The ship’s horn drew out a long note across the sea.
Su Jinhui stood on the deck, carrying a canvas bag slung over her shoulder, and at a glance spotted a figure on the pier wearing a Type-65 military uniform.
She walked over. When she saw the man’s face clearly, her breath caught.
He stood against the light. Beneath the uniform, his broad shoulders and narrow waist were sharply outlined by the sunlight. Beneath swordlike brows was a rare pair of phoenix eyes, the outer corners slightly upturned. The scar along his brow bone made him look especially fierce.
He gave off an aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.
“Yan Li’an?” Su Jinhui blurted out.
The man clearly froze for a moment, then nodded. “Hello, Comrade Su.”
The girl before him was dressed in the plainest clothes, yet they could not hide her stunning beauty.
A perfectly shaped oval face, apricot eyes, a pert nose, and dimples at the corners of her mouth that appeared and disappeared as she smiled. Her voice was clear and soft, carrying a hint of gentle sweetness.
“I’ll carry it for you.” He took the bundle from Su Jinhui’s hands on his own initiative and led her toward the compound.
Once they got into the vehicle, Su Jinhui chattered nonstop. Yan Li’an responded coolly, yet there was not the slightest trace of impatience in his brows or eyes.
Suddenly, Su Jinhui stopped mid-sentence, as if she had thought of something, and looked at Yan Li’an with confusion.
Hadn’t the original book said that Yan Li’an would die a month later?
Yet here he was, standing alive before her—ruddy-faced, breathing steadily. He didn’t look at all like someone who would suddenly drop dead within a month.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Li’an turned his head when he noticed her gaze.
Su Jinhui quickly withdrew her eyes. “Nothing.”
After a pause, she said on impulse, “I just didn’t expect my fiancé to be… so full of vitality.”
The tips of Yan Li’an’s ears visibly turned red.
The dirt road to the garrison was bumpy. As they walked, Su Jinhui looked around curiously.
The island was more prosperous than she had imagined. On the distant hillside, members of the commune were already working in the neat terraced fields.
She was looking intently when, passing a stretch of rocky shore, she was accidentally tripped by an exposed tree root.
“Ah!”
She cried out, about to fall, when a strong arm steadied her.
A scent of cedar mixed with gunpowder filled her nose. Through the thin fabric, Su Jinhui could clearly feel the tense muscle lines of his forearm.
“Careful.”
Yan Li’an’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he quickly let go.
“You usually—”
“At the garrison every week—”
They spoke at the same time, then both fell silent.
Su Jinhui lowered her head and smiled. Yan Li’an’s already reddened ears grew even hotter.
The garrison courtyard was neater than she had imagined. Yan Li’an’s dormitory was the easternmost room in a row of single-story houses.
When he pushed the door open, Su Jinhui smelled the scent of cotton quilts dried in the sun. Several military books were neatly arranged on the desk.
A very clean, orderly room.
“You can stay here,” Yan Li’an said, setting the luggage down on the polished cement floor. “I’ll sleep with the unit.”
Su Jinhui gathered herself. “I wanted to talk to you about—”
“About the engagement,” Yan Li’an cut in first, his Adam’s apple moving. “That was an arrangement made by the older generation. It doesn’t really suit the present. If you have someone else you fancy, I can help… make an introduction.”
In the book, their engagement had been set by their grandfathers’ generation.
Su Jinhui didn’t actually have any strong objections to it.
And looking at the tall, powerful man in front of her, she had even fewer objections.
She parted her lips, about to answer, when a loud shout suddenly came from outside.
“Battalion Commander!” A young soldier drenched in sweat stood at the doorway. “Emergency meeting at headquarters!”
Yan Li’an frowned, turned around, took a tin box from the wardrobe, and pressed it into Su Jinhui’s hands.
“Grain coupons and a spare key.”
After hesitating for a moment, he added, “The supply cooperative has fresh fish every Wednesday. If you want some, I can have someone take you.”
When his footsteps faded away, Su Jinhui swallowed the words she had wanted to say.
She gently rubbed the tin box in her hands with her fingertips, sinking into thought.
Why did it feel like Yan Li’an didn’t really like her…?
Well, that made sense. The two of them had never met before. Chances were, he himself didn’t want this marriage either.
Su Jinhui shrugged, took a few grain coupons out of the tin box, and left the dormitory.
She decided to cook a meal—use her cooking skills to boost some goodwill. It would also be a good chance to familiarize herself with the area and make a few friends, making life a bit more interesting.
After walking only a few steps, she saw a young woman mending fishing nets.
Two jet-black braids hung over her chest, framing a face reddened by the sea wind.
“Comrade, may I ask where we buy vegetables around here?” Su Jinhui asked.
Liu Ruolan looked up. First she was dazzled by Su Jinhui’s looks, then she glanced toward the direction she had come from, and suddenly sprang to her feet.
“You came out of Brother Li’an’s room?”
Su Jinhui blinked. “Yes.”
Liu Ruolan immediately flung the fishing net in her hands to the ground, her words sharp. “You shameless thing, how dare you seduce Brother Li’an!”
She had confessed to Yan Li’an that morning and been rejected. She hadn’t yet found an outlet for her anger, and Su Jinhui had practically walked right into the line of fire.
“A girl with no sense of propriety at all—one look and you scream vixen!”
Several commune members carrying hoes gathered around at the noise. Someone immediately recognized Su Jinhui.
“Hey, isn’t this the Su family’s capitalist young miss? I saw her photo earlier when I was helping the political commissar organize materials!”
“I heard her family exploited workers. Their class background isn’t good.”
“My god, black-hearted capitalists!”
Liu Ruolan’s eyes flickered. So this woman had that kind of background too.
She hardened her heart and cursed outright, “Someone like you dares to seduce Brother Li’an? When your father was sucking the workers’ blood and sweat, didn’t he teach you to keep your tail tucked between your legs?!”
“What, can’t survive anymore, so now you’re thinking of climbing into a man’s bed to make a living?!”
Hearing this, Su Jinhui’s face instantly darkened.