Seeing the young lady’s eyes widen in alarm and a snowflake land on her rosy lips, Zhou Jinshan’s breath hitched for a moment. He quickly released her, took a step back, and said, “Be more careful next time.”
The man’s voice was somewhat tense, but Feng Mingshu, her heart still racing from the sudden incident, failed to notice this subtle difference, assuming he was truly a man of propriety.
He had let go so swiftly—as if merely helping a stranger who had stumbled—with clean, decisive movements without the slightest hesitation. This slightly improved her impression of him.
Of course, this was mainly because her expectations had been so low; after all, she had nearly labeled him a bandit and rogue.
It seemed a soldier was indeed a soldier, not some bandit or rogue.
Just as she began to relax, the military water bottle in her hand was snatched away by Zhou Jinshan.
“This is for me, right? Thank you then.” Zhou Jinshan raised the water bottle in gratitude, a smile in his eyes. “I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”
“Hurry inside, the snowstorm is getting worse.”
“See you tomorrow, Comrade Feng!”
The man spoke to himself, waved his hand, and strode away with his head held high, exuding such righteousness that one would never guess he had just robbed someone.
Feng Mingshu was so furious her mind went blank. By the time she collected herself, he was already out of reach, and she could only shout at his retreating back, “You rogue! Even if you come tomorrow, I won’t see you!”
It was no longer about whether to drag him into her troubles; this man was simply incompatible with her temperament. Even if he were a delicious pie, she wouldn’t take a bite.
The man didn’t turn around or respond, merely waved the water bottle before disappearing into the snowstorm.
Helpless, Feng Mingshu slammed the courtyard gate shut in frustration and ran back into the building.
Yu Jingqiu noticed her daughter storming in and glanced at her hands. “Why did you bring the umbrella back? Did the snow stop?”
“No, it hasn’t. He didn’t need the umbrella anyway.”
Feng Mingshu didn’t realize the mix of pique and irritation in her words—such emotions were rare for her. Ever since her father ran off with the family fortune and his true love, she had become exceptionally sensible and quiet, keeping any unhappiness buried deep inside to slowly digest on her own.
A sensible girl might earn praise from outsiders, but to a mother, it only brought heartache.
Seeing her daughter so vibrant again filled Yu Jingqiu with joy, and she felt a flicker of goodwill toward the unnamed officer.
“Zhuzhu, when that comrade visits next time, invite him in for a sit-down,” Yu Jingqiu said gently to her daughter with a smile.
Feng Mingshu stored the black umbrella deep in the cabinet. Turning around upon hearing her mother’s words, she shook her head. “Mom, he won’t be coming again.”
Even if he did, she’d chase him away early to avoid wasting each other’s time.
“Is that so? What a pity,” Yu Jingqiu expressed regret, though a hint of a smile lingered in her eyes.
Feng Mingshu calmly went upstairs to her room, threw herself onto the bed, and pounded the mattress several times in frustration.
…
“Lao Zhou, it’s already dark—you finally made it back!”
“Don’t you know, in this heavy snow, if you hadn’t returned, I would’ve had to report to the political commissar?”
“Lao Zhou, say something! Don’t play mute. Be honest with me—are you seeing that capitalist’s daughter?”Zhou Jinshan returned to the hospital covered in snow, only to be met by Lu Xiangqian’s incessant chatter. Zhou remained silent until he reached his sickbed, finally speaking up: “Instead of wasting time prying into such matters, why not call a doctor for me?”
Hearing his hoarse voice, Lu Xiangqian noticed the sweat beading on Zhou’s forehead, veins bulging, with an unnatural flush on his face. When Lu reached out to touch him, he exclaimed in alarm: “Lao Zhou, you’re burning up! Has the fever damaged your brain?”
Zhou Jinshan: “…”
“Lao Zhou, hang in there! I’ll fetch the doctor!”
Fortunately, Lu Xiangqian proved somewhat reliable this time, quickly returning with a doctor and nurse.
The thermometer revealed a temperature nearing forty degrees!
The doctor scolded angrily: “With unhealed surgical wounds, you went out recklessly? You’re lucky to have made it back alive!”
“Exactly, he’s completely irresponsible! He deserves a thorough reprimand!” Lu Xiangqian chimed in, unintentionally drawing fire upon himself.
“Comrade, weren’t you the one who picked him up at noon? What happened to your assurances?”
Lu immediately backed down, bowing repeatedly with sincere apologies.
After half an hour, Zhou’s wounds were redressed and he received an IV drip.
Once the irritable doctor finally left, Lu dragged over a chair and plopped down: “Lao Zhou, I endured thirty minutes of lecturing on your behalf. If our comradeship means anything, tell me honestly – what’s really going on between you and that capitalist’s daughter?”
Zhou Jinshan leaned against the headboard with half-closed eyes, his functional hand stroking a canteen. Spotting this, Lu immediately reached out: “Is there water left? Let me have a drink to wet my throat first, then I’ll tell you…”
Smack!
Lu’s outstretched hand was swatted away. Zhou lifted his eyelids coolly: “Fetch your own water if you’re thirsty.”
“What? We brothers who’ve shared trenches can even exchange trousers, yet you won’t share a canteen… Wait, this canteen looks different from our army-issued ones. Could it be from that capitalist’s daughter?” Lu realized he’d struck a nerve.
Zhou glanced at him: “Stop calling her ‘capitalist’s daughter’. Her surname is Feng. Address her as Comrade Feng from now on.”
Lu stood up abruptly, stunned by Zhou’s seriousness: “Lao Zhou, are you actually serious? You’ve even exchanged canteens! How am I supposed to explain this to the political commissar?”
Zhou gave him a faint look: “Weren’t you the one relaying the commissar’s order to ‘snatch the prettiest one’?”
“That’s not…”
“Did you misdeliver the message?”
“No! I delivered it correctly! The commissar said to snatch the prettiest, not a capitalist’s daughter!” Lu avoided Zhou’s verbal trap and quickly provided an example: “Look at Lao Zhai – now that’s clear thinking. The moment he learned about Comrade Feng’s background, he withdrew immediately.”
At the mention of Zhai Qingping, Zhou’s lips twitched with what seemed like mockery or disdain. He spoke deliberately: “Lao Lu, don’t misinterpret the commissar’s words. Isn’t the commissar’s political awareness superior to ours?”
Regardless of current circumstances, the overarching principle remains uniting all social strata – capitalists too can be reformed into working masses.
Lu choked on his words: “I can’t out-argue you. I’m going to see the commissar right now.”
“Stay where you are.””Hey, scared now?” Lu Xiangqian paused at the door, raising his eyebrows smugly.
Zhou Jinshan: “I suggest you check your watch. What time is it? Do you want to disturb the political commissar and his wife’s rest?”
The watch showed exactly ten o’clock.
Lu Xiangqian: “…”
“Fine, I won’t go. I’ll stay with you at the hospital all night!” Lu Xiangqian plopped down and stared at him.
“I’m going to sleep. Keep an eye on the IV bottle for me.” Zhou Jinshan closed his eyes.
Lu Xiangqian grumbled under his breath but kept watch over the IV bottle. He stayed awake until nearly two when the drip finished, then slumped over the bedside and fell into a fitful sleep, soon snoring loudly.
That night, however, many people found it hard to sleep.