The art troupe’s breakfast was considered the best in the entire military district. Other units had vegetable-filled steamed buns on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and salted vegetables with thin porridge on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
But the art troupe’s soldiers were luckier. Even on days with vegetable buns, they might still get one or two meat buns mixed in. On salted-vegetable days, they could still pick out a couple of tiny meat cubes.
And when Sunday came, the food improved even more. They rotated between mantou studded with rice grains, youtiao with soy milk, and clear soup noodles with shredded pork.
For many of the young women who grew up in the countryside, this was unimaginably good living.
But for someone like Wang Dongyun, raised like a pampered young lady, this was far from enough.
So she sat in a corner of the cafeteria, secretly opened the tin of malted milk her father sent, and didn’t even bother mixing it with water. She scooped a full spoon straight into her mouth, chewing it with a loud crunch. It was so luxurious that many people stared at her in shock.
When she saw Shi Man rubbing her sore neck, carrying her iron lunch box filled with breakfast, Wang Dongyun quickly waved. “Manman, over here.”
Shi Man walked over and yawned.
Last night she had spent the whole night under the blankets, reading the blue notebook with a flashlight. She stared until her eyes turned red. She went through it carefully from beginning to end and still didn’t find a single candidate who suited her.
Some seemed decent in personality and character, but their families were extremely poor, with a crowd of younger siblings waiting to be fed. Just thinking about it made her uneasy.
Others had good family backgrounds, but were too short or had personalities that didn’t appeal to her.
Wang Dongyun watched her with worry. She tore open a small packet of candied fruit and dropped it into Shi Man’s plain white porridge. “Manman, eat more of this. It’s really sweet.”
Several other female soldiers were seated at the same table. They were the type who usually called her “Dongyun this, Dongyun that”, clearly eyeing the precious snacks in her hands.
Now that they saw Wang Dongyun give the rare candied fruit only to Shi Man, they couldn’t help feeling jealous and chimed in excitedly. “Manman, hurry and eat. Don’t just stare at it. Doesn’t this taste way better than salted vegetables?”
Of course it tasted better. Their drool was practically dripping into Shi Man’s bowl.
Shi Man didn’t hog it for herself. She scooped out only a small bowlful for herself, then handed the rest back to Wang Dongyun so she could share it with the others.
“Manman, you’re only eating that little?” The others were overjoyed to get even a sip of the candied porridge. Their teeth felt sweet, and they slurped loudly. Even so, they did not forget to fuss over Shi Man. “You’ll definitely be hungry later when you start practicing.”
Shi Man propped her chin up, distressed. “My mind is occupied. I can’t eat.”
The female soldiers couldn’t understand why someone like her would have worries. “Manman, you’re so pretty. You have even more admirers than Captain Jiang used to. What could you possibly be stressed about?”
Everyone had seen the blue notebook Shi Man kept holding these days. Everything inside was a list of potential suitors. Many female soldiers were jealous enough to turn green.
The prettier ones among them had maybe two or three admirers at most, and sometimes those were far from ideal.
But Shi Man had dozens, all carefully selected by Sister Mei.
“Manman, if you’re struggling, we can help you pick.” The women at the table became enthusiastic.
“Yes yes, the leaders always say the masses have sharp eyes.” Wang Dongyun perked up too, eager to join in the fun.
Shi Man thought about it. Since it wasn’t practice time yet, she simply opened her nearly dog-eared blue notebook on the table.
“Let’s all look together. But listen, the names and information written here cannot be spread outside.” Shi Man reminded them.
“Of course. Anyone who leaks anything isn’t a good sister.”
“Dongyun won’t share her snacks with her either.”
“Yes.” Wang Dongyun nodded seriously, eyes shining as she studied the names in the blue notebook, even more earnestly than when choosing someone for herself.
But after a few minutes, all their heads huddled together fell silent. Their reaction was so obvious that even Yao Wenjing’s team nearby craned their necks to look.
Many people genuinely envied Shi Man. “Shi Man is really lucky. She’s beautiful, she dances so well, and I heard lots of cadre sons want to marry her.”
Only Yao Wenjing stared coldly, her eyes filled with disdain. After her recent embarrassment, she no longer bothered pretending. Her hostility toward Shi Man was obvious.
She simply couldn’t understand why, when she worked so much harder than that fragile, pampered Shi Man, and was far more dependable than that overly delicate girl, all the good things always fell to Shi Man. Why couldn’t anyone see her excellence?
…
After flipping through the notebook from cover to cover, Wang Dongyun and the others collectively sighed.
“They all seem pretty good.”
“But they all seem to be missing something…”
Not just them, Sister Mei had felt the same.
She was the one who compiled the notebook, but after writing everything down, even she didn’t know which man she should recommend to Shi Man first.
Suddenly, one of the girls slapped her forehead. “I know why it feels like this!”
Everyone looked at her.
She raised her head proudly. “Because no matter how you compare them… none of them are as good as Commander Ling!”
The entire group fell silent again.
It was true. Whenever they looked at the notebook, they unconsciously compared each candidate to Ling Zhen, the man Shi Man had turned down.
They kept thinking: If Shi Man even rejected Ling Zhen, then she must want someone even better than him.
But they simply couldn’t find anyone like that.
Since Wang Dongyun was closest to Shi Man, she gently suggested, “Manman, maybe you should give Commander Ling another chance…”
“Yes, he’s so tall and so handsome.”
“And he’s the youngest vice captain. He’ll definitely have a great future.”
“He’s the only child. If you marry him, you’d be mistress of the household. No elders above you. So comfortable.”
As the girls chattered on, Shi Man couldn’t possibly tell them about that frustrating dream.
Yes yes yes, Ling Zhen was good in every way. But she simply couldn’t get along with him, and that was not good.
Shi Man closed her eyes for a moment. When the others finally quieted down enough for her to speak, she immediately said, “Ling Zhen and I are not compatible.”
That shut everyone up. Silence fell again as they stared at the notebook, dizzy and overwhelmed.
When they saw Jiang Lanfang approaching from afar, probably to urge them to practice mat exercises, someone suddenly whispered to Shi Man, “Manman, no matter what, don’t turn out like Leader Jiang.”
Another girl quickly agreed. “Yes, Leader Jiang was too picky. She waited so long she never got married. All the men who used to pursue her are married now. Only she is still single.”
Jiang Lanfang had the most seniority in the first squad. She was twenty-one. In the eyes of these seventeen and eighteen-year-olds, she was already an old maid.
Shi Man hated the word “old”. She quickly closed the blue notebook and headed toward the practice hall with Wang Dongyun, whispering in her ear.
“Dongyun, I figured it out.”
She would just loosen her standards a bit.
As long as she avoided ending up like in that awful dream, anything was acceptable.
…
However, wanting to lower her standards was one thing. Actually being able to lower them enough to choose someone from these candidates was another.
Sister Mei asked if she had chosen someone and wanted to meet him first.
Shi Man simply couldn’t force herself. Even if she told herself to pick someone at random, she just couldn’t.
If she didn’t like them, then she didn’t like them. She couldn’t force or wrong herself.
Soon, it was Thursday, the weekly day for studying important documents.
It was the rare day when they didn’t have to rehearse. Everyone carried their small stools and sat neatly in the large rehearsal hall. No one dared whisper for fear of being criticized.
Because the person reading the documents was not from the art troupe, everyone had to maintain a good impression.
At exactly two thirty, a small car pulled up outside.
Everyone glanced over curiously. Instead of the old middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses and a wrinkled face who usually came, a tall, slender young man walked in.
He had delicate features, fair skin, and glasses with gold wire rims. They did not make him look old at all. Instead, they added a cultured, elegant air.
A cadre this young, arriving in a small car, immediately caught the attention of the sharp-eyed female soldiers.
Shi Man was still daydreaming with her cheek in her hand when Wang Dongyun nudged her with her elbow and whispered, “Manman, look. What do you think of him?”
“What do you mean what do I think?” Shi Man lifted her eyes lazily.
Only to meet his gaze directly.
He seemed to be looking right at her. When their eyes met, he even gave her a small, gentle smile.
Shi Man pretended not to notice. Growing up beautiful, she was used to attention and stayed perfectly calm. She withdrew her gaze as though nothing had happened, unlike the two excited girls sitting beside her, whose voices almost broke from excitement.
“He smiled at me.”
“No, at me.”
“Maybe he’s interested in me.”
“Let’s ask around about his background first. What if he’s just a pretty face?”
“Anyone who reads official documents is a full cadre. And he even came in a car.”
The two whispered over her head, and the entire rehearsal hall soon buzzed with quiet gossip.
The deputy commander who was receiving the guest cleared his throat and told everyone to be quiet before introducing him. “The previous comrade Wang who read the documents has retired. This is the new comrade, Dong Qingguo. Please welcome him.”
The art troupe clapped politely. The male soldiers were less enthusiastic, but the female soldiers were visibly cheerful.
The previous comrade Wang had been a rigid old academic. He read slowly, and even the creases on his face seemed to move slowly. Listening to him always made everyone sleepy.
This new cadre, however, was pleasant to look at. No one would feel tortured sitting here anymore.
After a brief introduction, Dong Qingguo began reading the documents.
He was indeed much better. His voice was soft but clear, his pronunciation standard, like a cultured radio announcer.
Whenever a section was difficult, he explained it in detail.
He was educated and articulate. Everyone understood the documents far better now.
When he finished, the female soldiers were reluctant to let him go and begged, “Read another one. Read another one!”
The deputy commander laughed, then forced himself to scold them. “What nonsense are you talking? Don’t embarrass us in front of Comrade Qingguo. This is not one of your performances. There is no such thing as read another one.”
Dong Qingguo pressed his lips together, smiling gently. “How about this? I can report to the leaders and see if we can change the weekly reading session to a daily one. It won’t take up much time, and besides improving professional skills, ideological learning is just as important.”
The deputy commander thought for a moment. “That’s fine. As long as the leaders and the comrades agree, I support it.”
All the female soldiers raised their hands in support. The male soldiers weren’t thrilled, but they didn’t oppose it. After all, sitting and listening was still easier than training.
Dong Qingguo kept a polite smile, his gaze sweeping lightly toward Shi Man.
She had caught his eye the moment he walked in. Among all the female soldiers, she was the most beautiful and striking. And she was the calmest. Those clear, slightly upturned eyes were lowered now, showing no particular interest in him.
Like a rose, both delicate and thorned, breathtakingly beautiful.
His suggestion to come every day wasn’t only because of the others’ enthusiasm.
He had his own selfish motive.
Having fallen in love with Shi Man at first sight, he simply wanted to see her every day.
….
Because they now needed to free up half an hour in the afternoon to listen to the documents, their mat exercises each morning were moved up by half an hour.
No one wanted to wake up early, so they could only eat breakfast faster to hurry over for practice.
The downside was obvious—they couldn’t eat too much.
But mat practice was truly exhausting. Even someone like Shi Man, who never used much strength and simply let Teacher Wu toss and guide her through each flip, felt completely drained after many rounds.
Often, a little after nine, once mat practice ended, many art troupe soldiers dragged their tired feet through the long corridor. Shi Man walked among them, her legs just as sore and weak.
Squad One was the face of the entire dance team—and even of the troupe—so they trained the hardest.
Fortunately, she and a few sisters had Wang Dongyun.
There was still a little time before the ten-o’clock large rehearsal, so the group would quietly slip into a small practice room off the corridor and share whatever food Wang Dongyun’s parents had sent her.
Sometimes it was a fresh meat mooncake from Shanghu’s Lao Da Fang. Sometimes it was pine-nut sausage from Tianfuhou in Jingbei. Sometimes it was a new pastry from the supply cooperative whose name no one knew.
Wang Dongyun was extremely generous. She often felt that eating alone was boring, so she liked calling her sisters to eat together.
Besides, the food couldn’t be kept for long, and her parents sent packages every few days. She simply couldn’t finish everything herself.
These treats became the biggest comfort in the girls’ exhausting daily practice—once their tongues were filled with delicious flavors, their hearts felt sweet as well.
Looking at Wang Dongyun’s round, smiling face, Shi Man couldn’t help recalling the dream in which Wang Dongyun had been hurt terribly by a man and jumped off a rooftop.
Suddenly, Wang Dongyun waved a hand in front of her. “Manman? Were you listening to me?”
“Mm?” Shi Man lifted her eyelids.
Wang Dongyun’s cheeks were a little red. She leaned closer and whispered softly in Shi Man’s ear, “I’m going on a blind date tomorrow. Come with me, okay?”
Shi Man’s heart tightened, and she instantly sobered up. She hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
“Okay,” she agreed decisively.
Of course she would. More than willingly.
She would absolutely hold on to her—and never let her fall into that fire pit again.