Tuesday was a busy day.
Early in the morning they had drills, then moved dormitories in the late morning, and spent the afternoon organizing their internal housekeeping.
Because after the selection, all the new art soldiers had officially become members of various performance teams and sub-units, with defined artistic directions, the leaders arranged for the dormitory assignments to be re-divided.
Members of the same team would live together to build camaraderie and strengthen unity when performing.
Dorm rooms for three people were originally a perk given to new art soldiers, but now had to be taken back.
Shi Man and Yao Wenjing moved to the dormitory area assigned to the Dance Troupe. It was an independent courtyard with exactly five rooms—one for each dance sub-team, with a dozen people in each room, all sleeping on shared platforms.
This courtyard wasn’t far from the red building barracks. It was separated from the lodging areas of the other teams and was an old structure from the previous century that had been renovated. It was antique in style, bright, and very clean.
The troupe had considered that dancers often injured their knees and ankles during practice, so they intentionally arranged housing here so they wouldn’t have to climb stairs. It was very thoughtful.
The courtyard was spacious. On the right-side wall stood a few iron poles where they could practice stretching or tumbling when they had spare time.
On the left-side wall was an old grape trellis. In summer it became a wave of green shade. It was said that once the grapes grew in clusters—round and plump—they would pick them and chill them in the deep well at the center of the courtyard. Cold and sweet, indescribably refreshing. Because of this, none of the leaders ever allowed the trellis to be removed.
Shi Man moved into the First Sub-team’s room. Though a bit crowded, the First Sub-team was the best within the Dance Troupe, so naturally they got the best room.
The main house of the courtyard ran north-south and was warm in the winter and cool in the summer—quite comfortable to live in.
Yao Wenjing also moved over, but compared to Shi Man, she was extremely depressed.
Squad five was always at the bottom of the rankings, and their assigned room was the worst—the back house. Damp and cold, hardly seeing a ray of sunlight the entire day, low-roofed and oppressive.
With different moods, the two moved into their separate rooms. Meanwhile Liu Tao moved to the Song Troupe dormitory. After living together for more than a month, the three roommates had now gone their separate ways.
While everyone was tidying their belongings, Shi Man suddenly heard a loud, energetic shout from the courtyard—
“Mail call!”
The other girls in the room immediately ran out in excitement. The mail carrier had arrived!
Shi Man also stepped into the courtyard. Judging by the time, she should also be receiving a letter from her parents.
The mail carrier was a young man who had just started working. His name was Zhao Wen. He looked gentle and proper, and the green uniform made him appear spirited. A large bag slung over his shoulder was filled with piles of letters like falling snow.
He also carried several nylon nets, woven sacks, and plastic buckets—all kinds of containers for various items sent from home to the female soldiers.
Technically speaking, Zhao Wen was only supposed to deliver letters. Parcels sent by families were only mailed to the post office and the soldiers were supposed to pick them up themselves.
But the girls worked very hard practicing every day—their legs were sore and they didn’t have much strength—so Zhao Wen kindly helped bring the parcels to them. Sometimes he received candies or pastries in return, or simply grateful compliments, all of which he considered lovely gifts.
At this moment, several girls had already gathered around him in delight. Yao Wenjing was among them.
Her family background was good. Her parents were factory workers in a steel plant, and her father had recently been promoted to deputy factory director.
She was their only daughter, so they doted on her, sending her food and daily necessities every week.
Yao Wenjing still remembered the first time she received a parcel from her parents—several of the new art soldiers had stared in envy, their eyes practically falling out. She enjoyed that attention immensely.
Now she carried her heavy nylon bag as several girls from the First Sub-team sent admiring looks her way. The gloom that had weighed on her earlier instantly dissipated.
Especially when she saw Shi Man standing not far away holding only a thin envelope, Yao Wenjing felt even more smug.
Yao Wenjing shook her nylon bag and took out its contents, deliberately showing them off.
A bar of high-grade soap, a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and a small can of tangerines in syrup.
Not much, but enough to make others envious.
Just the canned fruit alone was precious—many girls from rural areas had never even seen it. Yao Wenjing claimed she ate it often and was almost tired of it.
But she didn’t open the can to share. Instead she grabbed a handful of chestnuts and generously distributed them to the girls in the courtyard—anyone who saw got two pieces. Enough to savor throughout the night.
Yao Wenjing was pleased with herself.
Everyone secretly compared things. Who received parcels frequently, what the items were, whose family was better off.
And right now, her family’s wealth clearly beat everyone else’s.
Approaching Shi Man, Yao Wenjing pretended to be considerate and offered her roasted chestnuts. “Manman, I’ll give you a few extra. Your parents are in such a harsh place—they probably can’t spare much for you.”
Shi Man remembered this exact scene from the dream.
Back then she didn’t think much of it. She thought Yao Wenjing genuinely cared for her, treated her as a close friend. Only after living through her tragic fate did she realize Yao Wenjing’s words were always subtly belittling her.
Now, she returned the favor in kind.
“You should keep them for yourself. Your parents live far away, and your three older brothers still need to get married. It can’t be easy for them to send you things. It’s probably not even enough for you alone.”
Yao Wenjing froze, embarrassed, holding the handful of chestnuts that suddenly felt pitifully few.
“Not enough? Then eat mine?” a voice suddenly chimed in. A hand appeared, offering a full bag of pear-syrup candies.
The person clearly didn’t understand the sarcasm and only took the words literally.
…This made Yao Wenjing even more embarrassed.
These were pear-syrup candies! Something you couldn’t even buy on the streets! This instantly overshadowed her roasted chestnuts.
The other girls immediately crowded over in delight.
“I want some, I want some! Dongyun, give me two!”
“I want three! Dongyun, can I have three?”
The female soldiers adored Wang Dongyun—she was generous, soft-tempered, and easy to talk to.
Shi Man remembered her from the dream as well. Much later, she learned that Wang Dongyun was actually the daughter of a high-ranking Navy commander who oversaw an entire fleet—extremely impressive.
But Wang Dongyun was very low-key. Even though her family sent her so many good things, she never mentioned their background.
Later, she married and left the art troupe, and Shi Man assumed she would live a happy life forever. But a few years later, news came that she had jumped off the rooftop of the Army Hospital…
“Do you want some too?” Wang Dongyun leaned over, interrupting Shi Man’s thoughts, holding out the rest of her pear-syrup candies with big bright eyes.
Shi Man came back to herself, looking at the round-faced girl in front of her—spoiled since childhood, untouched by hardship, eyes clear, bright, and innocent, just like the soft pear candy in her hand.
“Okay.” Shi Man accepted the candy. Feeling Wang Dongyun’s friendliness and warmth toward her, she pressed her lips together, unwrapped the thin yellow paper, and put a piece into her mouth.
In the dream, she had been eating the roasted chestnuts Yao Wenjing “kindly” gave her. And Wang Dongyun hadn’t handed out the pear candy at that moment.
Now, Shi Man felt she had broken the dream’s trajectory once again.
She couldn’t help but smile, like the candy had sweetened her heart.
Yao Wenjing quietly watched Shi Man’s smile from afar, then ran behind the courtyard wall. In two or three furious bites, she finished the entire can of tangerines in syrup, then smashed the glass jar onto the ground, shattering it into pieces that reflected her enraged expression.
Not only was her family’s wealth utterly overshadowed by Wang Dongyun’s—
She also couldn’t understand how Shi Man had suddenly changed. So different from before, so infuriating.
…
On the other side, Shi Man and Wang Dongyun quickly became good friends—thanks to a single piece of pear candy.
Girls’ friendships could form wonderfully fast like that.
Arm in arm, they returned to the room. Wang Dongyun sat down to sort through the snacks her father had sent, while Shi Man opened her parents’ letter.
Shi Man had grown up in a wealthy home too.
But half a year ago, her parents, both highly educated intellectuals, had gone to the most remote and difficult frontier region to assist with development. They had taken her younger sister with them, leaving Shi Man alone in Jingbei.
She kept frequent contact with her parents through letters. They always wrote in a relaxed tone, using poetic language to describe how clear the sky was and how free the wind felt, as if life there were blissful. They never wrote about their hardships.
Only after that nightmare did Shi Man realize the truth—her parents were struggling terribly. They did heavy labor, had little to eat, and the family was malnourished. They didn’t even dare eat a single egg.
Later, her younger sister was kidnapped. Her parents fell into crushing guilt and both became ill.
There was no proper clinic, and medicines were scarce. Their illness simply never got better.
And all this, they never wrote.
Until one winter day in 1977, when the first snowfall fell, Shi Man suddenly received the news of their deaths.
That bone-deep cold—she remembered it vividly even after waking. The heartbreak was unbearable.
They had such pride as intellectuals. They refused to admit their suffering—especially when Shi Man constantly complained in her letters about her marriage with Ling Zhen. They probably didn’t want to burden her.
Shi Man stared at her father’s handwriting on the letter, less firm and vigorous than before, a stinging sensation rising in her nose.
No matter what, she resolved, I won’t let the nightmare about my family come true.
In the letter, her parents had each written a separate section.
Her father asked about her experiences working at the art troupe, urging her to unite with her comrades and strive for progress.
Her mother inquired about her relationship with Ling Zhen, expressing concern about his character and personality.
During her last letter home, Shi Man had eagerly bragged to her parents about her arranged meeting with Ling Zhen, feeling proud at the time. Now, she regretted it so much that she wrinkled her nose in frustration.
After carefully considering her words, she first urged her parents to take good care of their health and warned them about recent human trafficking activities, urging them to protect her younger sister.
Finally, she wrote, “Ling Zhen and I aren’t a good match.”
Just as she finished the last word, a commotion erupted outside—loud, chaotic voices like a bustling marketplace.
Wang Dongyun stormed out, only to stomp back in a moment later, her cheeks flushed with anger.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Man asked.
Tears welled up in Wang Dongyun’s eyes. “It’s Yao Wenjing again! She’s insisting you only got into our squad one because of Commander Ling. Everyone knows you turned him down, but she refuses to believe it. She’s claiming you’re lying to us and that you and Commander Ling are secretly having an affair!”
“The girls in squad five all believe her,” Wang Dongyun continued, her cheeks puffing up in anger. “They say she’s your best friend, so she must know you best. But I told them, ‘What kind of best friend would do that?!'”
Shi Man raised an eyebrow, surprised that Yao Wenjing had finally made her move so openly.
In her dream, Yao Wenjing had been full of scheming, but she had always maintained a perfect facade. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to deceive Shi Man for so long.
But now, perhaps because Shi Man no longer fell for her manipulative tactics, Yao Wenjing had decided to throw caution to the wind.
“Dongyun, can you do me a favor?” Shi Man whispered, leaning close to Wang Dongyun’s ear.
Wang Dongyun nodded eagerly. “Of course! I’ll go right now!” With quick, light steps, she hurried away.
Shi Man pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard. The sun was setting, painting the horizon with streaks of orange and gold.
Yao Wenjing had quickly become friends with everyone in squad five thanks to a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts. She was chatting animatedly with them, her back turned to Shi Man, completely unaware Shi Man had come out. Lowering her voice mysteriously, she whispered:
“You know, Manman is really smitten with Commander Ling. Think about it—how many young, promising, and handsome officers like him are there in the entire military region?”
“If she let Commander Ling go, she’d never find anyone better. Manman’s sharp as a tack—not just beautiful, but quick-witted too.”
“That’s why she pulled some strings to get a A-plus grade first, then pretended to distance herself from Commander Ling. But really, I bet we’ll be eating wedding candy soon!”
“Still, marrying Commander Ling is a real achievement for Manman. So you could say she earned that Superior A Grade through her own skills, right?”
Some of the female soldiers looked scornful, while others seemed doubtful.
“Yao Wenjing, did Shi Man really not reject Commander Ling?” one asked.
“As if she would!” Yao Wenjing scoffed.
Just then, Sister Mei rushed in through the door, calling out, “Xiao Man, I’m here!”
Yao Wenjing froze, turning her head to see Shi Man standing right behind her, having overheard who knows how much.
Yao Wenjing was even more terrified that Shi Man had listened for so long without interrupting, losing her temper, or storming off. Is Shi Man finally learning to control her emotions?
At that moment, Shi Man didn’t even look at Yao Wenjing. She simply smiled and greeted Sister Mei.
Wang Dongyun had invited Sister Mei, saying Shi Man wanted to see her. Sister Mei had already planned to come back tomorrow and try to persuade Shi Man again.
Being called in today made her even more hopeful. She asked eagerly, “Xiao Man, have you finally come to your senses? Commander Ling is a rare find—you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone better, even with a lantern! Why don’t you two set a date soon and get your marriage certificate?”
Shi Man had always been decisive. She could decide about marriage herself without needing her parents’ approval, especially since they lived far away.
As for Ling Zhen, being an orphan made things even simpler. Sister Mei believed this marriage should be easy to arrange.
Yao Wenjing was stunned. What? Shi Man actually rejected Commander Ling?
Her face burned with humiliation. She vividly remembered how Shi Man used to spend every evening excitedly daydreaming about her perfect married life with Ling Zhen.
Shi Man looked at Sister Mei, her voice earnest and resolute as she repeated, “Sister Mei, I’ve made up my mind. Please go back to Deputy Regiment Commander Ling now and stop trying to change my mind.”
All the female soldiers stared at Shi Man in shock. Hearing rumors was one thing, but witnessing this firsthand was another entirely.
As expected of Shi Man, she decisively rejected Commander Ling’s excellent offer without hesitation.
It’s both enviable and unattainable, another whispered.
Yao Wenjing felt even more ashamed. Everyone was giving her sidelong glances, as if saying, “What kind of rumors are you spreading?”
The “friendship” she had painstakingly built with Sister Mei using a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts crumbled instantly during Sister Mei and Shi Man’s brief exchange, vanishing like smoke.
Perhaps no one would ever pay attention to her again.
Who would dare be friends with someone who would make up lies to slander their own best friend?
***
Here, Sister Mei finally realized there was no hope with Shi Man. Since she’d made her feelings clear in front of so many people, Sister Mei gave up on trying to persuade Shi Man again.
Muttering to herself, Sister Mei headed toward the regiment headquarters where Ling Zhen worked.
Fortunately, Ling Zhen remained cool and distant, seemingly uninterested in everything. He was always busy with something, his whereabouts often a mystery. Otherwise, she would have hesitated about how to approach him.
Sister Mei was relieved to quickly find Ling Zhen squatting outside his dormitory door, just returning from morning exercises.
The moment she saw him, Sister Mei clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Ah, Commander Ling! I came to talk to you about Xiao Man, but I always sensed you weren’t interested. Well, it’s settled now—it’s not happening!”