Wang Dongyun was quite timid, having been sheltered her entire life like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, meticulously cared for by her parents.
Even after joining the art troupe, her only concern was dancing; she never had to worry about food, clothing, or housing.
The only times she’d ever cried were when she injured herself during practice.
Like a young girl living in an ivory tower, she had never seen the dark side of the world. Even when Jiang Lanfang refused to let her perform on stage, she always assumed it was out of concern for her well-being.
If Shi Man hadn’t experienced those dreams, she would have been just like Wang Dongyun—spoiled, detached from reality, and completely unaware of how close “evil” could be.
Fortunately, Shi Man could now easily distinguish between good and evil, and see through people’s two-faced pretenses.
Her courage had gradually grown after marrying Ling Zhen in the dream realm.
If she wasn’t afraid of his fierce, beast-deterring glare, what else could possibly frighten her?
Moreover, even though Ling Zhen and she couldn’t get along in her nightmares, he would never allow anyone to mistreat her.
Her willful, picky nature often landed her in trouble, initially causing her panic, as if she had committed some great offense.
But over time, she realized that no matter what she did, Ling Zhen would always be there to cover for her and clean up the mess, gradually boosting her confidence.
By the end, she had become Shi Man, fearless and unafraid of anything.
Upon waking, the vivid memories and experiences from her dreams seemed to have subtly altered her personality.
Before her nightmare, Shi Man had been merely willful, all bravado and little substance. Now, she was utterly unbridled and indulgent.
Shi Man took Wang Dongyun’s hand. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Wang Dongyun was genuinely nervous; her palms were sweaty. She pulled out two chocolates from her pocket and secretly handed one to Shi Man. “Just for you,” she whispered.
She always gave Shi Man her most treasured treats, like these imported chocolates wrapped in colorful foil, so small and pretty. They were rare and hard to get, even with foreign exchange certificates.
But Wang Dongyun had been holding them so long that the chocolate was starting to melt. Unaware that Shi Man had eaten many chocolates in her dream, she warned, “It’ll taste bitter at first, but soon it’ll be sweet and fragrant.”
Shi Man unwrapped one, popped it into her mouth, and chewed twice before raising an eyebrow. “Really? I think it’s been bitter the whole time. Want to try? It won’t spoil, right?”
“Huh?” Wang Dongyun, flustered, bit into the chocolate Shi Man had unwrapped. After savoring the taste, she exclaimed, “This is how it used to taste!”
Shi Man grinned. Wang Dongyun realized she’d been tricked into eating it!
Wang Dongyun wanted to give Shi Man all her best treats, but Shi Man refused to enjoy them alone. She preferred sharing.
This was the true friendship Shi Man had finally begun to understand after waking from her nightmare.
***
Sunday arrived quickly.
The art troupe gave everyone a half-day off—no rehearsals, no studies, just free time.
Wang Dongyun dressed up carefully, following Shi Man’s advice: a polka-dot dress that showed off her waist, red pointy-toed heels, and a parasol. She looked very fashionable.
Since it was Wang Dongyun’s blind date, Shi Man deliberately dressed inconspicuously in her regular army uniform and cloth shoes.
But her slender waist and the way the green uniform made her skin look so fair meant she still stood out, no matter how understated she tried to be. As they walked down the road, many soldiers glanced at them, and after they passed, they whispered among themselves, trying to find out who the women were.
Shi Man tilted her chin, ignoring the stares. Linking arms with Wang Dongyun, she asked about the blind date. But Wang Dongyun, flustered by nerves, hadn’t listened carefully to the details.
All she knew was that the man had seen her and specifically asked Sister Mei to arrange the match. Sister Mei had checked him out and thought he was a good match, so she agreed to talk to Wang Dongyun.
Wang Dongyun hadn’t had much contact with men before. There weren’t many soldiers trying to win her over, let alone asking a matchmaker, so she was a bit overwhelmed and flattered.
Shi Man, frustrated with Wang Dongyun’s impulsiveness, scolded her, “You didn’t even ask what kind of guy he is before agreeing to meet him!”
Wang Dongyun replied sheepishly, “Sister Mei gave him the thumbs-up.”
Shi Man didn’t know what to say.
Sister Mei was a good person—kind, warm-hearted, and thorough in her matchmaking. She always made sure to learn everything about both parties.
But how do you explain it?
Some personalities just don’t mesh, and it’s hard to predict.
Or maybe Sister Mei had been fooled by a slick, deceptive man who hid his true colors well.
So, Shi Man warned Wang Dongyun to keep her eyes wide open and take her time getting to know him.
Wang Dongyun nodded solemnly, clinging to Shi Man’s arm. “Manman, you always know what to do. I’ll follow your advice.”
They soon arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place: a small, crowded restaurant called Fragrant Arrival.
It was lunchtime, and the place was packed. But as soon as Shi Man and Wang Dongyun walked in, the two pretty young women seemed to light up the cramped, crowded space. Many diners forgot to eat, staring at them in awe, unable to look away.
Shi Man wrinkled her nose slightly and led Wang Dongyun to a small, empty table in the corner.
Wang Dongyun took out her handkerchief and carefully wiped the tabletop. They rarely ate at these dingy little diners.
Before long, the man she was supposed to meet for her blind date arrived.
Sister Mei had told Wang Dongyun to wear a red silk flower on her wrist, while the man would carry a travel alarm clock.
Sure enough, he walked in, the alarm clock jingling, arriving right on time. As the alarm rang, he sat down.
Shi Man glanced at him, and she and Wang Dongyun exclaimed in unison, “Zhao Wen?”
Who would have guessed it was Zhao Wen, the mailman who delivered their letters every day?
He grinned brightly, settled into his seat, and began arranging his chopsticks as he asked, “You didn’t know it was me?”
Wang Dongyun knew her blind date was named Zhao Wen, but she never imagined it was the Zhao Wen they knew.
After all, the name was so common; even their art troupe had two Zhao Wens, so she hadn’t connected him with the mailman at all.
Now that she thought about it, Sister Mei had mentioned it earlier:
“Little Zhao is a mailman, a state-employed job! How wonderful! He looks so dashing in his uniform, riding his Phoenix brand bicycle through every street and alley. So many people envy him!”
“And Little Zhao’s family isn’t bad either. His dad leads the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and his mom heads the Women’s Federation. It’s not as fancy as your family, but he’s still one of the better catches around here!”
Wang Dongyun was so dizzy at the time that she barely heard what Sister Mei was saying.
Now, she lowered her head in embarrassment when she saw Zhao Wen carefully rinse the chopsticks in his teacup and hand them over. “I know you two like things clean, so I washed the chopsticks for you. Now you can eat without worry.”
Wang Dongyun’s heart stirred. She hadn’t expected Zhao Wen to be so gentle and thoughtful. No boy had ever treated her with such care before.
Shi Man, however, snorted and snapped, “We might as well have gone to a cleaner, more spacious state-owned restaurant.”
Zhao Wen remained unfazed, his lips curving into a smile. “You’ll see why I brought you here soon enough.”
Before long, a plate of pork rib and glutinous rice cakes arrived. The sticky-soft rice cakes and crispy-fried pork ribs were golden-brown and served with a light, fragrant soy sauce broth for dipping.
Zhao Wen eagerly introduced the dish. “This place is famous for its pork rib and rice cakes. I bet you’ll both love it…”
Zhao Wen openly shared his reasons for being attracted to Wang Dongyun.
He’d noticed during meal deliveries that Wang Dongyun received the most diverse and plentiful food packages.
Whenever she ate, she chewed with evident satisfaction, her cheeks puffing out as she closed her eyes to savor each bite. Just watching her enjoy her meals made him feel happy.
That’s why he wanted to share his favorite dish with her, and he hoped that someday they could share meals together every day.
Wang Dongyun was genuinely touched by the warm rice cakes and Zhao Wen’s heartfelt words. Her eyes welled up with warmth, her cheeks still stuffed with the rice cakes.
If Shi Man hadn’t tugged on her sleeve, she might have agreed to date Zhao Wen right then and there.
After the meal, Shi Man made up an excuse and hurried Wang Dongyun away, not giving them a chance to talk any longer.
Wang Dongyun didn’t suspect anything. Back in the courtyard, her close friends swarmed her, eager for gossip. “So, how did your date go, Dongyun?”
“It went well,” Wang Dongyun replied, even more bashful than before. Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded dazedly. “He’s a really nice person.”
Her friends grew even more curious. “What does he look like? Is he tall? What does his family do?”
Wang Dongyun couldn’t hold back any longer and blurted out, “You all know him—it’s Zhao Wen.”
The teasing sisters erupted into even greater excitement. “Zhao Wen’s a great guy!” they exclaimed. “He’s handsome, tall, and muscular, and I’ve heard his family’s quite well-off too.”
“Manman, you were there too, right? What do you think of him?”
Shi Man frowned slightly. Zhao Wen hadn’t done anything wrong during their outing, but he talked too much and seemed overly attentive and eager to please.
As the saying goes, “Unsolicited flattery hides ulterior motives.”
Shi Man had an inexplicable dislike for Zhao Wen. Even though she couldn’t yet confirm he was the one who broke Wang Dongyun’s heart and drove her to suicide in her dream, she had a strong feeling he was up to no good.
But everything required evidence. If Shi Man simply badmouthed Zhao Wen without any proof, she’d come across as biased and irrational.
Therefore, she could only advise Wang Dongyun, “Get to know him better before making any decisions.”
“Okay,” Wang Dongyun nodded shyly.
***
Soon, another noteworthy event occurred.
That evening, Sister Mei knocked on the door.
First, she asked Wang Dongyun how her blind date had gone, nodding approvingly at the response. Then, she turned to Shi Man and beckoned, “Xiao Man, come outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with you.”
The female soldiers lounging on the communal bunk, chatting or resting, couldn’t help but feel envious at Sister Mei’s tone.
Looks like another good match is being arranged for Shi Man!
As soon as Shi Man lifted the mosquito net and stepped outside, the others couldn’t resist creeping over to the only window to eavesdrop.
“Xiao Man,” Sister Mei began, “what do you think of Dong Qingguo? He’s been coming to your regiment every day to read documents.”
“He asked me to be his matchmaker, so I’m here to see if you’re interested. If you don’t mind, you could meet him tomorrow for tea. It would be a chance to get to know him better.”
Sister Mei sang Dong Qingguo’s praises. “He’s a wonderful young man! I’ve made inquiries. His parents are government officials, his family is well-off and has a clean reputation, and he’s their only son—their sole heir.”
Before Shi Man could answer, the female soldiers inside were practically leaping out to say yes for her.
Dong Qingguo is such a great catch!
They’d all gotten to know him well during his daily visits to read documents. His looks and character were impeccable, and he reportedly excelled at his work—his articles were frequently published in the newspapers.
Envy filled the room as they, like Sister Mei, eagerly awaited Shi Man’s nod of approval.