Since returning to the city, Bei Qinghuan, unable to find a job and afraid of gossip, rarely wandered around the Family Compound. Still, relying on her memory, she found No. 3 Courtyard, the residence specially designated for the factory’s Military Representative.
The small courtyard had red brick outer walls and a red-painted gate. Compared to the crowded employee family apartment buildings, it stood out as exceptionally refined.
Bei Qinghuan politely knocked three times and heard footsteps approaching from inside.
Bei Qinghuan took three steps back, tidied her wind-tousled hair, and held the lunchbox steady, preparing to bow deeply the moment the door opened.
The person who had helped her mother deserved her respect.
With a creak, the door opened.
Poised to be polite, Bei Qinghuan first saw a pair of feet in black leather shoes. She immediately bowed and called out, “Hello, Uncle Jing!”
Then, as she raised her head to introduce herself, she froze. She didn’t even bother to brush away the strands of hair that had fallen across her face from the bow, simply staring at the person in the doorway.
He was a tall, lean man.
His short hair was black and thick, his face sharply chiseled with deep-set eyes and a high-bridged nose.
The sleeves of his snow-white shirt were rolled up to his forearms, revealing clearly defined tendons beneath his wheat-colored skin.
His military-green trousers were perfectly straight, making his legs look exceptionally long.
He just gave off a very masculine, very proper vibe.
And yet, at the end of his left eyebrow, there was a mung bean-sized, crimson mole, which lent a trace of inappropriate, stunning beauty to his stern face.
He was so young.
This was a far cry from the image of a Military Representative Bei Qinghuan had in her mind.
Weren’t Military Representatives supposed to be middle-aged men in their forties?
It seems I called him ‘uncle’ too soon!
This person was probably the Military Representative’s communications officer.
Bei Qinghuan opened and closed her mouth a few times before finding her voice. “…Um, excuse me, is this No. 3 Courtyard? I’m looking for the Military Representative, Jing.”
The man’s thick brows furrowed. His already serious face instantly turned wintry, radiating a palpable chill. “What is it?”
Which workshop was this one from?
She had actually chased him all the way here.
How annoying!
The disgust and vexation in the man’s eyes were all too obvious.
Thinking she had angered him by mistaking his identity, Bei Qinghuan’s face flushed.
“It’s just… my mother is Yan Guifang from the Quality Inspection Workshop. The Military Representative helped my mom last time, so she asked me to bring something to thank him. Is he in? Or, could I trouble you to pass it along?”
The man lowered his gaze.
Yan Guifang?
The name didn’t ring a bell.
However, this was the first time someone had used this particular excuse.
He might as well hear how she spins it.
Bei Qinghuan waited for a long while, but the man before her remained silent, and she started to feel uneasy.
She knew this gift wasn’t presentable enough.
But now that she was here, if she didn’t deliver it, she wouldn’t be able to explain it to her mother.
Bei Qinghuan held out the lunchbox in her hands. “It’s just some braised pork my mom made. It’s delicious, just a small token of our appreciation. Could you please give it to him? Oh, after he’s done, he can just leave the lunchbox at the guardhouse of the Family Compound. I’ll pick it up tomorrow morning.”
“No need.”
The man didn’t take it. His face was so cold it could chip ice. One hand was in his pocket, while the other was already on the door, pushing it shut.
Seeing that he was about to close the door, Bei Qinghuan thought this communications officer had quite the attitude.
He was just a fox borrowing the tiger’s might. How detestable!
Bei Qinghuan was quite angry, and her words became less polite.
“It’s not for you, it’s for the Military Representative, Jing! You tell him the meat was stewed on a small stove for two hours, so it’s tender and fragrant. The pickled cucumbers inside are a recipe I learned from our ethnic minority comrades. They’re incredibly crisp and tasty, not something just anyone can get to eat. They’re specially for the Military Representative to try. Other people can’t have them even if they want to!”
Her last sentence all but spelled out, “I’m talking about you, so you’d better not sneak a bite.”
After speaking, Bei Qinghuan didn’t wait to see if he agreed. She hung the net bag on the courtyard gate’s handle and left.
After all, raindrops were already starting to fall with the wind.
The rain had been brewing for a long time, and it suddenly came down hard.
Bei Qinghuan broke into a run.
The man watched her retreat into the distance, rubbed his nose, and took down the net bag.
He opened the lunchbox to look. The braised pork had an alluring sheen, and the emerald-green cucumbers next to it gave off a sour, fragrant aroma.
It did look good.
Besides, this girl really didn’t seem to know him.
She wasn’t like those other female workers from the factory who made up excuses to harass him.
With this weather, it was inconvenient to go out to eat, and cooking for himself was a hassle.
Well, he might as well eat it then.
The man thought of how the girl had glared at him with her large, clear black-and-white eyes from behind her disheveled hair that covered half her face, and how she had earnestly said, “It’s not for you.” He couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
It was the first time anyone had treated him like that.
The man muttered to himself, “But I am the Military Representative, Jing!”
It was a rare occasion, but he had misjudged the girl today.
He should send a return gift later.
It wasn’t really Jing Xiao’s fault for being this way.
Ever since he was transferred to 3508 Factory, young female comrades had been approaching him almost daily with all sorts of excuses to show their affection.
He knew his face was bewitching, so he made a point to be even more serious in his daily conduct, avoiding being alone with any female comrades and even spreading a rumor that he already had a fiancée.
But this factory specialized in Textile, Knitting, and the production of Military Supplies and Uniforms. There were simply too many female comrades. He would scare one off, and another would appear. It was an endless, impossible task.
And then there were the letters, asking to date him or maintain a “revolutionary friendship,” which would always find their way under his door, annoying him to no end.
Because of this, he had already submitted an application to the organization for a transfer, hoping it would be approved.
However, he was currently leading a pilot project to develop a new type of Special Protective Clothing. It would take at least eight months to complete. Even if his superiors approved his transfer, it wouldn’t happen for another nine months.
Sigh!
If he had known that being injured and relegated to a non-frontline position would be like this, he would never have agreed to it.
Jing Xiao went back inside, found a pair of chopsticks, and started to eat.
The first bite was stunning.
The braised pork was good, but not exceptionally rare. The pickled cucumbers, however, were truly something else—crisp and chewy with a hint of sour and spicy, making them incredibly appetizing.
The sourness was very unique, not the taste of vinegar.
Jing Xiao had never tasted anything like it.
He curiously poked through the cucumbers a few times but couldn’t find anything that would give him an obvious clue.
But for a rare change, he finished the entire lunchbox.
Jing Xiao was in excellent physical condition. Even after a severe injury, he had recovered to his current robust state.
But he suffered from summer anorexia.
As soon as summer arrived, he lost his appetite.
Coupled with the fact that the cafeteria food was all cooked in large pots and lacked flavor and appeal, he had already lost about ten pounds since the beginning of summer.
He was a soldier and would never complain about such things, but having a meal like this truly lifted his spirits.
Jing Xiao walked briskly to the kitchen, washed the lunchbox, and even rinsed the net bag it came in. He then placed two cans of yellow peaches in syrup, which a comrade-in-arms had sent him last time, into the bag.
After the rain stopped, he would leave it at the Family Compound’s guardhouse as an apology for misjudging the girl from earlier.
Also, her mother’s name was Yan Guifang, right?
He would pay attention to that, lest he not know who to thank later.
Meanwhile, at Bei Qinghuan’s home, dinner was also over.
Mother and daughter sat opposite each other, exchanging glances. Finally, Yan Guifang spoke first.
“Huanhuan, the Qin family is well-off, and Qin Zhenghua has a good job. Your father has been gone for so many years, and we have no one to rely on. You don’t have a job, and my health will sooner or later become a burden. As for your brother and sister, let’s try not to bother them if we can. All in all, marrying Qin Zhenghua smoothly is the best thing for you right now. What… do you think?”