imperial Physician Liang Gu's department. He took responsibility for Mai after General Wu Tianpeng retired.

It was May, and the sun beat down on Thousand Blossom City.

Mai stood in an open kitchen on a large square with a view of a sandy training area with equipment and obstacles all around. Because she was in the kitchen, she had her own training session to do and could therefore avoid contact with the men. They all ran around shirtless while sweat rolled down glistening from exertion. They were all young and handsome, and Mai wondered how many of them had wives and children right now. She was definitely the only unmarried one here.

"In my previous life, I was in the same situation. Unmarried at 33."

She sighed deeply and looked down at herself. She wore a dark gray robe with a black belt and had light gray baggy pants and black shoes on. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, some of her baby hair hanging out to the sides, and she had bangs. It was difficult for her to hide her feminine figure, but she knew there were feminine men, and the men here hadn't questioned her identity.

She stirred the large pot in front of her, which had chicken noodle soup in it based on Master's recipe. She inhaled the scent of vegetables and chicken, and her body relaxed. She broke into a smile and continued to stir the pot while looking around at the men.

"I feel like I'm Mulan, but instead, I'm stuck in the military. When will it be my turn to kick ass?" She muttered softly.

The weather was hot, and the sun's rays shone down on her cheeks, making them warm. She had applied an aloe vera mask this morning, hoping it could keep some of the UV rays away. She was boiling with sweat, and the pot in front of her only made it worse. Her clothes clung to her, and she adjusted them in various places.

"I miss wearing short skirts in the summer." Mai sighed deeply and looked down at the soup.

This wasn't the life she had envisioned.

"Master, when will something happen in my life? I've lived like this for so many years. Give me a sign."

On the training ground, the men stopped training and sat down, watching Mai, who seemed to be having a conversation with the soup.

They began to discuss her.

"Why is he talking to the soup?"

"Maybe he's enchanting it. His food tastes amazing."

"He's much better than the old ladies we had before. Unit 5 must regret losing him."

Wang Hao, a handsome senior, also looked at Mai, who was adjusting her collar, and his gaze fell on her slender neck.

"He looks quite cute. If we didn't know he was a man, I'd think he was a woman."

Mai looked at the men and shouted, "Senior Brothers, it's mealtime. The one who comes last gets the leftovers."

At her words, the men got up and put on their robes. They hurried to the large dark brown dining table and approached her, but she chased them out to wash their hands first. Afterwards, the men lined up with a round wooden bowl each, and she poured chicken soup for them one by one.

"Thank you very much, junior brother Luo Tian."

"Keep up the good work."

Mai gave them a beautiful smile while her eyebrows twitched.

I'm not a brother. 

She didn't like being called that.

Suddenly, Wang Hao stood in front of her with his bowl. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a trained upper body and a handsome masculine face with wide jaws.

It's senior brother Wang Hao. What is he doing here? 

Mai was surprised to see him, and her eyes widened.

He normally ate elsewhere.

She suddenly became nervous, and as she poured soup for him, her fingers trembled. She quickly gave him the bowl, but the soup splashed over and spilled on his crotch, leaving a large dark stain.

Argh! Fuck my life! 

Mai's heart skipped a beat and raced loudly. She slowly looked up at Wang Hao and swallowed a large lump of spit that tasted very sour.

"Ugh, she spilled on Brother Wang Hao." a man exclaimed, and everyone leaned out from the line, staring at Mai as if she were about to soil herself.

She fumbled with her fingers and said in a nervous voice, "Senior Brother Wang Hao. I'm sorry I was so clumsy. I'm really sorry. Can you forgive me? Let me wipe it off."

She knew that a random cloth wouldn't save her.

Sweat poured down her back like a waterfall, and she felt burning hot all over. She quickly found a cloth, but as she reached her right hand out towards his crotch, he suddenly grabbed her hand. It was rough, large, and warm. Mai was startled and looked up at him.

Is he angry? 

She swallowed a large lump of dry spit.

Wang Hao leaned forward, smiled, and whispered in her left ear in a gentle voice, "If you do something for me, I can overlook it."

Mai felt his breath in her ear and shivered. She quickly pulled her head back and made eye contact with him. He had a silly grin, and it was clear what he was thinking. She became angry.

*bang* 

Something in her chest exploded.

She clenched her right fist, and with all her energy, she hit him hard on his left cheek. He staggered, remained standing, but his head tilted back slightly, and there was a red mark on his left cheek.

"No way, he hit Brother."

"He's challenging Brother Wang Hao!"

"No, I didn't..." Mai didn't have time to say more.

"Everyone! Junior brother Luo Tian has challenged Brother Wang Hao!" A soldier suddenly shouted.

"No, wait..." But Mai was too late.

The soldier quickly ran away from the training ground.

Mai bit her lip and took deep breaths. Fuck!