After a midday nap, the two of them stayed home in the afternoon, drinking tea, chatting, and reading. Meng Junchuan found himself increasingly fond of these days—warm, comfortable, and filled with a sense of peace. For people like them, constantly moving through gunfire and chaos, what they truly longed for was this kind of tranquility.
Sometimes, they didn’t even speak, each absorbed in a book. In the quiet air flowed a gentle, sweet warmth.
“I just want to marry you immediately, so we can be together every day,” Meng Junchuan sighed.
“That’s not possible. You have training every day; we can’t be together all the time,” Lin Qianyi corrected him earnestly.
“That’s what I meant,” Meng Junchuan frowned at her spoiling his mood.
“What do you mean?” Lin Qianyi asked, smiling.
“I mean I want to marry you quickly so I can hold you every night when we sleep,” he said stubbornly.
“Pervert!” Lin Qianyi’s face turned bright red.
Meng Junchuan chuckled this time, thinking, Look who’s spoiling it now.
“Have you ever liked a girl before?” Lin Qianyi asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Of course not. Before meeting you, I never even glanced at a girl,” Meng Junchuan said proudly.
“Hey, if you never looked at girls, how would you know if there was one you liked?” Lin Qianyi asked, puzzled.
“Ha! Why would I look? No feeling at all, not even the curiosity to look,” Meng Junchuan scoffed.
“Tch,” Lin Qianyi wrinkled her nose, feeling secretly pleased.
“You’re the only one I felt something for at first sight,” Meng Junchuan said earnestly.
Lin Qianyi gave him a sidelong glance, her heart soaring. Women loved hearing sweet words, after all.
Seeing Lin Qianyi so happy, Meng Junchuan’s lips curved into a smile as well.
That evening, they finished cooking the dishes they hadn’t made at noon. Everything turned out just right—nothing wasted. In the past, there hadn’t been much waste either, since Lin Qianyi could store things in her space. But today, all the dishes were real, made and eaten, and they were both quite satisfied.
After dinner, they tidied up and went for a leisurely stroll to aid digestion. The evening was cool, and the housing complex was full of people—some taking walks, some playing sports, some chatting, and plenty of children running around. Unlike later generations, there were no mobile phones, and TV wasn’t widespread, so dinner and evening socializing were the main forms of entertainment.
Lin Qianyi and Meng Junchuan, accustomed to the rhythm, greeted neighbors along the way.
“Your factory has a lot of people,” Meng Junchuan said, observing the busy courtyard.
“You don’t notice it during work hours, but when everyone comes back in the evening, it’s really lively,” Lin Qianyi said, watching the children running about.
“Not as busy in our area,” Meng Junchuan replied.
The sun had set, the day’s heat dissipating, and a gentle evening breeze occasionally blew. They strolled slowly, enjoying the comfort.
As they walked, Meng Junchuan noticed the longing glances of others in the complex. So, people had heard they were out for a walk and wanted to make their presence known? He glanced at the unsuspecting little girl and sighed—how could he relax with her around?
But Lin Qianyi had noticed too. Many young girls were hiding, secretly watching—not her, but his handsome face.
They endured the gazes and returned home.
“Are we about to leave again?” Lin Qianyi said, spoiling the mood.
Meng Junchuan flopped onto the sofa in frustration.
“How can it be so fast?”
“There’s still some time—you can linger a bit,” Lin Qianyi teased.
“Give me a hug to comfort me,” he took the opportunity to ask.
“Hmph~” Lin Qianyi made a dismissive sound.
“I don’t want to leave,” Meng Junchuan muttered, thinking he shouldn’t just come on rest days; he should take a proper vacation.
“Then don’t leave?” Lin Qianyi laughed.
He looked at her in mock despair, realizing she was doing this on purpose. Sighing, he stood up and pulled the seated Lin Qianyi to her feet.
“I don’t want to let go,” he whispered, holding her close.
Lin Qianyi obediently leaned into his chest, secretly thrilled at his solid embrace—finally mine.
Seeing her so compliant, Meng Junchuan’s heart melted; he held her tightly, reluctant to let go. Eventually, he forced himself to release her, and they went downstairs to the car, leaving reluctantly.
Lin Qianyi returned upstairs, hugging a pillow and sitting on the sofa, dazed and smiling foolishly for a while. Then she went to her space to take a bath, not lingering long. Afterward, she read on the sofa briefly before heading to bed.
The next day, Lin Qianyi rode her little bicycle to work, arriving quite early. The office was mostly empty. She placed her things at her desk and went to wash a rag to clean the tables.
“Good morning, Qianyi,” Wang Lan said, carrying her bag in.
“Morning, Wang Lan,” Lin Qianyi replied, finishing wiping the desk.
“Qianyi, give me the rag; I’ll wipe after I wash it,” Wang Lan said, taking the rag to start cleaning the tables.
“Qianyi, Wang Lan, good morning.” Lin Liping arrived and, as if nothing had happened, smiled and greeted Lin Qianyi and Wang Lan.
“Good morning, Liping,” Wang Lan replied, finishing wiping the tables and taking her rag away.
Lin Qianyi responded lightly, lowering her head to organize her things.
After washing her rag, Wang Lan came back and leaned over to gossip with Lin Qianyi: “Qianyi, where did you go yesterday?”
“Nowhere, just watched a movie,” Lin Qianyi replied.
“There aren’t really any new films now, mostly old ones,” Wang Lan said.
“That’s fine, I hadn’t seen this movie yet,” Lin Qianyi said. Today, she didn’t have much translation work, so she wasn’t in a hurry.
“Hmm, besides watching movies, there’s not much else to do. You could go stroll in the park or go hiking,” Wang Lan suggested.
“It’s so hot, I don’t want to get sunburned,” Lin Qianyi shook her head.
“True. Speaking of sunburn, Qianyi, your skin is amazing. Even under such strong sun, you haven’t tanned a bit. Look at me—I’ve gotten so much darker and oily,” Wang Lan said, frustrated, realizing how much darker she looked compared to Lin Qianyi.
“You should wear a hat or use an umbrella when going out. Of course you’ll tan if you’re under the sun,” Lin Qianyi said.
“Does it not work? Do you have some secret?” Wang Lan asked.
Well, there is a secret, but I can’t tell you. Maybe something simple like applying cucumber slices or a milk mask could help a bit. But in this era, food is scarce, who would bother putting it on their face?
“You could try washing your face with rice water; that might help a little,” Lin Qianyi said, coming up with the only suggestion she could think of.
“I’ll try that later,” Wang Lan nodded.
Seeing Lin Liping about to join their conversation, Lin Qianyi quickly took out her materials and started working, too lazy to deal with her.
Wang Lan, seeing Lin Qianyi working, immediately stopped bothering her.
Lin Liping, seeing the two of them busy at their own tasks, didn’t say anything further and awkwardly turned her head away.