Shen Yu felt pleased hearing this, but her words showed no sign of yielding.
“Sounds nice, but you just want to get this piece of meat into your mouth sooner.”
Gu Huai’an didn’t deny it, chuckled, and pushed open the dormitory door.
As soon as Shen Yu entered the room, she placed the enamel basin printed with mandarin ducks playing in water on the shelf, then turned and sprawled on the bed, stretching her limbs.
After sitting in that awful vehicle all day, her bones ached.
Gu Huai’an didn’t treat Shen Yu as an outsider either. Upon entering, he took off his outer coat and hung it on the back of a chair, then bent down to pull out a kerosene stove covered in dust from under the bed.
He picked up a bag of fine noodles exchanged from a local villager and glanced back at Shen Yu, who was lying there like a corpse.
“Get up.”
Gu Huai’an kicked the bed leg. “Don’t act like you have no bones. Can you cook?”
Shen Yu didn’t move. “What if I say I can’t? Will you return me?”
In her previous life, she was a big boss busy earning U.S. dollars. Her three daily meals were either from high-end restaurants or takeout, and she had rarely stepped into a kitchen.
Here, faced with a kerosene stove that required poking and lighting, she figured the only thing she could do besides setting the house on fire was nothing.
Gu Huai’an weighed the bag of noodles in his hand, his eyebrows raised high.
“Returning you would be a bit troublesome, but I could just not feed you.”
He asked again, “Really can’t? Not at all?”
Which village girl didn’t grow up around a stove?
But Shen Yu was unapologetic. “Really can’t. I grew up eating from others’ homes—no one ever let me practice at their stove. But I know how to eat, and I’m not picky.”
Gu Huai’an stared at her shameless expression for a long moment, tossed the noodles onto the table, and laughed in exasperation.
“I really did marry a living ancestor.”
“If you regret it now, I’ll go cry to the political commissar,” Shen Yu said, still playing dead on the bed. “You cook. If you don’t, I’ll just starve.”
“Fine, Shen Yu, you’re something else.”
He shoved the kerosene stove back under the bed, picked up the aluminum lunchbox and a few meal tickets from the table, and waved his hand. “Let’s go, to the canteen.”
“To the canteen?” Shen Yu immediately sat up upon hearing there was ready-made food. “Do I need to change clothes?”
“Change what? Are you going to eat or to a beauty pageant?”
Gu Huai’an didn’t give her time to dawdle. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her out.
“But I need to comb my hair too!”
“Leave it messy. No one’s looking at you. Does a starving ghost need to pick an auspicious hour?”
…
It was mealtime, and the garrison canteen was packed with people.
As soon as Gu Huai’an appeared, the lively canteen fell silent for two seconds before erupting again.
Mainly because the white figure beside him was too eye-catching.
Amid a room full of gray, blue, and green, Shen Yu stood out like a white peony blooming among thorns.
Was this the “fox spirit” that Commander Gu had taken directly to his dormitory?
A young soldier carrying a tray couldn’t take his eyes off Shen Yu and tripped over a bench.
Crash!
Half a tray of potato and cabbage stew, along with its broth, flew out, nearly splashing all over Shen Yu.
“Watch your step!”
Gu Huai’an reacted quickly, wrapping his arm around Shen Yu’s waist and pulling her two steps back into his embrace. A puddle of oily broth just missed her pant leg and splattered on the ground.
He shot a cold glance over. “Eyes on the top of your head? Can’t even hold a tray steady. What were you thinking?”
The young soldier’s face flushed bright red. He stood at attention and saluted. “Regimental… Regimental Commander! Sister-in-law!”
Shen Yu saw the young soldier trembling with fear and reached out to pat Gu Huai'an's arm. "Don't be so harsh, you'll scare him."
"If he doesn't even have that much courage, he'll just be cannon fodder on the battlefield," Gu Huai'an didn't relent, scolding him further. "Hurry up and clean this mess!"
"Yes, sir! Right away!"
The young soldier crouched down to pick up the plates, fumbling in a panic.
Gu Huai'an released his grip and gave Shen Yu a gentle push on the back with his large hand, guiding her toward the canteen line.
He ordered stir-fried greens and potato with sliced pork, along with several mixed-grain steamed buns, piling them high into a lunchbox without a care for whether Shen Yu could finish it all.
In his mind, this woman was too thin—bony to the touch.
As soon as they found a seat, a snide chuckle came from the side.
"I thought Commander Gu would be cooking at home today. What brings you to the canteen to make do?"
The speaker was a middle-aged woman, Sun Caiyun, the wife of the third battalion commander, who loved playing matchmaker.
Not long ago, she had tried to set Gu Huai'an up with her niece, only to be bluntly rejected with a "not interested." She’d been holding a grudge ever since, with no outlet for her frustration.
Sun Caiyun sized up Shen Yu, her eyes lingering on the dacron white blouse for several moments, her lips pursed as if they could hang an oil bottle.
"This sister dresses quite fashionably, but she doesn’t look like someone who knows how to manage a household. Wouldn’t a blouse like that get torn up working in the fields? We military families don’t go for that bourgeois style."
Shen Yu was just about to put a slice of meat into her mouth when she paused at the remark.
She hadn’t wanted to stir up trouble on her first day, but when someone was already stepping on her neck, holding back wasn’t in her nature.
She placed the meat into Gu Huai'an's bowl and smiled sweetly at Sun Caiyun.
"Sister-in-law is right, but I’m just lucky, what can I do? I wanted to work in the fields too, but my Huai'an won’t let me."
Sun Caiyun choked. "Won’t let you?"
"That’s right. He says his subsidy allowance is enough to support an idle person like me, and he can’t bear to see me suffer."
Shen Yu shook her head with feigned distress and sighed. "He says he likes me just the way I am, claims it helps him enjoy his meals. Isn’t that right?"
Under the table, she kicked Gu Huai'an.
Gu Huai'an, who had been chewing a large mouthful of steamed bun, nearly choked from the kick.
He swallowed his food and picked up the fatty piece of meat Shen Yu had given him, placing it back into her bowl.
"Eat your food. No need for all that talk."
"Say something," Shen Yu insisted, kicking him again. "If you don’t make it clear, sister-in-law might think I’m being unreasonable."
Gu Huai'an had no choice. He looked up at Sun Caiyun.
"Sister-in-law, if you think the canteen food isn’t good enough, you’re free to cook at home. What my wife wears is my business. Even if she wore a sack, as long as I like looking at her, that’s all that matters. What, do I need to report how I spend my money to you?"
Sun Caiyun hadn’t expected Gu Huai'an to be so blunt, rebuffing her in front of everyone.
"I didn’t mean anything by it, just a reminder to be mindful of appearances."
Gu Huai'an slammed his chopsticks on the table, startling Sun Caiyun.
"I’m here eating with my lawful wife. What appearances do I need to mind? Does it require a family quarters vote? If you’re that bored, worry more about the third battalion commander’s training results."
Sun Caiyun’s face flushed with embarrassment. She shoveled a few bites of food into her mouth, picked up her lunchbox, and left.
Watching her retreating figure, Shen Yu winked at Gu Huai'an. "Not bad, Commander Gu. Quite the authority."
"Can’t even eating keep your mouth shut?"
Gu Huai'an pushed the lunchbox toward her. "Hurry up and eat. It's all lean meat—won't you choke on it?"
While scolding her, he picked out all the lean meat from his own lunchbox and placed it into Shen Yu's bowl, then quickly swallowed the fatty bits and vegetable broth mixed with steamed buns.
Shen Yu didn't stand on ceremony with him either, not showing the slightest bit of politeness as she ate everything herself.
After the meal, it had grown dark outside.
The two walked side by side back to the dormitory.
Shen Yu had eaten too much and walked slowly, but Gu Huai'an didn't rush her. Instead, he held a cigarette between his lips, swaying along in step with her.
When they reached the dormitory door, Shen Yu suddenly stopped.
She pointed inside. "How are we sleeping tonight?"
Last night had been chaotic, with everything happening so suddenly that they hadn't given it much thought.
But if they slept in the same room again tonight, the situation would be entirely different.
The report had been approved. Although they hadn't officially registered their marriage yet, they were practically half-legally husband and wife.
Before Shen Yu had crossed over, she had been too busy with business to even think about dating. While she was a master at witty banter, when it came to actually sharing a bed, she felt a little nervous.
Gu Huai'an pushed the door open, pulled the light cord, and the lightbulb flickered to life with a sizzle.
He took off his hat and hung it on the wall, then turned around, his gaze deep and intense as he stared at Shen Yu.
"What do you think?"
He took a step forward, trapping Shen Yu between the door and his chest. "You've already called me 'husband,' eaten my meat, and now you want to sleep in separate beds?"
Shen Yu leaned back against the door, blinking. "But we haven't registered yet. Shouldn't we follow the rules?"
Gu Huai'an snorted. "In my house, once you step through my door and into my bed, that's the rule."
He lowered his head, his hand resting on the small of her back, applying a bit of pressure to pull her closer.
"Last night, I slept on the floor because I pitied you for being new here. But tonight…"
Shen Yu nervously swallowed, unsure whether to push him away or hug him.
"What about tonight?"
Was it starting already?
She hadn't even prepared her… well, not that kind of preparation—she hadn't mentally prepared herself yet!
Seeing her conflicted expression, a mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Gu Huai'an's mouth.
He raised a finger and flicked her forehead hard.
"Tonight, you sleep on the floor."
Shen Yu covered her forehead. "…"