The night was thick and dark. The jeep rolled over the cement road and slowly came to a stop in front of the iron gate of the military compound.
The armed sentry stepped forward to check the pass, then glanced into the carriage. His gaze fell on Lin Yuqiu’s face, paused for a moment, asked a few simple questions, and then gave her a standard military salute before letting her pass.
Lin Yuqiu gazed at the camphor trees lining both sides of the road, the air thick with the dampness that made memories ferment.
The last time I came here was two years ago when my older brother had a blind date here.
The woman is a female dancer in the military region’s cultural troupe. She is very busy with work and only met him once in the canteen during her older brother’s visit home.
The older brother, worried that his brother was bad at talking, brought his younger sister along for the blind date.
That day, she saw a side of her older brother that she had never seen before.
The eldest brother, who used to be brave, mighty, and invincible in front of his younger siblings, stood in front of that sweet and charming woman, unsure of what to do with his hands. The words he was about to say veered off course, and he stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single complete sentence.
After that, the two maintained correspondence and even reached the point of discussing marriage.
Whenever this future sister-in-law is mentioned, even a man as strong and unyielding as the eldest brother will blush with embarrassment.
Now that my elder brother has sacrificed himself, the other side must have received the news.
Just as her thoughts drifted away, the car stopped in front of a spacious Soviet-style red brick building. On the bulletin board were posters promoting support for the army and love for the people, as well as the canteen’s weekly menu.
Lin Yuqiu followed Zhou Runqing into the canteen, where a cook in a white coat and hat immediately greeted her: “Commander Zhou is here! This morning, the logistics department just delivered a basket of fresh tripe and offal, as well as some freshly picked cabbages from the headquarters’ vegetable garden. They’re so crisp and fresh.”
Zhou Runqing nodded slightly, “Make some hot soup, heat it up in a small pot, and bring more meat. Put the bill in my name, and settle it later.”
Military officers often work through the night, conduct field training, or return late from missions. To ensure their health, the canteen provides them with special meals, all in accordance with established standards.
Although Zhou Runqing’s post was on an island, not in the Rongcheng Military Region, he grew up in the Rongcheng Military Region compound. Thanks to his father’s connections, he had more conveniences than others in this canteen.
The cook led them to the small kitchen and then went back to prepare the dishes.
The kitchen is small, only a dozen square meters, and contains a square table.
Because it was mostly used to entertain leading cadres, a large rough porcelain basin and an enamel kettle were placed against the wall for washing hands, and several clean towels were also hung there.
Xiao Liu took the kettle and went out to fetch water. His footsteps gradually disappeared outside the door, and the small room suddenly became quiet.
Suddenly, there was a soft hissing sound, the sound of a wooden chair leg scraping against the cement floor.
Before Lin Yuqiu could react, her wrist was firmly grasped by a warm hand.
The force wasn’t strong, but it carried an undeniable control, gently pulling her towards the chair.
“Please sit down for a while.”
His deep voice, warm and gentle, had a slightly husky, magnetic quality when it reached my ear.
Lin Yuqiu’s cheeks flushed instantly. The sensation on her wrist felt like an electric current, rushing through her veins to her heart, causing her heartbeat to skip a beat before becoming completely disordered, thumping like a drum.
She turned her head to look at the man’s handsome figure as he walked out the door. He walked steadily, his shoulders and back were straight, and his whole body exuded the toughness that had been tempered in the military camp.
Every time he gets close, you can feel the intense, burning male hormones without even opening your eyes, making it hard to breathe.
She sat down in the chair, gently rubbed her slightly numb wrist, and then stroked her burning cheeks, feeling a surge of annoyance.
Not long after, the man and the cook came in together.
The cook placed a palm-sized cast iron charcoal stove in the center of the square table. Smokeless coal briquettes burned in the stove, and after the flames were lit, he placed a deep cast iron pot filled with hot soup on the stove. Soon, the hot soup in the pot was bubbling and gurgling.
To save time, the man first put sliced meat, offal, and other meats into a pot to cook thoroughly and infuse them with flavor. He filled a large pot to the brim, and on the shelf next to him were several bamboo baskets containing washed and chopped Chinese cabbage, white radish, and vermicelli.
The cook explained that the vegetables were freshly picked from the government’s vegetable garden, and the sweet potato noodles were homemade by the logistics department’s noodle workshop.
Lin Yuqiu was surprised that the man, as the leader of the group, would roll up his sleeves and cook.
At this moment, Xiao Liu also came in carrying a basin of hot water. “Comrade Lin, the hot water is here.” He also handed over some scented soap.
“Thanks.”
Lin Yuqiu got up to wash her hands and glimpsed the man stirring the hot soup with a ladle.
Seeing this, Xiao Liu grinned and leaned over to curry favor with the regimental commander: “Comrade Lin, you’ll understand when you follow our regimental commander with the army. Our regimental commander is capable on the battlefield and also in the kitchen.”
“The food and meat coupons I’ve been saving for months are finally coming in handy today.”
Lin Yuqiu’s gaze suddenly paused slightly, then she smiled and nodded at Xiao Liu, wiped her hands, and returned to her chair.
Her gaze fell on Zhou Runqing, who was picking up food from a bowl. She was momentarily immersed in the man’s meticulous care, but Xiao Liu’s words sounded an alarm in her heart.
Did Zhou Runqing want her to join the army after marriage?
Was the man marrying her only to repay a debt of gratitude, and merely as husband and wife in name only?
How could she take care of her mother while she was with the army?
Her mind was a mess, and her heart was a mess too.
Zhou Runqing first used serving chopsticks to pick up a whole bowl of tripe and sliced meat and placed it in front of her.
“How does it taste?”
After saying that, he pulled over a chair next to her and sat down.
Lin Yuqiu glanced at the man’s unabashed demeanor, then looked at the cafeteria cooks. None of them showed any unusual reaction, clearly indicating that they were aware of their relationship.
She lowered her head, picked up a slice of meat, and as soon as it touched her tongue, the savory aroma of the bone broth exploded, scalding her tongue until it went numb, yet she couldn’t bear to swallow it.
The aroma of such delicious meat seems like something from another world.
She hadn’t tasted this flavor in so long.
Since the accident at home, our food ration book has been confiscated. We can’t even buy rice or flour, let alone meat, which requires food coupons. We have to spend more money to beg the cooks in the canteen to leave us some vegetable porridge.
She doesn’t know how she got through those days.
The man probably thought she was burned, so he suddenly reached out, grabbed her chin and gently pried it open, while his fingertips lightly touched her soft lips, a sensation that was impossible to ignore.
She paused for half a second, blushed, and then belatedly realized that she didn’t feel the slightest bit displeased.
I could only feel that his fingers were very clean and smelled nice.
The scent of sandalwood soap.
Lin Yuqiu’s ears gradually felt hot, and then she heard the man’s deep voice say calmly, “Spit it out if it’s too hot.”
She looked up at the man’s serious and handsome features, as if she had misunderstood. She suppressed the strange tingling sensation on her lips, blushed, and spat it out, only to have it caught in the man’s palm. He didn’t show the slightest disgust on his face.
Zhou Runqing took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and then gently reminded him, “Eat slowly, don’t burn yourself.”
Lin Yuqiu responded and buried her head in eating meat, not caring about her table manners, as if she wanted to make up for the meat she had missed for half a month.
A huge pot of sliced meat and offal was almost entirely consumed by her.
Zhou Runqing barely ate a few bites before focusing on serving her food.
“She was born into a well-to-do family, but I never expected her to have such a big appetite.”
Lin Yuqiu’s face flushed again, this time from the embarrassment of being teased by a man.
She was indeed raised according to the rules by her family from a young age, but nowadays, there is no Miss Lin anymore.
Having been starving for half a month, they had no time to worry about manners.
She looked up at him and blurted out matter-of-factly, “Can’t you afford to support me?”
The corners of her eyes still carried a hint of spoiled arrogance, seemingly revealing her well-hidden temperament.
After she finished speaking, even she was stunned. Her tone was just like the spoiled and arrogant way she had been when her father and brothers were still alive.
Now that she has lost her backer, this bit of spoiled bratness should have been worn down, but she couldn’t hold back at all in front of him.
In a daze, she saw a mischievous smile on the man’s lips and realized what a joke she had made. She wished she could bite her tongue.
The man’s gaze fell unblindingly on her face, his eyes hooking at her like hooks: “Why can’t you afford to support me?”
The next sentence, again tinged with an arrogant and uncompromising spirit, goes: “I could afford to raise half a platoon.”
Lin Yuqiu’s ears were burning hot, and she hurriedly buried her head, wishing she could cover her ears and pretend she hadn’t heard anything.
Suddenly, a hushed conversation came from outside, clearly in a tone of indignation.
“Sister Shiwen, don’t worry, we won’t let that woman in.”
“You’ve been feeling unwell all night and haven’t eaten. Your mom and I will come with you to eat something.”
The next moment, an indignant voice rang out from the doorway: “Big brother! What are you doing here? Is this your fiancé whom you’ve been keeping from your family?”