Huo Tingchen shook his head.
“No. Everything went smoothly. I just got back from out of town and was on my way to the regimental headquarters to report on the mission.”
Qin Ruofeng smiled.
“That’s good to hear. I actually wanted to ask you something. Are you free tonight? Come over to my place for dinner. My Ruanruan can show off her cooking—she’s an excellent cook.”
Huo Tingchen paused in surprise. He hadn’t expected Qin Ruofeng to suddenly invite him over for dinner.
Still, the two of them were on good terms, so it would have been awkward to refuse.
“Sure. Thanks for inviting me.”
Qin Ruofeng laughed.
“Don’t mention it. We’re practically family. Come by at six o’clock tonight. I’ll be waiting.”
“Alright, Regiment Commander Qin.”
Huo Tingchen gave him another salute before turning and continuing toward the regimental headquarters.
At noon, Qin Ruofeng returned home from work. The moment he walked through the gate, he called out,
“Ruanruan! Ruanruan!”
Qin Ruan was planting vegetables in the yard. Hearing his voice, she quickly set down her hoe and ran over.
“Uncle, what’s wrong?”
Qin Ruofeng grinned.
“I’ve got good news. Huo Tingchen is coming over for dinner tonight! You’ll have to show him what you can do and cook something delicious.”
Qin Ruan looked surprised.
“Huo Tingchen? Wasn’t he away on a mission? When did he get back?”
“He just returned,” Qin Ruofeng replied. “I ran into him outside the gate this morning while he was heading to headquarters to report. I invited him over for dinner tonight, and he accepted.”
Qin Ruan immediately grew nervous.
She still hadn’t figured out how she was supposed to face Huo Tingchen.
She hadn’t expected to meet him so soon.
“But… I don’t even know what he likes to eat,” she said hesitantly.
Qin Ruofeng replied,
“He’s from northern China. He likes wheat-based dishes and braised pork. Just cook those, stir-fry a few vegetables, make a soup, and that’ll be enough.”
Qin Ruan nodded.
“Alright. I understand. I’ll start preparing now.”
Just then, Shen Jianing came out of the house.
“Ruanruan, I’ll help you. Let’s go to the market, buy some vegetables, and get a few pounds of flour. Tonight we’ll make hand-pulled noodles for Regiment Commander Huo.”
Qin Ruan smiled.
“Sounds good, Sister Jianing. Let’s go together.”
Carrying their shopping baskets, Qin Ruan and Shen Jianing headed to the market near the military family compound.
The market was bustling with people.
Vendors shouted to advertise their goods while customers bargained noisily.
“Fresh vegetables! Just picked from the fields!”
“Fresh pork! Only one yuan a jin!”
Looking around at the lively scene, Qin Ruan felt a warm sense of familiarity.
It reminded her of the markets she used to visit in her modern life.
Back then, the markets had been even busier, with far more varieties of produce.
“Ruanruan, look at this pork! It’s so fresh. Let’s buy a few pounds and make braised pork,” Shen Jianing suggested, pointing toward one of the stalls.
Qin Ruan walked over and pressed lightly on the meat.
It really was fresh.
“Alright. Let’s get five jin. We’ll make plenty for dinner.”
The stall owner, a middle-aged man, smiled when he heard her.
“Sure thing! Five jin of pork. Five yuan.”
Qin Ruan paid him, and the vendor chopped the pork into smaller pieces before placing it into a bag and handing it to her.
Afterward, they bought vegetables, tomatoes, eggs, flour, and various seasonings, filling their basket to the brim.
“That should be enough. Let’s head home,” Shen Jianing said, lifting the basket.
Qin Ruan nodded.
“Alright. As soon as we get back, I’ll start cooking.”
The afternoon sun blazed overhead at three o’clock.
Standing in front of the stove, Qin Ruan absentmindedly stirred the rock sugar in the wok with her spatula, watching it slowly melt into amber-colored caramel in the hot oil.
But her thoughts were as tangled as the syrup itself.
“Ugh… I shouldn’t have agreed to this,” Qin Ruan muttered to herself as she poured the sliced pork belly into the caramelized sugar syrup, silently regretting her decision.
Deep down, she had always resisted the idea of a blind date. But her grandmother and youngest uncle had pleaded with her so persistently that she finally relented, telling herself she’d simply be meeting a new friend.
The pork sizzled loudly in the wok, filling the kitchen with a rich, savory aroma, yet Qin Ruan couldn’t bring herself to feel excited.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to the very first day she had transmigrated—to what had happened between her and that man.
Just remembering it made her heart race and her cheeks flush. The man’s face and physique had simply been too perfect.
Qin Ruan shook her head, trying to chase those distracting thoughts away. But the harder she tried, the more vividly those memories replayed in her mind.
She grabbed the bottle of soy sauce and poured some into the wok. Her hand trembled slightly, and she accidentally poured in far too much. Instantly, the braised pork turned an unappetizing dark color.
“Oh no!” Qin Ruan quickly picked up the spatula and tried to stir the meat, but it was too late. The pork had become much darker than it should have been, and it looked far from appetizing.
Shen Jianing walked into the kitchen carrying a basket of freshly washed vegetables. Seeing Qin Ruan’s distressed expression, she smiled.
“What’s wrong, Ruanruan? Did you burn the food?”
Looking at the dark braised pork in the wok, Qin Ruan said sheepishly, “No… I just poured in too much soy sauce. Now the meat looks terrible.”
Shen Jianing stepped over to take a look before smiling reassuringly.
“It’s fine. Even if you added too much soy sauce, it should still taste good. Besides, Commander Huo isn’t the kind of person who fusses over appearances. He won’t mind something like this.”
Qin Ruan nodded, though she still couldn’t shake her anxiety.
“Sister Jianing… what’s Commander Huo like?” she asked hesitantly.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Jianing replied, “Commander Huo? He’s a very upright man and treats his subordinates well. He’s just a bit serious and doesn’t talk much. But he’s extremely capable. Becoming a regiment commander at such a young age says a lot about his future.”
That only made Qin Ruan even more nervous.
“I’m starting to regret agreeing to Grandma,” she murmured.
Shen Jianing looked at her in surprise.
“Why? Commander Huo is such a wonderful man. It’s hard to find someone like him.”
Lowering her head, Qin Ruan spoke so softly it was almost a whisper.
“I… I just don’t think we’re suitable for each other.”
Shen Jianing smiled.
“You haven’t even met him yet. How can you already know you’re not a good match? Maybe the two of you are perfectly suited. Besides, your grandmother and your uncle only want what’s best for you. Just treat it as meeting a new friend. Who knows? You might be pleasantly surprised.”
Qin Ruan didn’t answer. She simply continued stirring the food in silence.
She knew Shen Jianing was right.
But no matter what, she just couldn’t get over the hurdle in her heart.
She had already lost her virginity on that tea mountain. How could she possibly go on a blind date now?
Besides, in her hazy memories, she clearly remembered the man saying that he would come back to find her.
Now she was in a mountain city thousands of miles away from her hometown.
How were they ever supposed to meet again?
Before Qin Ruan could think any further, Shen Jianing called for her to help carry the dishes outside.
Qin Ruan sat quietly in the living room with a book in her hands, but she couldn’t focus on a single word.
Her heart hung suspended between anticipation and nervousness.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound at the door instantly made her heartbeat quicken.
“Coming, coming!” Qin Ruofeng hurried over and opened the door.
The door swung open.
Huo Tingchen stood outside in a neatly pressed military uniform. He was tall and straight-backed, with strikingly handsome features. His expression was calm and serious, giving him an imposing presence.
“Commander Qin, sorry to disturb you,” Huo Tingchen said with a smile.
Qin Ruofeng waved his hand dismissively.
“What do you mean ‘disturb’? We’re all family here. Come on in.”