Qiao Lanshu returned to the guesthouse, rubbing her hands together against the cold.
As soon as she got back to her room, she hurriedly poured half a basin of hot water and soaked her feet in it. Only after quite some time did she finally recover.
The guesthouse had heating, connected to the heating system over at the mining district. Once winter arrived, boiler workers at the mining district were responsible for heating water, so the guesthouse was fairly warm, especially since it was close by.
Qiao Lanshu truly wasn’t used to the climate here. It was simply far too cold.
She was genuinely very afraid of the cold now.
So she didn’t even eat dinner. After soaking her feet, she climbed straight into bed and burrowed into the covers.
The room was extremely dry. Her lips had cracked and bled, and some red rashes had appeared on her fair, tender skin. They felt both dry and itchy when she touched them, and she had no idea what was wrong, which left her somewhat troubled.
Perhaps she should just give up on taking revenge. She could take the one thousand yuan and the ration coupons, submit the denunciation letter, buy a train ticket, and return to Yangcheng.
To suffer here for someone like Sun Mingyong, a scumbag, didn’t seem worth it.
Besides, the reason she had wanted to stay was Qin Yuanzheng, but he already had a wife and children. If she stayed now, it would be rather ridiculous.
At the same time, though, she was troubled by another matter. If she didn’t want to get married, then after returning home, she would have to go to the countryside.
She had heard that going to the countryside was very hard and exhausting, requiring one to work in the fields exposed to the wind and sun.
She didn’t know whether she could manage it.
Qiao Lanshu fell into deep thought and began seriously considering her future.
Lying in bed, she wrapped herself up tightly, then held a cup of hot water and took small sips.
The room was dry, and she really wanted to drink water, but she didn’t dare drink too much. She was afraid she would have to go to the bathroom frequently. It was too cold, and she didn’t even want to take off her trousers.
Just as she was thinking this, a knock sounded from outside the room.
Qiao Lanshu asked warily, “Who is it?”
Qin Yuanzheng’s voice came from outside the door. “Comrade Qiao Lanshu, it’s me, Qin Yuanzheng.”
Qiao Lanshu’s eyes lit up. She threw back the covers and immediately jumped out of bed.
However, after running two steps, she suddenly stopped. The delighted expression on her face instantly fell away.
She walked to the door and opened it, looking at Qin Yuanzheng with some restraint. “Regimental Commander Qin, why have you come over so late?”
Qin Yuanzheng glanced at his watch. Wasn’t it only six in the afternoon? That wasn’t late, was it?
Seeing Qiao Lanshu standing in the doorway without any intention of inviting him inside, his eyes flickered, but he didn’t say anything.
Instead, he took a step back, then held out what he was carrying. Looking at Qiao Lanshu’s somewhat cracked lips, he said, “Comrade Xiao Qiao, I saw that you seem a little unaccustomed to the climate here, so I bought this for you. See if you can use it.”
Qiao Lanshu took it and glanced inside. The paper bag contained two bottles of Snowflake cream and a small bottle of sheep-fat ointment.
She had seen Snowflake cream before, but she had never seen sheep-fat ointment. Curiously, she picked it up to examine it, and Qin Yuanzheng explained, “I heard a female comrade at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative say that this sheep fat can be applied to your lips. It doesn’t matter if you swallow some, and you can also use it on your hands and feet.”
Qiao Lanshu had a small, cherry-like mouth. Her lips had originally been moist and plump, but now they were dry, cracked, and peeling.
Looking at the things in her hands, Qiao Lanshu stared at Qin Yuanzheng with a strange expression.
Qin Yuanzheng was taking care of Qiao Lanshu as though she were a child, and he didn’t feel that there was anything inappropriate about buying these things for her.
But to Qiao Lanshu, wasn’t it a little strange for a male comrade to buy these things for a female comrade?
Qin Yuanzheng asked her, “What’s wrong? You don’t like them?”
He had specifically found someone to exchange for daily-necessities coupons, then gone to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy them.
He said, “The Supply and Marketing Cooperative only had this one kind of Snowflake cream. They didn’t have the brands from Yangcheng. Otherwise, I could write to one of my comrades and have him buy some in Shanghai and mail it over?”
How could Qiao Lanshu trouble Qin Yuanzheng like that?
She hurriedly said, “No need. This is already very good. I do need it. Thank you so much, Regimental Commander Qin. I’ll give you the money.”
As she spoke, she quickly reached into her pocket, pulled out a Big Unity note, and tried to stuff it into Qin Yuanzheng’s hand.
The moment Qin Yuanzheng saw her take out money, his expression darkened. He said, “Comrade Xiao Qiao, you don’t need to give me money. I’m only following orders from my superiors to come and look after you a little. These things didn’t cost much either, so you don’t need to take it to heart.”
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
Qiao Lanshu’s mood immediately grew even worse. She raised her head to look at Qin Yuanzheng and asked in a low voice, “So it’s because of orders from your superiors?”
No wonder. Qin Yuanzheng was such a cold and hard man—how could he have treated her so well?
He had bought things for her and even introduced men to her.
Looking at Qiao Lanshu’s bright, sparkling eyes suddenly dimming, Qin Yuanzheng’s own eyelids drooped.
He didn’t know what he had said wrong, and he couldn’t figure out why the young girl had become unhappy again.
Seeing that Qiao Lanshu’s eyes were still somewhat red, he guessed that she was crying because of her fiancé.
So he comforted her, saying, “Don’t be upset. You didn’t like the man I introduced last time, right? I’ll introduce you to another one tomorrow. I guarantee his character is up to standard.”
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
Qiao Lanshu hurriedly said, “No need, Regimental Commander Qin. Really, there’s no need. You don’t have to introduce anyone else to me.”
Qin Yuanzheng: “…”
Looking at her face, Qin Yuanzheng asked, “Why? Are you going back to Yangcheng?”
Qiao Lanshu scratched her head. “If I can’t stay here, then I can only go back.”
Qin Yuanzheng: “…”
Yangcheng was more than two thousand kilometers from here. Even by train, she would have to transfer twice, and the journey would take several days.
If she went back to Yangcheng from here, she certainly wouldn’t return.
Qin Yuanzheng didn’t even know what he was thinking. Subconsciously, he didn’t really want Qiao Lanshu to leave, so he said:
“You’re just a young girl. You don’t know how hard life in the countryside is. Being able to settle down here and find a job is better than going to the countryside. Besides, even if you want to go back, you should find a man to accompany you. It’s a long journey, and it wouldn’t be safe.”
He thought for a moment, then continued, “There happen to be many unmarried military officers here. I’ll introduce you to one. That’s still better than going back and finding someone through blind dates yourself, don’t you think?”
After all, she had already been deceived once. This girl was so foolish that if she were deceived again, she wouldn’t have a man like him to help her.
Qin Yuanzheng added, “You should meet a few more people. Don’t make a decision so quickly.”
Looking at him, Qiao Lanshu felt a little impulsive and asked, “Regimental Commander Qin, what about you? Are you married?”
Qin Yuanzheng: “???”
Qin Yuanzheng was taken aback by the question. A strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart, and he wondered why the young girl was asking that.
Keeping a straight face, he said, “My situation is rather special. It’s not convenient for me to tell you.”
He couldn’t possibly tell a girl in her teens that he had infertility. So after Qin Yuanzheng finished speaking, he left. It was difficult to explain.
……
Qin Yuanzheng did exactly as he had promised. The next day, he arranged for another Battalion Commander to come over and deliver sweet potatoes to Qiao Lanshu.
The young Battalion Commander was tall and good-looking. Wearing a crisp military uniform, he came over carrying a sack of sweet potatoes. The moment he saw Qiao Lanshu, his entire face turned red.
The young Battalion Commander stammered, “C-Comrade Xiao Qiao, hello. These are sweet potatoes grown by our unit. They’re very sweet. Our regimental commander asked me to bring some over for you to try.”
As he spoke, he stuffed the sweet potatoes into Qiao Lanshu’s arms.
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
Holding the sweet potatoes, Qiao Lanshu raised her head to look at the soldier before her. Her voice was gentle, but the words she spoke were utterly merciless.
She said, “I’m sorry, Comrade, but I don’t think you’re the type I like. We aren’t suitable for each other. Go back and tell your regimental commander that we’ll forget about this one, all right?”
The young soldier was immediately stunned. His entire face was red, and he stammered as he nodded instinctively. “O-Okay.”
Qiao Lanshu asked again, “Then can I still eat these sweet potatoes?”
The young soldier nodded with a red face. “Y-Yes, you can eat them.”
Qiao Lanshu said, “Then thank your regimental commander for me.”
As she spoke, she carried the sweet potatoes back inside and closed the door.
The young soldier stared at the closed door and silently sighed.
Such a wonderful girl, yet she hadn’t taken a liking to him. What a pity.